Bwahaha!

My Abigail is almost 2-1/2 years old, yet she has no interest in saying goodbye to her diapers. I've decided not to sweat it too much - but boy do those diapers get more "fragant" by the day. She's okay with peeing in the toilet, but she likes to hide and do numero dos in the diaper. Total TMI, I know.

I wanted to share this video I found at the Yahoo! Korea Children's site on the subject - silly Koreans! (I can say this, because I happen to be a silly Korean myself)

야후 ! 꾸러기 동요
	꾸꾸야야의 응가 송 혼자서 응가, 응가해요 응가해요하나 둘 셋 끙끙끙 하나 둘 셋 으쌰..

Click on the button to begin the video - it's in Korean, but you'll get the theme right away. It's too funny! Someday my Abby will be completely toilet learned, right? Please tell me it will be so. Otherwise I should look into buying stock in Depends adult "undergarments".

My friend Denise says this is disturbing. :D

What we've been up to

Some of you may visit my blog because of my digital and hybrid scrapbooking activities, and you're wondering where they've gone lately. I've put them aside for a while to focus on being with my little ones. One of them will be scooting off to second grade in a few weeks, and we're in a busy frenzy making some final summer memories together before ushering in the new school year.

Amanda was a Cloverbud this year in a local 4-H chapter. No, she didn't do any projects that involved livestock or farming, but she did get to enter her needlepoint projects and a cooking project.




I've been to the fair for several years, but until you have a child personally involved, it doesn't really come alive! The entire event was extremely impressive. Some of the greatest talents exhibited the fruits of their labor. One of our favorite exhibits was the rabbits! Look how absolutely adorable this one is:


Whenever I think of the fair, I think of extreme heat. This fair was no different with 100 degree temperatures the whole week. Amanda ran through the sprinklers courtesy of the local fire department:


I heard from a friend of mine that it was so hot that some of the rabbits died during the fair exhibition. Apparently, their owners didn't do enough to keep them cool. How sad.

We've been enjoying our vegetable garden's bounty, taking our snow peas, green beans, and zucchini and making drool-inducing stir fries with them. While we were harvesting our veggies the other day, a little friend dropped by:


The girls got tired of working, so they tumbled into a tickle fest in the grass. Of course the crazy photog mom grabbed the camera.


And thanks to friends who've shared their overflow, we have canned our own apricot jam for the first time ever (which was surprisingly easy), as well as make fresh cherry cobbler.




All in all, wonderful days spent well. I hope I can get back to some of the deferred hobbies soon, but most times, I really don't miss them so much. I guess it's because my favorite hobby I continue to nurture through my photography business.
Take a peek at my Photo Artistry blog if you get a chance:

Meet my nephew

Remember this little one? I want to share some photos of him - click on the photo below to view them on my Photo Artistry blog:



Since those photos were taken, his father (my brother, aka my BOTHER) tells me he's become a hulking lad with quite the good-sized noggin. Meh, don't worry. You grew into your gargantuan head eventually, right Bother?

A happy Tuesday

It's been a day filled with gymnastics, Caillou, post-processing of photos, and a warm summer breeze to cool us off. Later on, we'll be heading off to swim lessons. I love days like this.

Speaking of relaxing, my favorite scent of the moment is lavender. I am thinking of flanking our home with lavender bushes, after a photo session I had this past weekend. Click on the photo to be whisked away for a peek. ;)

And an extremely belated congrats to Amanda for participating in an art contest. You can see her entry on this screenshot:



So proud of you, Pancakes!

Sunshine aplenty

Tonight, Amanda leaned over to me and said: "Mommy, I love you so much. So much that I could put my love in a container bigger than the Pacific Ocean." Ah, that Amanda. She's just a handful of sunshine. (Flattery will get you many places, my daughter)

Welcome summer

(Click to enlarge)

By Amanda

Today

Today, I am thankful for the calm I feel in my heart -



for the precious little hands that bring color and vibrance to my world -



for the surprising emergence of a hobby that constantly reminds me to release the lifesong that rises in my spirit -



for a partner who understands the cadence of my footsteps here on this Earth and willingly matches his to it, all the while remembering to dance with his two little "Cinderellas" -



Today, I am thankful.