The Day Family Chamber Players

Jason and his family will be donating their musical talents for an upcoming Gala at the elementary school they all went to - Hollin Meadows. In return, they are getting some free publicity! I was chosen to be their photographer.

Here's Jason and his sisters, Jessica (r) and Alicia (l).....

I took this cute one of his parents - just like the one I did of my mom and stepdad this summer.
This is one of my favorites.....It would look good on the postcard I am creating for distribution.
And I love this one of just them.....
So, there they are! It will be interesting to see which picture they choose to use!

My Valentine Princess

E L E A N O R

This little girl is something else. She has grown up so much and is amazing. She is still very intense and can be exhausting at times, but I am really enjoying her right now. Her personality is very social and engaging. Her teachers LOVE her. She has a million friends at school and loves learning. She is reading now and devours books. She is writing every word she can think of to write and spells everything. She hates to sound it out and will only write it if it is written perfectly - of course!

She still loves to dress up and play with her baby dolls. She draws better than I did at her age and her attention to detail is amazing. She has started to organize everything. Her doll clothes are all neatly folded, her babies all lined up in the crib, her jewelry and make up in special boxes. I, of course, am encouraging it! I want her to be a neat freak like her mom!

I made her and Savannah Valentine dresses and she loved hers!

( Savannah wasn't in the mood for pictures because she was without a nap from 1:00pm church!)

She twirled and danced and twirled all day long in that dress! I 'm glad she liked it!

What a cute little Valentine sweetheart! I love you, Eleanor!!!!

Our Family Christmas Service Project 2010

I don't know why I didn't take more pictures of our service project this year. Maybe because it was a little hectic around Christmas time. But, it was successful. We donated a huge plastic bin full of food and toys and our family made the heart pillows. Jason's students brought the food and the toys and put a handprint on the wall for every donation. The winner got a $25.00 gift certificate to Chipotle.The heart pillows are used for children who are removed from their parents for various reasons. Inside the little pocket, they place a toy or book for the child. The kids had a great time making them and I hope, in some way, I am teaching them good things.
We took everything over the first part of January. We got a really nice thank you note from the Assistance League thanking us for being so generous. Warm fuzzies!

You can never have too much P.I.N.K!!!

The other day I was talking to my mom on the phone and this cutie pie came along.......the cape is one my mom made for Xander and Garrett a million years ago, but as you can see, it is still loved!

By the time I got the camera, the sunglasses and the tiara were off, but I still couldn't resist!

I started laughing and my mom told me to take the picture....so this one is for you, Mom!

This little girl is growing up so fast! I can't believe how time is flying! She makes my heart sing and I can't believe I can love a little girl so much.

The last few months have been very stressful for our family. Some unexpected trials and situations that are wearing on us. But, it's pictures like these, that make every day worthwhile!

Here are my two little princesses.....

I L.O.V.E. this picture!

Then, we have 5 year old diva girl, who loves to pose for the camera.....

Notice the eye shadow, compliments of her big sister! She calls it "maycop" in the cutest little two year old voice in the world.

Not unlike her older sister, she likes to pose for the camera also.

Complete with a performance and a dance and a song!

Another day we had to match our baby dolls...

I love it when they learn how to wink.....

Savannah loves her dolly, Flower!

Truly, I never thought I would be so happy as a mother to these two little girls. I look at these two little girls and it reminds me of all the great memories I have with my sisters. I hope they have just as good of memories someday too!

The Mongolian Hair Cutting Party

Jason's sister, Alicia, married a man from Mongolia. It is the custom to not cut the boy's hair until they are either three or five years old. Time in the womb is counted as part of that time. Their two boys are just at the right age to be able to do both of them at the same time.

It is a big deal in Mongolia, like a right of passage. So, here we are posing as the guinea pigs for the photographer. She was trying to find a good background for the family picture.....

Here's the other background......

We didn't mind because we got some good pictures of the family and I got this cute one of my girls and me! I love Eleanor's smile in this picture!

And here is the family picture....

The yurt centerpieces.....

This is Charlotte and Charlotte. They have been friends since they were only a year old. She flew out for the party. We went out to dinner with her the night she came and they bought these cute matching sweaters at Talbot's. They look darling!

Xander's former principal. Alicia works at the school Xander used to go to and Sharon and I have stayed in contact all these years! She was shocked to see how TALL Xander was!

Savannah watching the hair cutting......

First, they put their hair in a ponytail and then dad cut the ponytail off. They put it in a special bag to save forever. Here is Jay cutting Zorig's hair.

There's the ponytail and now dad is cutting Buuvei's hair.

Buuvei was a lot less cooperative than Zorig. They had a hard time getting him to sit still!

Once the ponytail was gone, they let the cousins cut some of the hair.

Then it was time for the BIG hair cut.....shaving their head!

I love this picture of Zorig! He looks so grown up now!

(By the way, that is face paint on his face, not war paint or anything having to do with the ceremony!)

Next was Buuvei and he had to be held down by both parents and he was NOT happy!

I can't believe how different they look! I didn't get a good after shot of both of them, as they were running around. It was an interesting experience and one my kids won't ever forget!