Weiners & Vaccinations

Can I just say that I love our pediatrician?
AJ had his 2 yr old well-child appointment today, (albeit about 3 months late) and everything turned out fabulously. He was literally bouncing off the walls & examination table (AJ, not the doctor), playing with the trash can, pushing around the wheely stool that the dr. sits on and basically just being AJ, when the dr. came in. AJ then decided to start tearing the paper off the examination table with his teeth and chewing it up into large spitballs in his mouth. He then executed a top-notch leap off the examination table. "Nice billy goat you've got there" commented the Dr. :) lol
Anyway, AJ is in the 75th percentile for his weight and head size (whatever the heck that means - why does it matter his head size anyway? Like I'm going to brag about THAT at the next playgroup. "Yes, he IS rather smart - he DOES has a head circumrence in the 75th percentile you know"). Not surprisingly, his height is only in the 25th percentile. However, my spirits were uplifted when the dr. said that when a child turns two, that you can predict with an inch or so of accuracy, their adult height. So he broke out the calculator and after inquiring as to my height, and steve's height, he determined that AJ will be about 6 ft. tall as an adult.....and hey, I can live with that. :) Dr. said his saving grace was that I am 3 inches above the average woman's height (and Steve is 1 inch above) so thank you God, that I am tall (I always did have a sort of incane pride over that - I guess it paid off ).
So the dr. checked AJ's everything-ears, nose, joints, blah, blah, blah and determined that he is in excellent health. "Weiner-check" he announced after checking his joints. Note: I am still not entirely sure what pediatricians are checking for when they feel up the family jewels at each well-child visit, but it has been a recurring theme every 6 months with both boys, so I rest assured that this is a normal occurance in the pediatrician's office. Being that I am a first-timer in male child anatomy, and due to the fact that my sister-in-law has given me a complex re:my boys weiner size, I was curious as to how AJ's "stuff" stacked up against other boys his age.
"Does he have a small package?" I asked.
"I suppose it depends on what packages you're comparing it to. But No, he doesn't"
"I just wondered - it looks small to me, but I guess that's just because he's little" I answered.
"No, his is fine. You're just used to seeing grown male anatomy. He's actually a little bigger than average for his age. And I see some dinky ones in here" (at this point, I couldn't help but giggle out loud).
He went out to explain more about testicles dropping and something about scrotums and...well...i just kindof zoned out at that point. I was just happy to know that not only will AJ be tall but he's well-hung too. I think his face in this picture is apropo, because he would probably be very chagrined to know that I am discussing his anatomy on the blog. :) poor kid. Don't tease him about this when he's older, ok??

Next up: vaccinations. I always cringe a little at this point, because I'm somewhat leery of vaccinations. Not all of them, just some that have questionable preservatives, mercury, or are live. Anyway, I explained to him that I was uncomfortable with the MMR because of the autism scare that we had with Owen, and that the MMR has been questioned as a trigger for Autism. Bracing myself for the onslaught of why-you-should-vaccinate-your-kid speech, I was pleasant surprised when he said, "yeah, then you want to avoid the MMR. I can see by looking at him that he doesn't show any signs of autism, so there's no medical reason to not give it to him, but as a parent, if I were you, I wouldn't want to give it to him either".
see my jaw hit the floor. (could it be? a pediatrician who is supportive of non-vaccination??) at this point, I considered hugging him, but I refrained.

So...it was a good day. AJ got a sucker (or lollipop as they're called in the south) for being so good for his finger-prick blood test and he was a happy camper. We went out for lunch, headed home and here I sit at 8:30 p.m. with both kids sound asleep and Steve hounding me to hurry up so we can watch a movie. :)
Until next time....

My first senior session

Since we've moved here (and when we lived in Florida for that matter) I haven't done a whole lot to market myself with the whole photography thing. People just kindof find out about me, and trickle in...and it's a nice little income on the side. I did some stuff for the Sherwood seniors last year for their jr./sr. prom that seems to have generated some interest so this year, it's looking like I'll be having a few senior sessions to tuck under my belt. (Note to my in-laws: that's HIGH SCHOOL seniors...not old people).
Anyway, I'm really tired tonight (stayed up until 2:30 last night with Steve & Casey watching The Village--dumb idea, good movie) so I'm about to hit the hay here. But I wanted to post a couple shots of my first ever senior session. As far as models go, I could'nt ask for any better for my first senior shoot. She was easy going, and really pretty and a natural in front of the camera. And it's kindof a nice change from toddlers. I couldn't believe it when we were done after 45 minutes (including 3 clothing changes) and I didn't have to bribe her with fish crackers, fruit snacks, or blow bubbles to get her attention. I kindof dig this whole "adult" photo shoot thing!

Until next time....

ZZZzzzzzzzzzzz

Toccoa Falls

Tonight I've been procrastinating on sessions that I need to proof so I started messing around with these pictures I took when we were in Rabun Gap. On the way home, we stopped at Toccoa Falls, my first experience with a waterfall (except Niagra, but that's like comparing a Hummer with a crotch-rocket - equally cool, but completely different). Needless to say, it was gorgeous and were it not for the boys (who were intent on launching themselves into the churning water at the base of the cliff) I could've stayed there all day taking pictures. As it were, I was only able to snap a few due to the fact that I was warding off heart failure as Owen and AJ climbed like mountain goats all over the rocks around the base of the falls. I was also busy protecting my 3rd child, Canon, from splashing or internal damage from the mist. So here's a few snaps that I took when I could - I was preoccupied with the safety of the boys and didn't bother to change my settings, hence the blown highlights and grain (grrr.) Sometimes I have to remind myself that all our family pictures don't have to be of portrait quality. So here are some true snapshots.
The butterfly was one of many that we found nestled under some rocks at the base of the falls. It was cool and damp under there (I was wary of snakes, but didn't see any--thank you God) which didn't seem like a place that butterflies would like, but who am I to judge the resting places of a butterfly? There was another one that was even cooler - it was blue and black, but Owen scared it away before I could get a picture. He enjoyed making them fly away into the mist. The boys (all 3 of them) also enjoyed hunting for big rocks to throw into the "wittel watafalls" (little waterfalls furthur downstream) so that's what the last picture is, technically imperfect though it may be (Can you tell I'm a little hung-up over the messed up pictures?? :) lol
Anyway....hope you like. :)

Rabun Gap

We had a great weekend in Rabun Gap last weekend, and I finally feel like I've caught my breath enough to sit down and write about it. I always enjoy getting together with the Cox's and Porter's - we laugh a lot, and joke a lot, but it always leaves me melancholy when the time has passed and I wish for things that could have been and remember things that were so great and were lost. They are good friends.

It was a chaotic weekend - 6 adults, 11 children, 1 weiner dog, cattle, and a few sheep make for an exciting time. Roger & Amy just moved into their spacious home nestled in the beautiful mountains in north Georgia. Their front porch overlooks mountains and it was very peaceful to drink coffe in the mornings and watch the fog roll off the peaks in the distance. There is something to be said about a simple life - although I'm not sure how long Amy will last without a Target within driving distance. There's always target.com though, girl, so have heart. :)

The first morning we were there, the boys and I went for a walk through the countryside. Just up the road from Roger and Amy's house lies a small lake where students can swim, jump on a water trampoline and be nibbled to death by pirahna-like fish that feast on human toes. The scenic pictures above were taken on that walk. Cool thing is, the mountains aren't even completely visible. They're covered by fog, and every morning that we were there, they weren't completely visible until about 10am. So around 8 am on this morning we took these pictures, the fog was still fairly thick. Cattle and sheep roam all over the acreage owned by the school so it was neat to walk through the property and listen to the cows and sheep make their morning animal-farmish noises. You should have seen AJ and Owen's expression when they saw a cow lift up it's tail and um...relieve itself about 10 feet away from us. Jaws to the ground, AJ points and says, "OH WOW! Cow go BIG tinkle!" lol. :)

We took the kids swimming a couple of times at the small lake which was cool & relaxing since it was easily in the mid-90's that weekend. Here's a shot of Emily, completely clothed, which is a rarity. I swear I've never seen a kid who enjoys being in the buff more than this girl. And the Amy's too...who were fried to a crisp in strange patterns due to the crop circles of sunscreen that were applied to their legs and arms. As for me, I got no burn, no tan, nothing to say of our trip to the "beach" other than a smelly bathing suit and sand up my butt.

The guys rigged up a poor man's slip 'n slide out of a tarp and the hose and the kids had fun sliding around on that to beat the heat. Here's a picture of Zach, who insisted that I take his picture like all the big kids. I'm not sure if he's showing me Little Bunny FooFoo or flashing me a gang symbol. I'll get back to you on that one.

Anyway, we had a great weekend. We couldn't be more happy for Roger and Amy...they'll have no problem fitting in with their new "family" at Rabun Gap. Now if they could just get US in there......:)

A quick note....

Just a quick note to say hello and tell family and friends that we're heading out for the weekend. We're very excited to be going up to Rabun Gap for the weekend to visit with Roger and Amy in their new home and I heard rumor that the Porter's will be there as well. We're pretty geeked about it.
We were planning on going to see Rob Bell's speaking engagement, "Everything is Spiritual" in Atlanta, but they sold out of tickets before we could get any. :( Steve is SOOOOOooooo bummed. If anyone out there has tickets, send 'em our way. We're going to make a few phone calls today and see if we can pull any strings. :) Cross your fingers!
Hmmm....no pictures today, so I'll leave you with a quote I heard somewhere,that I think is pretty cool:
"We are not physical beings having a spiritual experience, rather, we are spiritual beings having a physical experience". Helps me remember that although it may not seem so, this life is NOT all there is.....there's so much more. We're just pass'n through.....

Sloan

Just finished proofing Sloan's 2 yr. pics and thought I'd post a couple. She sure is a doll and *very* photogenic. We had a lot of fun at a neighbor's house playing in their Bee-oo-tiful backyard. Sloan was quite enamored with the fish in their man-made pond, especially the yellow one. :) We had to keep coming back to check on him.

She was very busy and definitely kept me on my toes! I basically just followed her everywhere and tried to get her to look at me occassionally. I think I got a few that Sean and Jen will be pleased with, but we'll see. I'm excited to convert to B/W too, didn't get to that tonight -- but it's almost 1 AM and I'm tired so I'm going to bed!

I don't want to spoil the surprise of seeing all of them, so I'll stop at these two and hit the hay!

The Results of Owen's Testing....

Well, this morning Owen had an occupational testing to determine if there was a possibility of some sort of sensory disorder, in particular, Autism. Other tests have led up to this point...hearing, speech and developmental evaluations, etc. and this was kindof the final hurrah after other tests. Thankfully, the therapists believe that Owen does NOT have any sort of sensory impairment or autism. *hear gigantic sigh of relief*
We've suspected that something with Owen was "off" for quite awhile...his speech is delayed and he has some strange behaviors that we weren't quite sure about (clenching his hands under his chin, obsessions with certain objects - i.e. doors) but the therapists observed and played with him, interacted with and tested him with tasks for over an hour this morning and determined that his quirks are nothing more than that...quirks.
She also said that he is very above-average on a lot of his developmental and intelligence tests that she administered, so not only is Owen "normal" (whatever that means) but he's also pretty stink'n smart too. :) But of course we already knew that. And she also commented several times on how adorable he was (but I knew that too).
Anyway, just thought I'd share. I was so relieved and excited that he's ok...just quirky and funny and just...Owen. I got in the car after the assessment and just cried. *sigh* so I'm on cloud nine now.
Have a wonderful day, everyone! I know I will! :) lol

Happy 4th of July! (a day late)

So I suppose I should say Happy 5th of July.

Hopefully everyone had a fun and safe holiday full of friends, family, BBQ, fireworks, and if you live down in the south with us - boiled peanuts and corn on the cob. (I usually pass on the boiled peanuts-gross).

We celebrated the holiday twice this week. Once on Sunday night at the Freedom Festival, sponsored by our very own Sherwood Baptist Church. Over 7,000 people in the community come through this big event hosted by the church and other businesses in the community at the high school campus where Steve works. A live band, inflatables, cotton candy, dipp'n dots, balloons, watermelon - you name it, it was there. The boys were particularly impressed (especially AJ) when the local military base brought down a Black Hawk helicopter. They did a low-altitude pass over the football field (note A.J.'s jaw drop to the ground) and then they went up and dropped 6 parachuters (is that a word?) that landed in the soccer field right next to us. AJ was thrilled and he literally grabbed my hand and dragged me across the field to the where the jumpers had landed, his little feet pounding as fast as they could across the lawn. He was even MORE excited when the helicopter came and landed right there on the soccer field as well. *GASP* "Oh WOW!! LOOK AT DA BIG HEWICOPTA!". He was a little geeked, if you can't tell.

Cue the fireworks, sponsored by Chick-Fil-A, which AJ was soundly entertained by and Owen lay face-down on the blanket with his hands over his eyes. Obviously not a big fan.

Yesterday we were invited to hang out with the incredibly large Perkins family and were invited out to one of many aunts' house for BBQ, swimming & boating in the Flint River. It was relaxing to hang out and meet new people and eat good food on a holiday. The boys had a grand time swimming in the river - AJ literally swam for a couple of hours and cried when it was time to leave. Here's Owen getting his feet wet when we first arrived. For awhile, he stuck to the pool, but when he saw how much fun AJ was having in the river, he came over to join him.

And of course, what's Fourth of July swimming without a little skinny dipping?? Of course, our nudist children only remained clothed for about an hour until they stripped it all off and were having a good 'ole time swimm'n in they birthday suits.

As you can see, Ayden was quite comfortable in jumping off the dock, which he did multiple times throughout the day. I gave him an extra vitamin at breakfast this morning though, because he actually DRANK quite a great deal of river water yesterday, much as I tried to stop him. *sigh* This color one is my favorite of AJ from yesterday though....it reminds me of him...full of life and color, very vivid, and with a great deal of motion blur. I think I might frame it and hang it in the house somewhere - I think it looks like a painting, what do you all think? :)

We also went on boat rides on the river, so I took my camera and took a few shots of various scenery. Scenic is not my thing, but I came up with a couple that I didn't think were half bad. Here's someone's dock that was starting to collapse. Casey told me that once a summer they lower the water in the river so that people can work on their docks. Hopefully they do it soon or these people may not have a dock left to work on!

At the picnic, there were SO many people there (makes me want to have a large family!) There was probably 60-70 Perkins family members and their various offspring coming and going throughout the day, children of all ages, toys, water toys, tubing, swimming...there was a lot going on. Of course there was seating for all these people scattered throughout the yard as well. I liked this stone bench. :)

And then I saw this old rusty car tucked away in the corner of the yard. Casey kept asking me why I was taking so many pictures of junk and I should get my butt over to the water and "take more pictures of pretty things". Junk has so much more character, doncha think? :)

Anyway, hope everyone had a great holiday! Happy 5th of July!