*Waves* Hello 2 readers that I still might have. Holy cow, I’ve been very absent lately. You’d think I’m pregnant or something (which I am not). I’ve just been busy taking pictures of pretty people and making them prettier, on top of containing a bunch of 3 year olds all day. It’s exhausting at the end of the day and if I’m honest, I really haven’t felt like blogging.

I really want to keep up with things here, mostly for my sake. I have so many posts to look back on while Rylie was growing into toddler-hood and I want the same for Andrew. I feel bad I haven’t kept up as well with his milestones and growing, but life is crazy with two kids and two jobs. Hopefully I will be around here a little more now that I am starting to balance work, photography and life better.

Torie Lin Photography is doing great! I am loving my job. I absolutely love meeting new people and capturing a special moment in their lives. My favorite part of all is turning those images into something worth keeping. It’s been a learning process, but a fun one. I’ve had a few more newborn sessions, a pregnancy announcement, maternity session, and some family ones. It’s been a blast and I pray that it continues growing so I can keep doing what I love.

Andrew is almost 15 months old. WHAT!? Seriously, the 2nd child seems to grow up so much faster. He is such a smart little guy. He imitates everything his sister does and it is so fun to watch. We are struggling a bit with sharing toys though. Andrew doesn’t understand sharing yet, and Rylie thinks everything is hers. It’s been a constant battle, but I am hoping there will be some sort of break through soon (probably when Andrew starts fighting back, ha!) Andrew doesn’t say as many words as Rylie did at this age, but he sure tries. Most of the time it sounds like some sort of German-gebberish. Even though he doesn’t communicate actual words, he knows how to tell me things and he definitely knows what I am saying. I ask him to go find his milk and he does, or he will go to the pantry door and cry until I get him something to eat. Not the best way to do it, but he is communicating.

It is so much fun to watch them interact as well. Rylie has always shown affection to her brother by hugs (sometimes too tight), kisses and loving on him, but as of late he has been initiating the love. Out of the blue he walks up to her and gives her hugs. It doesn’t last long, but the moment is sweet. I also love watching them share a snack. Many times I give them each a cracker or two; they will both (without prompting) sit together at their kid table in their play room and eat the snack. I love looking out there and seeing those two get along.

Seth and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary on the 6th. Sometimes I can’t believe it’s 5 years, but I feel like it’s been much longer. I think having kids so soon after getting married has made us grow up quickly and experience many new things together. Make any sense? There have been ups, downs, struggles, and joys, but going through all these things together has made us closer than ever.

I think that is most of the catching up I have, for now. There are a few posts just sitting in my draft folder waiting to be finished, but I either can’t find the time to do so, or I sit staring at a blank screen with no words coming to my brain. One of these days I will share my thoughts again. For now I will leave you with some pictures of my cute kiddos.

Happy birthday little man!

This past year has gone by so quickly. I feel like you are still a tiny newborn snuggling in my neck, except you aren’t. You are a walking, “talking” toddler who is becoming a little person.

You are such a joy to be around. You are the happiest little boy and oh, so friendly. Any one can hold you with out a fuss, of course after you check them out.

Your personality is so easy-going, but strong-willed and determined. You know what you want and go for it, even if it means taking it from your much bigger sister. That doesn’t stop you one bit. I think you think you are the same size as her.

I love listening to you “talk”. Sometimes I swear you are having a conversation with yourself. You start blabbing and spouting out words that make no sense, and it sounds like you answer yourself. You hear a word and repeat the sound, even if it makes no sense.

You are running around the house. Like literally running. When you see something you want you go full speed to get it because you know sissy is two steps behind you.

January has been one of the biggest growing periods for you not only physically, but mentally. I can definitely see a little toddler starting to emerge and I’m not sure if I’m ready for it. Both you and your sister are independent little things, but when you are hurt or sad you come running to me with your arms held over your head. Speaking of daddy you love him to pieces. You are his little buddy and he loves it. If he is sitting on the floor you go right over to him, plop down on his lap, and hang out for a few minutes. I love that you look up to him. I hope you always do.

Andrew, this last year has been such a blessing. You make us so happy and your sister adores you. I remember a year ago today (the 25th) waiting for your arrival. Since it was our second time going through it I wasn’t as nervous. I was more excited than anything. I couldn’t wait to see what you looked like and hold you in my arms for the first time. The moment I saw you my eyes filled with tears. You were so handsome. They placed you on my belly and I gave you a little squeeze and a small kiss. They took you away to clean you up and then brought the best smelling, most beautiful little boy I had ever seen back to me.

That night I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. Even though I was tired and needed to rest, I couldn’t. I studied your sweet little face and they way you slept. I fell in love all over again and couldn’t wait to take you home.

Your sister came to meet you the very next day. Although she didn’t quite understand what was going on, she held you and gave you the sweetest kisses. Your relationship has grown so much this last year. I pray that you both love each other for the rest of your lives. I know there will be fighting, but I hope as you grow you become friends and look out for each other when hard times come. Your daddy and I won’t always be here, but you will have each other. I hope you keep family first. It is so important.

I pray that you come to know Jesus and  love him with all your heart. I can’t wait to see what talents and gifts He blesses you with as you grow. I pray you use those things for Him and His glory. Always remember how you were raised. Always shine His light and don’t be afraid to tell others about Him.

We love you so, so much little boy. Words can’t describe the love that we have for you. I can not wait to see how you grow and what you learn this coming year.

Happy 1st birthday handsome.

My daughter and I were walking out of school hand in hand. This is something we do every day, but this time something struck me. I looked down and noticed how much smaller hers were than mine. How they fit so perfectly into mine. I grabbed it just a little bit tighter and savored the moment. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, or a big milestone. It was a moment that got me thinking. Her hands are continually growing. One day they will not fit in mine as they do now. Heck, there will be a day when she won’t want to hold my hand anymore. That day can stay far away for now, but it will be here before I know it.

I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again, parenting small people is hard. Parenting in general is hard, but man is it worth it. I love that my children still depend on me. They still need me to hold them, to brush their teeth, and put them to bed. They still need me to tie their shoes, prepare their meals and kiss them good night (although that one better last for as long as they live in my house! ) It’s not that I need to feel needed, which we all do want at times, but it’s the realization that they are still little and innocent. Boy do I wish I could keep them innocent forever. It is such a beautiful thing. I wish I could shield them from the “bad guys” forever. I can not. But, I can live in the moment and embrace their innocence as long as it lasts.

I never want to forget what it felt like to hold that little hand. Or rock them before bed. Or balance them on my hip. One day those things will come to an end and a new stage of life will begin, but I will always remember those memories of sweet, innocent babies who needed me.

I am soo far behind on this, seeing as how he will be 1-year-old in a couple of weeks. My little man turned 11 months on Christmas day. It has been a wonderful month filled with walking running around the house, chasing sissy, and getting into may things he shouldn’t.

Weighs 22.5 pounds. His weight gain has really slowed down since he is walking.

30″ tall.

Wearing mostly 12-18 month clothing. He is so much skinnier than Rylie at this age.

Top two teeth are almost through. He still only has four, but I think more are on the way.

Only says a few words, but he mimics every sound he hears. He especially loves to copy his sister. They have screaming matches sometimes. It’s so lovely (sarcasm).

He is starting to get a little bit of separation anxiety. He doesn’t cry when I drop him off with my mom during the week, but he’s been crying at church. It only lasts for a second and gets over it.

And on that note he loves his BiBi (my dad). He is the first one Andrew will go to and just sit content with. When we are at their house Andrew will follow my dad around until he picks him up.

Eats anything and everything. I have to say that I have been blessed with great eaters (so far). Andrew is not picky at all!

He has the worst temper. I have never seen a baby throw such a fit. He had a full on kicking and screaming fit a few days ago. I didn’t expect that until closer to two.

Besides his occasional temper fits, he is such a great little boy. He is pretty easy-going, but is a busy little thing. Always going, going, going. I can already see a difference in the way girls and boys play at such a young age. He loves to bang on everything and make tons of noise. He can’t play with one thing for too long and loves sports balls. He hits things, throws and destroys anything he gets his hands on, and he is already starting to climb. Lord help me.

Any one else feel like December is kicking their butts? Seriously, this is the busiest I have ever been. Between working, doctor appointments, all the Christmas parties, starting this new photography deal and every day life, I am super swamped. I don’t even know how I am writing this post right now!

I just wanted to give an update for those who have been reading about Andrew’s upcoming surgery. It was moved from last month to the 14th, which is this Friday. I am so ready to get it over with, but nervous about him going under anesthesia. If you could, say a prayer that all goes well, he recovers fast, and that we are at peace during the surgery. Thank you!

Also, my photography endeavor is going well! I’ve had at least one session every weekend this month, and I am enjoying it so much! I love meeting the families and working with them, but my most favorite part is editing the pictures. I love seeing a before and after and really making the photos pop. I could do it all day! Here are a few pictures I took over the past couple of weekends.

I just set up my new (to me) computer and it has a 24″ screen! It will be so much better to edit on than a 13″, which seems miniscule to me now.

We have been doing elf on the shelf too. Rylie loves finding Elfie every morning and always calls him “silly Elfie”. I’ve been taking pictures every day and hope to post all of them when this it’s over.

I am loving the holiday season this year. Even though it has the busiest, it’s been the most fun because Rylie is starting to understand it all. We are trying to keep Jesus in the season as best as possible, and keep the “gimmies” to a minimum. It’s hard to teach these things when Christmas is now so commercialized and all about presents, but we are trying.

I want to update on Andrew’s helmet situation too. Hopefully I can get some pictures of his progress so far and post some before and after pictures. It has really improved and I can’t wait to see the end result. Only a few more weeks and we can say good-bye to the helmet!

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season and remembering why we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

Growing, growing, growing that’s all you do! This last month went by the fastest so far. The busier we are, the faster it goes which means December will fly by! You are losing your “babyness” more and more every day which makes me a tiny bit sad. You are a great boy and I love how happy you are! I hope this happiness will carry over into toddler hood.

Weighs 22 lbs

29 1/2 inches tall

Walking all over the place. As a matter of fact he’d rather walk. If he needs to get somewhere quick than he will crawl, otherwise he is a walker.

Top two teeth broke through yesterday. He now has 4 teeth total with more on the way.

Talking up a storm. I love to hear his sounds. He says “mama” “dada” “ba” (ball) “baba” (bottle) and he mimics the sounds of words we say.

He is about half way through the helmet treatment. He had a check up on Tuesday and they said about 6 more weeks to go! Woo hoo!

Lights up every time he sees his daddy. I hope I don’t get left in the dust.

Eating a lot better now that his top teeth are through. We are trying different flavors and spices and he doesn’t seem to mind.

Love you big boy! So blessed to call you my son.

Today is election day, but one thing I am not going to do is talk about politics. I’m just going to talk about life.

This last month has been a crazy one. I went from being a full-time stay at home mom to working part-time; something I didn’t think I would be doing right now. I have never taught before, so it has definitely been a learning experience. My days have consisted of getting up to an alarm (something I haven’t had to do in 3 years), getting the kids ready, packing bags/lunches, dropping Andrew off, teaching, picking Andrew up, getting both of them to nap, do some kind of house work, feed children, play with said children, make dinner, give baths, put kids to bed, fight with the toddler to stay in bed, serve husband dinner and then crash on the couch. It has been exhausting. Good, but exhausting.

Teaching itself has been good. Those kids are growing on me. I never saw myself being one to “teach” 3 year olds. I am more of a baby snuggler or elementary age person. That in between age is difficult as I am learning in my own home. Last week I was sick and missed two days of school, so when I returned yesterday I heard that they were in tears because I wasn’t there. I definitely don’t want them to cry, but it made me feel good that they love me that much. They come running into my class every morning ready for the day and it puts a smile on my face–until one of them craps their pants. Ha.

Speaking of 3 year olds, Rylie is turning 3 on Saturday. Where is the time going? Who turned my baby into a little girl? She is growing and learning so much, and her vocabulary makes me shake my head daily. With turning 3 just around the corner my sweet little girl has morphed into a temper-tantrum throwing crazy person. We fought with her about going to bed for 3 nights in a row. That is something we have never had to do. It was full on tantrum. Seth and I were both exhausted and ready for bed once we got her to stay. But with the trying 3′s also comes sweet moments. Moments when she rubs my head and tells me I’m beautiful or squeezes my leg and says I love you soo much. It helps the crazy moments disappear from my mind (well almost). I love this age, tantrums and all.

And then there’s my Andrew. My happy, easy-going, non-sleeping baby. Believe it or not, but he is starting to walk. He cracks up every time he takes his hand off of his support. I think it’s just fun to him. He has been doing very well with his helmet and doesn’t seemed bothered at all. His surgery that was scheduled for Friday is now postponed. I am bummed mostly because I want to get it over with, but it’s probably better because of Rylie’s birthday being the following day.

As for my photography business, I have my first shoot on Friday! I am very excited, but kind of nervous. I hope they love their pictures and I can do a good job at keeping the kids attention while capturing their personalities. If you have any words of wisdom I’d love to hear it.

There is so much more that I could ramble on about, but I will spare you (and if you’ve made it this far you are probably my mom haha). Happy election day and remember this; whoever wins today, Jesus is still King.

21 lbs

29 inches

Saying “mama” all the time.

Starting to take steps alone. He took 3 steps the other day. I got my camera out and he didn’t do it again. *sigh*

Still eats like a champ. I can not eat anything in front of him without giving him something too. My kids are piggys.

Getting better at sleeping, but doesn’t like to nap at Mimi’s house.

He is also my early riser. I can not get him to sleep past 7am. Most mornings it’s 6:30am. We are not used to this. Rylie use to sleep until 8 and then play in her crib for 30 minutes. He screams.

He is the happiest little guy and is super ticklish. I love it!

Has adjusted to his helmet very well. It doesn’t bother him at all anymore. He did have a bad rash from it last week, but thankfully it is gone!

My little man,

I cannot believe I carried you for 9 months and you’ve been with us the same. Time is flying by and I am trying all I can to cherish the “firsts” and every moment I have with you. You are such a wonderful baby (besides the whole sleeping thing) and you are always smiling or laughing.

Your sister adores you and I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual. Every where she goes you are 4 crawls behind her. I’m pretty sure you want to walk just to keep up with her.

You are and will be going through a lot the next month, but you are such a trooper. The helmet doesn’t bother you like it does me. You actually look for it when it’s not on your head. It has become a part of you.

Next week you will be having minor surgery. We’ve been praying for it to go smoothly and that you will recover fast. I’m sure you will be back to your happy self with in a couple days of it.

We love you so much little boy and couldn’t imagine life with out you! I thank God every day that He picked me to be your mommy.

A couple of months ago I wrote about Andrew’s small bump on his head and the possibility of needing surgery. Just an update; he will be having surgery in the next month or so. Hopefully before the holidays kick in.

Today I am going to talk about my guys noggin again, but this time it’s something different. As you can see from the pictures below, he needs to wear a helmet for the next couple of months. It all started when he was about 3 months old. I noticed his head was starting to get a little flat in the back. Once I saw it I immediately took action. When he slept I would prop him up on his side, and stick a rolled up receiving blanket beside him to keep him from laying flat on his back. The problem was that he prefered to sleep on his back so in the middle of the night he would wiggle his way to his back. It was frustrating. Once our pediatrician said we needed to visit a cranial specialist for possible Plagiocephaly, I felt like a failure. I know I tried all I could to keep him off of his back, but there was still something inside of me telling me I failed. The hardest part was telling people that he had to get a helmet. I felt like they were judging me. It is something preventable, so way couldn’t I prevent it? I waited a while to tell people for that very reason.

It has taken a couple of months to figure out insurance and all the payment options (the fun stuff, right?), and now he finally received the helmet and is wearing it 23/7. He got it last week and has adjusted well. Mommy on the other hand has not. I feel terrible that he has to wear it mostly because he sweats like crazy (it is still in the upper 80′s here). He sweats so much that he has gotten a heat rash. They told me to use Aveeno eczema cream to help it go away. He doesn’t seem bothered by any of it. His sleeping is still the same, he plays great, and is still my sweet little boy. He gets an hour a day break so we give him a bath and let his head air out for a bit.

We haven’t gone out too much with him wearing it, but when we do people stare. I feel like he has a deformity or something. Maybe they are looking at how cute he is (cause seriously, he is the cutest little helmet baby), but most of it is ignorance.  It’s becoming a lot more common for babies because we are told to have them sleep on their backs, but many don’t know anything about it. If you want to know more about Plagiocephaly check out this link.

I know these next few month will go by quickly like when he had jaundice as a baby and was in a light bed for 14 days. That seems like ages ago. It will be worth it in the end and our little man will have a perfectly shaped head.

My silly princess.

This is how daddy plays.

Disney World!

My happy boy.

This is how he’s been sleeping lately. 

Poor girl got sick. We had to leave school early that day.

Enjoy the cooler evenings.

We ended on a high. We went to Disney on Saturday, so we were still pumped from the weekend. Rylie is loving school and did not cry at all on Monday. I was so proud of her (she has some mommy-attachment issues sometimes). Mid-week Rylie got sick at school and we had to leave early. She seemed fine when we left the house, but as the morning went on I could see across the hall that she was not herself. She was sitting at her table for snack time, not eating and pouting. If you’ve met Rylie you know that is totally opposite of her personality. We spent Thursday at home just resting and trying to get better. I was so glad that she was back to her normal crazy self today.

I hope you have a great weekend!