Then...and...Now

Unbelievable how quickly they grow...

February 1st, 2001 (1 day old)



February 1st, 2008 (7 years and 1 day old)

Happy 7th Birthday, Emily Claire!

We celebrated Emily's 7th birthday yesterday. What a fun time. I went to have lunch with her at school and stayed for her "party" in the classroom. Then after school we opened presents with Nana and tried out some of the gifts. When Ben got home we went to dinner with Nana, Grandma & Grandpa to Friendly's. I think she really had a great birthday. And now today we're home together because of some unexpected circumstances...one of which a snow day (more like a sleet/ice) day for the 2nd time this week. So we're still in our pjs and having a great time.
Some of the birthday fun...

Home Improvement One Bag at a Time...

Well, I've embarked on a home (and life) improvement project...de-cluttering. I don't know if it's a good thing to admit or not, but so far I have had more than a full giant garbage bag, 2 bags of recycling, 2 bags of shredding and 2 bags of clothing items (all mine) to donate to charity and 1 large rubbermaid tote of clothing to store. And I have only done a very small portion of the house. YIKES! There is still so much sorting, getting rid of and organizing left to do, but I really feel great about the areas that have gotten done so far.

It is amazing how significant an effect the clutter can have on a person...and how wonderful it can be to finally be free of that burden. I just hope I can keep up the motivation and momentum to get the rest of the house clutter free.
Here are a few before and after photos...

The "Cluttered" Hall..."Before"


The hallway after...what a difference a Saturday morning "de-junk" session can make!

The living room before...

The living room after...a place to sit and relax!

Stay tuned for more amazing transformations!

Wedding ~ Flower Girl

Some friends from HOPE got married on January 19th. I was the photographer...my 1st wedding! Not a paid job...was my gift to them...but some really valuable experience and a very fun time.

Emily was the flower girl...so exciting! She did such a great job and was SO PRETTY! We're very proud of her.

The flower girl sprinkling her rose petals...



The Flower Girl (Emily) and Ring Bearer (Kendall)
At the reception...what a silly!

P.S. Emily even caught the bouquet! Somehow I don't think she'll be the next one to get married...that'd be a long time to go without any weddings!!