Works in Progress

Baby Archer was in a great mood Sunday for our little photo shoot. My lil' God child is just the cutest bug. It has been a while since I have taken a photo series of a baby. Archer was a tad ornery when it came to smiling on cue. I guess that's a baby for ya.
Maizie relaxed and cuddled with the greyhounds during the shoot. Once we were finished we all went out for lunch.

Most of the weekend Joe worked on the house. Here is what we wanted to get done on top of our normal daily chores.

*Build shelves in the bathroom. (Joe did an excellent job...done!)
*Paint the bathroom. (still at it)
*Clean the guinea pig cage.....again. (done!)
*Clean the fish tank...the cat fish is missing or being consumed by the snails? (still thinking about doing it)
*Portrait session for Baby Archer. (done...well, I still have the tweaking work left but the session is done)

Back in the day we could have painted this bathroom in less than a day. Everything seems to take forever now. I really wanted to finish painting the bathroom tonight before Maizie gets back tomorrow from a sleepover. She can't be here while we paint. I don't want her smelling the fumes. Will I finish it in time? I doubt it. Not for lack of trying though.

Sunday night we took Maizie to see Nim's Island. It was fantastic. Maizie loved the movie and so did we. When Maizie heard Nim say she was home schooled she looked at me with the biggest surprised eyes. By the end of the movie she was requesting a pet lizard and wondering why we can't live on an island. Too cute.

Archer is Baptized and we Watch Autism: The Musical

Tonight we were able to get one of Maizie's favorite sitters, the mother of our best babysitter Amanda. Her name is Nancy and she radiates love and a passion for life that is contagious. Maizie senses this and soaks it up. She was thrilled to be able to spend time at Nancy's house.

Baby Archer was looking quite handsome in his baptism gown. In the photo above he is smiling because I am holding him. The ceremony was short and beautiful. Afterwards we went out to dinner with Sean and Carol's extended family. A nice time was had by all. We feel blessed to be baby Archer's God parents.

When we arrived at Nancy's house Maizie was "teaching" their dogs tricks. Boomer is seen in the picture above as Maizie places a snack on his head. Nancy's other dog Chloe was just as patient waiting for her treat. There is something about dogs for Maizie. I am convinced her ability to interact with dogs is a gift.

Joe and I just finished watching Autism:The Musical. After I let it all simmer I will share my thoughts on it. I fell in love with the little boy named Wyatt. I have never seen a child in a film where I said, "Oh...my...that child reminds me soooooo much of Maizie on a 'talkative' day." For me, that in itself was an experience.

Until tomorrow....sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite.

A Special Gift and the Wonder of Coloring

Tonight we met Sean, Carol and baby Archer for dinner. We were told in advance that they had a little Easter gift for us. Their gift was given in the form of a request. Sean asked if we would be Archer's God Parents. Wow! What an honor! Of course we said yes. We are quite excited. They could not have picked two better people for this awesome task. Maizie was a bit confused by this conversation. She asked if we were going to still be her parents? Carol assigned Maizie the unique task of being Archer's "God Aunt". Very sweet.

Have you all heard of Color Wonder? I must say they are not cheap. I will say Color Wonders keep Maizie occupied anytime, anywhere. Lately she is becoming more creative with her coloring. Maizie noticed that the little girl on the left has a whole heart and the girl on the right has a broken heart. She colored the whole hearted girl with big and round green eyes that are wide open. The girl with the broken heart was colored with a brown forehead and just beneath the eyes the face turns blue. When I asked her about the faces she said, "She has a broken heart. See it right there. So this is her color." I loved the picture and I loved the words she used to explain it to me. I am sure for most people witnessing these moments not much is processed...not much looks out of the ordinary. But, to me they are amazing moments. I wrap each one up like a gift and tuck it away for the times when she can't speak, for when she will not" let me in" or can't. Once finished Maizie quickly tore it out and handed it to Carol as a gift. Very sweet. Almost every creation Maizie makes is passed along to those she loves. I have noticed that the ones she really puts thought into and explains to me are always destined for a friend. My fridge is often empty with her giving away every creation so I always take pictures of her work.