Cupcakes and Paper Towels. {365 - Day 305}

Check out this cute little cupcake.  Here she is, in the backyard right before we got in the car to grab dinner and go on her first real trick-or-treating adventure.  We explained how you look for houses with the porch lights on, then knock on the door and say trick or treat, take one piece (that's ONE piece) of candy and be sure to say thank you.  Got it?  Got it. 

After the first few houses, she was a pro.  Although she yelled "Trick or Treatin!" as she knocked on the door instead of waiting until they answered.  She still got the candy despite this deviation from the established routine.  I mean, how could you turn down a cupcake as cute as this?

Day 305 {Canon 5D Mark III}

This morning her preschool held a Halloween Parade right after drop off.  It was insanely cute and all the parents stood around watching and taking pictures, us included.  After I picked her up today, we were home lounging on her bed.  I asked her what her friends wore for Halloween. Here's how it went:  (Names have been changed to protect the innocent.)

 

Me: What was Kate? 
  SB: Kate was a butterfly.
Me: How pretty.  What was David?
  SB: David was Superman.

Me: What was Billy?
  SB: Billy was a paper towel.
ME: A paper what?  Oh......

 

 

Billy was the one dressed as a Mummy.

 

Fallen. {365 - Day 304}

Yesterday's winds knocked off a lot of the pretty leaves from the trees and announced that cold weather was here.  For Charlotte, that means having to actually wear a jacket.  It was not the prettiest of days, but it seemed fitting given the circumstances.  Seeing the aftermath of the storm that raged upon the Northeast was heartbreaking.  Places I spent much of my childhood are completely wiped out.  They will rebuild, they always do.  But it will never be the same.  I am glad I had the chance to see the shore one last time this month before the destruction hit.  And I am thankful that friends and family are safe and sound, albeit sitting in the dark, eating the contents of their freezers right now.   I wish New Jersey a speedy recovery.  This Jersey girl's heart is with you.


Day 304 {iPhone + Photoshop}

Pedi. {365 - Day 303}

Today was a cold and windy day.  Not the best day for going outside to play, much to Sarah Beth's dismay.  And school isn't until tomorrow.  So she was stuck inside with Mommy this afternoon.  What better thing to do than pedicures?  Sarah Beth loves having "pretty toes" as she calls it, so Mommy obliged.

Day 303 {iPhone + photoshop}

Hello Sportsfan. {365 - Day 302}

This afternoon we went to watch our dear friend's son Tyler play soccer.  He and his sister Mia are so sweet to Sarah Beth and she adores the attention she gets from them.  On the way to the game, however, SB took a snooze in the car and upon arrival had no idea what planet she was on, as we rudely awoke her from her slumber.

She spent half of the game slumped against her Momma like this:

Day 302 {Canon 5D Mark III + Photoshop}

But by the end, she had perked up and decided to give this whole soccer thing a go for herself.   She's definitely got some skills.

 

We need to work on the "no hands" rule, however.  Maybe she'll make a good goalie.

Through the Trees. {365 - Day 301}

The sunset was spectacular tonight.  I looked out the window during dinner and saw these colors peeking through the trees so I ran outside with my camera.  The photograph doesn't do justice to the amazing light show, but it's still awful pretty.

Day 301 {Canon 5D Mark III}

Playmate. {365 - Day 300}

Sarah Beth requested a lunch date with her Mommy today and I happily obliged.  Afterwards, I took her to the playground in hopes of finding some kids to play with.  When we arrived, there were lots of little girls there for her to chase around.    Unfortunately, about 5 minutes later, they all left at once. 

We tried not to take it personally, but it was a major bummer for Sarah Beth.  I guess most kids her age still take afternoon naps.  So she was stuck with mommy as her playmate.  Mommy does not slide down the slide or scale the climbing wall with nearly as much enthusiasm as a fellow preschooler would.  However, Mommy is pretty good at the swings.  Something about flying through the air with the breeze in your hair and the sun on your face can even make Mommies giggle like a kid.

Day 300 {iPhone + photoshop}

Vineyard. {365 - Day 299}

This morning I shot some headshots for a local landscaping company, then in the afternoon we headed over to Daveste Vineyards in Troutman to do a little shooting.  It was absolutely gorgeous there, and I took what I think is the coolest shot I've ever taken.  Check out the reflection in the glass.

 Day 299 {Canon 5D Mark III}

Lucky number 33.

The cruelest part of this shoot was that I didn't even get to take a sip of the wine we were shooting.  The smell alone was intoxicating.  By the time we were done and ready to sit down for a glass, it was time to go home and feed a certain 3 year old dinner.  Next time I need to plan better.

Incidentally, this place was gorgeous and well worth the trip.  They have live music on occasion and offer tastings Wednesday - Sunday.  Bring a picnic!  www.daveste.com

Lizard To Go {365 - Day 298}

I was vacuuming downstairs in the basement this afternoon.  As I moved the curtains, I saw a little green intruder basking in the sun on the inside of the sliding glass door.  Hello.  I don't mind lizards.  In fact I'd rather run into a lizard than a cockroach, but I was afraid the dogs would spot it and tear up the house chasing it, or worse, tear up our new friend here. 

So I called for reinforcements.  Kurt coaxed the guy into a Solo cup while I distracted the dogs with treats.  Sarah Beth came outside to meet him before we let him go.  Hopefully he won't be returning anytime soon.

Day 298 {iPhone + a little photoshop}

Cupcakes. {365 - Day 297}

Last night Sarah Beth reached an important milestone on the road to Potty Training Mastery.  In celebration of this great achievement, I told her we would pick up some cupcakes today after preschool.  We drove over to Polka Dot Bake Shop and she picked out two delicious cupcakes - one for her and one for her Daddy - brown cupcakes.  Naturally.

Day 297 {iPhone + photoshop}

Reflection. {365 - Day 296}

The weather was so beautiful today, we decided to head up to Reedy Creek for a little hike.  The pond was so still, it gave us a perfect reflection of the fall foliage.  Sarah Beth was not as into the hiking part as we would have liked, but she enjoyed picking up acorns and rocks and stick along the way and putting them in Mommy's pockets.  Must remember to empty pockets before I do the laundry.

Day 296 {Canon 5D Mark III}

Braids. {365 - Day 295}

Sarah Beth has some crazy hair.  Like her Daddy, it gets very curly with any hint of humidity and the rest of the time it's kinds of wavy with a little straightness thrown in some spots just to keep it interesting.  I love her messy little head, but I wish I was better at taming it a little.

Today, finally, the humidity was low enough that her hair was nearly straight and long enough to do some pigtail braids for the first time.  Super cute.  (And super messy after about five minutes but that's ok.)

Day 295 {Canon 5D Mark III + Photoshop}

Main Street. {365 - Day 294}

Today we trekked to Pilot Mountain for our dear friends' annual Pumpkin Party.  This party is #1 on Sarah Beth's social calendar and totally worth the drive.  On the way up, we stopped at Old Salem, one of our favorite places to visit, for a picnic and a stroll.  Fall is magical there.  Everywhere you look is a postcard waiting to happen.  See what I mean?

Day 294 {Canon 5D Mark III}

Autumn Bouquet {365 - Day 293}

I think we brought Fall back with us from the mountains.  The wind was blowing strong here in Charlotte this afternoon and leaves were flying about like confetti.  At the park today, Sarah Beth handed me this beautiful bouquet.  "For you Mommy!"  So sweet.  I think she was just trying to butter me up for her subsequent reign of terror at Trader Joe's  (I don't want to ride in the cart!  I want to shop! Oh boy.)  But it was still awful nice.


Day 293 {iPhone + photoshop}

Brown. {365 - Day 292}

Sarah Beth's favorite color is brown.  She colors with brown crayons, requests brown ice cream, and very much likes this brown dress I bought her, even though it has multi-colored flowers over the brown.  She picked out this beautiful headband today at Baby Ink, our favorite cool kids' store in Brevard.  The color she chose?  Brown.  We went out for dinner tonight, just me and my girl.  We had chocolate cake for dessert.  She was very excited that it was chocolate, but even more excited that it was brown.

Day 292 {iPhone + Photoshop}

Autumn Leaves. {365 - Day 291}

Fall is here in the mountains.  I love this time of year.  You can wear jeans and a sweater or shorts and a t-shirt and be completely comfortable either way.  This afternoon, I took advantage of Grandma's free babysitting service and took a solo drive through Pisgah up to the Blue Ridge Parkway.  So pretty it just takes your breath away.

Day 291 {Canon 5D Mark III}

Prior to my field trip, we all took a drive up to Sky Top Orchards to check out the apples, and by apples I mean apple cider doughnuts.  There was a play area for Sarah Beth and we also took a very bumpy hayride through the trees,  passing by pretty scenery and lots of happy farm animals.  We all survived the ride (some of us better than others) and finished off the visit with some aforementioned doughnuts and cider.  Is this a happy girl or what?

 

Check out this handsome guy.

Grandma bravely volunteered to take a rare photo of me and my girl.  Good job Grandma!

Bathtime. {365 - Day 290}

Sarah Beth and I took a last minute trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa.  I thought after preschool in the morning, she'd snooze the whole way up.  No dice.  We didn't arrive until 7:30 this evening, and once again I thought she'd be tired, but she perked up and immediately pulled out all the toys that Grandma stashes away and had covered the living room floor in a matter of minutes.

I had to interrupt playtime with Grandma so SB could take a bath.  She wasn't very happy about it.

Day 290 {Canon 5D Mark III}

Katie and Maggie {Charlotte Family Photography}

On Sunday, we traveled up to Winston-Salem to meet one of my favorite families for a photo shoot in the downtown arts district.  This is the third year I've photographed this beautiful family, and I can't believe how big these girls have gotten.  They are as sweet and fun as they are pretty, so we had lots of fun exploring the block together.  (Click on the photos to view larger.}

 

 

Medicine. {365 - Day 289}

We have been very fortunate that Sarah Beth has rarely been sick in her almost 3 and a half years.  The past few weeks, however, she's had some allergy trouble which apparently led to a sinus infection.  We went to the doctor and picked up a prescription for antibiotics on the way home.  SB has never cooperated much when it came to taking any kind of medicine, but for whatever reason, picking it up herself at the store and carrying the bag home somehow thrilled her. 

She willingly sucked down the entire dose out of the syringe without being forced, and then smacked her lips in approval.  The stuff looks and smells like pepto bismol so I don't know how she managed it, but I'm glad she did.  She even asked for seconds.  May be a problem in the future but for now I'll gladly take a preschooler who happily downs her medicine without dousing her Mommy in sticky pinkness.

Day 289 {iPhone}

Where's the Cake? {365 - Day 288}

I had a photo shoot in downtown Winston-Salem today, so Kurt and Sarah Beth tagged along for the ride.  We got there early and were delighted to find a street fair at the place we were going to shoot.  There was live music, arts and crafts, and apparently a Cake Walk prior to our arrival.  Sadly, we missed the cake, but Sarah Beth made good use of the chalk outline anyway. 


Day 288 {Canon 5D Mark III + photoshop}