As I got Bella off on the bus this morning I couldn’t help but leave the front door open and let little Miss Lilly come on out and enjoy the absolutely amazing weather. It’s so hard to believe this is really winter with gorgeous weather like this! And the forecast is calling for above average highs 10 days out! What a winter this has been. Although I’m not complaining.

Lilly normally isn’t this dressed up this early in the morning, but she saw Bella putting on a twirly skirt and starting saying “kirt, kirt!!” She had to be like her big sister. And when Bella put her shoes on Lilly went running to find her own shoes. I can foresee that Bella is going to have quite the little shadow over the next few years.

She seems confused as to why I left the door open, lol.

It was so foggy this morning, but as soon as we went outside it started clearing and was gone within 15 minutes.

Watching all the birds flying around.

Silly little cutie.

The last of the fog fading away.

*All photos were edited with my Color Workflow action (opacity turned down) and with the Lilly action set.

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Just a simple photo of my oldest and youngest from last fall while he helps her stand.  I will always love the simple moments most.

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She’s one! I can’t believe it. My beautiful, tiny little baby is heading into toddlerhood. She has brought so much joy to us with her inquisitive, sweet and feisty little personality. It’s quite a sight to see all 5 of us gathered in the family room, watching Lilly’s latest antics (of course, followed by her squinty eyed cheesy smile). This little girl is loved to the moon and back!

I had so much fun planning and decorating for her party. Lilly has such a bright little spirit and her party seemed to steer naturally toward happy, bright colors. She also ADORES fruit so of course that had to be included. The girl will choose fruit over ANY other food. I made nearly everything with fabric and paper that I had on hand so her party ended up being pretty inexpensive. And the decorations can double as decor for her room.

If anyone wants tutorials on how I made anything, just let me know.

Now for the prettiness!

I made the bunting and paper circles. Lilly’s initials were made by a sweet friend before she was even born.

Torn fabric ribbon garland.

Lilly saying “wow” about the giant balloons.

Individual lemonade jars with blueberries, lemons and raspberries. Yummy!

She loved these cherries!

I made these out of scrapbook paper, fabric that I ruffled and elastic.

I was so worried this cake was going to be terribly hard to make, but it was amazingly simple. I wish I had taken a picture of the inside-it had raspberry filling.

The happy birthday girl.

Her cheesy grin.

That is one big balloon!

Everyone needs a kiss on their birthday. Bella is such a great big sister.

Why is everyone staring at me?

She was a little unsure about getting messy…

…but she got the hang of it. She wasn’t thrilled about how it felt though. A bath soon followed, lol.

Happy Birthday my Lilly girl!

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I’m going to start his by saying, yes, I am the mother of 4. I should really know that babies move like lightning…hehe. But even us seasoned moms forget.

I ran outside to help Bella chase the chickens away from the house (we have 4 that seem to think our back patio is AWESOME!) and when I came back this is what I found.

I think I need more right here.

Hey Daddy!

Uh…was I not supposed to play with this?

Thankfully the paint was the “green” paint, but I still snapped these as fast I could so we could wash her up quickly. She came clean and the floor was fine.

And I have some great photos to show her when she’s older.

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This month the wonderfully talented group I’m posting with has chosen the theme “Monochrome”. We’re each supposed to post an image that is our interpretation of that word and I am so excited to see what everyone has come up with! I invite you to follow the blog carousel as well by clicking the links at the bottom of each post.  So grab your cup of coffee and have fun browsing through each blog!

I chose a portrait that was simple in it’s design, yet by the time I finished processing the image, it had a totally different feeling. When I first loaded this image into Photoshop, I stopped as I always do to think about how I wanted to process it. I knew I wanted a vintage feel based on her clothing. I also wanted to make the portrait look old, worn and treasured. Ever since Lilly was just a few days old, my mom has told me how much she reminds her of a photograph of my Nonnie (a variation of of the word “grandma” in Italian) when she was a baby. So as a nod to that photograph, this is what I created.

I hope you enjoyed my post and ask that you please visit my amazingly talented friend’s blog next. Head over to Calgary portrait Photographer, Brandy Anderson to see her take on this month’s theme.

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My sister brought C. over for his 6 month photos and this was one of my favorites. C is the smiliest, sweetest, drooliest little man and I love it when I get to see him. It’s been so fun having a baby nearly the same age as my sister’s little guy -Lilly and C. were both born EXACTLY one month apart. And both came a little before their due dates too. Very ironic.

We love to just sit them in front of each other and watch what they decide to do. Yes, we’re easily entertained by our beautiful children.

“Uh…Mama, could you please wipe his face before he gets drool on me?”

Staring contest

“Aunt, Sarah, you saw that right?! He took my toy!“

“That’s right, I took it. Whacha gonna do about it?”

“Haha…I’ll just snatch it back!”

“Who cares? I have  a perfectly delicious hand to chew one.”

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Over the last few weeks, Lilly has gone from soft coos to all kinds of screeches, giggles, screams, babbles, squeals, etc. I love it! She is fitting right in with my noisy crew and is certainly holding her own.

Here she is getting warmed up!

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The flu came to our house a few weeks ago and slowly made it’s rounds. Blech. Lilly was the last one to get it (aside from Damian who so far seems immune). I hate seeing my happy-go-lucky little girl all subdued and pitiful. She just whimpers and tries to get comfy and of course, melts her Mommy’s and Daddy’s heart. I don’t like it when the older ones are sick, but it’s especially hard to watch a baby deal with it. Fortunately I think she’s on the mend.

Cuddling with Daddy

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I have a gazillion pictures of Lilly from January and I have resigned myself to the fact that I will probably never edit them all. But I’ll share what I have edited so far.

Happy girl practicing sitting (she just mastered it yesterday!).

I hope this hat still fits her this summer!

Pouty little chef.

Rock ‘n Roll baby!

No better toy then toes at this age.

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The cutest little snow leopard there ever was.

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