REAL professional photos--phew again!!

I had been wanting to get REAL professional photos taken for a while now and finally pulled the trigger. A bit of a daunting task--picking the outfits to match but not look ridiculous, etc. Luckily I get hand me downs from all over the place and one nicely fashioned little boy handed down the perfect sweater for Nick and the search was ON for the rest of us. First Mommy--now I can say that I have loved shopping in the past. Then there came pregnancy clothes which I LOATHED wearing and spending money on, so I got used to borrowing, occasionally buying and mostly HATING the clothes that I had. Then there was nursing--oh how I longed to put on one of my old favorite shirts and NOT have my belly button show because of my ever expanding mammaries....UGH. To say the least, I do not look back at my pregnancy pictures or nursing pictures and feel very attractive at all. So--now here we are, 2 years post 2 babies and back in good looking clothes and regular jeans! (so I like to think...) Now I know I need new clothes, but times are a bit tight and I try to watch what I spend and generally speaking I think clothes are unrealistically expensive. I wish I did not think that way but I do. It is hard for me to spend $40 on a shirt and $150 on jeans. I do it occasionally, but it hurts and I wear the heck out of those special items. So I go running to the mall after work one day and I go right in to the first store with Nick's new sweater in hand. The nice lady helps me right over to the "gasp" sale rack and finds me a GREAT sweater in a very similar bluish color as is in the sweater and I am out of there for under $60!! Yippee for me. On to Owen's outfit. Looking for a brown something or other--shirt, sweater (which he hates) whatever. Something. I find one shirt, but it has pics of a train and a truck and the photographer specifically said to avoid pictures....so I buy it just in case I find nothing else. Mind you, I have this 35 minutes to shop alone or try to shop WITH the boys another day....not a good option! So I run to the Gap, which I have always had great luck with for my boys. Cut BIG, not too babyish, adorable/handsome boy clothes without too many teddy bears!!! I really hate babyish clothes! So--right away I find some great brown cargo pants for BOTH boys to wear (tying it together), and a GREAT button down with thin brown stripes. I know I have a puffy vest at home (hand me down) that I THINK Owen might wear if I trick him with crackers and lollipops! SO--I think DONE--buy it, even have a coupon and I am one happy mama. I get home, lay it all out with the cute vest and voila--a perfect picture, right? Till I proudly show Andy and he says "Did you get me something???" Now looking in to that adorably handsome face of his, I try to breathe and not explode, so I simply state "no." and move on. He looks through his things and is not in love with anything....so I resolve to try to get to the mall to shop another day. The pictures say it all. It was perfect, everyone was on pretty good behavior. The boys kept her running around and kept her busy. Anytime she sweetly suggested a "hug" Nick would lean over and gently put Owen into the sweetest HEADLOCK he could, till Owen was screaming or crying or running to me.....such are the best laid plans. Enjoy a sneak preview. http://www.andreahallettphotography.net/?p=340

Trick r Treaters

Baseball and basketball players

Baltimore Ravens jack o' lantern

"trantula" jack o' lantern

We had a lot of fun walking up and down the neighborhood trick r' treating. (actually I was pulling them in the wagon and they hopped out at every house, so we all won!) Lots of cute costumes out there and a perfect night for outdoor fun. My little baseball player and basketball player were all too happy to say "trick r' treat" and 'thank you" as long as they got more candy in there buckets. Owen would have stayed at each house for a good 5 minutes if they let him dig in the bowl for "wowipops". He also wanted to eat all of the lollipops he got before bed....that made for a bit of a struggle! We have successfully given away half of the candy to Uncle Ben and soon to be Aunt Alia, so that frees up some healthier choices for dessert!! They love that treat bag and Nick is BIG in to bubble gum right now.