unexpected...

It's funny to me that I didn't even know what a blog was until a couple years ago when Sarah talked about starting her own. And then before Isaac was born, per Sarah's recommendations, I started reading Kelle Hampton's blog and then I was sucked in. When I started Picturing the Ordinary, it was originally out of anger toward Shutterfly and their lack of displaying my pictures well, and at that point I wasn't even a real photographer. The point of this blog was also to keep my grandparents up to date with the kids since we don't make it to Columbus nearly as much as we used to. Isabella and I (and Stella) used to take impromptu trips to Columbus, but that's not so easy anymore. And before Isabella was born, Stella and I would pack up in my little red Toyota Echo and drive to Columbus to hang out with my grandparents. My Echo didn't have A/C, so in the summer I arrived everywhere a sweaty, sticky mess. But I still love driving the with the windows down, even though I now have my luxurious Honda Fit with A/C and even, get this, a CD player! Woohoo!

All of that to say that last year when I was researching gardening, I stumbled across this blog. Oh, and it turns out I'm a really horrible gardener, so I'm not so sure about my gardening prospects for next year. And then oddly enough, when I was photographing a wedding with Andrew, the writer of Chiot's Run was there with her husband and they were the videographers. Well anyway, Susy recently wrote a post on how certain people can change your life and how your life journey may look completely different than what you ever expected.

Hello! My life is nothing like I expected it would be. But that's cool, because I'm having fun, and I'm constantly learning and I never ever want to stop learning. On her blog, Susy asked, "Is there something in your life that you would have never experienced had you not met one specific person? "


Without a doubt, Walter is one of these people. I don't mean to sound cliche, but really, he taught me to love, and how to express love. From the beginning he made me feel comfortable and for the first time I was able to share my feelings with someone. It took time, and he was patient, and as a result, I became a more affectionate and open person. The only problem with getting married when you're young, is that you haven't really had a chance to discover yourself and you end up going through all of the self discovery and change while you're married. That's not always such a good thing. But I'm sure on the flip side it's hard to be set in your ways and then get married. Not that you're ever truly done with self discovery, because then life would get really boring. I went through a major shift when Isabella was about eighteen months old. I didn't know what the heck was going on and add to that I was really, really depressed. Oh, and for the record, most people brush off depression as just being sad. If that's you, well, you have a lot to learn. That's like someone who's never had a migraine, saying "oh just get over your little headache". Um, no, that's not how it works. 


Well anyway, life was really hard then, and Walter and I stuck together even though things really could have fallen apart. Then when I was pregnant with Isaac and once again, very depressed, he told me it would be okay and that I wouldn't be pregnant forever--I really, really don't like being pregnant. He's probably one of the few people who can put up with my moods, my sarcasm, my need to write and read instead of clean all the time, the fact that I always leave the milk out (and he kindly puts it away...I have to eat my cereal as soon as I pour milk on it, okay, I just can't handle soggy cereal), my desire for quiet, alone time, and so much more. So yes, even though we can drive each other crazy and this last year and a half with Isaac has been hard on us, I couldn't imagine doing all of this without him. 


And because I couldn't just pick one person, I have to say, and I know I've said it before, but there is so much that I wouldn't know or understand, had we not had Isaac. I wouldn't wish endless doctor's appointments, weekly therapy appointments, surgeries, and our daily struggles on anyone, but Isaac has changed me for the better and opened my eyes to a world I would have never known or understood otherwise. Because of our circumstances, I've met some amazing mothers, and I'm so thankful for them. 


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Isaac is doing very well pulling to stand and lowering himself from standing all on his own. He has the flattest feet I've ever seen and his physical therapist thinks he may need shoe inserts. I think he's worn shoes about five times (if that) in his life, but with the weather getting chillier I'll have to make more of an effort with the shoe thing. For now, if you see me at the store and it's forty degrees out and he has bare feet, I promise I'm not neglecting him, he's very talented at pulling his socks off and throwing them in the car. And since my car is full of crap, the socks are gone forever. He thinks this is quite fun and is always ready to share a big smile when I come to unbuckle him from his car seat.

I was so excited when Isabella did this puzzle all by herself!

Grandma, you should be proud, I hemmed my dress pants all by myself. And while I did that, Isaac played with spools of thread.

Best Toy of 2011: a giant syringe

My little photographer at it again...

Isabella and I made pumpkin pies today! I am quite proud of myself and thank you Susy for the recipe!

Isaac is strong enough to stand on a chair!

Last but not least, some of our most entertaining moments from the last few weeks:

Because I didn't feel like finding a new light bulb and dragging a chair into the bathroom, the kids are taking a candlelit bath. Isabella told me she would be scared and I told her that I would in the bathroom with her. Her response was, "but how will I know if you're just a statue and not my mommy?" "Statues don't move, so that means I'm not a statue." "But when they fall down they move, so that means statues move." I can't compete with that logic. :)

"Mommy, I'm just going to talk to Isaac because I know you just want to be alone and don't want anyone talking to you." That lasted about thirty seconds.

Some wise advice from Isabella: "The only time you're allowed to say 'stupid' is when you're telling someone not to say 'stupid', because 'stupid isn't a nice word."

‎"Mommy you have to go get ready to take me school so that you don't look so tired. Like, you have to put that stuff on your eyes so you're no so (fake yawn) tired looking." Thank you, Isabella.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Sierra