Family Photos 2014

I've been leading a group of 15 ladies every Wednesday morning as part of Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). This year's study is "The Life of Moses" and it's a nine month commitment spanning from September to May. I joined BSF as a group member last March. I'll be honest -- I initially checked it out because I was looking for a way to have some adult interaction and get out of the house for a few hours. I'm glad that got me through the doors because now it's become a huge part of my week and I find myself looking forward to Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. There's a fabulous children's program for Abby and she happily runs into her classroom each week. I think it's really neat that BSF classes are held across the country and all over the world. So my friends in Texas or in Germany or people in China are studying the exact same lessons we are. 

We have a two hour leader's meeting every Tuesday morning and I've met the nicest ladies there. One of the leaders, Amber, recently started a photography business and we had her take our family photos this year. I like scheduling them in October so that we can get photos of Abby close to her birthday. We returned to the site of last year's pictures at the University of Tampa and the Plant Museum and I'm really happy with how they turned out.

I still love the Spanish moss.

These next two are two of my favorites.

Amber has a two year old daughter as well so she knows how to work with little ones. She did such a great job keeping the shoot light and fun for Abby. Abby saw these steps and had to check out what was at the top, so we took a break and let her explore.

I like these fence pictures in black and white.

Abby kept leaning way over this ledge to see the fish in the little stream below and I thought for sure she was going to tumble right in.

Too bad Abby wan't feeling this one. The Plant Museum has such beautiful architecture.

Sorry I've spoiled our Christmas cards for you! Do you live in Tampa and need a photographer? Contact Amber! www.clickpraylove.com

Halloween 2.0 Party

This is the last Halloween post, I promise! We met up with my moms group friends this afternoon for one last celebration. I made a "Graveyard Dip" (it's basically a 4-layer dip with refried beans, guacamole, salsa and cheese) and tortillas cut and baked to look like tombstones. Robert contributed the "I told you I was sick" epitaph.

I also made caramel corn for the first time. I went with a no corn syrup recipe from Smitten Kitchen and left out the cayenne. The first batch was a complete disaster. I cooked the sugar mixture too long and it ended up smelling like burnt marshmallows. I had to run outside and dump the volcanic mess off our back porch. When you add the baking soda to the boiling caramel it bubbles up all over the place, and even when you take it off the heat it just keeps going crazy. It's quite an exciting cooking process. I also burned my finger on hot caramel but the end results pretty much made it worth it...

Last year's Halloween party at Helenka's was one of our first big group gatherings. I love comparing these yearly pictures.

2013

 2014

Two year olds aren't the most cooperative bunch, ha!

I love this sweet picture of Lacy & Connor.

And adorable Miss Kiara.

Did you notice that the kids are in jackets? We had a cold front come through (finally!) and it's supposed to be 46 degrees tonight. Christmas, here we come!