Happy 1st Birthday, Cassidy!

I can't believe it... my baby girl has turned ONE YEAR OLD!!!

**sniff sniff**

Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday that I found out I was pregnant. Boy was that a shock! I don't think that Eric or I ever thought that we would have 3 children... but now, we can't imagine our lives without her! She brings so much joy to our lives... not to mention, I was WAYYYY out-numbered, but now the girls have a fighting chance :) I love watching her Daddy with her - I don't know why I was always skeptical about Eric raising a daughter, I just thought - he's such a "man's man" that he wouldn't know how to handle a girl. Every time I see them together I can't help but smile. I love how he calls her "Sweet Pea" & tells her that she's "Daddy's little princess".... it just makes me melt!

The sad part about it is, I know that I'm not having any more children - and don't get me wrong, I don't WANT any more - BUT, this is the *LAST* first birthday I'll ever experience. The last one. :( BOO HOO.

Okay enough of the sappy stuff.... tell me, what did this cake ever do to her?!?






Is she the CUTEST or what?!?

Three Sisters

I took some pics of three sisters back in October.... for some reason, I didn't finish editing the session since it was practice. Last night, trying to free up some room on my hard drive, I came across this session- there were so many pictures that blew me away! Had to process & share a few :)

Baby Sister Brooke



Middle Sister Brianna - Is it just me, or does this kid scream Abercrombie model?!?


And last, but certainly not least, big sister Jessica.


And P.S. - Lori - you do know it's not normal to have 3 girls *this* beautiful, don't you?!? Just checking :)

How many have your name?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 336 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Tucker's Take

Tucker brought a paper home from school today that he did in class this week. It reads: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream to make our world a better place. What can you do to help make the world a better place?

Tucker's answer: "I would love god for all day long. I will love him so much and Jesus to. I love god and Jesus. I love them for all. The end."

Awwwwwww, my sweet baby :)

15 Pounds Gone!

Okay, I'm not going to get too excited here. I know the weight loss is about to slow down, but I'm thoroughly enjoying seeing a difference on the scale almost every morning! I think one of my biggest helpers with this diet has been the bite-size candy bars or mini reese cups. I was craving chocolate SO OFTEN - eating candy bars daily (ugh). I know it isn't feasible for me to ever actually quit eating chocolate, so I when I get the craving, I eat one of the bite size snickers or mini reese cups & I'm done! I'm totally over the craving with one bite! How cool is that? I'm SOOOOO hoping I can keep this up so that I can feel comfortable on the cruise. If I'm heavy, I know I won't enjoy it, I'll be paranoid the entire time.

Yes, I have issues. And yes, I'm aware of it. :o)

Beautiful ~ Inside & Out

Meet Meredith.



Meredith is one of the nicest people I know. I've only known her for 3 or 4 years, but seems like much longer! She's one of those people that will not only bend over backwards to help- she'll twist herself into a pretzel if she has to! She came for a visit today ~ I hadn't seen her in FOREVER ~ & I got her to pose for me. She has the most stunning eyes & it was nice to photograph an adult who stays STILL!!!




I played with the saturation on this one a little bit... okay, okay, A LOT :o) I had to mask her face back because she was turning orange. What do you think? I love bright colors, can't help myself.



And finally, just a simple head shot. Look at those gorgeous blue eyes!

10 pounds gone! :o)

Okay, evidently I was eating a bunch bunch bunch. I've lost TEN pounds! YIPPEEEE!

Just had to share.... no photos today, just GREAT news! :o)

Tutu time!

Okay... I had to drag out the tutu! I intended to get all "creative" & make birthday invitations... the feeling has passed but I wanted to share these anyway. I'm not usually a fan of soft conversions but I'm loving this action SO much!!! It's Sarah's summer soft action- check it out! You can visit her blog on the right (Garden of Delight).

I still can't believe Cassidy is going to be a year old :( My baby is getting so big....

Here is another of my big girl... "Look Mama, NO HANDS!"

Little Miss Ashley

You may remember the maternity pics I shot for my best friend... well her baby is here & she couldn't be any cuter!!! I wanted to share a few shots I got. To be honest, I wasn't very happy with the shoot because she was wide awake & wouldn't close those pretty little eyes. I was hoping for some sleeping baby shots :( but instead I got alert, squirmy baby shots.... heck, she's so cute, I don't think it even matters. It kills me that I couldn't include the feet on the body shot, but I had my 50 & 85 lenses w/no room :( I guess this calls for a(da da da da da DAAAAAAAA) new lens!!!! Hee hee... yeah right!

100 Things About Me

I read this on Julie's blog, who read it on Amanda's blog, who read it on, okay okay. A bunch of people are doing this so I thought I would chime in. :o)

1. My full name is Stephanie Lynn Dennis Arnold. (How exotic.)
2. I laugh when I am under stress. Or to keep from crying if I'm upset.
3. I'm a fiercly loyal friend.
4. I'm 30 years old. And I don't like it.
5. I am married to my high school sweetheart, Eric.
6. I will be celebrating my 10th wedding anniversary in Mexico in June.
7. I have battled bulemia since I was a teenager. I think I have finally won. But now I'm fat. :o)
8. I am a perfectionist. That's not a good thing.
9. My husband calls me "Babe". If he calls me Stephanie, he's mad.
10. I have the same best girlfriend that I've had since 7th grade.
11. I spend way too much time on the computer.
12. I am a working mother, and sometimes I feel guilty about it.
13. I don't attend church as often as I should.
14. I wish I was organized. I STRUGGLE to be organized. But I wasn't born that way.
15. If I had thousands of dollars to blow on myself, I would spend it on plastic surgery & photography stuff.
16. I have a high IQ.
17. I have saved a life. More than once.
18. I have helped someone die with dignity. More than once.
19. Science fascinates me.
20. History doesn't.
21. All of my children have last names as first names, & a first name as a last name. I didn't plan it that way.
22. If I don't learn something quickly, I get frustrated.
23. I'm extremely stubborn.
24. I have a very smart mouth. I'm not sure how I made it through the teenage years.
25. My oldest son inherited my smart mouth. I'm not so sure he will make it through his teenage years.
26. I am very generous.
27. I'm always busy.
28. I am very critical of myself and others.
29. I am completely and totally addicted to Grey's Anatomy.
30. My Grandad is the closest thing to God that I can imagine.
31. My mother spends the night with me. A lot.
32. I love it when my house is clean. I just hate to clean it.
33. I steal my husband's razor all the time and he hates it.
34. I have a hard time saying no.
35. I'm terrified my kids will try drugs.
36. I love my camera. But I would love a 5D more! :o)
37. I have been on every diet ever invented. Twice.
38. I am a great nurse.
39. I don't like spending money on myself, but I will spend a fortune on my kids.
40. I will never be thin enough, pretty enough, or smart enough.
41. Sometimes I feel like I'm not as good a mother as I should be.
42. I'm terrified of spiders.
43. I have a deep love for music.
44. I started piano lessons when I was 5 years old. I still play, and I'm pretty good at it. After my 2nd piano lesson, my teacher told my grandmother that I had a natural musical talent.
45. It takes alot to get me *really* mad, but when I am, look out. I have a terrible temper.
46. I hate the sound of someone crunching ice or hard candy. I inherited that from my mom & mamaw.
47. I can't think of an old boyfriend that I wouldn't speak to if I ran into him.
48. I can think of plenty of Eric's old girlfriends that I wouldn't speak to if I ran into them. :o)
49. A guy that I dated before I was married died in a car accident. We had remained friends. He was married & had a young daughter. I thought about him today and cried.
50. I learn something new every day.
51. I would never hurt someone's feelings intentionally.
52. I can't stand liars or theives.
53. I try my best not to judge anyone, because I haven't walked in their shoes.
54. I am honest. Sometimes brutally honest. I admire that quality in others.
55. I am a good listener. I am an even better talker :o)
56. I have green eyes. So does my mother & Mamaw.
57. I am middle class and I like it. I can't imagine spending $5,000 on a purse.
58. My parents divorced when I was in the 4th grade & I was glad.
59. I will fight tooth & nail for what I believe in.
60. I am not easily influenced, but I do care what other people think.
61. I don't want to grow old. I'm scared of wrinkles.
63. I enjoy talking to & studying about psych patients; they're very interesting!
64. I hate voting season. The commercials disgust me and the signs are silly.
65. I'm not registered to vote (gasp) & I couldn't be more disinterested in politics.
66. I've given a million shots but I can't stand the thought of getting one.
67. I have had 2 miscarriages. 1 when I was 19 weeks pregnant.
68. I have no tolerance for stupidity. Ignorance I can handle.
69. I don't think you should use your race, your sex, or your upbringing as an excuse.
70. I love to teach. I think knowledge is empowering.
71. I don't like math but I am good at it.
72. I never, ever balance my checkbook.
73. I enjoy a good debate.
74. I dissected a cat in high school for A&P. We named him Elvis & I brought him to my house to study. My Mom had a fit.
75. I have a sweet tooth. BAD.
76. If I am wrong, I don't mind admitting it. I don't tend to make the same mistakes twice.
77. I can't remember the last time I was bored.
78. I am a photography fanatic.
79. I talk to my husband about my online friends like he knows them.
80. I hate waking up early in the morning.
81. I love all different flavors of cappuccino.
82. I don't like pork, any sort of shredded meat, or meat on the bone.
83. My favorite restaurant is Fuji. (Japanese)
84. I truly believe that you reap what you sow.
85. I am incredibly & totally happy with my marriage. :o) Disgusting, I know.
86. My husband just bought me a 1 carat diamond solitaire. He kept saying that he would one day, but I couldn't justify spending that kind of money on a ring.
87. It usually takes me a long time to make a decision because I'm so picky. But once I do, that's it. I always know exactly what I want, it's just a matter of finding it.
88. I have a brother who is 18 months younger than me. I have learned from his mistakes.
89. I hate leaving blanks on a form. I want to fill in everything. If it doesn't apply, I have to write N/A.
90. I have naturally curly hair, but I always straighten it out.
91. I see humor in most everything.
92. I don't pray enough.
93. There are few people in this world that I truly cannot get along with.
94. I never imagined how much I would love my kids.
95. I am scared to wash crock pots. Hey, it's an excuse.
96. I think there is no excuse for being nasty or having body odor. TAKE A BATH!
97. I don't wear sleeveless shirts.
98. I love to travel. I have traveled to Curacao, Honduras, Belize, Cozumel, & the Cayman Islands; but I've only been to a few states in the US.
99. I like to read celebrity gossip.
100. It's hard to tell 100 things about yourself without sounding like you need a psychiatric evaluation. :o)

New Years Resolution

Get healthy.

I'm not going to say lose weight, because that's what I say every year. So I figure it's time for a change. Maybe if I focus on my health instead of my weight (yeah RIGHT!) the pounds will just melt away.

Plus, I do have some serious motivation to lose weight, errr..... get healthy. I'm going on a cruise to Cozumel & Calica, Mexico for my 10 year anniversary in June! I don't wanna sink the boat! :o)

So anyway, since I've officially declared my resolution on my blog, I'll have to do it. I hereby officially declare to post at least once a week on my progress. If I start slacking, somebody scream at me & whip me back into shape :o)