There's This Teenager.....

And her name is Raven. She's 15 years old and she has Alopecia. Her hair is falling out. As of right now it's just certain parts of her head, but I'm thinking the doctors are thinking that it's just a matter of time before it's all gone. They haven't said as much, but I can see it in their eyes. Her last derm appointment her doctor said that she wanted her to go to a special camp for children with skin disorders. Mostly the children have Alopecia. A part of me is relieved that she will be able to be somewhere for a week and not have to worry about hiding her hair, or lack there of. Right now the bald spots are in places where she's able to hide it. Her doctors want her to try steroid shots in her scalp to try and trick the follicles into waking up. So far the topical solution she's been using isn't working. :( It started happening when she was 10. Just a few small spot on her head, then the hair grew back and then last November is when it really started falling out. I'm lucky that she's such a strong young woman. She's handling this better than I would have if this had happened to me when I was a teenager. I'm hoping that she will start the scalp treatments soon. The longer we wait the less likely it is that the hair will grow back. We've already been looking into wigs for her just in case. I'm holding out hope that it won't come to that. :) So now we just wait and hope for the best.

I'm Raising A Mad Scientist......Or A Future Bomb Expert

Lex has always loved hands on experiments. Now that he's "all grown up and a man now" he want to try new things. His goal for the Summer is to do experiments that "explode". He says "But don't worry, Mom!! It's ok. I know what I'm doing!!". Visions of my house in flames and the fire fighter's trying to save what they can flashed through my mind and right then and there I knew I had to do something. So we got him all kinds of science sets that are safe. A science kit that makes candy, another one that makes goo and dough and things like that. He likes them, but he still talks about making things explode. -_- More of a concern now is that he likes to sit with the iPad and look at YouTube videos on how to make things......things like laser lighters. No, I am not kidding. Watch the video! I was spittin' mad at my husband for letting him watch things like that in the first place!. I mean, damn!!! The boy is sharp and a quick learner!! Look at what I caught him doing the other day.........

That's right, folks. The boy was trying to open this battery to get what was in it out to start making his laser lighter. ((sigh)) This is dangerous. So not only do I have to worry about him blowing things up I also have to worry about him making a laser and possibly destroying the earth. Lovely. He's a cute little Mad Scientist though......

Ok, so I threw that middle one in just because it cracks me up. LOL!!!

The Winner Of The Arbonne Body Wash Is...

I used random.org to pick the winner because I just couldn't do it myself. :D And I didn't count Andrea's comment, so there were 3 of you.

HD you are the winner. WOOT! Shoot me an email with your address and I'll send you the body wash ASAP!! Congratulations. :D WHEW! That was fun. I might have to do another giveaway soon.

Arbonne.....My Newest Love....Annnnnnd A Giveaway!!

A few weeks ago I was asked to review some products from Arbonne for a friend who sells it. I've tried a few of their products before and loved it, so I jumped at the chance!! It's hard to find products that agree with my skin, and it's even harder to find some that are safe, natural and aren't tested on animals. Arbonne is all of that and more. You can read all about their products and ingredients here. Andrea gave me some of their RE9 anti-aging face products to try out and I have got to say that I was so happy. Being a Mom who is going all day and even some nights, I look and feel tired. The first morning I started using their products I took a picture of myself.......with no makeup on. Scary. My face was puffy, oily looking and you could see some fine lines around my eyes and forehead. Not happy about that. I started with RE9 Advanced Smoothing Facial Cleanser. It's smooth, light and smells very nice. More importantly though, my face was clean. Coming from someone who usually only washes her face with soap, that says a lot. Next came the RE9 Advanced Regenerating Toner. I don't think I've ever used a toner in my entire life. I liked it! Made my face feel even cleaner and very smooth. Lovely. I was very excited to try the next product......RE9 Advanced Corrective Eye Crème. Ohhhh yesss!!!!!!! Bye bye puffy eyes!!! I can not stress enough how great it worked. Every Mom needs to have this on hand. Now, as much as I loved the eye cream this next product was just as amazing...........RE9 Advanced Instant Lift Gel. You apply it, let it sit for a few minutes before putting your day lotion on. I already have pretty nice skin and very few wrinkles, but after using this gel my skin looked sooooooo good, and it felt so smooth. I know that this all sounds like a lot of lotion on your face, but believe me, it's lightweight, not oily and is absorbed very quickly. I was actually thinking of not using this next product because I was afraid it would be too much, too oily, but I used it anyways. The RE9 Advanced Restorative Day Crème SPF 20. But a girl has gotta have some SPF!! It was smooth and, like I said, lightweight. For the first time in months I left the house with no makeup on. Brave, I know. :) At night I used RE9 Advanced Night Repair Crème and RE9 Advanced Age-Defying Neck Cream. Not that my neck needed it, but hey, doesn't hurt to prevent some sagging!! LOL!! Here are some pictures of before and after. You can't tell much of a difference, but I sure can.....

I can't believe I just posted those. LOL!!!

She also gave me Arbonne Aromassentials Awaken Sea Salt Scrub to just enjoy, and boy did I ever!! My skin was so soft and smooth. I didn't need to use my lotion afterwards either. Needless to say, I absolutely loved Arbonne. It's a bit pricey, but you don't have to use much of it, so it can last for quite a while. Well worth the money. Andrea was also kind enough to give me something to giveaway!! YAY!! My very first one! It's the FC5 Invigorating Body Cleanser. It retails for $23, but one of you will get it for FREEE!!!!! All you have to do is post a comment here and I will randomly choose a winner. I will not except anonymous comments, you must have a valid website/blog and email. Sorry. I'd like to know who I'm giving this to. I'll close the giveaway in a week. Plenty of time to get  enough people to comment. If you're reading this on Justmommies.com you have to go directly to my blog and leave a comment there, I won't count any comments made on JM. Sorry. :)

Good luck!!

FINALLY!! The Elusive Sweet Shot Captured!!

For the past two years a chipmunk has been teasing me with cuteness that I was, until now, unable to capture. I tried everything. Sneaking up on it, zoom lens and trying to snap a picture from a mile away, begging it to "just sit still for a second!!". Nothing. For TWO years! Then, the other day I got lucky. This little creature just loves my tiny pot and hangs out in it all the time......

I love it. Now, if only it will let me hold it, squeeze it and kiss it I'll be happy. But for now, this will do. :)

Is She 4 YET?!?!

It's no secret that I kinda don't like the 2's, but we all know how I feel about the 3's. I despise them. I wish I could skip that age completely. At 2 they don't really understand yet and they're pushing boundaries, talking back and the dreaded "MINE!!!" phase. And then they turn 3 and all Hell breaks loose. It's exhausting. Lo has reached the 3's early. I don't even know what to do or say to her at times. I've had to threaten her with spankings! Thankfully just the threat is enough.....for now. I'm still holding out hope that she will be different than my other 2, but I doubt it. I'm not that lucky. I was lucky that she was a delightful baby that slept well, ate well and never cried. I was also kind of lucky that she was delayed in the crawling/walking phase. I couldn't imagine having 2 crazy children running around the house at the same time. Lex was plenty!! But I'm paying for it now. She's a hellion!! But a super cute hellion.....

Have I mentioned how happy I am that spring break is over and Lex is back in school? No? Well I am!!! They exhausted me last week!!!! :)

Long Time No Post!!

Let me start off by saying this.....we are all done teething in this house! HALLELUJAH!! Ever since Lo was born I've been looking forward to this day. It's a wonderful feeling. ((sigh)) So anyways. Lots of exciting things going on around here. I have my first wedding shoot 2 weeks ago. And yes, I'm still editing the pictures. Where do pros find the time?!?! Geesh. It was my bestfriend's wedding. She's 4 months pregnant and the happiest she's ever been. It's a beautiful thing. Here are some pictures I edited on the iPad using instagram......

Those are some of my favorites. :) I have soooo many more to edit. I'm just trying to fit everything into 24 hours and it's just not working. I need more hours, a maid and a Nanny. Or a Manny. A male Nanny would be nice. ;)

Lex is enrolled and all ready for Kindergarten!! Boy, how did that happen so fast?! I miss my little boy. :( It's so bittersweet. He's is super excited. He wants to take the bus to school, but I'll be damned!! HAH! There is no way I'm putting my baby on a bus!! :) Middle school? Sure! He's talking about maybe letting me cut his hair just a tiny bit. I seriously doubt that. :) I'm hopeful I'll get an inch off. It's sooooo long! He will make Locks Of Love very happy when he does cut it. 

My husband and I forgot our 10 year anniversary. How do you forget something like that?! We're dorks. I think we're going to go back to Gatlinburg in July for a mini family vacation. That will be our gift to each other. HAH! Kevin also committed us to a 5 day stay at a Hilton in Florida, which we have to book in the next few weeks. o_O The Hilton called and offered us a villa right outside of Disney for 5 days for o nly $175. Can't beat that price! It's a 3 bedroom villa which means I can cook all our meals and save on that at least! We're still planning it though. Worse case scenario is we lose the $175 if we decide we just can't do it. We're going to shoot for September. Lex and Raven will only lose 1 or 2 days of school and it's the beginning of the year. Not too bad. We already started saving for both vacations. We're insane. And we may be broke come October. HAH!!!! Oh well. ;)

That's about it. Nothing exciting. I haven't had the time or the heart for blogging lately. Hopefully I can keep up again real soon. 

Little Miss. Independent

For the past few weeks Lola has started informing me that she "can do this" or "can do that" all by her little 2 year old self. Needless to say.....I'm scared. I hate this phase almost as much as puberty. They think they can do things even when I know they can't. For example...I know she can't climb into her carseat without me helping. I just know this. She doesn't, she thinks she can do it and she gets very pissed off if I try and help her. So I let her try, stay close and catch her when she falls. She wants to pick out her own clothes, her own foods, her own shows to watch and she makes sure I know she can do it herself, she feels the need to remind me by saying..."I can do this all by myself, Mommy. Lola can!!". Yes, she speaks in the first person. It's hilarious. If you've been reading my blog for a while then you know that Lola was delayed in walking due to a high fever which triggered a febrile seizure which set her back almost 6 months. With Early Intervention and lots of patience and love she can walk, run, climb and all that other dangerous fun stuff. She is still very slow, more cautious with stairs, but we're working on that. So you can understand my anxiety about this phase. I'm nervous she's going to hurt herself. I'm afraid I won't be there is she is trying out her new found freedom. But I can't be afraid. She sure isn't! So, I'm stepping back. I'm letting her do things by herself. I'm not fighting it anymore. We've already needed 3 bandaids today, but that's ok!! Lola can do this and so can I!

What We've Been Doing.......

We've been celebrating.........

Torturing small animals........

And small children.........

 Playing with other peoples things while they're away.......

 Painting the teenager's room.......

Playing with bubbles OUTSIDE.......

Really enjoying being OUTSIDE..........

Flying kites.......

OUTSIDE..............

Sliding.......

Being sweet........

Being silly.........

Taking pictures of other peoples dogs........

Laughing..........

Giving Mom a heart attack..........

And being sporty...........

Fretting about our "pretties" (hair).........

And being silly some more........

Being fashionable.........

Sleeping better than I have in years......

Being goofy........

And loving the "SuperMoon"

In other words.....we've been very busy. :)