"For the 97 Billionth time- Do You Have to Go Pee!?"

We are potty training in the Moore house!! Yaaaaay! Can't you just hear the excitement?! :) 

Actually, I am pretty excited because Charlie is a potty training genius! 

The first day, Tuesday, he peed every 17-20 minutes! Whew! Day one down- a lifetime more to go!!

The second day he went a little longer, about every 1/2 hour! We only had one accident when we went outside to play Mommy had to come back in to get something and she shut the sliding glass door and Charlie couldn't get back in, so he peed his pants. :( But that was Mommy's fault...

The third day, today-- he's been great! A little mishap here this morning because Charlie found it more fun to play than to stop to go potty. I had asked him if he needed to go and he said, "nope." But by the time he realized he did have to go, he had went a little in his underwear then ran to the potty.

All in all, I haven't really scolded him or anything. He's just learning and I fully expect him to forget, to make mistakes and learn from them! We already bought him a prize for doing so well!! We put a pull up on him and went out for dinner- potty chair in the van, mind you (public potty's for toddlers- ick!) and then we went to Wal-Mart to buy Gordon, but they didn't have Gordon, so we got Henry instead! That made his week!!! He didn't even have an accident while we were out- which amazed me!

I hope it keeps going this well.

Here's a picture for your enjoyment. ;)

His favorite underwear!!

Charlie & Dr. Dave!!

Today we took Charlie to see Dr. Dave!! He's a Pediatric Dentist with a mile long list of credentials including serving two terms as President of Dental Staff at Cincinnati Children's and being the Zoo Dentist!! What an amazing man!! Here are some pics!

 Pictures of Zoo animals getting their very large teeth cleaned!

 Mrs. Kim, our RDH!

 Charlie enjoying his new Cars toothbrush!

 He got to put water in the cup and rinse his mouth! He liked that very much!

 Wesley even got a Banana toothbrush which he really liked!!

 Getting ready for the polish! 

 A very nervous Charlie!

 A different view for me, since I'm usually the one with the mask and gloves! ;)

 It's hard to tell, but the prophy angle is a penguin!! Cute!!

 All Done!! Charlie even told Mrs. Kim, "Thank yooou!"

 After all the goodies we got, they even let Charlie pick a toy form the prize box! He picked 3 cars! Surprise!

Dr. Dave! 

Charlie's 2 year molars began poking through last night- so we'll be watching them until they come in fully! He also has deep grooves which I already knew, so we'll definitely have to watch out for cavities! Also, just like I thought, the spacing of his teeth means braces are likely for his permanent teeth! But we'll worry about that later! 

Charlie said "Thank you" to Dr. Dave as well and we left!

See you in 6 months guys!!

Wedding Bells at the Verdin Bell Event Center!

As most of you know, my bestest friend Sarah Lance took her husband Brian's last name on Sunday evening 14 August 2011, and she is now Mrs. Sarah Kilgore!! 

I was privileged with the opportunity to photograph this special time in her life! However, I was also extremely worried during the rehearsal because the lighting was very low- and my 171' flash could barely keep up and seemed more like a 12' flash! It was a beautiful, old church that had a billion photo ops, that at times got overwhelming because you want to get "everything" but the bridal party have to keep moving to get to the next step...so you can only do what time allows. A more seasoned photographer would have had no problem with this; but I did get some amazing shots in the mix, so hopefully any imperfections in my photography will be made up for by these shots.

Really, I don't care if anyone else likes the photos- if Sarah and Brian love them then I will be the happiest person alive. I did this for them. And them alone. Still, I think they will be liked by all!

My first wedding to shoot was a military wedding! Few things in life are as glamorous as a military wedding and I'm so happy for her that she was able to finally marry a man in uniform!! My favorite part of the night was when Captain Eric slapped her on the rear after she entered the Sabre arch and yelled, "Welcome to the Army, Mrs. Kilgore!!" PRICELESS!! :) 

Her hand carved love bird cake toppers painted wearing exactly what they were wearing was a true gem on the beautifully decorated cake! Elegance could be found at every turn! Dozens of candles lit up the huge altar and the stain glassed windows let in many small glimpses of refracted light- and to top it all off the ceremony was very sweet. I begged myself not to cry and instead capture as many moments as my flash would allow. 

I am making them a wedding album which I started on a while ago. I have 603 pictures to go through and edit and place in just the perfect place of their album. I have permission to post it on FB as soon as the Bride and Groom get the album in hand!! It will be something neat to see, so stay tuned! Also, Jeff made the "Just Married" sign for the back of the side car of the Harley! It was my idea but he stole it and ran with it!! Not what I would have done, but it worked! I told her I was going to follow her down the road like a mom follows a Kindergartener to school for the first time!! But, I resisted the urge and just waved with teary eyes as she vanished. She waved for as long as we could see her...ok, I'm tearing up, so different subject!

Some things about that night went according to plan- others did not. But thankfully, God was with me and I know because my nerves were kept clam and my camera flash still worked after being dropped on a marble table, busting out its batteries and the metering cover! Mishaps happen. You just have to stay clam and move forward. 

I surprised myself at how confident I was at something I had never done before and under harsh (lighting) conditions. I think I grew a lot from that experience and I hope I continue to grow in my passion for photography. Although, as tough as that was- I think it will be my last wedding. I will never wince again at a photographer's price for weddings- they deserve every dollar! 

My husband told one of the event planners that I was a little nervous because it was my first wedding and she looked at him like she was surprised at that (again, God gets the credit here!) and she said, "I heard she was very special to the Bride." :) Aw!! The Bride was very special to me- and I could not have imagined a better companion for her, than Major Brian Kilgore!!

Here's to their Happiness Forever After!

Love you guys- enjoy your honeymoon in GREECE!!!

Why Big Families Might Be Easier

 I found this on some random blog (I'm kind of a blog stalker!) and I thought, "I have to re-post this!" I hope it makes you laugh like it did me! I love big families!!

Written by Matthew Archibold-Feb. 4, 2010

WHY BIG FAMILIES MIGHT BE EASIER
A woman said to me recently that my five children were very well behaved. It's one of the best things I can hear so I thanked her. Then she asked me "how do you do it with so many?" I told her that I don't think I'd be a very good parent of one child or two. She didn't believe my answer but honest to goodness, I sometimes think that having many children is easier than just one.
Why big families are easier:

~Patience. I never have to teach patience. My children know that I can't drop everything for them if I have a baby in my arms.

~Work Ethic. My children have learned to work because there are always chores to do in a small house packed with little messy lunatics. And they all learn quickly that sometimes they have to clean up a mess even though they didn't make it.

~Humility. My children have learned it's not always their turn. They've accepted they can't always get their way because other people have to get their way sometimes. They've learned that some children are better at certain things than they are.

~Foreign language skills. You can learn a lot of Spanish by watching ten years of Dora the Explorer that you just can't pick up in two. And now with the Diego spin off I'm practically fluent.

~Laughter. The children have learned to laugh at the insane non sequiturs of younger siblings. They've learned that laughing just feels better when seven people are doing it along with you.

~Competition. Do I really need to go into this? Everything is a competition in big families. The children compete over who reads faster, who drinks their milk faster, who gets to the bathroom first...etc. Everything is a competition and they're all keeping score.

~Balance. The floor of the front room of my home is a minefield of toys and childhood paraphernalia. Just walking through the room requires great skill and balance. I'm absolutely convinced my two year old will be a favorite for Gold on the balance beam in the 2016 Olympics. (She might have to lay off the cookies a little but I'll deal with that later.)

~Life isn't fair. Sometimes you just give it to the baby because you want a little quiet. Not all the time. But sometimes.

~Just say "No." Being able to say "no" may be the most undervalued skill in this world. The need to be liked is pervasive. The need to be cool even more so. Having brothers and sisters teaches children to say "no" about 143 times a day. It's a good skill.

~Praying. They learn that nothing beats praying together as a family.

~Nature/Nurture. Having many children has taught me that nature has a lot more to with who my kids are than nurture. This is helpful, especially when your children misbehave you don't have to feel bad about it. Just say "Stupid nature!!!" and blame your spouse's genes.

~Name-calling. You can occasionally call your child by the wrong name and still not be considered a terrible parent. They know who you mean just from your tone. Sometimes if you need something done you can call the wrong name and someone will still show up. That helps.

~Spying. My children have learned that they can't get away with anything. I have spies who look a lot like them who are willing to drop the dime on them for anything. Even at school I've got a child in just about every grade. If they do something I'll hear. That keeps them nervous. And I like keeping my kids a little nervous.

~Friendship. The children have many friends. They've got girly friends, crying friends, fun loving friends, consoling friends, and crazy friends. And they all have the same last name. And they'll be there forever for each other. No matter what.

~Love. I think my children have learned to love because there are others around them to love and who love them. I honestly can think of no better way to teach children to love than siblings.

My favorite are the last two...in a big family your children have many friends who will be there for them other forever...and they are loved by so many more and love so much more!!