Birthday Present

Hubs gave me a homemade birthday present this year.  Very thoughtful right.... just wait until you hear the story :) 

A while back ago he stayed up late and watched a movie.  The main character in the movie was a rugged guy... he had on what Hubs called an awesome watch.  The next day Hubs decided to do a little bit of research.  He searched the movie and some how came across close ups of the watch.  He found out the watch was made out of paracord.  He then searched paracord and found different places to purchase it and different tutorials on how to 'knot' it.  After ordering the cord, clips, and going out to buy watches he got to work.  

On my birthday he gave me my present.  It was a white watch face with hot pink numbers and white pleather bands.  He told me that he was going to make me a watch.  

I don't want to sound like a jerk (because it is very sweet) but this isn't a birthday present for me... it's a present for him :)  Which is TOTALLY OK!  because he got me the WORLDS BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENTS!  He could have saved some for 4 days later to give me one on my birthday but he didn't want to.  He was too excited about them and knew I would be too.  

After we got back from my birthday celebration Hubs sat down on his chair turned on the tv and got to work.  He got a bit frustrated.  He took 5 tries to do mine.  He kept making it just a bit too short or too long.  He gave up on mine and decided to make his.  After making his he decided to try mine again.  We talked about the 'knot' that he originally chose for me and decided that we needed to find a different one.  The 'knot' he chose for me was the same one he did for him.  It was just too wide for my wrist.  The watch face he got me is HUGE.  It goes from one side of my wrist to the other that when he put the thick 'knot' on it I just couldn't move my hand anymore haha.  We found a thinner 'knot' and after 1 more try he got it perfect. 

 Here's Hubs watch.  I LOVE his 'knot'.  That was the band I actually wanted, it just didn't work for me.

 

Here our watched together.  Didn't he do such a nice job!

Now Hubs is sitting on his chair making paracord bracelets.  He is going on a mission trip to Haiti soon and he thought it would be fun to bring the bracelets to hand out to the other workers and the people he comes across.  I think he's a little crazy to do it, but it's very thoughtful! 

M & J Senior Pictures (more)

A couple of days ago I posted my twin brothers Senior pictures.  When I was looking at them I saw so many of M that I loved, but not many of J that were thrilling.  After looking at them with my mom we decided that J just looked exhausted and sick.  My mom wanted me to take J's pictures again.  She decided that since I was taking J's again I should take M along and get some more of him too.  

I told you in the previous post that M & J HATE having their pictures taken and are not very patient with it.  I also said that the boys did amazingly well and never complained once that I was taking their picture or complained when I told them where to go, how to sit, etc... they actually even had their own ideas about different back grounds.

This trip was the complete opposite.  :(  Neither one of them had any desire to do it again.  J wasn't so bad (at first).  He knew that he didn't love any of the previous ones so he really wanted a decent one, but after a little bit he said that we were done.  

Hubs came along with this time and we left the wee ones at home with Grandma.  Since Hubs was with me we went back to the previous place but then hiked to another place that I would not have gone to if my mom was there instead.  

Having Hubs was great... and also HORRIBLE.  haha.  He is such a little kid.  When he is with any of my brothers it's like he is 2.  He loves to have fun with them.  A little too much fun at times.  They (we) had a blast.  

Most of the pictures are of J.  There are some random ones of M, but M was happy with his other ones that he wouldn't necessarily 'pose' for any today.  

The above pictures were taken at an abandoned train restaurant.  We took pictures there for their last shoot too.  We even went in it just a little bit (I was chicken and didn't want to go in very far).  I went in a little further this time.  I want to buy the place.  It is so cute.  It's still all done up.  You would never know how much mouse/rat poop was all over and that the tables were completely covered in a super thick layer of dirt/dust by looking at this picture.

When we were done using the train as our backdrop we went behind it to the river.

 Here's a little grouping of M.

After the river being our backdrop we just switched positions so that I had my back to the river and they now had their back to the woods.

While I was taking pictures of J Hubs and M were playing in the river.  Next to Hubs was a tree with a hole in it.  M is a bit of a scaredy just like me.  Hubs told M to look in the hole and then he yelled like something was in there.  M screamed like a little girl.  Here are the boys all at the tree... M scowling at what Hubs just did.

When we were done with that we got back into the car and went to a neat bridge with a bunch of graffiti that I saw on my birthday when we were driving out to PA.

 I would have loved to do this picture again and have M a little closer, not so that he was in focus but so  you could at least tell it was him... but he wouldn't come any closer.  He said that they didn't want any stupid twin pictures.  I just laughed...because I take silly twin pictures all the time of my boys.

Hubs saw this little quote on the bridge and told the boys that they MUST have their picture taken with it.

I had fun taking their pictures.  I am just glad that I don't have to choose the one they go with :)