I've had my little wooden matryoshka for a while now - it was a gift. I love traditional matryoshkas. I really wanted to paint it all beautiful, but I knew I needed to be realistic. And therefore, I knew that it would not turn out beautiful no matter how hard I tried. So, I took the easy way out and painted each lady with chalkboard paint. And you know what, I love it. It works perfectly for me. I'm so glad I finally did that!

Greta is crazy for babies. She is always toting around her baby doll, asking me to swaddle her and singing lullabies. It's adorable. It was fun to see how Greta reacted to holding a real live baby. Oh my word, she's baby crazy! The weirdest part of this whole thing was that Holly was only about a month older than Greta is now when Greta was born.

Greta is obsessed with the swings. She loves them! And I love her wild hair. 

PS: Holly wore this same outfit. You can see a post of her at 11 months here. Just for reference, Greta is 17 months in these photos.

At our last trip to the craft store, Holly choose these animal beads over a pack of mixed pink pony beads. She really liked these beads! She was more interested in talking about the colors and what animals they were than actually stringing them up on a necklace. Totally great! She's a natural little sorter that's for sure! It was a happy surprise to learn the beads were made in the USA too! Hip hip hooray! Holly did end up making two necklaces, one for her and one for sister. Necklace making is a favorite around here that's for sure.

Oh Henry, you gave me a run for my money! He stayed wide awake and fussy the whole entire time. He didn't want to sleep, he just wanted his Momma to hold him and feed him. Which was okay, because I learned that potraits aren't really my style. Some would describe my style as "lifestyle." I like to photograph the little moments, the interactions, the relationships. Still, I'm hoping he'll be fast asleep for me one of these days!