Let's paint and spin

This is for you Aunt Lori and Uncle Marc! We finally opened up the Spin Art that you gave Sam for his birthday and look how good the masterpiece turned out! The boys had a grand grand of a time with daddy as they watched the paint spin round and round. We now wish we would have opened it up sooner. Enjoy the pictures of the Spin Art morning!

Sam thought this was the most serious thing ever....

Matthew thought it was funny....
End Result: MASTERPIECE

on the path to work again

I am so happy to say that I am starting my own photography business. I love my new path. It has been so exciting to meet some amazing families and just hang out with the ones who have already been a part of my life here in Florida. I am in the process of working on my new website and ironing out all the kinks, however, for now, here is a link to my new blog:

http://www.erinteplinphotography.blogspot.com/

Check back often so you can see all my little cuties!

Double Celebration!

On Sunday, May 11, 2008 we not only celebrated Mothers Day, but Brad and I also celebrated our 6 years of marriage! For the past 3 years, I've had the honor in not only celebrating Mothers day, but being a proud mother myself! Seriously, what would I do without my kids and husband?

My husband who I wed on this day, 6 years ago, my rock and my strength. We have been through so many things together, good and bad. But most importantly we've held our relationship strong. Thinking back to this same day, 6 years ago, the skies were dark and the rain was falling. Much like our day today, however, we didn't have a wedding to worry about. The nerves were overfilled with excitement as I was about to marry the man of my dreams. And then, the party began. All of our friends and family were there to celebrate this day with us. What a glorious day it was, even though the skies opened up and rain, hail and lightning filled the evening.

Thinking back three years ago when Sam entered our world, everything changed. Not only life, but love! I never knew I could love someone as much as I loved that little baby growing inside of me. Then a few more months passed and we welcomed Matthew into this world! Then life REALLY changed and our hearts grew bigger and now Brad and I had a family we could call our own.

I sit here today, thinking back and I thank God for my life. Being a mother has made me a better person, and being a wife has made me who I am today!

Happy Anniversary Brad. Happy Mothers day all my dear friends and family celebrating as well today. I hope you all enjoyed your day and I am blessed to have you all in my life!

Daddy

is a monumental piece around this house. I used to be okay with Monday mornings....but now I shriek when that Monday morning wake up call calls for "Daddy". When that door opens and it's me, mommy....the boys both look at me with blank stares of disappointment and say, "mommy, where is daddy?"

When little hand hits the 5, mommy is history. Daddy is home and the boys forget about me. I'm okay with this...especially because I know they love me just as much, they just see me too much! But man, when daddy is home, this world is a better place!

Friends

They are oh so cute together! It's Ashley! Ashley and Sam get along like Brothers and Sisters. Maybe it's because she is that much older than Sam and she tends to kind of baby him, and Sam eats it up! She has this patience about her that I love. And I love it when Sam picks up on the gentle things she does. Even though Sam is a boy, I never shy him away from affection!

Sam asks about her daily and requests that we stop at her house, even though she may be there just to stop by and say hi to the door?! I love little friendships that happen. Thanks Ashley for spending the day with us last weekend! We can't wait for school to be out this summer so we can meet at the pool and eat goldfish and peanut butter sandwiches together.

Matthew..where are you?

Just have to note....this morning, during and after our jaunt through Publix, Matthew shocked the pants off me...

1. He walked up to the baker who had a cookie in her hand and gave her a Hi-5
2. Matthew let the cute bagger push the cart out to my car with him in the cart! He actually didn't even know where I was....
3. Kept his flip flops on the entire time in the store!
4. Ate the ENTIRE 2 cartons of blueberries that we bought
5. Drank his milk COLD.....right out of the fridge
6. Sat and WATCHED TV as I was making lunch!!!!! And laughed!!!!!

YEAH Matthew!!!! See, you CAN look and talk to (some) strangers.
Normally he gives the dirtiest eye contact and screeches at the top of his lungs!!!!!
TV is GOOD to watch Matthew!!!!

HOORAY for you. Looks like mommy needs to go to Publix every day now!

beach and fears

We had a great day today visiting the beach! The boys just love it there. As a matter of fact, so do we. Brad has finally accepted that the sand is okay and the sun won't hurt him!!!! Today we had another great family day there after running some errands. The weather couldn't have been better. Upper 80's/sunny/windy and just plain great. The tide was very high when we got there, but lowered back into the ocean after an hour of us being there. I know there probably is a better word for "tide lowered back" but I don't know the technical terms.....April, I know you have the answers! I think my family and I need a oceanography lesson from you.

Anyways, the boys just love the water and sand. Matthew seriously didn't stop running the entire time we were there. Sam and him jumped wave after wave, puddle after puddle. It was grand. Poor little Matthew bit the sand in some larger waves a few times....however, it didn't seem to stop him. Sam got a mouthful of sea shell sand a few times, however, that didn't stop him as well.

The boys both were given a plastic bag to collect shells. WOW...the bags are FULL of shells. They did great. Matthew thought it was rather hilarious when he found a broken shell!! Mom, we're saving the shells for when you're hear so you can help me build a shellasic (my word for Mosaic) picture frame!!!! Can't wait!

The beach was full today. There were so many people there. Kids were everywhere. I have to admit, being in the water with the boys does make me a tad bit nervous. One of my huge fears is drowning. I often have dreams that one of my children is trapped in the water and can't get out. I know this fear has come from my many years of watching Fear Factor. I have to say, I totally dislike that show ever since I became a mom and till this day I can't watch it. With that said, today I witnessed one of my mommy fears.

There are no lifeguards at the beach we went to today....a few of us were standing out in the water. There was a lady who ran out into the tide and I saw her run past me in a huff, but didn't think much of it. I head some screaming, but again, that's what people do at the beach. Scream, splash yell etc. It's all part of it because frankly, you can't hear anything. Anyways, she kept running back and forth, back to shore, into the water. There were a few men who went after her asking if everything was okay....I couldn't hear the conversation, however, I had a sense it wasn't a good thing. I finally went up to a man who had a blank stare on his face and I asked him what was going on. Now mind you there were hundreds of people at the beach.....The man informed me that this lady's daughter was missing. My heart literally sank to my feet. I think I got that blank stare on my face as well. The man filled me in on the look of the daughter but I as well had 2 little boys who I couldn't leave.

I swear, I got goosebumps up and down my body. I watched this lady run all over the place, yelling, screaming, crying, yelling, in the waves. People were finally spreading the word and so many people were helping her. I was just imagining her 8 year old daughter trapped in a wave...it was horrible. This mother was frantically sprinting back and forth, jumping in and out of the water, shrieking screams of worry. This was going on for 20+ minutes or so.

Many minutes went by, people were looking all over. Brad was 100% clueless of what was going on as he was having a grand ole' conversation with a friend of ours in the water watching the boys, because I just couldn't get the words out of my mouth to tell him. Many many many more minutes passed and finally I heard a "aaahhhhhhhh" flow over the beach. The girl was found. The mother yanked her up by her arm and grabbed her away from her 'new' friends she had made at the beach. The 8 year old little girl just found some friends and was playing along shore, had wandered off unintentionally and had no clue what was going on. The little 8 year old girl had no idea her mother was in a panic, worried that she would never see her daughter again. When I saw the mother hug her daughter I could only imagine the emotions that were going through the mothers head....RELIEVED, SUPER UPSET, THANKFUL, IRATE, LOVE.

I was standing along shore, tears were filling up my eyes...I seriously NEVER want to be that mother. I will have a leash on my children forever. I love the beach, but I am a nervous wreck thanks to Fear Factor.....but I'll go back, with my leash and electric collar that I will purchase to shock them if they go further than 5 feet away. My thought, a pool is one place, a HUGE Ocean beach....it's got my fear all over it. There is a reason my children have bright ORANGE swim suites...so I can see them at all times. I am crazy!

Sam's reaction to the news

So...we've learned a valuable lesson with Sam! To illimate the looonnngggg hours of anxious anticipation, we've learned not to tell Sam where we're going until absoultly positively necessary. SO, with that said, we did not tell him that he was going to see his beloved family, until he went to bed that night. We captured the reaction below. It was so cute when he let it sink in. We've never seen him go to bed as fast as he did that weekend!!! You're so cute Sam, we uve you!!!

Passover, 2008

We celebrated Passover 2008 in Tampa at Uncle Stephen and Aunt Vicki's house! We were served a great meal and we were surrounded by lots of family! Thank you guys for hosting such a wonderful night! Sela got a new bunk bed and let's just say that the boys thought it was a indoor jungle climbing gym. We realized AFTER we left we did not help clean up the tornado the boys created. Sorry Uncle Stephen & Aunt Vicki!!! When you visit Jacksonville, we'll make sure you re-create the tornado we left in Tampa!
We can't wait to meet in Gainsville!!!!

(these shots are not the best! My camera is definately a natural light camera and it was dark outside)

Sam and Papa Stan

Sam & Cousin Alivia
Sam drinking his wine out of his Passover Cup
(I know there is another correct name...anyone want to help me out here....)
The new room!

Our gabber (sorry for the pee pee shot)

Phone talk

HE COULD TALK ON THE PHONE ALL DAY!!!! It is so frustrating when the phone rings. He screams when he can't talk and refuses to calm down. He screams, kicks his feet and screams some more until I get off! I tried wearing my blu tooth in the house the other day! That worked well until Brad informed me that my cell minutes are sky rocketing....so...he got me a land line, however, I can't call long distance. Compromise, that's what it's all about.

It was a Thomas Day!

Thanks to my dear friend Amy, we had a Thomas the Train party!!! She supplied all the arts n crafts, I supplied the mac n cheese and hot dogs! What more could little boys and girls want???? The boys had a great time coloring and making their very own Thomas book that Amy put together for them. She holds the talent I don't have patience for!!!! Katelyn and Matthew enjoyed jumping on Sam's bed and refused to wear the hats, but accepted lunch with open arms!

Web Cam

For the love of Technology...who ever designed our web camera is selfish! We had a perfectly working web cam, until we installed the cam on our new computer. Now, either no one can hear us, or see us. So, now, we have to wear this silly looking headset to talk to our loved ones...that is if it works!!!! It's on our list for upgrade along with everything else these days. However, the boys think it is the coolest thing to wear this..however, they always get in a big brawl.

Waiting for cake

Look at those patient hands! The mouth was watering and the eyes were as big as his stomach! Just waiting, patiently to eat cake at Ben's Birthday Party over this weekend! Love this picture. Thanks Kelly for capturing it for us and another Happy Birthday Hug for Ben, the birthday boy!!!

Bubbles!!!

I just wish I could sit and soak in the tub full of bubbles and fun every morning and have someone wash my hair, scrub my back and have fun! I think some days, when we don't have to hurry the boys can sit in there for a full hour..that is until someone decides to dump water over the others head. Then the screaming begins!

This is for you daddy!

Daddy thinks Matthews Flip Flops, or, "Fitops" as Matthew says are hilarious! So, here they are for you daddy! You can even see the defined teeth marks :)

The little peanut lover!

This is what I found in my kitchen today after I put sleepy head Matthew in his room. I literally was gone for about 5 minutes (granted I had all the sandwich ingredients on the counter already). However, I did leave Sam in the family room, in front of the TV and told him that I would be right back. Mr. Independent had to do it himself. Life just hasn't been the same since. Lunch anyone? Teplin house? PB&J sandwiches????? I have a peanut chef in the house!!

Doesn't this look great!!!!

Once a jelly lover, then a hater, and now since he can do it himself, he is all about loving jelly again!

And....The finished product. He is so proud!!!

Another famous sleeping pose

Let's see....maybe if Matthew would not visit his mommy and daddy a few times a night this wouldn't happen. Maybe if Matthew would not wake up so early in the morning, this wouldn't happen. You see, maybe if Matthew would not demand every ounce of me to help him build him a train track, he wouldn't be left in the toy room to do it himself, and this wouldn't happen. And yes, those are tears of sadness soaking through his blanket, but he was very content on the hard, cold, tile floor all by himself.

Sam

Sam asked me to put this picture on here for him.

For some reason, he laughs every time he sees this picture!

So, here you go Sam :)

The boys

I just had to share these pictures of the kids. I love them!

You know it is totally true....when you least expect it, you get the best shots of your children. We were literally playing in the backyard, I grabbed my camera to get a picture of the lizard that was climbing up a fence and the boys started posing. They were so fun!!! This is how picture sessions are supposed to be. No screaming involved. No fuss to get dressed.

Enjoy below!

Pink eye, San Marco & child protector door locks

Sam and I (Erin) have been blessed with pink, red, itchy, irritated swollen eyes! Who would have thought pink eye would be so painful. It is horrible, for me that is. Sam seems to be handling this with no frustration, imagine that. We got a script for Sam from his doctor, but I am headed there tomorrow to get some relief! I would rather be in pain than Sam, however, this pain is so hard to handle. We've seriously been in dark lock down all day. I guess if any day is a good day to stay inside, today would have been the day. It is freezing outside. It went from a 90 degree weekend, to a 55 degree day today. And believe me folks, 55 back home used to be warm and pleasant. A 55 degree day in Florida is killing me. So, here we sit, indoors. Just waiting for Matthew to start complaining about eye pain. We think Daddy is going to grab his sleeping bag and stay at work tonight. We all know how sensitive he is with his eyes :).

Some shots of our weekend in San Marco Fl.

Last night, as we were unloading our van, Sam disappeared in the house. We bought the boys some rocks for their sand 'n water table and we figured that Sam was headed to the back patio to wait patiently for the rocks to be delivered by daddy. No more than 2 minutes pass and Sam came running out in the garage where Brad and I were. He was completely frustrated with us. He looked at us and said, "mommy, daddy. Why do you always do this to me? You know I can't get out of here if these are on (holding 2 pieces of the child protector cover for the door handle). I'm throwing this out now, you know I don't like these things". Yes, Brad and I laughed and explained to him that he wasn't supposed to take this off, this was to prevent him from going outside....Well, try explaining that to a 3 year old. In his mind, he probably thought we locked up all his toys.

So, we think it's time for little man Matthew to get a hair cut! Check out the length!!! Stay tuned for pictures of the traumatic event.

We're here!

The boys LOVED the HUGE TRUCK!!!

The truck is unpacked and our family has spent the first night in our new home! Moving day went well. We spent all morning and afternoon on Friday packing, unpacking, driving and entertaining the little men. Thankfully the little men decided to awake rather early Friday morning. I think we had the first bed stripped and packed up ready to go at 7:15 a.m. We had to arrive at the new house by 10 for the cable man to be here to install our lovely babysitter ON DEMAND!!!! We arrived here, at the new home in plenty of time to meet him.

The temperature was a little on the hot & on the sticky side as the temps teetered around 85 with strong wet humidity. All in all, it was a great day. They boys thought the whole thing was rather amusing as the NO word was overused, and by overused, I mean overused. I think NO was used in almost every sentence. Brad and I just laughed every time we would talk to them. There was one moment that Sam was running up the truck ramp with shoes on the wrong feet, holding a rake while Matthew was wobbling behind him with a shovel, in one hand and broom in other with bare feet. Seriously, they were just trying to be helpers, and did great, however, Brad and I were both ready for our glass of wine at 8:00 a.m.

Regardless, we are here. We love our new pad. It has such great space for us. Last night going to bed was a little difficult for Matthew. He thought it would be fun to wine and cry and thrash all night. We weren't sure if he didn't feel well or he was just being flat out ridiculous. We figured it was a combination of both, so we dealt with him, and made him comfortable and decided to break the rules and cuddle with him last night. Well, our thought to make him comfortable backfired because he really didn't want anything to do with us. So we think he may have just been testing us! Well, he won last night, but tonight, we may have to turn monitors off.

We are in the organizing, re-organizing and hanging picture stages! This is fun for me!!!! Brad seems to think he is the designer and has strategically placed pictures and stuff all over the house. After all, he lives here too!!!! But, not every picture frame has to be displayed on the mantel. Not every Peggy Carr platter needs to be hanging out. Love you dear :).

Picture of the house coming soon. Sooooo, you stay tuned.

Good night, we're off to bed, even though Sam is still up trying to convince us that he 'just can't sweep'!

nene update and moving

Well, it's now been a little over a week. Sam is doing great! Sam requests his beloved nene every once in a while, when he is overtired or in trouble. However, we kind of do a little ignoring and he stops, and moves onto a different comfort item.
I have to admit a part of me is so sad for him. He's been comforted by his little nene for 3.5 years. It was the only thing that would stop him from crying as an infant, he fell in love, and now mommy took it away from him.
Well, with that said, I guess I'm over it. It was a loooonnnnggggg loooooonnnnnngggggg last week, however, we plowed through and I'm so pleased with the results. He still finds it a little challenging to fall asleep, however, we're working with him on that piece. It takes him a little over an hour to wind down in his bed now. It used to take him seconds to fall asleep.
We'll get through it. I'm hoping that when we move, he'll feel a little more comfortable without it.

Speaking of moving, we're in trouble. We think this is going to be an easy move, however, so I've heard, the closer the move, the harder it is. We get our keys to our new home on Saturday! We can't wait. Our plan is to move a little over every day, in-between play dates and every day life, naps etc. We have some great friends who have offered to help and offered to help me with my children during the day. Thank you friends!!!! Our plan is to be all moved in and settled the middle of April. However, I have many photo commitments in between now and then so I am hoping everything works out and busting my hiney. I am thinking that I am going to have to move out of the house on weekends so I can concentrate on my career, which by the way I am sooooo excited about!

Happy Easter, 2008

Happy Easter, 2008! It is a beautiful day here in Jacksonville. The weather is sitting at 73 and the sky is full of sun. It is a perfect day today, and it was a perfect day to have a outdoor brunch with the Easter Bunny! The only thing missing was family here to celebrate with us. We had a 10:00 brunch reservation at East Hampton Country Club. One of Brad's co-workers reserved us a table out on the back patio. It was PERFECT! The food was fantastic and the boys did very well...until.....that Bunny showed up. Then, we'll just say, our brunch was OVER!

The boys!

Matthew, enjoying the sunny morning out on the greens!
Sam, frustrated with his mommy snapping photos of him!!!

I happen to LOVE this picture. It is so pure. Matthew, so little sitting on a big boy chair trying to eat his jelly beans that the bunny left. He was such a good little munchkin this morning! Oh how we love going out to eat. Unfortunately all the selections of restaurants are such a far drive away.

Matthew eating his decadent! His little hands were trying to OPEN the thin layer of chocolate that surrounded the yummy fudge. So he asked Mommy to open the fudge, and by all means mommy opened it for him! It's called taking a bite :)
Sam showing me his decadent, asking me if we can get more :)
Bottom Picture Narration:
Sam: Resisting Brad's attempt to get closer to the bunny

Brads thoughts, "Come on Sam, I don't like this bunny either, but just smile for the picture....do you have chocolate on your hands?"
Erin's thoughts. "Oh yes, this is going to be a great picture to post on our blog. Matthew, if you even think about ripping off my necklace, I'm taking money out of your piggy bank for a new one."
Matthew: SCREAMING as loud as he can, crawling up Mommy's shirt with one hand on her necklace, holding on for dear life. I'm sure his thoughts were, "Get this white fluffy big eared monster AWAY from me as the words, "HOME" belted across the golf course.

Happy Easter to all of you! We hope you enjoyed your day.