Prego shots...

Here you go. Belly shots. I am in my 31st week and these are my first pictures. I don't know why I haven't taken any yet...maybe it's because in general, I don't take a ton of pictures of myself or maybe it's because I feel so large that documenting my 'largeness' just isn't that appealing. I was a lot more fit when I was prego with Noah. I have never had swollen feet, but I've got some 'thick' toes...I just never knew my feet could spread out over the sides of my flip flops!

Anyway, Em loves my belly! Well, it's not that she loves my actual belly but her little brother who is growing in it. She tells my belly that she loves him, that they'll be best friends, that she can't wait to meet him...

*And then people ask me questions like, "Is it possible that what happened to Noah could happen to this baby?"

Anything is possible. Anything. I don't know.

No one knows...

All I know is that I have hope...hope that the "anything" in this case is life and the opportunity for Emily to actually grow old with her little brother...not as a sweet memory or a picture on the wall, but as a physical, tangible part of her life. God, please...You know my heart! Please!

Em was my junior photographer in this pic. I wanted to show you though, the amazing art on the wall! Em and her Auntie pulled out the acrylics and a canvas and Em went to town!

And, as you can see down the hall behind my big old belly, I painted plain canvas' to display Em's art work.

I saw the idea in a magazine and had to do it, especially because Em loves to express herself artistically and I want to encourage her in it, and because we have a stainless refrigerator so it isn't magnetic, therefore, no displaying creativity on the fridge!

Here's a close up of the piece she did with her Auntie.

Over the past few years as Em's brought artwork home from school or other venues, I've been overwhelmed with where to put it, though I've wanted to display it proudly to show her how truly great she is. After I saw this idea in a magazine, I was so excited that I could display it in our house, but with a bit of continuity. Here's how it went down:

• I bought 2 for 1 canvas' on sale at the local art supply store.
• I bought a tiny can of high gloss paint that matched my kitchen from local paint dealer/home supply shop.
• I painted the canvas' with Em's help and a small roller brush on the back porch and let them air dry.
• Then, we used pieces of cardboard boxes that we had in the garage to slide in the backs of each canvas. We cut them to size and then you slide them behind the center wood strip on the back of the canvas. No need for adhesive, just slip it behind there and it'll be pretty secure. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!
  
• Em and I selected some pieces she wanted to display and we grabbed a bunch of push pins (push pins + cardboard backing = art actually staying put on canvas)
• Voila!
  

There you go! It's that easy! So, if you want an easy project and great way to display your kids' art work, have fun with the above project! If you still want your fridge to remain an art display, go for it! Either way, you'll feel really good about your kids' pieces and they'll feel like they are featured artists at the local art gallery!

Believe me, life is too short to be so anal that you don't display their work because you want your house to look like a model home! They'll notice that you either throw their work away or that you stash it away in a closet, bin or filing cabinet. Skip the model home and let your house look like an art museum! When they go off to college you can call on an interior designer...right now, though, let their work shine! You may just be raising a little Renoir or Picasso!