Holy Pictures Batman! {Project Two Times Twelve (x2)} and then some...

Since it's the last day of the month, I guess I can no longer procrastinate uploading a boatload of pictures and dealing with blogger any longer.  In fact, if you didn't notice yet, I totally skipped P2X12 last month, but that was because I was too lazy/way too busy.  This month I don't want to deal with the craziness that is uploading a ton of pictures.  So, I waited until the last possible day hoping that, at some point, something would happen to make it easier.  

Well, it didn't.

And to add to the pain, I am not including our Halloween pictures from this year.  That still has to be done.  Somehow, Halloween this year went from a one night adventure to a FOUR DAY celebration.  I do not even know how we will face Monday.  I am sure, though, it will be ugly.

Very ugly.

Enough of that, here we go!

Here is Project Two Times Twelve for September.  Which may have been taken on October first.  Who is keeping track though, really?

In September, I went all out and did something crazy.  I let the kids jump on the our bed.  I know.  All kinds of wild.  For those that don't know, we don't let our children on our bed...ever.  I know, we are cruel and mean.   I have a weird thing about my sheets and pillows not containing cooties from anyone else except me.

And also The Hubs.

So! When I told the kids that they could jump on my bed IF they let me take pictures of them, well, they didn't know how to contain their joy.  Plus, I got to drag my studio lighting into another area other than my studio and play with using two different light sources.

It was not as easy as I thought it was going to be, friends.

Here they are:

First up The Girl:

Then both:

Love The Girl's face here:

The Little Man who I had to BEG to stop trying to flip backwards (see above photo):

I figured since the pure joy they were experiencing while jumping was giving me honest happy expressions, as opposed to forced smiles, I would try to borrow some of that joy and have some happy smiles in a more posed pic:

 No such luck.

These pictures were super fun to take, but were not easy.  There is so much that didn't even make it off of my camera, and to be honest, I don't know if these should have made it off the camera.  Off camera flash is something I would love to dabble in more, but I think I will have to do a lot more reading and practicing before I can say that I've done anything worthwhile...One day, one day!

This month, we went back outside for some fall color and costumes.  Every year I have a photo shoot with the kids in their costumes.  The last two years they have been indoors/studio style, so this year I wanted something outside.  Plus, we have had one of the most beautiful Fall season I can remember, and I didn't want to forget how wonderful it has been

Here are the kids as Ironman and a Queen:

I SO wanted this to be a silhouette, but the white collar, white pail, and street lamps all interfered with that.  So, this is the best I could do:

So tough and scary all at the same time!

 Nope! Never mind, he's still crazy and wild:

He's supposed to be guarding the queen here, but whatever:

The last two pics are not P2X12 at all.  They are from The Girl's last allergy appointment.  Each October she is seen by her allergist to test her peanut allergy as well as other allergies that she has (environmental mostly) to see if they have progressed/gotten any worse.  Sometimes a kid can grow out of a food allergy (10-15% do), and so for the first few years after a diagnosis they like to keep track of the allergy.  This was The Girl's fifth visit, and thankfully, it will be the last for a few years now.

Here's her back:

All of the writing are markers and numbers that tell the doctor what allergen has been applied and where.   As you can see she has some larger red welts in some areas and in others just a slight irritation or nothing at all except for a serum.   This year she still tested positive to the things that we already knew about peanuts, cats, weeds, and trees, however, this year we found out specifically that we are dealing with Cottonwoods, Ragweed, and Pig weed.  Guess what kinds of trees and weeds we are surrounded by.


Awesome.

So after they mark up her back, they use small poking type things (they aren't as sharp as needles, but do break the skin a little) that are dipped into the allergen.  Then they scratch the surface of the skin with the allergen going into the scratch.  After that, they wait twenty minutes to see the reaction.  There are also control scratches done for comparison.

If you have any allergies, this twenty minutes is excruciatingly long.  The welts raise up and itch and burn like mad, but you are not supposed to touch them, hence why they do it on your back.  During our last test, The Girl had a secondary reaction to the peanut protein that caused the doctors to need to treat her with some strong antihistamines (thankfully the epi pen was not needed) and monitor her for a while.  This year stared off similarly.  Shortly after the peanut protein was scratched onto her back, she became very uncomfortable.  Then the tears came.  Followed by some strong agitation that reminded me of what she used to do when she was little and was about to throw a major temper tantrum.

 Here's a pic of the peanut welt (keep in mind the amount of peanut protein that is placed on her back is very small,  about the size of the tip of a ball point pin):

So, I tried my best to comfort her and convince her that I still loved her even though I was allowing this to happen.  I also prayed over her out loud.  This proved (as it always does) to be the most effective in calming her little body down.  I prayed that The Lord would protect her while we waited, and that he would calm her and give her a peace that goes beyond all understanding.   That she would feel God's arms wrap around her and hold her close.  I also prayed that if there was any way at all that the pain and itching could stop, that He our powerful God who is in control of all things, would instantly make it stop.

Wouldn't you know, at that very moment our doctor came in.  She took one look at the size and severity of the welt and decided right then and there to stop the testing with the peanut protein.  She immediately wiped the area clean with a special cleanser that gives instant relief.

That's the kind of Father we have.  What troubles you, troubles Him.   He is one that knows our pain and answer prayers.  In an instant.  Nothing is too big or too small.