Peas in the Soup

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-24T16:18:00.000-07:00

Love to you all,

Amy

The McKinneys -- sneak peek

2011-10-26T12:35:00.000-06:00

I love shooting in the fall! Here's some favorites from my session with some friends I had the opportunity to photograph this past week.

While I always shoot in color, I just couldn't help myself and turned a bunch of them black and white, too. I just love how they all looked in B&W:

Thanks, Kim & Zach, for letting me work with you! I had a great time! :)

sneak peek - Schwarzrocks

2011-10-20T14:37:00.002-06:00

More faves from another recent shoot -- I always have such a hard time picking just a "sneak peek" and not just posting the whole shoot. Love 'em all!

My first urban session of the year -- loved it! It was a crazy gray, cold day and the graffitti colors just popped! We're soooo doing this for our family pix next year! Thanks so much, guys, for letting me shoot for you -- I had so much fun!

sneak peek -- Leavitt Family

2011-10-20T13:58:00.000-06:00

Here are just a few of my favorites from a recent portrait session. I had so much fun!

This next one was in between shots -- I couldn't resist putting it in!

This little guy had the most amazing eyes -- they just sparkled!

Thanks, Leavitts, for letting me hang out for awhile! I had a blast!

Sneak Peek - Davianne

2011-10-11T14:47:00.001-06:00

Here are some of my faves from a recent senior portrait session. I had a blast -- she has a great eye for poses and settings and was fantastic to work with!

She took me out to this fantastic old rusted-out car...my new FAVE spot...I think we'll use it for our fam portraits next year! And what a fabulous juxtaposition -- she wore her prom dress! Love it!

Thanks so much, Davianne, for letting me hang out and take these for you! Hope you love them as much as I do!

Miss S -- sneak peek!

2011-09-12T16:30:00.000-06:00

I love working with this little beauty! She is so beautiful -- she makes my job easy!

She has the most expressive eyes:

This one was my fave from the day -- love love love it!

Thanks again for letting me play, Katie! I had a blast!

PS: there's a huge bunch more....I just ran out of posting room! :)

Little Miss A - one year portraits

2011-08-30T10:57:00.000-06:00

A few weeks after her birthday party (see post below) I got to play with this little darling again. Her mom came prepared with cupcakes and Miss A daintly went to town. I love that she started by poking the frosting, then pinching the sprinkles one by one....and then she dug in.

And what happens when the cupcake is over?

After the cupcakes, we went to run around in the park:

We picked a LOT of flowers (don't tell the mean landscaping lady):

And we climbed a tree (with Daddy's help, of course):

And I kid you not, I didn't enhance her eyes in this one at all. They really looked like that! Can we say, "WOW!"

Thanks again for playing, sweet girl! We'll see you again in a few months!

back to school

2011-08-29T19:50:00.000-06:00

Second grade day one, done! She was up at 6:30, dressed and making her lunch when Kev left for school.

A few quick photos in her classroom and she was out the door to recess with her bestie.

When I picked her up, she announced, "It's gonna be a good year, Mom!" I think she's right.

And of course, Josiah and I went straight from the school to McDonald's for hashbrowns and coffee, our little tradition to help us get over missing having her and Kev around everyday. Next year it'll just be me.....*sigh*.

Miss A's first birthday - sneak peek!

2011-08-17T16:37:00.000-06:00

This little beauty invited me to her first birthday party! I can't believe she's a year old already . . . I met her and her parents last year when we did her "just before Christmas" portraits. She is such a little darling -- I love it when we get to play!

Her party was at the Splash Park. She was such a trooper, even with the overcast skies and weather around the 70's.

After the splash park we went back to have a BBQ. She helped herself to some cookies and a Dr. Pepper. (A girl after my own heart, that one!)

I love that she politely blew "thank you" kisses to all her guests!

And tried to share her hot dog and berries with me!

I loved her little birthday crown!

I think that two hands just weren't enough - she went after the cake with her toes, too! Then off for a quick dip in the river to rinse off all that frosting!

Christina and Danier, thanks so much for letting me come and capture this special day for you! She's such a beautiful little girl -- it's a pleasure to work with you!

Gennie got dunked!

2011-08-17T14:32:00.000-06:00

So, last Sunday we had our church service outside at the park. The board decided to have our yearly baptism service on a Sunday during regular church time this year. Gennie was one of the seven people who went thru the class and were ready to be baptized! We were thrilled!

During the service the candidates were asked to give their personal testimony of when they came to know Jesus as their saviour. Gennie wanted to write hers out so she wouldn't forget anything when she got nervous.

The service ended with a prayer over the candidates, then we all went down to the boat ramp for the baptizing! My dad (the pastor) had some last minute instructions for them:

Then Kev, being an elder, got to walk her out first. And it was a good thing he was there, too, because the water was moving pretty fast:

Dad had all the elders helping walk out the people and keeping himself from floating away. Our close friend Jerrid Washburn got to be out there for her with Kevin. (thanks Jerrid!)

"Genesis, because of your faith in Jesus Christ and your decision to follow Him, I now baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!"

Then her feet slipped off the rock she was standing on:

And she came up sputtering!

She was really surprised at how cold the water was, and slipping off the rock kinda rattled her so she burst into tears. But honestly, she was happy!

After everyone had their turn, we went back up to the pavillion for a BBQ and hanging out. The sun came out and it turned into a really beautiful day!

Josiah's 4th birthday party

2011-08-16T20:08:00.007-06:00

So, our little man turned 4! Once I got over the fact that he's been with us for four years already. . . has it REALLY been that long?!?! . . . I got to work planning his party. His favorite movie right now is Gnomeo & Juliet so that's what he wanted for his party. But I don't think the movie did very well overall because there was no merchandise to be found -- no figurines, no plush, no decorations, nothing! -- so we had to make up our own. For the invites I found an image online of one of the official movie posters and added my own text, then printed them as 4x6 photos.
We had the Reds Vs. the Blues just like the movie, complete with Mr. and Mrs. Featherstone (the flamingos):

The cupcakes were red and blue gnomes "hiding" in the grass:

I took sugar cones and coated them with melted Candy Melts, then sunk them into the frosting "grass" on top of chocolate cupcakes.

The Travelocity Roaming Gnome made an appearance (found him at Target along with the fantastic mushrooms which I painted) as well as the stuffed crocheted version I made years ago. He (the crocheted one) lives in the center console of my car and has been photographed all over CA, WY, NM, CO, NV, UT, OR and even went with my parents and aunt & uncle to Hawaii two years ago . . . I have a whole scrapbook devoted to his excursions! The treats on the Red side were strawberries, dark chocolate Hershey candies (3 shades of red), cupcakes with Strawberry Fields ice cream and Coke and red Hawaiian Punch. The treats on the Blue side were blueberries, York peppermint candies (blue & white), cupcakes with Birthday Bash ice cream (confetti ice cream with blue frosting ribbons throughout) and Pepsi and blue Hawaiian Punch.We had our own version of "Nanette the Frog" -- my mom's vintage cookie jar. That thing is older than I am and has been repainted several times but I love it! My dad would happily let it live at my house permanently but Mom wanted it back.He had to eat the frosting first:After the presents . . . the kid made out like a BANDIT, I tell you . . . and the treats, we all went back outside to launch the Gnome Paratroopers!The paratroopers were a huge hit!

And finally, we ended the night with Gnome tattoos. Those little guys were the HARDEST thing to remove -- they said "temporary" but 5 days and that many showers later I finally had to take the nail polish remover to mine and he still didn't budge.

Josiah said he loved his party and had a ton of fun with all his friends and family. I was glad to hear it, because I had a blast! Love that little guy!

Josiah turned 4!

2011-07-27T12:46:00.003-06:00

Cutest kid ever turned 4 yesterday! Friends and family, cupcakes and ice cream, tatoos and gnome paratroopers . . . it was a great party! Photos to come . . . .

I love Sock Monkeys!

2011-06-30T15:08:00.002-06:00

So, I just finished this little guy and I had to show him off! He's a sock monkey earflap hat and I loved how he turned out so much that I am working on one for me! The rest of the photos are over on my craft blog -- www.spicytuesday.blogspot.com. Come on over and see!

Today

2011-06-01T10:10:00.003-06:00

I am

missing: my sister Krista and her hubby Joey. they should live here now.
wearing: jeans and a crazy-bright orange shirt with a scarf and my orange Converse.
working on: end-of-school gifts for teachers/co-workers, baby shower stuff for a close friend
eating: no sugar or starch for the next two weeks. post-diet maintenance phase.
dreaming of: warmer weather which should be starting any minute....
realizing: the fire engine siren which is realistic enough to be right outside my house is in fact just Josiah's fire truck going off in the toy box
impatiently waiting for: school to end so Kev and Gennie are home to play
anticipating: a happy phone call
loving: the generic Walmart version of Crystal Light orange drink
thinking about: how wet G is going to be after the waterfight b/t the teachers and students at her school today.
feeling: kinda chilly in the house...may need to add a sweater
listening to: Josiah and James arguing over a hot wheels car in the hallway (friends, sheesh!)
reading: blogs I like and facebook

"It's the end of the year as we know it......"

2011-05-25T12:44:00.004-06:00

So, this school year is almost over and I'll have both of my kidlets home again for 3 whole months! I'd love to think that they'll play together daily and get along famously the entire time . . . but I know these kids, and let's face it -- that's just not gonna happen. They'll do pretty well most days but I'll be holding foreheads at arm's length and dodging swinging fists within a week, I'm almost sure of it.

With all the end-of-the-year tests and activities going on, we got some great news about Gennie. She qualified for the GATE (Gifted and Talented) program starting next year! They tested her over a couple of weeks and her scores came back in the 98th percentile, with an IQ of 132! She moved up through the reading scale this year and will be ending it reading at a 5th grade level, 130 words per minute with 98 percent accuracy and comprehension. Smart little thing! Here's hoping next year will be just as good or better!

Oh, and score one for all those "bottle-fed" babies out there! Her mind obviously functions just fine. :)

easter portraits

2011-04-27T10:03:00.004-06:00

1 week of talking about doing easter dress-up pictures + 1 stop at the gas station for 2 bags of Skittles and 2 bags of Reese's Pieces + 1 hour of giggles and screaming and grins and pleading = a great set of Easter portraits, finally!

This next one was all their own pose . . . I figured I'd better get it now before "little brothers are gross!" and "big sisters are mean!"I gotta say, it's nice that they can pose themselves now -- it only took how many years?!

And then G really wanted a picture with her new flower so she ran to find an outfit that would match it and dressed in record time: Love 'em!

Sneak Peek - Miss A

2011-04-26T14:55:00.003-06:00

This little beauty came to play last week. We played once before, when she was dressed up for Christmas, and this visit was just as fun!

I had a dress just like this blue rosebud one when I was little -- love it!

I got to try out some of my new backdrops and she played along perfectly.

And she got a new red wagon for the occasion -- and was thrilled with it!

And this last one I just couldn't pass up. . . crawlin' away all covered in grass.Thanks for bringing her back to play, guys! I had a great time!

self portraits

2011-04-14T10:48:00.002-06:00

So, today I decided to take a few shots of myself for a collage I'm making for our front room. Of course I have lots of photos of the kids and even of Kev (although I get an earful each time I come near him with the camera) but I really don't have many photos of myself. It's such a silly thing, too; I always want to have photos of me because I love photos of any subject and especially of people having fun (and I'm just that narcissistic) but I hate looking at photos of me because I'm a horrible judge of how I appear. Common girl complaint, I know. Anyway, now and again I get motivated to try to get shots of myself, usually when I have something special in mind for them and today was the day. I set up the tripod and used Josiah to focus, set the self-timer, and let 'er rip! I got a few good ones and for the most part, I'm happy with them. They're good enough for my project, anyway. And really, as if it's not hard enough to get a good, focused shot where my eyes aren't too open and my smile looks real and my head isn't crooked. . . . . the boy had to sneak in at the last second: Honestly I didn't even know he was there until I downloaded them. Goofball . . . :)

new stuff in the ol' Etsy shop!

2011-04-08T14:45:00.003-06:00

Boo Boo Birds and Ouchee Owls now available in my Etsy shop! Lots of colors and patterns available -- come by and check them out! www.etsy.com/shop/spicytuesday?ref=pr_shop

Thanks for looking!

this girl

2011-03-30T09:53:00.006-06:00

So, I love it when I download my pictures and shots like this are in the mix. Surprise . . . there's Gennie! She had borrowed my camera to get a few extra shots of a friend's baby shower and decided to slip this one in just for me. Love it. And I just have to brag about her for a minute. She recently was moved up a level in her reading group . . . she's now reading at a 4th grade level. And she's only in 1st. Those chapter books are flying by and every 2 or 3 days she's onto another story. We've had a few people ask if she's actually comprehending what she's reading or if she just skims the words . . . then we have her tell them all about the story she just finished and after a complete regurgitation of the story, almost word for word, they don't question her anymore. :) Along with this, they did a Words-Per-Minute test and she's reading 130 words per minute. Apparently that's really good, too -- at the end of 1st grade they are considered proficient if they can read 29 words per minute. Wow. Apparently all that trudging through those insipid baby books from the time she was born really did pay off! Who knew all those educational researchers could actually be right?! :) Bragging completed.

birthday week

2011-03-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

So, it's that time of year again -- Kev's and my birthdays. Kev's is first and he wanted to go to the Asian bistro called Chopstix . . . we hadn't tried it yet and Oh My Gosh, soooo good. Especially the Honey Walnut Chicken. Wow. In other news, yep, it really was this gold-ish/green color in there. Kinda weird for photos but nice for ambiance:

The wait-staff brought a sundae boat and sang to him . . . in the tradition of the "Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra" scene in A Christmas Story . . . and took a picture of us for their Birthday wall. Then the presents were opened and he got Season 5 of The Office, a new watch, and my parents paid for him to go to the men's retreat with a bunch of the guys from church - which he loved and had a great time at.

Thus began my favorite week of the year . . . the week where Kev and I are the same age at the same time, before I go and get one year older again. I chose the Bitter Creek Brewery for my birthday supper and had an avocado burger . . . celebrate big, I say!

Not sure why I look crazed in this one . . . but it was a good burger. I got some scrapping mini book stuff, the Blu-Ray of the old Robin Hood movie with Errol Flynn, and a laptop desk from my parents (love 'em!). Gennie and Jo made plans to spend some of their own xmas money to take the whole family to see "Gnomeo & Juliet" this weekend (they both know that movie theater popcorn is my all-time FAVORITE junk food in the whole world and wanted to give me a special outing to go with it -- love those kids!). And Kev paid the down payment on a new camera for me -- the Canon 5D!! My dad was selling his and Kev worked out a deal for me to purchase it from him! (Later, I teased him that he had bought me an obligation for my birthday, but it's just what I wanted and needed. Love him!)

Now, birthday week is over and I am once again older than Kev (and he doesn't let me forget it)and there's only 51 weeks to go until Birthday Week 2012.....

ETA: I just realized Kev wore the same shirt for both birthdays . . . washed in between, of course . . . henceforth to be called The Birthday Shirt!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

2011-03-02T10:35:00.006-07:00

This kid really gets into the celebrating! She couldn't wait to get up and get dressed this morning . . . way out of character for her since it usually takes a wire team and a crow bar to remove her from bed . . . but really, who wouldn't want to rush with this fabulous hat and tie waiting?

She's definitely my kid . . . my senior year in HS I went trick or treating as the Cat in the Hat, whiskers and all. Now if only I could find that photo...... Love this girl!

great photo swap 2010

2011-02-02T08:39:00.018-07:00

So, I forgot to post the rest of these portraits on here. These were from our last portrait swap with the Bundy's and I love them all!

Thanks again, Valerie! Fantastic job!

soccer 2011

2011-02-01T14:13:00.006-07:00

So, Gennie decided to play soccer again this year. She LOVES it. And this year her coach is one of the guys from church so she totally lucked out and can't wait to get to practice and games. I never thought I'd be a soccer mom but I think this one's gonna stick.
She was a little nervous to start the year because she thought she had forgotten a bunch of what she was supposed to do but after the first practice she was right back in, scuffling with the rest of the kids.

It's a little hard for me to take pictures of her during the games because if she knows I'm there she can't help muggin' for the camera:

(this was in between plays; we kept telling her to watch the ball!)

She almost scored her first goal at the last game, but it went just a little wide and the goalie got to it. One of these days, though! Hopefully I'll have my camera!

maybe I shouldn't have onion rings today

2011-01-25T15:49:00.002-07:00

So, is someone telling me onion rings aren't good for me? I love it when the food makes the choice for you!

josiah

2011-01-25T11:03:00.003-07:00

So, nothing really newsy to post, just some photos of the boy. The girl is home sick today and we're just hanging around the house so she can sleep. I'll spare her the embarrassment of a photo of her and her barf bucket . . . when you've seen one kid throw up, you've seen them all. Here's hoping she'll feel better tomorrow. In the meantime, here's a cute face for you:

Gennie's 7th birthday

2011-01-10T09:47:00.014-07:00

So, Gennie turned 7! This year she wanted to have a friends party at the gymnastics place here in town. The kids had a great time burning off energy jumping and bouncing and crashing into each other:

After they were all jumped out, Uncle Joey busted out the balloon animals:

We all decided that if the History-teacher thing doesn't pan out he has a real future working grade-school birthday parties as a clown. :)

Grandaddy even got in on the action:

Then we went upstairs for the Build-Your-Own Ice Cream Cones! I baked cupcakes in ice cream cones and the kids got to pick out their own toppings . . . the caulking-gun thingy I'm holding had the frosting in it and they got to add colored squiggles and sprinkles and chocolate and peanuts, etc. :

After the great presents and the ice cream cones they all went back downstairs to burn off the sugar until the parents came to collect their kids. All of the sudden there was a pair of ear-piercing screams from below. We all bolted down the stairs to see who had broken what. Thankfully, it was our kids . . . I say "thankfully" because at least we were there and I didn't have to explain why someone else's kid was maimed at my kid's birthday party . . . Gennie and Josiah had run into each other on the bouncy-racing thing. Josiah's head was bleeding and Gennie's mouth was bleeding . . . turns out that when they hit, Gennie took a chunk out of the back of Jo's head and Jo knocked a tooth out of her! Once the bleeding was under control, we began the search for the missing tooth and that's how the arriving parents found us -- with Gennie in tears because "the Tooth Fairy won't leave me anything if I don't have the tooth to put under my pillow! She won't be-leeeeve me!" One of the other mom's finally convinced her that the Tooth Fairy would believe her if she wrote a nice note explaining the situation, which Gennie did that night (and she got her 75 cents just like usual). What a way to end a birthday party!

On her actual birthday we had a huge turkey dinner and pie and she got to open her presents from the family. She got a bunch of chapter books from the grandparents - it wasn't planned, but she got the entire Ramona Quimby series from Nana and Great Grandma & Grandpa, with no overlaps! She was thrilled!

Grandma and Grandaddy got her a fish tank of her very own! We'd been talking about it for weeks, about getting the tank stand and supplies, but she never caught on. She was really surprised:

She got to help them set it all up and get the water ready, then the next day Uncle Joey and Aunt Krista took her to the pet store to pick out some fish.
She was thrilled and picked out some fun ones. Unfortunately we've already had our first fatality: the one she named Tattoo got herself sucked into the filter. But we had her for a good two weeks and with a few tears we moved on.

Gennie already seems older to Kev and me - it's amazing how much more grown up she has been acting. Usually you don't see the difference right away. I've got to say it's kind of freaking us out a little. :) Love that girl!

sister portraits

2011-01-06T10:37:00.006-07:00

So, every time we get together . . . ever since my sister's wedding in Aug of 2004 . . . my sister Krista and I have someone take pictures of us. No real reason, just for fun. Anyway, Krista and Joey came out for Christmas this year (photos of that to come!) and we snuck away for a few freezing minutes to shiver for the camera. Joey came with to shoot us and had the pleasure of holding our coats while we posed . . . although I think he was more than happy for the added layers in the 27-degree cold. This first one was a favorite:

And this last one was another fave, both for us and our parents. And you can't even see our teeth chattering! Joey did a great job! Love that guy!

Smith sneak peeks

2010-12-22T13:14:00.009-07:00

I got to play with this little cutie the other day -- I had so much fun! She was a bundle of smiles and giggles and loved the camera! Here are my favorites:

Thanks so much, Smiths, for coming over and playing! I had a great time!!

what do you see?

2010-12-03T14:24:00.012-07:00

So, when you look at that first photo, what do you see? A shoveling nightmare? One big shiver?

Well, I see a blank canvas . . . for this:

Snow Painting! The other day I took the kids outside, completely burdened down in their snow clothes with only faces showing, and let them loose with color.

I filled up some plastic garnish bottles with diluted food coloring and let them have at it. Thankfully, since the snow is pure white, it only took a few drops of the food coloring to make the colors bright enough . . . thus preventing the staining of clothes. It was a huge hit! Gennie wrote messages for Daddy to find when he came home from school and Josiah made small puddles everywhere.
The bottles lasted just long enough as I was almost frozen solid from the wind. We finished up and went inside, red-cheeked and numb, for some hot cocoa with marshmallows for them and a huge coffee for me.

I'll finally say it: Yay, snow!

Kellhofer sneak-peeks!

2010-11-18T14:05:00.012-07:00

I love this time of year. . . fall portrait sessions! Here's a sneak peek for the Kellhofers:

Thanks again, Kellhofers! I love capturing your smiling faces every year! Enjoy!

Schwarzrock sneak-peeks

2010-11-16T13:58:00.013-07:00

So, here's another sneak-peek for a family session I did recently. It was a blast, and I had a terrible time picking out just a few of my favorites so I put all my faves on here....and Kali, there's plenty more on the CD!

Look at those curls!

Their little guy is such a cutie. . . he was cracking me up the whole time!
They got the last of our fall colors, too!

In this last one, it's a little hard to see on here but his huge grin as they swung him was so big and happy. . . adorable!! Thanks again, guys, for letting me take your pictures! It was fantastic!

halloween 2010

2010-11-01T10:39:00.009-06:00

So, here are some highlights from our halloween this year. We held fast to the Toy Story theme and had a Jesse:

And of course, Buzz Lightyear:

I love this next one. They probably won't trick or treat together forever so I'm loving the fact that they do it now:

Gennie had her costume parade at school:

And Kev had to dress up for school so we got in on the fun. Kev's core of teachers decided to stick together and based their costumes around him. He was at the tail end of another flare-up of his bone condition and had been on crutches for a week, so they decided he would be an injured football player on crutches (they even got the school's wheelchair and pushed him around in it for the school parade), one of them would be the coach, one would be the school nurse and one would be a cheerleader.

We went to the Bundy's annual halloween party on Saturday night, too, so I had him go as the injured football player again and I went as his cheerleader girlfriend. I haven't had so much hairspray in my hair since I was in middle school!

our family on 10.10.10

2010-10-13T14:17:00.002-06:00

So, we had our Great Photo Swap again last Sunday. Valerie was great, once again, and we got our yearly family portraits all done. I like this one but don't think it'll make the Christmas card so I thought I'd put it on here.

Maybe more to come.....maybe you'll just have to wait until Christmas! I haven't decided yet.

wanna see something gross?

2010-10-07T14:04:00.002-06:00

So, this is the view from our backyard. And from our dining room table. Look closely:It's not for Halloween, although many of our neighbors have already put up decorations. No, this is our back-fence-neighbors' tribute to the onset of cooler weather and hunting season. Yay for us.

Last Saturday night our dog Maggie starting barking and wouldn't stop. She NEVER barks so we were a little concerned but our side neighbors have a dog so we figured she was just riled up because it was outside again. Then Sunday morning as we were eating breakfast Maggie started up again so Kev went out to check on her and this was what he saw.

Two elks, one 9-point and one 8-point, hanging in the tree. Before we left for church it was the bodies hanging there, with their undercarriages split open and pointing at us, but when we got home it was the heads up in the tree. They must have drained them in the field before they came home, thankfully.

Josiah is terrified. He won't go out to play in the yard at all and demands that we keep the slider window's curtain pulled so he can't look up and see them by accident. Sunday night he barely slept and kept waking me up to make me check and make sure he couldn't see them from his own bedroom window (even though his room is on the other side of the house). He told everyone at church about the Zerk (apparently he can't say "elk") hanging in our backyard, to which most people responded, "well, they shouldn't be there long -- it's still too warm and the meat will spoil." Josiah was glad to hear they wouldn't be up there forever.

Now it's Thursday and the bodies and heads are gone . . . although a smaller body was back up there yesterday, skinned and disgusting . . . but the hides are up now, drying out, I assume.

I know tons of people who hunt, both for the meat and the trophies to mount in their living rooms. I don't like the flavor myself, but whatever - go crazy. I just hope my kid gets used to the view so he can go back outside and play. Eventually.

friday night lights

2010-10-07T13:50:00.002-06:00

So, we took the kids to their first high school football game last Friday night:
They loved it! It was their first football game ever.

My mom and dad go to every home game and so do most of our friends so we had fun sitting all together. Our group usually sits by the band and Josiah loved the music, and chatting with Ethan. Too bad we have so few home games -- we'll have to do it again next year!

Lopez teasers

2010-09-27T09:52:00.006-06:00

So, this little beauty just turned 2, just like her cousin Murdoch (see post below). We took a trip out to the island and had a fun time exploring and finding apples. Here are some teasers for her family while they wait for their proof book:

Thanks for letting me play with her, Katie! I love that little grin and I had a great time! Your book is on its way!

tiny shooter

2010-09-24T12:34:00.002-06:00

So, this kid cracked me up today. I was taking some photos for an etsy posting (check later to see them) so I set up this little scene in our front room where the best light is and started shooting. I was totally wrapped up in what I was doing, so much so that I didn't notice I had company. Josiah had run to Gennie's room and gotten out her camera so he could shoot some product shots, too! I love it!

Of course he had to check his work:

He was sooo proud! That camera hasn't had active batteries in it for some time so I don't think he knew it actually took pictures . . . he was THRILLED to see his little photos pop up on the screen:Then, of course, he turned the camera on me and took about a zillion photos of my pantlegs . . . and then the TV screen (Handy Manny was on and apparently he wanted a picture of his friends the tools.) Finally he used up the entire internal memory (more than 100 shots) so I had to go thru them and delete some to make more room. He kept running around the house snapping away at whatever caught his eye. Happiest kid ever!

catching up - warning* long post ahead!

2010-09-23T15:02:00.008-06:00

So, since I've been AWOL on here for almost a month, I decided it's about time I got caught up . . . or at least as caught up as I can be. The end of summer and the beginning of school really ran together for us, what with Kev in the hospital and all, so here' s a small taste of what we did the last month or so.

First, we had a lake day with some church friends. Karl and Jolene got a new boat this summer and brought it out for all of us to ride in -- Thanks for sharing, guys!
Gennie loved puttering around in it with the kids. She wanted to do it the whole time we were out. We got the life jacket onto Josiah -- and got him into the boat -- but before we could pull away from the shore he was screaming that he was going to throw up so rather than soiling Karl's new toy, we took him back out and let him play in the water by the beach. He was thrilled.

And much to the dismay of Kev's sister Denise (who is a nurse), this was what Kev was doing the weekend before he went in for gall bladder surgery:

He's gonna kill me when he sees this on here, but for Denise's sake I have to remind him -- and all posterity -- what NOT to do when you have an organ completely infected and ready to blow. Consider yourselves warned.

Next was his surgery -- well, the first attempt. He was admitted to the Med/Surg outpatient ward and while they were prepping him for the gall bladder removal he had a set-back. The nurse put in the IV and even though we were talking to him and trying to distract him, he passed out and had a seizure. The nurse hollered for backup and I grabbed his head to keep it upright -- yes, I lived thru my first seizure and did just fine (until later when all the excitement was over and I realized the gravity of what happened) -- and he started to come back around, confused but stable. The whole episode was only about 30 seconds long but it felt like forever. The surgeon refused to operate that day with the explanation that if he seized again under anesthesia there would be no way to tell because his body wouldn't show any signs of it and there could be massive brain damage occurring before they even knew to help him. Yeah, not scary at all. Right.

All that to say that with an interim trip to the Neurologist to get cleared for surgery (the diagnosis was that the seizure was just a stress reaction because of the IV -- yes, he hates needles THAT MUCH!) he was scheduled to have the removal on Sept 13. But the Thursday before Labor Day his body decided it had had enough of that nasty "little" thing and back to the ER we went. They admitted him and took out the gall bladder on Saturday; it was really infected and what was supposed to be a 45min procedure took a little over 3 hours -- it was the size of a 6-inch sub sandwich. Thankfully I had my dad with me in the waiting room so I wasn't alone with my thoughts . . . that would have been bad. Kev stayed in the hospital until the next Tuesday and then got to come home. I wasn't allowed to take photos of him during his hospital stay . . . so all I have is this one of his meager meals (the only thing that would stay down) and this one of the kids hanging out in his room:

Yes, Josiah is wearing a barf bucket on his head like a tiny top hat. All he needed was a cane and some snappy music.

Meanwhile, the new school year started. Gennie is in first grade and at a new school -- we switched her to one of the schools where my mom works so Mom can pick her up and bring her home now and again among other reasons. Several of our friends are teachers there, including the principal, and lots of the kids' church friends will be going there soon so we were happy she was able to transfer. I got the traditional First-Day-Of-School photos:

After dropping Gennie off at school, Josiah and I made a bee-line for McD's for our traditional "just-dropped-Gennie-off-on-the-first-day-of-school" hashbrowns and iced coffee:

Gennie loves her new school and is doing very well in the first month. She was tested in reading so they could place her in the correct reading group for her level and she tested between 2nd and 3rd grade reading level. She's discovered "chapter books" and we can't get her to put them down, even for supper! I guess that makes it easy to plan Christmas and birthday gifts!

Kev's back at school this week after taking 2 weeks off to recover. He had a fantastic sub while he was gone and all her organization made coming back really easy for him. He's still tired at the end of the day but his kids have been relatively easy on him so it's been nice. He had a slight set-back in his recovery at the beginning -- the nursing staff left in the IV for the full 5 days he was in the hospital and never changed it out (we think it was for fear of sending him into another seizure) and the irritation caused some temporary nerve damage in his hand and arm. They say it should heal itself eventually, sometime within the next 6 weeks or so. It's still very painful for him but he's doing the PT exercises they told him to do and the movement is coming back.

So, there's a run-down of our last few weeks. Oh, and as for me, I've been finishing up editing those weddings I shot as well as a few family sessions and a birthday party. I love my job!! And I worked on thank-you cards and gifts for all the people who helped us out while Kev was out of commission so that's kept me busy. I've also got a few new things posted over on my crafty blog so feel free to check over there. www.spicytuesdaycrafts.blogspot.com

It looks like life has truly returned to normal and I'll be able to keep up on here. Here's hoping!

crowell teasers

2010-08-29T20:52:00.005-06:00

So, this little man will be turning two soon -- and in anticipation, I got to play with him in the park! I'm not completely done editing all the shots but I promised his parents I'd put a few teasers on here while they wait:
He's just such a cuddly little guy -- I love his tiny grin!
I got to do some family portraits while I was at it. The water.... and weather.... was perfect and I don't get that very often in WY!That's all for now as far as teasers go .... I have to save some surprises for their CD. But, as promised, here is one of my favorite family shots. If it were me, I would enlarge this one huge and hang it prominently in my house. I just love it -- and it's totally THEM:Thanks so much guys! I had a blast! Your CD's coming soon!

absentee-ism

2010-08-24T16:11:00.002-06:00

So, while I'm eager to get back here and blog some more, we've got so much going on that it's just not going to happen right away. Kev's gall bladder (and subsequent seizure) ordeal, neurologist appts, rescheduling surgery, 2 weddings back to back, family sessions, school starting and prepping Kev's classroom for kids -- the list goes on and on......

Hopefully life will return to normal soon -- sans gall bladder and all it's ridiculousness -- and I'll be back to highlight our summer.

Be back soon!

6.5 & 3 - portraits

2010-08-10T21:32:00.011-06:00

This first one of Gennie is my absolute favorite of her for this round of portraits. . . with a nod to poetic irony, it was the last one I took of her after I had told them we were done and they could play on the swing set. . . she was climbing up the slide ladder and I screamed, "Stop!!!" and shot the picture. But it's the closest to her real smile that I got all day. And I LOVE this one of Josiah . . . even though it's farther away, it just really looks like him right now.This one was just a little too "posed" looking . . . and I'm not sure what she's looking at.

Who am I kidding -- I love them all. Every January and August I get so excited to shoot their next round of portraits. And it's getting a lot easier now that they can sit still for more than a minute . . . and can be bribed with candy. (We went through 3 sleeves of Pez candies and a baggie of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in this half-hour shoot. Good thing they're cheap!)

it's that time of year again!

2010-08-10T11:58:00.002-06:00

Six and a half -- and 3 years old! More portraits to come!

my new crafting blog!

2010-08-08T19:10:00.002-06:00

So, I decided to split up my blogging into two separate blogs: one for the family stuff and the happenings around these parts and one for my craftiness. The main reason for the split is that not everyone who wants to read about our family stuff wants to see/hear about my recent craftiness and on the other hand, not everyone who wants to see my craft stuff wants to hear about our family. You are all still more than welcomed to check them both and I LOVE to get comments on anything (but I only like the nice comments, neener neener neener) so I hope you stick around and check out what we're up to.

With that, I'd like to introduce Spicy Tuesday Crafts! Come on over and take a look around at www.spicytuesdaycrafts.blogspot.com .

anniversary

2010-07-31T16:12:00.005-06:00

So, in all the excitement of Jo's birthday and family pictures I forgot to post about our anniversary. That's right, our 10th anniversary! Can't even believe it's been 10 years already. Kev had been in Las Vegas for a school district convention until the 21st so I had plenty of time to cook up something without him knowing. We began with breakfast in bed:
I made him french toast and sausage! Both are throw pillows for when he is laid up with his legs hurting and confined to the couch. He was using these old raggedy pillows from when we lived at the trailer but they weren't very fun and I decided he needed some comfort food for when he's not feeling good. Oh, and I posed them here next to the piano bench so you can get an idea of the size of the toast. . . it's 6 inches wide all the way around the dark brown part (the crust). And the sausage is actually a neck pillow so he doesn't have to wad up and smash down a regular pillow to use on the couch. He LOVED them, although it was a little off-putting when I said, "I'll be right back with your breakfast," and then returned with a huge black garbage bag.

Next, I got to open mine. He made me a pearl necklace in Vegas! There's this place in Hawaii (where we went on our honeymoon) called the Pearl Company where you get to pick your own oyster and they crack into it to see if it has a pearl. The same company has a branch in Vegas, in the very hotel he was staying, so he went down and tried his luck at picking a pearl. Turns out this is one of the best coloring (more white than yellow) and bigger than usual . . . too bad his luck didn't extend to the poker tables . . . so he had it set in this necklace setting for me. I LOVE IT!!! And little did he know (well, he knows now) when we were in Hawaii I had seen this place and wanted to try picking an oyster but we newlyweds had no extra money to do it then. :)

My wonderful parents came over to watch the kids so we could go to dinner and a show that night. We went to the Nine Iron Grill at the golf course for supper . . . we hadn't been there before and it was nice, for a special occasion:

Of course since it is a nicer place I didn't want to just whip out my camera and ask the waitress to take our photo so instead you get to see purse-pictures of us:After supper we scrambled back to Green River to see the movie Inception. Fabulous show, even if it did have a "Kevin Ending" -- no spoilers here but a Kevin Ending denotes a movie where not everything is wrapped up nicely at the end. . . .

Fantastic way to celebrate 10 years together! We thank God so much for these years so far and pray He will bless us with many, many more!

summer boy

2010-07-30T15:58:00.000-06:00

McC-Ander-Brown Family portraits

2010-07-30T14:42:00.007-06:00

So, here they are for your viewing pleasure!

And after we got all the ones of the whole family, we had to do the yearly sister pictures:And one bizarre one, just for fun, which succeeded in getting head shaking from our husbands:

Thanks again, Valerie! In October it's your turn!

party time

2010-07-24T21:04:00.002-06:00

So, due to scheduling conflicts we had Josiah's birthday party today. More photos to come, but I had to put this on here because it's my first cake and I was really happy with how it turned out. Kev says I don't need any more hobbies . . . but it sure was fun!

the night before

2010-07-21T18:47:00.002-06:00

So, 10 years ago tonight, I was wearing a funny headband with toulle attached to the back, trying not to laugh too much and irritate my mom as my dad propelled me up the aisle for the fourth run-through at our wedding rehearsal. After we completed that last trip, the BBQ was lit and we had a great big family barbeque of a rehearsal dinner. Sometime between inhaling the giant burgers and the gooey desserts, it dawned on Kev and me that even though we had an entire 13 months to plan this event, we still hadn't picked a song to walk out to after the ceremony. Ahhhh!! We frantically searched through my friend's CD collection from his car but nothing jumped out at us except Leaving on a Jet Plane mainly because we were doing just that to get to Hawaii for our honeymoon - but it's not that uplifting of a song. My girls were getting antsy and wanting to get on with the bachelorette-party festivities and the guys were ready to kidnap Kev and leave me to my own devices so we finally settled on If You Could Only See by Tonic. Again, not the best or most appropriate (having perused the lyrics a time or two since then) but it got the job done and no one really noticed. And every time we hear that song now we smile and say "Remember when we didn't have a song picked....."

Then, with a last kiss and a "see you in the morning - and you'd better be on time and able to stand at the alter unassisted!" (from me, not him), we went our separate ways for the evening. I still don't know for sure what all the guys did but he was indeed on time and able to stand upright so I'm content to leave it a mystery. We girls went out for drinks -- even though several of our number were underage, thank you Bayfair Mall Red Robin and your relaxed carding rules -- then back to the house for mani-pedi's and gossiping. I didn't get to sleep until well after 2am and was up nervous and sick at 5:30 so it's an amazing thing that I was able to keep my eyes open by the afternoon.

Tonight, 10 years later, I'm sitting at home waiting for Kev to return from a school conference trip to Las Vegas, trying to keep the kids entertained until bedtime so they don't notice he's not home yet. Eventually I'll get them into bed and then watch TV until he walks in the door. I love it when he walks in the door. I'm pretty sure I'll sleep just fine, especially with him back home, and if I'm up at 5:30 it'll probably be because Gennie had a scary bad dream or Josiah can hear the wind blowing outside his window.

And I'll probably end the evening with another last kiss -- and a "See you in the morning."

Then tomorrow we'll celebrate 10 years!

mini me

2010-07-19T22:39:00.002-06:00

So, I noticed something as I was editing our recent round of family photos. Josiah really is a smaller version of my dad. Exhibit A:
Fantastic photo of my parents. Love 'em!
Exhibit B:
My kids - love 'em, too. But look a little closer:They even SIT the same way! Palms on legs, feet flat on the floor (even tho Josiah is sitting on a ledge), left leg just a little in front of the right one. Honest to goodness, no one coached them to sit in any specific way. And the one of Gennie and Josiah was taken before the one of my parents so it's not as if Josiah saw the way Grandaddy sits and tried to be like him. It really just happened.

I love family traits.

coming soon!

2010-07-18T00:10:00.003-06:00

So, Valerie has worked her magic once again and we have new family photos! More to come, but in the mean time, enjoy the ones on the right --------->>>>>>>

tiny bubbles

2010-07-14T14:38:00.003-06:00

So, we had us some bubble fun this last weekend. Can you tell?

Nothing like standing two feet away from your brother and blowing with ALL YOUR MIGHT. . .

. . . which results in bubbles stuck in his hair:

Disney Top Ten

2010-07-09T15:44:00.005-06:00

So, I finished editing all the Disneyland photos. . . and ended up with 236. Rather than subject you to the dreaded "Vacation Photo Slideshow". . . really, who wants to see someone else's vacation photos? . . . I chose my top ten faves and we'll leave it at that.

1. Alien Blasters ride. Kev and Jo, both with their little ray guns, helping Buzz Lightyear save the universe from Zorg. Jo was beyond happy!

2. It's a Small World. Gennie loved every minute of it, and sang the song for most of the rest of the day.3. Jungle Cruise. I love love love this ride. I would live in the jungle forever if I could . . . as long as the jungle is just like this, without bugs and snakes and right smack-dab in the middle of civilization. 4. Tiki Room. And a family photo op.
5. FANTASMIC! I saw this show years ago on another trip to Disneyland. But this time I watched it with my own family, over my mom's shoulder, with my daughter on her tiptoes in front of us. I love that you can see both of their profiles lit up in this photo. Love it.

6. The Dumbo Ride. I loved this one when I was a kid and Gennie does, too!
7. Josiah loved Dumbo, too. This photo isn't the best of the ride but you can almost see Jo tucked in there with Kev.8. Tarzan's Treehouse. Kev and I took Josiah thru it while the others were on the Indiana Jones Adventure. He loved climbing all over and running on the rope bridges. In one of the rooms you can peek in and see Baby Tarzan with his gorilla mom. Josiah thought the monkey was stinky.
9. The Teacups. All 4 of us were in the teacup next to Mom and Sarah and Jonathan so we had a great view of him turning the teacup as fast as he could and Mom and Sarah trying really hard not to get sick.10. While we were waiting for one ride or another, we found a bench and let the kids run off some energy. They wanted to show us their very best attempt at a human Tiki -- I think they did pretty well!

These three posts are pretty much our vacation in a nutshell. I'm printing the rest of the photos for the mandatory vacation album . . . of course I'm making a separate Disney album . . . are you really surprised? :)

autographs

2010-07-07T16:43:00.021-06:00

So, a few posts back I showed you the autograph book I made for Gennie to take to Disneyland to get character's autographs. Well, the phrase of the trip was "shut out". Every time we tried to get the signatures, we were at the end of a huge line of other little kids trying to do the same thing, and the characters are only allowed to stay and sign for a specific amount of time. We'd wait in line and just before we'd get to our turn, they'd have to move on. So, instead of explaining this to a disappointed little girl, I decided to take photos of each character we saw, even if Gennie wasn't standing with them, and when we got home I'd look up the signatures online and print them off for her book. Worked pretty well!

Some of them we were able to get, like the Queen of Hearts here:

Buzz was on his way somewhere and we got in his way so he couldn't pass until we got his photo. Then he tickled Josiah and scared the poo out of him so Jo wouldn't stand close to him:
The same thing happened with Woody here. We got in his way just as he was headed into the "cast members only" area, and were able to get a fist bump for Josiah: Not sure what I was doing with the camera here, but that's the back of Woody: And the sign on the cast door just cracked me up: "Open Door Slowly. Be Sure to Smile!" The next morning we got over to the Princess Coronation and got to see three princesses at once. Tianna from Princess and the Frog:

Ariel, on land, of course:And Jasmine:
Later, Aunt Sarah saw Aladdin and Jasmine together and Mary Poppins and Bert:

We thought that'd be all the ones we could find, but as we were getting the stroller packed up to leave that night, my parents spotted Mickey with a tiny line behind him. They ran to get me and Gennie and we raced back to catch him. The handler guy he had with him told us it was time for a "cheesecake break" and the people in front of us were the last ones but I begged and pleaded with him and he let us be the last ones.

After 31 years, at the end of our vacation, exhausted and sunburned, I finally got my picture taken with Mickey Mouse!

And Gennie, lucky little girl that she is, got to escort Mickey to his "cheesecake break", skipping thru Main Street holding his hand:

After I took this photo, it occurred to me that Mickey Mouse just ran off with my child. Good thing he's easy to spot, what with all the kids clamoured around him.

So, we got enough photos to fill her little book, including the princesses' signatures and Goofy and the Queen. But when we got home and unpacked, we realized the autograph book didn't make the trip back with us. We have NO idea what could have happened to it but it's not in our possession. So I'll make her a new one - that's the great thing about photographing your projects as they are completed - and make pages specifically for these characters.

And Gennie's as thrilled as can be!

don't fret....we're still here!

2010-06-29T19:36:00.003-06:00

I've got plenty of blog fodder for ya . . . especially since we just took the kids to Disneyland for the first time!!! yay!!! . . . but I also have 484 photos to edit before I can post them so it'll take me a day or two. Stay tuned!

a kindergarten graduate

2010-06-03T15:49:00.009-06:00

So, G graduated from kindergarten today. Sweet little girl is growing up....

They all marched in - and yes, there are more than the few kids pictured here. Somehow I didn't get a photo of the whole class but there are 60 or so:

And then she spotted her mom with the camera:

The teachers put together a little program for the parents, complete with each kid telling, "What I Want to Be When I Grow Up." Apparently - sniff sniff - she wants to be a stay-at-home Mom!

The rest of the program consisted of pint-sized Macarena and Chicken Dance-ing and a video of photos of the kids from throughout the year.

And then they all got their diplomas. Thankfully she's at the beginning:

I did really well during the program - even thru the sappy country background music for the video, something about letting them "stay little" - but then the last slide of the show said, "Presenting the High School Graduating Class of 2022" and I began blubbering all over myself. Thankfully I had the camera to hide behind. Love that girl!

Big Project Dump

2010-05-28T10:49:00.009-06:00

So, I've been missing around here lately -- but I have a good excuse. I've been working on my Project list.

#4 Granny Square Bag
I lined it so my stuff doesn't fall thru the holes. Just love that yummy batik lining!!

It's huge and roomy, and a little ridiculous, but I like it and who cares?!

#5 Granny Squares Patchwork Bag

#6 Kim's Mother's Day Paper Quilt -- like mine but with all her grandkids!

#7 Blanket for a Little Guy -- after I send it I'll tell you who.

#8 Gifts for Kev's Core Teachers (his direct collegues)

They are summer drink recipe books. Each one holds 7 recipes for mocktails, smoothies, and punch.

#9 I liked how #8 turned out and had 2 more glasses so I made 2 more to try and sell. We'll see how it goes.

So, yeah, I've been busy. More to come!

Sneakiness, among other vices

2010-05-28T10:06:00.003-06:00

So, the girl has decided to give us a sneak peek into our future with her, specifically the teenage years.

God help us.

Yesterday we were running late for the bus so I decided to drive her to school myself. We arrived in plenty of time and as she was getting out of the car I realized she didn't have a jacket with her . . . and her class was going on a field trip outdoors and it's still not quite spring weather yet. So I told her to go on out to the playground and I'd bring a sweater back to the school for her. I ran home and grabbed the first one I could find then hightailed it back to the school to see if I could catch her before they went inside. Just as I ran onto the playground the bell rang and I couldn't find her in the mass of K-4th graders running to line up so I drove around to the front of the school to go inside and take it to her classroom.

When I got to her room she was already inside doing the morning stuff with the class. Not wanting to interrupt, I found her backpack on the hooks in the hall and went to stuff the sweater inside for her to find later. I noticed that the tennis shoes she had worn to school were stuffed inside the backpack, and wondered why they were hanging there but figured maybe the teacher was letting them go sock-footed as part of the fun of being little kids on the last weeks of school. Whatever. I went on with my day.

After school in the random conversation that ensues when a 6 year old wants to tell about her day, I asked her what the deal was with her shoes hanging in her backpack.

Silence. It was palpable.

With further prodding, it came out that she's been sneaking a pair of nasty-old-too-small-raggedy flip flops to school in her backpack and changing out of her shoes into them once she arrives. We had told her weeks ago that she wasn't to wear the flip flops anymore because they are so small and trashed and she trips continuously in them . . . and then tears up her knees and cries a bunch. We've . . . both Kev and I . . . had this fight with her REPEATEDLY over the last 4 weeks but haven't seen the flip flops in a few days so we figured the argument was over. Turns out they've been living in her backpack, waiting for their daily attention at school.

Now, if she's starting this "sneaking to school and changing once she gets there" stuff now, what's she got to look forward to in Jr. High or High School?

I wonder how many more ER visits we have in store for us....

2010-05-18T15:37:00.003-06:00

So, we've realized Gennie's been really easy on us. In 6 years we've never had to take her to the ER, and she's hardly been to the doctor other than well-baby check-ups and, of course, that random bout of Mono. Oh, and there was this unfortunate encounter with a mosquito on crack:

However, we've not been so lucky with Josiah. He had an emergency trip to the ER when he was just 5 months old - RSV - and now every time he gets a cold out comes the breathing machine and the albuterol treatments. He's been to the dr for ear infections and bronchitis numerous times.

And this past weekend we took our second trip to the ER:

We had a workday at church last Saturday and were just finishing up for the day with a pizza lunch. The kids were done eating and back outside playing while the adults visited. All the sudden, Gennie comes running across the parking lot, screaming hysterically, "My brother's BL-EEEEEEE-DING!!!" We ran outside just as Josiah was coming out of the shed, blood running all down his hand and arm. In a flurry of tears and antiseptic and bandaids the guys got him calmed down enough to finish cleaning up the workday, but the bleeding would not stop. (On an entirely disgusting note - he has an exceptionally strong heartbeat, which was demonstrated by the spurting from the cut.) So we took a trip to the ER in Rock Springs.

He was a great patient, considering what he'd been through and all without a nap. He was most excited when they gave him the clicker to control the TV, but had a hard time remembering not to push the red call-button.

The dr said it was a clean cut and serious enough to require stitches, but that the trauma of the anesthesia shots to numb it would be worse than the cut itself so she put the flap back together with Steri-Strips and a huge gauze bandage. She said he's for sure going to have a scar (but what boy doesn't want a cool, gnarly scar to show off?) and might lose the fingernail, or at least the part that was cut through, but that it should be better in 10 days or so.

Oh, and the fact that we have no idea what he cut it on really didn't instill trust in us with the ER personnel. We told the ladies at the front desk that we didn't know how he did it, the triage nurse, the nurse who took us back to the room, the two different nurses who came in to check on us while we were in the room, and the front desk lady (who we had already told) again when she came in to finalize the paperwork. I'm sure CPS loves to hear about parents whose kids mysteriously gash themselves and the parents can't explain it. But when we had gathered him up and got the crying to stop at the church, Kev and the others checked out the shed to see if they could find what had done the damage. He left quite an obvious trail coming out of the shed and there was a bigger pool of drops in one spot so we guess that's where it started. But without CSI equipment I doubt we'll ever know what did the gashing. Several times throughout the day we asked him what happened but all he would say was, "I can't know."

Anyway, we got out of the ER in record time: 2 hours total. Now we get to try and keep a bandage clean on a 2 year old boy for 10 days and watch for infection . . . and the bill.

And even in the midst of the trauma he was classic Josiah. When Jared and Grandaddy and Kev got him inside and over to the sink to clean off the drippy-ness and try to stop the bleeding, he told Grandaddy through the tears, "I not do that again."

Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.

2010-05-14T14:35:00.002-06:00

So, what do you do when the sun is streaming down on your changing table into your eyes and Mom is taking for-EV-er to change your diaper?

One thought would be USE THE FREAKIN' TOILET! But until then:

Cover your face with the New, Unused diaper! He squinted his eyes and felt around blindly until he found the new diaper I was reaching for and snatched it away from me. Apparently it had a higher calling in its future than just covering a little boy's butt. Impromptu Sunshade!

Sneak Peek - The Little Miss A's

2010-05-03T14:22:00.008-06:00

Oh, the fun we had!! This first one cracks me up -- she wasn't even sitting down all the way but that grin is just so cute!
Thanks so much, guys! Love 'em!

Just enough to tease her mom.....

2010-05-03T13:19:00.000-06:00

See, I did get a smile! :)

"The Face"

2010-04-26T10:09:00.002-06:00

Just thought it was funny. And no, I wasn't in trouble at the time but I do get this face when I am. So serious!!! :)

someday my bus will come....

2010-04-20T09:50:00.002-06:00

So, usually Josiah is still in his pj's when I walk Gennie to the bus so he stays inside and we run for the corner. But today he was up and dressed and ready so we took him with us.

The saddest little boy in the world watched as his sister got on the bus and left for the day.

One of these days it'll be his turn . . .

. . . but it will still be too soon for me!

Project #3

2010-04-14T16:09:00.002-06:00

So, I got an email today for a call for Creative Design Team Members for www.JessicaSprague.com, a digital scrapbooking etc. website. I love her stuff and have taken several of her workshops and they are looking for new members for their design team so I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring. I did this layout quickly, all digital, with my fav photo from J's first birthday. They pick soon so hopefully I won't have to wait long to find out if I made it.

journaling reads: Every first birthday on your dad's side of the family has included a Smasher Cake for the birthday kid -- a cake just for squishing and smearing on one's face. Yours was no exception; you dug those tiny fingers in and had it rubbed in everywhere!

Library, Attempt #2

2010-04-07T10:41:00.003-06:00

So, I finally got up the guts to visit the library again. I'd like to say that the trip was a success . . .
but I can't.

Most of our time there was a quiet delight . . . it was Easter monday and Gennie and Kev were off of school so we went to get a few books for G to practice reading and a movie or two (or the whole set of season 1 of Gilmore Girls because I can't get enough and don't want to annoy my friends by constantly borrowing their sets). J played in the kids' section while we browsed and was really quiet and respectful, leading me to believe that we might be allowed back in the library on a more regular basis. Hope dawned on the horizon. . .

Then as we were gathering up our choices and getting coats on to leave, J decided to peek at one more book . . . and with a great RIIIIPPPing sound, tore a page clean out of the book. Not along the spine so that it isn't noticable. No, he ripped it right down the middle of the page, so that the tape needed to put it back together will forever go right through the picture and the words of the story.

He's hard on books, we know. We have several around the house here that bear the marks of J's eager attempts to read like his sister. And really I don't mind taping them back together; there are several books from my own childhood that are currently held together with 20 year old Scotch tape. But the ladies at the library obviously hold the books there in the same esteem as their own children. Has your kid ever ripped the arm off the librarian's son? :)

With a great sigh I picked up the book and took it to the front desk to tell the librarian. I braced myself for the impending diatribe about how my kid needs to learn how to appropriately handle such a revered item as A Library Book. But I was pleasantly surprised. Thankfully, she looked very grandmotherly and understanding, and said that kind of thing happens and that she'd see that it got repaired. Kev made Jo appologize to her for ripping her book and he did, and was clearly embarrassed that he had to do it . . . I must admit he's a very penitent kid when he gets caught.

One of these days I'll be able to enter an establishment and not be concerned with whether or not I'll ever be able to return.

Just not today.

I'm workin' on 'em, I promise!

2010-04-06T16:36:00.002-06:00

This beautiful little girl had a birthday and I got to take pictures!

More to come!

sneak peek - Miss Sydney!

2010-03-29T14:50:00.005-06:00

So, I got to play in the park with this little beauty! I love my job!
Her Mommy and Daddy got in on the fun, too! It was freezing outside when we did this and she REALLY wanted her coat on but after a few of these she was happy again:And that fuzzy coat was just so cute that we had to use it, too.
After we were done freezing at the park we went back to her house for a few more shots.
Thanks for letting me play, Katie and Joe! As always, it was a true pleasure!

Allie Gator and Sal A. Mander

2010-03-29T09:35:00.007-06:00

So, we have some new friends around here. G's is an alligator and J's is a salamander . . . hence their names. (I'm not counting these in the 31 projects because they were finished before my birthday but they're still cute . . . and deserve a post, don't you think?)

I had some random colors of yarn to finish so I whipped these guys up for some hand-puppet fun. Jo's was finished first and although I did measure it before I finished, it goes up into his armpit. I did a little better at fitting G's and tried an open-able mouth just to change things up. We've been having quite a few sneaky gator-bite attacks . . . nothing like having one of these guys reach around the corner and jump out at you when you're not looking . . . and for a salamander he's rather pinchy. And both new friends have been declared "security force" members, standing guard each night at the foot of their owners' beds. Whatever gets you through the night!

Project #3

2010-03-26T15:08:00.005-06:00

So, since I counted the Teddy-Go-Round in my 31 Projects, here's a look at project 3.

We haven't told her yet but we're going to Disneyland this summer! I wanted something for her to get the characters' autographs . . . but I really didn't want to pay for the little autograph books they sell there because I'm too cheap . . . so I put together this little mini book.

Each page has a pre-placed photo spot and an area for the signature . . . with room for the stamp they use for the characters who wear gloves (Buzz Lightyear, Pluto, etc.)

Some inside pages:

And I'm hoping that if I ask them to sign by the "X" they won't write across the photo spots:

I found several fonts I love, like this "Minnie" one and back on the inside cover that Disneyland is called "Started By A Mouse." I cut the letters out with my Silhouette machine and hand-cut the little Mickey ears, then ran them through my Xyron sticker-maker.For the back cover, I found a sticker like this on a random website and LOVED IT so I hunted through fonts until I found one close enough and cut it out.

Sorry about the random reflection on the covers - I laminated them with those self-laminating sheets and they are CRAZY shiny in real life. I don't usually use lamination on my mini albums but I'm just sure that we'll spill something on it during our trip and rather than scream at her (or her messy little brother) I decided to be proactive. I know, I know, personal growth.

I had all the supplies in my stash so this one didn't even cost me a penny. I love stash-busting!

And lest you think I didn't learn the proper way to use the "apostrophe s" on the end of her name, I do know that a name that ends with "s" doesn't need the extra one after the apostrophe. However, she's learning to read and recognizes that you need an "apostrophe s" to show something belongs to that person. And I'd rather be wrong for now than be constantly corrected by a 6 year old. So sue me. :)

31 projects

2010-03-18T12:53:00.002-06:00

So, one down! I made this little wall hanging for our dining room wall . . . to cover up the cupboard door that encloses the circuit breaker box. See, these are the colors I was talking about - not quite as scary as they first sounded, right! Brick, butter, sage, and teal. Oh, and I got to use my Silhouette cutter to do the flowers . . . any reason to use it is fine by me!

I found a tutorial on how to make these little origami squares then slipped in the photos and glued the whole thing together with Mod Podge. Love it!

Anyway, more projects to come!

goin' green today!

2010-03-17T15:03:00.002-06:00

I can't believe I forgot to wear these socks today! I love St. Patrick's Day - guess I'll just have to wear the socks tomorrow and extend the love!

31 projects

2010-03-11T14:31:00.005-07:00

So, in honor of my turning 31 I've decided to complete 31 projects this year. Kev thinks that I'll far surpass this goal but I'm not so optimistic. I'm a great starter . . . I get lots of ideas and begin LOTS of projects . . . but I'm really not a finisher. If you could only see my stack of started scrapbooking layouts and mini albums in my closet -- wow, yeah. When I start a layout or a project I put all the components into one of those giant zipper bags (the 2 gallon ones) to keep it all together until I'm finished. Great idea, but now my scrap area looks like a tribute shrine to Ziploc . . . we should've bought stock.

So this year I'm determined to complete projects, 31 of them to be exact. There's no prize for finishing except maybe the flat pile of empty bags ready for new inhabitants and a great reduction in my overwhelming stash of crafting and scrapping supplies. I've already got a few under my belt, such as the aforementioned Teddy-Go-Round, so I'm on my way. The photo at the beginning of this post is of the growing pile of Granny Square loveliness that is currently taking up 2 ziploc bags behind my spot on the couch. I'm making a throw blanket to keep in the front room . . . I'm always freezing . . . and it's going to take 100 of these squares to finish it. I've got about 35 done as of last night and each square takes about 1 hr to finish so I've got a ways to go but I hate just sitting around watching tv in the evenings - feels more accomplished if my hands are moving. I realized when I put together my blanket mini album that I've only made one other blanket for myself in all these years so I'm splurging. Don't be afraid, but the squares do match our home colors . . . the lighting was a little wonky when I took the photo but yeah, our colors are brick, butter, sage, and teal, all in varying amounts so it's not a rainbow. I love it and Kev doesn't mind it either.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on here about my progress. The projects aren't only going to be for me but also for friends and for donating so I'd better get on it!

31 and counting

2010-03-11T14:01:00.004-07:00

So, I turned 31. Without much fuss, really. Funny how when you're a kid you actually feel older and more grown up on your birthday but when you get older not much changes and the day feels like all the others around it! My dad took me to lunch on my actual birthday . . . we had to postpone celebrating until the 3rd because of Financial Peace University and volleyball . . . but Dad said he didn't want the day to go by without some sort of specialness. I had to take J to the dr's for a rash (some kind of virus) which is never how you'd like to spend your special day, but when we did get to go to supper and open presents it was great!

I wanted Mexican for dinner so we went to Don Pedro's.

My dad had to fight Jo for his share of the salsa . . . I swear that kid would just pick up the bowl and drink it if we'd let him.I got scrapping stuff and bath and body stuff from my parents and a new watch and a Xyron machine from Kev (the Xyron machine makes a sticker out of anything up to 5" wide and the thickness of a nickel - perfect for scrapbooking titles and embellies).

My parents also got me a New Mexican silver necklace on their recent trip to Albuquerque.

After supper we went to Coldstone for dessert. I REALLY wanted Blueberry Muffin Batter ice cream but they didn't have it so I settled (happily) on a Birthday Cake Remix sundae: Cake Batter ice cream, brownie chunks and sprinkles in a waffle cone. Instant favorite!And of course Kev was in ice cream heaven:
I love birthdays!

Here's to many many more!

somebody else had a birthday....

2010-03-06T18:08:00.002-07:00

but then we all got colds so the photos will just have to wait.

stay tuned!

somebody had a birthday

2010-02-25T10:47:00.005-07:00

So, for the next four days Kev and I are the same age. . . again. We took the birthday boy out to Applebee's for supper and made his open his presents while we waited for our food.

My parents found him this fantastic sweatshirt . . . and Josiah screamed "Go Niners!"

Jo picked out a special gift for his dad: an electronic poker game, to practice on between Guys' Nights:Love that guy! After supper we wanted to go out for ice cream at Coldstone but they were already closed so we got Frosties at Wendy's instead. (we'll go to Coldstone next week for my bday - blueberry muffin batter, here I come!)I got him a digital guitar tuner and cord and Gennie got him a "family night":: a movie we can all watch, popcorn, candy and Chex Mix (since Kev hates popcorn).Then, instead of birthday cake, I made this to celebrate with homegroup:It's a platter of cupcakes:
I got the recipe out of the book Hello, Cupcake! that my mom got me for Christmas. I LOVE IT!! The noodles are just frosting and the sauce is strawberry preserves and the meatballs are Fererro Rocher hazelnut candies. They tasted even better than they look!

Happy Birthday, Kev! Love you so much!

if you give a boy a sucker....

2010-02-22T09:31:00.007-07:00

So, they knew we were doing pictures, but they didn't know about the surprise:

That last one was THE one I wanted!!!

Love those boys! I'm so thankful that J has such a fantastic friend -- and that our families are good friends, too!

Now how are we going to top this next time?

can you guess what we did today?

2010-02-19T14:46:00.001-07:00

More to come ~ I promise!

first the library, now Walmart?

2010-02-16T15:51:00.003-07:00

So, this kid is gonna get me in trouble. Or at the very least, kill me from embarrassment.

We had to make a Walmart run today. . . ugh . . . I hate that place . . . so we ran over there after bible study this morning to grab what we needed and get out of there as fast as possible. Jo did really well, keeping busy with his Goldfish and talking to everyone we passed, and in all honesty it was a good, uneventful trip.

Until the end.

Lately Jo has been really interested in pointing out colors he recognizes, whether its around the house, something we pass in the car, store shelves, etc. It's like an I-Spy thing he does, saying the color and making us guess what item he's talking about. Usually I'm all for it.

Until today.

I paid the lady at the check-out and turned to get the last bags off the turn-around thingy. Jo was sitting in the front of the cart trying to put his own jacket on. Suddenly he got all kinds of excited, pointed wildly and announced, "That's BLACK!!"

I was trying to maneuver the cart out of the way of the ridiculously pushy people behind us who apparently thought the check-out lady was going to reshelve their items if they didn't swipe their card before she finished scanning their stuff. I narrowly missed being rammed by Pushy Pete and looked around quickly to see what Jo was pointing to.

That's right, folks. It was a delightful African-American man standing in the customer service line.

Of course there were people all around us, and Jo's not a quiet kid in anything he does so I'm sure they all heard him. My mind scrambled to think of a way to recover this. Luckily the person in front of our subject was wearing a black shirt so I quickly stage-whispered, "Yes, he is WEARING A BLACK SHIRT, isn't he?" hoping the crowd would believe me.

But no, the kid didn't let me off that easy. "No, Mom, THAT! I like black!" And the pointing continued. I whispered fiercely, "Okay, Jo, that's enough!" and all but ran for the door.

Hooray for Ethnicity Awareness!

#50

2010-02-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

So, this weekend I finished my 50th baby blanket! Whew! I didn't even realize I was close to that many until I recently put together a small album of the photos from all the blankets I've made. My dad has been building radio-control airplanes since before I was born and has always taken a "done" photo of each for his little collection . . . thought I'd do something similar, not just because I'm addicted to mini albums, no matter their topic, but also to remind me which patterns I've done and liked and which ones I won't bother with again.

This one is called a Teddy-Go-Round and I love it. Both my kids have tried to convince me it has a happy home waiting in their rooms but I haven't decided what I'm going to do with it yet.

Any suggestions?

Hope your Valentine's Day was great!

2010-02-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

HUGE website update!

2010-02-12T11:24:00.002-07:00

So, I finally updated my photography website! Come on by and check it out! Every gallery has new portraits in it so be sure to look thru them all.

Find me at www.andersonfotos.com!

i guess he told us

2010-02-11T11:21:00.003-07:00

So, yesterday when G came home from school she went in to say hi to her brother. Entering his room she said in sing-song voice, "Hi Jo Jo, I'm hooooome!"

He looked at her disdainfully and said, "My name not Jo Jo. Name's Josiah. I'm not a baby. I a big boy right now."

Again, I had to leave the room to keep from laughing in his face. I came back and asked him if we aren't supposed to call him Jo Jo anymore or just for today. He said, "I not Jo Jo anymore. Big name's Jo-SI-ah."

I'm not sure what's brought on this sudden grown-up-ness but I guess I can't argue with his logic. I told G that when she started school they have to call her by her big name, so maybe he's just starting a little earlier.

Now, if only we could get this newly "grown-up" boy to use the toilet.

she's learning....

2010-02-09T10:23:00.003-07:00

So, when Gennie came home from school I told her it was time for them to clean up the downstairs from the superbowl party. Josiah got up from his nap and they went down to attack the mountain of toys covering the floor. I could hear them arguing and Gennie screaming at her brother, "Jo, you have to pick up the toys, too!! It's not just my mess!!" This went on for quite a while and though I thought about going down to demand cooperation and yell at Josiah, I decided to wait. We've been trying to get them to sort out their disagreements themselves lately, based in no small part on the fact that I'm so done with the tattling . . . and I've heard it just gets worse and worse until about the 3rd grade.

Finally the arguing settled down and I didn't hear from them for a while. They came back upstairs and Gennie announced that the job was done, then said, "Excuse me, I have to go get something for Jo." She came back in a minute with a dollar bill in her hands. Handing it to him she said, "Here you go. You picked up all those toys so you get the dollar." She explained that she had to promise to give him a dollar so that he'd stop playing and help her pick up. I said, "Oh, well that's very enterprising of you!" and had to leave the room, I was laughing so hard!

I guess mastering the bribe can start at any age. Now just where did she get that dollar?

superbowl 2010

2010-02-08T10:33:00.003-07:00

So, we hosted the superbowl party again this year and loved it! There were a few less people than last year (when we squeezed 40+ into our living room) due to sickness and people moving away but 22-ish was still a great time! I took a few photos during the game but they're kinda blurry so I'll spare you but here is a taste of our weekend.

Josiah was desperate to help us clean up for company so he got out his vaccuum and got to work. Being the thorough kid that he is, when the floors were finished he got out his Swiffer duster and made sure the big vaccuum was spic-n-span:

Last year Kev BBQed burgers and hot dogs but missed a bunch of the beginning of the game because he was freezing outside on the deck so we decided to order the Big Sandwich from Subway this year.
Since I didn't have any decorations to put up we busted out the jerseys. Yes, my whole family has 49er-wear and I don't. And yes, I bought this Denver jersey a few years ago for halloween back when Cutler still played for them. But annoying my husband every time I put it on is well worth not fitting in with my family: "Really? It had to be a Broncos jersey? Of all the teams in the NFL ...."
And since the Saints won, Jo had to dig out his Mardi Gras beads. Any reason to bust out the bling!

And even the kids had a great time, playing all over the house. Gennie's room was a complete disaster and so was the front room and the whole basement. But everyone kicked in and it's all back to normal. I think Gennie and Josiah had forgotten about half of the toys that their friends dug out - it was like Christmas morning with all the "new toys!"

Next year -- caramel Cheetos, baby!

the suspicious suitcase

2010-02-05T13:52:00.003-07:00

So, yesterday Kev came home a little later than usual from school. I figured he had extra prep to do or a meeting or some equal nuisance so I didn't think anything about it. The kids were all wound up, J from his nap and G because school was over for the day, and they accosted him the moment he entered the house. I was sitting on the couch, having already started supper, watching NCIS reruns and since the kids were each hanging on his legs I didn't get up to greet him, figuring I'd let them have their fun for a minute and hug him when they were done and had moved on to something else. Kev made it thru the kitchen and into our room to take off his coat, then came right back into the living room and grinned while he asked, "Should I be concerned?"

I had no idea what he was talking about so he beckoned for me to follow him back to our room and pointed to the end of the bed, where this was sitting:

I burst out laughing, and he just stood there looking at me like I'd lost my mind. When I could speak again I explained that this bad now holds all my yarn . . . because my stash had completely overrun the floor of my closet and needed to be contained . . . and I'd gotten it out earlier in the day and just didn't put it back yet. It didn't even occur to me how it would look to arrive home late and see your wife's bag packed and waiting on the end of the bed. The good thing is that he wasn't really concerned that I was heading out, just thought it was a funny thing to come home to.

I don't think I'd get very far having packed only yarn:

is anyone else concerned with what is going thru this tiny mind ....

2010-01-29T10:10:00.002-07:00

I'd better be on the look-out today. He's sneaky AND quick . . . a bad combination in a 2 year old boy.

outtakes

2010-01-25T10:26:00.008-07:00

So, I mentioned a few posts back that we once again participated in the Great Photo Swap with Valerie and her family last Nov. After much whining and complaining from the menfolk we got everyone dressed and out to the giant stumps to sit and smile. Above is the fantastic final portrait that now hangs in our front room, but I'd like to show you what happens when you're two and not concerned with how long the family has to wait for you to smile.

First, you ponder the candy your mom gives you to bribe a stand-still out of you: Next, you swallow wrong . . . yes, stuff still goes down the wrong pipe all the time . . . and decide you're choking on the candy. "If I throw up do I still have to stand still?" :Then, the choking subsides and the crisis is over. However, any kind of gagging/coughing immediately triggers a sneeze for you so you let loose a doozy:
But you hold onto that candy, no matter what! : Thus endeth the episode, and while you've just had your tiny world completely rocked, you manage to hang on to the candy!

God bless the people at Canon who decided that the EOS 20D camera needed to be able to shoot 8 frames per second!

Now, if we were to go to a different pro photog . . . who's not one of my close friends . . . I wouldn't even know these delightful shots existed because I'm sure they'd be culled out of the final proofs. But with our system, I get to see all of them and yay, what a find! I get teased all the time by my fam that I take way too many pictures at each photo session - but for a scrapbooker like me, these are golden and so worth the room they take up on my hard drive.

I think there's a flippy-book in here somewhere . . . .

etsy shop update

2010-01-21T15:20:00.004-07:00

So, I've been working like mad to update my Etsy shop . . . at www.etsy.com or click the link at the right marked "spicytuesday" . . . that's my shop name . . . and I finally finished all the blankets I had started! Yay, me!

All of these are kid-tested . . . my kids and several of their friends have their own versions of each except the ladybug (it's a One-Of-A-Kind, unless someone requests it again) . . . and approved. G sleeps with her watermelon every night and wraps up in it especially when she's sick - it's the only one she asks for. I have to admit that the watermelon on here is my favorite but I can't keep them all so hopefully someone will come along and love it as much as I do.

If you need something for a gift or whatever, let me know! Or go visit my etsy shop and check out the other photos of each!

shortcake goodness

2010-01-20T10:05:00.003-07:00

So, say hello to the happiest girl ever. My mom was recently cleaning out her linens and found the Strawberry Shortcake sheets that I used to have on my bed when I was little. I hate to admit that they are now considered "vintage" on eBay . . . I looked them up to see if other original strawberry shortcake stuff was out there and found them listed for WAY more than they cost when they first came out . . . and I'm just not willing to own up to my age, folks. I LOVED those sheets when I was a kid and insisted that my mom wash them immediately and put them directly back on my bed while they were still warm from the dryer, which is why I'm really amazed they are still in such good condition and not completely threadbare!

For Christmas and her birthday G got several Strawberry Shortcake dolls and keeps them lined up on her bed, at arms reach at all times.

Now she can spend each night wrapped in strawberry goodness just like I did.

Funny, the sheets smell like vanilla . . . from the candle my mom kept in the linen closet. Between that and the strawberry scent from the dolls, I envy her dreams!

Come quickly, stawberry season!

handy manny, indeed

2010-01-20T09:16:00.002-07:00

So, the other day Jo disappeared for a few minutes and when I went looking for him this is what I found:He got a Handy Manny tool set for Christmas from Papa and Marilyn (Thanks so much!!) just like the one he played with constantly with his cousin Tristan while we were out for the holidays. His fav one is Squeeze, the pliers, and he insists on finding him each morning when he gets up. However, Squeeze has these giant eyeballs on him which made it impossible to get Jo's full nose into the pinchy part so Jo went and hunted down his old pliers from a different set.

Not sure why he insists on squeezing his own nose over and over but, whatever, kid. And as soon as I started laughing at him he started with the, "Take a picture, take a picture, show Daddy!" so who am I to say no?!

soccer girl

2010-01-13T10:07:00.008-07:00

G's first game was great! She whispered to me before the game, "I think I'm a little nervous about playing tonight" but once we arrived and she got out there with her team she was fine.

Of course they start with stretching. Then a quick warm-up drill. She got chosen for goalie to start the game . . . at their first practice she was the only one who actually stepped in front of the ball and stopped it with her body, making her coaches very happy. She didn't, however, like the red mesh goalie thing they made her wear. She did pretty well but kept mugging for the camera and they scored 2 goals on her . . . next time I won't bring the camera. They rotate the kids really well so they all get lots of playing time. After goalie they made her a forward and she did great.
Love that game face.

And she got right out there in the fray with the boys. Not sure if any of them realized they were all on the same team but at least they're all going the same way, right? All that running! She was exhausted afterwards and slept really hard. When it was time to get up for school this morning she wasn't interested . . . first time since the first day of school that she didn't bolt out of bed and start getting ready.

As I tucked her into bed last night she hugged me and whispered, "I want to play soccer every year!" I kinda get the feeling she liked it . . . .

and lest you think it was "just for the kids" :

2010-01-06T09:59:00.004-07:00

Even I got in on the action. I raced G on the obstacle course. I was shamefully beaten by a kindergartener. And to add insult to injury, I am too short to make it up the slide at the finish:

Even with Hailey's help and me bouncing up to reach her, I couldn't reach high enough to get up there. But Kev and Kim and Denise had a fantastic time laughing at Little Miss Shorty-pants.
So instead, G dragged me up the tallest slide and made me go down repeatedly.

And yes, when you're the mom of the birthday girl you are allowed to throw your arm in the air and make a silly face. I will continue to do it until she's old and gray and I'm older and gray-er.

6 years already

2010-01-05T09:36:00.005-07:00

So, for G's 6th birthday we were in CA so her Nana and Auntie Denise found this great place called Go Bananas! It is a warehouse completely filled with inflatable bounce-houses and slides and obstacle courses. They couldn't have found a better place for her - she kept saying over and over "Mom, this is the birthday best place ever!!"

There was a special play place for the toddlers so the boys had a ton of fun in the ball pit and the mini bouncy area. But soon J ventured out to the bigger slides and then we couldn't pry him away:

Tristan was sooo cute going down with his daddy . . . that smile was perfect!

Then J decided it was time to do it himself - no more sister's help.

After all the bouncing was done . . . J couldn't walk by the time we left; he was so bone tired . . . we went to mexican food for supper and home for showers and bedtime. They all slept in crazy late the next day so the adults did too.

Happy 6th Birthday, Gennie Beans. We love you so much!

one little word

2010-01-04T15:08:00.003-07:00

So, recently I was reading a fav blog of mine and the writer is starting year 4 of what she refers to as the One Little Word "program." Each year she has chosen a single word to claim as her own for the year; a word to remember for the year, that stands for the goals she wants to achieve and focus on. I decided that I'd like to have one little word for this year and this is what I chose:

I'd like to work on being content - with money, with where we are and what we have, with myself and my quirks (except, of course, the things I should be working on to change), just overall contentment.

We'll have to see how this goes - I'm not known for my resolution-keeping abilities - but I'd really like to stick with the idea of being content. We are so blessed with all that the Lord has given us and I really need to actively notice this and thank Him for it instead of plotting how I can get more.

And at the very, very least, maybe this one little word will help me dwindle my scrapbooking supply abundance. For the love of corn, Amy, complete a project already!

decorating

2009-12-10T09:47:00.005-07:00

So, while Kev was in CA this past week we decided to surprise him and get the tree decorated. The whole idea was a bad one . . . after they unpacked the entire tub of decor (before I even got into the living room) and broke numerous glass ornaments, Gennie dropped my camera and burst into tears and Jo tried to "plug in" our wire star into the wall outlet (caught that one just in time!) . . . so we got the lights on, the red balls hung and the stockings up, then called it a night.

Jo still thinks the reindeer antler headpiece is a really big necklace and insists on wearing it around his neck at all times.

It's a good thing they are cute. Gennie saved the star for Daddy to put up when he got home so he could be in on the decorating. Sweet girl.

crazy busy.

2009-12-09T14:53:00.002-07:00

So, i'm trapped behind the kitchen table working on christmas presents and haven't even gotten my camera out in a few days. i did shoot the kids decorating the tree and those photos will be ready soon. also, g has her first school christmas program tomorrow night so the pictoral proof of that cuteness will be coming, too.

back to the confines of the sewing machine area.

o christmas tree, once again

2009-12-01T16:55:00.008-07:00

So, on Friday after we got the phone call telling us Pat had passed away, we decided to keep our plans to go tree-hunting . . . Kev and I decided there wasn't anything we could do for Kim from here and it would be better to get out of the house and distract the kids from their tears . . . so we and my parents packed up the cars, got Subway for lunch and trekked into Utah to find a tree.
The kids spent most of their time eating snow and throwing it at each other.

J loved riding in the backpack again . . . Kev's own little barnacle:And G and I had to finish the day with snow angels.Oh, and as I was going thru the photos from the day I found this gem. I'm going to print it really big and put it in the kids' rooms when they misbehave . . . with a little sign that says "Daddy's watching you!"Granted, neither of them could read the sign yet but I think the photo should do the job . . . for now.

sadness.

2009-11-30T13:57:00.002-07:00

For those of you who didn't hear on Facebook, Kev's step-dad passed away suddenly on Friday morning. Long story short, he was in a motorcycle accident about 3 weeks ago and was seriously injured. He was released from the hospital and was home for a few days but collapsed on Thursday and was readmitted. They found blood clots near his lungs and the next morning he passed.

We are all very sad about the loss of Pat. Kev is planning to fly out for the funeral this weekend. Needless to say I've not been in the bloggin' mood these last few days but I'll be back soon with photos from our tree-cutting expedition.

Thanks for all your prayers, especially for Kim, Kev's mom. We love you all!

a semi-quiet morning

2009-11-15T17:30:00.002-07:00

So, this is what we find most Saturday mornings. Cereal and J's juice cup watching Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse on Disney.

Back in our day . . . did I really just say "our day"? how old am I? . . . it was Smurfs and Snorkels and Gummi Bears and Garfield & Friends . . . back before all the Japanamation and South Park. Ah, those were cartoons. I'd even settle for Looney Tunes with Wyle E. Coyote and the RoadRunner.

Shortly after this photo was taken there were shrieks of "Get off my foot!" and "Nennie, move over!" and cereal spilled on the floor which the dog immediately pounced on and they both came running in to tell on the other.

But for a minute it was just Saturday morning cartoons and cereal. Together.