The Beeler Girls

Zoo trip

2012-02-02T16:10:00.001-07:00

We were invited to go to the zoo with Jaclyn and Harper on Tuesday, and had a wonderful time! Lauren was a little offended that she didn't get to go, but after I reminded her of her field trip next week - she got over it! =)

I'm not feeling very wordy today (shocking!), so I will let the images speak for themselves.

Thanks for the fun morning, Jaclyn! Paige has not stopped talking about it! =)

Jan 27 - Maniacal laughter

2012-01-28T14:21:00.001-07:00

Jan 26 - Love waves on her

2012-01-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

Ten on Tuesday

2012-01-24T09:33:00.003-07:00

It is Tuesday, right?!?

1. Do you ever get to where you feel like you are behind on everything? That is where I am right now.

2. On Saturday, Justin and I were able to go use his gift card to BLT Steak that his company gave him for his 5 year anniversary with them (thanks Nel - for watching the girls again!). It was amazing! Great ambiance, wonderful service, and the food was amazing! My personal favorites were the two things that were complimentary - ha! First they bring out Gruyere PopOvers with creamy, flavorful butter and sea salt. DELICIOUS! I could have eaten a dozen, easy. And after dinner, we were too full for dessert - which was sad - but then they brought out two little chocolate petit-fours that were amazing! Best one-bite dessert ever, and the perfect way to end a filling meal! If you have a chunk of change to spend on a date night, I highly recommend BLT! Because of their prices, I seriously doubt we will ever eat there a second time, but a girl can dream anyway!

3. I am back into serious coupon-ing, and am reminded how much I don't enjoy it. But, it will help with the budget, so I am forcing myself to stay positive about it!

4. There is an amazing opportunity for me to interact with some of my online photography mentors in person next month. I am praying that this will all work out, since if it does it will be free. A crucial word in our vocabulary these days! ;)

5. In case you are wondering about all the budget talk, it has overtaken many of our thoughts and conversations around here as of late. Justin's company reduced everyone's salaries by 20%, so we are scrambling trying to figure out how this will work for us.

6. The hardest part of a tight budget for me right now, is constantly explaining to the two older kids why we aren't doing something. They are used to doing whatever we all feel like doing, whether that is eating out, picking up drinks and snacks while shopping at Target, or going to a museum or movie on an off day. Reminding them why isn't a fun conversation, and their reaction hasn't been the best so far. UGH!

7. The second hardest part of me is the healthy food issue. I have a strong desire to only feed our family real food. No chemicals, dyes, artificial anything - which is in more things than you realize. And sadly, food corporations have made it expensive to eat healthy in this country. Absurd.

8. Jogging was doing something nasty to my knees, which I still can't figure out, so I bought Jillian Micheal's 30 day shred on Amazon instant. My first day was yesterday, and it was hard. But nothing could have prepared me for how sore I would feel this morning!!! That's how you know it is working, I guess!

9. Could someone give me a free vacation? A real one? That would be fabulous!

10. I love having this blog, as a place to put everything out there! If you got this far, thanks for reading! I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!!!

January 20 - The Wii Coma

2012-01-20T09:17:00.004-07:00

Jan 19

2012-01-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

She is a very messy eater.

Her favorite thing to do is run her gooey fingers through her hair so I have to give her a bath.

She loves baths.

Jan 18

2012-01-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

She finally lost the other bottom tooth. I thought it was never going to happen, she refused to wiggle it or let anyone else wiggle it. It was hanging from a thread. Finally, eating an apple worked its magic!This picture scares me a little. =)

Jan 17

2012-01-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

I made meringues. They fell. I must have over-mixed them?

Luckily, they still tasted really good!

Ten on Tuesday

2012-01-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

1. I didn't take any pictures yesterday or the day before, so no picture-a-day. But, I am giving myself grace and moving on to taking a new picture today!

2. My husband had a rough day yesterday, he went hunting and got stuck up on the mountain knowing his 2WD truck would not make it down through the mud. I went through a hundred scenarios in my head waiting to hear that he had gotten down safely. I am thanking God for my father-in-law who was ready and available to go buy chains for Justin and drive them up to him - going alongside him to make sure he made it down safely. We are so very blessed for awesome family members!

3. I went running twice last week. Slowly. I do not like jogging - it does not make me feel good, but I want to be doing something. And jogging is free, which is essential at this time in our lives and budget. I would prefer a gym membership with childcare. Second choice would be Zumba for Wii. But neither of those will be happening any time soon, so I will try to jog three times this week instead.

4. Yesterday I spent three hours sorting and organizing all the toys in our house. THREE HOURS. That is ridiculous! We should not have that much stuff! But, it is hilarious... every time I set something in the "to-store/sell" pile my older two freaked out and Jaelyn would run over and start playing with it. The irony.

5. Valentine mini-sessions will not be happening after all. Easter anyone?!?

6. Speaking of mini-sessions, soon I will not be offering them as a regular option. They will be 3-4 times a year at certain locations... so if you are thinking of needing one this year book soon before they are done.

7. We are back to a cash budget. I loathe cash. People used to use this stuff all the time?!? ;o)

8. This is the first time in my life I have found myself interested in politics. And I am finding that is not really a good thing, as my experience with others in that regard is a downer. Maybe I will write a whole post on this issue.

9. I am working my way through a cookbook I have called cooking essentials - it teaches you proper technique for all facets of cooking and I find it really fun so far! My dinner rolls on Sunday were pretty good, but the lamb chops on Friday were a flop. Personally, I can't wait to make the apple pie. I have never made a pie from scratch! Mmmm!

10. I know #9 appears to conflict with my health effort in #3, but I believe in all things in moderation... even apple pie! =)

Love you all! Happy Tuesday!

January 14 - Color Wonder time

2012-01-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

January 13

2012-01-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

When she is ready to go to bed, she is sure to let you know! If only all my kids could be that way! =)

Just stuff

2012-01-13T09:09:00.001-07:00

For some reason, I have cried every day for a week! Not all sad tears, mind you... sometimes happy tears, sometimes tears at the wonderment of God's love... really I cry at everything. Apparently I am just more emotional right now. I am sure subscribing to Momestary did not help matters. Thanks a lot PigBear. =)

This article and video of Dr. Drew's discussion with Mark Driscoll astound me. I am disheartened at how the media can just pick and choose what they would like to show the general public. All the time I am more and more thankful we chose to give up cable television and the "news" in this house. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

Thinking of doing Valentine Mini-sessions that include cards for your kids to hand out at school. Any takers?!?

One of the best parts of my week is picking up my produce box from Pinnacle Farms on Wednesday! All the colorful veggies I wouldn't have bought ordinarily are SO fun to experiment with! This week we received oranges bursting with flavor and beautiful rainbow chard. Though I never can figure out what to do with radishes since I don't like them raw.

With our new financial situation, I am trying to find more contentment with staying at home - which is much harder for me than it sounds. Trying to focus on being a homemaker, instead of just a stay-at-home-mom. There is a difference, I think. This house should be more homey, and I know "mom" tends to set the tone for that "homey" feeling. So, that is my focus this month... checking my attitude and heart, focusing on what I say and how I say it - to help my family say, "Ahh... I'm home." Next month, maybe having a clean home?!? Surely I could do that for one month.

Maybe.

Whatever.

Love you all! Thanks for stopping by. Picture of the day to come later on!

Jan 12

2012-01-12T20:09:00.001-07:00

Our Trigger is growing up. Much like kids, it goes way too fast!

Jan 11 - it's like Christmas all over again!

2012-01-11T19:38:00.001-07:00

Trigger chewed up the cord on this Christmas gift the second time Paige was playing it. The new cord finally arrived today and the girls were very relieved!

Jan 10 - Extreme close up

2012-01-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

This is how close she gets every time I point my camera at her. Silly girl!

January 9

2012-01-09T19:00:00.000-07:00

She is always wanting to be outside with her sisters. Too bad she tries to eat rocks all the time!

January 8 - Our best friends got a trampoline!

2012-01-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

January 7

2012-01-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

January 6 - Painting a rocket ship

2012-01-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

January 5 - Sister Time

2012-01-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

January 4 - Fish fascination

2012-01-04T14:50:00.003-07:00

January 3 - Excited Baker Girl

2012-01-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

Holiday Wrap Up

2012-01-03T16:02:00.001-07:00

You are going to get the Reader's Digest version of our holiday season - sorry about that! Honestly, I was the horrid, typical photographer and neglected my own family's pictures during busy season this year. But, I plan to make up for it... with frame-a-day! Right here though, no second blog to go to. But first... our holidays:

Making a paper chain... but I didn't take a picture of it hanging!

The girls each decorated a few on their own, those were my favorites.

Our little, fake Christmas tree that only had kid ornaments on it this year. The girls still loved it, though! Kids are so great like that!

Playing in the snow in Payson.

They always love snow! Even if it is old and hard. ;o)

All ready for church, in their matching dresses from Grandma Linda on Christmas Eve.

And somehow I didn't take many pictures of all the present-opening events this year. I think there must be more on my phone. But, rest assured the girls got way too many wonderful things and were more than thrilled!

Then we had the Swopes over on New Years...

And Paige ended the night spooning with Trigger on the couch by 9:30pm! LOL!

Hope you all had wonderful holidays this year! Looking forward to a lot more blogging in 2012!!!

January 2

2012-01-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

January 1 - One Big Tea Party

2012-01-01T23:00:00.000-07:00

Who you are

2011-12-15T13:35:00.002-07:00

To be honest, I have been struggling in my photography business. The business itself is doing very well, it was my busiest and most profitable year so far -- which isn't saying too much, but still worth saying. But deep down inside I have been struggling. I wanted to get into this art form because I love photographs of genuine moments! I love images that bring the viewer emotion. That move you. That show you a little taste of who that person really is. Hence my tagline, "just the way you are". Hmm...

Fast forward two years and here I am, in the midst of a growing business that is bringing in more sessions than I anticipated doing so soon. Yay! That is so exciting, and I am truly honored to be chosen by so many families to document where they are right now.

But, I am not feeling the passion I once experienced with photography. I love meeting the families, getting to know them, watching them interact with each other. I love people! I really do. Each one is like no other, each one created and loved by God, each one special to someone else. That is the story I want to tell with my photography! But, my clients and I aren't getting there. Somehow, the mall portrait studios of the world have brainwashed us all to wear the same colors, line up, put our hands the same way, and smile at the camera. There is nothing wrong with smiling and looking at the camera! But, I would be so bold as to say that "smile" 90% of the time is... FAKE. And not just at the camera... on a daily basis. Yesterday, at the neighbor whose dog was barking at 6AM, or answering "good" to "how are you" when you have truly had a bad day. We have all gotten very good at pretending to look happy! And we are taught it from a very early age:

Photo "A" was the first of a series I took of Paige the morning of her birthday party. Does she look happy to you? Not really. If you look at her mouth alone it looks like a smile. Mostly. And if I didn't know her, I might be convinced. But, I have seen her real smile so many times that I know this is not it. Photo "B" was taken playing at the beach. She was looking up at Lauren running in the waves, and filthy with sand. I had just asked her if she liked being at the ocean. This is her real smile. This is her joy, her sparkle, her life. She is four.years.old.

How much better are we at faking a smile by thirty?!?

And what value do you place on a picture where you are pretending to smile, when you know in your heart of hearts nothing real or meaningful was happening at that moment?

I think this is why many people do not like having their picture taken... because they don't like the way they look? Sort of. I believe they don't like the way they look because they aren't feeling anything special. If you are laughing, and feeling love toward your family, or glowing from the love of your spouse... you will look amazing. It just happens! Joy seeps though the pixels of that image to the eyes of the viewer and they are convinced. They are moved by who you are, and they can really see you.

Every person is special. Amazing. Remarkable. A miracle. Why do we want to document anything fake?!?

So, I am on a journey to figure out how to capture these real moments. You'll probably hear a lot more from me about this topic in the near future. I want to make some big changes, starting by including sessions recently named Beloved, to celebrate the love of married couples. Not to say my clients won't get a traditional smile-at-the-camera image from our sessions, they WILL. But, I hope to also give them so much more. I hope to create an enjoyable experience. I hope to document their real beauty, their real joy, and their real love.

Because that is something worth remembering forever.

Paige's Party

2011-12-14T13:47:00.001-07:00

I am shocked that it has been two weeks since I last posted!

We had a birthday part for Paige three days after her birthday, and she was SO excited! She chose a bug theme, had a few crafts, and all in all a wonderful day!

I love this girl! She is wild and crazy, sweet and cuddly, loves to laugh, will eat everything, and is a girl after my own heart -- she is all about the quality time together!

I love these pictures on special days - they remind me that these girls do love each other underneath all the bickering. ;)

We made bug hats - I loved Lauren's choice of one huge eye and one teeny-tiny eye!

The bug cake that I thought was bizarre, since the writing was on the front! But, she was really happy... with the ladybugs in particular!

And then we scarfed it up!

Then the kids dug for bugs...

and swung at the pinata! That "game" was Paige's only special request. My kids will do anything to get some candy.

And I was so happy I actually caught this moment:

And apparently we need to find a bigger pinata, because there was not enough candy crammed into that little donkey's body.

Oh well!

Happy Birthday, sweet Paige-a-riffic!

We love you and all the light and laughter you bring to our family!

Paige is FOUR!

2011-12-01T14:20:00.001-07:00

Okay, how did that happen?!? I mean really? She's four.years.old. I have lost track of the last two years, badly! Still seems like she should be little to me. But, you can't stop them from growing, so I am choosing to be excited about the little girl she is becoming!

Since her birthday was on a Wednesday, it wasn't anything to exciting... but she picked out what we would have for dinner, and was thrilled to open gifts - of course!

This sweet face picked STEAK, bug-mac-n-cheese, cooked carrots, and bread for her dinner!

Then the frosted sprinkle cookies, much like what she had last year...

This girlie has always been into looking at her cards! She was so intently watching how to open the envelopes. Love that!

Her birthday haul! Thanks Aunt Tamara, Aunt Jamie, Grandma and Grandpa Beeler, and Great Grandma Caroline! She was thrilled with everything you sent!

Lauren was doing "only okay" (her words) with it all being about Paige yesterday. Lucky for her she was at school for 90% of it!

Her gift from Daddy. It is an awesome pump pop-gun with small foam balls. The girls LOVE it!

But somehow, I think I'm in trouble.

;)

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-30T13:59:00.001-07:00

We were able to go up to Camp Verde to visit with the extended Beeler family for Thanksgiving this year. This is always a big event with at least 50 people, and it seriously took me five years to start getting everyones names right! It is always nice to catch up with everyone and let the kids run around like crazy on their nice big property!

Lauren waiting patiently for the round of "what are you thankful for this year?"

Jaelyn kept busy playing with this homemade game by Great-great-uncle David.

The circle of family talking about what they are feeling grateful for. How about a family that all gets along and continues to get together for all these years?!?

Paige and Daddy!

Digging in to the food!

Then it was time to relax and digest! I loved this moment of Jaelyn and her cousin Tyler! He was her age when Justin and I first got married. Therefore, this picture makes me feel O.L.D.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thankfulness

2011-11-21T15:40:00.001-07:00

1. That God gave me my husband. I can't stand to imagine my life without Justin - our marriage has gotten better every year! I love him!!!

2. For our three girls. They make our family fun, wild, giggly, and messy. I wouldn't have it any other way!

3. For all our family. They have loved us, supported us, laughed with us and at us!

4. For the Swope family. I could write ten pages about what they mean to me... but for today I will just say that I love them. They are friends, they are family. They have made Phoenix feel like home.

5. Our home. We shouldn't even have it... technically. There was no reason the bank should have accepted our offer. Though on my worst days there are a hundred things I would change - I love this house. It is more than I thought we would have, living in the city!

6. Phoenix. Yes, you read that right - I am thankful to live in Phoenix. This post from a local blog made me tear up. That is SO me! Up until about two months ago... honestly. But, if I stop complaining and look at where I live, really look at it for what it is - we are very fortunate to live here!

7. My business. I adore taking pictures of people - creating an image of who they are, right at this moment. Because you never know what tomorrow may hold. It is my dream job, and I get to live it!

8. Especially thankful for those people who have made a huge difference in my business! Jaclyn, Colleen, Annie, and Katie. Without you, and your HUGE referrals, I would not be where I am after just two years! You are amazing women and I am so blessed to have you in my life!

9. For Justin's job and the company he works for. Times are tough these days, and we are so blessed that he is able to work, and to work for a smaller firm, and to have such a positive response from his leaders!

10. Now for some fun ones... I am thankful Justin is not a neat freak. Amen.

11. That God gave me three girls and not boys because I am already exhausted by 5pm!

12. Trader Joe's and CostCo, without them my shopping days would be so mundane!

13. Boots that are lined with fleece so your don't have to wear socks! I hate socks.

14. Flip flops. See above.

15. Food and wine. And all the variations you can enjoy with the two together. And that God gave us an amazing ability of taste for all those things! I <3 food.

16. That Justin let me paint the bathroom turquoise. I adore bright colors for rooms! And then, he did 90% of the painting! For that I am even more thankful.

17. For stores that have shopping carts that contain more than one child! What would I do without them?!?

18. Coffee.

19. Chocolate.

20. Apparently I have digressed... I'll wrap it up. I'm thankful for this blog, that I can come here and put my thoughts out into the world, and that even though I don't update it like I should YOU still come here to check up on me! You're awesome. =)

Happy Thanksgiving,

Getaway in Sonoita, AZ

2011-11-17T13:20:00.001-07:00

**Excessive amount of pictures ahead - and none of them are of my children***

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Last weekend we were fortunate enough to have a little get-away kid free! My gracious mother-in-law watched the girls for three whole days - thanks again, Nel!

We decided to go see an area of Arizona neither of us had ever been to before. We left home Friday morning and headed to downtown Tucson for lunch and a little meandering around. When we were first turning off the freeway we saw a Veteran's Day parade lining up. By the time we had parked it had already begun and we literally ran around downtown until we figured out a good spot to see the beginning (thank you Mr. iPhone).

It was nice to take a moment and truly recognize the holiday!

After the parade we had lunch at an Arizona original:

It was great, and I don't care for Mexican food really. So that is saying a lot! The inside was covered in history, and truly amazing.

Then we were back on the road. We stopped halfway from Tucson to Sonoita to take a little walk. I was afraid Justin was going to wear me out when he said, "just along that ridge and back up the other side" - it looked far and he is in much better shape than I am! But, it was fine... and the fresh air and scenery were very enjoyable. We also saw the biggest, fattest grasshoppers ever! All over the place and all different kinds!

Then we headed down to Sonoita and to our B&B. Another first for us!

Hacienda de Sonoita - it was amazing. A beautiful location, and our hosts were absolutely wonderful!

We drove back into town for dinner and some "local flavor" at "The Steak Out". It was... okay. Not the best $25 prime rib I've ever eaten. Let's just leave it at that.

Actually, the highlight of the whole meal was this:

A very talented pair of musicians were the live music for the evening!

Then we headed back to the B&B for a mean game of Skip-Bo. And by mean... I really mean the game that would just never end. Seriously.

The next morning at breakfast (an amazing one with more options than you could imagine!) we found out that a fellow guest of our B&B was the head winemaker at a winery having a festival that day. We decided to go there for the first part of the day, and I am so glad we did!

That guy there is Fran, the head winemaker - very knowledgable and interesting. Here he was discussing how they blend their wines before they gave tastes right from the barrel. Amazing flavor!

This is the contraption they use for barrel-tasting. This Cabernet was one of the best I've ever tasted, and I later found out that many must feel that way at $100 a bottle.

Then, these sweeties gave us a wagon-tour of the vineyards!

The vines are mostly bare this time of year, but it was still beautiful.

This gentleman is the founder of wine-making in Arizona. He was a professor at UofA and discovered that the Sonoita/Elgin area had the ideal climate for grape production. He was lots of fun to talk with on our tour! You can tell he just loves his vineyard.

I would love to see this place in the Spring!

Then there was the blessing of the new wine. The presiding Catholic Priest was the funniest I have ever heard! He had the best jokes about wine and Priests! =) We were stuck back in a corner as we came in late from our wagon tour, so this is all we saw.

After a bunch of tastings and wine/food pairings, we considered it a very successful get-away day so far!

So we headed to the neighboring town of Patagonia, which we had heard had cute little shops to walk around and see.

Not so much. There were a few galleries and shops, but on this chilly day this town looked fairly sparse. We did stop in to this cafe "Gathering Grounds" and had a delightful latte and the BEST pecan bar ever. Yum!

Then we headed to what was supposed to be an old ghost town up in the nearby mountains. What it was... one rock wall that used to be a house on what was labeled as private property and a small old cemetery.

Looking to give more purpose to the eight mile drive out there, we turned down a dirt road that the map feature on our phones said would lead us back to Patagonia where we planned to have dinner.

Never believe Mr. iPhone when he talks about dirt roads.

It looked harmless enough...

Pretty, even!

We were on an adventure! We enjoyed the scenery and made lots of jokes about the mining signs, and signs warning of illegal immigration activity. For a while...

Aw, he still looks happy!

The hillside grew very steep! Justin got out to roll a rock down the hill and see how long it crashed along.

Unfortunately, here is where our fun turned south and the road got REALLY rocky. Crazy steep and ragged, Justin managed to maneuver the 4Runner down the hill with nothing more than a little extra Arizona pin-striping along the side.

I did not take pictures during this adventure.

But, I took this one after we reached normal dirt road again and got out to survey the damage and catch our breath.

Then we drove back in the other side of Patagonia to our dinner destination. It was 4pm.

We weren't up for many more adventures that day. Dinner sounded safer.

Especially when the name of the restaurant is the Velvet Elvis!

I was hoping for a room filled with velvet paintings, reminiscent of Mr. Fredlake's classroom in High School. No such luck. One velvet... of Elvis, of course.

But the food was organic, local, and amazing!

Food like that makes me smile. I am sorry I didn't get pictures of pizza or dessert, truly! But believe me, they were amazing!

Gotta love the self-timer!

The next day we packed up, ate another amazing breakfast from the B&B and headed home. We took another way around through Nogales to stop at a few more sights along the way.

First, an old mission - Tumacacori.

It has not been restored, except to keep it standing. It was rather impressive!

The entrance was not particularly inviting...

But they had fresh, warm tortillas on a wood burning rock stove outside! It was quite tasty, especially in the cold drizzly weather we were having.

Once inside, the building is reminiscent of Indiana Jones. We were the first ones to be out there this day, and the silence allowed you to really take everything in.

I had to capture what my honey did much of the time we were sight-seeing:

Inside there is a museum of artifacts from the area, and this is their depiction of what the mission looked like while in use. Quite a difference!

Then we were back on the road. We stopped at Tubac where we ran in and out of shops in the rain and I took no pictures.

We were planning to go into the San Xavier Mission as well, for a look at the fully restored mission - but when we arrived it was quite crowded and we were pressed for time. So this was all we saw!

Then it was back through Tucson with a quick stop for some more "local flavor".

I had never been to an Eegee's before. Frankly, I don't see what all the fuss is about.

Then, we headed home to hug our kiddos! It was a great weekend, and truly refreshing! I am thankful for the time alone with my husband to recharge our batteries!

Vaccines???

2011-11-02T13:45:00.003-07:00

If you have even the mildest interest in what risk vaccines (including the flu shot) can have on you or your children, please take the time to watch this movie: http://ow.ly/7gjJg

It is free from now until the 5th, after which it will be released on DVD. It is an hour and fifteen minutes, but SO worth it. I am not anti-vaccine, like the makers of this film I believe there is not enough science performed on their prior to release into the public... much like our food. It is truly worth the watch.

Now, anyone know a good pediatrician in Phoenix that supports delayed vaccine schedules and overall vaccine choice? Because we need to make a move.

Halloween

2011-11-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we carved our pumpkins -- or rather, Justin carved the pumpkins! He lets the girls pick out the face they want and then he goes to work while the rest of us watch, play, and cook pumpkin seeds. =) We carve so close to Halloween to keep the pumpkins from shriveling and molding in our 85 degree weather!

The girls did try their hand at the "lite-brite" set for pumpkins that Grandma Linda sent.

It was a little too difficult for them to be able to hammer in, but they had fun trying!

I was helping them on and off, and turned around to see Jaelyn eating raw pumpkin off the scraper.

That girl is funny. I can't even get her to eat peaches... but raw pumpkin is okay?!?

The big girls with their finished kitty-cat:

Our skeleton we made out of paper plates!

The complete pumpkin set:

Justin always does a great job!

Here's the girls all ready for trick or treating!

Lauren the skeleton:

Jaelyn the fish:

I loved this costume. Until Justin said it looked like a carp. Hmmph!

It really is a shame she was in the stroller the whole time. She made such a cute fishy!

Paige the cat:

She was so happy with her choice! I kept finding her in the bathroom staring at her makeup.

One more of the fish... the back fin and tail were a crack up! She kept falling over from them though.

Our friends the Swopes were here to trick-or-treat together, which always makes it much more fun for all involved!

After about an hour and a half we headed home to check our haul.

It was ridiculous! So.much.candy. I had made a deal with the girls that they could eat three pieces (they actually go more like five) and then give the rest to us in exchange for the toy of their choice at Toy's R Us. I was shocked that they were super into it and couldn't wait to hand over the ~~chemicals~~ candy.

And some candy-grinch in the neighborhood gave our kids a crumbled pack of saltine crackers.

Seriously?!? That's just wrong.

Pumpkin Patch - take two

2011-10-25T13:42:00.001-07:00

I have come to realize something. I am not a very good blogger.

Shocking for you to hear, I am sure. ;)

But I have decided to try and be okay with that. It is what it is. And I am just happy for whatever I am able to get on here at all! Hopefully my girls will love it someday.

I don't have a good transition, just wanted to get that off my chest - so we are just going to move on.

Last weekend, Justin was deer hunting (no dice there) - so I took the girls to the Botanical Garden's pumpkin festival. We are members, so entry and pumpkins for each child were free. LOVE free!

First we played all the games, and the girls walked away with lots of goodies.

Toss the birdy:

Fun game! Concept? A little weird.

Pumpkin bowling:

Paige did really well on that one!

I was so glad we went first thing in the morning! It was really nice out still, and not too crowded.

Then we grabbed a cotton-candy treat and ate it while waiting in line for the hayride that takes you out to the pumpkin patch, where you pick your pumpkins. That was the point where I had to park my stroller and haul all three kids around alone. We did okay, but not my favorite way to do pumpkins -- that's for sure!

We trekked through the hay maze to find our perfect pumpkins.

Then the girls spotted the petting zoo.

Forget about the pumpkins, this was the reason we were here!

They are farm girls at heart, I tell you.

There was an adult woman who kept asking Lauren to hold the chicken lower, over here, etc so her son could pet it. She must not have been a farm girl at heart. Ha!

Then we attempted pictures.

First my picture-hating Paigey!

Compliant Lauren.

And just-happy-to-finally-be-let-down-for-a-second Jaelyn.

Then we waited in another line to get back on the hayride that would take us back to the main area.

Kind of like Disneyland, this festival.

The girls did great though - with the help of that cotton-candy, and the promise of a little stop into our favorite area of the gardens.

Little girl heaven!

All in all a fun fall day!

That is, if 93 degrees is considered fall.

But we will take what we can get! =)

Ten Spot

2011-10-08T09:50:00.001-07:00

**Warning** Some material that follows could be considered a "soap-box" or a "rant"... don't say I didn't warn you.

1. Let's start off with something sweet. Things I love about my girls right now. I love that Jaelyn wraps her arms tight around my neck and squeezes as hard as she can. I love that Paige made up the word "willn't" and uses it every day. I love that Lauren excels in reading, but tells me her favorite subject is math - I hope she continues to love school as much as she does now.

2. We are starting a juicing fast on Monday for five days (ish). Nothing but veggie and fruit juice made fresh from our juicer. We are pretty much following the program over at Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. You can eat veggies and fruit if you need to, but we are hoping to be strong and do as much as liquid as we can! So, no animal products, no grains or beans, no alcohol, and no (ACK) coffee. *sigh* We will be drinking hot herbal tea instead. *sigh* But, this "reboot" of our digestive systems can help with cravings by retraining your brain to crave veggies instead of fructose, increase energy levels, decrease aches and pains, improve immunity levels, promote healthy skin (yay), hair & nails, and help lower lifelong risks of heart disease, cancer, etc. So, that all seems worth it - as well as the potential to lose excess water weight in the process! I am mostly excited about the energy and reducing my sugar cravings, as those are what I find to be my areas of weakness right now. Don't worry, I will keep you updated. ;-)

3. We will be using all organic/chemical free produce for the juicing. In fact, we have switched over to mostly organic over-all anyway. With all the GMO issues that are coming out, and the information about side-effects I have learned via research of the toxins that are in most "regular food" we are eating (did you know this upcoming generation of 15-25 year olds are expected to have a 25% infertility rate? 25%! That is really high. I want to improve my chances of becoming a Grandparent someday.), as well as the fact that the cost of eating organic is greatly shadowed by the enormous cost of healthcare if you have heart disease or cancer - the average first heart attack costs $1500... we have decided that this effort is giving our family the best chance of health and longevity. October is GMO awareness month! I am a firm believer that we have a right to know what is in our food! If you don't know much about genetically engineered foods, I would encourage you to go over to Finding Our New Normal to find out more. She has a great post up about GMO's with links to more information and research, as well as links to where you can let the government know that we want GMO's labeled NOW. Check it out, for your health and your family!

4. I need a getaway with my hubby. Do you ever get that way? 24-48 hours of uninterrupted time together to reconnect and refresh your relationship. I think it is critical for a healthy marriage... must start working on that soon.

5. We are doing Race for the Cure with Justin's office tomorrow. I will not be running... just walking, or better yet, dragging my three children. I am pretty sure Paige and Lauren will whine the whole way, but it will be an adventure. Who plans these things for Sunday, anyway? Doing a 3.5 mile walk with three kiddos does not fall into the "day of rest" concept for me. Just sayin'.

6. I am a little torn about participating. Don't get me wrong, please... I am all about a cure for cancer. I mean, who wouldn't be?!? However, I feel like many of these groups that talk about fighting cancer, stand up to cancer, etc - they still see chemotherapy as the primary "healing" for cancer, and I have to disagree. I recognize that many people have used chemo successfully, but I would suggest that there are many other ways to heal it (just like anything else) that are natural and healthy, and not pumping your body full of cancer-causing radiation and carcinogens to kill the cancer. Then we wonder why it sometimes comes back worse than before, or returns in a new area. There are alternatives, but guess what - it is illegal in the USA for a doctor to treat cancer in an alternative way. WHY?!? Why should they care how someone chooses to be treated? I will give you one guess. So people have to travel to foreign countries where alternatives are allowed. That saddens me. We are supposed to be the land of the free, right? Huh. You can hear a whole lot more about the cancer alternatives in Food Matters, which you can watch online for free, but only today! It is also on Netflix streaming if you have a subscription.

7. Apparently I am in a mood today.

8. The girls have been very quiet while I have been writing this. I am scared to even get up and see what they are doing.

9. Excited to have some pizza this afternoon. If you are wondering why, please see #2 above. Hee hee!

10. I have three other rants going in my head right now. But I think that might be a bit much for one day. =) Maybe I will save them for next week sometime, but I better make sure I include pictures of my kids next time - or I am sure you will be pushing that unsubscribe button on your blog feed!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Pumpkin Patch - Take One

2011-10-06T14:21:00.001-07:00

I could bore you with a long post about my lack of posting. But I won't.

I do have a lot to tell you about our goings-on in a Ten-Spot soon... but not today.

Last Saturday we went to a pumpkin patch in Chino Valley. We don't usually go the first weekend in October because it is still so warm, but the weekend we would go to the one we are members of is the same weekend as Justin's deer hunt this year, so we wanted to make sure we got one in before then! It's a good thing that I still plan to take the girls to the one at the Botanical Garden, because there was no access to pumpkin fields at the Chino Valley location and that is my number one picture op! The nerve...

Anyway, we had a great morning there!

I love Lauren's "donkey-face", I imagine she was thinking along the lines of Eeyore.

Game and Fish was there with all sorts of birds, a rattlesnake, prairie-dog, and a bobcat!

That owl was the cutest. The girls didn't believe me it was real until it moved a little!

Then, Daddy took them on a canoe trip around the pond.

And no one fell in. Miracles do happen!

Then the big girls rode a kiddie train, and we all piled onto a hay ride. Apparently, the first weekend is so slow you get to have the whole hay-ride to yourselves!

Jaelyn's favorite by far.

Then we headed up Mingus Mountain and did a little walk in the woods. Afterwards heading down to my hometown, Cottonwood - to eat some delish Chinese food. We go there a little early, so we stopped by the park for a while.

Does Paige not look SO big in that picture?!? Can't believe she will be four here pretty soon.

We headed down to the creek behind the park and the girls wanted to get in the water. Daddy was all about it! Hmmm. What's a Mommy to do?

I can't believe they didn't freeze to death.

Jaelyn was tired with a capital T, but still a trooper anyhow. She was pretty mad we didn't let her take a dip in the creek too.

But as Daddy explained to the big girls, it is okay for kids to strip down to their undies and go in the creek... grown-ups not so much.

If only we could all stay young forever! =)

Monday thoughts

2011-09-26T13:32:00.002-07:00

Jaelyn has a teething fever. At least I think it is from teething. She is delirious and clingy. It's fun.

Paige is overdosing on television today because of said feverish baby.

Can I still call her a baby now that she's a toddler? Maybe I need to change it to "my baby" to make it acceptable?

I am still in my pajamas. And by pajamas I mean comfy pants and a ratty t-shirt.

The only thing I have accomplished today is doing laundry. And hours of comforting my baby.

I actually don't mind it at all. I am very aware that in the very near future, if she has a fever she will prefer I not touch her at all instead of wanting to be as close to me as possible.

Our copy of "The Little Mermaid" is MIA. Paige is not pleased.

Things in our house just disappear. There are no fewer than four pairs of the girls' shoes that are missing a match right now. I have no idea.

I want to decorate and organize the girls' bathroom. But, it is also our guest bathroom -- so that kind of takes the fun out of it.

My hair needs help. Not sure how, but help is indeed required.

I have pictures to post, but haven't had a chance to even glance at them. Most are over a week old. UGH.

Lauren lost her first tooth yesterday. Well, technically I pulled it. Actually - technically Jaelyn pulled it. =) She couldn't wiggle the tooth backward at all because her new tooth was poking through already. So it wasn't going to come out on its own any time soon. So, I tied a string around it and tied it to a doorknob, and while I was arranging Lauren and preparing her for the inevitable, Jaelyn walked up and slammed the door. Problem solved.

The tooth fairy was ill prepared for Lauren's tooth to get pulled. There was candy involved... I don't want to talk about it.

It's fall, apparently. So I am making chili in the crockpot and pretending that previous statement is true here in Phoenix.

I want chickens. I am crazy. There is a speaker at Whole Foods this afternoon to talk about having urban chickens and I am actually considering dragging all three kids there, fever included, to hear about it. Like I said, ka-ray-zee!

Pretty sure chickens would drive our back neighbor over the edge. I am a horrible person because that actually makes me want them more.

Sad I missed the Women of Faith conference this last weekend. I could have used it.

There is a cactus wren on the railing of our front porch calling out with all his might. Wonder what he's looking for...

Time to hold an inconsolable baby some more. Thanks for reading my rants!

Happy Monday!

It's Friday

2011-09-09T14:25:00.002-07:00

What a week! It truly has been the longest short week ever. Each day sort of drug on by, though I don't remember much of anything bad happening... just the daily doldrums.

I will trickle in some pictures from our day in the woods last Saturday while I ramble.

Trigger worked on this hole the whole time we were there. It was hysterical! Justin proclaimed this to be the "best day of his life so far". I kept saying, "Excellent hole, Joe." To which no one batted an eye. Hmmph.

the big girls were off on many adventures while I hung out with the baby -- so I didn't get many pictures of them!

My fast from many of my internet vices was a very good thing for me. I realized there are many other things that need to be prioritized over that stuff. It's not like I get paid to blog or anything!

Though I should be blogging more for my business... which is the one vice I do not have. Odd.

We found some wild apples, and this one went after it with all the gusto of her usual attack on meals!

She is in the crying stage, as I like to call it. Cries for everything. To be picked up, for a snack, for a drink, for help, to get down, an hour ago, fifteen minutes ago, right now... you get the idea. Makes for a frazzled mommy come 3PM.

We are looking into vegetable juicing. I am excited and terrified all at the same time.

Going to meet a potentially sketchy person off of craigslist to buy a jogging stroller. I am excited and terrified all at the same time. About the sale, and about "jogging". *snerk*

Have a great weekend everyone!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-08-30T09:27:00.002-07:00

1. In case you didn't see one of my other posts, I am taking a break from many of my internet "vices" this week - including Twitter, Facebook, Pintrest, reading blogs, and online shopping/browsing. Just trying to get my priorities right and gain a little perspective on my time. That being said, this will probably be my only post this week!

2. Paige decided she wants to grow her bangs out. Ugh! She looks super cute without them, I just hate all of the work that comes with growing them out.

3. I need more ideas for Lauren's school lunches! Seriously, the poor girl has the same four options over and over again. Sides are easy -- but I need to get more creative on the protein options. Really, I can't wait until her bento box gets here!

4. Really excited about the women's bible study starting up again next week! I missed last year because of Lauren's half-day Kindergarten, so I am really happy to get back into it. Anyone want to come with me?!?

5. Jaelyn is nearly done with her last molar - and then we will be on to the eye & stomach teeth. I am dreading that big-time! She is my worst teether by far. Thankfully, I finally found our baltic amber necklace and she is doing much better!

6. Trigger got fixed last Friday. They said to expect him to be lethargic and sleepy for 2-3 days. Not so much. The pup was the same when I picked him up as when I dropped him off. You would think nothing happened to him at all! If only all my children had that kind of pain tolerance!

7. Praying really hard for a project Justin's company is going after on Thursday. They really need this work! Trusting God to help them win it.

8. Jaelyn's favorite thing to do right now is growl. We were playing with horses yesterday and I was making all kinds of pony noises, but all that girl would do was growl like a monster! She is a crack up!

9. I dyed my hair brown. Dark brown. I still haven't got used to seeing it in the mirror -- but the outgrowth will be much better. No more roots!

10. SO excited for a long weekend coming up! But, I also can NOT believe it is September already. It's okay though, the summer going by fast is fine.by.me! =)

Have a great week!

First Grade

2011-08-17T13:45:00.001-07:00

Monday was Lauren's first day of first grade! She did amazing - loves her teacher, has a friend in her class from last year, found her "best" friend on the playground at recess, all-around loves being there full day!

I had all sorts of picture ideas in my head for her first day - but, the birth that I have been waiting to photograph went to the hospital that morning, so I was crazed - making sure I had everything together for everybody and only snapped a few pictures of her on our porch before we left. There are a few more on my phone for posterity's sake as well. =)

When did she get so big?!? Got me. She is amazing and sweet, and I can't wait to see what growth she makes in school this year!

Wickenburg, AZ

2011-08-16T17:54:00.002-07:00

We have driven through Wickenburg many times in the last ten years, on our way to visit my parents in Las Vegas. This trip was to visit a friend of Justin's that lives there, for the girls to see her animals, and to pick up some fresh eggs! It was a very nice morning, cloudy and not too hot. We started out by feeding the llamas and alpaca.

Jaelyn was so cute - she loved looking at and pointing to the animals. At a distance, anyway. =)

Then, a couple of the horses were brought up from their pasture.

The owner asked, "Who wants to go first?!?" And there was Paige, "MEEEEE!"

Love her.

When it was Lauren's turn, she said she didn't really want to. Chasing a lizard up the road instead. I just said, "Come on." Took her by the hand, walked her over, and Justin hoisted her up before she had a chance to think about it too much.

I think she was pretty glad she did.

Then Jaelyn got a turn just to sit. She was less than enthusiastic.

Kids are so much fun!

Then we got a tour of the chicke area, which made me re-think my adamant "No" to keeping chickens. She has a really great set-up!

That big guy is one of her two "Trader Joe's chickens" that she incubated from a carton of their fertile eggs! That is just amazing!

It was a great time! We planning on heading back since their eggs were yummy!

Beautiful walk

2011-08-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

We went to Payson somewhat spur-of-the-moment last weekend, and it was a wonderful choice! It was so nice and cool up there, the girls (and puppy) all loved being outside most of the days - and Justin's parents always take great care of us! =) Saturday evening we went to the park for a walk and some playtime.

I was playing around with backlighting. It needs more practice!

Jaelyn LOVED the grass! She was running, I had the puppy and could barely keep up!

They were chasing a HUGE butterfly! Do you see it?

I love this picture - if you have kids and have read Fancy Nancy Bonjour, Butterfly -- there is a page where the two little girls look just.like.this! Such a great childhood moment.

Walking with Daddy. <3

My little adventurer!

So grown up, Lauren! She has a loose tooth today. I am excited, grossed out, and sad all at the same time!

This picture was impossible. But, I am glad I took it (and fifteen others), it is all my loves in one spot!

Pretty Paige. I love her eyes...

The marks on her face are from when she jumped off the bunkbed at home.

And landed on a toy that was left out.

There were too many life lessons that day to mention here. =)

Still working on my silhouettes too! Ha!

Hope you are having a great week everyone!

Soda - Diet?

2011-08-03T09:38:00.001-07:00

Just in case you read my post the other day about soda and thought you were safer because you are drinking diet soda instead... PLEASE read this. Not only does it have the other post's major problems, but a whole host of additional ones. Ugh. I am moving on to the sparkling mineral water!

Is it weird that I am having deja vu as I type this?!? Did I write this before? ;o)

Ten on Tuesday

2011-08-02T16:14:00.002-07:00

1. I'm feeling blue today. No particular reason... just out of it. Not sure I will get all the way to ten, but we will see!

2. I would really like to try photographing a High School Senior this year, so if you know one - send them my way! There will be some awesome freebies involved!

3. Trigger is so cute. See?

But, I am pretty sure we will need to have the carpets professionally cleaned once he is fully potty trained. Yeesh.

4. I decided today, my kids are growing up too fast. Way.too.fast. How does Paige look like this?

She is such an amazing little girl. I love her heart for other people!

And I need to trim her bangs. :P

5. Finally got Jaelyn's one year pictures done, edited, and posted!

But, you have to go to the biz page, HERE to see the rest! (insert maniacal laugh)

They are HUGE images, but I love this outfit too much for tiny ones.

6. Someone starts first grade in twelve days!

Remember #4 up there? This picture is another perfect example of that. Seriously.

7. I am now on Google+, if anyone else is on there - add me! I think I will eventually love it 100X more than facebook, but a lot of people need to be on there before that can become a reality. Not on? Let me know if you want an invite! I have extras!!!

8. I want out of the heat something awful. Just feeling really tired of being cooped up in the house!!! Maybe that is my reason for #1. Arizona might have all the sunshine in the world, but fat lot of good it does you when you can't be out in it for more than a few minutes without getting heat stroke. I kind of wish we had a pool. Even if it DID mean we'd have nothing else in our backyard.

9. Wow, that sounded like a lot of complaining! Sorry. I would delete it, but I try to keep things realistic around here... and apparently that is how I feel today. Hmm!

10. Well, I managed to get to 10 - but it was a stretch. The pictures saved me! Woo hoo for cute kids! You just can't go wrong. In other news, now that MckMama is back from her trip to Africa - we should have our family portrait images in the mail really soon! YAY! I can't wait to see them! I can finally finish my wall in the living room with a family canvas.

And that is how that makes me feel!

Showing why I love photography, and feel so blessed to do what I do. There is nothing like getting that portrait you really wanted, and all the wonderful emotions that go along with it!

How lucky am I?

I think that might have kicked #1 right out the door!

Happy Tuesday!

So Loved

2011-07-31T11:53:00.004-07:00

An amazing Mom-owned company Wild Olive Tees is running a contest right now to win one of their new So Loved tees. I have wanted any one of their tees for myself and my daughters since I first read about them from The Pioneer Woman. These new shirts are super cute, and are in honor of a beautiful little orphan girl from China. You can link to the contest by their blog button on my sidebar.

Part of the contest is coming up with a spontaneous act of kindness -- so I am truly thinking on this one! I feel like God was already pulling on my heart about something, but I am still waiting to see what that something might be. Right now I am thinking about donating a portrait session to a family who is adopting a baby... but that doesn't seem right somehow. I think it's supposed to be something bigger - but what? I am praying and waiting for an answer.

How to be positive

2011-07-29T14:16:00.002-07:00

Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day:

The house may be a mess, but the kids are happy and having fun.

We may only have hot water, but at least we don't need to use the water heater = low gas bill.

The dog peed on the floor again, but it was tile and not carpet!

My daughter hit the baby in the face with a ball, but the baby didn't even cry.

I forgot to get eggs and milk while at the store, but we still have plenty of chocolate.

We don't know what our family's future holds, but we know God loves us with an everlasting love, and He is in control of the situation.

There is a kink in my neck that hurts no matter where I turn, but I'm so blessed it will be a temporary discomfort.

The baby is teething and grumpy, but her smile lights up a room.

Above mentioned baby also refuses to drink her milk and cries a lot lately, but I can eat dairy products again.

Above mentioned dairy products taste funny to me after a year, think of all the calories I'll be saving!

Here's hoping you all find joy in today, and have a wonderful weekend!

Soda

2011-07-28T16:00:00.002-07:00

I love soda. I don't drink it often... but I have it as an occasional treat. It is sweet and bubbly and fun. It reminds me of high school. I often let my girls order it when we eat out. I know it is bad for your health overall, and loads of sugar and calories. But, I still tolerated it once in a while, accepting it as part of life.

Not anymore. Not mine, and not my children's. Not after seeing this:

Source: None via Britt on Pinterest

And hopefully this will get you to think about it too.

Not because I want to give you a hard time. Not because I want you to feel guilty. Because I love you.

The same reason I tell you about plastic. And soy. And Jesus! Love.

Thanks for reading this today. I will get off my soapbox now.

Love,

The First Birthday

2011-07-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

Jaleyn turned one! Ten days ago. Ahem...

I didn't realize that moving her party to dinnertime would not only allow me the whole day to prepare low-stress, but also eliminate the possibility of decent pictures due to low lighting. I just didn't even think about it. Lesson learned.

But it was a great party, and we had many good friends and family here to celebrate her with us!

Love you, sweet girl! Happy one year!!!

T on T

2011-07-26T15:56:00.002-07:00

1. Another day or two and I can have CHEESE! I am beyond excited.

2. Lauren has been picking out her own outfits this summer. Yes, I am that mom who sets out my kids' clothes for them in the morning. She's been doing a great (read: anal) job of matching things, and yesterday picked this out. I didn't even know the skirt fit her yet!

She is so grown up. I can hardly believe it.

3. My business has a new look! I love it. You might want to subscribe over there. I am planning a new weekly project and a couple of contests!

4. Now I need a new facebook biz page. Ugh. It never ends. This is why there are PR people and graphic designers!!!

5. I had forgotten how long it takes to house-train a puppy! Of course I'd never done it with three small children in the house either. It's a really good thing he's cute!

6. Jaelyn's birthday pics will be up tomorrow, but I just had to do a Ten on Tuesday post today.

7. I have no idea what I am making for dinner. This happens all the time! I try to make meal plans but just never get around to it. Kind of like blogging...

8. It's my Mom's birthday tomorrow! Happy Birthday, Mom!!! We love you!

9. Jaelyn is cutting molars. Like, all of them. She is fevered, sleepy, crabby, and weepy. It's a good thing I did these shots yesterday instead of today!

I still am amazed my friend Jaclyn made that outfit, and in one day, no less!

10. It has been a hard day here. With Jaelyn teething (and so fevered she actually fell asleep on my chest!), Lauren slamming her cheek into the tile floor and replicating this (seriously, pictures coming later), mommy being, um - hormonal, and Paige merely being trapped at home all day (that girl gets some serious cabin fever like her mama)... we are all in a bad state. I am trying to stay positive, it is my new mantra. But, right now I am POSITIVE that we are having a rough day.

And that, my friends is my Tuesday. Hope yours is going well!

Ten On Tuesday

2011-07-12T15:29:00.003-07:00

1. Male puppies are weird. I haven't had one in a long time -- and he makes me laugh! And shake my head...

2. The girls asked me this morning when we were getting our next pet. I laughed. A lot.

3. I went shopping with my friend Jaclyn this morning. Even though we spent most of the time wrangling the kids, hanging out with that girl is good for my soul. Love her!

4. TOO much to do to be ready for Jaelyn's first birthday party still. And, a lot of it is going to be very last minute. I keep repeating this mantra in my head, "If you wait 'til the last minute, it only takes a minute" to try and keep from stressing out.

5. It's not really working.

6. My friend Kristin is in Colorado for the summer. Love this picture. I want to live right there!

7. Fun new shopping site MYHABIT - the name is apropos.

8. Does anyone else go home after shopping and immediately put on any wearable item they purchased? Yeah, me neither.

9. My house feels dirty -- and I want to sanitize. Anyone have an all-around steam cleaner I can borrow?

10. It feels so hot and sticky to me today. I miss the beach already!!!

2011-07-11T15:39:00.002-07:00

OK - so I wasn't able to blog over the weekend... but no one reads this stuff on the weekends anyway. Believe me - I am friends with my sitemeter, and no one is here Friday night through Monday morning. You guys must have a life or something. =) That's why I typically don't blog on the weekends either, I am enjoying our family time!

This weekend was a little crazy. We finally sold the girls' old beds - which means the bunkbeds are here to stay, yikes! Our car broke down in the CostCo parking lot, and I wandered the store while Justin tried desperately to get help to figure out how to get it running again. I was in CostCo for three hours with three kids -- during naptime. Ugh. But, Justin was working on a car in 108 degrees... so I'll call it even. ;) Our wonderful friends Phil and Annie came to the rescue, and in a hour from their arrival - not only was I home with all the kids asleep, but the car was running again. They are awesome for giving up their Sunday afternoon for us, and I am so grateful!

Oh yeah, and on Saturday we got this:

I proclaimed myself as crazy on twitter, and my friend Colleen readily agreed. ;) We still had Remy at the time, but we were just head over heels for this little guy! We are calling him Trigger. Funny, I actually really like it now that we've been calling him that for over a day... and Lauren loves it. Paige argues that it is not his name yet. And most the time you can hear crickets chirping when we tell someone his name. But that's okay, I am sure some parents experience that with their kids names, too!

Did you notice the word "had" up there? Remy got a new home today. She went to live with a retired couple that just loves her. She will be spoiled. And she will not have to hide from kids all day. It was hard to say goodbye to her, but I know in my heart it is the best for her nervous personality.

OK - more pictures from San Diego! We went to the Birch Aquarium while we were there, and it was just beautiful!

Those are seahorses! So cool!

This was my best aquarium shot:

Creepy little buggers.

Love this:

And this:

Look at the size of this fish!

There was a "Nemo" tank which was supposed to resemble the reef Marlin and Nemo lived in.

The girls thought that was awesome. Anyone surprised?

And then the tide-pools!

Wonderful, as always! The kids couldn't get enough.

Ok, that one's not alive. But pretty good resemblance to a living one, I thought!

And some angel offered to take a family picture!

Yay!

Hope your Monday is going well!

Oceanside

2011-07-08T15:19:00.004-07:00

Before leaving for home from San Diego last weekend, we dove up to Oceanside early Monday morning to take some beach portraits of my SIL's family. While we waited for them to come down to the water, I took some pictures of my own girls.

This trip was little J's first real beach experience, and I have to say the girl is in heaven!

Something tells me that one will be on our wall soon.

Love those learning-to-walk steps on the sand!

When J is excited, she says "Ohhh!" And here it is:

I love that! I also love how clearly you can see me in her eyes!

Watching her sisters:

Man, my girls know how to get dirty!

My Paige.

Not a fan of the side-lighting, but I am a big fan of that smile!

I'm pretty sure Lauren's happy-place is the beach. I can relate!

That is another favorite. I just wish I had been a little closer and down on the ground!

And here's our beach baby just before the massive meltdown began.

She had been eating sand. Lots of it.

Too days in a row of blogging! Let's see if I can keep it up over the weekend!

Long time no see

2011-07-07T14:47:00.001-07:00

Well, I didn't really intend to take a month off from blogging. It just sort of happened that way. And it was nice, actually. But, in many ways I have missed it - and intend to make a full-fledged comeback. ;)

Some pictures from June:

Their precious blankets and bedtime stuffed animals were getting washed. You would have thought I cut Paige's left arm off.

She was watching her sisters play outside. I love this shot.

We went to Payson for Father's Day:

And Lauren finally got the caterpillars she mailed away for. It was pretty neat to watch them grow, build cocoons, emerge, and flit around a bit.

But it was kind of sad that they didn't have enough room to fly in this pen, and didn't last very long. But the girls enjoyed the experience none the less!

Nothing much new is going on here. I am working on some big changes to my business. We are trying to find a new home for Remy (so if you know a retiree who'd like a non-shedding dog, let me know!). I need to start planning Jaelyn's first birthday party since it is in nine days! We just got back from a long weekend in San Diego. I will have many pictures from that trip tomorrow!

Hope you all had a wonderful month of June!

Until tomorrow...

Really, really interesting to me.

2011-06-01T16:21:00.000-07:00

Ten on Tuesday

2011-05-31T15:09:00.001-07:00

1. So very far behind! I will try to catch up in one day here - that is why we love Ten on Tuesday, right?

2. Lauren's last week of school was fun, and every day was a theme day. One of which was "Western Day" and this was her getup:

She was really happy with it, especially at pick up when she announced to me that everyone in her class said she was the "most cowboy". =) Something every girl longs to hear...

3. I can't get over how much change took place in the girls over the school year. Obviously Jaelyn has changed the most, but the bigger girls did too. This was them on the first day of school:

And here they are on the last:

What a difference nine months can make.

They just look so BIG. Grown up. Waaaah!

4. Lauren's Kindergarten put on a little program. Honestly, I was very disappointed there was no "Graduation" ceremony. It feels like a big step to me, and deserving of some fanfare. Whatever. ;)

The lighting was terrible, and Lauren was almost in the dark - so pictures were nearly impossible. This was as good as I could get.

Pretty, huh? Photoshop helped me out a little...

Do you even see her? Front row, right side, green sparkly shirt. All the kids had sunglasses for one of the songs -- so cute! She did a great job, we were very proud of her!

5. Have you watched "Food Matters"? It is a documentary on food as medicine - and it is great! Depending on your paradigms about medicine and about food, you may find it... tough to take. We did too, but we believe that we have big changes to make. If you have Netflix, it is on instant view. Go watch it, for your health!

6. The big girls got a bunk-bed. Scary. They love it, of course, and there will be much more playing room in their room now, which is why I wanted it. But I am just waiting for the inevitable injury. And now we have to sell their captains beds, and find a dresser ASAP. Anyone selling or buying?!?

7. We had a great holiday weekend. What started as four days with no plans ended up being fun-filled and busy! It was great!

8. We took the girls to SeaLife on Friday. It was nice, but I feel too expensive for how quickly you are done walking through it. Lauren has talked about it non-stop though - she loves all museums/zoos/etc. A little sponge, that one!

9. I am considering some big changes to my website, business blog, and this blog. I'll keep you apprised, don't worry! LOL

10. My to-do list is calling. It gets longer by the day, I'd better get on it! =) Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Six

2011-05-17T21:40:00.000-07:00

My little girl, the one who made me a mommy -- turned six last Friday. Six. She is so grown up already - and I am excited for her and sadly missing her Mommy-years already! In a few short months she will be in first grade. Full day. I think it will affect me much more than half day Kindergarten ever dared to. But for now, I am relishing in the fact that I have her home with me until early August. And I plan to make the most of that time together. That being said, if you happen to stop by my house -- don't expect it to be sparkling clean. I'll be playing with my girls instead!

Where did that come from? Why was I in here again...? Oh yeah, the party! I will have to come back and post real birthday pics later - but I wanted to get some party ones up sooner. These are un-edited pictures. Why? Because I just finished proofing 360 pictures for my wedding clients and I am tired of Photoshop. I mean really tired. And I have two more sessions to proof. So, there was no editing of party pictures. At least for now!

Lauren wanted an art theme, and I thought this CourtneyCourtney upcycled t-shirt dress looked very artist-like for my girl. Can I just say, the spunky attitude is killing me?!? As is the pointed toe! She is too big, I tell you!

Jaelyn showing off her standing skills to one of her many friends. Seriously, this girl loves people!

We colored treat bags, made necklaces, decorated wooden ruler/bookmarks, drew with sidewalk chalk, and...

Painted.

This is the real reason Lauren wanted an art party. The girl loves her some paints!

Her cake of choice:

The frosting was truly as thick as it looks.

And worth every calorie.

Lauren with her two girl-friends from school, enjoying their cupcakes.

Then it was time for the pinata. I wish I has a better picture of the face Lauren made at the beginning. She was so very ANGRY at Daddy for moving the donkey up and down. It was truly hysterical - like he was out to get her. Once the other kids had a turn and she realized that was just how the game went... she calmed down a little. This was her second go-'round.

In the end, Harper decapitated the beast. But no candy came out. Poor engineering, I tell you. Don't worry, I ripped it open and sprinkled it from the sky for the fullest pinata experience. ;)

Happy birthday, sweet girl! We love you to the "tippy top of Heaven and back"!

A little something...

2011-05-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

...came in the mail today:

And I LOVE it!

If you have an iPhone, you need one. Trust me!

Thanks to Tamara and Nel for their birthday contributions so I could finally get myself this! =)

New 'do

2011-05-05T09:56:00.001-07:00

I took the girls for summer haircuts yesterday. Yes, it is summer already... 99 here today, yikes!

Miraculously, I was able to talk Lauren into a much shorter cut. She was tired of the knots and having to pull through them all the time. Of course, this is an odd look at her 'do because the girl can't take a picture with her head straight. Believe me, I tried. It just doesn't happen. Unfortunately, I had wanted Paige's a little more like a bob, but this will do-- at least her bangs are straight and not too short! Nothing short of a miracle, I tell you.

I apologize for the wonky color, I grabbed this shot as we were heading out the door for school and forgot to check my settings. Rookie mistake! ;)

Stuff

2011-05-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

I am not even going to mention how long it has been since I've blogged. I am a slacker and I don't want to talk about it!

ANYway, stuff going on around here...

A comparison I did of the girls at 9 months, because I am weird:

Easter:

Our "Resurrection Rolls" - YUM!

Can't believe I hadn't posted those yet! Easter was kind of a crazy day for me, which is a shame because it is my favorite holiday -- meaning-wise. Just the thought of all Christ did for us brings tears to my eyes! Anyway, I think those pictures safely speak for themselves. We had a great day!

Jaelyn is crawling/cruising/getting into everything. Lauren and I call her the tornado. I thought my big girls made messes in the playroom, only to find out the only one in there was Jaelyn. She just pulls stuff out, spreads it everywhere, and moves on to the next! Hilarious.

On that same crawling/cruising/getting into everything token -- she has bruises all.over.her.head -- really, I don't remember my other two bonking themselves so often. Maybe it is one of those blessings that God helps us to forget. Like birth-pains.

I photographed my first ever wedding on Friday! It was fun, but very crazy and time just flew by. Now I have waaaaaay too much editing to do. Ooof. Not sure when I will see the light at the end of that tunnel. Speaking of which, that is probably what I should be doing right now.

Love you all~

Ten on Tuesday

2011-04-12T16:35:00.000-07:00

1. I have no pictures to post today. So I will share some of my favorite links instead! Starting with this. Awesome deals on cute kid stuff!

2. This fashion blog, Kendi Everyday is super fun, even though it reminds me how fashionable I am not.

3. I love window shopping (screen shopping?) for the girls at Paperlili.

4. This random fun blog is a new favorite too: Filth Wizardry

5. From Lyndsay Stradtner, a blog about using food to get healthy. Love it, love her!

6. I stalk this etsy shop for a skirt all the time (again for the girls, I don't shop for myself much): Dancing Freckle

7. TONS of fun crafts for kids over at Deep Space Sparkle.

8. Did I tell you about Grooveshark already? I can't remember. It rocks. Literally, if you want it to!

9. A great photography blog my SIL sent to me, I Heart Faces. I love that name.

10. My husband will roll his eyes, but I really want this bag! What? It's for WORK!

Hopefully I will have pictures for you all before the week is out. =)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-06T10:37:00.002-07:00

Snapshots of our week

2011-04-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

We are going to breed Remy and have PUPPIES! I can't wait!!!

Ummm - April fools! I will explain more later... here's some stuff that happened to us this last week. I am trying to be better about getting the camera out every day again.

Lauren found an inchworm and thought that was pretty much the best thing ever!

We went to a wedding reception - and all the girls did really great!

Paige acted so grown up for us, I was really proud of her three year old self!

Lauren met another little girl, so we didn't really see her much.

Jaelyn is full on crawling - it is craziness!

She and Paige both had nasty colds this week, but are on the mend now. Being sick couldn't keep Paige from twirling in this sweet ballet outfit!

Love her.

And the dog went into heat.

Poor thing, as if she wasn't stressed out enough - now she has to wear a diaper. LOL. At least Jaelyn's diapers fit her, so I haven't had to buy anything special. We were waiting to spay her because she had so much anxiety after the move, and she wasn't supposed to go into heat for three more months. So much for that. I actually considered breeding her for about six hours the first day, and then I realized that the puppies would come in mid-June and that means we would be at home until they were eight weeks old and ready to be adopted. Stay home for the whole summer?!? Not happening!!! So, no puppies... maybe with the next dog instead. ;)

Happy Friday!

Ten DAIRY cravings

2011-03-31T09:09:00.000-07:00

Having been off all dairy products for almost eight months now, I have compiled this list of what I will be eating as soon as I am given the go ahead:

10. Pizza - preferably from Cibo or NYPD
9. Cool Whip - on something, in something, or all by itself. Don't judge.
8. Chocolate Chip Pancakes
7. Racheal Ray Turkey Nachos
6. Queso Dip - preferably from Chili's.
5. Real mashed potatoes, or a baked potato with a double pat of butter.
4. This PW Dessert, or creme brulee. Or both.
3. Something smothered in Alfredo Sauce. With plenty of parmesan cheese on top.
2. A cheese plate - any and all kinds are welcome!
1. A Trente Starbucks Vanilla Latte

So, who wants to plan a progressive dinner on July 17th?!? =)

Butterfly Garden

2011-03-29T09:08:00.001-07:00

A couple weeks ago, Tamara and her girls came to town for a visit! We were able to meet up with them at the Desert Botanical Garden, just after they got off their plane and Justin's parents picked them up.

We were really headed there because it was opening weekend at the butterfly garden!

Justin was the first to have one land on him:

Then it was Lauren's turn. She was enamored!

I had to capture Taylor's reaction to the above picture!

Love her!

My girls could have stayed here forever, just staring at the delicate beauty.

Paige was really into identifying them on her chart.

Justin and his beautiful sister that we just don't see enough of! I miss her already!

Jaelyn did really well considering she was confined to the stroller all day long!

This made Lauren's day:

After a while we had to head out and explore a little more of the garden.

Lauren in a hut - they were all planning out how they would set stuff up if they lived in there.

We were looking at these pictures, and Lauren said, "Mommy there aren't many pictures of you." I told her it is because I take almost all the pictures, but if she ever wanted to find me she could look in the reflection of her eyes. I am there. And sunglasses work even better!

Taylor is such a sweet young lady! I really enjoyed talking with her more this visit.

And sweet Ellie-Roo too, of course!!!

Hanging out with Aunt "RaRa".

And making mesquite bean flour:

Did people really eat that? Crazy.

It was a fun day - SO glad we were able to do it!

2011-03-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

We are still alive. See?

I don't know why I am in a funk... all around funk. It is in a lot of other areas of life as well, but I haven't had any motivation to take pictures or write. It is a downer to feel this way, but I am truly hoping to find some new inspiration and get excited about blogging again. This place means a lot to me, to be able to put everything out there and hear what others have to say. I want to be doing it. So, here's to trying harder!

I think I failed to ever put up a picture of Remy, our newest Beeler girl. ;)

These were taken right after we got her, and she was/is a mess. We are finally taking her to the groomer this week, so I should have some prettier pictures up soon.

She is a sweetheart - just very fearful still. She is coming around toward me at least, and I am hoping she'll feel that way toward the whole family soon enough!

We have been crazy busy - but like I said, no pictures to speak of. Jaelyn is sick again, and there has been quite a few long nights involved for us. I am hoping she is on the upswing now that it is day five, but she truly seems to be the same kind of sick every day. We will see...

We are off to soccer practice for now - but I will come post pics of the butterfly garden tomorrow. We had such a great time hanging out there with family! Love it!

Until then - love you all!

TonT

2011-03-01T15:39:00.000-07:00

1. My hiatus has not been intentional. We have had a very sick house for over two weeks! Lauren brought home a virus that got passed around to everyone but me - and just as they were getting better, Paige caught a new nasty bug and passed it around again. They are still trying to get over that one, and I am still trying to stay healthy! It is a miracle that I managed not to catch either bug so far, because I catch EVERYTHING and it stays with me for a long time. I am attributing it to God's mercy, Elderberry extract, and Manuka Active Honey. Or it could just be a fluke. Whatever.

2. Two weeks ago, Justin took the girls to a Daddy/Daughter dance for their Valentine's gift - they got all dolled up and had a great time! They still mention it every now and again - clearly a big deal to their little girl hearts!

3. That last picture of Lauren terrifies me. Just sayin'.

4. Jaelyn is getting to be fun right now. She loves to clap her hands and wave hello (with a wrist turn, not open/shut hand), and will say Dadadada when she sees Justin. LOVE this age!

5. Justin is selling his Acura - so if you know anyone looking for an affordable used car, send them my way! =)

6. Trying to get a hold of a breeder to buy a two year old adult female Schnauzer. Her delays in response are making me crazy. I just want to know if she is ours or not!!! Why do people not return calls and emails?!? I am really excited that we might be able to get out of dealing with the puppy stage, and the suspense is killing me!

7. Paige is getting more into arts and crafts - but this is what happens when she is allowed to use markers:

8. God Bless the person who invented washable art supplies.

9. I need two models for an upcoming promotion I want to run for Mother's Day. Each one needs to be a mommy and her child/children available to meet me in central phoenix the weekend of April 2nd. One with one or more children over age two, and one with one child under one year old. You would receive a free disk of the 8-15 images with the printing rights. If you are interested, contact me! First come, first served.

10. I love pictures of my kids with books. Not sure what it is... but it moves me.

Happy Tuesday!

Seven month comparison

2011-02-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

I am always trying to figure out who each of the girls looks like and if they look like each other! Not that it matters, but I find it fun. So here is my latest comparison:

They are so cute! It almost makes me forget how tired I am... almost.

Soccer

2011-02-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Lauren's first soccer game - and I thought she did great, especially considering she knows nothing about the game, really. And practice this week was a lot better now that she understands what the whole point is! ;) Her team is the roadrunners, four girls and three boys - Lauren is number 19.

Warming up:

Her uniform is enormous - I hope she likes soccer a lot so we can use it for another two or three years. Ha!

Having fun and chasing down the ball!

Love this determination, look at that face!

It makes me laugh that in the above picture, the referee is texting or checking his email, or something. Really exciting game here, people.

Giving a smile and a wave as she runs by. She may not know where the ball is, but she is having fun!

It's a start.

In the last quarter she got a chance to play goalie.

And stopped the ball twice without any fear of getting hit in the face - I was impressed!

Can't wait to see how the rest of the season goes!

My Valentine

2011-02-14T13:34:00.000-07:00

My valentine is an awesome provider, and has a very strong work ethic.

He takes me places like the Science museum, just because I like them... because he loves being shoulder-to-shoulder, no matter what it is.

He sees beauty in creation, loves to be outside and see new places, but will hike the same trail 20 times - just because it is my favorite.

He indulges me with trips to the ocean at least once a year, even though he'd rather be in the pine trees.

He learned to love having a dog in the house and with us all the time - because he knew it was important to me.

He is thoughtful and romantic, usually when I least expect it.

He loves his family and would do anything for it.

He loves his children with all his heart.

He always does whatever needs to be done with a smile on his face.

He has given me three beautiful, special daughters - who adore their daddy.

He takes the burden on himself whenever possible, physically and metaphorically.

He is affectionate, and manages to make me feel pretty - even on the bad days.

He always makes me laugh, and still makes me feel fireworks like when we were dating.

After almost eleven years of marriage, thirteen years together... I love him more than ever!

Happy Valentine's Day, Justin! I-you...

The middle

2011-02-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

I loved a little special time with my sweet middle girl yesterday while Lauren was in school.

She is currently obsessed with this petti-skirt:

It made its way out of the office last weekend while we were organizing - confession: I bought it a year ago (and one for Lauren) planning to take portraits of them in the skirts. That has never happened. But now that she has seen it, Paige is in love! She convinced me that it matched her outfit yesterday - but today I talked her out of it since we ran some errands and she was already wearing a dress. She would have worn this thing right over the top of her dress though, that is how determined she is.

I find it so sweet that she likes to sit this way:

In her hand she is holding a "valentine" that Lauren made her. Just a piece of paper with her name on the front, Lauren's name on the back, and "Valentine I love you." on the inside. She carried it around all day. I might just squirrel it away and keep it forever.

She showed it to Jaelyn, and told her how special it was, and how she would make her one when she was older - because "sisters forever love each other".

Her love for her family melts my heart.

Such a sweet girl.

And here's that contagious smile:

The middle - right where she should be.

Stuff

2011-02-03T16:22:00.000-07:00

Not too much going on around here worthy of blogging... but after a week I start to feel guilty!

Lauren is really enjoying her creative time lately. She loves to draw, color, write, anything where she can MAKE something. This day, she built a bridge out of the big legos, and colored this paper all different shades of blue to put underneath as the water (not before cutting it precisely to size). She makes me smile!

Websites: I love pinterest! Have I mentioned this? =) If you need an invite, let me know!

I do not love craigslist. I used to love it. Now I feel like 2/3 of the people you talk to off there are flat out crazy. Crazylist. That is my new term for it.

The schedule seems to being working on Jaelyn... slowly. Now if I could sleep several hours without waking up all on my own, to apparently check the time - that'd be great.

I am without ~~my left arm~~, *ahem* my 5D camera for a week while it is being cleaned. This is the last series of pictures I took with it:

Ready to crawl any time now.

Super-baby! Love this.

All that work is exhausting!

Speaking of cameras and "Crazylist", I am looking to sell my Canon 17-40mm f4L wide angle -- if you know anyone who is interested, email me! It is too nice of a lens to just gather dust over here, but is far too wide for my needs!

And this just flat out scares me. She asked me to take her picture, and then made this face!

Three going on fifteen, I tell you. Is it weird that I think she looks like me? Does that mean I have too much attitude? Don't answer that. I know she looks too grown up already - even without the look.

I don't want to talk about it.

Stuff

2011-01-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

I have been wretched about blogging lately... I think I am in a funk. Just that feeling like you don't really have anything to say. I am sleep deprived, for sure - so maybe that has something to do with it. Baby J ha taken to making noise all.night.long. I have been trying different things, but not much seems to help. My usual bag of tricks does nothing for her stubbornness. But, this week we are going to a full on schedule. We have always had a loose schedule - but I'm willing to try anything at this point, so this week I am going to try and stay home a lot and keep her on a tighter clock. It might not work, and I might be back at square one on Friday, but it is worth a try at least. I need my sanity back.

In other baby J news, she is sitting up really well now:

That is a lot of fun for all of us!

My sweet middle girl has been struggling with obedience lately, so we have been spending a lot of time doing this:

Three years old is so tough! My least favorite stage for sure - always testing those boundaries. She makes me feel like I need to read more parenting books. ;)

But she is also the sweetest girl, loving quality time with her family members, loving to talk and talk and talk! Her smile lights up a room and makes everyone smile with her.

It makes being three almost bearable.

Almost.

Ad just when I think the bickering between the two big girls is going to drive a wedge between the two of them, they do something like this:

And restore my faith in their friendship. Paige always tells me Lauren is her best friend, which makes me smile! And then, about two seconds later - it makes me feel bad that she doesn't know more friends her age. She needs a social activity!

Our kitchen erupted with laughter last week when I made the girls this for lunch:

And the plates were wiped clean really quick! I think there will be more face-lunches in our future!

Our bedroom furniture got here on Saturday (thank you so much, Kohner family!) and it is slowly coming together in there. I will have to post some pictures after I get the photos up on the walls. It feels like we are sleeping in someone else's house, since we have never had any bedroom furniture to speak of. But, it is amazing - it makes me feel more like it is really "our" room, instead of just another place to pile junk in our house. I hope that will stick, because you all know how I am about piles. They are how I function. It's bad.

The next project on my list is to refinish the dresser that has been our only piece of bedroom furniture for these past ten years. Considering I have never refinished ANYTHING, it should be an adventure. Or a disaster. I'll keep you posted.

I hope to be back with more real pictures really soon!

Happy Monday, all!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-01-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

1. It is the 11th day of 2011 and I am just now posting pictures from the last day of last year. I would like to say that becoming less of a procrastinator is on my list of resolutions, but it's not. I am a realist when it comes to those sort of things. Why set yourself up for failure? ;)

2. On New Years Eve we set off smoke bombs in the yard. The girls thought it was pretty fun, and it was much less dangerous than the real fireworks you can now buy in Arizona!

3. Then we were able to visit with our old college friends Scott and Tracey while they were visiting from Bend, OR. It was so great to see them!

4. Yesterday I started an editing tutorial, and I am in love. Seriously, Erin Cobb is my hero! Here's a few shots that I used her editing tips on, beforehand the first two were severely underexposed (DARK, for the non-shutterbugs out there) and the third one was overexposed (washed out).

They aren't perfect, but I am working making progress!

5. I am getting the decorating bug. My house has been too plain for too long - and I need to fix that! I have tons of ideas in my head. Just have to figure out a way to work some money out of the budget. UGH.

6. Since I am not at all crafty, #5 could be a truly frightening adventure.

7. I had all three kids down for naps for 45 minutes today! Woo hoo! Even if they drive me nuts for the rest of the night, this was a good day!

8. Lauren was sent home with projects to complete from two of her "centers" today because she didn't get them done at school. She instead chose to socialize. With a boy. Oh, be still my mama heart.

9. On a different note, Lauren starts soccer in two weeks! I am so excited for her to try it out - praying that she will love it as much as she thinks she will!

10. I made this dish for dinner last night, and it was awesome! Seriously, one of my new favorites. I am slowly becoming a big leek fan, which says a lot because I despise onions. But leeks are sweet and tender and YUM. Of course my kids only ate the chicken and cranberries... but whatever, that's almost a well balanced meal. =)

Have a great rest of your Tuesday!!!

Geez...

2011-01-08T16:30:00.000-07:00

I have been really bad about posting on here lately. Sorry about that! If you ever visit my business blog, you know it is the same way... utter silence. I must get on the ball about that!

Finally, the last of the shots from our holidays:

Christmas Day we drove to Vegas and had Christmas Dinner with my family, opening gifts afterward.

Jaelyn and her GG:

Paige was having a hard time holding up Ariel for a picture. LOL!

Lauren got a robot dinosaur which she loves. Like a baby-doll. Don't get me started...

The next day we got come fresh air at the park.

And it was coooooold. But, I am from Phoenix, so it's all relative.

But, cold is always a good reason to get out this favorite hat and coat for the baby!

Christmas morning

2011-01-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

Such a fun morning!!! I should have put my flash on -- but oh well, thanks to Wilette, I am learning to love the grain. =)

Santa always leaves each girl their special gift on the coffee table next to what is left of his milk and cookies:

Paige has awesome bed-head.

Lauren asked for this particular game - unfortunately she was not so happy to find out you can't OPEN the tube. Right! Can you even imagine?!?

Jaelyn was a good girl too - Santa brought her a silky-blanket, in pink camo!

Paige was excited about everything this year! Love that!

Daddy got the girls a special gift:

He did the wrapping himself! *snerk*

Lauren thinks it is too cool!

She finally got it adjusted and shot it yesterday, with a huge smile on her face!

The Slinkies were a big hit from their stockings.

Everyone loves a Slinky.

As Pioneer Woman would say, "Name that movie."

Lauren's ornament she made at school.

Love.

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

We headed up to Payson for a quick turn-around trip on Christmas Eve. And I didn't take nearly enough pictures. Sometimes, nursing a baby and getting everyone dressed, and trying to keep some sense of sanity... does not leave much time for things like photography. Oh well.

Jaelyn in her church dress:

Paige:

Lauren:

This is what happens when you have three people taking pictures of your family at the same time. ;) Bless them for trying!

The Kohners:

After church we headed to Grandma Caroline's house for the big family get-together.

The line for food is always entertaining:

For some reason I love that shot. It is quintessential Beeler family.

Then the younger kids got to open little gifts. Here ours are, patiently listening to how things will go:

Papa taking a turn with Jaelyn:

Don't ask me why she didn't have a bow on. Mental note: babies with very little hair need bows more.

Then we got jammies on and headed down the hill to be ready for Santa's arrival!

It was exhausting, but so much fun!

Reindeer food

2010-12-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

On Christmas Eve morning we sprinkled Lauren's reindeer food that she made at school, all over the front yard - hoping that it would help Santa find his way to our house!

Christmas lights

2010-12-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

Ready to hear out the door for some hot chocolate (the girls prefer to call it "warm chocolate") and to drive some neighborhoods looking at lights!

Someone had their entire roof covered this way:

They had a lot of fun this year! Last year was a disaster.

My personal favorite:

Justin's favorite had to have been the house where all the lights were set to music and they used an FM transmitter so you could listen to it on your car radio while you watched. Some people really know their technology! I didn't get a picture there though. :(

Goofing around at the gas station:

This Holiday Joy project has really helped me remember all the little things this Christmas! I am so thankful for that!

The Swopes

2010-12-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

We get together once a week, but the kids love this one a little extra because there are presents! I got NO pictures of the kids opening their gifts, but a grabbed a few of them playing before they headed home.

The big kids are better at posing:

Sometimes. ;o)

Paige and Harper could not be bothered to get up from playing, so instead I documented what either of our houses look like when Sunday night dinner is over.

This family are our closest friends, and we share so many great memories with them over these years of Sunday nights.

It is so worth the clean up.

Love you, Swopes!

The Beeler Girls

Zoo trip

Jan 27 - Maniacal laughter

Jan 26 - Love waves on her

Ten on Tuesday

January 20 - The Wii Coma

Jan 19

Jan 18

Jan 17

Ten on Tuesday

January 14 - Color Wonder time

January 13

Just stuff

Jan 12

Jan 11 - it's like Christmas all over again!

Jan 10 - Extreme close up

January 9

January 8 - Our best friends got a trampoline!

January 7

January 6 - Painting a rocket ship

January 5 - Sister Time

January 4 - Fish fascination

January 3 - Excited Baker Girl

Holiday Wrap Up

January 2

January 1 - One Big Tea Party

Who you are

Paige's Party

Paige is FOUR!

Thanksgiving 2011

Thankfulness

Getaway in Sonoita, AZ

Vaccines???

Halloween

Pumpkin Patch - take two

Ten Spot

Pumpkin Patch - Take One

Monday thoughts

It's Friday

Ten on Tuesday

First Grade

Wickenburg, AZ

Beautiful walk

Soda - Diet?

Ten on Tuesday

So Loved

How to be positive

Soda

The First Birthday

T on T

Ten On Tuesday

More

Oceanside

Long time no see

Really, really interesting to me.

Ten on Tuesday

Six

A little something...

New 'do

Stuff

Ten on Tuesday

Wordless Wednesday

Snapshots of our week

Ten DAIRY cravings

Butterfly Garden

TonT

Seven month comparison

Soccer

My Valentine

The middle

Stuff

Stuff

Ten on Tuesday

Geez...

Christmas morning

Christmas Eve

Reindeer food

Christmas lights

The Swopes