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

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

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

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

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

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

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.