My Halloween Post

So I love Halloween and my kids do too. They plan on what they are going to be in the summer. I enjoy making the costumes as long as they aren't too outrageous and it would be both too expensive or too time consuming to do myself. So this year Bradyn wanted to be Darth Vader and I didn't want to do a disservice to the essence of Dart so I just bought the costume. Leena wanted to wear her ruby red shoes so she chose to be the wicked witch that the house fell on in Wizard of Oz. I did make her costume....I know it isn't like the one in the movie, but I wanted to add a little spice to it and match her shoes, so kill me. And the hat I found a K-mart the day before Halloween and I couldn't believe it was a perfect match to the material on her dress. Hooray for me. Little Sophie adores animals and wanted to be Leena's black cat. I had fun with her costume and she looks too dang cute.

So we had Dorthy (Ella), Alphaba (Marla), Glenda (Jillian), Squashed witch (Leena)......so what would be more fun then to reenact the Wizard of Oz.......nothing really. I would have been a munchkin, but maybe my dream will come true next year. So you will see a few of the shots Jillian and I took during the reenactment. The kids thought is was so fun. Oh yeah, it isn't a photoshop miracle that there are two Darth Vader's, the other one is Lynn. Bradyn was too excited for words. Funny thing is, is that Justin was Darth for Halloween when he was 8 as well. I should find a pic and stick him in there too. Enjoy our little bit of Halloween joy. I was a party pooper and didn't dress up this year. Not for the lack of desire, but for the lack of time. I enjoyed watching my kids too much. (The Fisher Price school is all we had on hand, just use your imagination.:)

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Witches trying to be witchy and a cute kitty



Can you feel the force?

Meoooowwwww

Bradyn's Big Day

So I have been lax in my family blog, but I don't think many are disappointed. But I try to look at this as a sort of family journal. So today we are highlighting my big boy. He is such a funny kid. I love him and can't imagine not being able to hear his crazy stories, his forever present noises or humming, and his adorable scrunched up smile. He is amazing at anything he puts his mind to. I am always awed at what his mind conjures up. He is fun, cuddly, and is very stubborn. The following story illustrates this.

So anyways, Bradyn turned the big 8 in August and was baptized in September. He was very excited and couldn't wait. The big day came and we were all trying to get ready to head over to the church. He had asked if he could take his camera and he was told no, because it could be a distraction. That is when the sobbing and wailing started. He proceeded to cry and say he didn't want to be baptized.!?!?!?!?! My heart sunk. Of course you want them to make their own choice, but at this point I was fine with him being dunked under the water unwillingly. We had people already at the church and others who had come a long way to see him. I thought maybe everyone will interpret his stubbornness as being "moved by the spirit".I was justifying it in my mind, saying he would want it in the end, or he will come to his senses, but I was not comforted. I did the smart thing and prayed as I watched Justin drive him to the church crying. To my relief when I got there he was smiling and eager with his tear stained face. I guess his baptism will be that much more memorable for me. In the end he had a great day and hopefully he will understand why we didn't give in to his demands.

Since I am highlighting Bradyn, another story happened on a Sunday in sacrament. Two weeks ago we were sitting in sacrament listening to the speakers and there was one person who had been talking for a while and she finally closed her talk and sat down. Bradyn, in the pause between speakers, said, "FINALLY". People across the isle and an isle up turned and laughed. So I'm sure that all ears in a few feet radius of us heard, but composed themselves. The lady who laughed continued giggling throughout the rest of sacrament. I thought it was rather funny because he expressed just what I was feeling as well.

Here is another gem.....We were sitting and watching conference and I had called all the kids to come sit and at least be still to listen to the Prophet. After he spoke he looked at me and with watery eyes said that he doesn't know why but his eyes started watering and he felt like he was going to cry. My heart jumped with excitement to be able to point out that it was the spirit he was feeling and help him to recognize that. It was such a sweet little moment with him and I was so proud that he felt to talk about it. Then he continued talking......... He proceeded to say that some thought just came out of space and popped in his head (he explained this a couple of times with hand gestures). I then asked him what thought was this. He said that this thought that was flying down from space and landed in his head was the thought that what if someone hurt the Prophet? He was more descriptive, but I couldn't type it. I was horrified that such a sweet little moment could be crushed by this horrid thought flying out of space into his big head (note of sarcasm). I told him that there are people out there that want to do bad things to people, but to try and not let those thoughts come into our head. That he needed to control his thoughts and think happier things. Please tell me this is a normal boy thing. Feel free to leave any stories of your own. I need consoling.

So this is some good times that my dear boy has blessed us with. I love him with all my heart and am excited to see him grow. I just hope I steer him in the right direction. It is horrible, I know, but this is the only picture I took of the day. Pathetic........I may just have to start hiring a photographer on these occasions so I can enjoy the day and let someone else document it. Shoemakers children go shoeless........I understand that quote now.

Love you Bradyn

Mission......

My mission is to refinish this dresser to put in my room. When we moved to our new house, it no longer had a large walk-in closet. So I had to find something to fit all our "stuff". I had recently refinished a dresser for my son and loved how it turned out, so I wanted to tackle another one. I got this off KSL for 50 bucks, yay! It is very sturdy and needs very little repair. My idea was to refinish it as it looks. With the natural top and knobs and the rest a cream. That way it would withstand any color or decor changes in my bedroom over the years. But I wonder if I am taking the easy way out and instead should really do something different. I am posting this to get ideas from all two of you who frequent my blog. So bring on the suggestions. Don't feel bad if I decide to keep it as is. I want something to go well with a lot so I don't have to repaint it again. My bedding colors are reds and oranges right now, but am feeling like a change when I can afford it. My headboard and footboard are light pine. My walls are a very pale cream, but am anxious to throw up a strong color maybe this winter, not sure yet what color. So there is some info to consider while coming up with some amazing ideas for me. I will be anxiously waiting.

Bouquet of deliciousness

So this is what my sweetie surprised me with for our anniversary. A vase full of reeses (my fave). He said he thought about getting me flowers, but thought I would enjoy these more. Well, I can't say that I was dissapointed. They certainly will last longer than flowers (on my hips) and they smell just as pretty, and they are edible. What more could a girl want. Thanks babe.



Mmmmmm, can't you just smell em. I had to play a little with my macro lens. hehe

10

Well, 10 years has gone by since I married the man of my dreams. Yes, it was love at first sight, although I didn't realize it would actually come about. We have had 10 wonderful years growing together, laughing together, crying together, and yelling together. I have never heard of anyone saying marriage was easy and I would have to agree, but I would never ask for anyone else to learn with. Justin has been a supportive, comforting, uplifting, and obviously a handsome companion. I thank him for pushing me to think and express those thoughts and encouraging me to pursue my interests. He has helped me to become a better photographer and has increased my desire to continue learning. I love him for loving me and making me feel beautiful. He is a wonderful provider and went to work full time, school full time, and cared for his family to provide for me and our three beautiful children. He just finished his MBA at Westminster and I am so proud of him. It was such a long and hard road, but we did it. I am looking forward to the future together and falling even more in love. Thank you sweetie, for everything. Life is sweeter with you by my side. You are my tootsie in my tootsie pop.



Sorry for the quality, but it is a scanned picture. Boy, we sure have come a long way in photos in the past ten years. Digital just started to enter the field. I have been doing photography for 12 years and what I do now is so vastly different then 12 years ago. I am having so much fun.

Business Time

Birthday Girl #2

On to birthday girl #2. Sophie will be turning 3 on Saturday. The kids have requested camping to try out our new fancy tent so we will be camping on her birthday. My little Soaps is so much fun. She is the climber of the family and loves to get right in with her big brother and sister with whatever they are doing. She still loves to be my little girl and likes to snuggle and endures my many kisses and hugs. Her favorite things are dogs and riding in the bike trailer. She loves to get out and do things. I am so glad she is my baby and she is still small enough to curl up in my arms. I love my baby and hope she has a happy day!

Birthday Girl

May 20th is Leena's B-Day and it makes me reflect on my little girl. I can't believe she will be 5 and starting school in the fall. It is hard to feel that I have gotten the most out of each stage of her short growth. I don't know that anyone can. She is the sunshine in our day (although storm clouds occasionally arise). She is so full of life and a ball of fun. She loves to learn and is very competitive. Anything her big brother does, she knows she can do too. She isn't afraid of anything, except for the moment, shirts that come dangerously close to the bottom of her shorts. She is a great big sister and a lovable little sister. She keeps me company and I love her many fantastic stories. Her latest funny is when we came back from Central Europe Bradyn was so interested in our stories, he said he wanted to go to Poland for his mission. Leena soon piped up and said she wanted to go to Disneyland for her mission. She's never even been there yet, but she knows there are castles and princesses and that's all she needs. I am so glad she is my girl and I have the privilege to be her mom. I love you Leen. Happy Birthday!

Easter Finally

So I am finally posting about Easter. Things have been busy lately and haven't had much of a chance. It isn't a huge priority because not many visit my blog. (Violin playing my sad song in the background)I had to practically beg two of the three that commented on my last post(thank you, you three that commented). So to all few of you who visit my blog enjoy a few quick snapshots of their Easter.

Here they are looking spiffy. I had to hurry because we were going to be late for church and I wanted to take them before we went so they looked fresh. :)Bradyn wasn't in the mood for many pics so this is all I got.

Sophie was so adorable and I think she knew it because she loved for me to take her pictures, which is unusual. I couldn't get enough of how cute she was.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Maybe this will seem a little more exciting for those few who take a brief moment out of their busy day to to grace my blog.I missed out when my cousin did this and was very dissappointed.So I was excited to see my friend do this.It is a pay it forward thing. This is how it works..... The first 3 super lucky people to leave a comment on this post will receive a super stupendous hand made gift from me during this year. When and what will be a wonderful surprise. BUT, to be the official WWCD (notice post title), you have to leave a comment here so I know who really cares about me and then you have to Pay it Forward on your blog and continue this wonderful givingness. (That means that sometime during this year you will receive a gift from me and you will send a gift to 3 people as well.) Get it? So, the first 3 (or in my case my only 3)people to comment on this post will be the lucky ones! Good Luck!

New Blog

I started a new blog! It is a peek of my latest stuff. It will take me a bit to catch up on some pix, but leave a comment. I would love feedback. Enjoy.
Check to the right for the link

What Happens When You Tie Sticks To Your Feet?

We had a chance to go skiing with my dad and sister Becky when they were in town. We thought it was a good time to introduce it to Bradyn and Leena. Here are some pix and their hops down the bunny hill. We all had a great time. The kids loved it and it was fun to experience it with them. Thanks for giving us the excuse to go Dad.

Becky and the new ski demons.
Slope Ripper

Ray Ban Man- name given to him by the lift operator.