Welcome to my blog!

My super awesome husband gave me a super fabulous camera a few years back and I've been hopelessly obsessed and have driven my children crazy with, "look at Mommy" and "you can have a piece of candy if you let me take 5 pictures", ever since. Here are just a few of those moments I steel away from my uber cute kiddos, and a few more moments I occasionaly get to take of other people...to the relief of my family. I do love to practice on anyone who will let me, so if you would like your picture taken let me know!
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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Graduation Day

Jared graduated from preschool. On his last day they walked down to the park and the moms met them there. And did I take a single picture of my graduate? No, no I did not. But I did take a picture of some cute little baby cousins.

This one is mine.


This one is my cousin Kim's. She's six days younger than my little chubby monkey.

And she has gorgeous big blue eyes!

Grandpa

We live pretty close to my parents, like just over a mile close, so my dad stops by pretty often to see the kids. And they love it! Can you tell?


Well, they usually love it. Madie was a grouch this day, so no pictures of her. Abby was loving the attention though.

My dad loves kids and it's so nice having him over to entertain my little rug rats.

Jared's Birthday, the evening


Don't they totally look like they just love each other to death? It's a deceptive picture. They fight all the time...in between short moments of loving each other to death. As I type Jared is sitting on top of Madie saying, "I hate you...no I love you!". Then she cries, then laughs, then cries again.

Guess what that folded blanket he is holding is.

It's his birthday present. No, not the blanket. I forgot to wrap it (yes, just like my mom) so I wrapped it in a blanket, just like Jared does every other day when he gives me "presents".

It's his first video game. He hasn't had a huge interest in gaming yet, so we got a kiddish one off the clearance rack to see how it went. We wanted to get Mario Kart, but the game seems to be hiding from us. We saved his skate board for his party that weekend, but I don't have any pictures of that because I'm a dork and I forgot to put my memory card back in my camera. The deceptive thing still takes the picture and previews it for you, but when you go back to look again...they're gone! (sniffle, sniffle) He LOVED the skate board.

And then Madie did a silly little dance that made Nathan wonder.

Jared's Birthday, the morning

Jared turned 5! I still can't believe it. And on his fifth birthday there was a mother's day luncheon at his preschool. They set a cute little spot on a table in the backyard for all the moms.


The kids made the frame and painted the flower pot. And the place mat is a list of questions the teachers asked the kids about their moms. The answers can be hilarious!

So cute and so proud of his work. And so five years old.


And they sang us super cute little songs.

And the food was good ta-boot. I'm going to miss that school.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

On this day (pretend it's May 6th) I was preparing for my baby boy to turn FIVE!

Five years old people! How on earth did he get this old this fast?!?! He's tall and lean and has no baby chubs to speak of. And speaking of speaking he practically talks like an adult. His vocabulary surprises me and the questions he asks are crazy! He needs to know how everything works. A quick one sentence explanation will not satisfy his "why".

But I digress...

On this day I was making cake pops for him to brings as a birthday treat to his fabulous preschool. Bakerella taught me.

Yes, I like to pretend fabulous people I admire are actually here teaching me their fabulousness, even though they're only on my computer and t.v..

So they're actually suppose to look like little cupcakes. They don't. I haven't learned that level of fabulousness yet...but I still think they were pretty cute.



See, I didn't understand the whole candy melt thing yet. I melted them in my microwave, but I think they got a little too hot and started to reclumpify. Yes, that's a real word. To me. Then I used the double broiler method and things started to move along.



All done and ready for preschool the next day.


Yum!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Me

A few months ago I was reading another blog, and the women who writes it was telling about a conversation she was having with someone who only had one picture of her mom. So maybe she should go take some more pics of her mom, right? Wrong. Her mom had died and that was the only picture she'll ever have of her. This got the blog writer (and me) thinking about the lack of pictures that get taken of moms. We're always the one behind the camera. I try passing the camera off to my husband, but still, almost no pictures of me for my kids to look back on. So it is my goal to get some pictures take of me for posterity's sake. And if I can't get others to do it, I'll grow longer arms and take a few myself. (Or I could get over my lazy tendency to avoid using a tripod.)


This is right after I dyed my hair back to its natural dark color. I'm addicted to highlights. And it's not an addiction I want to quit...but I don't want to be a blond either.

My other goal is to have more pictures of me and Nathan together. Our last one was at Christmas. Yes, six months ago Christmas. We'll see how long it will be before I can con him into another one.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Getting Ready

So I was doing a bunch to get ready for the wedding...gathering decorations, getting the cake ready (thanks so much Andrea!), trying to dress my kids, dress myself (my awesome friends Kristyn and Kim helped so much with that)...that by the time I got to there my brain was probably a little scrambled. My fabulous cousin Kim was already there taking some photos of Kristian getting ready (thank goodness for her) and I rushed to pull out my camera, jumped up on the super high bed to start taking pictures and Kristian gave me this look...

It's kind of a, hummm, I'm smiling on the outside but wondering what the heck is she doing standing up there on the super high bed on the inside, kind of look.

Then we pulled over an ottoman for her to sit on and the...what the heck is she doing standing up there on the super high bed look that was on the inside before came right out on her face.

And I understand. Why was I standing up there on the super high bed?

Oh ya, this is why...

Doesn't she look lovely? So pretty and calm and peaceful and serene. Like her wedding day is just an afternoon walk in the park. And maybe she was calm and peaceful and serene because she sure acted like it. Or maybe she was more like me on my wedding day and had gone a bit numb to everything going on around her. No, I think calm and peaceful and serene fits her much better.

See...


And this is the...oh good, she's finally off the super high bed... look.




And look at all the soft gathering on her dress. I have no idea what you call it, but I love it! Love it, love it, love it!




I think every bride needs a full length mirror to admire her beautiful self in.


Mother of the bride, Kathy.

She's always super enthusiastic and smiling.

Mother of the groom, Sylvia. I call her Mom.

She was so excited to see Peter married.

Sarah did Kristian's hair and make up. She had to head off to work right after the wedding, but I'm so glad she could make it to the big event.


And if you looked out the bedroom window this is what you'd see.

That's Thomas, Kallan and Shelby getting things ready.

And Kim, backing me up on photos. She had a really good angle when we were outside. I haven't seen them yet, but I bet they're good.


Keeping us on time...


And just to prove I was there, I turned the camera on myself. I need longer arms.

I think Kim snapped a few of me...? I can't remember. I couldn't even remember to put on earrings. But despite my discombobulated head, I thought the day was lovely. Really lovely. And I have tons more pictures...that you'll see eventually. And by eventually I mean soon.