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!

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.

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.

Peter and Kristian

My brother got married!!!

We are all so excited for them. They live in Louisiana, but got married out here in California. So exciting! They are off to the Cook Islands and then to Vegas! And while they're off having a tropical vacation I'll sit around here editing photos of them. This one my cousin Kim took. She's becoming an excellent photographer. My photos to come...



Congrats you guys!

Mommy's Perspective

I was holding Abby thinking about what a sweet cutie pie she is and wanted to get that perspective captured forever, so I pulled out the camera and gave it a try. It doesn't look exactly like what I was seeing, especially because the side of her face was by the bright window which made it pretty bright in the picture, and I need arms about 2 inches longer so I can hold her far enough away to get the camera to focus. But besides that...it kind of worked.


And, once again, I can't decide on color or black and white.


Black and White?


Or color?

She's got those fingers in her mouth a lot. It first I thought she might be teething early, but still no teeth, so I guess she just really likes to chew. I'll have to keep a large supply of gum around in the future.

Now I'm off to find an arm stretcher.

Late Holiday Pics

Happy Easter...last month. I always love dying eggs with the kids and getting out decorations and celebrating. And this year we did our egg dye over at our good friends the Hanbergs with their daughter and cutie pie granddaughter Rebekah. It's tons of fun to do with friends, and even better when you don't have to worry about the mess at your own house. I was dumb and didn't bring my camera to that, but I did get pics of the kids all dressed up in their Easter church duds.

Grandma Susie bought this gorgeous dress for Madie. It's for Easter and for Uncle Peter's wedding. And it's super cute!


I didn't actually get Jared anything new to wear this Easter, but he was excited to dress up in his man-sized tie that Grandma Tibby got him last year.


And the kids together. No, he's not trying to choke her. That's what he does every time I tell him to take a picture with his sister. He's pulling her in close.


And our cutie pie baby girl. Imagine her with a super cute big huge flower headband on that chubby round head of hers.

It was darned cute!

Holy Cloud Burst Batman

You know how rain almost never shows up in photos?

Well, check this out.



It was poring buckets!

So my kids ran out in played in it. But not before Madie had the chance to change into her swim suit.

Silly girl.


Then Jared ran and stood under our broken rain gutter where the water was poring down like a waterfall. I didn't get a picture of that, but it required a towel and a change of clothes.

Silly boy.

Squinty Eyes

Nathan helped me round up the kids (he even helped get them dressed) and find a nice flowery spot to take some springish pictures of them. Of course because I was hoping to get some pictures of the three of them together, Madie was in the worst mood ever, well, not ever, but was kind of grumpy and only wanted pictures of her by herself. I go into any picture taking experience of my kids (they've got WBPCS, wanna be photographer's child syndrome) with very low expectations, so I wasn't all that disappointed.

I was also practicing shooting in full sun. I avoid it like the plague, but I thought maybe I should actually face my demons and learn how to do it right. I don't think they turned out too bad considering my total lack of experience at it. Except the squinty eyes. But being that I can't physically force them to open their eyes all the way, I'll just have to live with it. I wouldn't want to make pretty portrait faces in all that sunniness either.

A happy moment.






I don't know what this is, but it's sure cute.


He was trying to be moody like Madie, but he just couldn't do it.




She was being photographed by herself, and was on the verge of dancing.


It looks like she could be smiling here, but she was really mad Jared was in the picture.


And our little one. I'm totally in love with her. And mad at myself for not coming up with a good way to pose her until after this little session. I can picture it now...a wicker basket, a soft blanket just brimming over the top, her lying on top with all that brilliant yellow behind her. Oh well. I can still stare at her chubby little chin lying on the not-so-cute brown blanket.


Jared loves her too.


And so does Madie, but maybe not at this moment. She was, after all, stealing her shot.


Overjoyed to give me an excited pose all by herself.


Squinty eyes from that darned sun, but still cute, in my humble mommy opinion.




I would have loved to get more pictures on this old rusty farm equipment something-or-other, but Madie was giving my the stink eye the whole time.

I Heart Hair

Madie is so full of emotion, good and bad. It's a roller coaster living with her, which is kind of fun and occasionally frustrating. She has very strong opinions, like what to wear. And her favorite thing to wear is this.

I have to pry it away from her just to wash it. And remember, it's only just now spring. This has been going on all winter. Apparently she "likes to be cold". Crazy girl.

She is also very picky about her hair. Sometimes she just wants it down. Sometimes she brings me 10 rubber bands and wants them all in her hair. She did that once and I accidentally figured out how to do this.

So I took a picture so I can replicate it in the future.

Looking Kinda Like You

Pictures are cool because they freeze moments in time and we can look back and remember. Except sometimes there are pictures that you think, "Iiiiuukk?!? That looks nothing like me!".

These look nothing like my girls. Well, they look like the girls, but don't really look like what they look like. Like you know who they are, but you don't think, "Ah, that looks just like them".





This on the other hand, is what Jared looks like half of the time.

He's full of great expressions, and usually in his pajamas.