our family

fireworks, flags and food storage

July 7, 2008 5 Comments

what a weekend! fun. entertaining. and productive. productive. productive!

i can't say that we braved the heat for any fireworks this year though. i think fireworks are almost non-existent in my little world here in the desert. usually i am used to hearing blasts most of the day and night on the 4th. either people are out setting off their own little shows in the street or attending the huge city productions. here in AZ? not so much. i didn't even hear one little measly fire cracker on our street (maybe that's a good thing seeing as how they are illegal!). instead, we're all inside trying to keep from smelling like wet dogs due to excessive sweat production when venturing outside! 😉

even if fireworks weren't part of the festivities this year, it still was fun! a couple of movies. a little swimming. some yummy patriotic treats…

and a LOT of organization. i have no idea what got into us, but we cleaned out the pantry and the garage. man, oh man, it feels like we have a whole new addition to our house after we unburied the piles and piles of boxes!

you should have seen it though. it felt a bit like that scene from christmas vacation when chevy chase is up in the attic watching old home movies, reminiscing, and getting all teary-eyed. i found a little diary i had when i was eight-years old and started reading jeff a couple of entries. he showed me some of his glamour shot senior pictures…hot stuff, baby. the only thing missing was the turban and pink gloves. hah!

i think the best part of it all was the step we made towards preparing a location for real food storage. i have procrastinated this far too long. and now i'm ready. so bring on the barrels of wheat that i have absolutely no clue what to do with besides worry that it would cause severe bowel complications were we forced to actually consume it. hee. hee. hee.

but really, i am super excited. amazing. i know. i never thought i'd be excited about food storage. taking it little by little though. i've made up a list of our three-month usable supply and i'll start making a dent in that for now. i found a great website, the totally ready blog, that is an awesome resource too. if you have any suggestions for me, i'd love to hear them.

(oh and if you're looking for a little laugh, you can see that lovely attic clip here)

digital design, our family

weekend projects

June 28, 2008 No Comments

lots of stuff accomplished this weekend. yee-haw!

#1. the laundry room is done. yo, baby! now i just need to take pictures. i'll hook you up with those on monday!

#2. finished a fun little project for the garden girl blog at twopeasinabucket.com. i made a birthday box so now i clearly have no excuse for not remembering family birthdays. you can check out more pictures of it here.

#3. swam. swam. swam.

and perhaps this is our happiest accomplishment of the entire year. if you have been around this blog at all for the past few years, you may recall our issues with swimming. we have them. a lot of them. every year, when summer rolls around there is great fear and trembling in our home. when the dreaded words "swimming lessons" are uttered, usually pandemonium breaks out. crying. wailing. and great trepidation.

of course, this year was no different. same story.

we've been at it again all month long. more lessons. and no swimming. and finally on thursday i said to jeff, "do you have any idea how much money we've spent just trying to teach this kid to swim? no more! i'm going to throw him in the pool myself and say sink or swim buddy!"

well, the same afternoon that i said that, i went out in the pool with dallin to check out his abilities. i expected the same old, "but i don't want to swim!" i swear i must have alarmed the neighbors with my shrieks of delight when i saw him jump in and swim. and swim. and he just kept swimming. for 5 hours straight that day. i had no idea the progress his teacher was making with him. no idea.

i thought it might have been a fluke because we've had those in the past. but yesterday and today we swam again with no hesitations.

and the icing on the cake…when he said to me, "mom, do you know what my favorite sport is? swimming!"

dude. this momma is a happy camper.

our family

somebody is turning 30 today

June 16, 2008 2 Comments

i'll give you one good clue.

i think he has the…

happy birthday, my hottie! 😉

digital design, family photography, our family

more pine

June 12, 2008 8 Comments

because i can't think of anything entertaining to say lately about what's happening around here, i will post a few more pics from pine. they will have to do the talking for me!

oh wait, here's one fun thing i remembered. some new stuff i made for Two Peas this week.

although i do have to laugh that i decided to make bookplates…as if i ever read books!

i don't have a clue why i can't pick up a book and read. i want to. really i do. a friend lent me her copy of twilight and i haven't even cracked the cover for months. would it be bad to return it and pretend that i read it? ;)

no. no. i'll read it. of course i'll read it. maybe by december. 🙂

family photography, our family

pine part 1

June 4, 2008 5 Comments

last week, my sister-in-law invited all the fam up to a cabin in pine, arizona. it was just the ticket to beat the already encroaching summer heat. not only that, it was fun to let the kids run, be free, be messy, be loud, be adventurous, and be happy.

that they were. very happy.

and i was happy to take pictures all along the way. the cabin was full of vintage old goodies. i saw a yellow chair. and the yellow chair saw me. and we were good friends. 🙂

family photography, our family

can i get a hallelujah?

May 14, 2008 11 Comments

sing praises to the new camera lens! amen, sistah! hallelujah! oh you know that's right!
can i be any more excited? i am in heaven. pure bliss.
folks, there really can't be anything better than a beautiful moment of life captured on film. and to have that moment captured just as your eye envisioned it…well, it's just glorious!

we took a short jaunt this past weekend to california for a funeral and we just had to stop at one of our favorite spots. and this is what i captured. i am giddy. overwhelmingly giddy.

"keep off"
what???? 😉

i love this last one. of course i love them all. but, for some reason i just love jeff's hair. silly, huh? but i could just reach out and run my fingers through it. yum!

more fun photos to come!

motherhood, our family

“D”

May 7, 2008 6 Comments

just thinking about this cute kid and how much he has changed this past year. not only physically but mentally. he really is sharp as a tack. and i LOVE watching his little mind work. sometimes it's just amazing to sit back and say, "that's my boy!"

our family

eight.

April 29, 2008 7 Comments

so you might be guessing by the title and the above picture that this is going to be one of those smooshy gushy, lovey dovey posts about how we've been married for eight years and that it's been the best eight years of my life and that i can't imagine being without him and that he's my knight in shining armor and that he completes me, etc. etc. etc.

so if you are thinking that is what this is all about…

let me tell you something.

you are totally. completely. and absolutely

right!

so let the sappy love flow freely today. because i love this man more than i ever dreamed possible!

(just for you jeff…*smooches*) 😉

our family

little link

January 24, 2008 8 Comments

how i love this little kid!
his constant smile is just the ticket for any cure. and he is generally willing to offer it at any time of the day or night.
i feel so blessed that he is mine for the loving!

family photography, our family

we are so first timers

January 18, 2008 4 Comments

at this parenting gig!

last night was officially our first school program. you know the scene…eager, goofy parents cheering and waving and beaming watching their children fidget with their clothes, drop and pick up their hats a few hundred times and, of course, sing cutesy songs that make you laugh. and we can’t forget the slew of video cameras, tripods, and roving paparazzi trying to make elbow room to take that shot of your darling kiddo!

it was fun. so very fun to finally take part in this parenting first. and ella was fascinated too as she yelled out after the songs, “oh, dallin, you did tho good!”

and granny even got to come too. what a treat!