life {in pictures}

please update your links!

2008-02-14T12:23:00.000-08:00

My new blog will now be on the l-m website - visit us there :D

http://leaving-memories.com/blog/

and now for something completely different

2008-02-11T22:25:00.000-08:00

Painting without paint :D

Now I know I did some things wrong, like use the wrong brush to do it all, so then I went over it again with the proper brush lol. That is okay, practice makes perfect right ;) And my hair needs way more practice, apparently so do my left angled strokes, they just don't flow that way for me.

This is a picture of Ashlin and painted using my mouse and photoediting program. It is supposed to look like a painting anyways. I do suppose I need A LOT more practice hey ;) And I am not to sue but I need a lot less USM when I start out.

So here it is, my first (quite obvious hey) painting.

I am pretty sure that any paint artists can reast sure that I will not be encroaching on their means of gain anytime soon.

so just what do you do when you aren't feeling well,

2008-02-10T22:56:00.000-08:00

and you are just bored to tears?

You make Webkinz clothes. Ashlin had a friend over and before I know it they had this great plan to make clothes for all the Webkinz. Talk about inventive because they brought me her jammies that were too small and asked if they could cut them up for it. I said no but little did they know I have a secret stash of fabrics for this kinda thing.

Ashlin made a purple felt jacket, and a floral gathered skirt (as seen here). Don't let this one picture fool you, even though they were hand sewing and very intent on what they were doing.

Tomorrow I will see if I can remember to take a picture of her Webkinz poodle all decked out.

reading books...

2008-02-10T08:54:00.000-08:00

It has been forever since I just reas a book for myself. Reading books like Walter the Farting Dog doesn't count right.

I started with Creation in Death by JD Robb (really Nora Roberts) I thought it would be like Colony or something sorta light. Nope, it was all about a serial killer and the race to catch him. Sometimes gory, but I still enjoyed it.

Then I just finished The Road By Cormac Mccarthy. Wow. I had to finish it in one sitting, I could not put it down. Now I am tired from staying up to late reading. But it was such a well written, compelling story. I do believe it is story that will stay with me.

I can see why it is on the bestseller list.

Now I need a new book to read, any suggestions??

only because I just can't wait till mid Feb!

2008-02-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

You can't tell here since she looks so good, but very soon there will be a new addition in this family. I have no doubts that she will be just as loved and happy as her big brother. (not to mention cute!)

I will have lots more for you to see soon! (I found my card it is Feb 20th) See you then!

a sad sad day for my wallet :(

2008-02-04T20:37:00.000-08:00

My dear Ashlin is no longer happy with the dollar store products. She desperately wanted new wax crayons so we went ot the dollar store. She refused to get those kind, sayins she wanted the kind had at school. The ones they have at school don't leave streaks when you color, and they are called Crayola.

Well fine.

So went to the other store and bought some Crayolas. $17.00 dollars later she is now quite the happy and contented coloring wondergirl.

Personally though I think she is right, the dollar store crayons really do suck lol.

childhood fun...

2008-02-01T11:40:00.000-08:00

I don't take enough pictures of my kids just playing. But here he is, messy hair, mismatched clothes, holes in the socks and all. Playing with his newfound train set. See what good happens when you put toys away for a while? He loves it again. And honestly I am pretty happy the moonsand is out of sight for a bit, that stuff gets everywhere!

Shooting wide open, just window light - gotta love it!

this about sums her up completely

2008-01-26T16:07:00.000-08:00

my apologies if you have seen these pictures of Ashlin before, but really drama queen is pretty accurate today. Who know almost being eight was soooo hard! I was not even going to digi scrap or anything, I was just playing with my new downloads and this feel into place. Now if only I could finish altering all these silly things I have been bringing home to create with.

of course I should really put a few big crocodile tears on her cheeks for today too. Please tell me that boys do not become this dramatic about things like socks being the wrong type, favoutite pants bring in the laundry and having to put dirty plates off the table. I am soooo hoping that my easy going Colton stays that way!!

is it naptime yet?

2008-01-26T12:14:00.000-08:00

This has been a bad week for getting anything of substance done. I swear that I have an elephant tied to my ass or something. I am having major issues with this "something" and just wish I could get better! Until I go and get that darned sleep stud done my dr will not consider other options for me. I guess I do understand her point, but the sleep study clinic is darn freaky!!

So if anyone knows a wonder drug for energy, please hook me up! I really need it.

just a little love for you :D

2008-01-14T11:08:00.000-08:00

Sweet hey ;)

and here is little Ashlin getting in on the picture taking (with her cuz)

Not so little hey, she is going to be eight years old soon! How does that happen lol I can totally see where she is growing up in her personality and developing her own mind. And it is usually her way or nothing.

She finally lost her first tooth, and I have now learned that the tooth fairy is not allowed to come by until the early morning. Last time it was 1:00 am, and then when she woke up to get a drink she was so excited she was up for hours! ugh so the moral is - next timet he fairy is on the morning shift lol

anyways thanks for popping by my sometimes boring blog...

the look says it all

2008-01-04T23:24:00.001-08:00

It is such a good thing he really loves me and is a pretty forgiving kid ;D

new year :)

2008-01-02T10:18:00.000-08:00

Yup day two (or three) of the new year and already I have screwed up a few checks by writing 2007! I hate it when I do that lol.

Good think I get a lot of practice hey ;)

I need to buy something cool for beside my front doorway. I have a small spot which would fit a topiary tree or something neat. I am about to go looking on ebay - does anyone have some ideas of funky cool things for me?

the beginning of my photo wall ;D

2007-12-22T12:39:00.000-08:00

I need to paint my moulding shelves black and then I will be adding some little trinkets and a few smaller print sin black frames. And then I hope to get a nicer picture of Ashlin and COlton (maybe on Christmas Day because they will be in good moods - they better be lol) and I hope to replace the one of both of them with a 20x24 pic of them. This one of both of them will then be moved over to the far right. Or something like that.

These wall words are so easy to use! I am now trying to think of what other sayings I could get for each kids room.

It has finally stopped snowing :D Nothing like driving around town and sliding around the corners, I guess even new snow tires don't help in some situations.

talk about cute!

2007-12-19T21:54:00.000-08:00

doesn't he just look like he was so good all year ;) He was such a fun kid to take pictires of, and he was so patient and good through it all!

And his little sister, I think this totally precious look say sit all!

look who followed Rob and I home...

2007-12-19T10:18:00.000-08:00

for a slightly crazy amout IMHO

all I can say is she better be durable because I just know Ashlin will be playing with her a LOT.

She comes in two pieces and that is good because there is no way it was going to fit in my car, in one big piece. Nothing looks quite as freaky as a horse head sitting in the back seat watching you drive though!

Rob and I have both agreed we are not buying either kid one more gift, they are getting way to many now as it is. BUt between you and me, I can not wait for Christmas morning!

the Christmas Dress

2007-12-15T12:25:00.000-08:00

ok so well it isn't really screaming Christmas is it, but Ashlin said it was one she would wear.....

usually she will not, for any reason, wear a dress as soon as fall hits. I can buy her leggings or long dresses - nothing works. It is pants from October till June for this girl. So when she said she would wear this I was so happy, even if it isn't a big poufy girly Christmas dress.

we had a few minutes before we had to leave for her choir concert, so I ran her downstairs and took a few quick snaps.

sitting pretty hey ;)

outakes:

(please be done soon momma)

(my tooth is sooo loose - see)

(trying to be serious)

and a new fav! Don't be surprised to see this in a big 20x24 or bigger lol print on wall sometime soon!

to the patch - revisited

2007-12-13T18:58:00.000-08:00

warning LOTS of pics coming up :D I just realized that I was so busy doing sessions for other people that I comp0letely forgot to finish off our pumpkin patch photo post. So here they are. These were taken around mid October. Both kids have since had hiarcuts lol.

I do have a few to share but I think I will restrain myself ;)

and now - starring Colton!

2007-12-10T15:35:00.000-08:00

yes he is often left out, determined to do his own thing lol. Today though he was all for this idea. I am sure his getting to have a long shaower/bubble bath combo was a huge incentive lol. Anyways I spent the time setting up, and he spent the time cleaning up, then doing his own hair, and then we set out to do this idea.

It went great until he opened the very first book to 'read' it. Next thing I know he had a PAPERCUT! So then we have bleeding, and lots of tears in eyes. So we deal with that - bandaids and kisses really are magic ;D But then he doesn't want to open the books anymore lol. Finally he agreed that board boards are to thick to cut and we carried on....

We moved around a ton of stuff in Ashlins room to make room for this quick little shoot, and used natural lighting (sweet hey ;) ) and in case you could not tell, I am ALL abou t color right now :D The more the better!

a little bit of sunshine for you today..

2007-12-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

as I sit here watching the snow fall I was looking for a bright spot - found her! just a pic from the summer..

gotta love that sweet summer light, she looks so sweet doesn't she :D Although as you can see she was out in the sun just a bit toooo long. I need to remember to reapply sunscreen even MORE often!

seriously cute!

2007-11-25T11:18:00.001-08:00

Look at this little fellow, don't you just melt at those eyes!

He was just waking up when I got there, and I was a bit worried cause I know when Ashlin is just waking up there is NO way you can even talk to her for quite a while. But this little guy, he was wonderful!

And here is one of my favs from the session, he is sjust so intent and you can just feel how much he adores his daddy!

and isn't this a perfect little family :D

It was a pleasue meeting you all!

more indoor studio fun!

2007-11-21T18:42:00.000-08:00

Honestly after this we had soooo much fake snow all over and all through the house. It was crazy! The kids were awesome though and helped me vaccumm and sweep it all up. The little plastic snow hurts when it gets in your eyes though (don't try to this deliberately lol)

So here are a few pictures of the fun :D

trying to blow snow ;)

not quite a pout but certainly not a smile!

a new thing for me, I love this! I think everyone needs a picture of themselves in a fur hood!

(Sadly I can't find the one of just Megan in my computers harddrive - she looks so gorgeous in her hood. If I can find it I will add it :D )

and you think anyone here watches ANTM? Culprit #1 here I am sure lol

baby it's cold outside!

2007-11-10T11:39:00.000-08:00

It really is! Freezing really. But here we are playing inside :D Looks real though hey ;) I love my new studio lights - they are so much fun!

and we all had fun doing this :D

a sick day for Ashlin

2007-11-05T21:48:00.000-08:00

A sick day home from school, with an earache. Which funny enough made her tummy hurt? Go figure, but the dr confirmed it was just an earache and some eace, quiet andtylenol would be the best medicine.

So I thought new cozy flannel jammies were in order for both Ashlin and Colton. We put them the dryer for a few mintues and warmed them up a bit, the kids loved them!

I am so happy that my kids seem to be very healthy and quick receoveries.

meow...

2007-11-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

lol my kitty might act like he is ferocious, but honestly he is a bit kitty! And he is such a ham - when I try and take photos of him he gets all squirmy and rolls aorund and makes little noises. He just loves it, almost as much as he loves his basket.

to the patch....

2007-10-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

Once again it was cold and windy, which did not match the sun that was shining. We had a lot of fun though, those hay and pumpkin towers are the best thing for kids to play on :D Not to mention the old tractors and pumpkin mazes lol.

pics to be added :D

horseback lessons are over for the winter.

2007-10-28T17:36:00.000-07:00

Poor Ashlin is so sad, if it were up to her they would ride ALL winter! I am happy report that we finished off her first few months of lessons without her falling off once, and she did a few little jumps even! Here she is on her fav horse at the farm. Doesn't she look like a pro getting ready to go over that jump :D

Honestly though it is pretty stressful for me to watch her do this. I think I am way more nervous than she might be and frequently hold my breath when she is doing jumps and stuff. That is normal right ;)

BOO!

2007-10-25T22:04:00.000-07:00

Can you believe I have no pictures of the kids in their Halloween costumes yet! ISn't that crazy lol. We have been very busy making halloween crafts and halloween cooking (think orange icing lol). But no pictures.

Wish me luck.

in Wedded Bliss

2007-10-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy taking pictures, and this - this was definitely a new experience for me, and I had a lot of fun. Meet the very happy new couple:

They had such huge smiles the whole day, as did all the guests. It was a wonderful thing to be allowed to captire. Can you believe she managed to keep her secret and have a surprise wedding for her friends and family? I am really not to sure I would have ben able to do that lol!

I wish you both so much joy in your new married life!

Little kids everywhere!

2007-10-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

Children and babies are by far my favourite people to photograph. I love how intent they can be and how silly in the next minute. And babys, I am such a sucker for a baby! So you can guess how excited I was to do photos for the preschool :D
After about 27 kids for preschool I have lots of favourites, but this one is just so sweet! Seriously isn't she just so intent and amazing.

Thanks N for saying I could post her, your have a very beautiful little girl!

now he is full of character!

2007-10-15T23:25:00.000-07:00

I got so many captures of this little baby, here is one that just "cracks me up" (as my dd says everytime she sees it lol)! Talk about a personality lol. Isn't he a total cutie! Thanks you K&R for one of my all time favourite sessions ever!

talk about little heartbreakers!

2007-10-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

Seriously Heather you could really be in trouble a few years from now! With eyes like theirs you know that they will be getting a lot of attention in the near future from all the girls...

I hope you like them! And it is great that they had fun too :D

so when do the "teenage" years start?

2007-09-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

Could they be starting at the ripe old age of 7 and a bit? She sure does look enthused doesn't she :D She wanted to sit in the new rocking chair, and she wanted her pics taken - she just wanted to look different I suppose.

Seriously though she really does have teen girl moments - she is sooo much more dramatic than Colton. And I don't think I am overly dramatic about anything so she must get it from Rob! She is pretty darned good at slamming doors already. Totally from Rob I tell ya ;)

So far all is well on the school front, well it was rocky for a few days and sometimes she begs to stay home, but on the whole things are soo much better than last year at this time. WHEW! Colton is sooo happy and always excited to go to school, to bad he can't go all day. Oftentimes when I drag him away in the morning he is crying because he wants to stay. In fact he got mad at me this morning becuase Saturdays are not school days. Go figure hey - I just hope that he continues to enjoy it :D

So I am trying to convince ROb we need a new/different car - he wants to stay with VW. I want a different brand, preferrably domestic - any suggestions??

just a little peek for you Linda

2007-09-23T08:42:00.001-07:00

not to much of the Elvis smile coming out lol, although he was sure trying lol...but I am sure he will be wondering why he bent over a bit because now his brother looks taller!

there are lots more to come... this is just one that I liked so far :D

new Studio Lights!

2007-09-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

Wowzers! I think I might have an identity crisis of natural light or studio lights!

Although call me crazy, I totally forgot how busy a one year old could be! Talk about quick :D But even though he is a busy one he is a total sweetie! See:

and then my neice, and some of my very first pictures using my new lights. I think these lights were a good investment. (and they certainly were an investment lol, who knew photog stuff was sooo pricey) but really how could you put a price on these eyes....

and then I have been considering making out own Christmas cards this year - here is a little idea I was playing with. Of course don't Ashlin and Colton look really joyful lol. I tell these two kids are just not touchy feely with each other, unless you could the odd push. You know brotherly/sisterly love ;) As it is this picture cost me a webkinz for each.

there is nothing more sweet than a new baby!

2007-09-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

Case in point:

isn't she utterly adorable!

I obviously need a proofreader program

2007-09-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry there are no smileys in here, I seriously need the little embarrassed smiley don't I. I think I just type to fast, with too many ideas in my mind and trying to get it all out before I forget it is death to the english vocabulary. My apologies to anyone thinking I talk about alcohol too often ;)

Colton is going to start Kindergarten on monday afternoon :D He is sooo ready! He will be in a small grade one split, and mainly gade one kids. The good news is he knows most of the kids from preschool from two years ago. Not to mention that he is the tallest kid in the classroom even though he one of the youngest.

Isn't he cute :D

And on the car newsline - my poor car has a nice cut through the bumper - so NOT my fault. The driver ahead of me backed up very fast, and didn't relaize I was behind him. I now have slightly deployed airbags, doors that click when opened, a nice crumpled front end, a sore back, and a lot of angst wondering if my car is cursed.

Sorry no pictures for that - I am trying to forget it happened lol

the wait is over!

2007-09-06T07:24:00.001-07:00

School is bavk in for Ashlin, and the GOOD news is she likes who her teacher is! Yay - I am so hoping that takes away some of the school problems we had last year. She is in a split grade 2/3. She is part of the grade 2 and there are half grade 3's in there too. I am hoping this is a good thing because she responds really well to older kids and seems to gravitate towards them. Two days down and so far so good :D

Colton will be in kindergarten/grade 1 split. That will be interesting - for him as well as the teacher lol.

I gotta say this getting up at 7:00 AM is HARD!

Does this look like a spoamm blog - NOT

2007-08-27T13:33:00.000-07:00

Can you believe blogger locked me - since I might be a spam blog. DOn't you have to post for that??

Like really....

Fall is almost here, the kids are excited because that means Halloween! YAY. Ashlin wants to be a dead bride (like huh???) and Colton, well he doesn't care really lol. He just is thrilled to get out and run house to house. He doesn't even really care if he gets candy - just ringing the doorbell is enough for him. Ashlin is all about the candy though.

Achool starts in just over a week. Ashlin will be in Grade two - that blows my mind. Seriously it seems sucha shirt while ago that I found out I was pregnent with her. Where on earth does time fly?

I will be doing our preschool pictures this year. All those cheesy little smiles - actually I can't wait. I have an olden desk lined up and will probably get a few plastic (or real) apples for them to be holding or something. Other than that I have no ideas lol

But fall pictures for us as a family - stay tuned cause we are going to be trying ot pose with me working the remote lol

Random picture post

2007-08-13T17:12:00.000-07:00

My all new favourite picture of my daughter

30mm lens

This was the very first time she went horse back riding (yes she is getting riding lessons, I finally broke down lol). And because she was so excited she agreed to the braids :D Gotta love it!

and form about a week ealier - the real reason I finally relented. These are not our horses, they were just by the fence when we walked by - can you feel the love.

50mm lens

And one of Colton, man I was nagging him to sit still lol. He is such a fidgety kid. I do like this one a lot though - I just can't decide on black and white or color.

30mm lens

and last but not least kisses for me last night - I was practicing with a pretty dark room and bouncing flash.

30mm lens

I actually do have lots to say...

2007-07-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

but so much of it is the same ol crud about feeling so crappy all the time. SO rather than write that crap I will just share some new favs of Ashlin and Colton :D

Aren't they sweet :D

seriously they don't get much cuter than this...

2007-06-21T18:59:00.000-07:00

(well except of course my two lol)

I saw this little girl a few weeks ago at a school type thing, and I wanted to take pictures of her. Isn't she adorable!!! Seriously the most cutest little girl, I am so happy that her mom wanted pictures. And so unlike Ashlin and Colton, she looked at me :D Yay. I really do love taking pictures, and whent hey shine, it makes me happy!

and another one :D

and I don't even think one of these is my fav. I will try and get that up later.

two weeks and counting

2007-06-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

Our schools are out in two weeks. I am looking forward to not having the run around every morning :D I know the kiddos are looking forward to getting to stay up later lol. But they sure pack a lot into the last week of school. More fieldtrips than all year!

Soon we will be in our summer - HOT! Already the kids are getting a good tan from swimming, and I do use sunscreen. I only have sunburn on my nose every week. Have a great week everyone!!

Here is Ashlin in a quiet moment - rare!!

so I was looking for the cake picture...

2007-06-16T16:10:00.000-07:00

I know I have it, I saw it the other day while I was uploading new pictures. But now I can't find it again. I am so bad at organizing my pictures.

But I did find these two :D

Doesn't Colton look so small and tiny on the trestle? Don't let that fool you, he is as loud and energetic as he is small.

Well I can't find the cake picture!

2007-06-09T00:31:00.000-07:00

I need to improve my in computer organizational skills. I can't find the cake picture of Ashlin. Maybe Nicole will stil have a copy (please Nicole can you check)

So I have been taking other peoples pictures :D Check my photog website in a few days for new pictures. BUT in the meantime can I share some pictures of my kiddos that we took tonight.
ps- of course I can't decide which one of these I like better lol

and the cool girl in my sunglasses :D

And Colton posing fo rme :D I know he is chewing on his lip, but it is better than his cheesy smile lol!

I have not been doing to much beside taking pictures, scrapping, watching my butt grow bigger and hang out at the pool for the kids. Swim club is in full swing, which I love because it is something the kids really like to do, and they really listen and try to do well. So unlike skating which was hell for all of us! ok well in Ashlins defence she liked skating, it was Colton who really said he like dit but spent the whole 30 minutes complaining to me.

My wonderful spring allergies are still hitting me full force. Claritin and Reactine are my friends, but I am sure hoping this goes away soon! And I don't want to get into it but my mystery illness, whatever it is, is just really being a pain in the ass this past while. It is keeping me down that is for sure.

I am pretty sure we are getting the kids on of those self blowing up pools, 4 feet deep and 18 ft - hopefully that keeps them cool thru our scorcher summer! Either that or one of those big big water slides they have out now. Yet another decision I can't make - what would oyu get?

so here is the cake I am supposed to making later today...

2007-05-18T12:03:00.001-07:00

It is a Princess cake - 4 or more layers, I am not really sure. I do this every year and every year I regret it! I get so annoyed that my cakes don't turn out like the picture.

So stay tuned for the after shot - I am decorating it later today :)

welcome spring!! yay :D

2007-05-12T00:13:00.000-07:00

We have had a few days of glorious weather, and the apple tree in our backyard shows it. I was in there tonight, taking some pictures :D It smells wonderful, too bad I can not make a scratch and sniff picture post for you all. Tomorrow I will be bribing Ashlin and hopefully her cousin to be in it too lol

and check out Colton, in the "forest" at a localish lake:

and just in case you can't tell - he has a new serious look that he favors me with ;)

and Ashlin at the lake too, it was so bright out and she was not impressed I actually wanted her to look at me and the camera - poor thing lol

and finally the dear family kitty, in the apple tree before it started to bloom :D

Soccer is going well, for Ashlin. She is right into the soccer and is pretty darn god at going for the ball. So gets a goal per practice so far too, which we all think is really great. Colton was so excited to play, and he started out so well, but now he finds it boring. There are about 25 little 4-5 year olds on his team, and I think everyone is a bit overwhelmed. Many times there are kids that don't even touch the soccer ball for the whole hour. I am happy that Colton lasts for about 35-40 minutes before he gets bored and hungry. That kid sure can eat!

and before I go, here is a little sneak peek of a page you will be seeing on the new JMT blog :D

I bet you can't guess what letter of the alphabet it is for ;)

almost seven!

2007-05-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

Because I love her so - she will be 7 on May 3rd. I know everyone says it but seriously where does time go? It really was just yesterdat that I had her, all 10 pounds of her! Her and COlton could not be more different personalites, even if I had of tried to make it so. He is so laidback and easy, her on the other hand, she is a handful. Headstrong and determined, lets not forget impatient! But she is all mine :D

and for good measure lol...

picture day :D

2007-04-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

Well recently every day has been picture day. Quite honestly I am not up to much else. I am taking some medication to try and wipe out my bug and both of them are completely kickin my butt. I just wanted to share some pictures from recently.

so here he is - the day before FIVE!

2007-03-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

Ok first of all if there is a tree around I can not keep him out it, hence the funny look. He was pretty proud of himself for getting in the tree. Like the hoodie look too hey ;) Well I am just glad that he had something on his head since it was kinda cool out. Here he is, the day before five :D

so what on earth do you think that goofy look if for? I think maybe I take too many pictures of him lol.

Spring Chill ;)

2007-03-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

so really just 10 minutes before she was nothig but pouts and frowns. I tell you this girl will get frown lines before she is 20 lol. She wears her mood on her face and there are times when it seems it is all frowns. Who knew an almost seven yer old girl could be so fickle. But when she shines - she really does :D (and look at all of her baby teeth, she is so imaptient to lose even one, just one, and she would be happy.)

look ma - no wheels!

2007-03-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

Except wouldn't you know it I never even took pictures! Today we took the training wheels off of Colton's and Ashlin's bikes! Yay. Of course go figure, it wasn't even me who convinved them. I figured they were not ready yet, (something like don't let my baby get hurt) and haven't even tried to take them off. Then yesterday we were at Sandra's and she was like oyu gotta get those training wheels off, they are so ready! Well I guess she was right lol. Colton did so well, he had one fall and a little teeny scrape, and that was it. Boy he can sure fly! Ashlin's took a lot longer to get her wheels off, and a tune up. She was way more nervous about it, and I had to hold onto her for a bit. Of course she was getting nervous and not pedaling and that can make you fall anyways. But the good news is they both have the hang of it! It is a bit scary to watch Colton because he bobs or something, goes like crazy and totally looks like he is going to crash, but doesn't. Talk about stressful. Ashlin is much more steady and even which makes me a bit less stressed lol. I also got my exercise by running with them as they were flying down the street, next time I need to remember to wear my sports bra! I am thinking that maybe I will do this a few times a week instead of the treadmill :D I bet the kids would love it too.

Such a mommy moment hey. On one hand I am sad they are getting so big, and not my little babies anymore. But even more than that, they did so great today!

big sigh here.....

2007-03-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

You ever notice I go in stages? I guess right now would be a quiet stage, keep to myself kinda stage. I think part of it the fact I such a homebody, and I don't even live an exciting town. I guess I could tell you all about the river, it went up a few feet due to the rain. Isn't that exciting.

Or the fact I am a bit stressing out that I got a notice from Ashlin's teacher, she has booked me for a 30 minute parent/teacher conference. Like WTF could she want to talk to me for 30 minutes about. So of course my mind is wandering and imaging all the things she might say, and nothing so far has been good.

Rob and I are thinking of going to the movies tomorrow, he wants to see 300. (So do I but for different reasons lol) That means a round trip of about 5 hours driving, good thing I love my car :D

But I have been scrapping :D Would you like to see, if you haven't already.

and I think I might do a few more lol.

Have a great night everyone!!!

Meet Mr. I am FIVE!

2007-03-09T13:50:00.000-08:00

So here he is with his big a$$ bike helmet. Now that is love hey, actually so far he has not complained about how big the helmet is. I do think he might be ready for a more boyish helmet soon though. I just love this pic, aside from the helmet, since it caught his eyes so well.

And here is typical Colton! If it is a puddle he is so there. Water or sand is no match for him I tell ya!

His birthday party is tomorrow at 11:00 am and I keep forgetting to order the cake! Ack My mom says she will bake one but they always turn out so wrong. Like the year we did a Wiggles red car cake. It was pink and looked like a blob. So we are thinking Dairy Queen for this party. I just hope that they have something suitable!

Wish me luck :D

getting connected :D and other misc stuff

2007-02-16T13:18:00.000-08:00

So Rob bought me an IPod for valentines, so now all I have been doing is surfing itunes and getting some tunage for my "running". Of course he is giving me all these suggestions and ideas but we have kinda (really) different taste in music. So I need to learn how to do folders and give him his own folder just in case he listens to it. I highly doubt he likes my pop music. Talk about a fun gadget though!

My surgery went so well, I felt totally myself the day after. In fact I am wondering why on earth I waited so long to get this done! No more PMS :D I am sure that the whole family will be some glad about that lol. For me the most stressful part was when I was offered an epidural instead of anestetic (however you spell it!) I had epidurals for my c-sections and I didn't like them, I just can not handle the thought of that huge needle going into my spine. So I passed on that option lol.

After my surgery when they took me to the recovery room to see Rob they brought him in in a wheelchair. He got hit in the head on friday night and it was acting up really bad. When he couldn't respond to the nurse she wheeled him down to ER and sent me after him. We were there for another hour but the ct scan showed no bleeding - just a bad concussion. The doctor there sent him home with a checklist of things to watch for and some percocet. I personally get really freaked out about head and spine issues so I have been worried about him. Today I am dragging him to the doctor again since he isn't even going to work since his headache is so bad. Please think good healthy thoughts for us!

Today is a pro-d day so the kids are home, and two cousins who also have no school today - the good news is the Ipod drowns them out ;) My kiddos love it when others kids come to play so that is nice for them.

Have a great weekend!!!

wooohooo

2007-02-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

We got a new computer!! No more dealing with crappy viruses (for now lol) And I don't know who is more excited - the kids or I. Although Ashlin did have a melt down because I wouldn't put the old one in her room, I told her maybe when she is 10 she can have a computer in her room.

So bear with me - I have lost ALL my bookmarks, and ALL my fonts :( Man that hurts this certified font addict. All my digi kits are also gone. But I did have most of my pictures put on CD (thankfully) and now that I have a new computer I can use the burner agian and start saving even more pictures to disk! Now all I need is my new camera lens and I will be ready for anything :D

I have my ablation surgery on tuesday - all total I will be at the hospital about five hours and I have to prove that I do not plan on driving myself home. Kinda hard to do that when I am the driver in the family, but hopefully something works out. No treadmill for one week (I am sorta ok with that) and no bedroom activites for two weeks (haven't told hubs yet lol, but I am fine wih that too), no driving for 24 hours because of being put under. Uhm also just take it real easy for two weeks, you think I could convice the hospital to find me some full time care for my kiddos for that time frame? They just do not understand 'slow down', which is fine since they are kids and all. Seriously though I am happy that they are such exuberant kids, loving their childhood. :)

Ok enough rambling - I am off to do the treadmill and maybe instill my photoshop :D

do you ever notice how we change...

2007-02-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

as we get older? And I don't really mean "wider". I mean the way we think and what drives us.
ah once again I am editing before I post. I don't think anyone wants to read the big lond post I had typed. Suffice to say - our family really are precious, hold them, guard them, love them and cherish them - nothing else matters.

I am doing the online class {Journal Me This I am doing an album for my daughter Ashlin, I want her to have a keepsake that she can look at anytime, and realize just how passionately I feel that family is the most important thing.

This is the cover, dedication page and the first page using the Promt sent today:

(I am sorry the baby pic looks funny, it is the finish of the photograph that doesn't scan well)

holy update Batman!!

2007-02-03T08:53:00.000-08:00

I am here :) Barely lol

I have been deaing with a household of sickies. We all have really bad head colds, I am sure Kleenex appreciates the support of their products. But you know even though I have been sick and out of town a fair amount I have still been doing the treadmill (almost) everyday :D I am pretty happy that I have been keeping it up but I can safely say my shins hate me. It is weird but after I got sick after Christmas, darn flu, that I have actually felt much better, almost my old self. I have missed feeling this energy for way to long!!!

I haven't even been taking pictures. It is so dreary out and just no fun to take pictures in the front room again so I have been giving the ol camera a rest. And scrapbooking? Well I do have a layout that I started two weeks ago, it is still sitting on my desk. BLAH I am just feeling so inspired, and I am sure it is my cold just draining me. I do plan on scrapping later today so I hope to share something soon!

Today I making up little 'kits' for a Valentines craft get together for Ashlin tomorrow. We are making tissue roses, with glue and {ACK} glitter! I am hoping that if I precut all the hearts we need that it will be a bit easier going tomorrow. The good news is Colton is going to be at a birthday party so the glitter is safe!

Wish me luck ;)

the ongoing school saga

2007-01-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

Yes Ashlin STILL does not like school. Well she likes school, just not if she has to go. And she really does like her teacher so that isn't the problem, she says the days are just to long (oh and boring).

Not to torture her or anything, but because I thought it would be good, I put her in after school french two days a week. The start at 3:30pm and go to 4:30pm. It is very casual and has kindergarten to grade four age level. Well yesterday was supposed to have been her third class. But at 3:00pm she told her teacher that her tummy was really bothering her, so they sent her home! Ya big surprise when she got home she was 100% fine. Ugh I am so annoyed that the teacher fell for it for one thing, and I am also annoyed/frustrated because I seriously do not know what to do! I am sorry that she doesn't like school, but she has to go. I really don't know if homeschooling is the answer. Ashlin totally knows how to manipulate me and get out of things, so I worry if I home school that we will just have power struggles all the time. What good would that be. She is learning at school, how much I am not to sure though. I don't remember what grade one was like but I keep thinking the stuff she is doing is so basic. So anyways all I can think is "oh dear, she has 11 more years to go. What am I going to do."

On a brighter note, I gave Ashlin a new bedroom wall yesterday. I am sure that most of my scrapping friends have seen it but just in case, here it is:

I used 12 x 12 papers and just spray glued them up :D Ashlin seemed to like it, but she has already asked if I could paint all the green squares blue. Ya, like I will get right on that!

Anyways thanks for listening to me rant about school - again!

the downside of kids birthday parties.

2007-01-14T16:08:00.000-08:00

So Ashlin had a birthday party to go today, three glorious hours of 16 girls running around playing diva. Thank goodness I was not the host lol. She had so much fun though, and I am happy to hear it.

BUT, and I hate to say this, but the goodie bag she brought home is scary! Nothing but sugar, and very noisy toys. I kinda snagged some right away and she didn't even realize it, which I am very grateful for because I dislike fighting with her about that kinda stuff. I convinced her to set aside some for daddy, and she is sharing with Colton. So now we can figure that she has about 1 cup of sugar at her disposal. And of this the worst is these plastic vampire teeth, that come with a big plastic baggie of colored sugar. You are supposed to put the sugar in the mouthpiece where your teeth go, I guess to pad that plastic suckers or something. Like oh my goodness, can anyone call those things good for teeth!

I don't want to be a mean mom and say that my kids can't go to birthday parties because of the sugary goodies bags sent home (95% of the time) but at the same time I just get so annoyed that this seems to be the norm. And I think that if I just made the kids leave without a goodie bag they would both be pretty upset.

Would it be rude to let the birthday hosts know that I would prefer only one to two pieces of candy in her bag??? What else could I do?

Creativity has returned!

2007-01-12T09:08:00.000-08:00

Yay!!!! My creativity block has passed. I think the stress of Christmas break and wonderful holiday expectations was a bit more then I bargained for, and it totally killed any inking of creativity I had. Now that life is semi normal, the kids are back in school, the house is back to normal, I am feeling more creative. And it feels great!!!

Oh and I have been on the treadmill almost everyday :D Yay go me :D

Anyways here is what I have created in the past week:

There is more but blogger is not liking me today :( And I need to get my butt to the treadmill.

Hope you all have a GREAT weekend!

PS - Robyn I am sooo happy to have you back girl!!! {{{hugs}}}

so at Christmastime I realized...

2007-01-05T12:29:00.000-08:00

I realized just how reclusive I have become. I barely talk to anyone. In my real life and on the computer. I have always been a girl who knows a lot of people, but open and close with only a select few. I still am like that, and if you think I can sure yap alot then you are one of those special few.

But I do not socialize anymore, at all I think. I don't make small talk, and I tend to keep myself very distant from most everyone. It is Rob, Ashlin and Colton who get the pleasure to listen to me everyday now. While I am sure that they fully FULLY enjoy it, I have lost touch with so many people. Most people are lucky if I say hi to them now. Isn't that just awful of me.

It made me really sad to come to this realization. I do enjoy my quiet time that is for sure, but this way I am is ridiculous! Part of it is because I am unhappy with how I look and a larger part of it is because I just don't have the energy to put out and go the extra few steps. When I am out usually my thoughts are finishing my errands and getting back home, not stopping to chat. I do go out with Rob for coffee still, it isn't like I never leave the house. But I tell ya I miss the old days when my girlfriends and I would go for dinner and sit and chat for hours! It is way different talking to a guy than talking away with your girls.

So the question is, now that I have come to my senses. What am I to do? Since I am just a stay at home mom now I don't really like I have a lot to offer anyone any more. I am sure that friends can only handle me talking about my kids, or heaven forbid, my mother!(ACK!) so much. And truth be told I just feel so shy now that I am not sure I can start being more social again, it just feels so awkward and uncommon for me.

I don't know.

so is that fate or what?

2007-01-01T20:52:00.000-08:00

I was just posting, for the first timein weeks hey. And it was kinda personal and perhaps even a bit whiney. And what do you know, major computer crash. I guess I was not meant to share my issues tonight, I will sleep on them and then see if I still feel like sharing them lol

A New Year has begun :D I have made the yearly resolution to become a more active woman, and in doing so I hope to lose weight, a lot of weight!
Wish me luck!!!

ack...

2006-12-15T08:11:00.000-08:00

Can you believe my computer brain was FULL!!! The C drive is 52 gigs, and was full, only 2mb of free space. No wonder it was turning into a slug lol. So I deleted a lot of stuff! And I gained 14mb, but I as still having errors. My photoshop was not working :( So I was a smart cookie and dumped EVERYTHING into my F drive :) It was 97 gigs of unused space, and now it is half full lol. So for a computer that is two years old, and I managed to free up my C drive to almost empty, I figure I should be able to run another two years before I format lol. I swear I keep saying I need to format, but I haven't learned how. And I am worried of doing something and not having a computer. So I don't format. I bet my computer feels like it has a ton of bricks tied to its ass. :D

I need to scrap, or taking, to do something creative! I did buy foam stars, white glue and lots of glitter for the kids and I to make a garland or something. But it isn't quite the same is it. Although they LOVE the glitter, I don't! I have cleaning it up because it sticks to floor and seems to just glue itself there. Talk about fun hey, washing the floor five times, I can't wait!

Just wanted to share another baby picture from the last session I did. I still can't believe what a sweetie this baby girl was, it was great!

by the way - the CT scan is normal. Not even any brain shrinkage lol. Talk about surprised! Sometimes I just feel so harried and forgetful that I sure it is all dried up and just rattling around in there ;)

I survived!!

2006-12-10T12:19:00.000-08:00

ok so I needed a night to recover, but I survived :D I took my mom CHristmas shopping. Now I tell you there is a woman who overthinks things! Wow. We spent like an hour and a half in the toy section of Walmart - and we were only getting two toys! She has to touch everything and analyze everything. No fun for me since I am more of a grab and throw it in the cart shopper style.

dare I go Christmas shopping????

2006-12-06T15:02:00.000-08:00

I need to go and do some Christmas shopping. The problem is that most of my days are full right now (imagine that!) We have school plays and concerts, Colton has a school party, birthday parties, I volunteered to help at Ashlins school and all that kinda fun stuff. So I am not to sure that I will even be able to go shopping till just before Christmas. ACK! The stores will be nuts by then wont they. I am a bit lost as what I should get the kids. I think that they will be thrilled with just about anything, but I tend to overthink these kinda things.

Would you like to see a perfect little sweetheart? (not my kid lol, she would have horns if it was!)

Isn't she gorgeous! I am sure everyone says it - but I am so sure that my kids were never that small! At almost five and seven they just seem so big now. Ahh time sure does fly....

the Christmas spirit has kicked in....

2006-12-02T11:45:00.000-08:00

with my kids. They are insane! Talk about exited lol, I almost wish I had of left my decorations packed for a while longer. If they are this excited now what on earth will they do when we get the tree. (Yes I am nuts to get a tree with a new kitten aren't I) Instead of Christmas M&Ms and Smarties and all that fun stuff, perhaps Tylenol, Asprin and Bayer should get in on the act and make Christmas Strength Headache pills. I am sure I would be their best customer.

I had my ct scan yesterday. How frustrating that the technicians can't say anything. I so suck at patience and now I have to wait for the report to be typed up and sent to my dr, then I have to wait for her to find time to call me about it. Did you all know I am pretty bad at being patient?

Tomorrow is my craft fair. ACK! I do not have near enough stuff - but I have like DOZENS of cookies! Too bad I slacked off on making scrapbook stuff to sell. Maybe tonight I will crack open some wine, only to help let the creativity be unleashed, and try to do a final blitz of creating :D

Have a great day!!!

ps Nicole everytime I look at my banner I love it even more! Thank you girl, I am so tickled with it still :D

I had the pleasure of photographing this sweet little boy

2006-11-29T07:34:00.000-08:00

Baby Logan! He is just shy of two months and a total sweetie for picture taking. We had a rough start but some loving from his mama and he was good to go. No sleeping pictures thoguh because he didn't want to miss a thing!

I absolutely love taking pictures of babies! And even better is not having to be pregnant to do it :D (even though I love my kids I can't say being pregnant was the best nine months of my life - either time!) Thank you S for trusting me with your little man!

Picture Monday :D

2006-11-20T16:30:00.000-08:00

One to make your heart smile:

And one to make your heart melt (I am so a kitty person!)

one to make you heart smile:

what would I do without him?

2006-11-17T11:07:00.000-08:00

My boy is such a ham for me :) He loves the camera, and recently he more enjoys taking pictures. Which honestly can be a bit frustrating. I did give him my old digital but the batteries died and I was pretty blind from all the falsh shots he took so I pretended like we had no more. Perhaps when he is school I will pull it out and see what kind of shots he took.

But yesterday was a good day :D We had SUN! Yay. And that means I had my camera out and taking pictures like crazy. You just can not beat a natural lighting photo. SO here he is - My Boy

They are all in black and white since we were in Ashlin's room and she has all pink accents. So the easiest way to deal with that was turn them black and white - but I really like them! What do yo think?

just a quick note...

2006-11-15T17:11:00.000-08:00

If you are interested in any of my latered canvases I have decided to give eBay a try first :D All canvases are ready to ship - think Christmas :D

Here they are - Altered Canvases

Thanks for your momentary attention ;)

Creativity = Madness???

2006-11-13T15:31:00.000-08:00

So I have a few things to share with you all :D I have beena creative little beaver. My house is messy but I don't care. I am good at ignoring that lol

I have lots more to show, but taking pictures and all can be so time consuming.

So what do you think? Will people buy them at the craft fair?

thank goodness for small things

2006-11-09T18:54:00.000-08:00

Our Halloween candy is almost all gone :D Maybe that is one reason I have been quite content to be downstairs and scrapping. Poor Ashlin and Colton only got a fraction of what they collected, and I was so ready to just throw all the extras away. But no Rob said to keep it - so why not eat it!

So Halloween candy lends itself well to scrapbooking :D

revisiting Mr Sandman

2006-11-04T12:40:00.000-08:00

some of you might remember the photos I had of Colton a month ago, of him in the sand. (like what else is new!) Well I went back to the reason I have such a fab camera, and scrapped the pictures! yay go me :D

All summer when Ashlin was in swim club Colton would spend the hour in the volleyball pit (yup it was sand) and just lay there singing to himself and being at one (literally) with the sand. He reminded me of PigPen from the Charlie Brown comics because when he moved there was literally a cloud of sand dust moving with him. Like a fool I never took pictures of him then, so when I was scrapping these pictures I tried to convey how very much hew liked his sand.

So anyways I took these pics last month and I really was happy to see they turned out so well. You can totally see just how entralled he is - gotta love those boyhood moments!
ps. the pic looks so much better enlarges, so go ahead - click on it.

I used the November MC kit for this page :D If you haven't seen all the amazing layouts from the DT then you should go take a peek at the gallery. I am sure it is going to be a popular kit!!

Now shall we talk that delicious Basic Grey in the store! I don't know what is beating faster, my heart or my wallet lol

the shortest pumpkin patch trip in history!

2006-10-31T22:33:00.000-08:00

so it was a COLD cold field trip to the Pumpkin Patch! Quickest ever. Want proof? look at Ashlin - freezing!!!

and poor Colton. I completely spaced ona hat for him! He was so cold he didn't care about pumpkins at all! See:

All I can say is thank goodness for hot chocolate!

Snow!!!

2006-10-29T10:38:00.000-08:00

ok so I am not thrilled that we got snow this morning, BUT it was a chance for some pictures! The first snow of year :D Thankfully it has already melted, and hopefully the roads will dry real quick.

But of course I took pictures. I swear people think I am nuts with my camera (the real truth is I am just nuts).

and Colton who I swear has the longest tongue of any kid I know. In this pic it wasn't even out all the way. BTW they were both trying to catch snowflakes on their tongue.

Yesterday you would have never know it was getting to be winter out if you went based on what Colton chose to put on. I was playing with indoor ISOs and stuff and when he popped a pose I had to take a picture of him! Rob thinks it is really cute, of course ;) I think in 36 years it will be a great picture for one of those embarassing newspaper declarations of look whose 40.

Mr Muscles

We have three Halloween "functions" to attend on Monday and Tuesday. I am thinking that I will be getting my fill of crafting with kids lol! I have so much little stuff to arrange for them - I better stop procrastinating!

woohoooo I scrapped :D

2006-10-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

My new printer and being able to print my pics is bringing me back to the scrapping side of life. I used the fun fun FUN November kit from MC. The paper is fontwerks and it is awesome for my style!

Here is two recent ones:D

and then we have a new kitty! We got him for Ashlin, since she is working so hard at learning to read. She loves him (of course) until it is time for bed. The kitty is so hyper that she does not like him in her room at night. But that is working out well since Colton likes him and now they get to share. I am pretty grateful that it is working out like it is because I did not want to have to get Colton a kitty too. Ashlin has called her kitty "Apple" I don't know why, but it is kinda cute lol

new pics :D

2006-10-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

first a big thank you to all those who have shared your final Christmas cards with me! They look fabulous!

and now some pics I took yesterday:

Ashlin needs to be n a certain mood before she will let me take her picture and today, well Colton was having none of it! So I caught him doing his own thing - I kinda like it :D

The Wonder of Fall

2006-10-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love Colton's ability to get lost in the wonderment of little details. I rarely stop and take the time to really appreciate little details that make our lives so rich. Colton on other hand rarely seems to appreciate the rat race of the grown up world. Childhood is a magical time, and I am really blessed to be able to experience it again as Coltons and Ashlins' vision. Let me tell you it seems so much more amazing the second time around.

Pumpkin Patch Memories Card for you :D

2006-10-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

Just in time for all the Pumpkin Patch pictures you will be taking! Click on the link below to get the PNG file. If you need any help using the PNG files see the link to the left "my how to blog". Enjoy!

http://www.gigasize.com/get.php/119660/hallocarda.png

here is a quick example of what I did with it :D

Feel free to post a link to your plays so I can take a peek at them too.

Card Crazy

2006-10-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

Yes honestly I have been a bit obsessed with making cards - here is an assortment :D

just a few more cards...

2006-10-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

I might be addicted :0

is the next two I couldn't decide on a horizontal or vertical card.

its beginning to look a lot like....

2006-10-14T11:27:00.000-07:00

dare I say it???

Christmas!

I was having fun making some Christmas cards to use with pictures. What do you think so far? I am thinking learning as I go along is a good thing right.

morning battles...

2006-10-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

How can a six year old girl cause so much upset in the morning? Since she doesn't really want to go to school and she is making sure that we realize it. She is not happy with what she gets offered for breakfast. Fine, give it 15 minutes and we get over that hurdle, at least she eats right. So then lets move on to getting dressed for school.

NOT fun.

This is the hard part.

She decides that she likes NOTHING in her drawers. Not one pair of pants that she is willing to wear. How can a six year old girl be so stubborn and obstinate about putting pants on that she has worn plenty of times before???? And heaven forbid I ask her to wear a skirt when it is chilly out! Not a fun way to start the day - every morning. One of these times it really will come down to sending her to school in her jammies I am sure. I have even tried to get her clothes set out the night before. That was great until it came time to actually get dressed. Then once again there was something wrong with the outfit.

I know that she doesn't really want to go to school, for whatever reason. She also knows that no matter what I will be sending her, I just wish that it was not such a struggle every morning! I was so not prepared for this - she did so well at kindergarten and loved going. I had no concept that we would have any issues at all about Gade 1. But we do.

I feel very sad that she doesn't like school. She just started Grade 1 so she has so many years to go! I hope that we can figure things out and she starts enjoying her time there, and soon!!

The Beauty of Fall

2006-10-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while Ashlin is so willing and happy for me to take her pictures. Amazing how much she liked this red branch that she found on our walk today. I think she is a Fall girl, loving all the colors. I can tell you though that both her and Colton absolutely hated the cacti we ran into. They had long spines that went through the bottoms of their shoes. (and can you believe I didn't take a picture lol)

Nothing like an hour nature walk to help the kids have a good sleep :D

My paper mache egg....

2006-10-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

well what do you know, it was big enough to fit a baby! I had some serious doubts that it was too big and/or too little. I kept trying to remember my tummy when I was pregnant, and I kept telling myself I could NOT have been that big. (For the record I was not that bog because both of my babies lodged against my spine, I am sure of it!)

I was so happy to have a mommy who was cool with me putting her new sweetie into an egg :D I do believe the hardest part was making the egg. This sweet little girl just slept through the whole thing, she seemed to really like it. I do suppose it was nice and cozy, do you think she was dreaming she was back in the womb?

ok it is picture day .....

2006-10-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

are you ready?

Just a few of my new favs from over the weekend!

Hope I don't scare you but I have a ton more pics that I love still......

contemplation

2006-09-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

Doesn't he look much older than a tender four year old boy. He acts it too. He looks so serious here, so lost in thought.

Don't let the still picture of one split second fool you though. He can MOVE, and he can move fast!

Out of about 30 pictures I took hardly any are in focus because he could not stop moving and bouncing around. All this with no sugar lol.

I really do need to practice indoor shooting more, I am just running out of things to bribe him with.

tuesday morning....

2006-09-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

is there a song about Tuesday morning? Or does only Monday get its own song?

It is now almost 11:00 AM and I am ready for a nap! Sadly I need to go and pick Colton up from Preschool in a few minutes so that won't be happening lol. The teacher is going to start giving Colton "homework" from a kindergarten workbook that I brought up for him. This way I am hoping that he will learn, and also he will stay occupied with that while I do Ashlin's homework with her. Right now I have Colton doing Ashlin's homework with us and it is not working! They are a prime example of sibling rivalry at its finest I tell ya. So anyways now Colton will be getting homeowrk of his own, and hopefully he will learn from it too.

The good news is Ashlin seems to be settling into school now. ALthough reading is a chore for her and a fight for me to get her to do it. She knows that when she can read a book that I chose that she will get a kitten. But that little goal is not helping because she wants to read a book and get a HORSE! ACK, can you say NOT! Talk about going for the gold hey. I wish I could get her a horse but it is not happening anytime soon lol.

It is COLD here, so I had to buy a new cardigan :D Baby blue (I actually bypassed the pink one) and all cable knit. And even though I do not use it very often it has a nice hood too. I love my cardigan! Maybe even one day I will take a picture ;)

so I am loving the new banner!

2006-09-25T22:37:00.000-07:00

from the ultra talented Nicole!

I might be able to scrapbook but my banner skills, for lack of better word, SUCK!

Didn't Nicole do a FAB job :D I love that she used one of my flower pics, and then the way she went from grey to color - totally fits everything this blog is about.

Nicole thank you so much! I keep looking at it and I am so thrilled.

Mr Sandbox...

2006-09-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

So what kinda of career do you think Colton could have? Do they have well paying jobs for men who like to play with dirt?

I know everyone grows up and we move on from childish things, but seriously I can not imagine a time when Colton will not be playing in the sand.

He gravitates to it like nothing else. Oftentimes he is not making anything like sand castles or roads, but rather he is just delighting in the feeling of it in his hands. He likes to watch it flow as he dumps it. And he must like the weight it gives him since he often stuffs handfuls of it into his pant pockets. (A big joy at laundrytime!)

Case in point:

Happy Saturday!

2006-09-22T23:58:00.000-07:00

ps - brace yourself for a "few" kid pics to be up tomorrow ;)

school woes

2006-09-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

When Ashlin started school I didn't really think there would be any issues or prolems. She did so well in Kindergarten, althought they really didn't learn anything, that I just thought grade one would be wonderful for her.

Not so.

She does NOT like it. Mornings are tense around here, and I have to force her to get dressed and out the door. She is definitely nervous about learning to read. But that aside she misses her friends. When they did the classroom child placements she was completely cut off from all of her kindergarten friends. They broke up the children into two different grade one classes, and she is in a class of almost all boys. That is a huge part of the problem. And even worse is that there are five boys that have quite noticeable behaviour issues. The teacher spends more time trying to get them listening and settled than she does teaching. Ashlin is in grade one and so far the only sheets she has brought home have been drawing straight lines - horizontal and vertical. Like hello! She learned to do that when she was three.

I am very upset at the lack of what school should be.

I have been talking to the principal, requesting (or rather demanding) that she be put into the other class. And of course the principal says that they do not do that, and anyways that other class is at full capacity. I am so lost as to the best action to do. I actually like and respect the teacher that Ashlin has now. The problem is that she is a strict teacher who gets results, so they assign her almost all of the children needing more discipline. And then they need to fill up the class so they stick a few other kids in there. And Ashlin is one of those other kids. She is overshadowed by kids acting out, and I am worried that she is being affected more than the school realizes. I just feel so sad that Ashlin is not having a wonderful school experience (so far).

Little Red Riding Hood?

2006-09-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

Ok so I had to bribe her to put the dress on, and then I had to bride her more to brush her hair - again. By the time we were all ready to take picture it was almost dark, so I had fun trying to get my exposures right. (Big sigh here!)

But once we got settled and I told her she could do whatever she liked we were fine. She RAN! So I have a lot of blurry action pictures. I did get a few that I like though :D

Mr Pumpkin

2006-09-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

or otherwise known as the post that should be titled - I am not a Martha!

Something crafty is in the air, I am loving this cooler weather :D

Ashlin and I made Mr Pumpkin last night. It was a joint effort. She cut out the pieces, I used my machine to sew, she stuffed and he 'rested' overnight. And then today we both did the face. Ashlin is so proud of him (and she should be!) and he even went to show and tell today!.

here he is - Mr. Preschool!

2006-09-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

Yup he is SO excited! He was up early, and got dressed all by himself. Then he started harrassing me to go, and we still had an hour to go. That was so hard on both of us. He even was happy to let me take pictures, as long as I didn't ask him to stand still lol

He ate all his snack, painted a few pictures, played in the sand and just enjoyed himself. I am still upset that he is not eligible to go to Kindergarten since he is so ready.

and then there is Ashlin. Ready to go - she loves school. UNTIL you bring up learning. She has a huge issue with learning to read. Her teacher even called today since Ashlin was so sad in school. And her problem was she was sad because she doesn't want to learn to read. I am lost on this issue.

I don't want to learn to read.

2006-09-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

Just how do I answer that? Ashlin was so excited to go to school, and she still is. There is one problem though.

She doesn't want to learn to read.

I do not know if it is because she doesn't know how or if there is another reason. But I don't kow how to answer her when she tells me that. I try and encourage her and emphasize how important it is. And the teacher she has is a real hard nose teacher and is expecting her students to be able to read soon. I am happy that this teacher values reading, as I do, but I just feel bad that Ashlin is feeling the pressure.

I never had a problem reading, it just came easy to me. Colton is getting it already too. Ashlin seems to have a problem with it. She is just not grasping it. I am sure if I was her I would be a bit worried too.

In the meantime I feel lost since I really don't know what more to do to help her. I have even told her that once she learns to read she will be allowed to play on the computer more and it is not much of a goal for her. She just really could care less about reading and that is her downfall. If she is not interested she will not try.

Any ideas?

At the Fair!

2006-09-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

There was only to bouncy rooms but my kids were happy enough to feed the horses, pet the goats and eat ice cream treats. I took over 200 pictures in less than three hours. I need to start scrapping bigtime!!!

My son, the incredible dirt boy...

2006-09-07T20:16:00.001-07:00

It is a well known fact in my circle of friends that my son loves dirt. He loves to sit and play in it. Often times he just lies down and lets it run thru his fingers, usually while singing away. And it is not uncommon to see a cloud of dust arise when you hug him. He is known as "dirt boy".

He reminsd me of PigPen in the old Charlie Brown comics. A little dust swirl follows him sometimes.

Today Colton founda straw, and he was out there just blowing away. He was mesmerized by the little dust clouds. He is a very much cause and effect boy.

And just a word of caution, never lick your hands while you are playing in the dirt.

2006-09-07T07:40:00.000-07:00

If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be?

On the ocean, with a great view and a long sandy beach.

What's your favorite article of clothing? My chennille cardigan.

Favorite physical feature of the opposite sex? hmm it is all about strong presense.

What's the last CD that you bought? omgosh it has been way to long to even start to remember.

Where's your favorite place to be? Home.

Where's your least favorite place to be? Hospitals

What's your favorite place to be massaged? I could care less as long as I am getting one!

Strong in mind or strong in body? are you asking or telling?

What time do you wake in the morning? 7ish

What's your favorite kitchen appliance? My griddle :D

What makes you really angry? Mean people!

If you could play any instrument, what would it be? I would actually love to play the guitar (or piano)

Favorite color? uhm it constantly canges

Which do you prefer, sports car or SUV? CAR all the way.

Favorite children's book? "I love you forever"

What is your favorite season? Like them all except the sloppy sping thaw.

What's your least favorite household chore? cleaning the bathtub

If you could have one super power, what would it be? I thought I was Wonderwoman???

If you have a tattoo, what is it? Don't have one

Can you juggle? Sure I juggle my kids, my hubby and my time everyday.

The one person from your past you wish you cold go back and talk to? My sis.

What's your favorite day? Anydays is good to me as long as everyone wakes up in a good mood.

What's in the trunk of your car? Hot Pink inner tube, car windshield cleaner.

Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger? Sushi - but only the California rolls.

Thanks for looking, and I tag - Stayce!!!! (just to help you get your blog off on the right foot lol

first day of school....

2006-09-05T17:18:00.000-07:00

Ashlin was so excited, she didn't even have a hard time getting up way earlier than she was used to. Getting ready was a breeze since she has been waiting for this day for weeks and weeks. She really missed her friends over the summer.

So all was going fine, until I said it was time to go. She wanted to go, that was not the problem. BUT she wanted us to drive (it is only 2 blocks). So what else could I do but take a picture of her pouting ;)

I am so happy to report that she got over that quick and her first day was a huge success. She was so happy to get to see all of her friends and even seems to like her new teacher. They split up the grade ones into two classes and she is seperated from all of her friends but I am thinking that might help her be more focused in class. And thankfully they get an hour lunch so she can socialize then.

Tomorrow will be the first day that she goes ALL day. I don't know who will feel more lonely without her - Colton or I. I am kinda hoping that absence really does make the heart grow stronger and maybe her and Colton won't fight as much since he won't see her all day.

We can only hope it works that way.