Happy Valentines!

Oooh! What a happy girl! This happy little girl comes from a family of creative genius'. Her grandma made this sweet little cape, (she made some for my kiddos & some aprons for M...I need to get pics of M with her apron in use!). You can find more capes & creations on her etsy site. Her mom is also a seamstress. She made the cute little shirt with the "A" on it. I think that I'll order one for each of my kiddos. I love them! J is in the same class as her son & he wore a shirt that his mom made, (it was an airplane design). J thought that it was pretty cool. Her mom is a scrapper who also sells her designs on etsy. Check out the pic of her pinching her cheeks. She's saying, "i'm so cute, I pinch my own cheeks!". Shoot me an email, or give me a call to schedule your Valentines Session! I have some fun Valetines bookmark templates that are great for the kids to hand out to friends!

Fourth Folder, Fourth Photo

"Rules" are as follows: Post the fourth picture on the fourth folder of your pictures and explain! Oh yeah, and tag 4 more people.
After being tagged by Heather, here is my fourth folder, fourth picture. This photo was from a senior session.

Hmm...I tag Summer , Shae , Beth , Michelle

Ages & Stages (a TMI post)

No pics for this post... ;)
We have started a tentative potty training program w/ K. He keeps his diaper dry through the night, so I've started putting him on the potty before his bath. He protested the first time. Then I started letting him play with bath toys while on the potty. M was so easy. She was trained by 22mo. Shortly after J was born. She loved to read & sing. So, we spent lots of time in the bathroom. J was another story. He didn't have time to sit. So, he was potty trained by 3. We learned a few things, the obvious (not the physical) boys & girls are different & each child is different. We're not pushing anything, by any means, with K...we're subtly encouraging, but not pushing. I am a firm believer of "it will happen when it happens". I don't have the energy to push it anyhow. So, tonight, K was showing signs of going potty & I asked him if he wanted to go potty on the toilet. Typically, any sentence with the word "go" in it has him racing to the gate. I was sure that's where he would head. Nope! He ran to the bathroom & started tugging at his diaper! I was ecstatic & E was looking at me like I was nuts! (I am so ready to be done with diapers!). I put him on the potty & he started to protest...stopped & went potty! We throw HUGE parties in our house during potty training, (we have a song & a dance). Yes, they are "potty parties". So, E came in...high fived K. We got him off of the toilet & the big kids were high fiving him. Yes, this is the novelty part of potty training, (for both of us). It hasn't hit the frustrating part...I am dreading that & the, "we have to go potty in every public restroom" stage. (I ended up making M like me, germaphobe, during that stage...I'm ok w/ that). K ended up running to the bathroom by himself later in the evening. It took me a minute to figure out why he would be standing in the hallway. I opened the door & put him on...gave him a few toys & he went again! We had a HUGE potty party! J was running around screaming, "K went potty He (sissy)! I love that the kids celebrate each others successes. I am praying that K wants to be a big boy & will potty train early. I'm not holding my breath, but wouldn't that be so nice! So, I had to journal this, so that I can look back, when I am frustrated (& beyond) & remember how excited I was. Ha! K really is getting so big. No longer a baby.... I don't give him enough credit. I'll tell him to go find something & he'll bring it back to me. He likes to pick up paper napkins that the big kids have dropped & put them into the garbage. I don't realize how much he picks up on just by watching. He knows how to turn the TV off & on & knows how to work the Wii. I was on the phone the other day. I was doing laundry & he was "helping". I was half paying attention while he was picking up socks. Then, I realized that he was heading toward the bathroom...he got in there & tossed something into the toilet before I could catch him. I look in & realize that he threw M's sock in. I start cracking up, (I have 3 kids...it doesn't really make me happy, but what else can you do?). It's also ironic cuz M is the child that is always missing socks. E didn't think that it was as funny as I did. J went through a stage of throwing EVERYTHING in the bathroom into the toilet. Nothing could be left on the counter, or in the bathtub, or it would end up in the toilet. I don't know how many matchbox cars I fished out of there. I don't want to go back to that stage! Did I mention that I am a germaphobe? Okey doke...I'm headed to play M's DS in bed! I might have to pry it away from E!

Holiday snaps

Every once & awhile, K runs to his drawer & grabs an article of clothing that he wants put on him. He tries to do it himself, but gives up & has me do it. I love his little sense of style. I want to know what determines what he wants to wear. He had his bottle in his hand & threw it to come running to me when he saw the camera at my face. He has since been weaned from the bottle & is on to big boy cups & milk. Where has my baby gone?



K thinks vacuuming is the coolest thing ever. I wish that his vacuum really worked! :) He runs for his, (hand me down toy from sis) vacuum every time I get mine out...



Here are the big kids making their after Christmas Graham cracker houses. We waited until K went to bed...he thinks that he needs to eat all food, I didn't want have the "no candy" battle.

A good reminder for me!

We were listening to XM kids & this song came on. It was featured on the 2004 season of American Idol. I often get to wrapped up in "my" stuff, or "me time" & need to refocus & make sure that I don't forget that the kids are only little once. So, my goal for today is to not answer the phone & cut back the computer time!

This song is by Song Writer Sara Hickman & her daughter, Lily, sings it.



put down the paper
hang up the phone
please see me as more than a dog
you throw a bone


yea, let's go outside
no I don't want to hop in the car
and go for a ride


I need a genuine encounter
of the first degree
I need you to stop what you're doing
and look at me...look at me

look at me look at me look at me look at me
look at me look at me look at me look at me now!

you're awfully busy
got things to do
just give me a moment of time
with you

I've got all these ideas I want you to see
there's a person who's growing up
inside of me

I need your full attention
and I deserve it, too
I'm somebody important
I'm a part of you
a part of you

look at me look at me look at me look at me
look at me look at me look at me look at me now!

Please don't be angry
I'm just a kid
I'm only doing the things
that you once did

An addition to my Etsy site!

I have been meaning to add Stationary to my etsy shop for awhile now.... You can check out my stationary sets here

I am running several specials on my stock photography. Thanks for looking!

A pic of Blu

For my non facebook friends. Here is the sweet little doggie that can irritate me beyond belief. He is so sweet, but a bit on the stupid side. He follows directions well, until he is distracted by a human (or animal) that he thinks might be his friend. Then his brain turns to mush.

A time for everything....

As most everyone knows, our house is on the market. We found "the perfect" house & were so excited to, hopefully, sell ours & move out to the country on a couple of acres. Well, somebody beat us to the punch. I was seriously deflated for a few days. My prayer was that the doors will open if it was meant to be. Obviously, it was not...but I didn't want to hear that from everybody else. I heard it about 50x too many. I began to fall in a deeper funk. Then, the lightbulb went on. We have been so, so blessed in our lives. It is so easy to look back on our lives & see where doors were opened & closed & how He brought us through seasons in His perfect plan. When we were newly married, (like married for 3mo) E & I both lost our jobs, within weeks of each other. I remember sitting on the couch in our trailer, (yes, it had a hitch), & I was so depressed...E walked in about an hour after he had left for work...I knew when he walked in that he had also lost his job, (this was the Y2K freakout period). I found a local job, that I loved, but E was unemployed for awhile & I had to be the bread winner. I hated it...he hated it more. We decided that I would quit my job & we sold our few, bigger, belongings & moved to Hillsboro. We were there for a couple of weeks & both found jobs. We stayed in Hillsboro for a couple of years. We both wanted a baby, but were told that I would probably never get pregnant. We were devastated. Shortly before we were supposed to see a fertility specialist... We found out that I was pregnant with M. I look back on that & can see so clearly why God didn't want us to have a baby sooner. We had a lot of growing to do in our marriage. I really feel like the Lord wanted us to focus on each other for a time. Well, E's contract w/ Intel ended & he had just finished school. He ended up getting a job w/ the county, so we moved back home for that position. He was there for 5yrs & another door opened, where he is currently working. I have been so blessed with being able to be home with the kids & having a creative outlet. We have a beautiful home, (it's a giant step from that tiny trailer where I couldn't escape when I was irritated with E...I can't even imagine raising kids in a place that tiny. Gosh, I remember venting to my friend, Anj...all I wanted was a bigger place w/ my own space so that I could escape E when he was on my last nerve). We are all healthy. We are happy. I have wonderful children. I have a husband that I am able to say that I honestly do love him more each day. I would love, love to find our "dream home", but really...I can't complain. It's not even fair for me to be depressed about it. So, I feel a perfect peace about it now. We are here for a reason. The doors will open when the time is right. We bought new living room furniture last week. It opens up our living room beautifully. My new favorite thing is sitting in our new, oversized chair & seeing our beautiful view. It's the same view that I've looked at for the past 6yrs, but a different angle. It's amazing how a different perspective changes things. I am so happy that I can look back on my life & see it from different perspectives & see that we have been blessed, even in the times that seemed pretty bleak, He got us through them. I am so thankful!

Canvas Sale!

I am offering a sale on gallery wrapped canvas as a Thank You to 2008 customers. If you had a session in 2008, you qualify for a 16x20 gallery wrapped canvas,(from your 2008 session), for $150. That is $50 off of regular price.

I am also offering a cd of your session from 2008 for $75. The cd is cased in a leather keepsake case.

Have a Wonderful New Year!

Will selling used clothes be outlawed?

This law would affect sellers on etsy, CL, ebay, garage sales & craft fairs. Let's pray that this law is modified before this happens! You can bet that my congressman will be getting a letter from me!

http://babyclothes.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=babyclothes&cdn=style&tm=382&f=00&su=p284.9.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.handmadetoyalliance.org/

Some favorites from the season

Now that Christmas is over & all of the photo gifts have been given...Here are some of my favorites....... I had such a crazy, fun holiday season. This month will be full of new projects to kick off the new year...I am so excited about my upcoming sessions! I'll share when I can!