day 20

He got this game for his birthday and we've been playing non stop!  He's actually fun to play with, he doesn't get upset when he loses and he's so sweet when he wins.  He truly has fun playing games and is one heck of a GOOD SPORT!

day 19

Up With Kids

Today she had to memorize and preform a little commercial.  She did FABULOUS!  I don't know how she does it.  When I was her age, I was terrified at the thought of standing in front of a microphone and speaking in front of any one.  I would cry.  She smiles and enjoys the spotlight!

day 18

Yesterday was a beautiful day outside and warm enough that the kids could go outside and not freeze to death!  They bugged me all day to put together Brooke's bike so she could ride too.  I kept up the," wait til dad gets home and I'll have him put it together tonight" each time they asked. Well today came and guess what, Daddy didn't put the bike together.  I couldn't say no to at least giving it a try. 

 I think I did okay... just look at her!

day 17

It's Monday and Bachelor Night!  I am so happy to get away and enjoy a little time with my friends.  Thus the smiley face picture!

You don't see the smile?  Well, then here...

 

day 16

Santa brought this game to my 7 year old, but I think it was meant for me!  I got it going so that I could teach her how to play and now I'm addicted.  You get to meet friends, find out what they want for their birthday and then go buy gifts and go to the parties.  There's little mini games along the way and one in particular has got a little contest going between me and my husband.  It's similar to Tetris and unfortunately very addictive!

Day 15

Today I had an engagement shoot and just before leaving dad and the kids were having lunch.  This is what I left behind...

day 14

I'm a little emotional today.  I'm not in to thinking much either, which is why I'm using this picture I took yesterday.  After taking one of my little niece, my sweet boy did the usual, "here take one of me..." talk.  Never fails, if the camera is out, he's making faces or doing funny poses and asking for me to take one of his creation.  He cracks me up.  Looking at this picture today, made me smile!  

 
 Is there anything better than getting something in the mail?  Had I just waited for my mail to come today, before posting a picture...  This made me smile too!  I am incredibly blessed with AMAZING friends!!!  Really, really amazing.  They lift me up, make me smile and are always there for me!  Thank you!!!  You know who you are!  

day 13

Twice a week, she's mine!

day 12

Dear White Trash, oh how I love you so.  I was so glad you were around today when I needed you.  It's going to be hard when you're finally gone.  Please come back next year!  Love, me!

day 11

Today is a great day!  1-11-2011, and around here we're bursting with excitement!  So many exciting things to come this year!

day 10

This is the night we waited for, 

always a treat we have in store.

We love each other more and more,

with every family night.

I love these cookies!  I loved them more when I had my old oven.  The broken oven that required me to make an educated guess at how hot it really was.  I typically set it 100 degrees hotter than what the recipe called for.  But I had it down.  I could make cookies like nobodies business and they always turned out.  Since we've gotten a new oven, it's been nothing but flat cookies ever since.  LAME!!!  So even though they're flat, they're still YUMMM.  Especially the next day for breakfast!

day 9

Tonight, as we were preparing for the week to come, I glanced up at this to help me plan out my week.  ERRRRRRR.... I don't have a calender for 2011 up and I'm going insane!  I think that will be moved up on the to do list, BUY A CALENDER!  I have a calender on my computer and I've tried using it but it just isn't the same as the one that hangs on my wall.  I think because I can't just "glance" at it and remind myself what's going on.  In any case... I NEED ONE!

day 8

Tonight, as we got in the car to come home from In and Out, we looked down at the millage and noticed we were at 55546 miles.  We wondered, if we could make it home before changing to 55556.  We are a funny numbers family.  We get excited about things like this.  So we drove, crossing our fingers we could make it.  Before pulling into the driveway, we put the kids on our lap and showed them the numbers... and there it was, fifty five thousand, five hundred and fifty five miles EXACTLY!  Of course, I ran in and got my camera.  It had to be the picture of the day!!!  And now I know, I live 9 miles from In and Out  :)

 

 And just for the sake of remembering, we've had our van 5 years and 2 months... not bad!

day 7

For those of you that think I can only be seen in a pony tail and hoodie... I do have other things in my closet.  I was lucky enough to go out to dinner tonight with my hubby and enjoy a plate of cheese fries at Outback.  On occasions like this, you can be sure I toss the hoodie aside and wear something a little nicer.  I'm just not great at fashion (and to prove it, my friend bought this outfit, showed me, and I went out and bought the very same one).  I envy some of my friends who on any given day, any hour of the day, look like a million bucks and wear the cutest outfits.  

This too was for me, to see what I really look like.  I've been trying to get in better shape.  I'm happy to have stood on the scale two days in a row to confirm the fact that I was able to lose 6lbs in two months (during the holidays none the less).  I'm thrilled!!!

day 6

Pretty anti climatic considering the day it was today!  Kind of a boring picture.  Let's just say that I got wrapped up in the moment (one that lasted all day) and didn't think to take a picture.  So after bathing the kids tonight, I shot this.  It's symbolizes that the day is over!  I promise to bring more exciting pictures next week!  I've got ideas already.  Some of these posts I really want to try hard to be creative and have a plan!

day 5

On days like this I can guarantee that my husband is glad it's ME that is the mom and in charge of taking care of the kids.  The day ended with a BANG... I mean SPILL (same difference, right moms?)

So I have to lay it all out for you as to why I'm sitting her exhausted and why this picture says it all.

6:30am couldn't sleep... decided to get up and go to the gym.

ran 4 miles

8:00am got daughter ready for school

8:45am took daughter to school so dad who didn't sleep well either could keep sleeping

9:30am showered and showered youngest as she didn't wake up dry

dressed the kids and got them breakfast while I checked email

11:00am finished getting ready for the day

11:30am rushed the kids out the door to take them to my little sisters elementary school so she could fulfill an assignment and babysit them for an hour

12:00pm got to a friends house to visit for a bit

12:30 left to go pick up the kids

1:00pm dropped son off at preschool

3:00pm left to pick up oldest from school

3:45pm picked son up from preschool

4:00pm dropped oldest off at Up With Kids while I did some returns

4:45pm went in to use the bathroom and youngest tried going herself and got it everywhere

5:00pm left for home to clean up youngest

5:45pm realized I didn't have what I needed for dinner

6:00pm Costco run and I mean RUN

Kids were begging for food on the way out and I KNEW they couldn't wait for lasagna

6:15pm gave in to buying hotdogs and drinks for the kids so I could make dinner in peace

6:30pm brought in groceries all the while the youngest carried in her drink....

it was rootbeer!


It's ALMOST 8:00pm...
the kids are not bathed or ready for bed, but the lasagna is JUST about done and I can't wait to bite into it.  It's a good thing I make a mean lasagna, right?  I'm going to need a boost of energy to finish it off tonight with baths and putting kids to bed!

And to all a good night!

Just to prove it was delish...

day 4

Monday night, my daughter explained how devastating it was that she didn't win the contest.  Contest?  What contest?  She then went on to say that this week who ever wore the most buttons each day was the winner.  I could tell this really meant a lot to her (cause she is her fathers daughter)!  So with that I rummaged through her closet... buttons, I needed buttons.  I wanted her to be warm at the same time with it being 15 degrees outside.  What to wear?  What to wear?  I had an idea and this was it.  So come this morning I knew what would do it... what would help her win.  I laid it out on the floor so she could see it when she woke up.  I snapped this just before waking her!  We counted them up... 12!  Could that be the winning number?

I brought it up first thing after school, "Did you win?" I began asking before she could even finish getting in the car.  YES!!!  She did!  Hooray!  Success!  Oh but there's more... as soon as she explained she had won for today she told me she needed to wear more tomorrow to be sure to win again!  WHAT???  Another day?  I found out it's going on all week long.  But of course!  In any case, she won at least once.  Not sure tomorrow will be as successful, but you know I'll do my darndest when it comes to helping her win again!   

day 3

SPOILED!!

It's more than I ever thought possible!  For Christmas, my husband surprised me with a D700, a 85mm 1.4 and a new and better flash SB900.  To say I was floored is an understatement!  I cried!  So here's to 362 more pictures taken with my new camera!

day 2

"Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam"

Today, was a pretty big day for me and my baby!  She is no longer with me in the nursery, she's in Primary.  I was so sad to see her move up.  It means my baby is getting big!  She went like a champ, nothing but smiles!  She always wants to be big like Jett and Sky and today was a day that she could be just like them and in Primary.  She did great and so here is a picture of her after church singing for me the song with the actions!  The smile lasted long after church today!

day 1

I want you to know I thought all week about what to take a picture of.  Nothing fabulous or amazing came to mind.  I asked myself, what one thing symbolized the first day of a new year,  or what do I want to accomplish this year.  I started to think... and there were just too many ideas.  UNTIL... I was at the gym running my heart out all the while watching a movie on Lifetime T.V.  It was about these three fat ladies and their quest to get skinny again and what it was they wanted at the end of their journey.  One said she wanted to wear a bikini, one said she wanted to fit into this lovely wedding dress and the other wanted a fancy pair of shoes.  As I watched, what I call a silly show, but great in the way that it kept me running on that treadmill, I listened to these ladies discuss their determination and how they BELIEVED they could do this together.  My thoughts quickly turned to the other night when I was playing the game Sequence for Kids with my three kids.  My oldest, not great at losing was not handling it well.  I tried to help her... I said, "You know how daddy thinks he is Green Light Neils-C, and how he always gets green lights?  Well, it's because he BELIEVES he is.  Do you understand what I'm saying?  You need to believe that you can win this game and you'll be amazed at how many times you will win.  But if you believe you're going to lose, I guarantee you'll lose the game every time."  I got a bit of a nod from her through the tears, but it was my boy who I think understood the lesson best of all.  The next day, in the van while driving, from the back of the van came his sweet little voice.  He asked me, "Mom?  Did you pass all your tests to have a baby?"  I looked over at my husband with a curious look, wondering what he'd say next.  "Yes, I responded, why do you ask?"  He said, "Oh good, so now you just have to BELIEVE you'll have a baby and you will."  Tears filled my eyes.  So as I kept running, it hit me... BELIEVE!  I just need to believe and I can do it.  This sits on a shelf in my kitchen.  I look at it every day.  Now it means a little more to me.

So with this new year, here are a few things I believe!

1.  I believe I can actually do this 365 day challenge.

2.  I believe I can lose 10 lbs.

3.  I believe I can save more and spend less (I probably shouldn't admit this to my husband, but I'd really like to).

4.  I believe I can get to church on time this year (9am is brutal for me).

5. I believe I will have another baby.

So excuse me for my lack of creativity when it comes to the photo, but this is how my year begins... BELIEVING I can!