Introducing....

FUn on Friday !! Remember when I posted about some changes coming up on the ol' blog? Well I have come up with a daily plan for my posts.. some fun stuff and a bit of thought provoking.. (ok, INTERACTIVE) kinda stuff too. I totally needed to set this up months ago.. to keep me on track and to (ok, keep readers.. Idonotblogforothersnoidonot

SO I set myself up with a little ol' schedule and I am REALLY going to try and stick with it. This next week as we find ourselves in a NEW month (holy -what happened -to summer?-) AUGUST. what better time to start with my plan.... (and for those of you interested, Aug 1 just happens to be when new prices and some other things go into effect for my photography biz)

* I know.. I am nutz like this.. love to keep myself uberly busy... actually the more busy (um, yeah just realized not the correct usage) I keep myself , the less time I have to a. worry. b. stress. and c.care (about anything or anyone except those that MEAN something to me and make my life full and happy). ok. done. on. that.

anywho.. back to my post.. FUN on FRIDAY will be my focus on something fun from the week that we did as a family, my kids did, hubby and I did (get your mind out of the gutter) or, once in a great while.. something FUN that I did JUST for ME !!....

so today..... was such a simple. fun. full of joy kinda day. and I am so thankful for my little family.

* the kids had their last swimming lessons today which means PARTy day.. ( 15 min of free play in the water and 15 min of consuming 6 bags of fruit snacks, choco chip cookies, 2 bags of cheeze its, 3 bags of animal crackers, a capri sun, a few gummy worms, and oh, they get their evaluations too.)

I had a photo session scheduled for today and the family was driving from an hour away to see me, so we had to make it work. My adorable , lovable, do ANYTHING for me prince of a husband, took off some time to work(he made it up earlier in the week.. of course!) to meet me early at the pool, take the kids to their lessons and play with them for an hour or so after wards at the park.

ahem.. QUote from Tatum in the car " we didn't go to a park, just a playground, white, Bigum?"

when I asked if they still wanted to go to the park for lunch later. haa.

Picked up the kids, ran a couple errands , picked up food at BK ( totally craving their grilled chicken sandwich) and the kids were ecstatic b/c the kids meal toys were from a new cat/dog movie. Grabbed the food and we headed to our favorite little park tucked away in a neighborhood. and little man ate his first french fry.( and his second, and third, and thirteenth)

Meet our Pirate baby. (above pic) . He recently began squinting only his left eye when the sun hits him. Perhaps our theme was a bit intense for his big brother's 6th bday party a couple weeks ago. (more on that later.. need to edit and post them)

and here he is contemplating going over the edge. It cracks me up that babies will crawl on their knees on cement. He was on a mission to get to the mulch that was just below this ledge. (the drop off is about 2.5 inches! LOL)

The kids having a blast on the playground. I love that I can just let them loose now, and this park just happens to have a sidewalk surrounding it.. so while they play I walk the circle. Productive multi tasking no?

Miss TaTa as the captain of the sea.. and Mr. Brig was about to show me how he can cross the monkey bars.. well. almost..

It was during this peaceful time eating lunch with my 3 kiddos, watching them experience new things, listening to them play with each other, realizing how lucky I was to have been able to work this morning at a 'job' that I love.. while my hubby was able to experience their lessons.(he actually always gets to come on Mondays , since he has it off) that I was reminded just how blessed I really am. Truly blessed beyond measure. Even though my mind can be flooded with all kinds of distractions and even some toxic junk, even when some moments are spent focusing on the negative instead of relishing in all that is good. Even when I think towards the future and perhaps 'what isn't now'.. God always shows me thru the simple joys, that He has me just where He wants me. And its such a good thing.

maybe just a bit overstimulated-

Wednesday- story time at the library(whoo hoo.. kids both got coupons for DQ for keeping up on the summer reading program!)

lunch at the park

Thursday-lots of errands, prepping for party

Friday-shopping, dinner at MacAlisters,

Tatum gets a girl's night out with Grandma at the downtown gallery walk

Saturday- Tatum plays at Grandma's house

finishing cake, decorating house, prepping food

READY TO PARTY PIRATE STYLE- Brig's 6th bday party with lots of friends

HUGE STORM.. knocks out power for a few hours, TONS of trees down all over town.

Worst damage we have seen in a long time. praying for some friends whose home got struck by lightening.

Sunday- photo session, clean house, detox from party,

dinner with Grandma

Monday- swimming lessons(we started our second round of the summer.)- kids are doing great!

lunch and fun at the 4-H fair! Gotta love fair food! Beck gets his first elephant ear and pork burger!!

VBS at our church... Andrew does sound, I do photos, Brig gets to soak up all that Jesus stuff and

Tatum and Beck get to hang out in child care

Tuesday-swimming lessons

Brig treats us to lunch at McDonald's with his birthday gift card(awwww) and we have a picnic at the park

VBS- another great night of kids dancing and rocking out to praise songs.. ( and a little bit of chaos too)

Wednesday- swimming lessons

photo session

park time with Grandma

story time at the library

VBS

and taking another trip to the fair.. gotta love fair food.. (ok, and the animals and old people dancing! LOL)

WHEW. that is what has been going on in the last week. Got three more photo sessions this week, finish up VBS with splash party and a couple play dates. Summer is super super busy... and I have to say though I love the weather, I am totally psyched up for the start of school-- can't wait to get into the ol' routine again. Trying to figure out what activities to enroll the kids in and finishing up a few things with my business.

Before I know it, it will be Christmas!!

party day!

Hey guys.. thanks for the feedback comments and emails.. I have some ideas and as soon as I get a break in my photography sessions , I'm gonna implement them into the routine! I have been a terrible slacker in the blogging department these last few months. I have been even more terrible at keeping up and reading with friends' and other favorite blogs.. in fact totally missed the post where a friend announced herself pg. UM. totally feeling guilty....

Summer with three little ones is keeping us super busy, as I am sure many of you know.

I just am hardly ever on the computer anymore unless I have my eyes fixated on other people's images and I am working the heck out of PS! LOL

I booked myself less sessions for July and August, but am gearing up for some big things happening this fall...I'll try and not leave you hanging that long!

SO an update... TODAY is my baby boy's SIXTH birthday!! I have always been a HUGE fan of my birthday.. but I have found I am even more psyched about my kiddos' bdays. I just love, LOVE to celebrate with them and see their eyes light up. At the same time I get so emotional as I can't believe that GOD chose me to be their mama and experience their life (heck.. guide their life! )

We had Beck's first birthday 10 days ago on the third.. ( I know, I know.. haven't even posted or edited pics from his party yet) and now today we celebrate the kid that made me a mom SIX years ago....

and hey.. Stephanie if you are still reading this ol' blog... we were just looking thru all the pictures with you guys and the fabulous video that your hubby shot for us. What wonderful friends we had in you, and its such a bummer that we are so far away.. =(.
awwwww. the memories though!

so this kid knows how to milk his day for all its worth.. we took him and his sister to the movies this morning while gma watched the baby.. and then went to lunch at Dan Pablo's and got a surprise visit from Uncle Monkey...
came home did some yard work, and then out for a new hair cut and he got to pick out a new game for his gameboy.

Then we went to Chic Fil A for family night and the kids got all tatted up and made ice cream sundaes and created cow people (which were actually pretty darn cute)..

and then we came home to chat on the computer with the other grandparents and to open some more gifts. The kid got spoiled of course.. and we haven't even had his party yet!

Stay tuned for some more pics at least I'll go thru the boys and their bday parties.. perhaps it will be a dual post next week!

I am thrilled you're all still interested in our little life and what is going on... and I can't wait to start posting some of the fun stuff I have planned.(and a little of the more serious stuff.) I hope you will check back and keep reading!

and with that.. I am out of here... off to edit two more sessions.... you can always keep up w/ my photography stuff by clicking on the link to the right-
have a great day !!

is any body out there???

could be familiar lyrics.... one of my favorite songs.. lol-

But seriously.. I am such a horrible blogger in the summer time. We are always super busy... which is always giving me plenty of things to blog about, but where does my time go? Who knows?!!

It seems as though my time at the computer lately has been spent editing photo sessions. My summer has been jam packed and I am loving it, but the blogging updates seem to get pushed aside.


I am almost feeling a state of depression towards my lack of scrap booking. I miss the feel of paper and glue. I miss the cutting. I miss the agonizing over how to lay out a page. As I just told another good scrapping/photographer friend.. I Miss the getting my thoughts down and keeping memories for my kids. the files and files on my computer can only tell so much!


My husband keeps telling me , I need to give it up.. he suggested that my blog take over that part of my life and serve as a digital scrapbook. (which in a sense it is)... I have plans to turn my blog into a coffee table book and have actually started the process through Blurb. But since I have been blogging since 2005... that is a WHOLE lot of posts to go through! LOL

I am not quite ready to give up the creative outlet of paper scrapping .... but that brings me back to my original question...

Is there anybody out there? Does any one read this thing? Based on my comments, I would say no.. but based on my tracker, it is telling me that I have quite a few visitors.. and many of the same return readers.

SO been thinking of changing some things up on my blog.. to make it more interesting and to keep me more accountable. I have a lot of stuff in this ol' noggin of mine, that I would love to get out... serious stuff... funny stuff.... opinionated stuff, reviews for stuff.. and of course keeping you updated with the crazy happenings of my little family.

PLEASE , if you're a reader.. leave me a comment.. If you care to... let me know what type of topics you'd like me to cover.

I am thinking about jumping on the "post of the day" bandwagon. I think it will make me more focused and provide plenty of entertainment.. haa. haa.

ok.. folks... comment away.. and in the mean time, I am off to bury one little bird and one tiny mouse that became victim to our viscous 4 legged back yard predators.

(perhaps more on that later.. lol)