Tuesday, November 30, 2010

{Family Pictures} I had this idea.....

This year I wanted our family pictures to be natural.
Nothing too posed or "fake".
{Ok, so we had to get at least one "everyone alook and smile" picture}
I wanted it to be real, to be us.
We are not perfect.
We have flaws.
Our family is different and at times very difficult to photograph.
Why not embrace this, right??
So I started thinking of where we should have our pictures taken.
Then I had this idea.....
Skee Ball, Bubba LOVES Skee Ball....
how can I incorporate Skee Ball????
I know... you all think I am CRAZY!
I wanted Bubba to be happy.
I wanted it to be FUN.
Luckily when I told my friend my idea she quickly hopped on board.
When we woke up on the morning of our shoot it was RAINING.
I was so worried because it was the only Saturday that we would be able to do it for a long time.
{it was Halloween morning to be exact.}
Ce Ce {my wonderful friend} and I were calling and texting each other
back and forth trying to decide if we should go ahead with it.
The rain stopped and it looked hopeful.
The lighting was not the best and certain shots did not come out how I had envisioned them in my head.
After LOTS of time editing and trying to clean them up I got frustrated that they weren’t as perfect as I wanted them to be…..
Then I realized something…..
Our family is not perfect.
Our family has flaws.
Once I changed my attitude the beauty in the pictures that my sweet
friend captured became much more clear.
I love how this morning was captured so perfectly for us to hold onto forever.
We have always been told that it is “Quality over Quantity” when
 it comes to our sweet Bubba, that is why I loves these tender moments to much.
They are REAL.
When ever life is hard I can look back on this day and smile.
I am grateful for our perfectly flawed family.



















Sunday, November 28, 2010

Tomorrow.....

the kids are headed back to school and our FUN week is over. :(
We had so much fun this week!
We went to Disneyland {of course}...
The Zoo....
had a wonderful Thanksgiving....
did some black friday shopping...
and a fun trip the Aquarium.
We invited some friends to come and play
with us at the Aquarium and we had a blast! 
Regan showed her friends how to play with the seals. 
Abby fed the birds. 
Bubba... well, he SMILED. :) 
We looked at sting rays.....
and BIG fish. 
Regan got her first kiss.  
The twins.... well they just looked cute all day! 
Our week was so wonderful,
for the most part Bubba felt good.
We had one BAD day filled with seizures but other than that it was pretty perfect.
This week just makes me even more excited for Christmas break.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

We celebrated with.....

A whole LOT of
TURKEY!!


The group this year was small.
 It was our typical Sunday dinner group.
The food was YUMMY.
The company was GREAT!
The Cuddles were oh so sweet! 

The music was wonderful!
AND then there was MORE....
TURKEY
{wink} 
We went to go and see Uncle Bill who has been in the hospital .
Poor guy... I would make that face too if I saw this group coming. :)  
Then our day was topped off with Tangled {LOVE it!} 
Oh, and YES.... 
our tree is up and our stocking are hung! wink!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Week of Gratitude {Day 3}

1. I am thankful for my testimony and my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am grateful to know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and redeemer. That for me, a sinner, he hung and suffered there. I am grateful to know that he LIVES, that he is my brother and loves me beyond measure. I am grateful to know that my Heavenly Father loves me so much and because of this great love he does not give me any challenges that I can not handle. I am grateful that if there is a day when my trials do seem like to much I can turn to God for help. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28 I am thankful that in a very complicated world the word of God is simple, his plan of salvation is simple and beautiful. Life is hard not God’s plan for us.


2. I am thankful for the power of prayer. I have seen it work miracles not only in my life but in so many around me.

3. I am thankful to be me
Watch THIS

4. I am thankful for photography and all of the moments that are captured forever.

5. I am thankful for journaling and this blog. I blog to keep a record of everything that we were going through in our lives. I remember how alone and scare I felt in the begining of my journey with Bubba. I want other Mothers out there to know that they are not alone.

6. I am thankful to be able to stay at home with my children.

7.I am thankful for days like today. The day did not start well. I had planned on taking the kids to the zoo early, by noon I realized that it was going to be hard. I told myself that I could do it! After being on the freeway for ten minutes Bubba threw up all over himself. I looked back and saw tears in Regan’s eyes, she was afraid that we would have to turn back around. Instead I took the next exit witch I knew led to Target. We bought Bubba a new outfit, got him dressed in the car, and were back on the road. It was a beautiful afternoon with my sweet children. Oh, I love being a Mommy.






8. I am thankful for how well my children get along. They have a very special bond and I am so grateful for that.


Monday, November 22, 2010

Week of Gratitude {Day 2}

Today I am thankful for the kids having a week off of school. :)

I am thankful for...... Oh, come on you know it's coming..... DINSEYLAND.
{Guess where we went today... wink!}

1. I am thankful for sweet characters that spend so much time with the little ones in wheel chairs. 
2. I am thankful for how free and young Disney makes us all feel! 
3. I am thankful for amazing Grandparents that always want to come and play with us! 
4. I am thankful that certain rides can make any grown man feel like a kid again.
{oh, don't get me started on how much I adore this photo! I made them all cram into one car while I sat comfy in the one in front of them! wink!!} 
5. I am thankful that no matter how many times Bubba rides the Jungle Cruise he still laughs so hard when they shoot that darn gun. :)

6. I am thankful for how quickly this "grown up" girl remembers how fun it is to be little when a princess is involved!
 
 7. I am thankful for Small World at Christmas time. I LOVE the music, the lights, and cuddle the time it provides.
 8. More than anything I am thankful for the MANY, MANY, MANY amazing memories this wonderful place has given our family over the years.


Sunday, November 21, 2010

Week of Gratitude {Day 1}

I thought with Thanksgiving coming up I would do a week of gratitude. Let’s face it, my last post was a bit of a Debby Downer. So, we need to get some FUN, REAL, and maybe SILLY things that I am thankful to have in my life.

1. Ok, well let’s start off with my best friend. I know…. You are tired of hearing about how much I adore him but really I do. People have often said “I don’t know how y’all do it”….. well to answer that…. It is simple we do it together, the good and the bad, we do it together. Wednesday was a HARD day for me. It was one thing after another. I was sad and Jason knew it. He had Thursday off from work. He knew I had things that needed should get done but he said “let’s play!” So that is just what we did. We went to Disneyland kid free and rode on the BIG kids rides. We laughed, I smiled, we ate a YUMMY lunch and you know what.... it was JUST what I needed! I am thankful for a best friend that knows exactly what I need.





2. I am so grateful for unlimited long distance and my daily chats with my sister. I hate that we live so far away from each other BUT I am thankful that neither of us ever skips a beat…. If we need each other we call..... If we need to laugh we call….. If we need to cry we call.

3. I am grateful for BIG purses that can hold all of my junk!

4. I am grateful for all of you! No really, your comments often times are just what I need to “hear”. You are such kind and supportive women. {and for those that aren’t well… don’t send me emails OK!}

5. I LOVE being one of “those” moms. I am grateful to belong to an elite and special group of mothers. There isn’t a pass word or special hand shake but when we see each other or meet for the first time we know. We instantly know and bond over trials, loss, or funny stories.

6. I am grateful for Archer Farms Dark Chocolate Drizzle caramel clusters popcorn…… to die for!!!

7. I am grateful for GPS! Heaven knows I always get lost even with it. I would hate to see what happens with out it. Wink!

8. I am grateful for my Children’s smiles….. They make my heart smile.


Here's to {Day 1}...... stay tuned for LOTS more!