Baby Fever....

I had the priviledge today of not only getting together with probably my oldest (and NO not in the essance of age mind you more like long-standing relationships) and bestest friend and her brand spanking new son L, but I got to photograph them too!

Nothing delights me more then babies... well ok, maybe next to chocolate, a trip to Bennihanna's, a pedicure...
BUT.. I LOVE babies.. love them love them!
And I love good friends who have babies- cause it means I can hold them and not feel weird about it (hey you try holding some random ladies baby and see how weird you feel!)

Melissa and I have been friends since 2nd grade, when I moved here and she loaned me a pencil (yes, I came to a new school without a pencil my first day.. gasp!) We walked home together, played every day together, had sleepovers, told secrets, played softball together, she was a bridesmaid in my wedding.. heck we even taught at the same school! Yes she was THAT friend, the kind you want to have, the kind you want your kid to have.. the kind that... no matter where you are, or how long it has been, you know each other like a book and you can pick up like you saw each other yesterday- yes.. we're good like that ;)
We even have kids the same age.. GIRLS in fact.. so it could be a tradition in the making.. hehe

So to be able to capture any moment as precious as that of her new son, was a great honor to me..
Now, mind you, this was my first baby session but all in all I think it went pretty well :)
Here are a few sneaks of mommy and son and some on his own :)

A week in review

Seeing as I am always a tad behind (hey... that is just how I roll people.. at least it gets done eventually), I felt it was best since THIS week is half over to just do a "week in review" of LAST week. ** There will not be a week in review of this week as we have done not much of anything cept sit inside and swelter!!

But last week was exciting.. busy.. and even came with a few milestones :)

The dude spent the week at baseball camp (sorry no pics..I mainly did a drop off and pick up thing here as there were a ton of kids and the dude was not wanting to be photographed for this (** although I did get a few sneaky ones). In amongst the week (and weekend before) he lost his first tooth and then 2 days later lost his second! Imagine the tooth fairies delight to get to come to our house twice in 3 days (especially since the tooth fairy is known for NEVER carrying cash and relying on her debit card for all her purchases)..

But no need to worry your pearly whites over it, the tooth fairy came through for the dude and now has made mental notes to keep small cash on hand hidden for those treasures. And the dude got good lesson in adding up change :)


In amongst baseball camp, the dude also got to to to sleepover church camp. He was just beside himself with excitement as apparently there is nothing better to him then being away from home with the comforts of travel size toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, etc, an impending swim test to ensure deep end swimming, and the use of a trash bag to return all the muddy/crusty clothes. The dude also loves to hang out with his soccer buddies, most of which went along to the camp.

So with the dude gone, the diva and I set out to find entertainment fit only for true high class women...

We did not have to look very far....

The dad provided us with enough for the rest of the summer (literally as he plays every Friday) in the form of an ever gripping game of we are to old to play baseball anymore so we will play this instead softball.

Now don't take that wife of the year prize away yet. I love the dad, and one thing I have always loved about him was his ability to play ball... baseball or softball.

Just not sure I am in love with the team name "Thunder Monkeys". Course what more could a high class woman like myself want in her husband's team name...



complete with camo jersies.... the dad was even sweet enough to get matching ones for the diva, dude and myself....




How lucky am I!!!




Course the diva has not yet mastered the fine art of graciously declining, and flat out said NO when asked if she wanted to wear her shirt...


She prefers western wear with her mother's name instead... hey at least I got a bow in her hair (or hair clip..)which as you see below came with a price...




And we practiced feeding the animals (or at least it kind of looks that way.. in reality it was the dad asking for one)

Then we ventured over to the dad's parents house for some well needed swimming...

And as I went to use the restroom (INSIDE) apparently the diva decided she did not need a restroom...(*photo compliments of the dad)

Too bad she was not wearing her Thunder Monkey jersey... would have made the picture complete...

But we did swim.. or the diva and dad swam, I sat and said a silent prayer that my sweet adorable daughter was not turning into a mini dude complete with urinating outside took pictures...

of jumping with fish

jumping without fish

and practicing for the shamu show...

now you see where the diva gets her attitude red hair from :)

and it was also high time for some new... GOOD pics of the diva since she turned 3 on the 10th (birthday pics to come.. just so many I am trying to get them done). So we headed over to one of my favorite spots for a little mini session :)

hard to believe she can look that sweet?

This is one of my favs... DEFINATELY more her "look" like she has something

brewing in that head of hers (and all that brewing is making her hair swirl)

Saturday came with the dude coming home tanned, tired and frankly not all that happy to be home. I guess having to eat something besides pizza and snacks and going to bed at a decent hour are not all that high on his list of things to do this summer... (hey I could give him a swim test though... and a few others...)

But his mood quickly changed after a nap and the finding of a certain magic ticket which awaited him.....

As we I set forth on uncharted territory...

That of a teen sensation concert....

Behold (as the AHHHHH music sounds in the background) The Jonas Brothers World Tour...

Now, don't get me wrong.. I have done the concert thing.. even the crazed teen sensation concert thing.. I WAS that girl who cried when Joey Joe from NKOTB sang "Please.... don't go girl" (don't even ask who they are if you don't know.. I am not in the mood to feel any more older then I did Saturday night)

But I have never been the OLD person at the crazy teen sensation concert...

Or apparently the OLD person with the camera ....

But they were good I will admit. And they are good kids who have good morals and make good choices. They actually play and sing.. one of which plays pretty much everything and sings (I think he is Nick?) gasp, I know.. sorry, I mean to remember his name. And it was fun night, even complete with the hysterically crying girl that brought back such fond memories for me (to bad I can't find that old "Joey Joe's future wife" shirt.. that would fit right along there with my "wife of a Thunder Monkey one"

And who knows.. maybe next time they come, I may actually be able to sing one of their songs ;)

A Father's Day Friend or Foe

For Father's Day I decided I would be nice and do the yardwork. I figured really, how hard could it be, not like dusting in nooks and crannies or cleaning the toilet of a 6 year old boy right?

So I let the dad know that part of his gift would be a week of no yard duty- he was hesistant at first due to my last altercation with the headge trimmers which resulted in one of our front bushes looking like Mr. T. But I assured him that I would be good this time.

So he showed me how to work the weed eater, edger, and mower.. explained to me how to stay in a straight line.... how to ease into the blade while edging..... etc. I was pumped, I mean it sounded just like coloring and tracing.. stay in the lines.. careful around the corners...

And it was a gorgeous almost 100 degree day outside and I was ready to work on that non-existant tan I have, so I got my yard clothes on and headed out for a day of being "wife of the year"....

He forgot to tell me the weed eater is mean....


More like brutal, and abusive.. that thing HURTS! Never was I informed of the SHARP pieces of flying debris that would immediately come back at my legs....

Nor was I told it probably is not a good idea to just plow over grass which has pieces of wood chips in it.....

But, in the end, I got it done.... and have a nice sunburn tan to prove it. And the dad was rewarded with a yard already done for once... I hope he is happy....

Cause it won't ever happen again :)

Happy Father's Day (yes I know this post is late... sorry that is just how I roll) to the best hubby and daddy I know!

Stay tuned as I will soon be posting our "week in review" from last week as it was a pretty busy one :)

GIVEAWAY!!

SQUEELLLL, you know how I LOVE LOVE LOVE me some giveaways!!
Well this has to be one of my favs so far, and what makes it even cooler it is one of my bestest friends, Tracy who is doing it!! (wait, does that mean I cannot enter?..)
Well, regardless, I still wanna give her a shout out cause this is about the coolest thing I have seen lately!

How many of our kiddos complain that the seatbelt rubs their neck? I know mine do! And the little covers you can buy at BRU aren't all that "cute" so Tracy has started making these ADORABLE seat belt covers and she is giving a PAIR away on her blog!! So GET OVER to her blog and read about them NOW!!

** sorry, cutie pie Brayden is NOT included ** :)

30 Day Me.....

I never post on myself... really... I mean, most times, it is me... posting.. but about my kids...I mean, after all, they are my life ;)

But 30 days ago (well maybe more like 45 or so if you count weekends) I embarked on a journey with a few IRL friends and some blogger friends to "shred" our bodies of the baby weight, the "mommy I need you NOW every minute of the day so you cannot possibly have ANY time to yourself" weight, the "we have baseball Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, soccer on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, horse riding Wednesdays, karate Tuesdays and Thursdays, so we pretty much call McDonalds our second home" weight, the "photo session Monday - edit pictures Monday night, photo session Tuesday- edit pics Tuesday night (insert rest of week).. the.. ok I think you get the picture.

I lead a busy life, I love my busy life, but it is busy.. and "Me time".. whether it is a trip to the nail salon, hair salon, even the grocery store is usually not done unless done with a child (usually the diva) in tow. Soooo, working out was a thing of the past... well until I read Big Mama 's post where she had faithfully decided to start this workout. I love Big Mama, read her blog faithfully, so do most of my IRL friends. So we all decided we would do this with her... I mean after all, how hard could it be?



I used to be VERY active, I played pretty much every sport, cheered, and was very into softball... all the way through college even. I love a challenge and love competition. Then, I had kids.. and as we all know, with kids comes weight. I used to be blessed with a high metabolism... I guess.. maybe part of that was the amount of exercise I did also. Regardless, the minute I had the diva, my stellar metabolism left the building.. only problem was, it did not take my stellar ability to out eat anyone (rememeber I love a challenge)with it.

So throughout my "conceiving, carrying, and cuddling" baby years, I have tried NUMEROUS, diets, fads, workout dvd's, I have bought a few jogging strollers in a vast attempt to start to like to run, I have had gym memberships, had workout buddies, workout clothes, even buying clothes a size to small didn't motivate me enough to stick with any one thing.

I crave routine.... I need to know that in the AM, I will wake up, have coffee, check email, feed kids (if awake).. if not, continue to check emails until kids wake, then feed, clean up, workout, then do our many errands for the day.... I was really never able to do this cause I could not find anyone.. or anything that could fit into my schedule and that I LIKED enough to stick with (sorry work out buddies). See that is my other problem, as much as I love a routine, I also need some variance (make sense?)... I cannot workout to the SAME video with the SAME lady, SAME music, moves, etc for 6 weeks straight... UGHH YUCK.. nor could I run as in Texas.. it is just too hot and I cannot take a 8 month hiatas from exercise so I can run when it is healthy to be outside. The gym offers me little here as there are 2.. small ones, neither of which offer a daycare.

So when I researched the shred, I found that Jillian had broken this up into 3 levels.. each having 3 circuits you do: in each circuit you do 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio, 1 minute abs- so that times 3 plus a warm up and cool down totals 20 minutes! HUH? I was psyched, surely I could handle.. and stick with, something for 30 days for 20 minutes a day..

So I decided I would work out during the week and then save weekends for rest and relaxation with the understanding that R and R meant the above and not, rootbeers and reeces cups :)



Week 1, check, 2 check, 3 check.. by week 5 I was ready for level 3. Each level was great, by the time I would be like URGHH.. it would time to move on to cardio, or abs.. or the next circuit. The time FLEW by each day... I can honestly say this is the best workout video I have owned!!

Did I lose all the weight I wanted to? Bwahh, no, but I have lost 18 pounds and was not afraid to get on the scale to see. My clothes are looser, my arms are firmer, my appetitie is smaller.. and I just FEEL better. I WANTED to do this every day, I looked forward to it, I was mad if I didn't get to do it in the AM as planned BUT.. if I didn't, I made the effort to later in the afternoon.



ok now don't get the idea in your head that I am a superstar, I whined at night about being sore, I was grouchy some days, and for 20 minutes, I ignored my kids (well ok not totally but I refused to get drinks, snacks, help with whatever unless it was NEEDED - by my definition not the kids).... but for some reason, Jillian made me feel like if I did NOT do this, I would feel guilty about it. She was harsh, she was mean, she said mean things on the TV.. I sometimes felt like she might come THROUGH the TV and get me! But I love her and I know see why she is on The Biggest Loser- she may be mean, but she does get results.



So to sum up this VERY lenghty informative post, I would strongly encourage anyone who is looking for a good workout, to go buy this DVD. You can purchase it here or at Target. All you need is a pair of hand weights (or you could use one of your children if they are of appropriate weight). But if you stick with it, I promise you will see results.



Now as for me, I completed my last day... day 30 of the shred a few hours ago but I will continue to do this each week as I feel like right now it is giving me good results and I am still exhausted with level 3 so I think a few more weeks are in order.. plus I am not done losing weight either :)

But I am really just happy that in the last 30-45 days, I have established some "Me Time".. and it is healthy time. I now know I have time to workout each day and that my kids can survive 20 minutes without me. They know this too and they are also seeing me doing something healthy for myself.



So celebrate with me today then shred with me on Monday!!

Happy Birthday Freckle Face Strawberry!

Happy Birthday My Freckle Face Strawberry,



I remember the day I had you, how you looked just like your brother, how I was NOT sure what I would do with a "girl".... how you took all of about 2 minutes to have everyone wrapped around your little finger :) You came early (or course)- I should have known then you had your own agenda ;)


How much FUN it is (or was) to dress you (now you seem to have your own style). I remember being in denial about the color of your hair, there was NO way I would have a red head :) But now, if your hair changed I would be so sad as that is who you are.. you are my little red head (complete with temper) :)


I remember how sad and excited I was when you turned one, how I swore I would not let the years fly by.. you would always be my baby if I had anything to do with it! But how excited I was as you were turning into this little person right before my eyes, someone who I would cease to exist without.


I love how curious you are,


How funny you can be, how much you have taught me about myself (like messes like this are ok..lol)


I love your smile, it lights up a room, your laugh is contagious, and your voice... lets just say it is

very hard to stay mad at you...


I love the fact that when you are asleep, I can still see the baby in you (and pray I always will)


I thank God every day that he blessed me with you,


to keep me on my toes :)


to melt my heart...


to remind me how precious girls are...



But also to remind me of how in every little girl.. is a little of her mom :)



Happy Birthday my sweet little girl, for 3 years you have blessed my life and there is not a day that goes by that I don't thank God for you. I pray that your life will be all that you want it to be, that you will always know and love God, that your life will be filled with whatever it is your heart desires, but that no matter where you go or what you do, that your mom is always here for you!



I love you!

Mommy

Giveaway!!!

Eh-hem.. no not me.. I wish.. unfortunately.. I am not creative nor can I make/paint/sew/design anything... wish I could...

But I do know some FABULOUS people who can ;)...if you know me.. or have seen the diva and the dude (well the dude when he was younger..) then you have seen my kiddos outifitted in some of the most adorable clothing, jewelery, bows (not the dude.. GASP!) hats.. you name it.. I bet someone made it for us.

Even "I" get in on the action sometimes :) Beki is one of my FAVORITE jewelery designers.. she has made me anything and everything I can think of all of which I cherish. I am going to snap some pics of some of the trinkets she has made me in the past and post here later. But you can also see her stuff on her blogby clicking the link above. She is having a giveaway for one of her AWESOME hand-stamped necklaces and all you have to do is post a comment. Let me tell you, I have been oogling over one of these for some time now but never have any extra $$ anymore nor am I decided on what I want it to say (and don't have the $$ to get ALL the saying I want stamped). So if you have a minute, and would love to have a chance to win a OOAK treasure of your own.. go to Beki's blog and leave a comment :)

Karate kid Dude

Ok so I did promise pics of the dude so here they are.. but in my defense.. the dude is wayy to busy to stop and pose for pictures anymore.. so I now have to "master" the art of taking pictures of him in his many played sports. Here are a few snaps from karate the other day. They were testing for the next level belt.... which for the dude would be yellow.

For the dude to stand still is AMAZING! Oh and the dude's club is called "The Little Dragons" this is the class for kids ages 4-7. After 7, they go into basic training. The dude himself is not to fond of the "little" part of the name and would prefer just dragons.. or mighty dragons...or.. well ok I am sure you get the point.


and a bow to the instructor.. Mrs. B (or ma'am)

guarding stance...

some punches..

so now I start to think it would be "fun" to get some mirror shots ;)




switching sides...

The BIG moment... the YELLOW Belt!! Way to go!!!


Yea for the dude!!!!