My artistic side

I love playing around in photoshop. It's a great way for me to be artistic without the mess (I hate messes)! The following is a picture I took of a dandelion in macro mode. I played with the colors and added some texture. I really like how it turned out.

This is a storyboard I made with three different pictures of dandelions.

And since this is my blog, I'm shamelessly plugging my photography. I have some new pictures posted on my photography blog. Go here!

The Castle Cake

We had a big birthday bash this past weekend to celebrate three birthdays; Dave's (May 14), Emma's (May 16), and Savannah's (June 7). We were traveling on Emma's birthday and I didn't get a chance to make her a birthday cake. So I made one for the two girls. I have wanted to make a castle cake for Emma since her last birthday. I am NOT a cake decorator. In fact, the first birthday cake I made for Emma was pathetic and rather ugly. But I'm not afraid to try new things (ask my sister about her wedding cake!). And while my castle cake definitely is not as cute as some I've seen, it's a major improvement from that first birthday cake I made!

I didn't even taste it because I don't like chocolate cake. But Emma said it was good!


Birthday girls and best friends!

Wee Willie Winkie

After an exhausting day of playing in the dirt, squishing bugs, and tormenting his sisters, this little boy fell asleep while using the toilet. Yes, my friends . . . he fell asleep on the toilet! And was then appropriately nicknamed by is aunt and uncle, "Wee Willie Winkie". I'm thinking I can use this picture against him (you know, like blackmail; I'm not above it) when he is older. You gotta love being a mom when moments like this come along!

Emma Turns Six

My first baby turned six on May 16th. Seems a bit crazy to me. Time goes by too fast the older I get. We didn't find out what we were having when I was pregnant with Emma. Both Dave and I thought we were having a boy. I was induced and my labor lasted ten hours. I had to push for two hours to get her here! When she was part way out the doctor said he was guessing she was a girl because she had her arm up and hand out, reaching for the credit card! And when she was completely out he asked what name we had picked out for a girl. When I saw her for the first time I couldn't believe she was mine. She was too beautiful! I know that babies are usually quite squishy and un-adorable at first sight. And I'm not just saying this because she is mine (I've had a few squishy babies too) but Emma was just perfectly beautiful! I felt so overwhelmed with love and amazement that she was MY baby. How did I have such a perfect little girl?

And now that little baby is a gorgeous six year old. I still look at her and wonder how she can possibly be mine. Emma is a great help to me. She loves to help me take care of Layla. She helps me around the house and watches over McKay and Sophie (i.e. lets me know when they are joining forces in causing havoc). She plays very well with all of her siblings. She has a very strong sense of right and wrong and tries hard to always do what is right. She is very obedient. She is a peacemaker. She is sensitive. She is strong willed; we've butted heads on more than one occasion :) ! She loves to color and create things artistically. She is a math whiz. She is beautiful! And I am so grateful for the chance to be her mother. Here's a look at Emma through the years.

May 16th, 2002

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old

5 years old

6 years old

Need a laugh?

Laughter is contagious and this baby laughing is hilarious!

Plump, chunky, babies

I like my peanut butter, uh. . . I mean babies, CHUNKY!
Layla is six months old and 17 pounds of pure joy!

ALIVE! Me and everything else around here!

It's been a crazy two weeks. There are so many fun things to report on. We went on vacation, celebrated Mother's Day, Dave's Birthday, and Emma's Birthday, returned home to find that it's officially spring now, went to the ocean and the lake in the same week. Whew! Do you ever feel like you need a vacation to recover from your vacation? I'm getting back into the swing of things finally.

We live in a seasonal tourist area and things have been pretty dead all winter (seven long months). When we drove into the valley after our vacation everything was ALIVE!!! The grass was green, the trees were greening, and there were people! The stores have opened up again, the beaches are open. Yea for spring and summer! I am so looking forward to going to the beach a whole lot this summer. We went Saturday afternoon and even though the water was freezing, the kids had a blast splashing around in the lake, chasing seagulls, playing in the sand, and flying a kite. It was so nice to be warm and not cold!

In other news, with the warm weather also comes an infestation of box elder bugs. Yuck! They are everywhere. It's nice that they don't bite, but they are super annoying. We've sprayed twice and I need to gas the attic. I can handle them if they are outside, but when they start coming in the house, blah! They land on you and they won't fall off unless you brush them off of you. Yuck! And, my fearless Sophie is afraid of them; because of the fact that she has to touch them to get them off of her. I think she would be fine if she could just move or shake and they came off. Oh well, if box elder bugs come with the spring and summer I'll put up with them to enjoy the warm weather.

I will tell you all about our vacation on a later post (because I know you all have been dying that I haven't posted in almost two weeks.) How do you stay entertained without me? :) Also, in posts to come: Emma Turns Six, My Thoughts On Motherhood, and Staying Motivated. Be sure to tune in for these exciting, page-turning-posts by yours truly!

Much to do

I really don't have time for this! Blogging I mean. At least not now. But I wanted to post some pictures from our fun family outing last week. I need to clean the house, do a mountain of laundry, pack for five people, prepare a preschool lesson, and do some shopping! Before Thursday. So, I don't have time for this. But I couldn't resist editing the latest photo session I did (see my photo blog) and then I thought I should post here because, well, because I wanted to!

We went up to our family's property last week and had a picnic and a camp fire. It was beautiful until it started raining and the wind started blowing. But the kids had a blast and we have decided we really need to go camping this summer. Also, the first picture you see is, I do believe, the first and only picture I have of Dave and I kissing. How sad is that? We didn't even get a kissy picture on our wedding day! Anyway, the rest of the pics are of the kids playing. I love spring!

Oh, and I've decided that I don't like this blog layout so I will be changing it. Sometime. When I have time. HA! Whenever that is!

Decorating with Flip Flops

Okay, since I am temporarily unable to decorate a house, I'm decorating my blog. I don't know if this is too busy or not. Guess I'll wait a bit and see. I have decided that I really like graphic design. Or at least playing around with digital layouts and the like. This may be a stupid question, but does anyone know where I can learn more about making my own digital pages? You know, like digital scrapbook pages. (I'm not talking about putting my own pictures on pages and creating a scrapbook). I'm talking about the actual creative design that goes into producing a page that is then used for scrap booking or whatever. How does it work?

I wore flip flops for the first time yesterday (and I'm wearing some right now!) This, my friends, is cause for celebration. I use to wear flip flops all year long in Texas. And since moving from the aforementioned state, I haven't worn them at all. (That's five long months y'all; five long months of wearing socks and shoes, which I hate!) I most definitely am a flip flop person. Which means, I am more casual than I am formal; I go with the flow and don't take anything too seriously; and am generally a happy, go-lucky person. I have always worn flip flops (I even wore them on my wedding day) and I plan to always wear them.

Bring on the sun! I'm ready! It actually has been warm here for the past couple of days and I've been enjoying it immensely (although it is suppose to get cold again in a few days). We are going on vacation the end of this week to California. Very exciting! It has to be warm there, right? I might just have to buy a new pair of flip flops for the occasion!

A-Z about me

As if you didn't know enough about me, here's some more. (I'm too lazy to think of something else to post.)

A. Attached or Single: attached
B. Best Friend: Davie boy
C. Cake or Pie: pie (I don't really like cake)
D. Day of Choice: they all kind of blend together
E. Essential item: makeup
F. Favorite Color: green
G. Gummy bears or worms: neither; they make my teeth hurt
H. Hometown: Mapleton
I. Indulgence(s): books, the standard bubble bath
J. January or July: July, especially if it's not spent in the heat of Texas!
K. Kids: got four of them
L. Life is incomplete without: family (sappy, I know)
M. Marriage Date: July 21, 2001
N. Number of siblings: 1 sister
O. Oranges or apples: apples
P. Phobias or Fears: Spiders
Q. Quotes: "The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma" --Patrick
R. Reason to smile: Plump, chunky, babies
S. Season of choice: Fall (I am so excited to have fall again!)
T. Tag: whoever
U. Unknown fact about me: I'm an open book. I can't think of any unknown facts about me.
V. Very favorite store: Garden Ridge, Hobby Lobby, Target, Ross
W. Worst habit: Staying up too late
X. X-ray or Ultrasound: Am I suppose to choose one or what? I've only had my teeth x-rayed, but I've had nine ultrasounds.
Y. Your favorite food: Mexican
Z. Zodiac sign: Libra