August.....gone.

08.31.10

Final day of the August photo challenge! What fun it has been. I have loved every single day of it. I am not sure I have improved in my photography skills much but I do think that I look at things differently. I will be walking, or driving and something will catch my eye as a "photo opt". It makes me see the beauty in things that normally would just pass me by.

08.30.10

Today's photo is all about color, and texture. The brightness, the "POP". It makes me smile. I need a smile today.

08.29.10

Happy Sunday! The kiddos and I are hanging out at home, still in our pajamas, catching up on housework, cuddling on the couch, just laying low. We made an attempt at the drive-in movie theater last night. I knew before we even left that it probably wasn't going to go well. The kids were still exhausted from the trip to Silverwood so to expect them to make it through two late movies was probably asking too much. We made it through one, with lots of wiggles, whining and fighting. The drive-in is shutting down so I knew this was going to be their last opportunity to experience a drive-in movie. I only wish they have been in better spirits. Oh well, I am sure the still had fun.

08.28.10

Recovery day! What fun we had yesterday but oh so tired today. It was a late night for us. We rolled into the driveway just after 1am. YIKES! I have had a lazy day so far. Mostly working on editing photos. I had the pleasure of shooting senior pictures for a young lady who I have known since she was born. Man, I am getting old. She did great. She was a great sport and took some beautiful pictures. I am having a blast editing them. The pictures below are some of the rides my dare devil children rode yesterday. Oh what a difference a year has made. Last year we were riding the "kiddy" rides, this year I was sending them off with grandma and grandpa to ride the " scary" rides. I am too chicken.

08.27.10

We have returned from the "happiest place on earth"...oh wait. Wrong theme park. But we have returned and I think all had a great time. We arrived when the park was opening and pretty much shut it down. I have some very worn out kids today. I have many more pictures to share later. Now I am off to shoot Senior photographs.

08.26.10

The kids and I are off to Silverwood. Last big event of the summer. I can hardly believe August is almost over. I have enjoyed the daily photo challenge so much. I might have to keep going with it.

08.25.10

We are adding a new pair of shoes to our already hectic fall schedule. Dance shoes!!! Caitlyn is signed up for a tap/ballet combo class. I am excited for her. Also, a bit sad. My baby can't possibly be old enough to participate in her own activities. She is pretty stinkin adorable in her tights and tutu. Priceless!

08.24.10

08.23.10

08.22.10

My heart is happy. We had a wonderful camping trip. Made some great memories. Played hard and ate well. It's back to work tonight. Four days then it's off to Silverwood for some more fun. Summer is the best. It's coming to an end so quickly. Gotta live it up for the next week and a half.

08.21.10

Time to pull out the ol' boots. Fair season is upon us. I love this time of year. Camping was GREAT! I will post some pictures soon. It's good to be home.

08.20.10

Gone campin...................

08.19.10

Whoo hoo! We are heading out the door momentarily. Two days of camping, relaxing, swimming and hanging out with good friends. My hopes are for good weather and plenty of doing.....nothing. I love doing nothing. Preferably with the sun shining down on me, my feet propped up and a cold beverage in my hand. Be back in a few days.

08.18.10

And the countdown begins.....14 days.

08.17.10

Mid week hustle and bustle. Soccer practice times two tonight. Then off to work. The photo challenge will prove to be an actual challenge in the upcoming days. The time factor not the creativity factor. Ta Ta For Now!

08.16.10

A lazy evening. Nice weather, a big backyard, an active imagination all adds up to hours of entertainment for my kids. And for me as well. I could think of no where else I would have rather been then sitting in my porch watching these guys play. We had "breakfast" for dinner. It was Caitlyn's idea. She woke up with the idea of having oatmeal for dinner. 8 hours later she was still asking for oatmeal, why not? Oatmeal, muffins and scrambled eggs. Yum! My parents came over to play with the kids. Emilee needed to show off her tree climbing skills. I tried not to have a heart attack as I watched her climb up, up, and up a little farther. Yikes. Funny thing is as she was climbing up the tree all I could see is her brightly painted fingernails.

08.15.10

Chalk one up for another great weekend. I am so thankful that I get every other weekend off. That is not common in my line of work. Lots of family time, a BBQ with some great friends, a date night with my hubby and even squeezed in a work out.It's back to work tomorrow night but it's a short week, I can handle it. I am looking forward to camping next week with the kiddos and my good friend RV.
I am having a great time taking pictures each day. It was challenging at first but seems to be getting easier to find things to capture. The photo below represents our barbecue night. The guys decided to toss the pigskin around a bit. It was quite humorous to watch and even funnier today to watch my "not-so-young" husband limp around. Good times.

08.14.10

I saw this and thought of my dad, I am sure he will get a laugh out of it.

Tough Year
It has been a tough year, but we're making it! But not everyone has been as lucky as we have been . . . . . .
1. The economy is so bad that I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.


2. I ordered a burger at McDonald's, and the kid behind the counter asked, "Can you afford fries with that?"


3. CEO's are now playing miniature golf.


4. If the bank returns your check marked "Insufficient Funds," you have to call them and ask if they mean you or them.


5. Hot Wheels and Matchbox stocks are trading higher than GM.


6. McDonald's is selling the 1/4 'ouncer'.


7. Parents in Beverly Hills and Malibu are firing their nannies and learning their children's names.


8. A truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico .


9. Dick Cheney took his stockbroker hunting.


10. Motel Six won't leave the light on anymore.


11. The Mafia is laying off judges.


12. BP Oil laid off 25 Congressmen.


13. I was so depressed last night thinking about the economy, wars, jobs, my savings, Social Security, retirement funds, and our bleak future, that I called the Suicide hotline and was connected to a call center in Pakistan. When I told them I was suicidal, they got all excited, and asked if I could drive a truck.

And, finally . . . .


14. Congress says they are looking into the Bernard Madoff scandal. Oh Great!! The guy who made $50 Billion disappear is being investigated by the people who made $1.5 Trillion disappear

08.13.10

Happy Friday the 13Th! A day full of house cleaning, errand running, soccer practice and hopefully later some relaxing. Oh yeah, overtime tonight too. Soccer season kicks off tonight. Two kids playing this season. I foresee a busy couple of months. I am looking forward to it though.

08.12.10

Great day so far. Caitlyn went to daycare and Emilee is stilling hanging out with her friend so it was just Cody and I this morning. What a sweet boy I have. I was woken (after a mere 1.5 hrs of sleeping) by a fresh cup of coffee and a trumpet blaring. The coffee part was sweet, maybe not the trumpet part so much. He came into my room, "Mommy, I made you coffee. I know it is hard to wake up so I thought I would help you." So up and at 'em I was. He had big plans to go buy Heely shoes today(tennis shoes that convert to skates). Heely shoes are spendy, I don't even know where to find them locally so we settled for a trip to the dollar store. Next it was off to Great Clips for a much needed haircut for my handsome little guy. They did ok. Not as great as last time but hair grows quickly so I don't mind too much. Next it was back to the house for lunch time and mommy needed a nap. A simple day, but a blessing. I love my little guy.

08.11.10

I got some good sleep today. I am feeling a bit better. It's just been a long week. The kids are tired too. I went to wake up Caitlyn this morning for daycare and she covers her face and says " I don't want to go to school today, can I sleep all day?" I was thinking remarks like that didn't start until junior high school. The other two weren't much easier to wake. I finally got us all dressed and out the door. Emilee started crying when I dropped her off. That is totally out of character for her. I hope she isn't getting sick. The good news, well the great news is that it's my Friday. I have four days off. Nothing major planned. Just quality time with my kiddos. What could be better?

08.10.10

This picture is brought to you today to remind me that I LOVE SUMMER!I LOVE SUMMER!I LOVE SUMMER!I LOVE SUMMER! Okay, maybe I am trying to convince myself. I will admit the summer time carefree routine is getting old. I need structure, a set schedule..... my kids to be in school! That is just cranky, sleep deprived me talking. Give me two days and my attitude will greatly improve. I promise.

08.09.10

I love this photo. I am not going to write much about it, mainly because this picture represents so many complicated feelings for me. It's been a very trying year but three things remain. Faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love.

08.08.10

TIRED............One night down, four to go. Worked some overtime so it made for long night. The kids went to visit some alpacas at my grandmas retirement home. They had fun but Cate came home with a gunky, pink eye. Eric took her to the walk in clinic today and they weren't too concerned. They said it would clear up on it's own. Eric and I went to Lowes, walked around planning all that needs to be done to the house. It's never ending. I would love to see carpet, soon. Maybe a finished master bath? One can dream..... Kids are off playing at Grandma's pool right now. Pretty quite. Maybe I will go take a nap for a bit.

08.07.10

The kids and I had a wonderful summer afternoon at the water slides yesterday. We went with my parents, which was a blessing. Three kids, three different swimming skills, a large water park = not enough eye balls to keep an eye on them all. My parents helped me keep all three kids from drowning. Not even sunburned. Cody and Emilee tried surfing. It was pretty funny. Emilee fell off right away, Cody held on for a bit. They were both so proud of themselves.
Back to work tonight. My long week. That sad thing is I don't believe we have anything planned for next weekend. The work week is so much harder when there isn't anything to look forward to. I guess I will just have to plan something right? Suggestions?

08.06.10

This picture is quite similar to the one I posted two days ago. Oh well, I like it anyways. My porch! This happens to be my favorite thing about my house. I love to eat dinner or breakfast here. I love to sip coffee and have a moment of silence. Or a glass of wine in the evening as the kids are running around the yard. Pure happiness.

08.05.10

A day off! It's been a long, crazy week at work full of lightening strikes, landslides, power outages and brush fires. Good news-it was my short week, only three days! Bad news- I have to go back in two days for my weekend to work. Good news- it's a payday! Bad news- paycheck is spent on bills, no fun money this month. Good news- two days with my kids. Great news- I just love them so much, they bring me such joy.

08.04.10

Ugh! Busy, busy night at work, got home got the kiddos off to school, crashed for few hours, took grandma to the dentist, back home, pick up kiddos, back to work. On a positive note, it's my Friday!

08.03.10

Oh Tuesday! Can't say much about our Tuesday. Typical, I guess. The usual mid-week routine. Although today seems a bit blah, there is plenty to look forward to. Let's see...a camping trip with my girl RV is in the works, our annual trip to Silvewood is fast approaching, back to school is just around the corner, my 30Th birthday trip is booked in fabulous Las Vegas, AND two short months until I will be sipping margaritas on the beaches of Mexico. Wow! With a future like that I can tolerate a few uneventful days in between.

08.02.10

Lazy day of recouping from the busy weekend. The kids must still be tired because they weren't feeling real energetic today either. Which is odd for them. Cailtyn spent the day at daycare. She was excited to tell all her friends about her camping adventures. Cody tried to tackle his Lego set he received for his birthday. It was a bit difficult for him to follow the pattern but he seemed quite happy making up his own design. Emilee spend the day loving on her cat, Max. She missed him while she was away all weekend. I am pretty sure he missed her too.

08.01.10

I am starting a new challenge today. One photo (or more) each day for the entire month. The hope is to improve upon my photography skills while doing a better job of documenting what's going on in our daily lives. Wish me luck. Day one- Home.
We spend the weekend camping. Tent camping. We had a great time. Survived a thunderstorm that was literally feet away from us. I have never been that close to lightening, it was amazing to watch but just a tad bit scary. We stayed at Daroga park. Funny because I have sworn up and down I would never stay at that park ever again. It is a campsite in which you have to walk all your belongings into the park by wheelbarrow. A LONG walk! It is a beautiful park but with three kids we had A LOT of stuff and it is just so inconvenient. Overall, a great trip but so good to be home.