my 365

2009-06-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

Day 166- 6.05.09

Cam thought it would be fun to use his fruit cup as shampoo instead of eating it. He's SUCH a little stinker!!!

Day 165- 6.04.09

We went to the Melting Pot with some friends to celebrate my good friend Debbie's birthday. It was a great night and SO much fun, and the food was incredible! Happy Birthday Deb!

Day 164- 6.03.09

I had the opportunity to take some pictures of the sweetest little baby girl! She's precious, and I LOVED how the shots turned out!

Day 163- 6.02.09

A long time favorite, I borrowed this from my sister and my boys love it now too! For me it's the music, they used a lot of what Tchaikovsky wrote for his ballet Sleeping Beauty.

Day 162- 6.01.09

A cute photo of my boys, Drews smile is totally fake, he was crying because we made him smile...we're mean parents I know... ;)

Day 161- 5.31.09

How cute is this little boy?!? I was practicing panning at my parents for an upcoming photo assignment, but happened to get this adorable shot of Cam!!

Day 160- 5.30.09

My sweet Drew...I LOVE this photo of him!

Day 149: 5.29.09

A shot of my view at night after the kids are tucked in there bed: Friends and blogging, scrapbooking, editing, fun!

More photos...

2009-05-29T18:57:00.000-07:00

Day 148- 5.28.09

Today was Drew's last soccer game, it was sad to see it come to an end, he loved it and I loved watching him play! Here's to next season!

Day 147- 5.27.09

I follow a photo blog and the photographer blogged about natural face expressions and so I tried it out on my kids, it worked pretty well with Cam, I think!

Day 146- 5.26.09

Out of nowhere, came a thunder and lighting storm with some wicked rain and hail.

Day 145- 5.25.09

Our last night in Bear Lake, we saw this cute little bunny, had to grab a shot...the boys were freaking out!!

Day 144- 5.24.09

My dad took me out shooting today and taught me alot, so I thought I'd get a shot of him doing what he does best.

Day 143- 5.23.09

A photo of the date on my phone on my birthday :)

Day 142- 5.22.09

Our first night at Bear Lake, also the eve of my Birthday...a beautiful sunset too!

Day 141- 5.21.09

I got my birthday present a couple days early...!!!

Day 140- 5.20.09

TJ spent the day tearing out trees and removing curbing and underneath one of the pieces was a HUGE anthill, Cam was fascinated with all of the potato bugs (ants). Also, I love how little kids can sit this way, it cracks me up!!

Day 139- 5.19.09

Cam (and Drew) both love Lofthouse sugar cookies, but when they eat them, they make a HUGE mess!!

Day 138- 5.18.09

Drew had his concert tonight for MKOM- the singing class that my MIL teaches. It's always fun to watch the pre-schoolers, and between the parents throwing elbows and the HEAT, it's a really fun concert. This was my favorite photo of the night!

Day 137- 5.17.09

My niece Emalee was blessed today and I wanted to take some photos of her, cause she's SUCH a gorgeous baby!!

Day 136- 5.16.09

My sister wanted to wash her hair, but couldn't because she couldn't put any weight on her feet OR get them wet. My parents next door neighbor offered to wash her hair, but Mandy couldn't get over there, so my dad just threw her over his shoulder and took her over. She didn't love that I was taking pictures of her...hopefully she'll forgive me ;)

Day 135- 5.15.09

My sister got foot surgery to remove bunions (at 26!), and when she went in for the surgery, the doctor told her that she had the prettiest toes he'd ever seen on a patient. She was pretty happy about that!!

Catch-up, catch-up, catch-up...ketchup :)

2009-05-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

Day 134- 5.14.09

Today after my bike ride, I got this photo for this weeks photo assignment (lines). I love the patterns in the wood, as well as the pattern the logs are making.

Day 133- 5.13.09

My parents just put up their trampoline for the year, and the kids just HAD to try it out!!

Day 132- 5.12.09

I snapped this photo of Cam at Drews soccer game, it totally takes my breath away...

Day 131- 5.11.09

My favorite treat!! I love Red Mango, it's yummy, healthy and fits in my eating perameters :)

Day 130- 5.10.09

Today we spent mothers day at TJ's parents house. It was a nice relaxing night with good food and good company. After dinner, I took my camera out to find some things to take pictures of. I took this completely adorable photo of Cameron,

This photo of some of Karen's gorgeous landscaping. I really love the lighting on the rock.

I love this photo of teej with his mom. It's crazy how much they look alike!!!

Day 129- 5.09.09

These two were for the other part of my online photo class. The first is a wide open aperture, the second a smaller aperture. They both show action, one freezes the action, the other implies it with the blur.

f/3.5

f/13

Day 128 5.08.09

The last photo I took for the bokeh assignment...I call it Cello bokeh.

Day 127 5.07.09

TJ bought 48 Strawberry plants to add to our square foot gardens. Bring it on baby, I llloooooooovvveeee strawberries!!!

Day 126- 5.o6.09

I am taking a photography course online and took this photo to fill a portion of the first assignment. The assignment was to take a photo at every F stop on my camera, and notice what happens from the most wide open (f/3.5) to closed down (f/22). This one is at f/3.5

Day 125- 5.05.09

My second shot for the bokeh assignment. I LOVE Bokeh, I love how his eye is in focus and everything else just falls away into an oblivion....bokeh....sigh...

Day 124- 5.04.09

Today I took a photo for my photo assignment bokeh. Great photo of Cam!

SOOOOOOO behind!!!!

2009-05-08T20:55:00.001-07:00

Day 123- 5.03.09

When this wicked (but totally AWESOME) storm came in, my dad and I and my brother Dal went out to get some photos. My dad helped set it up (after a few trips inside, my gear was all over!) and we got this amazing shot!! We ran in the house right before the downpour started!

Day 122- 5.02.09

Mandy and I hung went to a concert with my dad (my mom was in it) and afterwards, when she dropped me off at home, we noticed TONS of snails crawling around our driveway. We picked up as many as we could find and put them on the porch so that I could show the boys in the morning. Unfortunately, they all crawled away the next day...

Day 121- 5.01.09

Love this photo of Cam, he's looking out the window of the car at aunt Mandy.

Day 120- 4.30.09

An AWESOME photo of Drew taken for this weeks assignment: Black & White.

Day 119- 4.29.09

Today my cute sister-in-law Jill called and asked for some recipe advice and I took a few photos of some of my favorites (easier than writing them down, right?!?) This one is one of our family favs!

Day 118- 4.28.09

Seriously, have you ever seen a cuter face?!? I love this little boy, and his big blue eyes, the goo from his sucker all over his face, his perfect little lips. What a sweetheart!!

Day 117- 4.17.09

Drew and Cam got some fun Chevron cars and trucks from Grandpa David and Grandma Judy. They LOVE them!! Drew was nice enough to let Cam have the Gas truck, so he could have the other truck that holds all the smaller cars. What a nice brother. ;)

Day 116- 4.26.09

My multi-talented brother-in-law Mitch...

Day 115- 4.25.09

I love this photo of Drew. I love the lighting too. He's so gorgeous!

Day 114- 4.24.09

TJ made about 7 dozen cookies for his family reunion. He made "Stevens-size-portions" which means he made about 6 times too much. We came home with two whole bags!!!

Day 113- 4.23.09

This was the second photo I took for the 10-minute assignment. I drive by this whenever I'm on legacy and it's so pretty! I know must be crazy for thinking a puddle on the side of the rode is pretty!

Day 112- 4.22.09

Today I bribed Cam with a cookie if he'd let me take some pictures of him. This one turned out like everything I wanted. He's so cute!

Day 111- 4.21.09

I was invited to join my dad's photo group this week and the assignment was to walk, drive, run 10 minutes and take a photo wherever you stop. So, the boys and I went on a walk and one of Drew's training wheels fell off. It was the perfect photo. I LOVE it!!

Day 110- 4.20.09

Cam had a REALLY tough day and every little thing set him off. Dinner was really tough for him and TJ and I just laughed the whole time. It was sad.....but SO funny

Day 109- 4.19.09

I love all of the spring blooms! These are from my parents peach tree.

Day 108- 4.18.09

The boys love watching the Pixar short movies on my computer. I love this photo of their feet hanging off the chair.

Day 107- 4.17.09

Cam enjoying some of his Easter treats.

Day 106- 4.16.09

Another cute photo of Drew!!

Day 105- 4.15.09

My kids love music. They love dancing to music when I turn it on-and I turn it on A-LOT!! I love the motion in this photo!

Day 104-4.14.09

I've started the Twilight series again....my poor family ;)

Day 103- 4.13.09

We had a fun time out in the nice weather today, and I had a GREAT time taking a zillion pictures with the fisheye lense. I lOVE this one!!

Day 102- 4.12.09

Today my dad let me borrow his fisheye lense. I took about a thousand photos the first night...mostly funny faces, you know... Anywho, this is the one I chose for my photo for the day.

Day 101- 4.11.09

Today we went to color eggs my parents. Drew and Cam were enthralled and loved every second. This was my favorite picture of the day...Drew's cute little Gap Bum.

Day 100- 4.10.09

Today we bought Drew's first cello. It was more exciting for me than for him, I've wanted this for him for a long time. I am just so excited to share my love of music with him (and my other kids too!).

Day 99- 4.09.09

Today my sis-in-law came over to play games and for the first time in WEEKS, I beat TJ at Carcassone. By one point. Good job me.

All Caught up....

2009-04-08T15:16:00.000-07:00

Day 98-04.08.09

TJ has three of the four square-foot gardens built and has started planting. Yesterday, he put in some flowers as well as garlic, green onions, two different kinds of lettuce and onions. I'm excited to eat the products of this garden!!

Day 97 4.07.09

Cam's squishy-fishy face...I love how his nose scrunches unevenly....he's SOO stinkin' cute!!!

Day 96 -4.06.09

Today, I was helping Drew learn his latest book from Pre-school, and after we'd finished I came back to find Drew "teaching" Cam :)

Day 95 4.05.09

Tonight we spent the evening at my parents house. We had a nice dinner, penne pasta- my dad's specialty, yum! Then we spent the rest of the night playing games and just hanging out. I love that my parents take the time to play with my kids. As you can see here my dad was playing (Mariokart) with Drew. They are wonderful grandparents!

Day 94 4.04.09

I was out snapping pictures of Cam and Drew while they were playing and got this one of Cam. It makes me so happy, and he's really getting better at responding to me when I try to take pictures of him :)

Day 93 4.03.09

Cam LOVES his chicken nuggets, even more than that he loves ketchup....as seen here in this photo. Despite all of the mess on his face, is it not one of the cutest photo of him EVER?!!

Day 92 4.02.09

Whenever TJ or I leave the house, the boys have to watch us leave. We also blow lots of kisses and give "hugs (we wraps our arms around ourselves and then twist back and forth)," which is what Cam is doing in this photo...

Guess what.....

2009-04-02T15:03:00.000-07:00

More catch up!!! Yay!

Whew...

Week 12 pages:

Week 11 pages:

Week 10 pages:

Week 9 pages:

My pages for week 8:

Day 91 -4.01.09

Today TJ worked on the other three square foot gardens. It's been a TON of work, and I'm so proud of him for doing so much. He never complains, he loves that we'll have corn, peas, beans, tomatoes, broccoli, onions, potatoes and so much more this season. Thanks for all of your hard work babe!!

Day 90 -3.31.09

I love the cute little crafts Drew brings home from Pre-school!

Day 89 -3.30.09

I love Drew's funny faces!!

Day 88 -3.29.09

Just when you think spring is coming...

Day 87 -3.28.09

An agent gave TJ these flowers as a gift and so of course I had to photograph them. I'm really horrible at macro photography right now....it's something I'd like to get better at!!

Day 86 -3.27.09

Tonight TJ and I went to the Melting Pot for Dinner, then to a nice Hotel to celebrate our 6th anniversary. It was a lot of fun and relaxing. We took our fav. board games with us and really enjoyed each other's company. I'm so happy to be where I am right now. I love you teej :)

Day 85 -3.26.09

Right Before Breakfast today, Drew spilled a HUGE box of Cheerios everywhere. I had him go and get the garbage can and start throwing them away. For the ones he couldn't reach (behind the lazy susan in our cupboard), I had him use the vacuum hose. I loved it so much he asked if there was anything else I needed to be cleaned...it was music to my ears....

Catching UP

2009-03-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

Day 84 -3.25.09

Tonight I decided to give the kids ice-cream sandwiches...to eat by themselves. I was doing some dishes and just figured when it came time to wipe off the counter, I'd wipe up their mess up too. It turned into a little more than a mess. There was melted chocolate ice-cream dripping onto the floor, and their hands....oh, their little hands and faces! They were sooo bad...thank heavens it was bathtime! I love the first photo (it was supposed to be the last, to follow the story...). It's Cam's cute little pruny, wrinkly feet :)

Day 83 -3.24.09

Drew and Cam during half time. It's my favorite photo of the bunch! I love how sweet & innocent Drew looks-it looks like he's two years old again.

I LOVE this picture of Cam!! It was taken as we were walking back to the car-he was in sucha silly mood.

During Drew's soccer game, Cam wandered around all over the place. He saw this guy (pictured) and went and sat by him (we have no idea who he was). He sat there for a while, and played with the guy's dog. It was funny to see him have no fear like that, but it kinda freaked us out too. His willingness to talk to just anybody is a little scary. Unfortunately he's a little to young to understand "stranger danger." We'll just have to keep a really good eye on him until then...

Drew's first soccer game was today. He was so, SO excited. I don't think he'd ever even seen a soccer game before, I just told him he got to run as fast as he could all the time-and he loves to run!! He spent most of the game dancing around, wiggling his hips, jumping in circles, and running on the periphery of the group of kids surrounding the ball. There were a few times he'd get in the middle of it all, but most of the time he was just running in the same group as the other kids. I didn't feel too bad though. There were quite a few kids who would just start crying and run off the field, never to return again! His coach is awesome and despite the cold we had a great time. My mom and dad came, and my dad brought his Camera and took some great photos, (of course) while laying on his stomach at the goal area...so funny! You can see his pictures of the game here.

Day 82 -3.23.09

I've been drinking Propel lately-they have some yummy new flavors. I've been trying to stay away from carbonation (especially Coke)-I hate the way it makes me feel, but LOVE how it tastes!! So far I've gone almost 1 month!

day 81 -3.22.09

Drew is ALWAYS asking me if he could take a picture of me. I always tell him no, so today I let him. He was really cute about it and he actually got a good one. Usually (the 5 times I've let him take pictures of me) they are blurry. Good job bud!

Day 80 -3.21.09

We went up to help my sister-in-law Janelle and her hubby Kirk paint there new place. We had a lot of fun getting together. We painted about 6 rooms, scrubbed floors, my father-in-law Craig tiled the kitchen and the laundry room, and between all the work, we played! I love this photo of Jill and Kerry, they crack me up!!

Day 79- 3.20.09

Today Drew came running up to me with his jeans on backwards...not sure where he learned this one...

Day 78 -3.19.09

Tonight TJ's friends Mat, Ben and Michael came over to practice for an upcoming meeting. Drew loves it when people come over-he always thinks that they're coming to play with him...so just sat and watched them sing. Then of course he had to show them all of his tricks and stuff :)

Day 77- 3.18.09

The story behind this is on my family blog, so go there to see it...

Keeping up...

2009-03-18T23:03:00.001-07:00

3.16.09 -Day 75

For those of you who know my brother Dallan, there's really no explaining this photo...but for those of you who don't know him. He's crazy, just plain crazy silly....for my boys. He LOVES to make them laugh and will do anything it takes. He's the best bomb playing, chicken-walking, sound-effect uncle there ever was...

3.17.2009 -Day 76

(Ok, I just realized I uploaded these photos wrong...I guess that's what I get for blogging after midnight...)

I just love these little fingers! Aren't they just some awesome chubby, stubby, baby finger goodness!! I love em'!!

A little behind....

2009-03-16T20:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, I need to be better about posting on time, this took me the better part of THREE hours to get these posted tonight, granted I was putting kids to bed, doing laundry yadayadayada....

3.15.09 -Day 74

Tonight it was TJ's parents turn to have us over for dinner. It was a really great dinner with BBQ pork-cabobs, a really yummy southwestern pasta salad and asparagus...I LOOOOVE asparagus! Sadly, my poor Drew came down with a fever and we didn't end up staying very long. I managed to get these totally cute photos before we left though...hee hee!

P.S. now check out Drews eyelashes!! People used to ask me, when he was just a wee babe, if I curled them. RIGHT...., yeah, I used one of those baby sized eyelash curlers. Seriously people, seriously!!

3.14.09 -Day 73

Tonight TJ and I and our BFF's the Dee's went to see the opera, the Marriage of Figaro. I really like the artsy fartsy (as my dad would say) things in life. I loved dressing up, I loved getting out and going to dinner. The Capitol Theatre is so beautiful. The seats were way up at the top, but that's ok. The singing was amazing. My only complaint would be that it lasted THREE AND A HALF HOURS!!!! I can usually handle the lengthy onslaught of classical repetoire, but for the LOVE!! If it wasn't for TJ falling asleep in the 4TH ACT (and after the THIRD intermission) and making me laugh AND for being there with the totally fun Dee's I might of jumped off of the balcony.

3.13.09 -Day 72

I really love my house. I DO! But there is just ONE thing that has to change...This toilet always running and it's noisy, it wastes water, it is disgusting (our home is a former model home-6 years-so it's seen a lot of, well...ahem, well ya know...). So tonight, my family and I held a concert at my hometown's city hall for the community. We were gone for a few hours and when we came home this piece of CRAP (sorry, no pun intended...) had overflowed and the water went through the wall into our closet and into our pantry!! Now the floor boards are coming away from the wall! ARRRRGGGHHH!!!

3.12.09-Day 71

Today I went to Pictureline to get a flash diffuser for the wedding later this evening. I had fun taking shots of the boys to "practice" using it. Drew was in one of his off-the-wall crazy moods, as shown in the photo below ;)

P.S. check out Cams lashes...one day I'll break down and put some mascara on those babies (just once though, and I'll take a picture-but only to embarrass him with when he brings his first girlfriend home).

3.11.09- Day 70

Tonight I took this photo of Cam in "prayer position," there really is no name for it, I just made that up. But, TJ and I have been helping to say prayers lately and I just love how sweet and innocent he is when he prays. His voice goes up really high and when he's done, he just has this big grin on his face. After Cam went to bed, I let Drew play games on my computer (he really just watched little movies on the Thomas the Train website). He was really excited because I rarely let him play.

3.10.09-Day 69

Today, I made a train track for Cam to play with while Drew was at Pre-school. He had a blast, playing by himself...he usually has a hard time playing with anything, because brother controls all of the toys. Poor Cam, ;)

3.09.09-Day 68

This our game cubboard...it's almost full! We've always loved to play games and TJ & I used to play a lot when we lived in Vegas. It's been just been lately that we've been playing again, and I love having the time to be with my husband with no TV or any noise!!

3.08.09-Day 67

I love this painting-we go it at a model home furniture sale when we lived in Las Vegas. The painting is of Vernazza, a GORGEOUS city on the north-western coast in Italy, a part of The Cinque Terre, where TJ and I visited while visiting about 5 years ago.

3.07.09-Day 66

Here is the board for our new favorite game Caracassone. The game is played one piece at a time, so the board is different everytime!

3.06.09-Day 65

TJ and I like to have our house clean before we go to bed everynight, I love when my house is clean! It makes it a lot easier to get up and get going the next day!

Days 59-64

2009-03-06T16:56:00.000-08:00

3.05.2009-Day 64

This morning it was snowing and I noticed the sun shining on the snow on these branches outside my front window. I missed the really dramatic lighting, but still like the way the picture turned out.

p.s. Dad, if you have a critical comment, instead of leaving it, find a way to take me shooting for magical and dramatic lighting for glisseny snowy brances...that way I'll know how to do it next time ;)

3.04.2009-Day 63

I walked by Drews room only to see TJ reading stories to the boys. It was the perfect "kodak" moment!

3.03.2009-Day 62

Today was a BIG day. We went to the childrens discovery center at the Gateway, Drew had pre-school, and then he got to play outside all afternoon! He was in HEAVEN!! I love, love LOVE these photos! I love the the first one on the left...it's Drew's famous funny face! It is one of my favorite things that he does! His top lip (the little line connecting his nose and his upper lip-is there a name for that?) moves over but nothing else does. He knows how to do it on command now...it's SOO funny!! For more info on these photos go to my photo blog

3.02.2009-Day 61

Drew loves to play with his Leapster that Grammy got him for his Birthday :)

3.01.2009-Day 60

I wanted to get a cute photo to put on my computer desktop calendar, so I took the boys outside and tried to get some pictures. They weren't cooperating very well, but when TJ came home, he came and helped me get the boys to smile. I love this one of Cam...and he's the hardest one to get to smile!!!

2.28.2009-Day 59

This is our FAVORITE game these days, we got it back in January and play it as much as we can. TJ always kicks my butt, but it's still fun ;) We are so into it, that we are considering buying medieval swords, outfits and hosting medieval parties, bahahaha!

It's been a while

2009-02-28T11:52:00.001-08:00

2.27.2009-Day 58

Today, TJ had an appointment all the way up in Heber city, so he asked if I wanted to join him. I was really excited to go, so we asked my MIL (mother-in-law) to watch the boyz. She is always so good to do this kind of thing for us!! While TJ was in his appointment I read in the car-it was so nice and peaceful! Then we went shopping at the outlet malls in Park City-hence the photo. I haven't bought perfume or lotions like this in close to a year...maybe more!! It was kinda fun to buy these things, a luxury that is not happening so much anymore. Anyway, after shopping, we went to dinner at this great new Mexican place, got an expansion pack for our new fav game Carcassone (we're total nerds, we have medieval clothes and everything-I'm KIDDING!) and then went home and got the kids. It was a great night to spend with my sweetie and I love being sans the kids every once in a while.

2.26.2009-Day 57

I got aNOTHER package in the mail (Amazon LOVES me right now!) with these two books in it. I am tired of fighting with Drew. We argue constantly...scratch that, HE argues constantly. I need to know what I can do differently to stop the screaming and yelling from me (then maybe we can think about kid no. 3 eh?) and the constant punishment for Drew. I actually have ordered one more, hopefully it will come soon. I just hope TJ can keep up. He's not so much a reader...

2.25.2009-Day 56

Today I got a package from UPS with a new DVD for Cam inside. The new DVD is a potty training show that will hopefully inspire (?) the desire (wow, I really didn't mean to rhyme there!) to use the toilet. Frankly, I'm just plain SICK of changing diapers, plus the kid seems really interested.

2.24.2009-Day 55

I've been looking all over the internet for some classes that I could take for photography and/or photoshop. I found some free ones that are offered at pictureline downtown and they're free! I went to my first one today and learned some new things. It was a very basic class, but being self taught, the more and more I can hear the basic concepts, the better (hopefully) I'll learn about photography. I've already signed up for 3 more classes and am really excited to expand my learning!

2.23.2009-Day 54

The night before I had gone to Celine Dion and so I was so tired on Monday. We dinked around all morning because I didn't really want to do anything. The boys wanted to ride bikes, but living on the corner of a VERY busy road, I have to find other ways...so I brought a bike inside (we already have an inside bike/car/thing with wheels). The only rule was, they had to stay on the tile in the kitchen-I'm really hoping we can get a fence soon!! After the boys had been playing for a while, I realized that I could practice panning to show motion in my photos...I still have a lot to learn...I like this picture ok, I wish Cam was in a little better focus. Maybe I should've used my flash. Dad, what do you think?

2.22.09-Day 53

Sunday-we alternate going to dinner every Sunday with both of our families. This week we went to my parents house. My mom (grammy) had spent the morning setting up the train track for the boys...plus there was a new remote control train. The boys were in HEAVEN! Drew is the king (self appointed) of all of the trains and Cam gets in trouble when he messes things up, so he is generally banished to the sidelines. I love how he looks on in this picture...he loves his toot-toots :)

Two (or three) more...

2009-02-21T13:00:00.001-08:00

2.21.09-Day 52

Cam has been playing with this particular toy all week. He loves that he knows all of the animals (the sorsey-horsey, the cow, the pig and the ship-sheep) and their sounds, and that when you push on their heads, they make their sounds. He loves the farmer most of all though. His name is Bob. Nobody has told him this, it just is. He plays with it ALL day and hates to leave it for meals, naps or bedtime. I love that he looks for this same toy everyday, he's always just played with what was around, never looking for a specific toy. I just love this little boy.

2.20.09 -day 51

Cam is getting better and better with utensils, but even more than getting to eat my own cereal before it gets soggy or the smaller messes that are left where he sits, I love how he holds his utensils. He holds on so tight that his knuckles turn white and I just love how all of his short chubby fingers curl all over each other.

Up to date!

2009-02-19T14:57:00.000-08:00

Here are my layouts for Week 7:

2.19.09-Day 50

I usually have music playing during the day, especially in the mornings as I clean (to help motivate me) and the kids love dancing and running around. This is a shot of Drew doing some kind of move, and it just makes me laugh!! What a funny kid!

2.18.09-Day 49

Today was a pretty lazy day. It's sandwiched in between to busy ones, so I spent the afternoon playing on the internet, editing photos, and reading. After we put the kids to bed, I made these mini chocolate silk pies for TJ and I...they were yum-o!!

2.17.09-Day 48

I grabbed my Camera on the way out the door to pre-school. I've had every intention of taking a photo while Drew walks into school, and am SO glad I remembered this time. I love how I froze the snow (get it, froze the snow!!?!) as it was falling and how I captured Drews profile...I love his long lashes!!

2.16.09-Day47

Tonight we had Family Home Evening-something we don't get to do very often because TJ usually meets with clients on Mondays. The boys love it when we have FHE and at the end I snapped this photo.

2.15.09-Day 46

I love this photo of Drew...I took it outside my in-laws as they were preparing dinner. I just couldn't resist the lighting, it was magical!!

Updates....

2009-02-16T17:34:00.001-08:00

Here are my latest pages:

Day 45/365

Today was Valentines day and my husband and I and his sister and her husband went to the Spaghetti factory for dinner and bought some fun board games to play later. While at Trolley Square (there's such amazing architecture there) I took some fun pictures...this was one of my favs.

Day 44/365

Today we were getting ready for the day when Drew cam running into our room telling us to come see what Cam had done. I went into his room and this is what I found. Instead of yelling or getting mad, I ran downstairs to get my Camera to record the moment. Afterwards, I made him (I helped) put the Q-tips and the wipes away. Instead of taking it as punishment, he sat there and sang "clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere....clean up clean up." At least he's happy...

Day 43/365

Tonight, my two brothers-in-law and myself played games until the wee hours of the night and this is what helped me power through...

Day 42/365

My husbands sister (with new baby) and her husband, and their brother came to visit this past week. TJ's brother Brad had never met Emalee (my new niece) and so we were all able to spend some time together. My cute MIL really wanted a photo of her and her three grandkids so, of course I obliged! I love how everybody is looking in different directions (we had more than one person trying to make the boys smile)...and how BOTH boys are SMILING!!!!

Day 41/365

Today I went to Target to get some organizational cabinets for the boys playroom. It's something I've had my eye on for about 4 1/2 years! I am so pleased with the way it turned out...it only took me 2 1/2 hours (that's including "help" from the boys and re-organizing all of the toys), and it was worth every minute. Now, the room looks very clean, organized-no more clutter yay!!!, open and much bigger.

Day 40/365

Today My little Cam had a cough and a fever...there is NO medicine to cover both of those!!!! It was a pretty miserable day. He was a little trooper though. Oddly enough, it didn't really slow him down. He was still up to his normal mischief and mess making. But, he was a lot more willing to cuddle with mom :)

Photos, photos, photos!

2009-02-09T09:55:00.000-08:00

Day 39/365

Today I borrowed my dads 105mm macro lense to take some photos of the roses TJ got me for Valentines day. Side note-I know that it's not Valentines day yet, but you see I have a very frugal and practical husband who decided to get these beautiful roses for me a week early. He figures he probably saved around $40 dollars. Good job honey, now you can get me that new camera bag that I need!!! :) I love my sweetie! I think it's sweet that he got me these roses. Thanks my love!

Ok, so I took this photo with my dad's AWESOME lens and I just LOVE how it turned out. How cool is this!!!

Day 38/365

I spent almost the entire day at my parents house today (with the kids of course-TJ was skiing). My dad and I had some nice chats about photography, I was able to spend time with my mom and my sister. It was a good day. When we were leaving, I realized I hadn't taken my photo for the day and I looked outside and saw the top of what was probably a gorgeous sunset. I noticed that the sky behind my parents big tree was all shades of blue, pink and purple. It was so beautiful. I loved the random pattern of all the branches against the sky and so I took a few shots. When I went to edit the photo, I decided to to this high key, dramatic moody black and white. I really like how it turned out!

Day 37/365

Friday was an awesome day. My AMAZING mother-in-law decided to take my kids for the day so I could do anything I wanted. I scrap-booked ALL. DAY. LONG. It was much needed. I am really behind and it felt good to tackle this huge project! Thanks Karen!!

That night, TJ and I surprised the kids and took them to Chucky-Cheese (or Cheppy Cheese as Drew calls it). They had a ball, it was a really fun night!

Day 36/365

On Thursdays I deep clean my bathrooms. Right before I started cleaning though, Cam had the most disgusting, explosive diaper EVER. I had to give him a bath, so I decided to put them (Drew got in too) in mine and TJ's big tub while I cleaned. It was AWESOME!! I didn't have to worry about them, Cam didn't try to play with the caustic cleaning materials...it was pure cleaning bliss. Afterwards, I turned on the TV for them and I did some more cleaning...I came back to find them sharing Drew's banana chair...ahhhhhh, how sweet!

Day 35/365

I am so lucky to have such a helpful husband. There is nothing he won't help out with in the house (except scrubbing bathtubs...:), and although I am so grateful for him, we don't exactly share the same organizational, um...desires. So, Drew, knowing how crazy I get when things aren't in their place put out his and Cam's toothbrushes and their toothpaste on the right side of the counter (they each have their own drawer) so that Daddy would know which drawer to put in. I love how Drew is always trying to help :)

Day 34/365

My cleaning jobs for Tuesdays are sweeping and mopping the floors (all my downstairs floors, bathroom, entry way and the kitchen and pantry), and laundry. It's the busiest cleaning day of the week, but by doing this I don't any jobs on Fridays or Saturdays!

Layouts and photos...

2009-02-02T15:20:00.000-08:00

I am FINALLY caught up with all of my photo-a-day layouts. It was kind of a pain at first and I thought this was a LOT of work in addition to the photos everyday, but it's made me a faster scrapper and better at journaling already, plus I appreciate templates even more now!!!

Week 4 Layout:

Week 3 Layout:

Week 2 Layout:

Day 33 (Feb. 2nd)

Now, that I'm in a new month and have to start adding...I might screw this whole thing up!!!

Well, here is a picture of my Vacuum. I used to HATE to clean, now not so much...but I love having a clean house. Instead of doing all of my cleaning on one day, I do one (or sometimes two) job(s) a day. Monday's is vacuuming. I actually look forward to it (I love the lines in my carpet). Don't judge me, remember, I have OCD. :)

Day 32 (Feb. 1st)

Right before we had to go to church, I ran the kids outside and shot a photo on our porch. They actually stood still for more that a millisecond. I got some pretty cute pics of them!

Day 31

I went to a Beginners Photography Workshop today and really enjoyed it! I ended up coming out of the class with a few more questions than what I went in with, hahah (well only about photoshop), but it was fun to be with other photography lovers. The two girls who taught it were awesome too!

Day 30

Drew has loved puzzles from a pretty young age, and now Cameron loves them too. So, we did a puzzle-a-thon and had races and decided to display our work and take pictures. Unfortunately, it turned ugly shortly thereafter and it ended up that there was some SERIOUS drama after that!

More catch up...

2009-01-29T22:52:00.000-08:00

Thursday, day 28

I love, love, LOVE this photo of my little Cam! It pretty much sums up his week. He's had a sore little bum and has been very sad :(

Wednesday, day 28

I tried ALL day to get a great photo of at least one of my children. Finally (after begging and bribing) I was able to coerce Drew into coming outside... the lighting was gorgeous, the sun was low, the light was golden, ahhh, it was perfect! EXCEPT, I faced Drew the wrong direction and was unable to get the "catchlights" in his eyes. UHHH! Duh! Despite this, I LOVE this photo of Drew. Look how stinkin' cute he is (even with gum hanging out of his mouth)!!

Tuesday, day 27

I've been practicing a lot (well only 30 minutes a day, a far cry from the 5-6 hours in college) lately to get ready for some upcoming recitals and stuff and have rediscovered my love for my violin! I love learning a new piece! It really gives me a lot of satisfaction and it's as though I'd forgotten just how much I love music...

Monday, day 26

I was looking out my bedroom window Monday night, and I saw the most BEAUTIFUL sunset, so I grabbed my camera and tripod and drove as fast as I could down the road. Before I got my Camera set up, there were these bright beams of orange coming from behind the mountains, it was amazing. But, by the time I got there, this was the best I could get, bleh. I was totally bummed. On the other hand, my dad has been getting AMAZING shots. I sure wish he would call me to go shooting with him!!!! :)

Photo a day Layouts

2009-01-28T15:41:00.001-08:00

So, what do I do with all of these pictures I've been and wil be taking over the course of this year? It can seem like an overwhelming question, but when somebody comes up with a solution, it helps...it helps ALOT!! Gina Marie Huff, a.k.a. my FAV digi designer at W&W design, came up with a way to make use of all of these photos as well as an aesthetically pleasing result. She designed a kit (and it's HUGE, plus she's been making add-ons like CaRAZY!!!!) that will help get all of these photos into a layout. The point is to keep these layouts simple and to our photos scrapped to remember the day to day moments...and at the end of the year, we'll have an album ready to go that will be there to help us remember 2009! It think it's pretty cool. I was a little skeptical at first because I enjoy making my pages more artistic. Wellk, guess what, I STILL can do this! Every once in a while, when I take that FAB photo, I'll go ahead and make that 'artistic' layout. I'm really excited about this new process and without further ado...here are my first two pages...week 1 (pages 1 & 2).

I really have been taking pictures...

2009-01-26T10:25:00.001-08:00

Day 25

One of Drews favorite thing to do is to play games on TJ's iphone. Last night, Cam crawled up on Drew's bed with him and watched, it was the sweetest thing!!!

Day 24

This is my beautiful little niece Emalee, she's gorgeous and she makes me want to have a little girl SO bad ;) We went to visit her and her proud parents as well. They are such a sweet family!

Day 23

On this day, we (me and the boys and my mom, aka grammy) went to an indoor play place. The kids had a ball. The whole place was filled with blow up slides and jumpers. The best was the biggest slide, you had to climb about 30 stairs to get to it. I got this photo of Drew coming down-it's poor quality but I just LOVE the look on his face!

Day 22

I was snapping some pictures of the kids and Drew wanted a turn, so after setting up his cars, he took a few pictures of his cars, then Cam wanted to be in the picture, so he sat d0wn and said "cheeeeeze."

Day 21

Drew loves to play games and for Christmas Santa got him Chutes and Ladders. Cameron doesn't understand the game at all, but like any normal 2 year old just loves to be included!

Day 20

A photo of my laundry room, I just love it when all the clothes are put away and the room is clean! Unfortunately, it doesn't happen very often...

To shed some light....

2009-01-19T18:03:00.001-08:00

Day 19

Last night my dad gave me some reflectors to help aid me in some upcoming photo shoots. So, I decided to practice on my kiddos today. Drew was by FAR my most willing subject. After about 50 photos and a lot of trial and error I came up with this. I placed him right next to the window and instead of having a shadow on the side of his face farthest from the window, it is lit. I LOVE this!!! I edited this photo with a 'lomo' effect. I like it, it's fun, edgy, quirky and different. To see more photos that have to do with this shoot go check out my photo blog HERE.

Day 18

2009-01-18T20:00:00.001-08:00

Tonight we had dinner at my parents house, and afterwards we had a great time spending time together. The favorite activity of the night was watching my dad fling my kids off of his back onto the couch. They LOVED it!!

Days 16 and 17

2009-01-18T09:40:00.001-08:00

Day 17:

A nice lazy Saturday after a fairly busy week. TJ and I were able to go on a date, and this is what I found in my shoes when we were getting ready to leave. This photo symbolizes my life...and how everything I do and have is for my kids and they are always there. I am always reminded of them in everything that I do.

Day 16:

This Chore Chart has been the best thing for Drew. He gets to see all that he accomplishes, he sees his rewards and he has a GREAT attitude with helping and doing his responsibilities. I love that he's learning how to help around the house and what his jobs are. They are small for now, but it will easier to transition into harder things because he's already had things to do (or so I hope!!). Plus, he gets a piece of bubble gum (the best incentive ever!) for completing a days work. Thank you Barnes and Noble for selling this!

Catch-up

2009-01-15T22:46:00.000-08:00

Day 15: I just love this face Cam is pulling! He cracks me up. He's actually saying "cheese." He's finally cooperating with the whole picture taking thing! Yay!

Day 14: My sister came up to hang out and watch friends (see previous post) and I snapped this picture of her and Drew. I love how high Drew's eyebrows are-they are so expressive! Thanks Mand for coming up to hang out with us!

Day 13. I love, love LOVE Friends...it makes me so happy, I have almost all of the seasons and have been watching them in order. I'm watching season 6 right now...one of my favs and I just love the humor! Hee hee hee, I'm SO enjoying myself.

Day 12- Pizza and tickely juice

2009-01-13T00:51:00.000-08:00

Today was my little Cam's birthday. Since we opened presents and celebrated last night, we didn't do much today. For dinner though, we decided to go get his favorite-pizza or pisa as he calls it. The 7up, or tickely juice (named by Drew a couple of years ago), was a smash hit as well. It was just the three of us as my sweetie is on a business vacay for a couple of days.

Days 10 and 11

2009-01-11T23:02:00.000-08:00

Day 11

Tonight, we celebrated my little Cam's 2nd birthday...technically his birthday isn't until tomorrow, but we had all of our families over to celebrate. I decided to flex my culinary and crafty muscles and make him a train cake 'cause Cam loves "toots." It was a lot of work to make, but so cute!

Day 12

My poor little Cam was so sick today...he had a fever of 103 all night and on and off all day. He was miserable-it was heartbreaking! One of the things that makes him happy is fruit snacks...or 'nacks, as he calls them, his blankies and his monkey, bear or big bird. So, I sat him in front of Wall-E with this blankie, bear and a 'nack...and he was happy. Which made me SO happy.

Day 9

2009-01-10T21:51:00.000-08:00

Here's one of my favorite pics from Jill's wedding yestderday....

Day 8

2009-01-08T23:44:00.000-08:00

So, I had to post two photos today, their both just SOO stinkin' cute!! TJ and I have been using the naughty corner for discipline since Drew understood it. It is, and I'm sorry to admit, kinda funny!! So, when Cam had to be pushished today, I had to grab my camera and capture this. hee, hee, hee!!

Then, I just love the detail in the next pic, I love the ketchup (or checkup as Cam calls it) all over his little mouth, his eyelashes, ahhhhh, what a sweetie!! Enjoy :)

A photo a day!!

2009-01-07T22:58:00.000-08:00

I've just started a new project...dont' know if any of you have heard of the photo-a-day project, or project 365. So, I started this blog to keep track and also to help motivate me to take more pictures, expand my creativity, and also to help to get better at this AMAZING art form!! So, here are days 1-7...I'll try to be a little better at posting more often!

Jan. 7th

Jan. 6th

Jan. 5th

Jan. 4th

Jan. 3rd

Jan. 2nd

Jan. 1st