Just Keepin' Up

Memories from Christmas Morning

2012-01-28T23:28:00.000-06:00

They say a picture says a thousand words, so I'll let the pictures do all the talking.

Last, but not least, the kids got a special gift...

(turn off music at the bottom of the page)

Hope your Christmas was merry & bright. Ours sure was!

Moving On With Our Trip...

2012-01-26T15:19:00.002-06:00

The day after our CA arrival, my parents, Robert, and I hit the mall. But, before hitting the stores, we stopped at Claim Jumper for our traditional double-date with my parents. We needed some sustenance to endure the crowds. I wish I brought my camera along to capture our shopping adventure, but oh well. Take my word for it, it was fun and Christmas-y. And tiring. I think I walked more that day than I have in my whole life. Okay, maybe not, but it sure felt like it!

I can't forget to mention getting my 'fix' while we were out there! Our Iowa McDonald's stopped carrying my frozen strawberry lemonade because it's considered seasonal (but ice cream, shakes, smoothies, and iced coffees aren't... yes, I asked about that in my momentary 2 year old tantrum), so imagine my delight when I got my hands on one(hundred) in Cali!

The next day (I think), was In-n-Out and shopping at another mall with my sister. We really miss having malls nearby! I have to say, it was nice to shop around while listening to carollers belt out Christmas tunes.

Trevor had fun being able to actually skateboard. Our sidewalks aren't board-friendly.

We were invited to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's, and I beat the high score of the football throwing game. If I had only 2 more seconds, I would have passed up the hall of fame score (the machine's default - I beat the actual high score. I'm that good.). There was actually a guy standing there watching me because he was in awe with my mad throwing ability! I kid you not. He was in awe.

The kids really enjoyed playing on 'Henry,' my sister's piano. Or is it Victor or Herman? I can't keep her names straight. Anyway, I think he would look awesome painted in a fun color, but Leah didn't agree for some reason...

Another time I wish I pulled my camera out for was Christmas Eve. Oh, the wrapping! And the 6am hot chocolate my mom and I had after staying up ALL night. I did crash for a nap after that, though. I was surprised to make it as long as I did, being that I was still on Iowa time.

My next post will be of Christmas morning. It was so wonderful to spend Christmas with my family again! It felt as though we never even missed a Christmas. Going back 'home' brings wonderful feelings; natural, comfortable ones that evoke all the warm fuzzies and a simple happiness.

On a side note, Elise is coloring oh-so-carefully next to me right now. I love how she says coloring outside of the lines is "scribble-scrabble." :)

Best Face of 2011

2012-01-09T10:27:00.002-06:00

When I saw the title on iheartfaces for this week, this was the first picture that came to mind:

Never a dull moment with this girl.

A-a-and we're off!

2012-01-08T00:23:00.000-06:00

Seems like forever since I've actually posted anything! What better way to get back in the blah'ging saddle than to reminisce about our trip home for Christmas?

We left town after work and school the night before our flight. We totally scored with booking a hotel room that not only accepted our puppy and provided a yummy breakfast at Bennigan's, but also let us leave our van parked for the duration for our trip. All for less than the cost of simply parking our van at an airport lot! The kids were just excited to go swimming.

*Elise made a gingerbread girl named Eva, and wanted her to join the trip. Eva made it half way through our vacation until, I think, she was left behind at a restaurant. At least she has my lens cap to keep ker company...

We survived check-in and airport security. The kids and puppy were troopers during both flights and the over 3 hour layover in Denver.

We made it!! Let the fun begin!

Stay tuned... :)

I {heart} Baxter

2011-12-11T19:05:00.001-06:00

This week, the challenge over at iheartfaces is "Furry Faces."

Here is our new puppy, Baxter, enjoying his first romp in the snow last week.

Long Overdue Saturday Smile

2011-11-05T22:56:00.000-05:00

So, life has been busy. Nothing new for us. With the opening of Robert's second store and a ton of photo work for me (among my 'normal,' every day life), we feel like we hardly have a time to just chill. In fact, if we are home after 4pm on any given day, I start to feel panicked that I've forgotten something. Thankfully, with the weather turning cold, and the store getting settled (hopefully soon, anyway!), we will be able to homebodies again... soon. I hope.

Anyway, since I haven't posted a Saturday Smile in a few weeks, I'll make up for it by posting a few pictures I found on my cell phone. A couple of my girls decided to have a photo shoot one afternoon. I just love finding photos like these on my phone. They always make me smile.

Tonight, we set our clocks back. I'm thinking we should just leave our clocks just the way they are. Then maybe we'll actually be on time.

Let Them Be Little

2011-10-24T08:36:00.000-05:00

Nothing keeps you little like being in Daddy's arms...

Check out more little photos over at iheartfaces.

Smile for Saturday (times two)

2011-10-15T11:19:00.002-05:00

I missed last week's smile post, so I will post two photos that made me smile.

This first picture is of Elise after surgery. We tried to carry her, but she wanted to walk. (That purple mark on her cheek was for the surgery.)

I wish I had more pictures of the little moments like this. It's a moment that is so quickly forgotten and only remembered as a whole (like how I remember that I held Sierra's hand in parking lots, but not a specific moment). Make sense?
I've been so busy with my photography of others, that I hardly pick up my camera for my own lately (notice how my cell phone pictures are showing up a lot more recently?). I still snap for the events (games, parades, surgery), but I miss shooting the every day moments. I plan on changing that, but it will have to wait just a few more weeks.

Anyway...

On to the second picture that brings a smile to my face.

It was a glorious sunrise this morning. Too bad I didn't have my camera.While I'm at it, how about a third picture? This was a beautiful sunset from Wednesday.The skies were orange, magenta, and periwinkle. Absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera to be able to capture it well (see what I mean about the cell pictures taking over?), but it was beautiful just the same.

I know I say this every time I post something, but I really do plan on catching up a bit on here. Some day.

Smile for Saturday

2011-10-01T23:36:00.000-05:00

It was a loooong day today. But, it is still technically Saturday, so I will share a couple videos that gave me a smile.Today was the annual Band Day Parade. Sierra marched for the 2nd year, while the rest of the kids were riding our church's float. You probably won't be able to make out where Sierra is in the video, and you'll have to excuse my yelling of Abby's & Caitlin's names. Trevor and Elise were on the other side, so I didn't even try to get their attention.

And now, I'm off to sleep. It was a long day and I'm beat.

Smile for Saturday

2011-09-24T20:11:00.000-05:00

My Saturday started with a smile since this was the first sight of my day...

Smile for Saturday... a little outdated.

2011-09-17T12:18:00.002-05:00

I was looking through my pictures and realized how far behind I am in posting. Life is so busy anymore, but I am going to change that. Or at least try.

Anyhoo, here's a photo that made me smile. Sierra & Caitlin riding the Sizzler ride at Farm Festival, having fun without a care in the world.

Smile for Saturday

2011-09-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Knowing my kids have such a good daddy makes me smile.

And knowing that right after this picture was snapped Robert accidentally kicked the ball right into Trevor's face makes me laugh.

Smile for Saturday

2011-09-03T10:41:00.001-05:00

Yummm.

Caitlin's Trumpet Call

2011-09-02T10:09:00.000-05:00

After months of talking about playing the flute, Caitlin decided she wanted to play the trumpet in the school band. She also looked at the saxophone (though, Mom was OK passing up the cost of one of those!), but she held the trumpet and just started glowing with excitement. The trumpet was IT.

We are so blessed to be in a school that understands the value and benefit of music, and has such a great music program. If it weren't for that, my kids would never learn to play an instrument. I'm not musically inclined. I wish I could sit at the piano and play a beautiful meoldy, but I can't. And I'm not patient enough to learn correctly. Maybe someday... we'll see.

After witnessing the chaos of all the kids playing and chattering while Caitlin walked around the house blowing on her new trumpet, I debated naming this post "We Are Now the Family Circus," but decided not to. This is about Caitlin and her new musical adventure. And, to let you know that if I take up sign language because I no longer have my sense of hearing, you'll know why.

White

2011-08-28T23:28:00.000-05:00

The challenge at iheartfaces this week is "White." I just shot a wedding Saturday, so I have white on the brain.

Smile for Saturday

2011-08-27T10:00:00.001-05:00

So... I Drove an Ice Cream Truck.

2011-08-26T23:27:00.001-05:00

At least, I did in my dream. And as I was driving, I was thinking, 'finally I'll have something interesting to blah'g about.' So here it is. Except it didn't really happen.

It started with me having lunch with Trevor at school. I was talking to a teacher when a high school student (who happened to be a kid named Eric that I knew from when I was in high school. He always tried to hang out with my friends and me, but was a lot younger and kind of annoying at times) came up to her saying he didn't feel well and needed a ride back to the high school.

I volunteered. How difficult could that be, right?

So, we walk out to the parking lot and I'm scanning the cars, looking for a jalopy. I guess in my dream, it must have been a time where kids had to buy their own cars, and mummy and daddy didn't just hand over the keys to a new Lexus for their 16th birthday. Anyway, I wasn't finding any clunkers in the parking lot. And then it hit me. He drives an ice cream truck.

Not wanting to back out of my offer and thinking that this would be a fun experience to share about on my blah'g, I hop in and fire up the engine. If you were like me, you learned to drive a car manually (stick shift), and the first several tries at driving were rather jerky with a lot of stalling and peeling out. Multiply that by like a thousand.

To make matters worse, the way to the school was an unserviced gravel road. So, I'm jerkily driving a big, white ice cream truck over rocks, through deep puddles, and horrible potholes. Imagine how bumpy and jarring that would be in an ice cream truck. It would make even the strongest of stomachs weak.

And then it happened. The kid puked. All over. And it splashed. And sloshed. And oozed. And smelled. It was horrible. If you know me, you know I don't handle vomit. At all.

Mercifully, I woke up to the alarm before my stomach was able to react.

So there you have it. I drove an ice cream truck.

Back to School

2011-08-24T13:47:00.001-05:00

I can't believe how fast the summer went. I guess we blinked.

This year, we have two in middle school...

I'm positive that only last week Sierra was stuffing her 4 month old baby sister's mouth with chocolate cookies while I was busy in the kitchen. Now, here she is, 12 years old and starting 7th grade. And that chocolate faced 4 month old? That would be my 10 year old Caitlin, starting 5th grade.

Shame on those who say you shouldn't hold your babies too much. I say, hold them while you can and as often as you can. You only get one chance to soak it all in. The days are long, but the years are fast. Too fast.

Here are my two oldest girls heading toward the bus. Caitlin is so blessed to have such a great big sister to show her the ropes.

Half an hour later, it was time for the rest of the kiddos to start their first day.

Our three youngest aren't so little anymore, either. Just yesterday, I marveled at my 2 year old boy riding his bike without training wheels and cradled teeny-tiny, mop-headed Abby in my arms. And about five minutes ago, cleaned mess after mess that Elise left in her path during her terrible twos. Now, Trevor is in 3rd grade, Abby is in 2nd, and Elise is taking one more in year in preschool to prepare for kindergarten.

Elise needs a photo of herself for her classroom, and I'm finding it quite humorous that being a photographer, I didn't have a photo to send with her. So we snapped a new one to print off:

I'm all too aware that tomorrow, I will have blinked again, and this little girlie will be following in her siblings' footsteps and growing up way too fast. But for today, I will enjoy her "strike a pose" phase.

Once we got to the school, Trevor and Abby took off running to catch up with friends, so there are no photos of them excitedly walking into the building. But I did get Elise putting her backpack away in her locker.

Those shorts weren't that wrinkled when she first put them on this morning. She was just up early enough to cuddle on the couch until it was time to go. :)

Now, please don't comment about all the free time I have on my hands now. That is not the case. I'm a wife, mom, homemaker, photographer, and bookkeeper. Plus, Elise is only gone a couple of hours every day. There is no free time. But if I ever do get some, don't give me guilt trips if I take advantage of it. I don't think people look at my whole picture. They just see no kids in the house, not all the hardships & struggles this mom has gone through to get to this stage of life. Who am I kidding? I still have struggles - mainly, trying to keep up with everyone, my work, and the house. I need 10 of me. Even during the two hours nobody is home.

Whelp, I should get back to editing. I just remembered that I've been waiting to use this song ("I Can Tell that We are Gonna be Friends" by Jack Johnson - it's the intro song to one of my favorite movies, 'Napolean Dynamite.'). And knowing me, if I put this post off at all, it wouldn't get posted until Halloween, and then the song would seem out of place...

Awww...

2011-08-21T23:14:00.000-05:00

This week at iheartfaces is Pet Week. I am not a cat person, but our Sniper is such a good kitty. He doesn't jump on counters, hardly sheds, and best of all...

... he loves the kids.

Or, at least tolerates their love for him.

Smile for Saturday

2011-08-20T10:00:00.006-05:00

Though we're all so sad to see her go, I can't help but smile when I think of how very, very blessed we have been to have had such an amazing baby-sitter for the past 4 years.

"If I can find a matching pair of shoes at the Schueneman's, I can survive college."

Faith G.

We'll sure miss you, Faith! Praying for all of God's best for you as you embark on this new and exciting time of your life!

Love, the Schuenies

Adventureland & Bowling

2011-08-18T16:21:00.000-05:00

It's stormy outside, so since we can't go swimming right now, I thought I'd post here.

The title is pretty self-explainitory, so I'll jump into the pictures. There aren't as many as last year (it was super crowded when we were there Saturday), but that's OK. We still had fun and made memories. Like the memory of waiting an hour in line for the Tornado, only to have Elise decide she didn't want to go on it. Even though she loved it when she was four.

Abby kept watching herself in the mirrors.

Always the cowgirl.

We stopped here after the park closed to grab a bite and bowl.

Abby was doing a happy dance by the blower.

Caitlin mimicking Leah's bowling.

Trevor trying to will his ball to curve away from the gutter.

Hmm... what's up with the tongues?

Midnight might be a little late in the evening to lose at bowling.

Elise won!

We had a lot of fun, and even slept in until noon the next day!

I've been really frustrated with how Blogger's changed things with uploading pictures. It takes longer (you can only select one picture at a time to upload) and you can't put the pictures side by side. To get around that, I tried using html codes from Photobucket, but that is just as time-consuming. If anyone knows of a faster way to share pictures on here, I'm all ears. I don't think I want to deal with switching to another platform, but might have to.

Well, it is still stormy out. I hope it lets up - today is the last day to go swimming at the pool before it closes for the year. I can't believe summer is almost over. Time flies way too fast.

Smile for Saturday

2011-08-13T10:00:00.001-05:00

I saw this, and couldn't stop laughing. Hope it gives you a laugh, too!

Oops.

Trevor's Lemonade Stand

2011-08-12T16:51:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago, Trevor finally got to have his lemonade stand! Thank you Brenda & Lea for letting him work it at your garage sale!

Smile for Saturday... Times Two!

2011-08-06T21:20:00.000-05:00

We had a couple more birthdays this week!

Sierra is now 12!

And Elise is 5!

Hope you had a happy Saturday!

Thougts at Random: Part 4... I Think.

2011-08-02T22:28:00.000-05:00

**This post was started mid-July. I just never got back to it. Until now.**

Somehow, I can go all winter with hardly a sniffle, but now I have a yucky head cold.

Since yesterday, all I've wanted to eat is soup. Thankfully, the temp today is down 30°+ and rainy, so soup is the perfect meal today.

My two oldest have really picked up the slack for me yesterday, and now today. They swept, vacuumed, and washed the floors yesterday. Even lifting up the rug in the front room to sweep under it.

They just finished vacuuming the entry hall. I'm speechless!

I still need to post about Trevor's chef party. He still talks about it, so I think it was a success.

Our van hit a milestone:

Robert and I have a date night Friday! Those are so very, very rare.

I still have not reflected much on the passing of my grandmother, but really, that's OK. I think of her often, and have been remembering sweet memories of her. There have been a few tears, but I'm realizing that I don't need to sit, dwell, and cry to deal with my grief. I feel I'm just fine with briefly entertaining the memories that pop up in my mind here and there.

Abby rolled herself into a sleeping bag like a burrito.

We wanted to do a lot of camping this summer, but haven't had the chance so far.

Just a few random photos:

Most of the cousins.

Daddy swings you HIGH!

My cousin & his bride.

Caitlin's not always a fan of the camera.

But she loves to dance!

Such a poser!

I've taken hundreds of photos to catch a lightning shot.

We seriously need to go grocery shopping. The kids are having tomato soup and peanut butter sandwiches (using hamburger buns) for dinner. I guess Sam's Club is on the agenda for our date tomorrow night.

Have I mentioned I have a head cold yet? It's really annoying to be stuffy. I am not a mouth breather. It's almost a phobia.

I'm not very thrilled with Netflix changing their packages. We're going to stick with the streaming option, considering I am horrible at sending the movies back.

I'm horrible at sending anything, really.

I know it's going to be a major undertaking, but I think I'm going to paint all the baseboards white. This old house needs to be freshened up a bit.

I say that, of course, but after living in our house over four years, I haven't painted a single room. Just complained about it and changed my mind on colors more times than I can count.

I've done a laundry load of jeans, greens, and two loads of reds today. I think I still have ten more loads to do. Plus blankets and towels. Oh, I think I did a load of darks, too. I have fallen so far behind that it looks like a laundromat threw up upstairs. I am normally extremely anal about how I do my laundry, but now I don't have that luxury without continuing to fall even farther behind. Sigh. I think I'll do another load of jeans tonight, then before I go to bed, throw in a load of blankets. With Purex crystals, they'll stay fresh all night, then in the morning, I can throw them over the banister to dry. Then my house will smell like clean laundry, which is one of my favorite smells.

Yes, I really do map out my laundry loads like that.

The other day, my phone's keyboard was set to Spanish. It was quite humorous.

Robert is finally home now, so I'm off!

~~~

I love thunderstorms. There's one going on right now that has some crazy loud thunder.

Our cat gets nervous during storms.

~~~

Fast forward a couple weeks...

Robert and I got out for our anniversary date. We didn't go to Sam's Club. We went to Texas Roadhouse and Transformers 3. The food was delish, and the movie was great. Though, I didn't enjoy the 3D. I had to remove the glasses a lot because they drove me nuts. They also made the movie seem very under-exposed. It might have helped if they brightened the screen to compensate for the glasses. Anyway, I think it's safe to say I won't be wasting my money on another 3D movie again. There was a bit of excitement on the way home, though.

At dinner, Robert said that one of his guys that work for him (who happens to be a cop) texted to say his store lights were left on, so we'd need to swing by the store on the way home to turn them off. Then, either during or right after the movie, Robert started to complain about his foot hurting. A few weeks ago, it had him in near agony to even walk, then the chiropractor worked his magic, and it's been fine since. Well, until that night, or so I thought. Anyway, about half way home, Robert said it was really hurting, and asked if I'd mind driving the rest of the way home.

Now, the movie didn't even get over until after 11pm, and we made a quick stop before heading on our over one hour drive home, so by the time we were on the road to go to his store, it was almost 1am. Then I see the lights in the rear view mirror. I hate getting pulled over. I've never gotten even a speeding ticket, but I have been pulled over for not using my blinker... Anyway, I pull over, get my license out, ask Robert to grab the insurance card and registration papers. My panic gets worse as I realize that we forgot to print the new insurance cards (the policy renewed in June). The officer comes up to the window, telling me I had a tail light out. I then start diarrhea of the mouth, explaining that we only had the van a couple of weeks, I can't believe the light is out, I really do have insurance, and here, let me pull up my policy on my phone to prove it. I promise I'm not lying. Then the cop starts asking what we were were doing. I told him we were on the way home from a movie, and he said he didn't know they showed movies that late. Oh my goodness, that got me totally flustered! I kept talking, but in my mind, I was telling myself to 'shut up, he's gonna think you're lying and drunk!' but I kept talking more. When I was about to get asked out of the car, Robert starts laughing. He said, "Don't you recognize him?" Duh. I.was.punk'd. Big time! The store lights weren't on. Robert's foot didn't hurt. And the tail light was just fine. Though, I'm still trying to convince myself I was completely sober and on my way home from a movie. ;)

Elise had a dream Saturday night, and was so excited (er, eskited), to tell me about it. She said she dreamed that she and Jesus were swimming together in a pink pool . He had black skin and brown hair. Her excitement that morning about brought me to tears. She's been wanting to meet Jesus for a while now, and even more so after the passing of my grandmother, and she was so happy to meet Him, let alone swim with Him! Kids are so precious, and it's the little things like her dream that seem to deepen my faith all the more.

We are in the midst of birthday season 'round here. Trevor just turned 9, Abby just turned 7, Sierra turned 12 yesterday, and Elise turns 5 tomorrow. I'm kinda sick of cake. My birthday is next week, but I'll pass on a cake, thank you.

I'm eating cotton candy. I took a picture, but it is so not attractive!

Leah is out here for a month, working for Robert. She is currently sleeping on the chair with a sweater over her head. The joys of jet lag. It's even worse when you're traveling out of the Herd time zone! (inside joke)

We've been beating the heat at the pool, but I haven't taken many pictures. I should. I love taking pictures of my kids playing. I did take more from our little hideaway. This one was my favorite:

And this one:

Abby got to put her new rain boots and umbrella to good use last week. Or was it the week before...?

And the kids set up the tent in our dining room.

I removed wallpaper in the front room to prep for painting...

And FINALLY painted Trevor's room with the help of the kids...

I need to post more pictures. Maybe I'll do a couple wordless posts, and just catch up on the pictures. I do plan to have this blah'g printed for my own journaling keepsake, and I have a lot of pictures I want to be included before I forget.

But for now, I need to get my kids to bed.

Smile for Saturday

2011-07-30T22:21:00.000-05:00

Abby turned 7 last week! I can't believe how much she's grown. We sure love our little "B"!

Look at that precious smile! Kinda makes me... smile. :)

Water

2011-07-24T23:28:00.001-05:00

This week's theme over at iheartfaces is "Water." I immediately thought of this photograph that I took of my cowgirl yesterday. When I first saw it on my screen, it just about took my breath away.

Smile for Saturday

2011-07-23T12:02:00.000-05:00

I'm still smiling after my "incident" last night, but the picture to go along with the story isn't cute, so I'll add it into my random thoughts post that I started a couple of days ago.

Happy Saturday!

Smile for Saturday

2011-07-16T11:23:00.000-05:00

Trevor turned 9 yesterday! I can't believe how much he's grown up in the last year. I love my Buddy.

Smile for Saturday

2011-07-09T10:00:00.001-05:00

The whole Herd.

We seriously have the best family.

♥

Celebrating Grandma in Denver

2011-07-07T22:59:00.004-05:00

In case you haven't heard, my grandmother (my dad's mom) passed away 3 weeks ago today. She had Alzheimer's and dementia for the last several years of her life. I try to keep my focus on the positive: she is with Jesus, fully restored, without suffering, and I know I will see her again. But honestly, I have times where I see others her age still enjoying their families and life, and think how unfair that disease is to those who suffer from it. In the end, it completely robs you of all you hold dear. It's just horrible. In my grandma's case, I'm grateful that I know her soul was kept safe with her Savior, but I still wish she never had to go through life with Alzheimer's. She did everything right. She walked. And walked. And walked. And walked some more. She did puzzles. She read. And yet it still got her. But, like my aunt had shared at her funeral, her greatest desire was for a close family, and if there's any silver lining in her suffering, it's the fact that it truly brought our family so much closer. Just like Grandma always wanted.

I have to say, writing is so therapeutic for me. When I'm happy, mad, worried, or sad, I reach for my prayer journal and write. Recently, though, I've been avoiding it. Not really wanting to allow myself to get very emotional yet (I'm a little too good at keeping feelings to myself - it almost always backfires). But I do have my moments. I am going to try and get through this post without any of those moments, and focus on the wonderful time we had in Denver together.

I'll just start at the beginning of our trip out to Denver. Long story short, we didn't wake up to the alarm, had an A/C scare with the van, so stopped by our mechanic's shop to check it out, and when we finally thought we were on our way...

...flooding. Big time. It took us another couple of hours to get around it, but we were determined to keep on going.

The toll bridge we were able to cross was closed shortly after we crossed...

Because of our very late and slow start (I forgot to mention that I was hitting up every restroom we drove by until I got through a whole bottle of Pepto), we stopped at a hotel just inside Colorado for the night. Nearby was a correctional facility, and I think it was Trevor who said that someone could steal from the hotel, then just walk on over to jail. :)

We stopped at a Kmart for supplies, and as we were heading to check out, Elise breaks out into a run, and dives into a pool of big bouncy balls. What else is a kid to do when they see a pool of balls? Honestly, it looked like fun...

We used to take seeing palm trees, the ocean, and mountains in the distance for granted. But not anymore.

Our van has a new hobby: bug collecting.

Here is a shout out to our favorite Mexican fast food joint: Del Taco! We came upon this one while we were trying to get to the Denver airport. We weren't very hungry yet, but when you see a favorite restaurant that you don't have nearby anymore, you go!

In case you're wondering, we got 10 soft tacos, 2 Del Carbons, 3 chicken soft tacos, a bucket of fries, nachos, a beef burrito, a hard shell taco, fried jalapenos, and 2 large drinks for just over $20. The price and quality far surpasses the Midwest's idea of Mexican food (Taco John's = eww), and it's one of our many must-eats when we go back to California.

After having our fill of Del Taco, we made our way to the airport to meet my family. That airport is nuts, but we finally figured out where to park and where to go.

The kids were excited to see all the pirates scattered throughout the airport and city of Denver.

Finally, all together!! Well, almost. Aunt Julia and Susan flew in later that evening.

We headed over to the hotel to get settled and await the arrival of Aunt Julia and Susan. The view from our room made my stomach drop every single time I looked down. I gave fast instruction that no kid was to climb or look very far over the railings. Yikes!

Can you see my kids waving from in front of our room?

There was a lot of swimming to be swum. Is swum even a word? Swam didn't sound right in that sentence.

Leah looks like she had a bit of jet lag...

Steven wants to be a photographer. I think he needs practice. I mean, c'mon - he can't even take the picture straight! *Inside joke ;)

There's the wannabe photog!

Sierra and Grandma having some down time.

Mom opening her birthday gift from us...

Heading out to grab a bite at Carl's Jr..

This guy sure loves his Coke! ;)

The sunsets were simply glorious.

This was an accidental picture I snapped when fixing settings, but it proves I was there, too ;)

We took the hotel shuttle to hit up some shopping. This is Leah, me, and Robert trying to figure out where to go next.

And Trevor found a wall to climb...

After shopping, it was time to head to the Rockies game!

Abby's I want cotton candy face.

Trevor's I'm not gonna catch a ball, am I face.

In our seats!

I like how Steven's eye is framed. And Laura's face.

Two of my absolute favorite people in the world. Some day, we'll live close again.

I loved the sun shining down on us...

What's a ball game without hot dogs?

Aww! We haven't been to a MLB game in years. I felt nostalgic the whole night. Some day, when we are closer, we will get season tickets. There's nothing like the feeling that you get when you're at a game, eating those hot dogs and cotton candy, singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," doing the wave, and screaming for every hit of the ball.

Elise tuckered out...

We lost the game - don't get me started on why! - but it was so much fun. Definitely a highlight in the midst of the sad reason we were there.

Thursday, June 30th, was the day we laid Grandma to rest. The funeral director told my aunt what a gift she left us in having her funeral already planned. Tears come to my eyes as I type this because it was noticed that in every Bible she owned, she wrote down 2 Corinthians 12:14. "...and I will not be a burden to you... After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children."

That truly was my grandmother. She loved giving to her family. To everyone, really. I've never known a servant's heart like hers.

Here is the front and back of the memorial card that Aunt Julia, my dad, and I stayed up until after 3am to make and print. FYI, if your printer paper gets all wonky and just won't pull the paper through straight, try turning it upside-down, hitting it, then open it up and pull out a little pink hair pretty. Memories. :)

Photo credit goes to Jan Miles

Part of the funeral arrangement that my grandmother had planned was a limo taking the family to the graveside. When she planned this, I don't think she even dreamed that her little family could grow to be as big as it is, and that only the grandchildren and great-grandchildren would fit in the limo.

Robert and I didn't ride in the limo, but we had a special drive with Aunt Julia and Susan.

I'm not sure why, but I imagined my grandma's coffin to be blue. I actually let out an involuntary gasp when I saw it. It's not like she wore a lot of blue or anything, but I think it has to do with what she told me on my wedding day while I was getting ready. She told me that she wore a blue garter on her own wedding day. That always stuck with me as her marriage has always been a mystery, and yet she shared that little detail with me.

Grandma was laid to rest next to her parents...

We were all very touched by the people who came out to celebrate Grandma's life. After she declined to the point of needing care for her Alzheimer's 4 years ago, she was moved out to California to be closer to family. I honestly didn't know that anyone would come, being that she had been gone for so long. Grandma had stated wanting a graveside service with family, but people in her church and places of service were her family, too, and that was evident by their presence that day and things that they shared. One lady shared how one Thanksgiving she was alone, and my grandma had her over for Thanksgiving dinner - even used the fine China. That's just the kind of lady she was.

During the sharing time of the service, I shared kind of what of I posted on my Happiness Is... blah'g about my grandma having joy, and how even though she can't remember me, she never forgot Jesus. To read that post, click here.

During the service, there was some rolling thunder in the distance, and it made me think of the hymn, "How Great Thou Art:

O Lord my God,
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all
The works Thy Hand hath made,
I see the stars,
I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow'r throughout
The universe displayed;

When through the woods
And forest glades I wander
I hear the birds
Sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down
From lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook
And feel the gentle breeze;

Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come,
With shouts of acclamation,
And take me home,
What joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow
In humble adoration
And there proclaim,
"My God, how great Thou art!"

It was so awesome how I experienced all that the author of the song wrote of that day. The mountains, the breeze, the trees, the birds... even the rolling thunder.

Before leaving the cemetery, Dad and Aunt Julia had to stop into the funeral home. For posterity sake, I don't want to forget the conversation we had there in the foyer. Let's just say that digestion and yogurt were the main topic.

After the service, we had lunch at the Burnsley Hotel. It was very nice, and I enjoyed watching Elise give her Grandpa a heart attack with the pouring of salt and sugar, and clanging of glasses and silverware.

I'm cross-eyed on purpose ;)

Yum... I ate every last bite!

Once we finished lunch and the downpour of rain let up, we drove around Denver to see the homes where Grandma and her parents lived. We also drove by churches and schools attended.
*Dad and Aunt Julia, If I captioned any of these incorrectly, please let me know.

Sherman Tower: where Grandma lived for about 30 years before moving to California. She lived on the 9th floor, but her window is blocked by the tree in this picture.

You can see the state capitol from her street.

Up close of yhe capitol.

I'm not sure what this place is. I might have snapped the pic because I liked the architecture.

The church where my great-grand parents and grandma were married.

From the front. I would so love to take wedding photos here!

Somebody's school...

Where my grandma went grocery shopping.

Where my grandma went to school.

Where my grandma went to church.

Another shot of her school.

This is the building my grandma used to work at when it was Connecticut General.

Apartment where my grandma, dad, and aunt lived.

Cheesman Park. My dad and aunt played here growing up. I so wish I lived near this park.

This is the home my grandma grew up in.

Tried to get a better angle.

The house where my great-grandparents lived later on.

The homewhere my great-grandma grew up.

Apartments where my grandma, dad, and aunt lived.

St. Barnabas. Where they went to church, I think?

Dad taking a stroll down Memory Lane.

East High School. Where My dad, aunt, and (I think) Grandma, and great-grandparents went to high school.

Salvation Army where my grandma volunteered.
(Photo credit goes to Susan)

During our tour of Memory Lane, we started to smell a burning smell. At first, I was trying to chalk it up to the heavy traffic thinking one of those cars was the culprit since our car had just been looked over before the trip, but we soon came to the realization that it was, indeed, our car. So the next morning, we figured we would go eat breakfast with our old neighbors and friends that moved to the Denver area right before we moved to Iowa while our van was getting repaired at a nearby Goodyear shop. What we thought was going to be a two hour breakfast and visit to their book store then pick up the van get back to the hotel to get ready for the zoo, ended up being about a four hour breakfast, hang out and eat pizza the the store for lunch, dads take girls to the park while boys play video games in the back because it took the shop forever to get the part in. It was so good to see them though.

Once we were back on the road again, we met up at the zoo with everyone (minus Aunt Julia and Susan until later on).

Trevor was mimicking the bird, and the bird actually seemed to get pretty mad at him for it!

Yes, poop.

Believe it or not, my sister took this one:

Train ride!

After being served free (yes, free!) hot dogs, we hitched a ride to get to the other side of the zoo. This is a picture of our feet on that ride.

I think somewhere, although very deep down, these two actually love each other...

What's a zoo without a peacock?

And what's a Philip without chasing the zoo animals?

Aunt Nancy, I'm not sure if the following counts as pictures of the creature we don't speak of, but if it does, I am sorry!

I can't remember if this was a church of any significance, or if I just snapped it because of the architecture. I love beautiful, old architecture.

I couldn't believe the beautiful rays shining through the clouds...

The sunsets in Denver were amazing. Stunning. Gorgeous. Breathtaking. Mesmerizing.

For dinner on our last evening in Denver, we ate at Olive Garden. Or, should I say, waited at Olive Garden.

Once seated, we had a fun dinner. Even with the shrieks and screams of a girls softball team in the same room. But we got even! Our waitress was generous with the mints, and there was quite the fight over them. Then came the part I really wish I had my camera out for! So, in not wanting to forget the moment, here is my reenactment of the moment Aunt Julia opened the bill...

Aunt Julia saw the mints and let out a scream, followed by the rest of us screaming and diving for the mints! She is so cool. :)
The next morning was full of packing and loading cars and saying goodbyes. I hate that. I can't wait for the day we don't have those goodbyes. I made it through OK, saving the sadness for behind my sunglasses.

Sadness turned into a momentary happiness when we saw this sight:

Another favorite from California. Here, we ordered 10 tacos, 2 (or 3, I can't remember) large drinks, 2 chicken sandwiches, jalapeno poppers, and I'm pretty sure there were fries or something else... for $16.

Oh, and we got a new Jack. We would never have one on our antenna while living in California, but now we wear him proudly. :)

The last picture taken on our way home:

It was really hard for me to leave Denver. I can't explain it, but I felt a sort of connection there that I never have before. Maybe it's from truly appreciating our family history now. I don't know. But I can't wait to go back.
...
About the title of this post... While we did celebrate my grandma in Denver, CO, I actually grew up knowing my grandma as 'Grandma in Denver'. I was so fortunate to have two very wonderful grandmothers in my life: my grandma from my mom's side who lived in Iowa, and my grandma from my dad's side who lived in Colorado. I think my grandma from my dad's side thought she would save confusion over which grandmother was writing by signing every letter ' Love, Grandma in Denver'. When I was younger, I used to think it was silly because only she would tape feathers and leaves to her stationary, so I never wondered who it came from. But, as I grew older, it became a very special name to me. When my mom's mother passed away over 14 years ago, I was actually sad to see letters from my grandma signed simply, 'Love, Grandma'. It never looked right to me. She had always been, and will always be, my Grandma in Denver.

A Smile for Saturday

2011-06-25T10:00:00.008-05:00

A lot has happened in the past 13 years. And we're still smiling. Most of the time ;)

(I know it's not Saturday now, but I did have it scheduled to post yesterday. Apparently, Blogger missed the memo.)

I ♥ My Boys

2011-06-20T10:05:00.000-05:00

The challenge over at iheartfaces this week is called "Let's Hear it for the Boys."

These are my boys...

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-20T01:06:00.000-05:00

It's getting pretty late here. And after the crazy week we've had, I'm tired. So tired, I fell asleep in the car on the way to Minnesota this afternoon. But, I wanted to hop on here to give a shout out to my dad, and to the daddy of my kids. Those two guys are pretty special, and I hope they know how much they are loved and appreciated.

The song I added for this post, "Lead Me," is such a touching song. It's about a father's realization and prayer for his family that I wish more husbands and fathers would have. I was so blessed to have a dad who loved God and his family more than anything. My kids are blessed to have a dad with that same heart.

There are a million things I could say about Robert & my dad, but my mind is completely exhausted, so I will just post some pictures of what we did this Father's Day.

Yum!!

These kids love their daddy.

Gotta get a good jump in!

Robert & Sierra raced across the pool. Robert won.

Me with my dad.

OK, so that last picture of me with my dad wasn't from today, but I still wanted to add it in there. :)

The rest of the photos are from today, though. Robert has a thing he has to be at tomorrow, so the kids and I made the trip to Minnesota with him. The best thing about Minnesota: Chevy's. Robert said his taste buds were in heaven. I so agree.

I'm going to sleep now. And when I wake up, it will be our 13th wedding anniversary. I'm a lucky girl. :)

Smile for Saturday

2011-06-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

My grandmother passed away on Thursday. I will miss her deeply, but to be honest, I've been missing her for quite a long time. Her mind was ravaged by Alzheimer's, so she no longer remembered me. I am truly so happy for her since I know she has been restored, and no longer suffers, and I know I will see her again.

This picture made me smile. It was taken almost exactly one year ago. Well, not this picture, but the picture in it. It was the last time I was with my grandma. We walked around the courtyard that afternoon; mom pushed Grandma's wheelchair while I walked alongside. Grandma held my hand so tight the whole time. She couldn't remember me, but I knew she knew me.

When I first saw the picture after getting it transferred from the camera to my laptop, I was bummed seeing that it was a little out of focus. But I treasured it none-the-less, and actually have it framed in a couple of different rooms in our house. Then yesterday, I was looking at the picture and realized something I hadn't before. The focus fell on her clasping my hand. This photo truly captured the moment and what I remember the most from that afternoon in the courtyard. And that made me smile.

A Smile for Saturday

2011-06-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

I'm going to try and make this a weekly thing. My inspiration came from a recent tradition I started with my slsphotos.com Facebook page. Every time I have a photo session (and after I get the OK from the client to post a preview of photos on my Facebook page), I add a picture from the shoot that makes me smile. Sometimes it's a "good" photo, and other times, it's kind of an outtake.

So, now I want to do the same here, but with photos of my own family.

Here is a photo of Caitlin that brought a smile to my face. She looks so much like the little 3 year old girl she used to be. The round face, the curls, and that little pout on her lips. There's a picture of me holding Caitlin, when she was just a few months old, sitting by Shirley Temple's hand prints at Grauman's Chinese Theater. Little did I know then, how much she would look like Shirley Temple! She's grown out of that look now, though she still has the curls, but this picture brought me back to 7 or 8 years ago, when she was still such a small little girlie. And that made me smile.

Trevor's First Game

2011-06-09T23:52:00.000-05:00

Trevor is so enjoying baseball! The game schedule is a bit crazy, but it's fun. He's been playing for a couple weeks now, and has had a few games, but I'm just posting from his first game for now.

Daddy knows how to make his girls giggle.

Well, it's late. I need to get some sleep. The storms have passed for now, so all is quiet. Except for the kids. I still hear them talking. We haven't been the greatest about bedtimes since summer vacation started, but hey, what else is summer vacation if not to stay up late, sleep in, and play all day?

Hmm... Maybe that's why my house is such a pit right now. :)

A Smile for Saturday

2011-06-04T10:00:00.002-05:00

My favorite pictures are ones that make me smile. Even if it's a simple snap from my cell phone's camera.

Elise watching Brother's baseball practice.

Hope you find something to smile about today!

Zoo Trip!

2011-05-27T20:33:00.001-05:00

Just so you know, it is Friday, May 27th, at 3:15pm. It's dreary weather outside, and the kids are busy with various activities, so I'm going to try and get this posted today. No promises, though.

Last Wednesday was the annual trip to the zoo for the begindergarteners (Elise's class) and second graders (Trevor's class). Robert took the day off to come along with us.

**Aunt Nancy, there are no pictures posted of you know whats.**

Only in Iowa will schools have a field trip out of state! With a mechanical issue occurring in the bus, our zoo trip was off to a slow start. Fortunately, we were only a couple miles or so into the two hour drive.

These two were excited and ready for the animals! After Elise had a drink, of course...

Funny thing, throughout the day at the zoo, where there are exotic animals you don't get to see every day, those two were so excited to see plain ol' squirrels and birds.

This cracks me up. Trevor was saying, "Look!! Zebras!!"

Hmm...
He really knew what they were, but the wrong animal came rolling off his tongue. :)

Since this was Elise's first real zoo trip, we let her decide what animal we would visit first.
First stop: penguins!

Big fishies...

What are they looking at?

They're looking at this cute little guy:

It's always fun to be in the midst of butterflies fluttering about.

That is, until a giant moth unexpectedly tries to land on your head. I may or may not have shrieked out loud when that happened.

I love her look of wonder here. Or maybe it's confusion...

Sibling sweetness... and silliness.

The first picture is over exposed, but it makes me laugh.

One thing I love about zoos is seeing all the roaming peacocks.

The kids had fun at the Petting Zoo. Elise had fun chasing the chicken.

This guy just doesn't seem very pet-able to me...

Yes, Elise, let's stand in goat poo...

Robert and I are generally pretty good with direction, but not at the zoo.

Elise liked Mr. Polar Bear.

I almost missed this crazy big nest!

Elise and her little friend...

Trevor's favorite animal is the elephant. Unfortunately, the real ones were out of their exhibit.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a pouter!

Thankfully, it was short-lived.

What kind of creature is that?

If you want to see a cool snake, and your name is not Aunt Nancy, click here:
http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/slsphotos7/Zoo%20Trip/IMG_8252.jpg

This zoo creature really intrigued me. Notice the female's natural instinct with the vacuum...

This little fellow looked like he came straight out of a cartoon...

Walking through the swamp...

I wouldn't want to go for a swim with these guys!

This was a really big beaver. Notice what it's using for a plate:

I've always liked white tigers.

A little too close for comfort...

Don't worry, that wasn't Elise!

This was what Elise said was her favorite animal to see at the zoo. I think it excited her to see a real lion since 'The Lion King' has been a favorite movie of hers recently.

The only peacock I saw to fan its feathers:

This guy challenged us to a staring contest.

We won.

This guy was my favorite:

Those kids were throwing him popcorn (even though they were told not to), and he actually caught a couple kernels.

And, what he missed, this guy stretched to get...

Look! A giraffe! ;)

Elise loved the train rides.

Aww...

Trevor was thirsty on the train, and all we had was my Coke. In case you're wondering, yes, he opened that bottle, and yes, it sprayed.

And, of course, Elise wanted a drink of it, too.

A beautiful peacock that almost pecked my lens when I got too close, and hit me with its feathers when it tried to get away from me.

I think Elise was out hard by the time we even left Omaha!

We all had such a fun day at the Henry Doorly Zoo!

In case you're wondering, it is still May 27th. That means I actually made a post in one day (though, not one sitting).

Next up: Trevor's first baseball practices. But not today.

Summer's Here!

2011-05-27T14:48:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it! Summer vacation is here! Another year gone all too quickly.

The 1st-4th graders had a bike rodeo, so Caitlin,Trevor, and Abby got to ride bikes to school. That's always a highlight for my kids on the last day of school. It's much more fun than being dropped off in Daddy's car...

I was in Elise's class this afternoon (which, by the time this posts, will be yesterday afternoon. Someday, I will actually write a post in one day!) to help with the End of the School Year party. I'm sad that this is our last year of having Mrs. Berry. She's such a great teacher for those kids just starting out in school, and I'll miss having a child in her class.

Anyway, while I was in Elise's class, Caitlin was walking by and saw me. Her eyes were red and puffy. If you know Caitlin, you know she's like me - not a crier. At all. When I saw her, I just went to her, and she literally fell into my arms, crying. This is her last year at the elementary school as next year she starts middle school. That makes her very sad. Makes me sad, too.

After sending her back on her way, I went back to playing with the kids in Elise's class. Mrs. Berry had all sorts of fun activities for the kids to do.

Elise has learned so much this year, it boggles my mind! I did choose to place her in the Pre-Kindergarten class next school year, though. She is about the youngest in her class, and will have barely turned 5 by the time school starts up again. I think it will be good for her, and I will still get some one-on-one time with her every afternoon.

When it was time to go home at the end of the day, I couldn't believe all the sobbing (yes, sobbing) kids that were coming out of their classrooms. I didn't take pictures of the sadness, but I will always have the heart wrenching images in my memory. Like Trevor and his best buddy hugging and crying like they won't see each other ever again (which they will - all summer, I'm sure). Caitlin, crying while giving and receiving hugs from her friends, classmates, and teachers. Abby, holding onto me so tight, while her little body shook from the sobs. Teachers and staff with their red, watering eyes. And Elise, constantly disappearing while I was making my rounds to different classrooms. She was totally clueless. I'll give her a week.

Anyway, I never remember such heartbreak to have a school year come to a close. That speaks volumes to me, as a parent. The fact that all these kids aren't ripping out the door to start their summer vacation, but rather, wishing school wasn't over quite yet, tells me that they are truly cared for by the teachers and staff - not just the means to a paycheck. Overall, I feel really blessed our kids are a part of that school.

These two were taken this morning since my camera's battery died (Friday, the day after this post was started)...

(There aren't any pictures of Sierra because her school is about 15 miles away, so she takes the bus.)

Our day has been half happy, half sad. I think it'll take a few days before they are really happy for summer. A few meaning however many days until the pool opens.

I just knew this school year would fly by faster than the last. And that scares me. Before we know it, our kids will be graduating and heading off to college. So, I need to remember to cling to every moment. Savor them. Linger in them. Will the clock to stop ticking so fast.

Especially for moments like these...

It's tradition for the kids and me to go get ice cream on the last day of school. What better way to kick start summer vacation than with ice cream?

As Sierra quickly found out, it's not really a good idea to eat ice cream cones sideways...

The school passes out yearbooks at the beginning of the next school year, but that didn't stop Sierra from getting some autographs!

Anyway, I am looking forward to this summer. Not sure what it has in store for us, but whatever it is, we'll be having fun.

Thoughts at Random: 3

2011-05-24T21:03:00.000-05:00

Just finished editing and uploading some pictures, and taking a break before jumping back into more editing. My snack of choice for my break: Veggie Straws. Yum.

Robert likes unsweetened iced tea. Yuck.

Today, I'm going to have lunch with Abby. She has a summer birthday, so today is her day to celebrate. Usually, I make cupcakes myself to bring to class, but with the chaos that has been our life this month, Wal-Mart cupcakes will have to make do.

Ooo, that reminds me - I have a post about small towns to finish up. I started it like a month ago after watching Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices.

Elise is playing with Trevor's measuring tape. The joy of pulling it all the way out and letting go never gets old. It really is the simple things that are so much fun.

I think I'm addicted to chapstick.

~~~

Just got back from having lunch with Abby. I love seeing her so excited and the center of attention.

And what's a birthday celebration without singing "Happy Birthday?"

Pretty soon, Abby's sweet, toothless grin won't be toothless. Her two front teeth are growing in!

If you would, please say a prayer for my grandma. She is nearing the end of this life. I just want her to be comfortable and at peace. I'm not making a trip out to California to see her, but we are planning on going to Colorado for her funeral when the time comes. I knew last summer that our visit would be the last time seeing her here on earth. I will always cherish that memory. She was just holding my hand so tight, and I think that deep down, she knew she loved me, even if she couldn't remember who I was.

If you're ever curious to know what I will look like in eighty years, just look at my grandma. The older I get, the more I look like her. Robert says I will be a cute old lady. :)

Elise is watching Sleeping Beauty until it is time to go to school. That is one of my favorite Disney movies.

~~~

Elise is at school now. She insisted on wearing a pair of sandals from last summer that are just a smidgen too small. I wish I could post signs to her back that read, "She chose her shoes today" or "She chose her outfit today" or "She did her own hair today" or "Daddy was in charge today."

Trevor made this yesterday:

Yesterday was a sad day, but I know and believe God is in control.

Whelp, I should get back to work. I may not have any kids at home for a couple of hours in the afternoon, but that doesn't mean I have any free time!

~~~

Yikes - four hours later, and I think I'm mostly caught up on the bookkeeping. Just have a few questions for Robert, and then I can balance the checkbook. Such fun.

I'm also now only one photo session behind in editing, so hopefully I can get them done in the next day or two.

It's insanely crazy how busy we are. And as soon as I think the next week looks free, BAM, the calendar fills right up.

Trevor wants to bring M&M cookies for his class tomorrow. I think I will buy those, too. Really, with the cost of the M&Ms and all the ingredients, it's cheaper to buy a couple dozen cookies.

OK, my five minutes are up. I need to switch laundry.

~~~
Hello, Tuesday!
I am grateful that Trevor's baseball coach called to say practice will only be two nights a week now. That means all seven of us will be home tonight! At the same time!

Speaking of Trevor, I am going to have lunch with him today to celebrate his summer birthday. I bought his M&M cookies last night. Two dozen for $4. A lot better than buying all the ingredients and spending a couple hours baking.

~~~

I love it when it rains. I love the warm sunshine even more, but there's something nice about a dreary day, too. Maybe I like it so much because, coming from California, we didn't get a whole lot of rain, so it was kind of a special treat whenever it did.

~~~

Lunch with Trevor was fun. Although, I wasn't thinking and ate my brunch at 11, and his lunch is at 11:30. I was so embarrassed to be wasteful, but I could only eat about three bites of my hamburger. I did eat my peaches and green beans, though.

The cafeteria was pretty empty today as a lot of classes had their end of the year picnics today, but you wouldn't know it with how loud these kids sing.

After lunch, I checked out Elise's zoo picture she drew. Older kids came to help her begindergarten class write about their favorite animal, and Trevor & his buddy were Elise's helpers. I like her reason for choosing the lions as her favorite zoo animal:

Personally, this guy was my favorite:

But more on this guy later. I will post about our zoo trip soon!

I ♥ Yellow

2011-05-23T08:57:00.000-05:00

This week's challenge at iheartfaces is "Yellow."

I decided to go with a photo that has happy written all over it because yellow seems so... happy.

And look at my daughter's expression on her face. She's the barefoot girl with the green headband.

Total happy.

Mother's Day Surprises (A forgotten post!!)

2011-05-20T17:45:00.000-05:00

**This post was written the week after Mother's Day, and apparently never was published. Oops.**

Mother's Day was especially nice this year.

My original request was to make the 3 hour drive to Sioux Falls, SD, which is the nearest location of our favorite restaurant, Chevy's.

We didn't make it that far.

Instead, I had a day in which everything surprisingly went my way.

My day began at about 10:15am. I was served breakfast in bed, complete with flowers on the tray - though they didn't make the picture...

In case you're wondering, breakfast was an omlet, extra crispy hashbrowns, asparagus & tomatoes, and green bell pepper; just because I love to munch on them.

After breakfast, I experienced the only not-so-perfect part of my day. An invigorating shower. And, by invigorating, I mean cold.

Walking outside, I was pleasantly surprised with new blooms:

Then walking down the sidewalk toward the van, I received something better than a plain ol' greeting card:

We loaded up in the van, for Sioux City instead of Sioux Falls, and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the van's temperature read-out show 86°. Perfect weather! I took a picture of the temp, but it's nowhere to be found. You'll have to take my for word for it.

Once we made it to Sioux City, we went to Target. I love Target. I get the best deals there. Like a total of three pairs of shoes for under $10. So awesome.

For dinner (we ate breakfast so late, we skipped lunch), we went to Red Robin. Guess what they just started to offer!

Fried zucchini!!

If you've known me for any length of time, you know how much I love Jamba Juice, and how bummed I am to not have any nearby. Nearby meaning within 2 or 3 hours from home. I miss my Kiwi Berry Burner with a Vita-Juice Boost, please (though, I don't think they still carry that one). Those new McDonald's smoothies are OK for a great pick-me-up, but they just aren't the same.

Several months ago, I was so excited when a friend told me she saw a Jamba smoothie mix at Costco. When I went there, I almost bought one, but they only carried strawberry/banana. I only eat bananas when they are perfectly ripe, and when I'm in the mood for one. I hate banana in any kind of smoothie, yogurt, candy... you name it, so I put the smoothie mix back in the freezer. Major bummer.

BUT, Mother's Day brought yet ANOTHER pleasant surprise!

Non-banana Jamba Juice smoothie mixes!!

They even had Razzmatazz!! Oh, I was so stoked! Funny thing is, I haven't tried even one yet. I'm saving them for a special occasion. I might have to make one up pretty soon, though. My mouth is watering just from looking at that picture!

You're probably expecting to see a picture of me with my kids to end this Mother's Day post. I'm sorry to disappoint, but we didn't get the chance. Believe me, I planned on taking a picture of all of us, but it hasn't worked out yet. I will soon.

And, if you know me, you know 'soon' is relative.

For Your Entertainment

2011-05-20T17:43:00.000-05:00

Just taking a quick minute from editing and bookkeeping to post a video Caitlin made today.

Life has been so busy lately. All of the end of the school year activities for the kids, picture taking/editing/ordering picking up for me, and the busy computer business for Robert. Oh, and then there are the daily things like dishes, laundry, meals... Plus, our regularly scheduled commitments like Bible study, small group, youth group... The list goes on. And on. And on. Quite overwhelming at times. And, just as soon as I think things are slowing down, baseball starts.

How on earth could I ever think life with five kids would ever slow down? Silly me.

Anyway, I got such a chuckle out of watching this little video Caitlin made today, and thought I'd share it.

I have a lot to catch up on, but this is it for now. Stay tuned for pictures from the zoo trip with Elise & Trevor!

A Picture of Motherhood

2011-05-09T20:48:00.001-05:00

After searching for a picture of me with my kids - any of my 5 kids - I've come to the conclusion I need to get in front of the camera a bit more often!

But, this photo of my friend and her little girl just speaks motherhood to me.

Some days, I wish I could still wrap up in my favorite blankie, suck my thumb, and melt in Mommy's arms; safe and secure, with not a care in the world.

Happy Mother's Day.

Soft & Sweet

2011-04-30T22:06:00.000-05:00

The challenge over at iheartfaces the week is exactly what this photo is.

Soft & sweet.

Easter Fun

2011-04-29T20:27:00.000-05:00

Easter kind of sneaked up on us. Again.

*Yes, sneaked - snuck, though it sounds correct, is not really a word. Just had to put that out there.*

The kids had Good Friday off, and we spent the day making and decorating cupcakes.

*By the way, if you want some delicious gourmet cupcakes for any occasion, you need to check out Heavenly Cupcakes. Angie's cupcakes are the best around!*

Fast forward to Sunday, and it was a relaxed Easter morning. I didn't have to iron anything (I typically iron only about 3 or 4 times a year - Easter being one of those times. We're a casual, "no need to impress" sort of family), Sierra and Caitlin did Abby's and Elise's hair, and shoes were at the ready, not buried under the mountain of shoes in our entry hall.

Easter service at our church was awesome, and the younger kids sang a few songs (Sierra only recorded one song, not realizing she had stopped recording).

After church, we went to my aunt's house for lunch. It was this little guy's first Easter...

We also took a family Easter picture. It was the first Easter Robert didn't have to work in years.

After lunch, we came home and rested for a bit. It just kept getting later and later, so we decided we needed to get cracking on decorating the eggs. Especially since we needed them for dinner!

The kids helped stuff the plastic eggs, but not their baskets. Grandma & Grandpa Bunny are always so good about filling their baskets with surprises, even from 2,000 miles away.

We had 95 eggs to hide!

Elise decided she was the Easter princess...

This sight made me a bit nervous, but rest assured, the kids did not injest all the candy taken from those eggs. Nope, I found half of it in their bedding...

And, in case you weren't totally sure that spring has finally arrived, my blooming tulips are saying that yes, spring has indeed sprung.

I ♥ Pets

2011-04-25T10:33:00.000-05:00

Actually, I've come to the conclusion that I'm not really an animal person. It's not the animal, but the responsibility. And poop. And hair. I was much more of an animal person before having kids.

But, I will admit, Sniper has been a good addition to the family. He's the perfect cat. He doesn't get on counters or tables, deals so well with the kids, has never had an accident, and is always there to greet us when we come home.

This is my favorite photo of Sniper. It was taken within a couple weeks of coming home with us last summer. It pretty much sums up his life here in our household.

If you like animals, you'll enjoy seeing other pets over at iheartfaces

Why I Celebrate

2011-04-24T09:33:00.000-05:00

The kids made these Easter crosses in Children's Worship last Sunday. Each item is from the account of Jesus' death and resurrection, and serve as reminders... though I don't remember all that they are to remind us of, and can't remember where I put the card that they brought home with their crosses.
Oh, the irony.

But, I do remember why I celebrate this Easter.

Jesus endured torture beyond belief for me. He had done nothing wrong, but he was sentenced to a horrific death. A death that paid for my sin.
He was betrayed by one of his disciples, Judas, for 30 pieces of silver.
He was tried, but kept quiet. He didn't plead His innocence, or fight back.
The people who were praising Him just a week earlier, were now the people calling out for His death.
His beard was ripped from His face, he was whipped and beaten; to the point of being unrecognizable.
He was mocked, and the soldiers placed a crown of thorns on his head, and a purple robe on his bleeding body.
He carried His cross to Golgatha, where He was nailed to it through His wrists and feet. He lived that agony for 3 hours.
After crucifying Jesus, the soldiers cast lots (dice) for His clothes.
He was only offered a sponge dipped in vinegar to wet His parched mouth.
Even in the midst of the undeserved pain, Jesus asked His Father to forgive them, because they didn't know what they were doing.
After He had taken his final breath, the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water poured out.
He was wrapped and buried in a tomb; sealed with a big stone.
On the morning of the third day, Mary and Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body.
What they found is the reason I celebrate. The tomb was empty. Jesus had risen. It's the reason I have hope, peace, and am able to love others. It's the answer to the question, "What's different about you?"
The difference is Jesus.
I have a sticker on my fridge that reads, "It's not a religion, it's a relationship." My love for Jesus isn't reserved for Sunday mornings and holidays. That's religion. My love for Jesus isn't shown through memorized or repeated prayers. That's religion. My love for Jesus isn't lived out through traditions. That's religion. My love for Jesus isn't a cookie cutter lifestyle of other Christians. That's religion.
My love for Jesus is lived out in my love for others because He loved me first. He doesn't want to just see me in church on Sunday mornings, He wants me to walk with Him and talk to Him though the week, and not with the 'thees' and 'thous.'
I shared a personal revelation in Bible study last week that, for me, hits the nail on the head.
I've long struggled with the fact that God called David a man after His own heart. Sure, David killed Goliath, but he also had a man put in the front line of battle so he would die, allowing him to marry the man's wife. How is that OK? Well, it's not. God even sent someone to tell David it wasn't.
But as I read through the book Psalms, penned by David, it hit me. He was a man after God's heart because he had a relationship with God. David praised God throughout everything, and trusted Him, yes, but he also cried out and questioned Him. He was brutally honest with God, holding nothing back. He went to God in the good times and the bad. David was completely human, with human struggles, and he didn't go to God just when he needed Him, only ignore him during the good times. He didn't turn away from God when he was at his lowest of lows - he ran to Him.
God wants a relationship with us. He wants all of us. The good and the bad. Don't hold back. He promises that if we seek Him with all that we are, He will meet us.

Last week, Trevor was baptized! He's been wanting to for a while, and missed the last baptism Sunday, but the day finally came!

There's a verse that says when we are baptized, we join with Christ in His death. Being immersed is dying to our self, and coming up is the new life in Him. Our sins washed away, and we are made whole. None of which would be possible without God loving us first, and sending His only Son to pay the price that we could never pay.

Happy Easter

Wind

2011-04-17T17:39:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, the wind adds that little something extra to a picture.

"See" the wind in other photos over at iheartfaces.

Shadows

2011-04-10T17:48:00.000-05:00

Looking for the shadows this week over at iheartfaces.

Thoughts at Random: 2

2011-04-02T16:11:00.001-05:00

I think I started this post a week ago. Maybe longer. The days all kind of blur...

~~~

After having fun writing my first "Thoughts at Random" post a few days ago, I started thinking I should do it more often. Then today, I received a message from a relative, saying she really enjoyed it and felt like she got to know me better through it. That was so cool to hear (well, ok, READ), and it confirmed what I was thinking.

So here we go, with part 2 of my (cue the deep, echoing, male voice) "Thoughts at Random."

I asked the kids what they wanted for dinner tonight. At their request, we had a smorgasbord of peaches, oranges, celery with peanut butter, and hard boiled eggs. Oh, and apples for an appetizer. I'm surprised how well it seemed to fill them.

I like cold, crisp Fuji apples with peanut butter.

Robert sounds totally ridiculous when he tries to talk with an English accent. Too choppy.

I had to sweep the kitchen 3 times today.

I love my Bissell stick-vac, but I really like the old broom and dustpan, too.

It's so cute how Trevor refers to Sniper as his brother.

Robert is baking a Cornish hen for himself. Did I say that right? I would never buy them because we would need like 5 of them to feed our family. Plus, I don't think I would eat it anyway. I only eat chicken. ;)

My phone is completely dead, so Dad, I apologize if you've tried to text me at all since around 6pm CDT.

I think I will save this post to drafts and finish up tomorrow.

~~~

It's tomorrow - today.
It's funny to watch Sniper open doors.

~~~

So, here goes another shot at finishing this post!

I added an email subscription to my blah'g. I believe all you have to do is enter your email address, and whenever there is a new posting, it automatically sends an email. Let me know if/how it works.

Robert bought me some chicken tortilla soup over a week ago. It got pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten. I pulled it out this morning, thinking it would make a yummy brunch (I typically don't eat an official breakfast and lunch, but an in between meal (brunch) and a munchie in the afternoon like popcorn, bagel, chips & salsa...). Where was I? Oh - the soup. So, anyway, I saw the soup, thinking it looked yummy. I looked at the ingredients, and saw it contained anchovies. Um, eww. Then, I looked at the best if used by date. March 18th. I was relieved to have a really good reason for throwing the soup away, other than anchovies. But I would have tossed it just because of the anchovies.

I really like soups. When we go to Subway during the fall/winter months, that's all I order. At Olive Garden, that's what I order. Some of my favorite meals from childhood are soups. Homemade chicken & rice soup (I always added cheese while piping hot so it would melt in it, and eat it with crackers. Still do.), Souper rice (cream of chicken with chicken & rice), and a negative calorie soup that I don't know if it even has a name besides 'negative calorie soup' - it has spicy V8, cabbage, carrots... who knows what else, but it was good!
Parent/teacher conferences are tonight. I actually look forward to them. I have no reason not to - we have some great kids. I'm really excited for Elise's in particular. I'm amazed by all the things she has learned this year. That girl is a sponge, and loves learning!

I have to disagree with Mary Poppins. When you can't find the words to say, "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" is not the thing to say. "Poop" is the word to say. It's also the word to say if you're taking pictures of kids that don't want to smile anymore.

On the other hand, she's got something with the whole snap and the room cleans itself deal. Unfortunately, all I get when I snap is... nothing.

I clicked on spell checker to see what it would suggest for supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, and apparently, I spelled it right because it didn't highlight yellow. I found that amusing. spuercalfragistisexpiadocious<----- now that highlighted as being spelled incorrectly, but it gave me no suggestions. Weird.

When I was hanging laundry this morning, I didn't have enough hangers. I thought that strange since I just bought a new pack of hangers not even a week ago. When I went to put some clothes away in the girls' room, I looked in their closet and found all their play dress-up dresses hanging on the hangers.

What could be better than balloons and cotton candy when you're a kid?

~~~

What we did all morning:

Then Elise joined in:

I joined in the fun, too. There is a video of it, but it includes my pants dropping a bit too low. And we all know, crack kills. ;)

These bubbles don't work. Unless you're goal is to make a mess, then they work swell!

Trevor had more success with dish soap. He added a little of the green bubbles to try and give it color, though it didn't really work.

The grass is starting to change color. It may be cloudy today, but it's over 60°. Tomorrow, it will be closer to 70. I think we can officially say the snow is behind us for good. Although, this is Iowa...

I really have the urge to pack up our family and just go. I don't know where, but anywhere fun. I can't wait until the day comes when we can be a bit spontaneous like that.

But first, I want to go somewhere with Robert. Just the two of us. Out of state (though, out of country would be preferable!). The last true getaway we had without kids was 7½ years ago. I surprised him with a two night camping trip. I'm talking noshowersortoiletsorcivilationformilesandmiles camping. We saw bears, and they weren't in cages. We heard twigs snap at night, which was scary. So we slept in the car. Which was still scary. It was so dark, you couldn't even see your nose, let alone see past it!

Anyway, I want to get away, just us, for at least a week. And to a place that has showers and toilets.

Moving on.

How is it possible that it's already April?

There's a spider on your head.

Belated April Fool's Day!

Yup, I'm a dork.

"I'm so eskited!"

2011-03-30T14:36:00.000-05:00

When getting Elise ready for school today, she was talking about the field trip her class is taking to the lumber yard here in town. They've been learning about different types of homes/buildings, and how they are made.

Anyway, Elise was so happy that she was going on the field trip with her class. She was beside herself excited. All she could say was, "I'm so eskited!" and, "It's so eskiting!" She said it while putting her clothes on, while putting her boots and coat on, she even said it to Sniper as we were headed out the door.

As we were walking out to the van, I pulled my phone out of my pocket to record her so-stinkin-cute-little-voice proclaim her eskitedness. Watching this video, you'd never know that mere seconds ago, she was saying 'eskited' about every other word. :P

I'll have to get it recorded another time when I don't have to prod her. It's much cuter when she says it with excitement. Er, I mean, eskitement.

Slice of Life

2011-03-26T22:20:00.000-05:00

This week's challenge at iheatfaces is "Slice of Life." Just a candid moment from life.

This photo was taken a few weeks back when we thought Trevor's hand might have been fractured. He didn't know I took his picture while he sat so forlornly, wishing he could go outside and play.

It was only a matter of time...

2011-03-26T14:19:00.000-05:00

...before the girls would get the idea to dress Sniper in doll clothes.

Poor Sniper didn't even want to take more than a couple of steps with this outfit on. He would just sort of roll onto the floor. The kids got a kick out of it! Sniper is such a trooper, and really is the perfect cat. I hate cats, but not Sniper. *gasp* Did I just say that? ;)

Through Abby's Eyes

2011-03-24T09:54:00.001-05:00

Last night, Abby confiscated my cell phone and apparently had fun taking pictures. I was looking through them, ready to delete, but instead, I saw them in a different light. Abby may have been just taking pictures of anything and everything she saw, but it was her point of view. It's how she sees our home and the things in it.

I think my goal today is clean the bathroom mirror. :P
But I seriously LOVE this photo!

This is a ceiling light:

Hmm... back to show off the toothpaste splattered bathroom mirror...

Not sure if it's the lighting, or if there is a yellow tint to the toilet water...

Abby's chalk drawing on black paper of a clown. It really isn't this creepy looking in person!

It warms my heart to see Abby trying to use the rule of thirds. :)

I think I will start having each of my kids take pictures with my phone. Don't know about you, but I completely enjoyed seeing things from Abby's point of view. They just made me happy. Who knew that a completely candid cell phone picture of a messy bathroom reflection would become one of my favorite photos?
:)

Elise at the Nursing Home and in a Magazine

2011-03-16T11:54:00.000-05:00

Today, Elise and I went to the nursing home for library time.

She made a St. Patrick's Day hat.

(Yes, I forgot to brush her hair.)

I love watching the elderly interact with all the little ones. Melts my heart. Think I will ponder on that today.

Before we left, we just had to see the birds. There were a couple of very colorful ones flittering about. Those were our favorites.

And, just as the title says, Elise's picture is in the March/April issue of Thriving Family!

When she came home from school, I sat her down, gave her the magazine, and recorded the surprise...

I love her remarks at the very end of the video. If you missed it, watch again and listen carefully.

I feel like most of the pictures I take and post are of Elise, but she's the only one with me all but two hours of the day. I do take lots of pictures of all the kids, and so far, nobody has complained that so-and-so has more pictures than they do. But, as you can hear in the video, Trevor was just bummed he wasn't in the magazine, too. When he's a world famous chef, he'll get his turn!
:)

Thoughts at Random

2011-03-10T21:39:00.001-06:00

I bought the prettiest shade of pink nail polish the other day. Now, I have no clue where it went.

I hate it when I'm totally telling the truth, but feel like the person I'm talking to thinks I'm just making up a lame excuse, and then I start stumbling over my words, only making myself look like I'm totally lying.

I enjoyed playing a couple of rounds of Yahtzee with Robert in bed last night. We each won a round. Though, when I won, I pummeled him!

I really want to paint the halls upstairs. I know what color, too. I think. Robert is in the midst of fixing Elise's "construction project" from over a year ago, and when he's done, we really should paint right away. But, I will miss all the "art" that has adorned those halls for the past year.

The Schuenies are so over this Iowa winter thing. We really aren't cut out for living like Eskimos for half of the year. People out here try to make themselves believe the cold is only for a few short months, but we start putting away summer clothes and dig out the warmer clothes and coats by mid-September. They aren't always worn every single day at that point, but they are in the drawers and ready, none the less. We don't do the switch back to summer clothes until mid-April at the earliest, but usually later. So really, there are nearly 8 months of the year where it's at least chilly out. I miss not having to switch out seasonal clothes.

All that said, we aren't currently looking to move back to a warmer climate just yet. Just day-dreaming for now. But if you hear of a warm place that needs an Iowa Computer Depot, let us know! :)

I will say, I do appreciate warmer weather more than I ever have before.

I absolutely can't stand the over saturated magenta that is on Barbie's face in 'A Fashion Fairytale.' No other characters' faces are like that, why'd they do it to Barbie's? So distracting.

I threw a frozen ham in the crockpot the other day. I was a bit nervous to cook it that way, but it turned out just fine. Just added a little water, brown sugar, and pineapple juice. As I type this, I realize that I was saving that ham for our traditional green eggs and ham for St. Patrick's Day. Oops.

I am not being paid to say this, but I love the new Purex crystals softener. It truly is an amazing product. I never used softener or dryer sheets with towels because of the film they leave on fabric, causing them to not absorb as well as they should, but this stuff is different. It doesn't leave a film on fabric. Though, I still don't use it with my towels. I prefer my towels to be rough and scratchy. We have a couple soft towels that I avoid like the plague. Anyhoo... The reason why I think this product is amazing is because you can throw in a load of laundry when you go to bed at night with half the recommended amount of crystals, be so busy the next day that you completely forgot about it, go to bed dog-tired, figuring you'll just have to rewash those jeans in the morning, only to wake up, open the lid to the washer, and smell clean laundry instead of wet dog. Seriously cool! Just don't ask how I know that...

I have no idea what to make for dinner tonight. I should know since it's about that time right now.

I rarely get a blah'g post done in one sitting. This one is no exception

We use sea salt. But not on popcorn. We use popcorn salt on popcorn.

I love Sierra's new haircut, but I miss her long tresses. Makes her seems not as Californian. But she will always be Californian, no matter the hairstyle.

Californian is a silly word.

Sometimes when people are talking, I try to listen as though I was a person who speaks a different language. English can sound quite silly.

I'm not a confrontational person. At all. I told Robert that I would be his bookkeeper only if I never had to call people with delinquent accounts. Or call people period.

I don't do well talking to people I'm not very close to over the phone.

I've actually come to a point where I do like to text rather than talk. Of course, there are exceptions. Especially for something lengthy.

I like it when Robert calls.

I love that Trevor wants to be a chef when he grows up.

I truly know I have five awesome kids. They have their moments like every other kid, but they genuinely want to do what's right, love everyone, and do their best.

I still keep a prayer journal. It's awesome to read through past journals/entries and see how those prayers were answered. Especially when a prayer was answered in an unexpected, or even completely different, way. Not everything is a "yes," "no," or "maybe." Sometimes it's "You can't see it yet, but this way is better. Trust me."

I wish frames weren't so expensive. At least the frames I like. I have pictures to hang, but no frames to put them in. Somebody alert me when Hobby Lobby has a 90% off clearance.

Unless it's for an imminent need, I won't pay full price for anything. In fact, I usually only pay 10-25% of the original price. Like shoes. Trevor's new $30 shoes cost me $6. Elise's boots cost $3, Robert's shoes cost $12, and I've bought several pairs of Converse for under $6 each. I recently got myself a pair of $60 jeans for $9, and a $30 shirt for $4.

I miss real Mexican food.

We're having waffles for dinner.

I hate grocery shopping.

I hate knowing that not-so-true things are said about me, and there's nothing I can do about it. I just have to practice what I preach and know that God knows the truth, my heart, and anyone who truly knows me, knows better.

We like watching History, Discovery, and National Geographic shows on Netflix. Unfortunately, it usually leaves me with the 'travel bug.' As I type, I want to go on a week safari in Africa. I looked it up - an all inclusive, week long trip for two would cost $4,000 or even less. Please call me if you find that on clearance for 90% off!

Tomorrow is going to be beautiful! And the forecast for next week is showing all 50º or higher!

I love that we're a family who does pretty much everything together.

We didn't have waffles for dinner. We had ham, egg, and cheese burritos. Figured I should use up the rest of my crockpot ham. Waste not, want not, right?

Caitlin knew right where that pink nail polish was.

Abby's lisp is getting better. Although I find it adorable, I know she can't talk that way forever. She's really starting to grow out of it now. Even with the challenge of missing both top front teeth!

I keep reminding Elise to stop sucking her thumb, but secretly, I love that she still does.

'Cause one day all too soon, I'm gonna miss it when she doesn't.

Favorite Face of February

2011-03-07T19:58:00.000-06:00

Some have already seen this photo from several days ago, but this is my entry for iheartfaces this week because February wouldn't be the same without our Cowgirl.

Who turned a big 10!

Our Weekend

2011-03-06T14:51:00.003-06:00

Our weekend was pretty laid back.

Elise's weekend was kicked off with a Teddy Bear Pajama party.

Friday night we played games.

Abby slept.

Elise and her Cooties:

Look who decided to wake up :)

Just in time for charades!

Saturday we went for a walk...

...and walked on water. Well, frozen water, anyway.

This girlie had more fun watching...

This next part is not for the weak of stomach.

Robert found a broken post on the path. So, he did with it what any guy would...

That's right. He tried to smash through the ice with it. But then he got a splinter. Trevor wanted to see the splinter, so walked right on the ice that Robert was smashing, and fell through. Don't worry, the water was only shin deep, but it was COLD. So, between that and Robert's pain from the splinter, I didn't take pictures as this all happened. I waited until we got back in the car.

The best way to remove that splinter was for me to grab it tight with tweezers (good thing my make-up bag was in the car), and for Robert to yank his hand away. It hurt too badly to allow me to pull it out gently.

I can honestly say, that was the biggest splinter I have ever removed!

I also took some photos of Caitlin for her 10 year portraits.

This one was my favorite:

This morning on the way to church, it started to snow. Thankfully, it didn't stick, but I am so very ready for winter to be over. Technically, there are a couple weeks of it left, but we've had a few tastes of what's to come, and I can't wait! Hence, the new music on my blah'g.

Now to get back to relaxing on this lazy Sunday.

I've slacked a bit...

2011-03-03T15:43:00.001-06:00

I haven't taken Caitlin out for her 10 year old pictures yet. So far, I only have one photo taken.

But, at least she's 10 for almost a whole year.

I am so kidding! I won't wait that long.

Though, I have yet to send out our out-of-state Christmas cards...

Head, Shoulders, Knees... and Bump

2011-02-27T23:41:00.001-06:00

Anything but the face...

When I saw this week's challenge over at iheartfaces, this photo of my friend's baby bump was the one that popped into my head. Can't wait to see his sweet face!

P.S. I won 9th place in last week's challenge! :)

Family Fun

2011-02-23T12:23:00.002-06:00

Can you guess what we did this past Sunday?

Here are a couple of hints:

If you guessed playing in 33° rain, you are totally wrong.

Sunday, we took the kids to King's Pointe indoor water park. It's only $5/person on Sundays, and with a big family like ours, we take advantage of deals like that for these kinds of family outings!

I couldn't find the top to Sierra's bathing suit, so she had to borrow one of mine. It's hard to believe how much she's grown up!

Elise was nervous about going down the big slide, but after going down with Daddy, that's all she did the rest of the day. It's crazy to think our baby can go down the big slides all by herself!

Not sure what the point of a rock climbing wall in a water park is. It's so slippery, it's impossible to get very far, and if (or, should I say, "when") you fall, you don't land in water, but on thin mats.

Trevor found this just floating in the water:

Abby practicing her strokes :)

Robert came out to join me at our table after a while. I went down the yellow slide without a problem, and knew better to stay away from the green one, but going down the blue slide with Trevor was a little too twisty for my tummy. It ruined the rest of the time for me because I was so queasy, I didn't even want to think about the slides and the moving water. Such a bummer since I do like water slides of the non-twisty variety. :(

Elise was such a big girl going down the slide all by herself. Over, and over, and over, and over...

Robert had to go get her so she would come to the table to eat.

The family pizza meal may have been an awesome deal, but in all honesty, it was the grossest pizza I've ever eaten - so greasy!

Elise wasn't too sure about the clown...

Being silly.

Waiting in line for a balloon animal. Look how well Abby balances like a flamingo!

Trevor was the only one patient enough to wait. He chose his favorite animal, an elephant.

And he bought snacks with the five dollars he found.

The clown was singing the alphabet backwards as we were leaving. Elise was kind of enthralled with that. Caitlin wasn't so sure. She doesn't like adults in costume.

It was nice to get away for the day. Especially on such a cold and dreary day.
Summer warmth and sunshine, please hurry!

Cell Phone Challenge

2011-02-20T23:56:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, Abby crawled into bed with me on a Saturday morning, wanting to read to me. Robert and the other kids were already up, so it was just the two of us. I wanted to capture the special time to keep for myself, and my cell phone was the only camera within reach.

She read until we both fell back asleep.

♥

Check out other other cell phone pictures over at iheartfaces. It's truly a great opportunity to see that it's not the camera that takes great a photo!

Our V-Day... a little late.

2011-02-17T12:00:00.002-06:00

This year for Valentine's Day, we laid low. No dinner and a movie type date. Just lunch after Elise was dropped off at school. Which, to be honest, was perfectly fine with me.

But, there was still a celebration of sorts:

Elise finally got the last part of tying shoes down! She's been close for a few weeks, but now she's got it! And she does a good job, too. She doesn't tie the laces all loose like most kids just learning. She's got some good fine motor skills!

Had to call Daddy to tell him what a big girl she is!

Elise is so proud of herself!

After dropping Elise off at school, I went to pick up Robert for our lunch date at a little cafe-type place down the street from his store (Hub on 5th, for any locals who might wonder. They're pretty good, and I like the simple, eclectic atmosphere.). Up on the back counter, there were roses I heard the owner tell another customer that she received from her sister-in-law.

We got our drinks and took a seat. When our food came, the lady serving it put the roses on our table. I thought she was so sweet trying to give us a little Valentine's decor. After thanking her for the pretty touch to our meal, she made some comment about them being from my admirer. Even then, it took me a minute to catch on that they were for me.

I'm not a flower girl, and when I am, I love tulips. But Robert loves to give me red and white roses, and that means more to me than if he were to pick me the best tulips he could find (which he does do,too). That may sound backwards, but it's the heart behind his roses that means the most. Knowing that, to him, roses are the most meaningful flower you can give another person.

And he chooses to give his roses to me.

I did humor him with a smile, too...

My parents sent a movie night box for the kids for Valentine's Day. Actually, I think I should call it a movie marathon. Seven movies and a card game - that should keep us busy this weekend!

I think Elise was a little excited to get the candy!

Here's my short and to the point Valentine's Day message:

Marriage is not always easy, but true love DOES last forever. Because true love isn't a feeling. It isn't the happy times or those butterflies fluttering about in your stomach. It isn't gifts and nice gestures. Love is a choice. A verb. It means sacrificing, serving, letting go. Even when the other person isn't doing his/her part. And marriage will give you a lot of opportunities to practice that!

Our small group watched a Joyce Meyer video this week, and she recalled a conversation with another person in the ministry who apparently always smiles. She asked him what his weaknesses were, and he couldn't think of any off the bat because he didn't focus on the weaknesses. So, she went to his wife, asking her what her husband's weaknesses were. The wife basically said the same thing - she doesn't focus on the weaknesses. That's not to say this couple had zero weaknesses, but they didn't put their focus on them, so they didn't have an answer at the top of their head.

Robert and I have been married for 12½ years. We know we have a good, strong marriage. We know that trials will come, that we won't always see eye to eye, that we will have times of being down-right M.A.D. at each other over something, but that doesn't cause us to fear for our marriage, or run from the problem because we don't want to deal with it. It doesn't cause us to hate each other or to separate. We may not particularly like each other during the worst of times, but because we truly love each other, knowing that God is the author of our love, those times are short-lived, and we get back on track. To be honest, it's kind of a "suck it up, deal with the issue, and get over it" way of life. And it works for us.
(I know that every situation is different, so please know I'm not talking about abuse or infidelity.)

Robert isn't perfect. I know I'm far from it. But we love each other anyway. We truly are best friends. And not by accident.

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

1 Corinthians 13
♥