thankful for

this wonderful girl. smart. funny. respectful. good daughter.wonderful sister.excellent role model. leader. best friend to many.

this middle child. funny. smart. good. jokester. hair designer. good sister. loving daughter. crazy dancer. leader. stubborn {at times}

this mini mark. hilarious. red headed. leader. third child. picky eater. lover. kind. smart. shy. never quiet. leader of the pack.

this wonderful husband. best friend. hard worker. devoted. sweet. stinky. loving. provider. smart. funny. handy man. college student. dad.

i truly am living the sweet life.
i have such a blessed life and sometimes take it for granted. i know i shouldn't, but i do.
admitting it is the first step, though.

today {and everyday} i am grateful for so many things....

i hope that today finds you surrounded by the ones you love and are able to spend the day doing whatever it is that makes you happy.
happy thanksgiving to all.
now i 'm off to the kitchen to slave away all day for these folks~

jordan's new calling?

at the bazaar today there was a face painting table and jordan managed to find a seat and paint anyone who would sit still long enough.

i have to say i think she did a pretty good job!

the kids loved her too!

{but hey, let's be honest- who doesn't like her?}

don't answer that one!

thanks for being you jord- one awesome girl!

heartbroken

well, this weekend i took my pictures to two different bazaars and wouldn't you know it, i failed at them terribly!

i did sell a few friday night and one today {to the same lady that bought one from me last night. i think i just may have a bazaar stocker, could get a restraining order against her, but she was my only customer, ha ha!}

my ego is broken and bruised....

i would feel even worse about this had i been the only one not selling anything, but no one was really.

even still, it stunk {this is an understatement}!

oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

so hey, can you guess what everyone will be getting for christmas from me?

ha

new do

for awhile now josie has been asking to have her hair cut off. i always manage to put her off about it.

well this time she was serious as she ripped a page out of a magazine and brought it to me.

i told her to ask her dad and if he said yes i would make her an appointment.

well, as you can tell, he said yes.

she loves it and i think it really fits her personality- short and sassy!

she was most excited this morning when she got out of the bath and as i brushed her hair she had "no tangles mom"

under construction

as some of you know we are in the middle of having some work done on our house.

have i told you how long this process is taking?

did you know i am not a very patient person?

do you know unfinished work drives me crazy?

if you didn't, now you do.

i think when it is completed it will look awesome. {new siding, finished porch, back windows put in}

but for now i'll just close my eyes when i enter or exit my house!

cool {i thought so anyway}

last saturday out at hat rock {while taking some pictures of some cute girls} some bird watchers informed us of a bald eagle in the trees with a duck.

i was able to get only one shot of him in the tree with his prize, but then he must have heard us approaching and took off.

regardless, it was cool to see as i have never seen a bald eagle before.

pretty cool....

recent adventures

baby julia

beautiful cooke girls

mandy and her busy {& big} family

kash

the stewart family


as some of you know i have been {recently} dabbling in taking pictures for families.... have i told you lately that it is alot of work?

i by no means am a pro- but i am slowly but surely learning and find i improve with each set i take.

so i thought i would show off a few.

can't stop laughing

funny story {well kind of}

i am going thru my library of pictures looking for print worthy ones {for my upcoming adventure}

and came across this one of jess. i actually had to do a double take thinking it was josie.

don't ask me what she is doing.

why she looks short.

i have no idea,

but i am tearing up from laughing as i type this post.

so i hope this image brings a chuckle to your soul {as it did mine}

silly kids... gotta love em'

see this girl?

you see this dirty faced red head?

did you know that she learned how to snap her fingers?

do you know that she shows me how she can at least 50 times a day?

did you know that she thinks she is the coolest kid ever?

if not, well now you do.

and as for her being the coolest kid ever,

well i would have to agree.

love you josie jade and if i haven't told you lately-

your AWESOME!

love, mom

awesome{ness}

just a really cool shot of the afternoon sky. i love this time of year for picture taking.

between the leaves, skies and sunsets-

it's like christmas everyday to a simple girl like me!

happy weekend!

just a thought.....

"Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure"

okay, so sometimes i know i can give them, but i must admit- i HATE excuses!

i know, hate is a strong word, but nothing upsets me more than when someone is full of them {excuses}

i say- own up to what you've done {or not done}

it's that simple.

yes, you did it.

no, you didn't.

it really is that simple.

to me, it is important to be yourself no matter the situation.

be who you are no matter what.

stand up for what you believe in.

even if other don't.

and whatever you do- don't make excuses.

because once you start

you're headed for a lifetime of them......

i give you.....

CHUCK!

i'm pleased to introduce the newest addition to our family.

he is a male bridle boston terrier.
he is 9weeks old.
he is a moose.
he love to chew on things.
he loves to sleep.
he loves to play.
the girls fight over him constantly.
we love him.
and mark is super excited that he is no longer the only dude in the house!