a great visit

this past week my dad decided to fly on up for a visit with us. it was a great surprise and we really enjoyed our time with him.

the girls loved hanging out and spending time getting to know their "papa john".

the last time jordan and jess saw him was almost 6 years ago and i was pregnant with josie.

he was able to go to eat with each of the older girls at their schools and went with me to pick josie up.

our week went by too quick, but we cherished the time he was here.

here's hoping he'll be come back next year!

big winners

this past weekend the ladies entered an art/talent show at the local "hermiston's got talent" show which was held at the high school.

jordan entered two photographs {taken with my camera when she was supposed to be putting it up, ha ha} and won first and third place on them.

jessica entered a drawing of an owl she drew in art class and she too won first place.

the best part of this whole deal was, they both received a check for $100.00 for first place!

seriously, $100.00!

they were surprised and excited and i was one proud momma!

{sidenote- even though jordan won 3rd on her flintstone feet photograph, she was only eligible for one cash prize}

now they are both plotting what to do with their earnings... josie and i are trying to convince them to split the cash with us, but we aren't having much luck!

oh well, good job girls. you guys rock~

simply said

new and improved

some recent pictures of the new and improved porch.

way cooler.

more homey.

more inviting.

let's be honest- just plain awesome.

can't wait to finish it up.

did i mention my honey rocks?

yeah, he does! {don't tell him or he will get a big head}!

trampoline fun~

it's that time of year again when it stays light a little longer and it's a wee bit warmer out, which only means one thing-

the kids can play OUTSIDE when they get home from school!

{can you sense the excitement in my text}?

they love to jump, scream, wrestle, fight, argue, cry, play games, laugh, smile and just be together!

for those that don't know, i watch adriann and ryan three days a week after school, so it's just double the fun!

i know that they are glad it's getting nicer out too, because they come in, hang up their bags, get a snack and are out the door till dark!

silly kids~

puddle fun

wet wrinkled little piggies

splashing

love her little face!

on wednesday joey and i went for a walk thru the neighborhood and happened upon a rather large puddle on the next street.

so she did what every little kid loves to do... jump and run thru it!

and of course i did what i love to do... shoot it.

she had so much fun and was soaked all the way thru to her underwear.

i on the other hand was a little disappointed {in myself} as i totally for got to change the iso on my camera, therefore my shots aren't the best, but that really wasn't what it was all about-

it was about having fun and watching josie have a blast playing in the water!

with the weather we have had lately, in no time we will have a huge puddle to jump and play in again!

judging {to be honest something i do on a daily basis}

The Window Through Which We Look

A young couple moved into a new neighborhood.
The next morning while they were eating breakfast,
The young woman saw her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
'That laundry is not very clean,' she said.
'She doesn't know how to wash correctly, perhaps she needs better laundry soap.
'Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.
About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:
'Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.
I wonder who taught her this.
'The husband said, 'I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.
'And so it is with life.
What we see when watching others depends on the window through which we look.

i was sent this via an email this morning. there are times when you receive something in your mailbox, your in-box, or someone {you know or don't know} looks or talks to you and the power of the words you read or hear moves you.

i will be the first to admit i am a very judgement person and tend to hold a grudge for awhile {lets be honest, sometimes forever}. i know it is not right and there are times when i feel bad about this and want to change.

i have several blogs i read on a daily basis and some of them are so inspirational and moving that i too want to be this way, but it's a hard thing to do.. change.

you have to want to and then be able to keep doing it even though it may be hard.

change is alot more work than you really realize.

you may want to: lose weight, be nice, forgive and forget, smile everyday, greet each day with a smile and a happy heart- but it isn't always possible.

admitting your flaws is a step, changing them for the better is the second, making an effort to uphold your need/desire to change is something you have to want to do, for you and no one else, everyday.

none of us are perfect and i don't think we will ever be. but i guess that is what life is all about.

learning.
changing.
growing.
winning.
failing.
losing.
hoping.
wishing.
praying.

i believe that old saying goes "those that live in glass houses, shouldn't throw rocks"...

so true.

so all i can say is i hope you realize that i am who i am- nothing more, nothing less.

i try to be-

real
honest
thankful
truthful
humble
grateful
positive
dedicated
friendly
quiet
a role model
not a role model
creative
a mom
a friend
a wife
a daughter
real

but sometimes i don't always hold up my end of the bargain.

see, right there i am just being honest.

here's hoping you can appreciate the good and the bad in yourself

and the good in others.

because judging someone thru your window {s} isn't what life should be about~

i've got my eye on U!

the other night i was messing around with my camera and was hellbent on blinding my children forever...

i mean it's winter around here folks and there isn't much to do except torment your kids.

seriously, why else do you have them? you know, kids?

anyway, where was i at.....?

oh yeah, i was messing around and told the girls to hold really still and open your eye really wide.

josie "looks" normal and i just so happened to get a surprise out of it, my reflection in her pupil.

jess on the other hand looks "surprised"... it's obviously really hard to hold your eye open when you have eyelashes that long!

so there you go, two eyes from two girls.

you can sleep well tonight knowing and seeing these sorts of things.. ha!

random awesomeness

last thursday {my really cool neighbor} kim came over and simply said-

come quick and grab your camera.

i'm not one to argue when someone tells me to grab my camera, so did just that and slid on my flip flops {which sit by the front door, just in case warm weather approaches or i need a quick pair of shoes} and headed out the door, across the street to see what kim had in store for me..

when we get to the back yard i am looking for something huge, dead, alive, blooming or something obvious.

he simply points to his {really awesome homemade birdbath} and shows me the most beautiful pattern in the frozen water.

i had no idea that when water froze it made such an amazing design.

so, i give you my attempt at capturing the ice. it was a wee bit cold and to be honest i had my macro lens on.

i was trying to hold really still as to not blur the shot, but it was really cold and i was freezing.

being a thinner girl does have it's disadvantages.. you get cold and stay cold way too easy.

there's a reason bears store up and get fat... it keeps you warmer!

but i will admit, i would rather be cold and thinner than warm and thicker. :)

so thankful for wonderful neighbors who feed my addiction!

tulips- abstract

so i know you are shocked to read two post in one day. {hey, if this comfy office chair keeps treating me right i may even post more}!

aren't you a lucky blog reader..

i can't recall if i ever posted some of these from a couple of weeks ago.

i got some for my birthday and found them to be fun to photograph.

i of course went over board and took way too many of them. it's okay- admitting is the first step right?

anyway, looking, seeing, smelling and photographing these beauties makes me want spring to come even faster!

chuck, living the life- one nap at a time!

chuck the jerk

ahhh.... nothing like taking up the entire couch while napping the day away

one must use both pillows and the center of the leather couch when catching some z's

nothing like sleeping with your eyes open and rolled back into your head while resting up to go outside and destroy something.


okay everyone, i know you have just been dying to know what chuck has been up to lately...

well here you go. sorry about the rated R shot of him in the second picture. i don't really know how to blur it out {and to be honest, i'm too lazy to read how to}.

this is how chuck spends most of his days. hogging the entire couch and napping.

if he isn't napping, he can be found outside, pooping under the deck, barking at the new neighbors dog {who i think must not hear their own dog barking} or his new hobby- digging in my empty {they have dirt in them} flower pots.

he will so be a nugget less chuckie if he continues this new hobby!

so there you go. don't hate him cause he's 1. cute 2. lazy 3. fat 4. napping 5. cool

just appreciate the fact that he is just keeping it real!

happy tuesday to you and yours~

breakfast of champions-jessica

this past friday jessica {as well as several other kids at her school} were honored for their nomination as "breakfast of champions". the school held an assembly and the principal read a short note about each student that was written by their teacher.

it was awesome to hear the nice things said about jp by mrs. plum {her teacher}.

jessica loves her teacher {this is her second time having her, she also had her in first grade}.

she {mrs. plum} is wonderful, thoughtful, caring, nurturing, creative, positive, strict, carefree, awesome, supportive and everything good in between.

she and jess have a wonderful relationship and jess seems to really come alive in her class. the school system needs more teachers like her for sure!

it is sure does a momma proud to have not only one daughter, but both older girls selected for such a wonderful honor.

i know that all parents think the world of their own kid, but i have to say- i REALLY do have 3 of the most wonderful girls on the planet!

way to go jessica payton. i am super proud of you and your accomplishments! you rock!