Wordless (late!) Wednesday - Our Little Butterfly!

52 Weeks - 3/52

I know the point of this challenge is for me to get in a picture at least once EACH (current) week, but I have to cheat!....Although I have taken the camera with me almost everywhere we have gone (as usual), I still did not get in any pictures! (I'll just have to double up next time!)

This was from two weeks ago when we spent Savannah's birthday at Disney World. She was so excited that she was FINALLY tall enough to be the 'driver'!

One nice thing this challenge has done is cause me to think about times I did make sure I was in the family pictures. Fortunately, I am blessed to have a husband who likes to take pictures and document our lives, so I have found that I am in quite a few during trips and vacations...But during 'typical' weeks, that is not the case...
It has been fun looking back at some happy days.....and it is good be reminded (especially in the midst of tough times) how many great times there have been!!
My sister-in-law, Leslie said that their truly 'happy places' are the beach and Disneyland.... (another thing we have in common!) For us, not much compares to the beach, but you can find us at a Disney Park almost as much (especially with three little princesses of our own!)

This is our family in December '07 with my mother-in-law, Penny at Disney's California Adventure...

Christmastime has to be my favorite time to visit Disneyland!!

Next week, I'll be 'back in the picture'...but it was fun taking a short stroll down memory lane!

To check out other "52 Weeks" photos, or join in the fun, go to Carin's blog!

***********************************************************

52 Weeks is a year long challenge for YOU to be in a picture once a week for 52 weeks. Moms are typically the ones behind the camera, this is OUR chance to get out in front and be in the pictures with our family.

So, get yourself in the picture every week for 52 Weeks. Be in a picture with one or more or your children and post your "family photo" on your blog every Thursday.

Wordless Wednesday - Can you keep a secret?

You Say It's Your Birthday......

Yes, today is my birthday. I didn't have high hopes for today as my husband is away on business, but I was pleasantly surprised with a great day.
Last night my father-in-law and his fiance watched the girls for FIVE hours so I could have some time to myself. Typically when someone offers to give me a break, I spend the time grocery shopping, doing laundry or cleaning the house. Not this time! I enjoyed five leisurely hours just hanging out, reading and going to the movies. It was WONDERFUL!
Since the kids were up late last night, we slept in this morning (until 8!) and it was a good thing I woke up when I did because at 8:15 the doorbell rang and I had a delivery from my husband!

They are perfect!

The girls were so excited that today is a "holiday" and they had been hiding a card that Daddy left for me. They presented it to me with pride, pleased that they had been entrusted with such an important task.
I made my way to the coffee pot to whip up some gourmet coffee Maxwell House and just then the phone rang. It was like somehow Starbucks knew I was about to perform a sacrilege.

Starbucks was actually calling to say I had been missed and to wish me happy birthday. Just kidding, it was my sister-in-law, Jeanine, calling to wish me a happy day. But, how often does a person get a birthday call from Starbucks?
Needless to say, I ditched the Maxwell House and headed off for some real birthday coffee and a few precious minutes with my sister-in-law.

Throughout the day, I got calls from my brothers and all of my in-laws. My Dad is away this week as well, so my Mom took the girls and I to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants.
I don't have sisters, but I have been blessed with the best sisters-in-law that I could ever dream of. (Maybe it's better this way; I didn't have to share my clothes in high school!) Leslie (my SNL in CA) sent me some scrapbook goodies for my 'stash' (isn't she the BEST?) and the happy day continued....

It is now almost bedtime and I just got a call from my Dad who is in San Salvador this week. Now my birthday is complete.
Well, it's as complete as it can be with my better half away. He'll be home before I know it and the celebration will continue!
Today made me stop and think about how very thankful I am for the family God has given me (through birth and through marriage) and as crazy as we can all be at times, I know I am truly blessed!

(If you want to listen, hit "pause" off to the right first!)

Favorite Things Friday - My Husband!

Wednesday was our 9th wedding anniversary. We are celebrating it today and I can honestly say that when it comes to favorite things, my husband tops the list! This is a picture of him proposing to me. I wish it were clearer, but I know I am blessed to even have a photo of the moment - especially since it was taken by strangers when they figured out what was going on! (I know this shot looks staged, but it's not - well, it was by him!) We were on a beach just outside Cancun - just after sunset - with a tropical storm rolling in. It couldn't have been more romantic and I couldn't have been more surprised! It is a rather long and wonderful story, but the point for now is that God blessed me with the perfect husband who is just as good to me today as he was 10 years ago and I love him with all my heart!

52 Week Challenge - 2 of 52!

I have been so overwhelmed with trying to get caught up after being away for so long that I have not come up for air. The other day I started to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but then spent most of yesterday in bed with a migraine. Now I am back in the tunnel again....
Thankfully my Mom offered to come by and watch the kids and fold laundry so I could cater to my aching head. (Thanks Mom!) Migraines are new to me - and each time I get one I marvel at how some people who get them regularly can function - they totally incapacitate me - and I never thought of myself as a wimp!
With all the craziness, I have not been able to do any "real" blogging; it is not for lack of things to say! So, for now I will continue with the small things I do have time for, like these fun challenges!

This picture was taken a few days ago at one of Savannah's belated birthday dinners. She had a choice of where to go (well, kind of....Chuck E. Cheese's was vetoed) Her next choice was Claimjumper (affectionately called "Clamjumper" by our kids). We all had a great time and I actually remembered to get in a picture!

To check out other "52 Weeks" photos, or join in the fun, go to Carin's blog!

***********************************************************

52 Weeks is a year long challenge for YOU to be in a picture once a week for 52 weeks. Moms are typically the ones behind the camera, this is OUR chance to get out in front and be in the pictures with our family.

So, get yourself in the picture every week for 52 Weeks. Be in a picture with one or more or your children and post your "family photo" on your blog every Thursday.

Wordless Wednesday

I Heart Faces - Messy Faces

This week over at i heart faces it's all about beginners (that's me!) and theme is messy faces....which we have a lot of around here!

Not Me! Monday

It's time to 'fess up!' Not Me! Monday is here again.....
Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

My kids love making up their own silly words. I did not ignore them while they repeatedly chanted a profanity in Spanish thinking what harm could it do since they don't know what they are saying. I did not totally regret this when they began to continue their chant the next day while we shopped in a market where most of the patrons were bilingual.

I did not have to acknowledge that after working in a Mexican Restaurant for ten years, the majority of my Spanish vocabulary cannot be repeated (due to it's rating), unless of course I need to ask you to clean a table or make a margarita. (which I MAY just do if you stop by my house this week!)

I did not look forward to going to the dentist today for an appointment that may leave my mouth sore all day, just so I could lie down in the peace and quiet for an hour or two.

I did not almost go out and spend $25 on a new blow dryer because I thought something was wrong with mine. I was not (a little too) thrilled to realize I just needed to clean the intake screen and now my blow dryer is LIKE NEW! (I know I need to get out more). I would never be so ridiculous as to actually take a picture of the lint in the off chance I could save another poor soul from tossing her blow dryer unnecessarily. Who takes pictures of blow dryer lint? Not me!

Longing to Scrap....

Since our family was together while we were gone for the past month, I did not find myself longing for home much (it's true that home is where the heart is and my "home" was with me!) But, I sure was wishing I had packed a bag of scrapbook stuff! While visiting Sue's blog, where she posted this card she did for a Courtney's Closet challenge, I thought of the last layout I did, which at this point was months ago! A while back I did a page for Savannah that I was pretty happy with, so I wanted do a similar one for Kylie: The lighting wasn't great when I took these photos, so the colors did not show as vividly in as they really are.
As you can see, I am great at leaving spots for journaling - but not so great at actually doing the journaling! These pictures are all pretty old and pre-digital camera - but special to us. I feel as though I will forever be playing catch up with my scrapping of memorable events. I have now switched to "get it done" mode and am taking a more "no frills" approach to scrapping my old photos. If I don't, I may be documenting my children's pre-school years well into my retirement! This week I will be working on getting settled back in at home as quickly as possible so I can get back to it!