Isn't She lovely?

I can't help it.....

I think she is the MOST beautiful girl in the world.

I know I am biased. But man, isn't she gorgeous.

Although I recognize so many parts of me in her, I can't help but have hope that those things I see as flaws in myself can be strengths in her. She is [insert ANY adjective here]. She is all these things and more.

Who am I?

No, I am not going into some deep dark tirade and wax philosophical.

I have always felt I have compartmentalized myself into two, three different people, depending on who I was with, or where I was.

But lately I have been craving adventure. I think that my two or three people are starting to converge into one. I am sure that I have always been one person.

But I digress.

There are times, I feel incredibly confident.

For example, I had a presentation to make to a Senior Vice President. And it was nervewracking. Unbelieveably nerve wracking. The material was not only my material, but an enti,re groups' work, and I was the ring leader.

AND I NAILED IT.

The Senior VP was blown away.  She was impressed with our work, how I presented it, and the entire kit and kaboodle.

TRust me, there is more of this where that came from.

Happy Holidays!

For everyone out there... it is officially December. Where, oh where did 2010 go? Well, I know where approximately 10 weeks of it went - maternity leave.....

And now, it is December.... and a time for everyone to wax poetically about the new year coming, and the old year ending.....

ahhhhhh......

Okay, that is enough. How about some super cute kids?

Look at that cheese....


And this is what happens when you attempt to get four cousins together for a group shot...

First, there is the older two, not listening.... (which is quite surprisingly, normal)


Then you have the mover and the shaker, unable to sit still (in fairness, we did attempt to have him placed last)

And then you get not everyone smiling...

But sometimes, you get the mother lode... but of course, you have to get Jackie's card to see that. :) Sorry, no spoilers here!

But I hit pay dirt with this little gem.


Doesn't Jaina look SO old in that picture? She has officially lost two teeth, and the tooth fairy has been to visit. She thinks that is SO cool.

And very soon, she will have to watch her feet, because little man is going to start crawling around her.... watch out world!

Wassup!

Not much has been going on here, but it seems like the weeks are flying by.

I was on a conference call with a co-worked today and he mentioned that when he first entered the workforce, he couldn't wait for the week to be over, but now, he thinks that there aren't enough days in the week. Sad to say, many days I feel the same way.

Pardon the mess... my children are making memories

that is my new favorite quote. I try to use it as a catch all for those times when I don't want to clean.

Simply put, I am NOT a great housekeeper. After driving to and from work, when I get home, it is time to eat. And by that point, I have not even really spent any time with the kids yet. And that is just a regular night, not those other nights when we have dance, bible study, bells, or Mike is coaching some sporting event. But I digress...

This morning, I woke up (or more correctly, Jackson woke up) at 4:15 am. This is been a problem this week since he has had bronchitis. So I fed him a bottle, and he went back to sleep fairly quickly. I realized that my kitchen was a disaster (because I had overlooked it last night, and watched my DVR of Castle instead), and thought "Hey! I am awake. I should contribute to this housekeeping thing. Let's clean!"

So I did. the entire kitchen. At 4:30 in the morning. Dishwasher emptied, filled, bottles cleaned, and counters wiped.

I thought, "Hey, I should keep going! And take a shower! Then I can help Mike with the kids!"

This is where my fatal error occurred.

I sat down......

Then I laid down.......

And that, my dear friends, is how I overslept.

Enough about me. I did manage to take and edit some pretty cute pictures of the kiddos, but I will let you be the judge.

Guess who learned how to sit?


Yes, she will be famous someday, and I will be able to sell this for millions


Note really sure who is more scared here...







LOVE LOVE LOVE this one


Have a great day!

Photographer, I am not

So I am coming to a quick conclusion that photographing two kiddos is infinitely more difficult than one. Especially since the once good-natured natural model has also decided to be a pain in the rear.

As an attempt to be more frugal.....I am attempting to take my own photos. I first had to convince Mike that in order to be more frugal, I had to buy Photoshop Elements 8. (I knew I had no shot of the full photoshop, and I am intimidated enough by elements)

So, I have been playing. And learning, and playing, and learning. I keep hoping at some point, it gets easier.....right?

Okay - so sunny days with a fence = bad idea.


Another bad idea? Going without a helper that was an adult to help the almost sitter...




And then, realizing your skill is AMAZING at getting grass in focus... (but not the kids).....



And then having an elderly couple come take a picture of all three of you that puts your pictures to shame (I LOVE Jaina's little house on the prairie look here).....


But finally, a little success. I love this picture, and with a little editing advice from many blogs, it looks kind of okay....

But I think this is one of the times that I need to relish in the little things, because someday I will realize they were the big things...

Have a great day!

Slippers!

Have I ever mentioned that my mom rocks? Actually, she knits, but she rocks my socks off.

In fact, she frequently rocks my socks off into her very own felted slippers.

Since she started making slippers about six years ago (I had my first pair at the hospital when I was in labor with Jaina), and she hasn't stopped. We all (minus Jackson) have slippers. They are a slice of heaven....

And now she has moved on to a new pattern, so hey, new slippers for me! I love the gig of being the guinea pig.

I always know that fall is coming when I get cold enough to wear my slippers.... I love fall.

These particular pictures were a photo "shoot" that we did of my mom's slippers, so she could sell some online.... Don't they look delightful?



Anyway, I don't have much else to report... Jackson is learning to roll where he needs to go, and is almost sitting up.





And Jaina likes the slippers too. We had to add her to the photo shoot.....

Jackson Davis

As promised, here are some pictures of the boy.... (Let's hear it for the boy!)

More after a bit... I have to get my tiny dancer :)