It's a 4 Ring Circus!

ode to a cloudy day

Yesterday afternoon the stars aligned and I got some great shots of the kids playing out in the yard.  Here are some of my favorites . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

batting her eyes

I'm happy to report that this week is going MUCH better around here!  I might actually get to stop and smell the roses a little -- or my version, take a few pictures.  :-)

back to the regularly scheduled program soon...

We've had family in town for my nephew's baby blessing -- lots of fun.  Got some great pictures at La Nan's house today and just had to put one up before bed tonight!  Aren't these two gorgeous?

[ahem -- just to clarify that I'm not tooting my own horn, GAG -- I meant aren't my SIL & niece gorgeous??]

Can't figure out if I like it better in B&W or with a little color, what do ya think?

taking a deep breath

{McKinney Falls, March '09}

The last few days have been a real joyride.  Nothing super major, but lots of gut-churning decisions back and forth and lots of overcoming various obstacles.  Ya know, the joys of life.

I did have an epiphany today, though, and I figured I better write it down, since I'm sure to need to remember this again soon.

I am not perfect.  I am a work in progress.  So is everyone else, and thereby so is everything else.  It is OK to let go of things and enjoy the moment, even when it is not perfect or ideal.  The happiest people in life didn't get there because they worked harder than you did to make everything perfect.  They got there because they let the idea of "perfect" go and are good with the idea of "the best I can do under the circumstances."

As the Nester would say, "it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful."

Happy Friday.

beachin it

I totally needed that!
And oh yeah, the kids had fun, too.  :)

goin digital

I have finally hopped on board the digital scrapbooking train!  Ha ha, I still remember telling Misty a few years ago that I couldn't get why people would do it digitally over "the real thing," but I'm gettin' it now.  :-)  I'm actually having a lot of fun teaching myself Photoshop Elements, and I have finally gotten the hang of using templates, so it's going a lot easier now.  I won't win any awards for what I do, but my kids are excited to see pictures of the family.  I do most of my layouts in 8x8 size and can get those emailed off to Costco and have been happy with the quality of their prints.

The best part of digital scrapbooking?  Airbrushing, baby!

spring is here, spring is here

We've been busy doing lots of fun stuff around here, loving the mostly beautiful spring weather.  Mee Mee and Don came up this last weekend for Easter, and Don has also caught the photography bug and took lots of pictures.  Don, this is my favorite one, by the way.

We also enjoyed our ward's campout over the weekend at Pedernales Falls.  I took the chicas home Friday night after we partied out there and then we went back out for some more fun during the day.  There are some really neat places to hike out there.  And the company was lots of fun, too.  We are lucky to have fun people in our ward.

I was happy that Mee Mee helped the Easter Bunny gather goodies this year, because with all of the running around I have done in the last couple of weeks, I haven't had time to go out to the store without my munchkins with me.  We also managed to get my van in and out of the shop this weekend -- luckily it didn't need a full tranmission rebuild like we'd feared.

I will try to post some more pictures, but Ryan is leaving tomorrow and won't be home for a solid two weeks, so if it gets quiet around here, you'll know why!

things look perfect

Miss Sadie had her routine check-up at the nephrologist's office today.  Apparently she was a bit nervous at first and about gave me a heart attack because her blood pressure was really high.  The lovely nurse there, who we just adore, waited a few minutes (and chatted Sadie up about how she's turned 6 since the nurse had last seen her, how was your birthday party, etc) and took it again - it was normal that time.  Whew!  Her urine sample also looked normal.  She's grown about an inch and added 2 lbs since her last visit six months ago, so all is well.  She'll see him again in another six months (with bloodwork that time), about the same time she'll get her kidneys ultrasounded again at the urologist's office.  The doctor did mention that he feels like her next big hurdle will be when puberty hits, since so many things are going on with your body (growth spurts, appetite increase, hormones, etc) that it can put a strain on kidneys that are already working overtime.  But for now, things look perfect.

I don't think I'll ever see this little girl riding her bike around our house and not pause at what a wonderful miracle it is to see her doing it.

had to do it

the look that slays me