The Back Burner...

My Dad was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia on December 11th and was admitted the same day to begin Chemotherapy. It has been a busy time for me, and I have plenty of pictures but not enough time to post. My blogging might be on the "back burner" for now. Many of my family members decided to shave our heads in support of my father. It was a very personal decision for me, and one that I will always cherish. He has been a terrific strength and has stayed positive through this very tough trial. I love you Dad!

Christmas...

Abbi had a Christmas program at school a few days ago. It was so cute seeing all the little first graders, most of whom had missing teeth, sing "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth". I got to see her perform twice which was a huge treat. She even gave me two thumbs up after the songs, she is so fun. I love having her so excited to see Mark and I. She definitely is a Joy in our lives.

This Christmas season has been one of emotion and spiritual searching. My eyes have been opened to the real meaning of life and of course the Christmas holiday. It is scary how quickly life can turn. None of us knows when our time in this life will conclude. I pray every day that I will cherish every moment I am blessed to have with my family. I hope I never pass an opportunity to express my love and gratitude to my family and friends.

I have a challenge to whomever may read this. The next opportunity you have to express love to someone you care about, don't hesitate. Let them know how much you care about them.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope the light of Christ will stand as a lighthouse in each of our lives. Make Him the cornerstone of our homes. Let Him be the first one we seek every morning. Best wishes to all.

Thanksgiving Trip... A Month Behind

We were able to go to Disneyland for the week of Thanksgiving. I'm not sure who had more fun... Mark and I...or the kids. It was so exciting to see our kids love something so much and get excited over everything.

Disneyland was decorated for Christmas and it was so beautiful! I loved having my new camera for the trip!!!

Brooks is one of my favorite models for photographs. I love capturing children, their intrigue, innocence, love, and purity. Nothing compares.

The girls decided to get their faces painted. They love getting to dress up in any way. I love it! I was so intrigued by how easy the artists made it look. They did a beautiful job.

This is a picture of Mark with the girls coming off Thunder Mountain Railroad. The girls loved all the roller coasters they were tall enough to go on... The Matterhorn, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Pirates of the Caribbean. This picture pretty much sums up the girls on the rides... Abbi loved every minute and didn't ride anything without her arms in the air. Annabelle on the other hand liked the rides, but was very much comfortable having her face in our armpits and nails in our arms. She made the height requirements like Abbi (she is tall for a 4 year old). I'm so glad they had so much fun. I thought a funny thing for them was that they didn't meet any princesses. They didn't want to stop riding to meet them. They just wanted to go from one ride to the other. Thanks family for the WONDERFUL family vacation.

Obsessed. . . Getting There!

I have had so much fun finding different tutorials online. There are a lot of amazing talents out there. I feel like I was born yesterday when it comes to photography, and editing with photoshop. Where there is birth ...growth will come. We woke up to a few inches of snow this morning and the kids were begging to go out and play. I made them wait until 9, but they thought it was torture! I went out to snap a few pics and about froze my toes. Being with my kids is so sweet. It's amazing how oblivious to the cold they are when it means 10 more minutes of playing.

I love that my kids are willing to pose, even if it is a fleeting moment.

Mark is one man who knows how to be a dad. He is such a wonderful mentor, and lovable person who is not afraid to get down and play with the kids for hours a day. Thanks for the great EXAMPLE babe!

Abbi doesn't have to do much to look beautiful. She is fun to capture in her moments. She loves to process life and all that surrounds her.

If you're wondering why there are no pictures of Annabelle... well... her activity level makes a hummingbird look slow. I'm working on action shots, and that is where she will specialize. Don't worry, lots more to come! Oops! I found one, isn't she adorable! She loved pulling Brooks around in the sled, and he thought it was the greatest thing!

Girls Day Out

My good friend Sara was guest performing in the ballet "The Dream" in Salt Lake. She has one of the most beautiful talents I have ever seen. Not only is she a professional ballerina, but she is the best there is. She dances for the Houston Ballet, but is in SLC for a month dancing for Ballet West. I loved having my sisters and mom meet her. She is the sweetest woman, and a great friend. It was a great opportunity to get out with the girls. I had a wonderful time, and I even had time to slip in a session in the Salt Lake Temple with my mom.

A perfect way to end the day.

My mother stopped by the Family History Center for a short while, so I hopped across the street to play with my new camera. I have a LOT to learn about photography, but I love grasping new concepts!

A New Friend!

I cannot believe my husband. He faked like he had rolled his ankle yesterday when he got home from school. I was actually in the mood to baby him, and was liking his infirmity. He asked me to go get his Chemistry homework from the car and when I went out there I found a new camera!!! My new friend... I can't believe he lied to me and pulled it off! I have been looking, but not seriously for a good camera. I have heard about the Nikon D60 and wanted to rent one to try out. I am just as naive about photography as you can get, but I love photographs and being able to capture beauty. When he came home with a new camera I didn't know what to do or think. I'm a little overwhelmed with what there is to learn, but so excited I can't contain myself. The camera has only left my hands long enough to sleep. Here are a few of my feeble attempts. (I can't believe how crisp my pictures are, it's amazing. I knew my camera was out of date, but WOW!) I absolutely love photographs of nature! I can't get over that I can do close ups now and have them crisp. You might find it funny, but I love the picture of this leaf. How the leaf is perfectly in focus, but the tree is a perfect blurry background.

I know these are nothing to brag about, but they are crisp and you can see little details. I have yet to learn more in depth about the manipulation of colors and photo editing, but all in time. YAHOOOO!!! P.S. Thanks a million Tyra : )

Halloween

We carved our pumpkins the Monday before Halloween this year. We usually use patterns for the faces, but this year I gave them a pen and told them to be creative. They loved doing their own pumpkins! It is a little weird having them old enough to at least get the guts out of the middle. I love their independence! (most of the time:)

This year we had a few days to dress up in costume. We received a bunch of dress-up dresses that the girls loved to utilize. Every dress-up day was with a different costume. I couldn't get enough of Brooks. I thought he was the cutest thing in the world!!! He loved dressing up. I thought it would be a fight for him to keep his costume on, but he asked for it every day. The girls loved putting on real makeup. Their eyelashes seemed to grow with the mascara, it totally made me jealous.

Cinderella, Mickey Mouse, and Sleeping Beauty

I am so grateful to be a mom.

I'm so lucky.

A month come and gone...

I love taking pictures!!! I would love to be obsessed with it, but my camera is from another era. At least I still try though! Thank heaven for photoshop elements, and beautiful kids. Fall is something to behold here in Idaho. It takes my breath away! I am really trying to control the coveting of a nice camera to capture these remarkable scenes.

I took a trip to Houston, TX the first weekend of the month. My wonderful friend Robyn flew me down for a fun weekend away. I thoroughly enjoyed myself! We were able to go to the Fire Fest, a Pumpkin Patch, and it stormed a bunch. I love the TX thunderstorms!!! You might get a kick out of the guy in this picture. I think it is so Texas... Cowboy hat, shorts, boots, and beer. Thanks for the fun trip Robyn. Sorry for being a dork and forgetting to take a picture of us together. I'd love to have one of those. : }

October has flown by! We started out the month by going fishing. We went up to Ashton and enjoyed a beautiful fall day on the river. Annabelle has gotten a kick out of rolly-pollies lately. No matter where she is, she finds one. Brooks was loving the worms from fishing, and Mark was definitely feelin' like a man with his get-up.