1. Trying to keep my sanity! The kids are driving me nuts!
2. Making dinner in a crock-pot... French Dip Sandwiches. Thanks E-Mealz!
3. Cleaning up the kitchen. Visitors from out of town and a busy week have made for one very messy kitchen.
4. Referee-ing (have no idea how to spell that) the kids. Has so far included two major melt-downs from the dude and two time-outs as a result.
5. Placing client orders and working on a client album.
6. Faxing paperwork to our realtor... She says we should have an answer from the bank within 15 days! Finally.
7. Thinking a lot about scheduling and the best way for me to attack that beast. I'd like to schedule dinners, grocery shopping, housework, work time, personal time. School is starting soon and I'm counting on that to help.
8. Watching the kids play with play-doh. They are actually playing nicely at the moment.
9. Trying to stay cool.
10. Procrastinating on sorting laundry.
August 26, 2010
August 25, 2010
our Canadian friends
One of my closest and dearest girlfriends and her family has been here on vacation since last Sunday (as in a week ago Sunday). It's the third time we have seen them in the last four years. They come for Disneyland and spend almost a week there every time. For this, I am extremely grateful for living so close to Disneyland because it means I get to see her and watch her little family grow. I guess I should never move away! :)
We spent almost two full days with them, one at Disney and one at the Aquarium of the Pacific. In between I also managed to take family photos for them.
I wish we could have spent more time together. Two days is surely not enough. What's most frustrating is it took almost that long for our two girls to re-connect. Her little girl was so cute - she told her mom that she wished we lived closer and then said we are like family. That made my heart happy to hear. Good friends like we are could only be like family. The exciting news is that Daniel and I have decided we are going to head north to visit them sometime in the next two years. It will be our first long road-trip with the kids. So exciting and we're already planning it!
Anyway, I am so glad Felicita and her beautiful family made it down once again and I wish them a safe trip home.
Love you Felicita. And I miss you. So grateful for whatever time we have together. So thankful that we can just pick up where we leave off. So blessed by our friendship.
We spent almost two full days with them, one at Disney and one at the Aquarium of the Pacific. In between I also managed to take family photos for them.
I wish we could have spent more time together. Two days is surely not enough. What's most frustrating is it took almost that long for our two girls to re-connect. Her little girl was so cute - she told her mom that she wished we lived closer and then said we are like family. That made my heart happy to hear. Good friends like we are could only be like family. The exciting news is that Daniel and I have decided we are going to head north to visit them sometime in the next two years. It will be our first long road-trip with the kids. So exciting and we're already planning it!
Anyway, I am so glad Felicita and her beautiful family made it down once again and I wish them a safe trip home.
Love you Felicita. And I miss you. So grateful for whatever time we have together. So thankful that we can just pick up where we leave off. So blessed by our friendship.
August 17, 2010
ten on tuesday
1. I know, I know... If any of you have looked at my blog in the last week, you've seen it change about three times. I finally found a cute, but simple background that I liked, just to find that if you looked at it using Explorer it wouldn't show up. I've been using Google Chrome for my browser so I hadn't noticed. But hubby did. Any-whoooooo... I changed it back, sorta, but messed with the format a bit. My photos will get bigger next time I post and all my info/listy stuff is now at the bottom. And that's just how things are around here. :)
2. Speaking of hubby, he's home! Yeaaaaaa! Yeah, he was gone for five days, but I keep that sorta thing hush hush for all the obvious reasons until he gets back home. His company picked a good week to take him though with VBS also happening the same week. When I said I had time to myself, I meant it! The kids and I had a pretty good week and bedtime was easier than usual. That's because they got to sleep in my bed. Momma keeps those little ones close at night when Daddy's gone. ;)
3. I saw Eclipse last week and loved it! It was so much fun seeing it at the theater! Still not as good as the book, but the acting gets better and better each time. Edward is even dreamier and yeah, I'm pretty much ga-ga over the whole thing. I can't believe they're making us wait till next November (as in 2011) for the next Twilight installment. Geesh.
4. I missed my monthly crop night at Cindy's last week because Daniel was gone. Now I'm a month behind on Project Life. But that's okay. I'm still taking photos every day, even if it means walking around Target with my cell phone camera taking pictures of what we're buying. Yeah, exciting stuff.
5. For any of my newbie photographer friends out there seeking guidance in using their cameras, check out Erin Cobb Photography. Erin has been sharing "Mama (With a Camera) Monday" posts that are extremely helpful to anyone trying to learn how to better photograph their children. Erin is one of my very favorite photographers and I am sure you will learn lots from her. She's also the most wonderful kind of clever, quirky, sweet and fun there is.
6. Speaking of favorite photographers, another gal that I greatly admire is Lyndsay Stradtner of Life in Motion Photography... Lyndsay's youngest son is very sick and although she hasn't shared the details of what he is fighting, I know it is very serious. Please keep her family in your prayers.
7. Wow, I can't believe it took me till #7 to tell you about my new meal plan. Every year I say that I want to get better at cooking meals for the family - and this means both cooking (as in not eating out) and finding new recipes. Well, my good friend Becky Higgins (okay, we're not actually friends, but you know, of the cyber-space kind) led me to something new that she is trying called e-mealz. E-mealz provides a weekly dinner meal plan with a list of ingredients that coordinates with various grocers. I signed up with Ralphs so my new meal plan is available every Thursday as that's when the new Ralphs ad begins each week. Many ingredients listed are on sale. I have so far made two meals and we enjoyed them. Last night's was incredibly easy to prepare and I used two fresh vegetable ingredients that I have never cooked with. Tonight we ate out. I know that I will not cook every night so my goal was to do five of the seven recipes listed because that is more realistic. We'll see how I do. I loved having my shopping list made up for me, shopping for everything at once, and knowing early in the day what I'm making for dinner that night. I know we are not going to love every meal on the list, but the point is more that I'm actually cooking and that we are trying new things. It really is empowering. I'll check back next week to tell you how we're doing.
8. Three weeks and two days before Emma begins first grade. Really? Less than a month.
9. Ethan LOVED VBS last week and especially loved that it was at his new school. Everyone there was at HIS school. I am so excited for him to begin preschool. He is so ready.
10. I've been sick since Sunday night, but I've gotta tell you that I feel absolutely fine right now and its weird. Am I really sick or do I just have really REALLY bad allergies? I can't figure this out.
Good night!
2. Speaking of hubby, he's home! Yeaaaaaa! Yeah, he was gone for five days, but I keep that sorta thing hush hush for all the obvious reasons until he gets back home. His company picked a good week to take him though with VBS also happening the same week. When I said I had time to myself, I meant it! The kids and I had a pretty good week and bedtime was easier than usual. That's because they got to sleep in my bed. Momma keeps those little ones close at night when Daddy's gone. ;)
3. I saw Eclipse last week and loved it! It was so much fun seeing it at the theater! Still not as good as the book, but the acting gets better and better each time. Edward is even dreamier and yeah, I'm pretty much ga-ga over the whole thing. I can't believe they're making us wait till next November (as in 2011) for the next Twilight installment. Geesh.
4. I missed my monthly crop night at Cindy's last week because Daniel was gone. Now I'm a month behind on Project Life. But that's okay. I'm still taking photos every day, even if it means walking around Target with my cell phone camera taking pictures of what we're buying. Yeah, exciting stuff.
5. For any of my newbie photographer friends out there seeking guidance in using their cameras, check out Erin Cobb Photography. Erin has been sharing "Mama (With a Camera) Monday" posts that are extremely helpful to anyone trying to learn how to better photograph their children. Erin is one of my very favorite photographers and I am sure you will learn lots from her. She's also the most wonderful kind of clever, quirky, sweet and fun there is.
6. Speaking of favorite photographers, another gal that I greatly admire is Lyndsay Stradtner of Life in Motion Photography... Lyndsay's youngest son is very sick and although she hasn't shared the details of what he is fighting, I know it is very serious. Please keep her family in your prayers.
7. Wow, I can't believe it took me till #7 to tell you about my new meal plan. Every year I say that I want to get better at cooking meals for the family - and this means both cooking (as in not eating out) and finding new recipes. Well, my good friend Becky Higgins (okay, we're not actually friends, but you know, of the cyber-space kind) led me to something new that she is trying called e-mealz. E-mealz provides a weekly dinner meal plan with a list of ingredients that coordinates with various grocers. I signed up with Ralphs so my new meal plan is available every Thursday as that's when the new Ralphs ad begins each week. Many ingredients listed are on sale. I have so far made two meals and we enjoyed them. Last night's was incredibly easy to prepare and I used two fresh vegetable ingredients that I have never cooked with. Tonight we ate out. I know that I will not cook every night so my goal was to do five of the seven recipes listed because that is more realistic. We'll see how I do. I loved having my shopping list made up for me, shopping for everything at once, and knowing early in the day what I'm making for dinner that night. I know we are not going to love every meal on the list, but the point is more that I'm actually cooking and that we are trying new things. It really is empowering. I'll check back next week to tell you how we're doing.
8. Three weeks and two days before Emma begins first grade. Really? Less than a month.
9. Ethan LOVED VBS last week and especially loved that it was at his new school. Everyone there was at HIS school. I am so excited for him to begin preschool. He is so ready.
10. I've been sick since Sunday night, but I've gotta tell you that I feel absolutely fine right now and its weird. Am I really sick or do I just have really REALLY bad allergies? I can't figure this out.
Good night!
August 16, 2010
OC Fair 2010
Emma danced at the fair again this year which is always a little stressful, but fun too. I like that I can take pictures of her dancing in "my" kind of light. :) She did great and it was so much fun to hang out with family and friends afterwards. There is so much to do! It's a little overwhelming for Emma. We had to keep telling her that next year we would try different things because we couldn't possibly do it all in one shot.
Anyway, here you go, the Orange County Fair via the Lee Family!
Emma did this humongous slide ALL BY HERSELF. My girl is such a daredevil.
She never stopped smiling.
[A special thank you to Michelle for taking our family photos... Don't know what I'd do without you!]
Anyway, here you go, the Orange County Fair via the Lee Family!
Emma did this humongous slide ALL BY HERSELF. My girl is such a daredevil.
She never stopped smiling.
[A special thank you to Michelle for taking our family photos... Don't know what I'd do without you!]
August 15, 2010
whole again
My family is in tact once again. Whew! Hubby was gone for almost a week on a business trip and came back yesterday. This photo makes my heart happy to share.
And now I'm off to get ready for a newborn session. Love!
And now I'm off to get ready for a newborn session. Love!
August 12, 2010
August 10, 2010
ten on tuesday
1. VBS this week. Four glorious quiet hours of daylight all to myself. Doing whatever I want. Loving it. And the kids are too, by the way, so its a win win for all!
2. What have I been doing with my free time for the last two days? Well, mostly cleaning. Turned in recycables, went grocery shopping, hit Starbucks, scrubbed the shower, scrubbed the floors, reorganized the bathroom linen closet, and dishes of course. And its not like I can't do these things with the kids in tow. There's just something about my time not being interrupted. I know you know.
3. Add movies tomorrow (Eclipse, finally!) and scrapbooking on Thursday. Can't wait!
4. Emma walked in the house today after VBS and said it smelled good inside. Yes my dear, that's the smell of clean...
5. Swim classes ended for us last Thursday. Ethan's actually ended two weeks before because he only did one session and Emma had two sessions worth. Emma did great, though I don't think she made any huge strides the second time around. Her shining moment was on the second to last day when she swam the furthest and traveled well in one shot. She was really using her arms and especially her legs well that day. I think next year we are going to start with one session of private lessons and then she'll be more than ready for the next level up in a regular class.
6. We had somewhere between 8 and 10 birthday parties in July. I lost count. It was a crazy month and I never anticipated the explosion of summer birthday parties. Neither did the wallet.
7. One month from yesterday Emma begins first grade. I can't believe it.
8. We went to the OC Fair this past weekend and had a blast! Emma danced again and then we had our first real experience as a family at the fair. There was so much to do. And I love so many of our pictures. I'll come back and share soon.
9. Dark chocolate is my friend.
10. Been feverishly working on personal photos from 2009 - making them pretty for printing. Yippee! Can't tell you how happy this makes me. Did I mention that I'm going on a scrapbooking retreat in October? So I need photos ready. Here are just a handful of faves that I've come across:
Easter '09
4th of July '09
Orange County Fair '09
2. What have I been doing with my free time for the last two days? Well, mostly cleaning. Turned in recycables, went grocery shopping, hit Starbucks, scrubbed the shower, scrubbed the floors, reorganized the bathroom linen closet, and dishes of course. And its not like I can't do these things with the kids in tow. There's just something about my time not being interrupted. I know you know.
3. Add movies tomorrow (Eclipse, finally!) and scrapbooking on Thursday. Can't wait!
4. Emma walked in the house today after VBS and said it smelled good inside. Yes my dear, that's the smell of clean...
5. Swim classes ended for us last Thursday. Ethan's actually ended two weeks before because he only did one session and Emma had two sessions worth. Emma did great, though I don't think she made any huge strides the second time around. Her shining moment was on the second to last day when she swam the furthest and traveled well in one shot. She was really using her arms and especially her legs well that day. I think next year we are going to start with one session of private lessons and then she'll be more than ready for the next level up in a regular class.
6. We had somewhere between 8 and 10 birthday parties in July. I lost count. It was a crazy month and I never anticipated the explosion of summer birthday parties. Neither did the wallet.
7. One month from yesterday Emma begins first grade. I can't believe it.
8. We went to the OC Fair this past weekend and had a blast! Emma danced again and then we had our first real experience as a family at the fair. There was so much to do. And I love so many of our pictures. I'll come back and share soon.
9. Dark chocolate is my friend.
10. Been feverishly working on personal photos from 2009 - making them pretty for printing. Yippee! Can't tell you how happy this makes me. Did I mention that I'm going on a scrapbooking retreat in October? So I need photos ready. Here are just a handful of faves that I've come across:
Easter '09
4th of July '09
Orange County Fair '09
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