{san diego: april 2010}

Last week we had the privilege to visit San Diego. It was a jam-packed 3 days full of fun that I am sure the kids won't ever forget.

On Wednesday we went to Sea World. We were able to get $6 tickets through a homeschool group! I liked everything about this place but Scott and my favorite attractions were the Shamu show (which we visited twice), the Wild Arctic with the beluga whale, and the sea lion show. It was pretty interesting how they can train the sea lions to do so many fun tricks. The boys both said their favorite was the shark encounter where you ride a moving floor through a huge aquarium with sharks swimming all around you. Miss T liked the dolphins and the polar bear.

Wednesday night we decided to head to the beach for a picnic. They all three “fell into the ocean” as they called it. The sunset was so gorgeous!

Thursday we once again met up with a homeschool group to get $6 tickets to the San Diego Zoo. We spent the whole day here and still didn’t see everything. There was a Komodo Dragon, an insect section that you could see the inside of a beehive and ant hill, and a Burmese Python. J liked the tigers, S liked the petting zoo, and T liked the baby bunnies. We got to see some crocodile training and at another spot got to see them catch a large bird because the parents had just laid another egg. That was pretty intense. My favorite part was a trail that led right through the middle of the zoo. It was like walking through a jungle. So pretty! That night we visited a local hamburger shop called Hodad’s. The food was great and the atmosphere fun!

Friday morning we got to sleep in and relax a little bit. Then we headed to Point Loma to check out the lighthouse. We were told there were some tidepools so we hiked some cliffs for a while. It was exhilarating being so close the waves crashing the rocks. It was good to breathe in the ocean air. We later found out the tidepools were covered up. Then we went up to the lighthouse and explored. I already wrote a little about that. There was also a little information about San Diego during World War II. The boys enjoyed learning about that. They especially liked the missiles that were on display.

I know I don't do a lot of pictures of our family on my blog but I am going to try to do better for our friends and family. Enjoy the pics!

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{i heart faces: dessert}

{i heart faces: dessert}, originally uploaded by ~paula~.

Every summer from when I was about 10 years old to when I sent to college I went out and worked at a cookhouse at a feedyard with my favorite Sunday School teacher! We learned so much those summers. Not only about how to cook and clean but how to be a genuinely nice and Godly person. I am forever indebted to the late Melba Fairchild. I miss her so much. I do know that she is know in Heaven smiling and laughing at my attempts in the kitchen just as she did at the cookshack.

{this is a cherry cheesecake with a pretzel crust - one of my favorites! the recipe in on my flickr pic.}

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{my peeps}

{my peeps}, originally uploaded by ~paula~.

**Here is a pictures of my "peeps" from last week. They are painting the paper mache eggs that we made. This is my favorite space in the house right now. So much happens in this little area! (as you can see!)**

We finished up our parenting class "Have a New Kid by Friday" last night. I am really sad it is over since we really grew close to the other parents who attended. We'll just have to do some stuff with them later!

Dr.Leman had some secrets that I wanted to share with everyone. I can't help but thank my parents because they did many of these themselves if not all of them! Thank you mom and dad!

1. Spend 1 on 1 time. Take them out alone for breakfast. My dad would take me out on a "date" after school to One Stop every once in a while. I loved that!

2. Tell them "I LOVE YOU" every day.

3. Never pay them for good grades.

4. Tell them you believe in them and expect the best.

5. Don't have any habits that won't carry through college (sleeping in your bed, etc.)

6. Be involved in church and have a close church family.

7. Always put your spouse first.

8. Eat dinner together!

9. Avoid the activity trap. Keep life simple.

10. Tell them your thoughts and beliefs and why you believe that way and let them sort it out on their own without pressure.

11. Pray with your kids and for your kids daily.

12. Have fun nights! We had "plate night" where you had to come up with something else to use for supper besides a plate.

13. Write notes and draw pictures for your kids regularly. Both my parents did this!

14. Have holiday traditions and other traditions around the year.

15. Tell them stories about when you were young...the times you got in trouble and the consequences. They will learn from that. (My mom told me about someone writing a bad word on her sidewalk and how she got in trouble. She also told me about lying to her mom and dad about getting the colored chicks at Easter....my favorite story from her ever! Now my kids get to hear it too!)

15. LOVE THEM AS THEY ARE!!!

16. Remember: We represent the AWESOME authority of the almighty God who created the whole universe and hung the sun and moon perfectly in the sky. Be imitators of Christ!

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{your uniqueness is beautiful}

{your uniqueness is beautiful}, originally uploaded by ~paula~.

I wanted to share a little bit about what I learned at parenting class this week. There was absolutely so much information that it is hard to sum it up so I may have to break it up a little. First, we watched the video of Day 2 of Have a New Kid By Friday by Dr. Leman . He made 8 main points of what your your kids need NOW from you as a parent.

1. safety and security
2. a mom and dad who respect each other and make it obvious to their kids - make sure they see and hear your "closeness"
3. personal attention
4. discipline - there is a difference in punishment and discipline
5. an example in attitude and behavior - manners, courtesy, respect
6. plans - structure - Kids learn best when things are organized!
7. patience - chill out!
8. spiritual direction

I also wanted to share another photographer's blog called Inspirations. She is praying specific prayers for her children and adding her beautiful photography.

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{from my valentine}

{from my valentine}, originally uploaded by ~paula~.

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Outside my window... gorgeousness!

I am thinking... when I am done I am going outside with my family

I am thankful for... new friends that are an answer to prayer

I am wearing... jeans, white t-shirt with green tank top and a flower broach and flower in my hair (i made some more flowers today)

I am remembering... I got hit with a bicycle yesterday that my 5yo was riding full speed. my head still hurts. may need to go to the chiro this week.

I am going... to get my menus done and go grocery shopping later

I am currently reading...Crazy Love (I hope to someday finish. this might stay here a while)

I am hoping... to go to Hobby Lobby tomorrow

On my mind... Pastor Jim's excellent sermon - how God created the world to float in the perfect spot

Noticing that... it is really quiet in here

Pondering these words... LOVE

From the kitchen... leftover baked ziti and sweet orange rolls

Around the house... a mess from a crazy weekend

One of my favorite things... a chunk of chocolate with a fresh raspberry on top from the Renaissance Festival! I told my friends about these and they surprised me and brought me some last night. The best thing I have ever tasted in m y life!!! There was even a surprise raspberry in the middle!

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{how I lost it}

A lot of you have asked how I lost my weight last summer so this is it. Definitely not easy or luxurious but it worked for the reason I was doing it. I ended up losing 40 pounds in 4 months. I am not on it anymore but really watch what I eat - including sugar, carbs, and pop!

(Disclaimer: I am not a doctor nor do I claim to be of any medical profession. This is all based on my personal experience without any research or scientific proof to back up my results otherwise. I have heard that this diet is not good for long amounts of time so please be responsible. Really, I can’t explain why I did it the way I did do not expect me to answer any questions.)

First of all, I want to tell you that I was honestly not trying to lose weight. I was having some headaches and other symptoms that were preventing me from doing my daily activities and I knew that I had to change something. After doing some research on the internet and basing my symptoms on other people’s symptoms, I decided to treat myself for candida (a yeast in the body).

The most influential website that I found was http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/. I would encourage you to read the whole website before started. There are a lot of tips and suggestions that come in really handy. She includes symptoms, food lists, and recipes. There are also some die-off effects that you need to be aware of.

This is my basic plan:

Food: meats and vegetables – no sugar or processed food – no corn or potatoes (starches) – very little carbs – no fruit – no dairy

Breakfast: 1 or 2 eggs

I learned to get really creative with how to eat an egg – over easy, omelet, sunny side up, with pico de gallo or homemade salsa (yum!), hard-boiled, poached, scrambled, etc.

Lunch: soup and salad

Pea soup, lentil soup, and chili were the main soups I got from the ordinary grocery store. I tried to stay away from anything more that 5 grams of sugar/serving.

Trader Joe’s has the greatest natural soup with very low sugar – tomato and black bean were my favorite

Low-fat refried beans and tuna were staples

Salad - usually with a bean or meat on top – no cheese or croutons – extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice for dressing

Salad wrap – meat, beans, or tuna with cooked or sautéed veggies

Eating out: salads were the easiest for obvious reasons but they usually had to be special ordered as well. Fast food – hamburger or chicken sandwich with extra veggies (I did not eat the bun)

Snack: snack peas – available only at Basha’s and Whole Foods. I ate so many boxes of these and love them. Whenever I am at Basha’s I still pick up a couple containers to snack on. I added these to my salads as well.

Pork rinds – did not like at all before this. I ate these with homemade guacamole and salsa!

Dinner: Pretty much was a big portion of meat (chicken, steak, fish, pork, turkey, hamburger) - usually whatever I cooked for the family without adding everything and adding it to salad. I tried to make things from the website that my kid’s would eat also.

What I did for a sweet tooth and other cravings – great article here: http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/articles/help5.php

Bee’s Electrolyte Drink - nasty at first but I learned to love it and crave it.

Chocolate – Trader Joe’s has an excellent low-carb chocolate in milk chocolate or dark – helped me sooo much!

Coconut oil – eat a tablespoon whenever craving something sweet

Magnesium – for chocolate cravings

Drink – water and tea, I almost always added lemon juice

Supplements: I could not afford a lot of supplements but I do feel that the VIBE supplement drink I got toward the end helped me a lot. I still take this.

I took a multi, probiotic, and vitamin c throughout the whole process.

Exercise: I did mild exercise on the wii using wii fit usually 2-3 times a week. We also went swimming 2-3 times a week during the summer. We usually take walks to the park or around the block once or twice a week as well.

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{stopping by woods}

{stopping by woods}, originally uploaded by ~paula~.

*Scott and I made a special trip up into the mountains the day before we left Colorado. It was so peaceful up there. Scott spotted a little group of aspen up the hill. I stomped through the knee-deep snow to get some pictures. I could have stayed there a lot longer. I love this poem by Robert Frost.*

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

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~a fun survey~

Copy if you do it and leave a comment. I would love to read your answers! Some of the numbers are missing because I thought the questions were silly.

1. what is your current obsession?
crocheting and crafting - probably because this is the last thing on my to-do list right now

2. what are you wearing today?
gray long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans (so boring)

3. what’s for dinner?
pizza (friday night family night!)

4. what’s the last thing you bought?
portable steam cleaner - another obsession - love it!

5. what are you listening to right now?
the kids playing with legos

6. if you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
colorado

7. one thing you wanna change about yourself?
be. more. organized.

8. if you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
new zealand perhaps

9. which language do you want to learn?
spanish

10. what’s your favorite quote?
i don't have a favorite. lots of random ones.

11 . would you cook for me?
definately. i love to cook and have people over!

12. what are you afraid of the most?
losing someone close

15. who do you want to meet right now?
it'd be nice to meet my friends :)

16. what is your favorite color?
yellow

18. what is your dream job?
i am living it!

19. what are your favorite magazines?
anthropologie and pottery barn.

20. if you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?
crafting stuff

23. what brings a smile on your face instantly?
my kids

24. a word that you say a lot?

what's happening? (2 words)

25. what kind of haircut do you prefer?
simple

26. what are you going to do after this?
probably go clean with my steam cleaner

27. what do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed?
look at blogs, flickr, or etsy

28. what makes you go wild?
i'm not very wild

29. what are your favorite movies?
a river runs through it and hoosiers

30. what inspires you?
my sisters and parents

31. what do your friends call you most commonly?
paula

32. would you prefer coffee or tea?
tea

34. favorite dessert/sweet?
today i want cheesecake

35. how many tabs are turned on in your browser right now?
only two at the moment

36. when you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
gotta do something with that hair

37. favorite season?
autumn

38. one wish that you really want to see it come true?

to see my children walk in the Lord and follow Him

39. what breaks your heart?
orphans

40. what's one thing you really want to do in life?
open an etsy store

adopt

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~how i saved tobymac~

This story starts back in the days of middle school when I first became a big fan of DC Talk. I would "borrow" my sister's cd player and DC Talk cd so that my friends and I could listen on the bus. I'm sure I would always get in trouble.

Now, over 10 years later, TobyMac has separated from DC Talk and I am still a huge fan! I have all of his songs in my favorites folder and listen to them almost everyday on Air1 radio. When I heard he was coming to town and we could get tickets for $10 and a toy, I told Scott we were definately going.

I didn't have high expectations since the tickets were so cheap. We really didn't even know if we would get a seat or thought we would be way up at the top. We got there and they said the people with toys can pay and walk right in. We were an hour early so we sat down low to the left of the stage up four rows. We sat through a couple of the opening singers and I was thinking how amazing these seats were, when a big family came and took our seats (since they had tickets.) I spotted 2 seats in front of us in the front rows on the side so we moved to them. We weren't on the floor but this was still pretty cool. There was a narrow wall separating us from the floor which was about six feet up.

We were jamming out and enjoying ourselves when all the sudden TobyMac disappeared. All the sudden, the boy next to us spilled his drink on the floor in front of us and I was sort of paying more attention to that than anything. Then Toby, giving high fives, was coming straight toward us and the spill! His bodyguards protected him from the spill and prevented him from shaking my hand! Ahhh! I was mortified.

Then Scott said, "Look!" (He must have known how disappointed I was feeling.) Toby was now on the narrow wall in front of us to the right singing and walking my way!!! I held out my hand to shake his and he started to fall. I quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him back up until he got his balance. He just continued to sing and walk across the wall. He also had to use Scott's shoulder once to steady himself. He walked by us on down the wall and then he turned and came back! He stood in front of us and sang the whole opening to Burn for You. Scott and I were in the spotlight with him the entire time! Then he went down to the floor and did some crazy crowd surfing!

We were riding the lightrail back to our van and some people said that they recognized me from my shirt on the bigscreen!

I hope to find some pictures someday. It was such a fun evening that I won't forget ever! If you ever get a chance to go see TobyMac - do it! His love for the Lord is evident. I just kept thinking, "Please don't tell me that Christians don't know how to have FUN!!!" They were rocking!



*I did not take this picture - this is from his profile pic on his facebook

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{gingerbread 2009}

I am now taking a break from editing to catch you up on our family life. Here are my 10 on Thursday:

1. We are in a little break from school. Even though I work it in where I can, there is no formal lesson plans for the rest of December. (yay!)

2. I ended up doing 13 sessions over the weekend and I survived! SO MUCH FUN! Every family is so different and just a pleasure to hang out with and make memories!

3. Saturday night I went to an ornament exchange at my friend Nancy's home. It was fun to be with the girls and to get a night out after working all day. I got 3 cute little frame ornaments (sorry Noelle...teehee!).

4. Pastor Jim has been preaching some great sermons lately. If you are looking for a church in Maricopa, don't hesitate to check out the First Baptist Church of Maricopa. The AWANA program rocks and they have excellent Sunday School and Children's Church among a lot of other programs...

5. Speaking of... Scott and I are singing the choir on this Sunday evening. Everyone is invited! It is going to be an excellent night of worship that focuses on THE TRUE REASON OF THE SEASON. The soloists are excellent and the music is beautiful! We start at 6PM.

6. {ABOVE} This year for our annual gingerbread house we made 5 mini houses. Only 3 are pictured because Scott hasn't finished his yet and his was with T's. I added the top right one because Si-Guy(4) and I were working together and he made a little pathway with gumdrops to my house! It was so cute how he told me so we can visit each other all the time!

7. I almost swallowed a fly that was in my hot chocolate right now. I spewed it across the room. THAT was pretty nasty! :P

8. Etsy is the most dangerous place for me to go right now. I have two things I want to try now when I get everyones' sessions done. Oh, the motivation is there!

9. On Sunday night, I got in front of the camera - pics to come soon!!! A photographer came from Gilbert and we did a family photo swap. It worked out so well!!!

10. I (personally) am SOOOO not ready for Christmas. We have a big gift for each of the boys and I've gotten some little things for Scott but this is going to be last minute shopping this year. Nothing like a little CRUNCH TIME!

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~eileen's legacy~

I learned some news this morning. Some of you may not know that I was a Mary Kay consultant for several years while we lived in Kansas City. I joined Mary Kay because of the positive atmosphere, wealth of knowledge, and to hang out with amazing Christian woman like the woman I am going to write about - Eileen Huffman.

We met when our tummies were as big as basketballs - her pregnant with her 3rd and me with my 1st. We both ended up having our sons on the same day - September 28, 2002! I used to call her Mary Kay 'hotline' for daily inspiration and updates. It was always so good to hear an enthusiastic voice. Even when I was having a bad moment and didn't want to bother anyone, I could call and not even listen but felt that things were alright and get a little chuckle.

My life quickly changed with a move to Phoenix in 2006 and I didn't sell Mary Kay anymore and lost contact with all my Mary Kay friends. Last week, I decided to look for some of them on facebook. This morning I got the e-mail saying that my recruitor (and also dear friend - Janine) accepted me as a friend. It is so good to reconnect! She wrote a note that told me that Eileen had passed on. Obviously I was shocked. I quickly did some searching and found Eileen's journal about her fight with cancer and have been reading it all morning. What an impactful life this lady led!!! Her legacy will continue. I highlighted some of my favorite quotes from her journal. These are more for me than for you but feel free to be blessed. Her journal is here. I will put them in PINK because everything in Mary Kay must be PINK!


My prayer is that through my story, somehow, someway, you will be inspired to EMBRACE each moment of LIFE and LIVE the LIFE God has destined for YOU!! Have a blessed DAY, I am planning too!!

So I begin this FALL, crisp sunny day with yet another opportunity to take my kids to school, listen to the two younger ones fight, the dog whining to be walked, dirty laundry, dishes in the sink and of course, bills to be paid and I couldn't SCREAM loud enough to tell you the JOY I feel in ALL of that! Isn't NORMAL just awesome?

Each morning I awake I praise GOD for His healing power and knowing His love will be the SAME yesterday, today and TOMORROW. I find much security in THAT alone! There are those moments when I still cannot belief this is my life journey and the load seems heavy but that's when I realize I've taken my eyes off my Heavenly Father.

I have this feeling that everything about today will be sweeter...t​he air will feel crisper, the sky will be bluer, the sun will shine brighter, the kiddos will be cuter, the friendships will be richer and Christ will be nearer. It is one of the gifts a journey like this gives you. AS I read your journal entries back to me I will pray for each of you that you too will feel the Lord's presence in your life.

I TRULLLLYYYY believe that God expects our OBEDIENCE first and then shows us the next step.

May you and your loved ones CHOOSE an attitude of gratitude E​VEN if the day is not packaged the way you wanted it to be.

Today was the last day of school for the kiddos and I've decided that this summer will be FABULOUS....​why? Because I, along with my kids will learn even MORE how to rely on God's grace, God's love, God's patience and one another to continue to grow together as a family. Is there anything better?

Thank you, Eileen, for you enthusiasm and example!

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{surprise!}

I rarely enter contests and I rarely win, so you can imagine my surprise when I checked iheartfaces.com last night to find I got 7th place out of 421 entries. Thank you all for the sweet compliments and thank you to [b]ecker for being the guest judge!

FYI - Anybody can enter these contests. Check out iheartfaces.com for more information. This week the contest is "We love tooshies."



And here is a picture of another new little beauty from last week. She was only five days old and slept most of the time!

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{mr. blue eyes}

{mr. blue eyes}, originally uploaded by psphoto2009.

I am so in love with this little guy!

I haven't posted for a couple days. We celebrated my birthday by going miniature golfing for the first time with the whole family. I love that we are able to do things like this now. It is such a wonderful time! For Labor Day, we went down to a resort in Tucson. It was gorgeous weather and an excellent time with my in-laws!

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{bloom}

I love the phrase BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED since blooming involves growing, being nurtured, and sharing with others. I am a huge goal-maker and list-follower. Today is my birthday. I love birthdays and take it like a checkpoint and new beginning. I was excited to find a link to a neat concept called Create Your Best Life. I started this morning and am excited about the next three months!

Here is a great checklist I stole and revised from Julie Valentine, the creator of Create Your Best Life. I added spending daily time with God in prayer and the Bible. When things seem to get bad, that's when I realize that I am not doing the most important thing. Funny how that happens...

Thank you all for being a part of my life. I am blessed in so many, many ways! This is a good birthday!

- - - - - - - - MONTHLY LIFE BALANCE CHECKLIST - - - - - - - -

Am I Nurturing My Relationships?

[_] Am I spending daily time in prayer and reading God's word?
[_] Is there anyone that I owe a phone call, letter, email, etc. who I need to be in communication with?
[_]Do I have any broken promises I need to apologize for or complete?
[_] Have I gossiped about anyone?
[_] Is there anyone I need to acknowledge or thank?
[_] Am I nurturing or creating romantic relationships?
[_] Am I nurturing family relationships?
[_] Am I supporting the endeavors of others? attending receptions, graduation, openings?
[_] Am I remembering life events by sending cards or calling for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays?

Am I Expressing My Creativity and Sense of Play?
[_] Have I scheduled a vacation?
[_] Have I created something original from my heart?
[_] Have I scheduled a local adventure to discover a new place, restaurant, museum, etc.
[_] Have I set aside time to dream and vision my future? (Keep a journal, etc.)
[_] Have I spent time in silence?

Am I Honoring My Body?
[_] Have I scheduled a physical with a doctor and/or OBGYN?
[_] Have I moved my body through physical activity?
[_] Do I have sufficient health insurance?
[_] Are my hair and nails in good condition?
[_] Am I getting sufficient sleep?
[_] Are there any differences in the look and texture of my body that I need to deal with?
[_] Have I scheduled an appointment at the dentist office?
[_] Am I drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day and completing my meals by 7pm?

[_] Have I scheduled an appointment with an eye doctor?
[_] Am I putting an effort into my appearance?

Am I Managing My Home?
[_] Is my check book balanced?
[_] Is my house clear of clutter?
[_] Which areas need attention?
[_] Are my taxes paid?
[_] Are my bills paid or scheduled to be paid?
[_] Do I have a long term financial plan in motion ?
[_] Do I have a sufficient savings and a savings plan?
[_] Do I tithe and donate to charity?
[_] Do I have sufficient home insurance?
[_] Are my home appliances in working order?
[_] Are my plants watered?

How's Work? Am I Sharing My Gifts and Talents with the World?
[_] Is my work place clean?
[_] Are there any communications I need to make with my contractors, vendors, customers?
[_] Am I showing up for work on time?
[_] Is my performance at work up to par?
[_] Am I holding people to account for our agreements?
[_] Are my bills and/or business expenses paid?
[_] Are my business taxes complete?
[_] Are my business license current and complete?
[_] Are my business systems helping me progress with efficiency?
[_] Are sales meeting or exceeding targets?
[_] Is my business supporting me and enhancing my life?
[_] Am I happy with my salary?
[_] Do I have gathered an extraordinary team of employees or contractors to assist in production?
[_] Have I created a marketing strategy to keep my products alive in my customers minds?

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~PS Mommy : Paula~

I'm going to be featuring mommies here every once in a while. I had this idea a long time ago and even sent out some questionnaires but now that I saw these questions on Whitebox Wedding's blog, I thought mine were kind of boring. I want to add a picture but am too tired to search for one tonight. So, here I go...

PS Mommy : Paula - Maricopa, AZ

occupation: Full-time SAHM, Part-time Photographer

family: married with 3 children (6,4, and 2)(boy, boy, girl)

most fun thing about being a mom: sweet little things the kids say and do

hardest thing about being a mom: being consistent

the last time my kids made me laugh: we were playing wii miniature golf before bed. that was pretty entertaining!

most embarrassing mommy moment: probably when my oldest was a baby. he had a loud blow-out during a prayer one of the first times we took him to church.

favorite place to take my kids: the orchard, hiking, visiting family

i hope my kids inherit my: love for God and desire to serve Him.

favorite kid/parenting websites: www.marthastewart.com, www.pbskids.org, www.familyfun.com

the last book i read to my kids: i think it was Big Red Barn.

at bedtime, I say to my kids: I give them hugs and kisses and remind them of their names given to them by my mom. J- Man of Honor, S- Joy to the World, T- Shining Treasure. Sweet Dreams and I love you!

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~monday, january 5~

I have recently signed up for facebook and am amazed how often people can update their status. Now I go through my day thinking about what I could say on my status. Most of it is pretty mundane but sometimes I think some funny thoughts and I chuckle to myself. Since I can't be at my computer all day everyday, I jotted some down from the weekend.

Paula thinks:

-it's funny that I need more thyme.
-an unmade bed is so inviting.
-Dad's jean quilts are the best!
-Elmo is hard to draw without a picture to copy. (try it...it's hard.)
-Scott is right when he said, "You should get an 'I just killed a big black nasty spider in the garage' award. (I was so proud. Something I read about the new year is to do something small you fear everyday.)
-the football playoffs were fun to watch this weekend.
-my kids sing "Jesus Loves Me" like angels.

Alright, enough of my random thoughts and more photos. Scott and I took a couple days to celebrate our seven year anniversary in Sedona (with no kids!). Thanks to my in-laws for watching the kids and my parents who pretty much funded the trip even though they don't know it. We had a great time doing things you can't do with kids like shopping and hiking and just stopping to take pictures. We also drove up to Jerome and spent an hour before it got dark. It is such a neat historic town and I am thinking we will go back sometime soon. Here we are on the first night. This picture is funny because it's a total set-up. The hotel was supposed to have champagne and truffles for us but they only had champagne which we don't really drink anyway. :)

I was supposed to do three maternity sessions this weekend. My Sunday session e-mailed me on Saturday saying that her water broke and she was on her way to the hospital so... we'll probably be seeing a newborn this week! Surprise! (If you are expecting, please schedule at least a month in advance. This should prevent this hopefully. It didn't work this time.) Here are a couple of my favorites from the Saturday sessions.

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~last random monday of 2008~

*Our Christmas was fantastic. I think one of the highlights this year was delivering Angel Tree gifts. I had to laugh so hard at Scott because he was JUST LIKE Santa Claus as we drove around town....HOHOHO! We also got to deliver a meal to a family that needed it. What a pleasure that was!

*Another highlight was singing in the Christmas Cantata at church. I haven't sang in a choir since high school and Scott has never sung in a choir. It was fun to get to have that time together on Thursday nights. He is ready for the Easter Concert now! I think practice starts in a couple weeks!

* We enjoyed a quiet Christmas morning with the family. Jonah got his first Pirate Lego kit and now wants to save up to get all of them (like father like son.) Simon got a Speedracer truck and car and Trinity got a kitchen set that she loves to "cook" for us all. We were also surprised to recieve some gifts from the church including several new winter outfits and new winter coats for the kids. I'm not sure who gave them but we are so thankful!

*Several families from church came over for dinner on Christmas night. It was nice to have a delicious meal with such good company. One of the men brought his ATARI over so that and Yatzee were the hits of the night. Thank you all for coming!

* We headed up to Scott's parents house the next day and spent the night. We had fun playing games and eating and playing more games and eating and opening presents. Saturday afternoon, we had to take my sister-in-law to the ER once again as she hadn't slept for several nights still dealing with Bipolar Disorder and getting her meds right. Another chapter in my saga dealing with this disorder. We decided we are going to write a book about this last month... :) Please pray for her and the rest of the family. It is so complicated!

*My middle guy turned 4 on Sunday. We celebrated Saturday evening at Nana and Papas but went to McDonalds (his favorite) for lunch after church. He asks for a hamburger and fries all the time. When I woke up Sunday morning, his little sister had hit him with her purse. He looked at me and said, "She needs a spankin'. Mom, can you get me the spanker?" I told him that he is not allowed to spank. He replied, "Mom, the Bible says that 4-year-olds are allowed to spank their sisters when they hit them with their purse." It might be an interesting year with him but I love him so much!

*I gave blood yesterday for the first time in a long time. What a great feeling that is! I got to use it as an excuse to relax the rest of the day also :)

*I have counted that I have done over 30 sessions (not including the wedding) in the last 6 weeks before Christmas! I wanted to thank you all SOOOO much. There is no way I could have blogged every session but I'm going to try to make it up to you all by doing another "1 A DAY" in January. Although it won't actually be "1 A DAY" since our 7th anniversary is on the 1st and we'll be taking a couple days off for that (I'll blog about that later...) I look back overwhelmed at what was accomplished and overjoyed that I survived...ha! I now must spend several weeks regrouping the house as it has been neglected for about a month now. Poor thing...

I will leave you with a picture of the beautiful bride from the December 20th wedding. The wedding was held at their home and was spectacular in so many ways! I can't wait to share some more.

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~Merry Christmas 2008~

We will be hanging out here at the house tomorrow and having some friends over for supper. The kids are running mad today because they are so excited. I'm ready for them to collapse so I can get some things done.

Here's wishing everyone a blessed Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus CHRIST! Can you imagine a world with Him?

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~congratulations! congratulations!~

My little sister is prego for the first time. The baby of our family is having a baby. It doesn't seem possible! They flew down for Thanksgiving and showed up at the airport in these shirts to announce the news.

We went out for a little "maternity shoot"...

(Dear Customers, I will NEVER have you pose like this but this is my little sister and she did it herself.)

OK, to the real stuff...

I love it this one. It takes a good sense of humor to be a parent and you two are going to be great!

Congrats, you lovebirds!

They got home to find out they are having twins! I could stare at this picture all day! How beautiful is that!?!

Another one of my sisters, Melissa, is due in June as well with her third (congrats to you too!) so guess where I'll be headed come spring! Anyone want to join me in Colorado Springs for a session in June? I cannot wait! Three newborns!!!

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~Sedona 2008 #2~

What a beautiful mountain!

But wait, what's that white dot on top?

Yes, it is my husband and children! The most awful thing was that I was talking Scott on the cell phone and he kept saying, "Hey, get away from that edge!"

Once again, I apologize to my mom for all my shenanigans. So sorry!

I do want to thank my husband who did an awesome job watching the kids while I did my photo sessions. I know it's a hard job but you rocked it out and I appreciate you so much! I know they are going to remember these times with you forever.

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