Inherited

Yesterday I posted about thankfulness, and I wanted to post one more shot of something I am thankful for today, on the last day of “Thankfulness Month”. My (very large, very loud, very opinionated) family. Sometimes, it’s hard to remember to be thankful for the people that know exactly what buttons to push to make you scream, especially during the stress and chaos of holidays. My family can make me angry like no other…I’m sure anyone who has family, has ever met family, smelled family, can understand.

But at the same time…no one really gets me quite like they do. No one knows my history, my failures, my successes, my dreams for the future, me…like they do, and they love me for it and anyway. They are such a blessing. And I’m blessed to have so many of them. I hope that I can love them in a way that they deserve, and show them just what a gift they are.

What are some things you are thankful for today?

Check out more shots at Trendy Treehouse and Sweet Shot Tuesday

Magnolia Whispers

I’ve been doing a thankfulness project this month, mostly by posting pictures of what I’m thankful for, over on Flickr. As it comes to a close, I want to make sure I keep up an attitude of thankfulness. And so the next couple of days I want to post some of the shots here on my blog.

This may seem silly, but my shot for yesterday was of a magnolia tree. I’ve always loved Magnolias…they have such great southern charm, and I’ve always thought they were such pretty trees. So when we ran into an entire row of tall, well-kept magnolias, I was thrilled. It made me thankful that God knows specific ways to speak to my heart, to let me know…”Hey, I see you. I love you. Look at this. I hope that it makes you happy, and reminds you of my love.”

So today, I’m thankful for the little whispers in my heart that I know are Him…reminding me that I’m loved.

Check out more shots at Lisa's Chaos

Kissy Face

I see lots of this type of face on Facebook...

The students we work with at church love to shoot themselves with their trusty cell phones making this exact face. I've never been too good at it...can't really take myself seriously (or not seriously) when someone yells "kissy faces for this shot". I just can't pull it off without laughing. I'm much better at giving a good ol dirty look...or a one eyebrow raised glare.

But Tirzah seems to be pretty good at it. Giving further motivation to my husband for polishing up the old shotgun. ;) She may only be about 16 months old, but he thinks it's never too early to tell her she's not allowed around boys, at least boys who aren't willing to brave a "date" with her daddy first.

 She's really good at turning people down for kisses, too, however. Which is kind of encouraging...don't want her kissing any random fool who asks for it,wouldn't want too many boys ending up in the hospital with broken limbs at the hands of my husband. (who really isn't as violent as I'm making him out to be, btw, although he'd probably not want me letting that out) She even turns up her little pug nose at her daddy and tries to run when he asks for a kiss. She may not have gotten her "kissy face" from me, but at least I can see I'm having progress teaching her to play hard to get. ;)

Check out more shots at The Paper Mama

(That first shot is my pick for this week)

Ode to Frozen Pizza

There is going to be plenty of "ugh...why did I eat all that?" later on tonight and tomorrow. My family always eats Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday evening, so we are getting ready for a long day of cooking and laughing and eating, and eating, and eating.

So I figured with all the fancy eating we'll be doing later, I'd give a little shout out to one of our favorite not-so-fancy foods around here: frozen pizza. We love us some frozen pizza. It serves many purposes...not only do my kids eat it, they like to wear it as well.



They also use it for crafty purposes such as finger paint, face paint, or wall paper. It's even been used as hair gel. But as long as their stomachs are full, I'm (somewhat) sane, and I have clorox wipes, I don't really care where it goes.





So later on, after I've slaved away in a hot kitchen all day like Laura Ingals or Paula Deen, (probably neither, since "from scratch"  has never happened to me, and I'd have to cover my thanksgiving dinner in powdered sugar and butter to make it as tasty and cardiac-arrest inducing as Paula would) I know exactly what's gonna go down.

"Mom...I want piiizzzaaa!"

The Barbarians

I've got lots of nicknames for my kids. So many, there are times when I worry they won't answer to their real names, and I feel kind of silly yelling their nicknames in public. Their real names are different enough, I figure I'll get even weirder looks if I'm yelling "Pooey" and "Boogie". I often just call them the "hooligans".

The other day I was browsing through the Story People site looking for just the right caption for a shot I was putting on Flickr, when I came across this quote: Of course I act like a barbarian, he said. They're the only ones who have any fun in this life. It seemed totally appropriate for my kiddos.

They aren't really worried about what that lady in the grocery store is thinking of their screaming, or concerned with the fact that they are picking their nose while I'm trying to order their lunch, nor are they bothered with scowls from the silent people in the library that I've sworn to never return to until I'm an empty nester. They are who they are, albeit a bit loud, and aren't afraid to be themselves. (We do need to work on manners, I'll admit, but as far as being themselves? I think they've got that down)

They are all out, all the time. So it was a lot of fun to take them to a nearby playground last weekend and just set them loose. We were the only ones there, and it was so relaxing. They just acted like the happy little barbarians that they are, and I wasn't worried about offending anyone. I think I need to be more relaxed all the time. They seemed to notice, and were more laid back themselves. Now if I can just get them to stop picking their noses...

 Check out more shots at Trendy Treehouse and Sweet Shot Tuesday

(The first shot is my pick for this week)

Good to the last leaf.

Some people are of the opinion that it's time to celebrate Christmas, even before we've had Thanksgiving. I just...can't...do it. I can't bring myself to mix my gourds and my pine needles. I get so flustered when I hear Christmas music before I've stuffed myself sick with turkey and stuffing. Call me old fashioned, call me a scrooge, call me a holiday purist...but for some reason, Christmas before Thanksgiving just rubs me the wrong way. 

I find myself scowling at Targets Christmas displays, refusing to go shopping, wanting to leave sarcastic comments on friend's updates about decorating for the holidays, etc. (I don't do the latter, but the urge is there...I know, I know. I'm a early-Christmas-celebrating hater) I love Christmas, and love celebrating it. Just not until Thanksgiving is just left-overs.

I have dug deep, gone back to my psychology roots, and can't figure out the official reason for the Christmas-before-Thanksgiving rejection. Come Black Friday, at 12:00 am, I'll be celebrating with the best of them...but not a second before. I think the only thing I can come up with is the fact that I hate winter. I hung on to summer with a death grip, and now and hanging on to fall for dear life. When I actually acknowledge that Christmas is here, I'll have to admit that it's gonna get cold. Really, really, cold.

So, with that said, me and the kids are enjoying the last of the leaves and I'm pretending that our scraggly trees aren't going to look like that until April. I'm also pretending that April is not 4.5 months away, or that its going to get into the 30's this week. My toes just turned purple thinking about it.

Blue

My kids may be different in a lot of ways...but one thing they definitely have in common? Crazy blue eyes. Blue eyes that they obviously got from their daddy...not their green-eyed mommy.

They aren't novices on how to use the power of the blue-eyes on innocent victims either. Tirzah is already a master at pouty eyes (which she especially likes to use on daddy and grandpas) and Merrick uses those cow-eyed lashes of his on mommy and aunties. 

 Before I had my kids I wasn't really particular to any eye color. But when you look into their baby blues all day, they kind of win you over.

Check out more shots at The Paper Mama

(The first shot is my pick for this week)

Inspiration

Inspiration comes from so many things. For me, often times, it's my kids. (I write about my kids so much, but it's because they're a major part of my life and my heart...I don't know how to be without them.)

Being away from them is hard, but at the same time getting away and seeing a different view for a little bit of time was nice too. It kind of shakes up monotony, and habits, and ruts that you get stuck in. I'd been photographing leaves for what felt like months. Kinda not feeling the inspiration there anymore. ;)

Being away also makes me inspired to be a better mother and wife. I think, while watching (from a different time zone) our babies be loved by their daddy so well...I want to be a better part of that. I am so glad for the dad he is, and the kids they are.

I am so glad to be back home, focused on what I love the most, with the fresh perspective and inspiration that I have. I'm thanking God for the chance to go away, and come back ready to tackle daily life in the best way I can. I'm not sure I'll run back out and take more leaf shots just yet, though.

Check out more shots over at YouCapture.

It's good to be back.

I spent all of the past week out in sunny California with my parents and most of my sisters. (Doing a bit of photoggin for my parents' business) It was awesome to do a bit of traveling. I hadn't been on a flight since our honeymoon five 1/2 years ago. I love traveling, and have ever since I was a kid. It's so much fun to see new and different things.

I only wish that I could have taken these essentials (and their daddy) with me. I always feel half-dressed without them. ;) No one is hanging on my leg, so what on earth do I do with my hands? I'm not carrying a diaper bag, so I feel naked. I only have myself to get ready in the morning, so I hardly know how to take a shower.

It's fun to have a little "me" time, but I miss them so much when I'm not with them. They're huge chunks of myself, and all the new things I see and do I can't help but want them to be able to see, also.  It's funny how when you're married (or even dating someone) or have kids, every new and exciting thing that happens you can't wait to share it with them, and you wish they were there to share it with you.

Good thing for Skype, which I officially learned to use this week. I may be a pro at texting, flickring, blogging, and tweeting, but Skype-ing had eluded me until this week. I am bad enough with having time for phone calls, let alone phone calls where the caller can see what I look like 90% of the time as a glamed-up SAHM. ;)

So for now it's back to the grind. These may be things I see everyday, but it's the best view I could ask for.

Check out more shots at Perceptive Perspectives and Sweet Shot

(The first shot is my pick for this week)

Sister Silhouettes

Today I'm traveling back from a week in California. I was there working with my family for the week...minus the kiddos and my man. Sad without them, but fun to do a bit of traveling. I always enjoy getting to see new things.

We took a mini-road trip (just the four of us sisters...minus one left back home) on one of our days off.. We got to our final stop right as the sun was setting, and just in time for some photo shootin. I actually got in a few of them, which I didn't think was going to happen this trip:

It's been a great trip. I wouldn't trade any of these girls for anything. They are some of my best friends, confidants, and support system. I'm glad to be going through life, and the occasional road trip, with them.

Cozy Up

This is normally how I spend my Saturday mornings:

Snuggled up watching Thomas, or Nacho Libre (my kids have varied taste in Television. ;). This morning, though, I'm several time zones and states away from the snuggle-fest I love so much. I'm sure their daddy did a good job taking care of them today, he always does.

I'll be exploring a bit of the Pacific Coast Highway today. I'm very excited and my camera is practically itching. I've seen it once before as a kid, but am excited to see it again today. Just wish that the kiddos were here to see it too! Monday night can't get here fast enough.



But until then my camera, and a few crazy sisters, will just have to tolerate my need for snuggling. ;)

Check out more shots at The Paper Mama

(The first shot is my pick for this week)

Dreary Blessings

Cold and wet. Sounds gross right? I think cold and wet are probably the most universally hated weather around. Unless you can stay indoors and sleep. And who does that? Not moms, that's for sure.

I get so jealous of people updating on dreary days "enjoying this cold rainy day snuggled up reading with coffee". Who are these people? What have I got to do to BE these people? When it rains around here that means no going outside, which means ohmuhgosh is my husband home from work yet?

But seriously, cold rain stinks when you are a normal human who still has things that you gotta get done, and two little people who have to be carried because they are attracted to puddles that are surprisingly up to their little necks.

But pretending I'm all Pollyanna for a second...which I assure you is totally unnatural for me. It's just another side of the beauty around us. Leaves that were dry and brittle before are now sparkling with velvety color. I may have places to go, but now there's more vibrant color to do it in. My socks may be wet, but now I'm reminded of how God cares for us and how refreshing rain can be.

I may be stuck inside with the kids all day, but there's serenity in my heart because of the intense blessing that they are to begin with. I'm just gonna have to hold onto that thought when they are swinging from the light fixtures and tomorrows forecast says "no chance of letting them outside, lady".

I get so emotional...

I'm kind of an emotional type of girl. I am a bit embarrassed to admit I fit the stereotype of womanly mood swings pretty well. It's something I'm trying to get a handle on, for my family's sake. ;) But  at the same time I like being able to express my emotions (with a bit of control) and not be afraid of them.

Some of the things that make me emotional in a good way are when my ever patient and handsome hubby does things like organize the bathroom closet, just because he's a stud. He is usually a pretty organized type of guy, minus those shirts that need a GPS to find the laundry basket. But sometimes he just gets an urge to organize and clean, and I'm not going to stand in his way.

And the other morning, I woke up to little notes stuck all over where he knew I'd be going. (Food, coffee, cabinet with the kids' cups.) And later that same evening he hooked up our speaker system so that I can sit in the bathtub (one of my favorite things) and still hear what we are watching on TV.
Even if we only get 3 channels, that still feels pretty luxurious to me. ;)

I get all weepy just thinking about it. While these pictures may not really show any emotion, trust me, when you're a crazed, sleep-deprived mom, these things kind of look like happy to me.

Check out more shots at Sweet Shot and Perceptive Perspectives

(The second shot is my pick for Sweet Shot)

Flattered.

Whenever someone asks me to take pictures for them, I'm always flattered. It's such a nice change from chasing my kids around begging "please look at mommy..." Last weekend I got to use my camera on a handsome little guy from our church. He's so good that I'm always amazed by how difficult it is to get my own kids to let me photograph them. ;)

He is still at the stage where he can't run from me...but I hope I'll still be taking pictures of him when he is. Thanks to his mom and dad for trusting me with such important family memories. I'm grateful for their faith in me, and for the chance to have someone look at me instead of turn and run when they see my camera coming. ;)

Loopy

I'd like to call myself "healthy". I think when it comes to working out I am. But I don't think healthy-eaters eat spoonfuls of frosting out of the tub in the fridge, or drink diet soda like it's water.

I do try, and think I'm getting better with my eating habits. I blame my kids for that. I want them to have a good example, and put food in it's proper place. Cuz I'm not an emotional eater or anything, ahem, so I don't want them to do that either...since I don't. Ahem.

So far, they are typical kids. They turn their nose up at a veggie, even before they've tried it. *How do they know?!* Fry something, or cover it in sugar and they're climbing your leg wanting a bite. And soda? I am not to be blamed for their knowledge of soda. I've tried to keep it from them, but my parents/siblings are a force to be reckoned with.

I do occasionally buy them sugary cereal, or french toast sticks, in the name of convenience and a tight budget. Why is the bad stuff always so much cheaper? You'd think if you're being good and buying the healthy stuff, you'd at least be rewarded with a smaller grocery bill. Not so.

Anyway, hopefully our eating habits will continue to improve. And hopefully I can get them to stop begging me for "froot yoops" every morning. ;)

(The first shot is my submission for The Paper Mama )

P.S. I got the inspiration for that loopy stack over at The Bonnie 5. Check out her blog!

The sound...

...of silence.

Some people might argue that there is no "sound" of silence. If you're hearing it, it's not silent. I think there is a sound of silence, and I'm sleep deprived and in desperate need of some silence now and then, so humor me.

I am blessed with a lively family. We aren't hurting in the personality department over here. You want humor and chaos? You've come to the right place. We now how to be ridiculous, and then laugh till we cry about it. It's a problem, or a blessing, whichever. ;)

I think you really need to live a loud life, to appreciate silence. I love my kids...more than I can express. I love their noise, their bubbly personalities, the way they embarrass me by saying "hi" 465 times to the same lady in Food Lion. Trust me, it's really awkward when they do that.

My kids definitely give me reason to appreciate silence. It gives me a second to see, instead of hear, them. (Merrick wakes up yelling and jumping. How do I know it's time to get up? It sounds like a bulldozer is in the next room.) But when they're silent? (read: asleep) I just get to enjoy staring at them. Something they don't tolerate, or sit still  long enough for, when they are awake. Silence may not technically be a sound, but it sure sounds good sometimes.