I wish I could capture my kids like my friend kel can. Sometimes I don't think I slow down enough to try to get them on film. They are growing so fast! Little Girl, or LG, as she is known in these parts, shuns the camera. While Cowboy Stoney, a nickname he bestowed on himself, loves it!

Dirty Gold - California Sunrise

I have taken quite the hiatus from blogging. This is due to a lot of different factors that are changing in my life, I have started homeschooling, being more realistic about how much time is in a day and how efficient I really am. I will write more about that later. But there is something I have to scream from the rooftops. My nephew that I adore, because they are kind, great examples to my boys, hard workers and sweet as can be, are creating a stir in the music world. I had to share. There music gets us groving and my boys just keep hitting the play button. Read about them hear, scroll down to Before the hype, dirty gold.
http://www.crawdaddy.com/index.php/2010/12/09/before-the-hype-dirty-gold/

pirate day times three....arggghh

We we so thrilled to have a pirate day at school. So thrilled in fact that I sent Scurvy Gums Bobby to school a week early dressed and ready to plunder. My husband took him and five minutes after he left I checked my email that reminded me that in fact pirate day was in a week! Blimey! So I called my husband and told him to turn and grab the child who was running for the classroom and bring him home. My husband dropped the buccaneer at his Nana's which was closer to the school and I met him with the appropriate attire and some wet wipes.
The next Monday We suited up again, and added some dye to his hair to improve the look. This time he went all day. His Nana picked him up because I had a sick baby. When she brought him home, she informed me that in fact pirate day was on Friday. Sink me. This time I needed an apology to go with my wet wipe.

But the third time is the charm and he went looking shipshape and better than ever to retrieve his treasure. Luckily our beloved Mrs. Endicott is his teacher.  And I had another experience notch on my motherhood belt. I am going to be so good at this parenthood thing by the time I am through.

AHOY!

My New Life

In case you weren't feeling grateful today.

Today after swimming my five year old was lying on the grass in his swimming suit just relaxing. My little girl crawled on over to her brother and tried to nurse.

"Ahhh- you silly girl! Those aren't the real thing, those are just decoration!"

Enter to win a photo shoot like this one!

yet another sibling more talented than me...and win a shoot like this!

My sister is having a contest to win a completely free shoot with a CD included. Go to her site to enter! cwelton.blogspot.com

I was so glad to get some pics of this little guy in the outfit he has spent so much of his third year in!


My sister Carrie is SO talented! If you have been thinking about getting photos done, check out her new website. After going to the Picture People and last month, I was so disappointed at how much I had to pay for studio pics and pay per sheet and then I can't reproduce it! Carrie gives you so many photos and then you have the rights and the cd to make cards, reprints, whatever. She is also really affordable. I love so many of them that I can't decide which ones to show you!

Carrie captured my children perfectly which must was not an easy task. It was like they could sense my fear like wild animals and they were taking advantage of me at my most vulnerable moment. I was tossing out every bribe in the book. Not my best parenting moment let me tell you. "A chocolate shake, or how about Chuckie Cheese?" What ended up working? My husband told my kids they could put a rotten crab apple in my mouth. Smiles all around. Luckily Carrie is patient and a miracle worker. So check out her website. She lives in Utah but she will be making a trip to CA so let me know if you are interested in booking her while she is here!

http://www.carrieeltonphotography.com/

HOORAY!

FINALLY- real food!

Craigslist treasures

I found this great antique for a mere $200! Perfect for a bedroom or living room.

This beauty was in the free section of craigslist tonight. My husband wouldn't go for it. He said something about it being tacky...yada yada. So short sighted. Someone is VERY lucky. Wow!

(After posting this I recieved a concerned call from a friend stating that "maybe I really have gone off the deep end." I guess I need to state what I thought was obvious-I was just kidding. Just had to share!)

YEARNING!

When I am nursing sometimes I like to browse craigslist. I live in an area where people post some amazing stuff. This was posted today. Oh how I want it!

Can you imagine the fun we would have trekking around in this baby!

Sorry I accidentally went private for a day or so. I was trying to do something else on a family blog my siblings and I share but changed mine instead. But I had to remedy it because my fans went WILD. (Jayne- thanks for noticing.) Yeah- it is good to feel loved.

a tradition in the making?

What a man, what a man, what a mighty mighty good man! I can't really remember who sings that song but I definitely feel like singing it this morning. Usually I do maid duty. Simply because I am home in the day, and I can stay up late without too much trouble. Also, my hubby, we call him Diamond for undisclosed reasons, has all sorts of maintenance man work to do when he gets home. He is building retaining walls, ripping down interior walls, rewiring this or that, putting a light in the garage etc. He is just as or maybe more busy than I am. It isn't uncommon during busy weeks for me to get behind and then pull an all nighter to get caught up or at least stay up until 2:00 or so. Diamond is someone though that needs his sleep.

So this week I have been feeling REALLY crummy. I think I may have a bug or something. I have been really busy with valentines projects, student of the week projects and a science project. My husband feels like he is at a craft fair basically. Anyway- I was pooped last night and Diamond told me to just go to bed. At 12:00 I woke up with the baby and he wasnt in bed. He wash missing again and at 5:00 I went to investigate. Yes... I know my baby is too old for this all night feasting. Anyway- the man was cleaning the house, had gone to the grocery store, put away all valentines junk, laid out the kids clothes- he had even mopped the floor. He sent me too bed and two hours later he brought me my favorite steak omelet with Valentines wishes. Even though I wonder how he will make it through a day at work... I am too happy. Now if your husband is still giving you items you don't need or want for v-day, remember, this was 10 years in the making. But man it was worth the wait! THANK YOU- best gift ever!

do over please!

On and off for nearly three weeks my oldest has been whoooing and haaaing just about everything. School, food, MOVING in general! The thing is this is just not like him. He is really just a happy kid. His even teacher even told me he went from being the happy pleaser in the classroom to being a depressed 30 year old. This kid is 7! I can't have the teenage years start now. He kept complaining of headaches and sore throats. He has had his yearly physical the week before so I thought this was a ploy to get out of school. He has been having trouble with a bully at school and so we thought all the stress of having to face his own Goliath was getting to him. (Don' worry- we have been taking action on this one)

Not wanting him to just bury his head in the sand when something gets him down, everyday I would give him a pep talk-"OK, you decide your own fate. only YOU can decide to be happy. It is a decision we all have to make. You have to focus on the good or you will make yourself sick. Throughout your life blah blah blah....."

Finally, yesterday he didn't want to eat anything and he said his throat hurt too much to. I took him in to the doctor who said- "first off lets do a strep test even though you would know if he had strep."

It was positive.

I should have known. This is a kid will quietly go "be sick" in the bathroom and forget to tell me. He is pretty tough when it comes to these things. I just totally missed it.

One day on antibiotics and he is playing Tommy Jones, (his alter ego), with is brothers again and begging to make scones.

When I told my father of my idiocy I hoped he would tell me how all parents make mistakes. Instead, he in his wisdom and lyrical tongue responded by simply saying this, "

The problem my dear is not mental.
The problem is as they say,
a problem that is parental
and will not go away.

Thanks Dad. I feel so much better.

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDB9zwlXrB8
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_5W4t_CBzg

Watch these clips in this order. My sister passed this on to me and it just renewed my faith in dreams. You will love it. J

Ruby-Lou-Who?

She is a squirmy one and she couldn't keep her mitts off the goods on the tree!

Who me?

And we could barely resist her!