212/365... Putting my feet up joy.

There are some things that I used to take for granted before I had kids.

Putting my feet up to watch reruns of 90210 in the middle of the afternoon is one of them.

Pay no attention to my poorly neglected Bam Bam feet.

Putting my feet up joy.



In other news... Happy 1st Anniversary to my best friend, Christy, and her amazing hubby, Jason!!!!! So much love to you both!!

In other, other news... I had my first wedding consultation this morning!! SOOOO excited to capture Matt and Amanda's special day!

211/365... Little cocktail joy

I have worked hard this week. I needed a little cocktail to celebrate my efforts.

I'm just proud of myself for resisting the urge to drink it straight out of the bottle.

Little cocktail joy.

210/365... Frozen sunlit water bokeh joy

Not only did I manage to freeze the water but I also captured sunlit water bokeh!!

I'm good. Oh yeah. Uh huh. I'm good.

I'm SO cracking myself up! LOL!!

Frozen sunlit water bokeh joy.

209/365... Little hands joy.

How I love holding their little hands in mine.

Little hands joy.

208/365... My niece joy

My niece... I adore her.

My niece joy.

207/365... Beach day joy

I want my babies to love the beach like I do. After a full day in the sand, sun, and water, I think they are well on their way!

Beach day joy.



Happy Birthday to my Bumpa! It's been 14 years since God welcomed him to Heaven. How blessed my life is to have had a grandpa as special as my Bumpa was and always will be to me.

206/365... Summer night joy

Summer nights like this are meant for laying on a blanket under the moon and stars.

If only the mosquitoes would just go away.

Summer night joy.

205/365... Simple joys joy

It's really just the simple joys of life that truly matter.

Simple joys joy.

204/365... Perfect date night joy

Candlelight dinner. A glass of wine. Having a conversation without interruptions. A lazy walk by the lake. Watching the sunset for the day. Ice cream. Holding hands. Kissing.

I tried talking him into a late night swim in the lake but he didn't want to because we didn't have our suits. Suits were not a requirement for the kind of swimming that I talking about.

Oh well... it was still the perfect date night with my hubby.

Perfect date night joy.



In other news... Happy 5th Anniversary, Renee' and Wayne! Hope you were able to have a perfect date night to celebrate your special day.

203/365... Laughing about it joy

Sometimes I don't know why I even bother.

At least I can laugh about it.

Laughing about it joy.

202/365... Big slide joy

Two days ago, he wanted nothing to do with going down the "big slide". Tonight at swimming lessons, he was going down the slide before he knew what hit him.

And he loved it!

Big slide joy.

201/365... A good thing joy

My little girl loves to cook, garden, and create art projects.

She's a 3-year old version of Martha Stewart. But I think she is cuter and she doesn't annoy me like Martha Stewart does.

And that's a good thing.

A good thing joy.

200/365... Point and shoot joy

I have been taking more pictures with my point and shoot camera lately.

Sometimes it is nice just to point and shoot.

By the way... I love this one.

Point and shoot joy.

199/365... Cooperative kid joy

It's really nice when my children are cooperative for a practice shoot.

Of course, it probably helps that I paid him $.50.

Cooperative kid joy.

198/365... Joy joy.

In a word... joy.

Joy joy.

197/365... Colorado is their home joy

It has been 4 weeks since my brothers moved to Colorado. They have lived in a campground and a horrific motel. Last week, they moved into an adorable log cabin.

They are truly making Colorado their home.

Today, my youngest brother flew home to bring the remainder of their belongings back to Colorado... including his wife. She stayed back for a few weeks to work while my brothers found a place to live. Tomorrow morning, he will take his wife to their new home in Colorado.

It was nice to see him today. Even if it was for a little bit. It is very apparent that he truly loves being in Colorado and seems so happy. For that, I am so very thankful.

And my other brother has finally healed from the poison ivy. Another reason to be thankful.

I still miss them every day but Colorado is their home.

Colorado is their home joy.



Please keep my brother and my sister-in-law in your thoughts and prayers for safe travel tomorrow. Thank you ever so much.

196/365... Great day joy.

It was a great day with a great friend. After an afternoon with my kiddos, we escaped and went out for Mexican... just the two of us.

I don't need pictures to remember the day but I did need a picture for the day. I took this while waiting at a stoplight on the way home from dinner and a little shopping with my great friend.

It was a great day.

Great day joy.

195/365... Swimming lessons joy

I don't know what he told her but it helped day 2 of swimming lessons go much better than day 1. At least she was somewhat in the water.

He's such a good big brother.



While the older two had their swimming lessons, daddy was giving the younger two some basic swimming lessons.

Basic lesson #1: Take off your shoes before entering the water.

Swimming lessons joy.

194/365... 80 pounds of blueberries joy

My in-laws make a little trip every summer to pick up a load of blueberries. We ordered 80 pounds of blueberries.

My family really loves blueberries.

80 pounds of blueberries joy.



In other news... two very special people in my life are celebrating a birthday today! Happy Birthday to my brother-in-law, Brian, and my dear friend of almost 30 years, Amy!!!

193/365... Paper gowns joy

It was a crazy, busy day so it was nice that these two could have some fun with the paper gowns while waiting for their physicals.

Paper gowns joy.

192/365... Ribfest joy

Our family enjoyed a warm summer day at Ribfest 2010. I stood in line for quite a while for these ribs. They were well worth the wait.



My favorite 5-year old waited with me. He LOVES barbeque ribs!!

Ribfest joy.



Happy Birthday to my wonderful father-in-law. We loved spending the day with you!!! You are a very special man to me! Hope you had a great day!!

191/365... Bye bye butterflies joy.

The lifecycle of a butterfly is truly a miraculous thing. We have watched caterpillars grow, make their cocoons, and then hatch as beautiful butterflies. It truly has been a wonderful learning experience for my kiddos.

Today, we let them go into their natural habitat. My oldest son grew pretty attached to the butterflies. Although he understood why we needed to let them go, he cried when the last one flew away.

We can never get a dog.

Bye bye butterflies joy.

190/365... I love him joy.

Oh, how I love him.

I love him joy.

189/365... Perfect ending joy

Sunsets are the perfect ending to any day.

Perfect ending joy.