I can't believe she's 8!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Taylor turned 8! She decided to have her party at the Magic Shop this year. I wasn't too sure about how fun it would be...but I was proved wrong! It was perfect!! The kids had a private magic show...then Tay got to open her presents up on stage! Next, we were in the party room eating cake and pizza and showing off our new magic tricks that were in giftbags for each of the kids. The magicians were in charge of making the mess 'disappear' so all I had to do was take pictures! It was the most painless party we have ever had and the kids had a MAGICAL time!

So Long 2nd Grade!

Today, Taylor's class had a special luncheon and awards ceremony for the last day of 2nd grade. We brought Tay lunch and got to go outside to the 2nd grade picnic tables to eat and watch the awards. Taylor got the 25 point club award, platinum reader award (she read 90 A.R. books!!), and her classmates voted her the 'Greatest Story Writer'. Her teachers, Mrs. Zimmerman and Mrs. Baskin have made this an extra special year for Taylor. She has grown so much and I am so proud of the little young woman she's becoming. Congratulations, Taylor, for such a wonderful year in school and I can't wait to see what next year has in store for you! We are SO proud of you!!

My Pookie!

Pookie is my sister Heather! She let me practice on her family with my new camera when we were in Knoxville last week. After a crash course in photography basics, she also took a turn playing around with it...and I must say that after lookin at her shots...I would be in heaven if she would move closer to me and we could do this photography thing together!!! She's a natural! Of course, I would be in heaven anyway if she were closer...I miss her so bad! Thanks for takin a half-way decent picture of me for my new profile Heather! I love these she took of Reagan!

Hats!

The theme of the day seems to be HATS. For some reason, Alyx has been busily changing from one hat to another. I don't even know where she found a couple of them! Then, of course, Reagan joined the show. It was such a beautiful day that we spent the majority of it outside in our stylish hats!

My AWESOME Mother's Day!

I don't think words can describe how lucky I am to have Seth for my husband!! He COMPLETELY surprised me with the Canon 5D for Mother's Day! I have been eying this camera for a while and after using my friend's 20D (which is similar) I knew I had to have it. But never in my wildest dreams did I think I was getting it so soon! Thanks, Babe, for making me feel like the luckiest woman in the world!!

My Baby Brother is a MARINE!

I don't think there are any words to describe how proud we are of Jeff! He graduated Marine boot camp this week and of course we all went to support him! He has been on Parris Island, SC for the last 13 weeks becoming one of the few and the proud. When we (along with 1000+ others) were watching the ceremony, one thing that hit me the most was the overwhelming pride that was filling the building. It was moving in a way that I had never experienced before. I feel very blessed to live in this country and have always been a HUGE supporter of our military. Now that the Marines are lucky enough to have Jeff, my support is even greater. Jeff, you rock! HooRah!

Little Moments

Alyx is 18 months old now and it is near impossible for her to sit still long enough for me to take her picture. While trying...and not succeeding...to get her to smile, I have one hand holding my camera and the other trying to tickle her belly. Of course, all of those attempts end up in a blurry mess. All of a sudden she stops dead in her tracks...staring intently at the camera for about 15 seconds. I start snapping away absolutely loving the innocent, peaceful look on her face. My first thought is that she finally figured out that when Mom gets the camera in her face, she is supposed to hold still. So now my mind is racing through all of the photo shoots I can do with my 3 girls now that they are all cooperating....but my thoughts are interrupted. Alyx suddenly grabs her diaper and with big, round eyes says " I pee-pee!". My heart sank (even though I was laughing out loud) because I realized that she wasn't being cooperative....she just had to pee. Does that totally ruin the picture? I try not to think about it! Ya gotta be grateful for these funny little moments our kids share with us!