Riding a bike is a can-do, and wish for a dog comes true!

 

 

Is it possible that last week while at Gramma's house and we were 'wishin on dandelions' that Kellen decided to wish for a dog ??!! Because the above little stinker showed up on our door step with Mimi and Pops the very next week!

(Actual story behind this picture..) Jon heard Kellen say ' I wish my momma and daddy.'

and then that's all he heard.. So the following day him and I were hanging out and I said, 'kellen, when you were wishing on dandelions yesterday and making wishes and you said  ' I wish my momma and daddy..' , what did you wish for...?' and he giggled and says ' I wish for my momma and daddy to love me and give me lots of hugs and kisses.'

haha ummm DONE sweet boy, wish granted for 3 years now and then some!

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well regardless of wishes, we have ended up with one sweetie cutie named Abby. My mom got her from my cousin while visiting in Oklahoma last week. Kellen has been asking me if we could get him a puppy every week for a solid year now pretty much, so you can only imagine that he is pretty ecstatic about her entrance to the family. 

 

 

 She tolerates him carrying her all uncomfortable, but seems to looooove chasing him around the yard. He will run around the street and she will chase him; those little feet just flying in the wind. it's a sight to see indeed.

I've always said, 'every little boy needs a dog that's his best friend.'

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When she barks her feet come off of the ground. I'm guessing she thinks she's a really big mean guard dog. ferocious!

 

 

We have had a busy week of playing outside and getting quality time with Abbza babz.. Abigail, Abbygirl.. whatever I decide to call her at the time.  

Yesterday they played and ripped and romped and chewed grass and splashed in the water and ran around like banshees until they were straight sacked out. 3 hour nap!!! momma likes!!

This morning we had a play date with some friends and they had a sand box. (great time, thanks Luissa! ) It reminded me we needed sand for our sand table, so off to Lowe's we went and this kid had sand to play with by the afternoon! hours... HOURS were spent outside playing today. Babz and I were kicked back in the shade.. me with my phone sending emails and babz with her chew stick!

 

mmmm. sand pies.. why thank you Kellen!

 

 

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With extra time on my hands from working my 2 home based businesses now only.. WOOT by the way! I have been upholding my 2013 New Years resolution of getting caught up on my scrapbooking. I was over two years behind! Getting caught up is no short task but its been fun. Love me some memories and love me some scrapbooking!

Kellen wants to either help or he wants to do some of his own.. He found some paints and decided to paint me some doozies.. I thought his hand prints would be fun for the scrapbook and he thought it was VERY cool to get to paint his hands.. win - win

my little Picasso is extremely left-handed, can you tell by this at all ??

:)

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and drum roll please.... we have a bike rider!!

Yes the training wheels are on still, but this three year old has decided he wants to ride his bike.. One day he just grabbed it out of the garage and said, lets ride, so we did.

A few days of trying really hard and he is riding on his own. and oh so proud of his accomplishment also.. Today at Lowe's the check out guy asked him how old he was and he showed him his '3 fingers', and then said, ' and I can ride my bike too!'  followed by a big smile from both him for his proud moment and his momma for thinking he is truly a sweet gift from God.  

Around the block we go.. and again and again.. and Abby just follows right along!

I am your #1 fan Mr. K. Defend you til the end and cheer for you with every goal you take on.

May your accomplishments be many!

 

 

 

Unconditional: with no conditions!

Here is my heart, wrapped up in these guys!

{A cheerful look brings joy to the heart. - Proverbs 15:30}

 

After church on Easter Sunday we had an hour or so before we needed to head to Mimi's house, so I opted for pictures of course!

The word adore is an understatement for how these two feel about each other.

Jon gets more laughs and smiles out of K than I do .. and I'm only a littttle bit jealous of it.

I'm guessing the wrestling matches have something to do with it.

They are rugged and tough and ALLLL boy, but they are sweet, loving and caring all at the same time. Best of both worlds :)

My favorite days are days we spend just veggin or shopping or playing at parks.. just the three of us buds hangin out. Priceless

THIS is unconditional: with no conditions.

Beyond blessed.  

{Rejoice in the Lord: and again I say, rejoice. - Philippians 4:4}

Where's that wild baracuda bunny at anyways ?!

 

 

Searching high and low for the eggs... check!

We enjoyed hunting eggs at Mimi and Pops with cousin Lily.  

 

It's fun to compare pictures of when he was so tiny to now. He still seems so little until I look at pictures of when he only weight mere pounds!

 

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my oh my how they grow bigger. sigh  The above is one of the sweetest things ever, and the below image is of two rotten cakes! :)

 

 

Jaxson is getting so tall and thin. The above was a sweet age for him. Love how it looks like K is one of the boys hanging out telling secrets. ha

Kellen has had so much expression and personality from day ONE!

He is risen and Kellen couldn't be any happier about it!

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MommaSnaps: DIY: Bringing it Indoors!

 

MommaSnaps: DIY: Bringing it Indoors!

 

With April showers brings May flowers, yada yada.. This year March brought on plenty of groggy cold rainy days in our neck of the woods.  Outdoor photo ops for kids just weren't happening. So while gawking through Lowe's one fine day, I ran across these rather large pieces of flooring and the great big light bulb above my head shined bright! (ding!)

 

 

One sheet lays down, one sets up against something solid to secure it from falling, slightly tilted back. (kitchen table in this case is doing the job nicely.)

 They are facing my large dining room window so the natural light shines through. Typically high noon or the times when outdoor shooting is not ideal is when it worked best for these fun shots.

 

 Originally I had Easter pictures in mind for my kiddos, but realized they were turning out too cute not to invite the cousins and some friends!  These particular sheets are large enough for all ages and sizes. We did not try an entire family, but a family of 4 or 5 could fit on here fine. FYI

 

 

 

 

'The ties that bond' ha

Pop some color!

Don't be afraid to add some LIFE and color to your pictures by adding fun goodies like these Chevelly ties! Jon's mom had gotten these boys these coordinating shirts for some spring scrapbook pictures and I thought why not throw the ties on with them.

 

 

and speaking of 'popping color'... I am always looking for ways to turn existent 'junk' into photo props. I had these four out of date block art pieces that were not going to be good for anything else, so I asked Shelly to cover them in coordinating chevron fabric to go with the ties. Just like with many of my 'ideas' it didn't turn out eggggsactly as I had envisioned, but it is cute none the less. Don't be afraid to at least give it a try. The below picture makes it allll worth it! definitely a fave!

 

 

My son, the lucky duck, gets to do several 'sessions' with Momma's new toys...

We did a 'baseball' themed set. In this next one my husband is simply setting beside me tossing him the baseball. A little action mixed in the bunch. Adding the ball and glove and bat etc etc is helpful in lots of sessions involving kids though, not just one like this. Getting the kids attention off of the lens pointed at them and on to something they enjoy helps break up the grumps.

 

 

 

 

 

I've obviously photo shopped a lot of these. Mainly just playing with the colors and brightness. Haven't had to use a lot of contrast which I prefer not to. Loving the black and white shots with this light back ground. Any time the subject is wearing white I lean towards black and white shots as an option.

and again, Chevelly made the suspenders and bow tie below. Just too cute and fun, loves it. Email her with any creative ideas you have for your kids pictures and she will work with you on getting you what you want, and for such a reasonable price! I adore me some Shelly!  

 

And though these sheets of flooring are not going to last forever, they have already provided an excellent alternative to the weather... and for under $30 total I'd say...

SCORE!