HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESSES!

I cannot believe my little girl is going on two! Next Saturday my sister and I are celebrating Madison and Kylie's 2nd party! It will be so much fun. We rented Tumble Time gymnastics and rented 3 bounce houses for the girls! I cannot wait.

Here is the birthday invite. It took us forever to create but it was worth it! :D

This week I will be decorating the cake! Can't wait to share the pictures with you!

2009 Family Christmas Pictures

WOW!!

Can you believe the tree will be up on Friday and Christmas cards in the mail in the next couple of weeks! In a couple of days Christmas music will be on every station, every toy aisle will be jam packed full of last minute shoppers (so glad my shopping is done!), the return line at Wal-Mart will be a mile long, Christmas lights will be reflecting off the snow from the roof tops, and you will have to get up early to defrost and wipe the snow off your car... Tis the season already! :D Are you ready? Ready or not... it is time to get into the Holiday Spirit!


So on Sunday to get into our Holiday Spirit we headed for the hills and for the first time and did our family pictures playing in the snow. It was so laid back and fun! And what incredible backgrounds we had and the colors were so beautiful against the perfect white snow! I have so many pictures to share! I just loved them all!

Here is Josh and I! I love this picture! Do you like my new hair color? The price we pay to look beautiful!


Here is my sister Melissa! I love how the snow is falling around her!

This is a series of photos... there are 4! But dont' worry no child was injured during this photo shoot!

She looks like a rag doll almost!

Up! Up! Way up high!

I love Josh's expression! And then there is Madison! That poor kid looks frightened!

Our goofy family photo! Even Madison participated!

And our official 2009 Family Photo!

Here is my niece McKynlee all bundled up playing on the sled

This shot didn't quited turn out the way I had planned! But I just love it anyways!

Madison was eating the snow!

Adda LOVED the snow! I mean LOVED IT! We would throw snow balls at her and she would try to catch them!

Here is the original shot of Nick and Melissa... but somethings missing... can you tell what?

Oh yeah... their child... so we photoshoped her in... Does she look fake to you?

What a cute couple. Melissa and Nick... young love....

AND SOME SUN FLARE!!! But it's fake... I added it through photoshop! :D

Sometimes cute couples make you sick!! :D Just kidding

Isn't she a little doll! She had so much fun in the snow

Daddy was trying to throw a snow ball at her in this picture!

Week 46 - “Sun Flare” Photo Challenge!

This week at http://www.iheartfaces.com/ is Sun Flare. You need to have a little flare in your photos... but it has to be from the sun!! :D


So since it is snowy, cloudy, and a abolutely freezing in my area I am going through the archives. I don't do a whole lot with sun flares on my photography but after this contest I am sure I will try to do it a little more often!


This was taken on Easter of last year at the Train Depot in Boise! My son was on the steps blowing bubbles and I noticed the sun blaring over his head. I thought it would be an interesting photo. It was one of my first attempts to use sun flare in a photo and it just can add so much to a picture!!

Life Couldn't Get Any Sweeter!!

I am so privileged to know these absolutely adorable, perfect and sweet little girls!!! I thought for sure taking pictures of infant twins would be a difficult challenge... but the only hard part was the pooping and peeing on everything! Other then that... they were so good and so much fun to take pictures of! Thank you so much to the parents for allowing me to be a part of this special day with you!

Your babies couldn't get any sweeter! I can't wait to watch them grow up! :D

Eya is so expressive! She loves to stick out her tongue and make faces at the camera. She has so many diffderent facial expressions!

This was supposed to be a heart ... only it didn't happen! The babies were wide awake and moving around and kept pulling the blanket over their heads! We will try again on the next photo session!! The picture below was what I tried to achieve... Great picture idea for photographers with twins! So cute and creative!

Adoption Story! - A special post for my friend Beth!

Beth I know how excited, nervous, and anxious you are for Kayleen Elizabeth to arrive... I cannot believe you and Justin will finally be parents! You have been a friend now of mine for over 8 years and I am so excited to share this moment with you in your life!! You and Justin have waited so patiently to adopt a baby and now your dream has come true! I am truly happy for you... I also wanted to share this story with you. I know life has been an emotional roller coaster for you lately but there are so many happy endings... :D

I just found out I had some friends from High School just adopted a beautiful little girl! She is absolutely precious! I saw so many pictures of her and I got to read their adoption story! It is just so incredible watching peoples lives change and their dreams come true! They waited for almost a year on the adoption list. They were picked by a mother who also was going to deliver in a few weeks. So they also only had a few weeks to prepare for baby to arrive. I found this story similar to yours!

http://www.adoptadventure.com/

I love you and I think of you often! Can't wait for you and Justin to come over tomorrow night for dinner!!

Fix-It Friday #37 - Hands-On Photo Editing Fun!

AFTER
You can click on the picture to see it better! pictures are so small

BEFORE

It is Fix it Friday at http://www.iheartfaces.com/ ! This used to be my favorite day... but been so busy I haven't participated in so long! Isn't this little girl darling! Look at her expression as she is playing in these leaves!


This is my edit for the week. I am limited to my software and only have photoshop elements 2.0 (So old School). I have a good excuse though... I am waiting for Windows 7 to come in before downloading software to my new laptop! So using the old desktop computer for now! :D


Here is what I did to the photo


1) Sharpened the photo

2) Removed color cast

3) Enhanced the reds and yellows and greens in the photo to only the leaves and the grass

4) Did a gradient pattern on the photo to darken the outside of the leaves and brightened up only the area around her face so she is what you are drawn too

5) Added some lettering on the photo and a rectangle border along the bottom

6) Did a radial blur using "spin" in photoshop

7) Deleted the areas that I didn't want to have a radial blur like around her face and around some of the leaves

8) Cropped Photo

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Oprah Ending Her Show!!!?

To be honest... I am not an Oprah fan.. (GASP!! Sorry Oprah Fans!!) I just don't watch her show... I don't have time... but regardless of my opinion she is one of the most influential women on our earth! Her show has been the most popular talk show of all time! I was shocked to hear that tomorrow she will announce the end of her show...

But for some reason I don't think that will be the end of Oprah. Someone like her wouldn't just walk away without something else in store for her fans. I have a feeling she has something else up her sleeve... I guess tomorrow we will find out!

To read the article click here.

http://tv.yahoo.com/the-oprah-winfrey-show/show/32704/news/tv.accesshollywood.com/tv.accesshollywood.com-harpo-president-confirms-oprah-winfrey-ending-talk-show-run-network-tv

Wow this completely shocked me! What do you think about this?

Dinner and Dessert and a Little Creativity!

Yesterday for Josh's birthday I made fajitas! YUM! So good! And since cooking these days has become almost non existent I thought I should take a picture of the one item I have cooked this month so that you would think that I do this every night! :D Because everynight we eat a full course meal at the dinner table as a family... REALLY WE DO!!!

So while I was cooking all the food I remembered this absolutely adorable idea that my friend Amy had on her blog. I had to display these beautiful cookies I made for Josh on a proper serving dish. So in about 5 minutes I put two of these serving trays together. SOOOO EASY! With the holidays coming up who doesn't need cheap serving platters. I was just at Wal-Mart and these things cost from $15-20 each! I made two of these things for $3.00. The plates were 50 cents each and the candle holders were $1.00 each... and I know you are now wondering where I found such great bargains... well it is a little place called the dollar store... You should go there sometime!!! :D Slap on some super glue and Walla! A serving tray... so easy... yet so creative!

Happy Birthday Joshy!!! On your way to 30!!

I remember when I first met my husband his brother turned 30 that year... and I remember thinking that his brother was getting old! And now almost 9 years later Josh and I are just around the corner... but it's not that bad! In fact this part of my life has been so much better then almost 20!! College, and dating, and check to check living I don't miss...

But 9 years later we have 3 beautiful children, an over hyper puppy who eats EVERYTHING including my coffee table the other day, and blessed with work and a warm place to live (even if it is old and small!) and I am married to one of the greatest guys ever! We have made it through our 7 year hump... Anyone who has been married that long knows about that right!!? You have to share your story with me... and how you survived that year!! :D

But Josh and I have come so far. I am so proud of him and so thankful for all the things God has changed in our lives. About 3 years ago my husband and I separated and almost divorced (SHOCK! I know nobody knows this on blogger) BUT yes we did and it was the worst moment of my life. A single mother with two boys and a baby on the way. It was hard.

We went to the Weekend to Remember conference and received counseling at Calvary Chapel Church in Boise and now 3 years later we are doing better then we ever have before. Of course he is gone 4 days out of the week traveling so maybe I don't see him enough to get sick of him! :D And when he does come home... I do sometimes look forward to the day he goes out of town again... because he is soooo messy!

But I see how much God has changed the both of us and how much he has opened up the communication in our home and I am sooooo grateful that today we are still together and that we get to celebrate his birthday today as a family! Yesterday the boys and made his favorite dessert that he looks forward to every Christmas year from his Aunt Patty. I stole her recipe (Thanks Becca!) and made it this year myself so we don't have to bug the Owings family this year! All it is is Ritz crackers with peanut butter in the middle dipped in white chocolate. He LOVES THEM! And when he gets them every year from the Owings... he takes about half the bag and hides them from the rest of his family because he doesn't want to share! :D

When he gets home today from traveling the boys and I will surprise him with those... and I am thinking about making Carne Asada tacos.... On the Border Style with blue cheese crumbles!! I worked there for so long serving... I am sure I can make them taste the same... (YEAH RIGHT!) Anyways love you Josh and hope you have a wonderful birthday... even though you are working late tonight... :( XOXOXO

Gorgeous Blogger Award

Even after my pathetic attempts to write blogs these days... I am still loved in the blogging community!! Thank you Taylor and her Mommy!

This was given to me by one of my FAVORITE bloggers at The Adventures of Teeny Tiny Taylor. If you want to see one of the cutest little girls ever go visit this site.

You have to write six things about yourself that you haven't told people. So here goes.

1.) I am a clean freak.... if my house is a mess I am stressed out. If one item is out of place I get annoyed. Everything has a place in my house. With three kids it is impossible to keep things organized. Every morning I spend at least 2-3 hours cleaning my house. I have a schedule and bathrooms get cleaned 2 times a week, floors vacuumed daily, mopping at least once a week, and I even steam clean my carpets, couches and wash sheets and comforters once a week. It seems to get worse as I get older too. My rule is I don't leave the house unless my dishes are done... and I always keep my dining room table neatly decorated and my bed made daily... It drives my husband crazy because he doesn't' understand why I even bother.


2.) I love to do yard work and mowing the yard. And even though at the very moment you cannot tell because my yard is a wreck this spring I will be out weekly pulling weeds and mowing my yard. I love to plant bulbs such as Tulips and Lillies.

3.) I only buy kids movies. I know a lame fact but I have gotten to the point where I LOVE pixar films and only think those movies are worth buying. My kids and I have a movie night almost every Friday night and we LOVE to watch Disney movies! I have also recently became a action fanatic and LOVE moves like Transformers, Wolverine, and GI Joe! Especially in Blu Ray!

4.) I am artistic. I have a natural talent at art. As a child I hated this talent. I wanted to be talented at singing, dancing or cheerleading... but I have no coordination and a TERRIBLE voice so I was the nerdy student in all the art classes. I have become very appreciative in this talent as I got older. It has helped me with my photography, my crafts with my children... and just little things like baking cakes. It just comes easy to me. I don't know why... it just does.

5.) I am not an animal lover. Weird huh? Since I own a dog... on my own account too! But seriously... I don't like pets. They stink. They are dirty and always in the way. This is a fact that I am not proud of but I will share anyways... since Josh and I have been married we have managed to rid of 6 dogs and 2 cats.... so when we brought Adda home my family lectured me about actually keeping this one for once!!! So far she has managed to survive our household for 6 months... and as much as she drives me crazy... she is a part of my family now and my kids love her... so she will stay... unless she eats my camera again... then I will just beat her with my camera... LOL! (And I am only kidding about beating her with my camera!)

6.) I love my alone time. If I EVER have a break from my kids and my husband... my idea of fun is cleaning my house (HA HA back to #1 on my list of 6 things) and then staying at home in a nice quiet, and clean house! I really love spending time alone. I love my friends... but there is something about only having to worry about yourself that is so appealing...

7.) And just for fun... one more fact about me... I LOVE NINTENDO AND COMPUTER GAMES! The other night... I played Lego Indiana Jones till 3 in the morning with my boys... I love computer games, board games, card games... But especially Nintendo games... It was something my dad and my grandma and I did together growing up (Yes my grandma played Nintendo too! She was a pro... and we played Zelda for hours on end!!!) Those were the days. My dad and I would play Mario Kart every weekend till like 2-3 in the morning... My dad is coming in town for Thanksgiving and we have Command and Conquer Generals tournaments against each other on our laptops...

So there you go... 6 facts about me!!! Now lets hear about you...

Now to pass this award on to 6 other bloggers... and a reason why I chose them
1.) Melissa @ http://clem4fam4.blogspot.com/ - thanks so much for all your lovely comments and all the updates on your family!!!

2.) Kimber @ http://kimberjepperson.blogspot.com/ Thanks for sharing all your pictures with us!

3.) Jules @ http://touchoflovephotog.blogspot.com/ Can't get enough of those little girls... and congrats on #3

4.) Life with Kaishon @ http://kaishon.blogspot.com/ Thanks for all the laughs!

5.) Amy @ http://welcome2myfrontporch.blogspot.com/ Thanks for all the creativeness and recipes

6.) Beth @ http://justinbeth.wordpress.com/ - Thanks for just being so wonderful and being there for me! Your are a wonderful friend!!!

Now you have to pass this award on to 6 others and also share with us 6 fun facts about yourself!

Week 45 - “Autumn Beauty” Photo Challenge

This weeks theme at http://www.iheartfaces.com/ is Autumn Beauty. The idea is to enter a photo with all the magnificent fall colors in the background. This is my favorite season and we are so lucky in Boise Idaho to have this beautiful park near our home called Albertson's Park. It is one of my favorite places to go to take photos because of all of it's colors, landscapes and ponds.

This is a picture of my 3 favorite boys pointing at something! :D