Happy Birthday Tante Beth!

Tonight we celebrated Beth's birthday:-)  I took my flash and my new diffuser to try it out!  I still need some practice:-)

Josh enjoyed making funny faces.

The yummy cake, Pam has found a bakery she loves:-)

My boys like to ham it up!

Did Josh realize he too was blowing while the kiddos were blowing out the candles?  Looks like Miss A is taking charge again!

Beth and MJ:-)

The littles:-)

Cutting the cake!

The accessory to the cake:-)

Beth is such a special friend and sister.  I am so blessed to have her in my life, and to only live 7 minutes away!  Not quite like the early days where we spent everyday together and our kids just played and played, but now when we do get together the kids all venture off on their own journey's and activities and we can actually talk.  We just have to stop running all over the place to school and work, long enough to grab some time!  But when we do, I am truly blessed!  Happy Birthday BetH!

A New Project:-)

I started a little project over here, you might want to check it out:-)  Follow my photography blog if you want to see how it unfolds:-)  This is where you will find all the posts on the project.

Happy New Year!

New Flash

Well it was time to embrace the flash.  I've had some super LOW light situations lately and ones coming up, and I just needed to learn a new trick:-)  Thankfully my husband supports advancing my photography knowledge:-)  Well, to some extent!  These images were captured by simply attaching the flash, making some exposure adjustments and shooting away...NOW it's time to read the manual and figure it out:-)  

Thankfully my boys are always willing models:-)  Even if you have to endure cheesy faces!

This is Daniel's signature "cheese" face:-)  He's our comedian!

12.31.12 | DPP 2012

You scream, I scream, We ALL scream for ICE CREAM!  Happy New Year's Eve!  We had a most excellent dinner here, and then headed home for dessert, a roaring game of bingo, which meant this poor guy missed the NY ball drop at 9pm, and had to go to bed without seeing it.  He will recover I am sure but I was a bit sad too.  Oh well next year!  And then soon enough they will be staying up for the current time zone's ACTUAL New year's...Now off to prepare New Year's breakfast, and have my own champagne:-)

12.30.12 | DPP 2012

DATE NIGHT!  Dinner here, a walk, and then this movie.  Pretty much the perfect evening with the perfect guy:-)

12.29.12 | DPP 2012

Today we ventured out with these folks:-)  Headed to the Living Desert, and had a great time!  The weather is perfect, maybe a little cold for some, I thought it was beautiful!

12.28.12 | DPP 2012

We are here!  Christmas dinner tonight and some gift giving:-) 

12.27.12 | DPP 2012

Getting ready to go!  Heading down to visit my folks and my brother's family for another Christmas celebration!  A long car ride awaits us!

12.26.12 | DPP 2012

 Merry Day after Christmas!  This is Daniel's VERY OWN scooter:-)  Everything he opened he exclaimed "It's My VERY OWN _____!"  Super cute!  Unfortunately it was raining all day yesterday and today SO inside scootering is all they got!

12.25.12 | DPP 2012

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A sweet quiet family day that started with breakfast, a little FaceTime chat, Holden reading the Christmas Story to us from Luke, and opening his very own Kindle:-)  And of course a gourmet dinner, but more on that later:-)

12.24.12 | DPP 2012

Merry Christmas EVE!!!  Let's see lounging, sewing, dinner, and church, YUP that is what we have on the agenda!

12.23.12 | DPP 2012

"All I want for Christmas are my TWO FRONT teeth:-)"

He finally lost the second tooth on the ride home yesterday:-)  Too bad this couldn't be our Christmas card:-)  Love this kid!

12.22.12 | DPP 2012

A little snowstorm for our way home...took us over 6 hours to go 100 miles?  OUCH!  We were all ready to JUMP out of the moving car!  But we made it safe, and were thankful to be home, although being "snowed in"  wouldn't have been TERRIBLE:-)

12.21.12 | DPP 2012

This is our view from the timeshare in Tahoe!  Thank you Swope Family, we are enjoying ourselves immensely!  No actual snowing yet, BUT plenty on the ground!  Can't wait for a day of fun in the snow, and just general FAMILY time, with NOTHING to do!

12.20.12 | DPP 2012

Today was Daniel's holiday sing.  He was all excited, a bit nervous, but he knew the songs...until he got on stage, seriously he was DEER IN HEADLIGHTS, until they got to his very favorite song, "We WISH you a Merry Christmas" it was a little reminiscent of this.

Afterward they had lots of sugar and a visit by the BIG guy.

Daniel made sure to get two of everything so he could share with Holden:-)  It was TOO cute!

After Holden got out of school we headed up to Tahoe, for a little R&R.

12.19.12 | DPP 2012

Hung out with these two today, it was a blessing:-)  I had some errands to run, so they came with me.  A woman in front of me thought they were SO cute that she bought them cocoa:-)  It was a reminder, God's gentle voice saying, "Snap out of your mood!  These moments are GIFTS!"  I love these two:-)

12.18.12 | DPP 2012

Today Daniel had his Book Gift Exchange at Preschool, he was SO excited to give a Dinosaur book to someone in his class.  I am really blessed to be able to go in and experience preschool with him!  He LOVES it when I am there:-)

12.17.12 | DPP 2012

My ToDo list...4 quadrants, long lists...Luckily I crossed off most of one quadrant, as today is Monday, workday for me:-)  A Lot to do before Christmas though!

12.16.12 | DPP 2012

FINALLY ordered our cards!  Coming to a mailbox near you soon:-)

You didn't REALLY think I would show it to you BEFORE I mailed them...did you??

12.15.12 | DPP 2012

P90X is an epidemic in this house:-)  Tom and the boys, "Brining IT!"