Another Cool Thing...

You can see Hadley and Layton playing on the video games in the background of this photograph. This is a partial view of the ginormous playground at the orthodontist's office. It makes it so much easier to take them all with me when I know they'll be occupied.

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While Ella Was At The Orthodontist...

Hadley and Layton played video games in the play room while Ella was having work done on her mouth. She will have to have a new appliance for a few months. :( It's worth it though; she doesn't suck her thumb anymore.

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What To Do After a Workout...

Take the children for a dip in the gym pool of course!! It's great to let them swim and play during the winter months. They absolutely love it!!

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Find Joy In Everything...

My life has been wonderful. I have been blessed with far more goodness than I deserve. I have chosen to keep my blog upbeat.

I have three beautiful children.

I have a husband who loves me more than anything else on the world.

I have an education.

I have a home and a car.

I have a truly splendid existence.

Sorry, that makes it sound like I am bragging. That is not the purpose of this post. The purpose is make a few truths known about me.

I have experienced loss.

I have experienced tragedy.

I have been victimized.

I have been afraid.

I have survived.


None of these things makes my life any less blessed. None of these things makes me look back on my life and not think of it as wonderful. I am a "glass half full" person. Sometimes God has asked me to walk a path that I didn't want to walk. I walked it anyway. I didn't ask...WHY ME???...even though I wanted to. The "why" is not important. How I pick myself up and keep going is the important part. Faith. Faith keeps me going.

I have chosen to keep my blog upbeat. Sure, sometimes I want to have an all out cuss fit. Then I remind myself that having a cuss fit on my blog won't make things any better. Describing every negative aspect of my life won't make it any better.

I have chosen to keep my blog upbeat. Sure, sometimes I want to wallow in self pity because of something that happened a decade ago. Then I remind myself that the past is over and done. Maybe I will never get over certain things that have happened, but I have learned to get past it.

I have chosen to keep my blog upbeat.

Another Quote I Love...

A man's face is his autobiography. A woman's face is her work of fiction.

~Oscar Wilde

Retreat...

If you were going to go on a retreat, wouldn't this place be great?

Well, this is where the recent young women's ministry retreat I attended was. Everyone had a great time!

My Dirty Affair...

Confession time. I am having an affair with my vacuum cleaner. Can you blame me?



He has a schedule.
He can be told to start his job early.
He doesn't complain when I ask him to clean extra rooms.
He goes back to his home base when he's done.
How did I survive without him?

Weekend Review...

7 - The number of hours I spent doing laundry this past weekend.

6 - The number of children in my house Saturday morning.

5 - The number of people in my nuclear family.

4 - The number of Krystal burgers Davis ate.

3 - The number of times one child hit another child with a Wii remote.

2 - The number of times a child wanted me to cook something while I was in the shower.

1 - The number of dental emergencies.

0 - The number of times I wasn't happy with my weekend.

Overall, it was a blessed weekend! I got to spend time with friends Friday night. I got to babysit Davis on Saturday. If it's okay with his mama, I have a couple of pictures of him that I am dying to blog about!!! I helped with laundry Saturday night for a family that needed it. I made an AWESOME supper last night. I'm not much of a cook, but even I have to admit that last night's meal turned out really well. Even Hadley ate it without complaining. And, my new boyfriend (Roomba) got the floors all nice and clean. That's right. I have officially fallen in love with my Roomba. My mother-in-law and father-in-law gave it to me for Christmas. Last night, I told them that I loved my Roomba more than I love their son. That was extreme. I had to do some serious apologizing to the hubs after that. :) He forgave me though. 'Cuz if he didn't, he wouldn't have any clean socks today. I'm passive aggressive like that. :)

I Love Crabs...

Crab tastes yummy!! Some of the best crab I have ever eaten was in San Francisco last year. We bought it at Fisherman's Wharf at this restaurant.



There was no seating. You order your crab which is cooked in front of you and placed in a paper basket of sorts. You also get lemon with it.



This is my crab in my lap. Yum.

I Was Happy Until You Took My Camera Away...

Just Because He Is So Cute...

Ella's Photographic Journey Continues...

Ella has continued to use her camera at an alarming rate. Everyday she takes more and more pictures. I have included a few recent photos for your viewing pleasure.

Self Portrait. Again.



She made Hadley smile.



She even got her ugly mother in on the photography.

Alexander Supertramp...

Christopher McCandless wandered into the Alaskan wilderness without a compass, map, or enough food to sustain his life. He died in 1992 presumably of starvation.

Sean Penn directed a movie about Christopher's life and death a couple of years ago. I would recommend watching Into the Wild. It's not an easy view. It's not something that will give you the warm fuzzies. It will provoke thought though.

He's Got Legs...

I was perusing the Internet. I saw this photo of Conan. I realized that his legs are longer than I am tall. Maybe not. But it's close...I am a hobbit.

Chesley...

This is my younger sister. I call her KK. We have always called her KK. This is her youngest daughter. Her name is Chesley. Pronounce it like the game plus leigh...Chess-Leigh. Cool? I don't call her that though. I call her Cheese Wee. That's how Layton pronounced her name for the longest time, and it just stuck with me.

The hubs chased her all over my mother's house when we celebrated Christmas. He was trying to get a good photo of her, but she wasn't having it. This is one of the few pictures of her we did get. Isn't she a doll?!!?!?!?!?!!?!

Sleepy Ella...

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The Nixon Pose Returns...

Well. He is still making his Nixon pose when I pull out the camera. This was in the car on the way to get Hadley one day. It was just so cute!!

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Before the Fro Was Gone...

This photo was just too cute not to share. Notice that my niece Charsy looks like she is ready to fight.

Just Another Random Day...

With Ella...



And Layton...




And Hadley...

E. Ro. - Self Portrait Style...

Ella loves to take pictures. She wanted a camera for Christmas really, really bad. So, she got a camera for Christmas.

I was checking her memory card when I realized what she is photographing. Herself.

Exhibit A:



Exhibit B:



Exhibit C:




Exhibit D:

A variety of hairstyles, outfits, and locations...