one pretty messy side braid.

yesterdays make up still on my face.... not so pretty.

by the way...its raining today and i couldnt be happier!

i have plans to go to the farmers market, and make a menu for the week. other than that, im wingin it today.

and those are probably the best days of all.

a new place to lay their heads

this is the last time the gals will be able to this......

because they got.....

now they have WAY more space to play and make bigger messes.

they are beyond excited.

rain or shine.

monday was fun.
we went to the park and played in the sunshine. marks brother and sister brought their families to join us. we ate pizza and then headed to the mall. that night we snuggled and read books. we put the kids to bed and then me and mark snuggled in our comfy bed and read our own books.

tuesday, today, i was summoned to court to be selected to be a juror. there were 50 of us to start with. in the end, they picked 12 jurors, me being one of them... for a 3 day trial. not so happy. i dont mind the process, and i would love to be a juror again sometime. but not when my kids are little. they can have me all they want when my kids are grown. mark has to work, and i am struggling to find people to watch my kids. well not struggling.... i have a lot of friends who are willing to help,  i just hate feeling like im burdening people with watching my kids. and to be honest, i miss their guts! i hate coming home, eating dinner and then sending them to bed and not seeing them at all. im so glad i am able to stay at home with them. to teach them and to hear and see all of the things they say through out the day.

mark was the greatest today. when i got home he had made smoked pork roast in his new smoker, mashed potatoes and HOMEMADE BREAD! you heard me right! im so lucky to have him. he is seriously so good to us. he is the most selfless man i know.

i love him. i love kissing him and hearing the kids say , "ewwww! gross!!! not on the lips!!!" but at least they know we love each other and know that we are there for one another.

i love my family,  through the easy and fun and family days. and through the long and hard and apart days. they are my life. my loves. my dears. my sweets.

callie and her books.

A story is a special thing
The ones that I have read
They do not stay inside the books
They stay inside my head.
Unknown

todays date is 1.11.11 ! make it great!
xo

son

+ you are such a boy.

+ you love dumping and smashing and crashing and wrecking and pulling and grunting and running.

+ i love giving you piggie back rides down the stairs and dumping you on the same couch.

+ i love the way you stare at me and blink, long blinks, over and over. we go back and forth blinking to each other as if saying " i love you more, no i love you MORE, no me more." 

+ i love your soft side. you adore your stuffed animals and squeeze them till their insides are going to burst. you love to lay your head on pillows and sigh in relief of comfort.

+ you love your daddy soooooooo much. as soon as you hear his voice when he gets home, you go bonkers and NEED him.

i love you son. xo

and mom and dad can hardly wait for school to start again.............. im not one of those moms.

[ addie and my brothers dog, Lennon at mimis house]

addie went back to school on monday. man we had a good break. i really enjoyed the easy, laid back mornings when everyone trickled into my bed and we snuggled up together under the warm soft blankets. there was no rush in the morning to hurry and wake addie up to get her out the door in time. no getting her dressed while she is still half asleep or shoving food in her mouth and making sure i pack a nutritious snack.  we made yummy breakfasts that ended at 10 a.m. we stayed in our pjs almost all day long. we didnt go anywhere, just enjoyed being home. it was wonderful.
now its back to school. i do love it, but i sure do miss my girl. not being apart of her day more. she is one smart cookie and i love her to pieces.
xo

more family pictures

things to remember about this day....

it was cold!

walker kept running off.

callie wouldnt smile and i had to bribe them with a treat afterward.

we went to have ice cream, even though we were so dang cold.

when i saw these images for the first time, i burst out in pure joy! i couldnt stop saying, "I love them! they are so pretty! ooo look at this one!"

this photo shoot was so so so worth it. i have so many pictures plastering my walls, including a huge 24 x 30 inch canvas print.

these pictures will be forever cherished.

enjoy.

see more at ashleymadsenphotography.

christmas morn

i awoke to little feet scurrying down the stairs. i sat straight up in bed and looked over at the clock.
it read 2:30 A.M. !!!!!!

i know.


addie was yelling out that santa had been there and that he ate the cookies, and that the celery was gone!
i ran my tired tush downstairs and told her it was wayyyy too early and that we needed to sleep a little bit more. we walked up the stairs & she was smiling from ear to ear.
i tucked her back into bed and made my way back to my warm bed and drifted off to sleep.

before i know it i hear her again asking, " is it time yet? can we get up now?"

i look at the clock....

2:45 A.M.

it was going to be a long night. and it was.

i made her a little bed on the floor on my side so i could keep an eye on her if she woke up again.
sure enough our neighbors were up till 4 in the morning letting off fireworks and i found addie with her head pressed to the window watching them.

i brought her back to the bed one last time.
walker woke up around 6:30 and we all arose with excitement.
christmas was HERE!






stockings.

santa gifts.

my hunny got me a beautiful record player. so excited!

i got him a new sound system for his car.

i was so worried that walker would just want to tear apart all of the gifts, but with a candy cane in hand, he had no other worries or desires. he was as happy and content as could be.

in their own little worlds.

i asked callie what she liked best out of everything she got... her reply...

the books.
not surprised. i love my book readin gal so much!

later that day we drove up to the mountains to visit my family. both of my brothers were there. it was so nice to be with family.

my mom surprised mark with a new phone and me with a new camera! i think im still in shock!

what a great and memorable christmas we had.
the family, the food, the love, the gifts, the stories, the lights,
and most of all
 Christ.

o christmas tree, o christmas tree.....

everything was ready, the children were nestled in their beds, and surprisingly we got to bed before 10:00!

christmas morning next.