The Nutcracker! Such a fun Christmas activity. Andrea and Leah absolutely LOVED it. Leah stared the whole time. She laughed, worried, and smiled during the two hour show with not one single word. I love how live performances can do that. The show, once again, truly moved me and I was so glad to see that it did the same to Andrea and Leah (Rachel's daughter, my niece).

the girls are posing with the main man...
Andrea had a friend who danced in a lot of the show. Here they pose with "the big lady"!

before the show, after a nice dinner...

we sat in the second row, center stage...the cool part was that no one was sitting in the first row so we actually had front row seats. (this never happens to us...I'm cheap and buy nosebleed tickets...)

Leah was trying to read Andrea's mind during dinner...

notice how Leah looks at Andrea? she idolizes her big cousin...

two sweet little girls growing up so fast....

these two really do love each other...they can fight though, and it drives me CRAZY!!!

I have to start this post with the following:

THANK YOU EMILY WAITE FOR THE FANTASTIC, AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, AND WONDERFUL PORTRAITS!

*many more photos were taken but in an effort not to scare you away, only a few were chosen to post

::whew::

now that the thank yous are done...I can start bloggin'.

so, obviously, I am grateful for the pics and one reason why is that it has been about 3 years since I had portraits taken of any of us! That may seem like forever to some and nothing to others but you must FIRST understand that ....I am not proud of this just stating a fact... I had portraits taken of Andrea every two months for two years and at least 3-4 times a year after those crazy first years. Ask anyone who knows me well. Many pictures, and yes, every bit of clothing matches, and many sizes of pictures for anyone who gave a dang.

I don't regret it at all. Andrea's first two years are well documented and so are her cousins'. I do regret all the matching outfits...but, oh well. It seemed like the perfect thing to do at the time and I spent very hard earned money on them. So, no looking back.

Can I get an Amen?!?!?

I am getting so excited for the holidays. I always do.

But, I'm worried...just a little...because every year, I get these MAJOR post holiday blues!

I get so excited to see family, friends, strangers (anyone that has a pulse and who can carry on a conversation) and then when New Year's celebrations are over, I'm depressed. Not too bad lately but for a while...I wouldn't leave the house for a few days cause I felt so empty...

So, my question (or questions) to all of you (maybe 10 people actually look at this blog..) is:::::

ONE- do you ever feel this way?

and

TWO- how do you overcome said feelings?

and

THREE- do you think that it's wrong to be so "open book" on a public blog?!?!?

Love you all! (all 10 of you that actually read the ...uh...not crap...uh...words, yes words! that I write/type here in blog land!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

ONE DAY LEFT!!!

this post is dedicated to all the moms out there that have "gone back to school" after having children!

so, this is a terrible pic of me, but DANG that boy with me is HOT! I can't even describe my feelings about him. I love him dearly. I can't wait to see everything he experiences in life! His mommy is such a good one. I can't believe how much he LOVES her. I love that about my sister. She is so soft, sweet, and kind. I'm glad she has been given the two children that she has been blessed with because they have been huge blessings to me! (by the way, he's only one month old! he's a BIG boy!)


and this girl...I love her so much. I don't know what my life would be like without her. I saw a movie one time in which the main character said to a love interest, "you make me wanna be a better man" .... I feel the same way but, it's more like, "you make me wanna be a better mom."

on a slightly different note...

I have ONE day left of school left and ... let me tell you, I CAN'T wait to be a mom again, a wife again, and a daughter/sister/friend again!!!

This has been one incredible road I have travelled down. I really recommend it to anyone. My adult college experience has been one that I will never regret.

I can't begin to describe my first year teaching. It has been such a joy and a struggle to balance all the "activities" in my life. I am sooooo thankful to my husband who has put up with many tear sessions. And to my daughter, I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for everything I have missed during this journey of mine. You really are the reason I did this. It may not seem like it at times, but, I did it so you would have a good life with me. I love you, Andrea, so much. You are daddy's girl, but MOMMY'S WORLD!!!

Benny Bum!

So, this little boy is turning ONE! I can't believe it! A year ago, we were all waiting to hear about his birth. The time flies...

The pictures are backwards. They are supposed to start with him standing up...

and then it would be this one ^^^ where he is walking...

and then it would end with him walking away instead of him getting up...

I'm not very good at this.

Anyone have advice? How do I upload a bunch of pics? It always cancels on me... How do I move pics that I have uploaded?

Thanks for any advice...I need a blog expert!

Oy Vey!

2009/2010

This was Andrea's and my first day of school this year! We were so excited and nervous!

random pics...

Rachel turned 28 last month. This is her and Leah at lunch at Macaroni Grill. Leah is always a ham for the cameras.

I took Andrea rock climbing here in town. She was brave. Ok, so it's not that high...but still, us moms always find something to brag about...

During the Pinto World Horse Show in Oklahoma, Andrea placed second over all. She is the Reserve Grand Champ in the nation.

Thinking about the riding pattern...

Warming up before a trail class.

I can't believe you've gone and turned 10!!!

Troy and I are both very proud of you and so happy you are a part of our lives!

I can't believe you're ten!!! It seems like just yesterday that I was holding your little 7 pound body in my arms! I'm incredibly proud of you. You are my life!

Everyday, every moment, I live to be a mother to you!

Love you ANDREA!!!!

2nd post!!!

so, my niece and nephew post more than I do...but I explained why I don't post more on the last one!

I'm posting today to show off some pics!