Central Texas Night Lights

I've been playing around with some night shots. This was one that I took last night, looking towards Fort Hood.

Archer Lee

We Have A New Addition To Our Little Family!!

I took the pictures and made the announcements myself. I love the way they turned out!

Strawberry Surprise!

I was sitting in the back yard, snapping pictures of my kids, when this little moment unfolded before me. My sweet little boy, who happens to LOVE strawberries, unsuspectingly bit into his yummy treat. The look that appeared on his face was absolutely hilarious! I am more than thrilled to say that I was able to catch this all on camera. So here you go... His funny moment with a strawberry!

Colorado Bend State Park

We recently took our kids on quite an amazing nature walk. I have to admit though, I had no idea what we were in for. We looked at the map, which said it was a little over a mile in. Smugly I thought... that's not so bad. Little did I know, it would take us around 4 hours to make the walk both ways. Although, it took me a couple days to recover, it was well worth it!
We started our venture at the top of the trail, where there are restrooms and a picnic table. We brought fried chicken, rolls, veggies, chips, and drinks. After eating our yummy meal, we put everything up and headed towards the trail.
The trail starts out flat and smooth. Maybe a couple of small hills.... but it is so deceiving. Our boys, ages 4 and 2, eagerly walked . They stopped to look at every flower, rock, and bug along the way. We went up and down a couple of hills and then the trail started to get a little rockier... then a little steeper... and before we knew it, we were hiking.
The last part of the trail is the steepest. There are metal poles driven into the rock, with heavy wire looped through it, for you to hold on to. It was much to steep to let the boys walk down, so James carried them down.
You can hear the water as your making your way down but can't see the falls until you're at the bottom and let me tell you..... It IS breathtaking. At that point, there is absolutely no doubt that the trail holds a treasure at the end. It is simply amazing!
This was such a great little nature walk/hike. I'm so happy that we had the chance to experience it, together.
In case you're wondering, Yes... the hike back was the hard part. Mostly up hill and slow moving but keep in mind that I'm nearly 8 months pregnant. The kids walked the trail both ways... with the exception of the last part. So, if you're ever in Central Texas, don't miss out on this amazing little walk!

One Of My Favorites

I love the short winters here in Central Texas! More importantly, my kids enjoy the fact that they can spend most of their days playing in the backyard.
I snapped this picture of Mason, yesterday. I love how his head and body are distorted, putting the focus on his big brown eyes! They are so full of expression and life. So yes, this is one of my favorite pictures!

7 Months... And Counting!

I took this today using my tripod and timer. It didn't turn out at all like I had visioned but maybe that's because I am a photographer and not a model.
This is my self portrait, at 7 months. It's been a pretty "normal" pregnancy. He's pretty mellow as long as I'm up and moving around but the second I sit down, he starts to kick up a storm! I think this little guy is definitely going to have to be rocked to sleep!
I'm counting the days.... can't wait to meet him!

Today I Fell In Love, With A Building

You almost feel as though you've stepped back in time, as you stand in her shadow.

Peek through a broken window, you'll see something like this.

I love how the stone has aged, showing the texture of each block.

You can't help but think about what she was like in her glory days.

The Keystone Hotel, 1870. Famous early-day stagecoach inn of J. L. N. Gracy.
Windows have keystone arches. Native rock was hauled to the site by oxen.
In the rear was a grave of a boy killed by Indians.

She's Growing Up!

I look up at my little girl.. yes up. It's hard to believe that at the age of 13, she's already taller than me. I forget quite often that she's not a little girl anymore. I forget that she's capable of doing things for herself, which annoys her terribly! She never fails to amaze me. I'm stunned to see how generous she is, lord knows she didn't get that from me. Although she is very beautiful, she has an even grander personality. I look up at her today and see one of the most amazing young women I've ever met.

She thought it would be fun to dress up as a "Real Texan" for these pictures. Lol I love her creativity!

My sweet daughter,
I hope you know that... you ALWAYS have, and ALWAYS will be, my sunshine. I love you!

6 Months And Counting

So here we are, waiting for our 3rd little boy! I can't believe how fast the past 6 months have gone by! We have another sonogram scheduled for tomorrow. I'm so excited to see how much our little guy has grown! I feel like most of my growing has been in my rear end and thighs. I just don't think my belly has gotten as big as I remember with the others. I guess we'll see though, there's still a few months to go. The boys were 8lbs 14oz and 9lbs 4oz, so I'm guessing that this one will be somewhere around there too??

Busy Busy Busy

So it's been a while and we've been busy busy busy! It looks like spring is finally here, in Texas. So we've been taking advantage of the nice weather! Naturally we've been grilling and playing outside with the kids but we've also started some projects! Yay! I say this with enthusiasm because most outdoor projects involve my husband sweating and not me!
Yesterday, James started laying the brick for one of our flower beds. Our 4 year old was absolutely thrilled that this was a project he could help with. It was so fun to watch the father-son duo work together. They made such a great team! Too bad our youngest was taking a nap, I'm sure he would have loved to help too!
Speaking of another little helper, we have news! We are expecting another little boy in June. Yes, we are pregnant! 2010 is looking like a great year for us.

Fort Hood, Texas

Yesterday there were 13 people killed and another 30 more injured. This happened here, in our community, our home. My husband was on post at the time this occurred and until he called, after 5pm, I wasn't completely sure if he was safe or not. Everyone here is trying to make sense of what went wrong. Is there anything that could have been done to prevent this? Is there anything that CAN be done to prevent things like this from happening again? One thing that we have to remember, as we think about this terrible event, is that this was one of our own. Regardless of his race, religion, or name... this was a fellow soldier. How do you protect yourself from one of your own?
I found out about the shootings at 2pm. Listening to the radio, on my way to pick up our 4 year old son from preschool. I don't think reality sank in until I got to the school and it was on lock down. I sat there, on a bench, in disbelief. Standing around me were many other parents talking about it all. I just sat, listened, and tried to fight back the tears. The moment I saw my son's sweet, innocent smile, the tears began to flow. I saw that face, and all I could think was.... some sweet child just lost their mommy or daddy.
My heart goes out to the families who have have a loved one who was lost or injured yesterday.

Pumpkin Patch

It was suppose to be almost 80 degrees. Too warm to sit inside and waste the day away. So we decided to take full advantage of it and headed to the pumpkin patch. For those of you who live in central Texas, you MUST visit the Silo Christmas Tree Farm and Pumpkin Patch. It was one of the best I've ever been to. The kids loved it! They had hay rides, train rides, pony rides, a maze, pumpkin painting, water races, a petting zoo, and the best part of all... freshly grilled burgers! We had such a great time.

Finally Got It Back

I'm so happy to announce that I finally have my camera back! A sensor had gone out in the power switch soooo... I had to mail it to the repair center to be fixed. It seemed like forever but my beloved camera has finally made her way back home.
I took this picture, of my 4 year old son, playing basketball in our driveway. He really is pretty good!

Moving Forward

September was a busy month. There were birthdays, packing, unpacking, remodeling, and decorating the new house. It seems the last month has been one full of change and with that change comes a feeling of loss.
Both of my boys have their birthday in September. On each of their special days all I could think about was that it wouldn't always be like this. Before we know it, they won't want to hang with dear old mom and dad on their birthday. Soon it will be all about their friends. Soon after, it will be about girls, cars, and "getting out of this town." I realized that each birthday is another year closer I am to facing the day that my little boys leave home. sniff sniff So as we celebrated with cake and ice cream, presents, and songs. I made sure that I held on to this memory because a part of me realizes that it won't be like this for long.
The month of September also brought us something else to celebrate. We bought our first home. With this came the packing, unpacking, painting, and more. Though we are thrilled to finally be home owners, it was a bitter sweet goodbye I said to the other house. Our little rental that the kids and I lived in, while James was deployed, stores a lot of memories. It was in that house that I had to find the strength to do things alone. It was in that house, that a new part of me was born. I felt a little sad as I took one last look out the kitchen window because that is where I would often stand and watch the boys play in the backyard. I can hear their laughter echo in my mind. Yes, I will miss that run down old rental.... but I smile at the thought of all the new memories we are about to start making in OUR home. I look back and see all that we accomplished in the past 2 years and I know that this is going to be amazing.
So I guess it's time to move forward.... but I will always look back.... because behind me are some of the most beautiful memories and if I don't take the time to relive them.... they could be lost forever. I hope that each day we may all hear the echos of laughter from our past.

Water Park Pictures

Yesterday, we took the boys to the water park. We had such a great time together. I took a couple of pictures and wanted to share with you all. These were taken with my husband's camera as mine is currently in in the shop. :(

The Ugly Truth

The air is filled with the sound of cheers and a marching band. A young and beautiful woman is pushing through the crowd, desperately searching for her love. All the while, he's doing the same thing. It seems as though the search will go on forever when suddenly, they lock eyes. At that very moment, all the noise that filled the air, is replaced with the sound of a symphony. With their eyes locked on one another, the handsome soldier and beautiful young woman walk towards each other and she is now in his arms. As they begin to kiss, a soft breeze begins to blow, gently pushing her hair away from her face. Ahhhh... I do love a good romantic story.
As you know, my husband recently returned home from a 14 month deployment to Iraq. He came home on his mid-tour leave in October, then it was another 10 months before we saw him again. As it got closer for his return, I often thought about his homecoming and how it would be. Being a hopeless romantic, I always thought about the paragraph above. I have since discovered the ugly truth.
I had been tearing up all morning, my face was swollen, my stomach was in knots, I was going to the bathroom every 5 minutes, and to top things off I felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack.
Looking around the gym, you could clearly tell you were sitting in a room full of sexually deprived women. Honestly, the first two things that come to your mind after not seeing your husband for 10 months are sex and a break from the kids. Just being honest here. ;0)
After what seemed like an eternity, the moment was finally here. Our husbands, sons, daddies, and grandsons came running into the gym! - and there they stood.
It was now time for the moment I had been thinking about for so long. Other people rushed down to the center of the gym. I stood on the bleachers unable to go down, holding my 1 year old with one hand and my 3 year old's hand with the other. Crying, I watched as my husband made his way towards us. My nose began to run and before I could do anything about it he was standing in front of me. Forgetting that I had told him to grab the kids first, just in case I fainted, I leaned in for a kiss... just as he bent down to pick up our 3 year old. He then stood up and received the most disgusting kiss a person could imagine. Two words, snot and tears.
So my friends, just a friendly reminder that a fantasy is always nice but sooner or later you will experience the ugly truth.

Welcome Home Troops!!!

Meet Barley

Hey all! I know it's been a while. Things have been crazy around here. We've got about 2 weeks until my amazing husband returns from Iraq and I've been very busy trying to get everything ready for him. One of the things that was on my list was to find a second family dog.
We have a Beagle who is just the sweetest little girl. She's very quiet and afraid of everything! So we decided that we needed a bigger dog who was a bit more "intimidating" to balance things in our household. :o)
We decided on a German Shepherd. His name is Barley and he's 7 weeks old.

The Glass Is Half Full

The past couple weeks have been a little rough. It seems like every time I try to catch my breath, something else happens. It all started a couple weeks ago when my youngest got sick. Since then, we've all had our turn. I'm trying to look at the glass as half full, trying hard!
After Mason started to improve, Kemper got a bug. I took him to the doctor because he was running a temp at 103 degrees and I couldn't get his fever to break. They did a flu test, which came back negative, and gave him a prescription for antibiotics and cough medicine. Looking at the glass half full, I said to myself, "I'm so happy his flu test was negative."
He was about halfway through his antibiotics when the diarrhea kicked in. As I sat there scrubbing the carpet, I thought to myself, "I am so happy his fever finally broke."
A few days passed and I noticed my eyes were itchy. Then they started to ooze. Eww! I called the doctors office and they were able to get me in 30 minutes later. Looking at the glass half full, I thought to myself, " I am so lucky to be able to get in to the doctor so soon."
Later that day, we went to pick up my prescription. As I stood there with two screaming kids, waiting to pay, I was informed that they didn't have the eye drops and that it would be a little longer while they called the doctor. 30 minutes later, two kids still screaming, I picked up my prescription. As I paid, I thought of the glass as half full. "I am so fortunate that they had this other prescription in stock."
It is now 3 days later. This is the last day for my eye drops. However, there is one small problem. The drops have not worked. I called the doctors office to see what I should do. They called in a prescription for a stronger eye drop. Struggling to look at the glass as half full, I thought to myself, "I'm so happy that they called in prescription rather than have me come back for a second appointment."
I will close with this one last thought of a half full glass. "Maybe I should throw this one out, and get a fresh glass!"

Close Call

Something happened yesterday that has me a little shaken up. My youngest son, Mason, has cough that just doesn't seem to be getting better. I took him to the doctor and was given a prescription for cough syrup. We dropped it off at the pharmacy on our way home. No big deal, right?
We ate dinner and then went back to pick up the prescription. The lady at the counter explained the medicine and went over the dosage with me. Pretty standard... She was saying that the cough medicine was pretty strong because it has Codeine in it, so I should use it as little as possible. One problem. The dose that was put on my sons prescription said that he should have 1 1/4 teaspoons.
I questioned her about the dosage and she took a second look. She came back and proceeded to tell me that there was an "error" and that the correct dose, for my 20 month old son, is 1/4 teaspoon.
I sat there in shock. Even now, I keep playing the "what if's" through my mind.
If I hadn't questioned her about the dose. I would have come home and given him 4 times the amount that his little body could handle. My baby would probably have died in his sleep.
I want to let you know that she did pull out the prescription again and it was not an error on the doctors part. He had written the correct dose.
So for my realization. I feel like this is a wake up call. You see things like this on the news all the time. As a parent, I can not assume that what's on the label is always correct. It's my job to double check EVERYTHING. The truth is that people DO make mistakes. Thank God this one was caught before something terrible happened.
I can say this. I will not be so naive in the future.

Staycation

I've been hearing a lot of people talk about "Staycations" lately. It's basically a vacation but rather than go somewhere and stay in a hotel, you sleep at home and go to places that are within driving distance.
This is a new and exciting concept to me. Not because I go on vacation all the time.. quite the opposite actually. Simply because we are a young family and don't have the extra money for an actual vacation. The "staycation" brings a whole new array of possibilities to the table.
So for those of you who are feeling the pinch from the economy, I encourage you to look a little closer and embrace the "Staycation!"
(We took a "staycation" to Temple, Tx. We checked out the Train Museum and park!)