we took grandma's bunny to school today

and it was fun and the kids were lovin' it and I have lots of pictures,

but that is not what this post is about...

we walked into the classroom today and Morgan said hi to his teachers and showed them the bunny

and then Kennedy walked in...

"Hi Morgan." she said...

"Hi Kennedy." he said...

"Look at what color my shirt is." said Kennedy...

"It's blue." said Morgan (with a little twinkle in his eye).

"My shirt is blue too." said Morgan.

Morgan has told us many times that Kennedy is his girlfriend

(and the info has been confirmed by Kennedy's Mom).

According to him:

He likes her and she likes him and if they talk too much Miss Fidge won't let them sit by each other.

Apparently, in preschool, it is super cool to wear your "boyfriend's" favorite color! 

Aren't girls supposed to have cooties in preschool?

We are in big trouble when these kids hit the teen years...

"This is my best birthday ever"

said Chloe this afternoon at her birthday party!

And, ya know, when you only have 3 to compare, it is pretty easy to make a statement like that!
Three is the golden age at our house...the first year you get a "friend" party
and we like to make it a big one!

It was a fancy tea party birthday...

we made jeweled and sparkly placemats

ate lunch of tuna and cucumber mini sandwiches, jelly rolls, little cheese cubes, strawberries and bananas...with fancy toothpicks of course! And lemonade "tea" to drink.

(which we really called lemonade so we didn't cause any worry

for little people whose families don't drink tea)

A LOT of tea was spilled on the floor (mostly by the birthday girl herself)

and "I need more tea/lemonade/another spot of tea" was heard
pretty much constantly throughout the meal.

Then it was on to cake...but petit fours are better than cake because

they are mini and cute and "tea party" sized. Love!

Did I mention they were yummy? Mmmm! Thank you bakerella!

the kids just loved the mini umbrella toothpicks too.

And then there was dancing, and Morgan dressing up in a princess dress

(which was very amusing for the girls) and opening presents,

which is a very hands on activity at a 3 year old birthday party!

Everyone "helps" open the present they brought and then they all want to play with them! Fun!

(yes, friends, that is Morgan in the green dress!)
Chloe loved her new pettiskirt that she got to wear with her birthday shirt too
(I miraculously finished it yesterday afternoon...cutting it a little close)!

Finally they each got to pick out a ring pop, candy bracelet and real bracelet and then
it was time to play until the moms came to get them.

It was a blast and her comment made it worth it...
sticky floor and all!
That said, I need a very long nap!

spring break!!!

Seth has spring break this week and we are all so excited!

Morgan was elated that Daddy could drop him off AND pick him up from preschool today.

Today we worked on the garage - finishing soffit and organizing all our crap

(where did all of it come from?)

...not much of a break, but it was nice to do it together!

Looking forward to more fun times to come this week!

Sunday ramblings

Today I found myself alone in a quiet house. So quiet I could hear the tick-tock from the clock and the whirring of the heater a couple of rooms away. Seth took the big kids to church and I stayed home with little Brynnie, who has RSV. Quiet is not something I am accustomed to…usually the quiet of naptime or bedtime is overpowered by the sound of cleaning the house, watching tv or even the whir of my computer’s fan. But today, the silence was lovely. Since I was missing church, I decided to read the lesson manual for the Marriage and Family Relations class Seth and I are attending during Sunday school. The lesson could not have been more poignant and beautiful and directed perfectly toward me right now. It filled me with such gratitude for my beautiful family and friends and this happy life I lead. And so, I feel like I must record it and hold on to it and cherish it and share it.


The lesson came from a talk by Richard G. Scott entitled, “Finding Joy in Life”
“Some people are like rocks thrown into a sea of problems. They are drowned by them. Be a cork. When submerged in a problem, fight to be free to bob up and serve again with happiness…

You are here to be tried, to prove yourself so that you can receive the additional blessings God has for you. The tempering effect of patience is required. Some blessings will be delivered here in this life; others will come beyond the veil.

The Lord is intent on your personal growth and development. That progress is accelerated when you willingly allow Him to lead you through every growth experience you encounter, whether initially it be to your liking or not. When you trust in the Lord, when you are willing to let your heart and your mind be centered in His will, when you ask to be led by the Spirit to do His will, you are assured of the greatest happiness along the way and the most fulfilling attainment from this mortal experience.

Your agency, the right to make choices, is not given so that you can get what you want. This divine gift is provided so that you will choose what your Father in Heaven wants for you. That way He can lead you to become all that He intends you to be. That path leads to glorious joy and happiness.

Simple rejuvenating experiences surround us. They can be safety valves to keep the tension down and the spirit up.”

I have been feeling overwhelmed this week with many “to dos” and lots of black ink covering every inch of my calendar, but I feel like I have gotten a chance to enjoy some of those simple rejuvenating experiences that Elder Scott referred to and I know that I need to make time for them more frequently. There are too many to list them all individually, but two that were particularly rejuvenating: Wednesday night, my Mom came and watched the kids while I went to the temple. Since last August I have been going early in the morning so I could be home before Seth had to leave for school and it has been wonderful, but it was so lovely to go during daylight hours and just enjoy my time there without worrying about how quickly I got back home to get kids ready for the day and off to school. And Thursday night I was able to attend a girls’ night out with some dear neighborhood friends (many of whom have moved away). I feel very lucky to have made so many dear girlfriends who are not only fun to hang out with, but inspiring and beautiful in so many ways.

And, finally, this quote from Elder Scott’s talk touched me: “Being creative will help you enjoy life. It engenders a spirit of gratitude. It develops a latent talent, sharpens your capacity to reason, to act, and find purpose in life. It dispels loneliness and heartache. It gives a renewal, a spark of enthusiasm, and zest for life.”

I truly feel this way: I feel a deep need to create and it brings me joy. Whether it be through capturing a picture that is filled with emotion and simple beauty, creating something meaningful and useful, coming up with a solution to something that drives me crazy, cooking something delicious for my family, or even making up silly songs and stories with my children, I need to expand my mind and challenge myself creatively. I feel that renewal and accomplishment and enthusiasm when I create and it refuels me to take on the everyday stuff that isn’t creative or renewing. Anyone else feel that way? 


It has been a beautiful Sunday! I am ready to face the coming week with anticipation and excitement (and not just because it is Spring Break and Seth is home all week, although that definitely helps!!!). I am madly in love with my husband and the wonderful man, husband and father that he is. I adore my children and I feel lucky to be their mommy. I am ready to serve and work and create, to love my sweet little family with everything I can, to play hard and be silly and spontaneous, and to find joy in the everyday moments! Most of all, I am soooo excited for general conference in a few weeks...I am looking forward to more messages that will give me strength and courage and inspiration to do better! I am so glad Sundays come once a week, because I need them!

button, button...who wants a button?

I know, I know...another marketing post...sorry.

I have more fun family posts to share soon! I promise!

I didn't have these buttons ready to go quite yet for my last post, but they are ready now!

SIDEBAR BUTTONS!

And, of course, I don't expect you to take up space on your blog sidebar without incentive, so I give you...
INCENTIVE!

Here's the deal:
For every person you refer who books a full session or package, you will get a
$10 referral credit toward your next session fee or print order.

For every person you refer who books a mini-session or blog promo special you will get a
$5 referral credit toward your next session fee or print order!

There is no limit to the number of referral credits you can earn and they are available for use as soon as I have received payment for the scheduled session...so... essentially you could get
free sessions and prints if you really spread the word!
Exciting right!?

Of course, the same deal applies whether you refer them with a button on your blog or in person,
just make sure they mention you when they book their session!

The buttons are available in 5 colors and you can pick your favorite and grab the code here.

ok...that's all.

Presenting...SMILEABUNCH PHOTOGRAPHY

All that talk of photography and practice sessions and big giant projects that have been

consuming my life are finally ready to "reveal"

(just in case you didn't already figure out what I was up to).

So, it's official...

smileabunch photography

is open for business!

YAY!

Check out the new website and the smileabunch photography blog and tell me what you think!

And to celebrate the opening of shop, I am offering a special holiday mini-session deal!

Click on the image for more details!

Also, the launch of this site will change the way you access our picture galleries.
From the smileabunchphotos.com webiste, you can click on the "family and friends" link at the bottom and it will take you to a page where you can enter the password (which has been updated so email me or comment if you would like it). The galleries may say "password protected" but since you already entered the password you shouldn't have to enter it again. You can also click the link to "Check out more pictures" on the top righthand side of this page  and it will take you to the same view you used to see, and you will enter the password in the first gallery you open instead.
Please let me know if you have any trouble with this. 

And a bit of random love...

I am sitting here next to my little baby boy and wondering who gave him permission to grow up.

He is reading...really reading. h-a-d...haaaddd...had.

All by himself. It is so wonderful!

He started "reading" a long time ago...you know the kind of reading where you recite a book from memory because you have read it so many times.

And then he started sounding out words about a year ago...

but he needed help to actually squish the sounds together into a word.

But in the last week he figured it out and now he can read lots of short words all by himself.

A minute ago he was coloring pictures for me...

pictures of my face next to Seth's face

with the words "mom" and "dad" and hearts all over the place.

Then he brought me a picture of our family:

me and Seth with his hand traced around us like a frame

and Brynn (with a B next to her) and Chloe (with a CLE next to her)

and hearts all around.

He said, "The hearts are to show that I love you."

I don't mean to bore you with random facts or brag about how super-de-duper my kids are,

but I have been trying to look for the good in this little boy

(to try and balance out this mischevious stage he is in),

and I found it! And it is wonderful! And so is he!

***

On a different note, I am pretty lucky to have really wonderful brothers,

and my Mom has always been more like a best friend than a mom,

but I never had a sister.

I always thought it would have been fun to have a sister with whom to share clothes,

and talk about boys, and go shopping and watch chick flicks,

but I never really knew what I was missing until I had 2 girls.

Two little girls with great big hearts who share something special.

They are sisters forever and ever.

And while they bicker and steal each others toys and get overly dramatic because

"she is touching me"

they love each other like crazy!

Today in the car, I saw in the rearview mirror, Chloe reach over to pat Brynn's head and smile at her and I got teary thinking what lucky girls they are to be sisters
and what a lucky girl I am to be their mommy!

I'm nicer on Mondays

It probably seems a little strange to say this, but I think I am nicer on Mondays.

I think it probably has something to do with Sundays.

Maybe it is because Sundays (even though they are busy) remind me what is really important.

Maybe it is because I almost always shed a few tears during church on Sundays.

Maybe it is because we spend time with extended family on Sundays.

Maybe it is because Sunday is Seth's only day off all week.

Maybe it is because that means I get to sit next to him for 2 full hours and hold his hand.

Maybe it is because I like to make treats on Sunday.

Or, maybe it is because I update the picture blog on Sundays forcing me to go through my pictures from the week and enjoy the memories.

But whatever the reason, I am glad it is Monday, because I feel nicer today!