Gettin' My Link On

That's right friendlies, it's time to link 'em up and move 'em out.  Or maybe that should say move 'em out [as in from your phone to your computer] and link 'em up.  Either way, you catch my drift.  If you STILL don't know how to play, check out the 4-1-1 here

we've been experiencing some less than amusing pluming problems around here lately causing some major flooding in both the kids' upstairs bathroom and our half bath downstairs.  here's my dad, the master plumber trying to find the culprit clogging the line.  it was stuck in there pretty tight and he wasn't able to get it out. :(

we had to pull the carpet up in 2 rooms so it could all dry out.  the flooding was less than major but more than minor.

we are currently in a rental home so we played at the park while we waited for good ol' landlord man to try to fix the toilet problem himself.  he fixed it.  wanna know what was clogging the line for so long?  the bathtub plug.  i had been looking for that thing for-ev-errrrrrrr.  i hate it when i can't find things...like my sanity for that matter.

speaking of sanity, the one thing that i look forward to each week...the one thing that helps me keep my sanity...is watching the bachelor every monday night with my fun friends mia and jessica.  thanks girls for including me in your weekly ritual.

that's my oldest kid.  my big boy.  my ever-growing big kid that sometimes i wish was still a tiny baby in my arms.  he and i went on date night to the mavs game.  well, he and i and his friend and his friend's mom who is also my friend, and her other son and her other son's friend.  [read: 2 moms, 4 rowdy boys. completely sober.  were we crazy?!] naaah, it was fun. :)

this is my kid who will be taller than me come 6th grade.  that's 4 years from now.  so maybe 4th grade.

this was dinner one night last week.  i know it's not much but the kids looooooved it.  like loved it times eleventy bazillion.  so.  it's dinner again tonight.  only THIS time we have cheese inside them too.  thanks mia for the tip. :)

this boy...the same one who flushed the bathtub plug down the toilet...celebrated a birthday last weekend.  he's a big FWEE year old now. 

here he is in all his fwee-ness.  cute, isn't he?

and again.  i know this is getting old.  i swear i'm almost done.

while big brothers play basketball, little sisters play makeup and share secrets.

my babe and i haven't had date night in a super, really, really, REALLY long time.  feels like 20000 years or something.  so we finally did have date night.  and we ate some queso.  and i wanted to ask for a big vat of it to take home with me.  we went to target and bought birthday presents for our kid that likes to flush bathtub pluggers and then we went home.  it lasted all of 3 hours.  too short for my preference but better than nothing.

that's all i got folkies.  now go move 'em out and link 'em up yourself.  you need to get it off your chest.

have a fun week!



What's on Kristi's Phone-Linky Clinky

7 days behind us and here we are again.  Another Tuesday to enjoy another linky party.  February 22, 2011.  Time flies, doesn't it folks?  Only 5 more days until my last baby turns 3.  No longer a baby.  *tear*

Wanna play the game?  Check out the rules here.  And if there are no objections, we will proceed!

This is Will getting a haircut for his big birthday party, coming this Saturday.  He sat in the chair just like a big boy would do.  It was the first time he has ever sat in the chair without screaming like we were sawing his leg off.  So proud was I.

To celebrate his big boy-ness, we headed on over to Chick-Fil-A for some mid-day nourishment.  We love CFA.  We don't go there like 4 times a week or anything.  Because that would be crazy.

I don't know what this is about.  Not sure I want to know.

Will found a new bed.  He's so resourceful.

Today's youth.  Hanging out at CFA on a Saturday night.  Texting.  Probably texting one another from across the table.  But we weren't there for the 5th time that week.  Oh no.  Not us.

Love me some Mexican Train time with my gal pals. 

Thank you middle child for reminding me how to spell your brother's name.  Because I'd forgotten.  And it was extra specially written right on my driver's seat.  Easy access is always a plus.

We were ready for church Sunday.  And then discovered the car had a flat.  Thank goodness for good friends who will pick you up so you can get your Sabbath on.  Spiritual enlightment is the best part of the week.

Chick-Fil-A has new ketchup packets.  They are mighty cute but mighty hard to open.

When you meet up with friends at the zoo, it's possible that you might both wear pretty much the exact same outfit.  And your hair might look the same too.  If this happens to you, be sure to document it.

This is my favorite lunch date.  He's cute, his meal is cheap and he gives me compliments like "you're piiitttty momma"  [read: you're pretty]

Chick-Fil-A is good at breakfast time too.

My Kenny girl checking off her "jobs" on her job chart.  Check it out here  Has changed our lives.

I was looking back at old blog posts and found this.  It's pretty much what I'm feeling right now in a nutshell.  Some things are different, like instead of Kennedy having behavior problems, it's Chandler right now, but a lot of it are the same things I am feeling today.  Funny, how almost one year ago I was having the same stresses.  Does that say something about myself?  I think it might.  Hmmm...

This perfectly depicts me on a daily basis.  Except in my red coffee mug it would contain Coke and not coffee. 

Negative Nellie, Debbie Downer, Sour Sally

After proof reading my last post I realized I seemed pretty negative throughout.  I guess because I've been feeling pretty negative lately.  Mostly just down in the dumps.  Life is hard and overwhelming and while I have a very strong testimony that we were put on this earth to be tried and tested...sometimes those trials just stink.  I also am a firm believer that the Lord doesn't give us more than we can handle.  2 years ago, this was put to the ultimate test for me as I endured the hardest trial of my entire life.  That trial has changed form in many ways, gotten a lot easier in some ways, harder in others and become easier to deal with as I felt myself grow and transform in so many ways.  I am utterly grateful for that trial, because without it, I would, today, not have the strongest testimony of a loving Heavenly Father who knows our needs and desires.  One who will deliver all to us in His time.  I know of the power of prayer and how sometimes it is THE ONLY comfort we may have.  I know that we will see our Father in Heaven again and our Savior, Jesus Christ, and I know that we will be reunited with loved ones lost in this eartlhy life.  I know that only by living the example that our Savior taught us can we live with him again.  I know that to fully live his teachings is our key to happiness.  I am so grateful for this knowledge and I am grateful that when I am feeling low and sad and overwhelmed and stressed out, that He will pick me up and carry me through if I would just ask.  I am thankful for friends to share a meal at Chick-Fil-A with.  Friends who share my same beliefs and aid in lifting my spirits.  I am thankful for my children who might drive me crazy but it isn't their fault.  Their mama is just a little frazzled.  I am thankful for their sweet smiles, their hugs and kisses and unconditional love.  Sometimes I'm not sure I'd love me if I were them.  But they do.  They think I'm the "best mom in the world"...for the life of me I have no idea why.  But I try reeeeeeeally hard every day to be better than the day before.  Some days I fail miserably, but that's the beauty of forgiveness and fresh beginnings.  Each day is a fresh start.  And I am thankful for that most of all.

So forgive me, dear blogging friends, for my unpleasant attitude in my blog post.  Next week will be better. 

What's on Kristi's Phone this Tuesday?

Wanna join in Jessica's Tuesday linky party? Click on Jessica or down below to find out how.  Cool?  Yes.  Now then, let's get down to bidness.  Go on with the clorophyl.  [what movie is that from?]  Speaking of, I think this shirt would be awesome.

Super boring pics this week.  Here was me on a fabulous hair day and Will giving me smooches.  I love his love.

I made a crock pot pork loin the other day that was UHHHHMAAAAZING.  For reals.  I cooked in my slow cooker 2 days in a row last week and prior to that I'd NEVER used it for anything other than Rotel dip.  I was loving feeling so domestic!

We made beef stroganoff [or a similar recipe] last week too and it was yummy.  This was the leftovers which I ate on Sunday after church so as not to break the Sabbath.  I.  HATE.  LEFTOVERS.  I'd rather have had Chiloso to be quite honest. 

I bought 15 boxes of these.  No lie.  15 boxes.  My husband was a bit upset.  And my backside is going to be a wee bit bigger next time I step on the scale.  I'm trying to give these things away so I can escape some fatness.

Cute shoes.  $20 on clearance but they are a death trap!  I nearly broke my ankle at least 6 times.  Fashion can be dangerous sometimes!

C's basketball game last week.  It was a nail biter.  They won 17-15 in OT.  It was a sweet victory.  The other team was one of those that you just WANTED to beat.  For pride's sake.



I'm in love with these pants.  I'll probably wear them every day all summer long until the rips become huge gaping holes and then...well, then, that's just trashy looking.



This stupid human was annoying the crap out of me in the drive thru at the bank.  She sat in the middle of 2 lanes so she could snag whichever one moved faster.  That's just not how you play the game, my friend.  Don't be greedy. 

Valentine's Day happened.  I have candy strewn from one end of  my house to the other.  Will has been on a candy diet for the last 24 hours.  After the kiddies go to sleep tonight, guess what's gonna happen?  Just guess...

Remember this card?  How I was so blessed to have gotten it in the mail at just the right time?  Yeah, well I lost it.  I've looked hiiiiiiiigh and loooooooooow.  It's lost.  I'm trying to get a replacement.  Gonna take 6-8 weeks for that though. 

And finally, I leave you with this: Oh, Brad, is that rose for meeeee?  Of course, I will gladly accept your rose.

Yeah.  4 weeks ago I'd seen this show maybe once or twice.  Now.  I'm an addict.

Thanks Jessica and Mia, I owe it all to you.

Your turn to link it up.  You only have few Tuesday hours left!

Just Say NO to Auto!

Today, I had my first photo shoot of the new year.  Before every shoot I feel as though a rock star might feel before a concert.  Nauseated and weak in the knees.  I have major performance anxiety, worrying that I might not get the shots that a family is hoping for.  I worry that they will not love my photos and just like them.  I know that like any talent you have to practice in order to get better but I am a very impatient girl and I want everything to look perfect the first time. 

I am still so happy that I took that workshop from this fine photog.  It helped me to take what I'd already learned from this other fine photog as well as what I'd read and make it really work.  I never in a million trillion bazillion years thought I'd be able to shoot pictures that were crisp and sharp and pretty. 

But today, folks.  Today.  I did.  I did it.  I accomplished a big portion of my journey in becoming a fun, awesome, sought after photographer.

Here's the proof:

this is my favorite picture from this entire day, i think.  i can't quite explain why, but i just love everything about it.  i love that this shot happened while i was adjusting my settings and taking some test shots.  that just made it even more awesome.  the pure candid-ness of it.

Here's the whole family minus one.  This is a blended family and the oldest daughter wasn't able to be here.





Happy Day :)

The Athlete

I haven't been taking many pictures lately just because the weather has been really gross.  I was itching to edit some pictures so I just started digging through the thousands of old pics that I never got around to editing.  I went into Chandler's football season file and found this picture of his first game.

He was so excited to play football.  He had been asking to play for a few years.  I was not ready to let him move on from soccer because he was so good at it and I loved watching him play.  But I had to let go.  I should have known that he would be equally as talented at football because that's just the kind of kid that he is.  He has this AMAZING gift that is purely God-given.  He is so good at any sport he plays and it is so fun to watch him love sports and grow as an athlete and a person each new season.  I really look forward to the next season of football even though we are still a good 6 months away.  Sitting in the blazing heat for 2.5 hours twice a week while practices really isn't that big of a deal.  That smile, the pure joy of being apart of a team, the little fist pumps and high fives.  That's what it's all about.