...ten little fingers...ten little toes...

...so i was able to photograph my cousin's little boy the other day- soo fun. He was so sweet, so adorable and so happy. Not to mention he has a pretty cool big brother, too! - who even serenaded us a bit in the background.....loved it! Great fun catching up.

it's all about the details....

...so this is pretty cool.....laminin....check it out!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

....so just in case these never get sent- here's our christmas cards this year.... 

It's been a little crazy here with the addition of number three to our family- but definitely for the better. Jaden started kindergarten this past fall which has helped in channeling some of his energy- but he still cracks us up with some funny one-liners and enjoys sports and games. Josie is pure girl with a style all of her own- it's not uncommon for her to go through 5 different outfits in any given day- her favorite accessory is her pink plastic princess heels. And then there's Taya.....sweet, sweet Taya. I guess being number 3, she didn't have much choice to be anything but easy-going. She's been growing up fast and gets so proud of herself with her new tricks. Jeff has kept busy with his business and I am enjoying my time at home with the kids. May this year bring you & your family much love and laughter.....

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

In the depths of despair

ok- after nearly 8 years of marriage there are still times when i totally misread my husband. I was so excited about my christmas present to him this year and thought he would find it as funny as i did, unfortunately, that wasn't exactly the case. Did he chuckle? yes....but i was rolling on the ground laughing when i picked it out- how could i go wrong.....ironically the lack-luster-ness fits the whole concept... does anybody else find these hysterical? check it out- www.despair.com - enjoy, or don't...

"Santa, here?.....I know him, I KNOW HIM!"

....so last night Santa visited, obviously a little earlier than expected this year- but, oh boy were we excited.  We watched Elf again, which makes it somewhere around 5-6 viewings for this season- and still I'm cracking up laughing- definitely a must-have movie! I think I'll go watch it again.......

Hello....Hello...Hello...?

Got holiday stress? maybe this will lighten your mood... i came across this video on youtube and it just struck me funny...  

Buck-Eyes Be Gone....

we had a cookie exchange at my neighbors house last night and i now believe i've met my quota of sugar for the next year. Josie was a big help, kind of, in making the buckeyes, i'm still finding traces of chocolate and peanut butter from tiny hands everywhere. If you haven't made any- here's a recipe- they are excellent. 

Peanut Butter Buckeyes.....

1-1/2 C. Peanut Butter

6 C. Powdered Sugar

1 C. (2 sticks) butter, softened

1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract

6 whole graham crackers, pulverized into crumbs

4 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper; set aside. Using a wooden spoon, mix together the peanut butter, sugar, butter, vanilla & graham crackers in a large bowl. (the dough will look dry)

2. Roll the dough into 1 in. balls. Set them on prepared cookie sheet and insert a toothpick into each ball. Chill them in the freezer until hard, about 30 min.

3. Melt the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl set atop a pot of simmering water over medium-high heat. Stir continuously until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat. Using the toothpick as a handle, dip the balls into the melted chocolate, leaving a small circle at the top uncovered. Place the dipped candies back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 2 hours. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Enjoy......

Knitting 101

...so i've picked up knitting and much to my own surprise, and jeff's,  i finished my first project, a flower beanie for Taya, however Josie likes to steal it from her- all it needs now is a button in the middle. I'm thinking my next project will be a pair of arm warmers- we'll see....

Sweet Pea Designs

....Love my sitter- she's great with the kids, super fun and creative.  Last week she brought by some headbands that she had made for the girls! LOVE THEM.....check them out at 

www.sweet-peadesigns.blogspot.com she even named a few after the girls! Can't beat that!

And the hoscar goes to...

so we're doing something a little bit different this christmas and i am so excited. Instead of the traditional christmas dinner in years past we are having a formal awards banquet- and glammed out to the nines in 80's style. It's been a riot planning- hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving. 

Peoria Walk for Diabetes 2008

Last year was my first year in participating in Peoria's Walk for Diabetes and it left such an impression on Jaden that I was excited about this years walk. So when my friend Lori asked if I would be interested in photographing candid shots for their advertising, I was thrilled. I have known Lori now going on 2 years. She is one of those individuals that you want to be around just to soak up even a little bit of wisdom. Her story is simply amazing..... a mom of 3 kids all with type I diabetes. I'm not sure how she does it- but she does it beautifully....with grace and humor. 

Their last name is Coffey. So to capitalize on the irony they've developed a website www.3coffeysnosugar.com to tell their story. Please check it out - it is amazing and they sell GREAT coffee for the cause. Tonight I will be saying an extra prayer of thanks for my kids health. :)

Visiting the Farm...

So since Jaden's started school he's been asking "when do i get to ride the bus, mom", "when do i get to ride the bus", "when do i get to line up in the bus-line mom", "huh?" "huh?"..... oh the excitement of a five year year old. Well he got his wish when they took their first field trip out to Ackerman's Farm. And he must have got his fill cause he hasn't asked since.... but we had such a great time- a friend and i were able to meet them out there with our kids and a little girl i babysit for as well. They saw different animals, a horse get loose which was exciting, a hayrack ride from Farmer John and learned about different pumpkins and gourds. My favorite was a sign posted that stated "unattended children will be given espresso and a free puppy". sooo cute.

Kawasaki Honda Wine and Mitsubishi Lite Beer

now i will have that Ray Steven's song

rolling around in my head, oh my..... so Ryan drove his new bike down here for a few days over the great "Pumpkin-Fest" which was a hit. Jaden got a ride, Josie didn't and Taya Ryan got to see her name-sake- such a fun time though we could've done without the massive amounts of rain....i'm sure Ryan would agree as he had to ride 3-1/2 hours in it. 

Flexin it

so jeff bit the bullet and purchased a new vehicle- we went 'round and 'round about what would be appropriate- he thinks i'm jealous.....which- well, yeah i am..... with a dvd player, multiple moon roofs, satellite radio, on star, ipod hook-up, cell phone hook-up and great gas mileage but then again...... i still like my remote door opener.

in the booth....

so, jaden starts school on wednesday and soccer on saturday so we decided to make one last quick trip out to kansas before the craziness begins. we had so much fun going jeeping and jumping on the trampoline and of course playing in photobooth..... here's just a few shots. Josie was a riot.....

Wicked!

....so my dear friend annie flew out from the northwest to visit and help photograph for a few days...and as i've stated before the weather did not disappoint- she got a great dose of tornado warnings and storms.... not being ones to pass up an adventure- we decided to have a little fun with it- .....a great time was had by all! ...some have asked if she's related to paul bunyan- but i assure you she's even taller in real life! :) haha ..... love you annie!

just married....

so here's to the bride.... what a fun couple these two were- and such troopers as mother nature decided to add some of her own dose of excitement that weekend. I guess you should know your in for some excitement when you pass the "Storm Chasers" from the discovery channel on Highway 36 that same weekend. But needless to say it was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL wedding! Congrats to the Bride and Groom! .......cheers! 

Dinner for 6...

this was trip 1 of 3 to KC while i was back home.... doesn't everyone need a bit of chocolate, merlot & Zona Rosa every now and then? .......hmmmmmm......yummy....... 

Stalled out...

these are my cousin's kids who sure where troopers with the crazy wind.
i forgot to mention in the last post that when her foreign exchange student was here 15 years ago that they drove through a tornado, they were coming home from a track meet in Sabetha when the car stalled out (where my parent's house is now located, which also just so happens to be the location of these photo's). Apparently, the tornado was swirling around just enough above them that they didn't have a clue.....how many can put that on their resume?

良く生き、しばしば笑い、大いに愛せ。

that's supposed to be the Japanese translation for

"Live Well,

Laugh Often,

Love Much",

but then again you never know..... hmmmm.... hopefully it's clean at least.......it's been 15 years now since my cousin had her foreign exchange student from Japan. I was so excited to hear that she was coming back to visit for a few weeks and that i was still going to be in town- so of course i was thrilled to be able to photograph her with her husband and two kids.... so cute. 

PLAY BALL!

so there's this internal clock i have in my mind that says i'm always 25, and though i'm not much older than that i had a bit of a reality check when i was back in kansas. I had the opportunity of photographing my high school basketball coach's kids....i remember he and his wife had two adorable kids that us girls would have a ball with at the games....now there are 4 and they are all grown up....craziness... but cute as ever....