Inspiration

So I know that I have shared with you about a million times that my Nieces are the ones who got me to blog. They inspire me all the time with their creativity and I regularly steal ideas off of their blogs, either to use on my blog or to use in my real life. This morning I'm reading Rachael's page and I see the adorable photos of her kids hands and I instantly remember my most favorite photo of Katie's hands. I took this back in 2009 on a camping trip. Katie wanted a picture of the "first fish I ever caught". Never thought it would turn out to be one of my all time favorites! I always feel relaxed and inspired by the photo. Don't know why, I just do. That's my word for today, inspiration.

New Year

What I have learned about Christmas in the New Year...

Christmas takes longer to put away then it does to take out.

We only really want/need about half of what we bought.

My favorite thing hands down is Christmas at the Old Church.

Christmas trees die whether you water them or not (so save the water).

Xbox may not make a kid lunch, but it does have the power to occupy two men for hours.

I can stand to have my kids under foot for 16 days straight.

Store bought cinnamon rolls do NOT taste like Cinnabon no matter what they say!

The only thing needed to incite laughter is a ping pong table.

It is a magical time of year, in more ways than one.

Merry Christmas

And now another year has come and passed

Sometimes the time just flies by too fast

It seems that Christmas is already here

And that means 2011 is drawing quite near

But I must say I can no longer withhold

All the Christmas presents that are getting old

Books are boring

Legos are lame

And video games are all simply the same

Money's just money

iTunes is toast

Candy and chocolate are pretty darn gross

CDs are silly

And clothes are cruddy

Pocketknives and such will just make my hands bloody

Electronics are evil

And trinkets are trashy

And anything else is too horribly flashy

So you may be asking what on earth do I want?

Well I don't toys, knickknacks or nice restaurants

There's simply only one thing that'll suffice

And that's a Mom who's loving and nice

No Xbox will ever make me lunch every day

No album will care for me when I'm not okay

No Nikes will ever wash all my things

No toy can make creases that a lasting smile brings

So here's to you Mom

The best present yet

And the only one I actually hope that I get

So I wrote you this poem so you'd always know

Merry Christmas Mom, and that I love you so.

Picture Day

Katie says today is picture day, so I will post some pictures that I took this week. A random collection that's like a window into our life.

Pete brought home flowers for my last treatment day.

David's Court of Honor.

Katie meets her favorite author (at the moment) Rick Riordan.

My Mexican Orange bloomed.

Katie took a piano lesson from Michael Allen Harrison.

In between all these fun and beautiful things, there was laundry and dishes, homework and messy rooms, cars with leaking water pumps and banks that won't cooperate, but let's just sweep that under the rug. Like a friend of mine recently said, this is my "facebook" life.

In the Pink

First Day

It's the first day of 4th and 8th grades. So glad that only the kids are getting older!

Summer

Oh, why does summer have to end.