TGIF

This morning I took the boys to school and high tailed it to Morris Avenue for a couple of photo shoots.  The first was a family who was a blast to wor with.  They did candid and fun and there were even balloons!  It was a lot of fun.  The second was an precious boy who will be celebrating his fifth birthday in a week.  So exciting for a little man. 
The boys had a great day at school.  You can tell that they are ready for break though.  Homework is becoming a challange, and even just sitting down to read which they both usually like to do.
After school care was great too.  The kids were glad that it was Friday and since it was so pretty we stayed outside for a little while.  It was a much needed change in routine for everyone.  Of course it gets dark so early we cannot stay out long but still it helps time go by faster for the kids and adults alike. 
Just for the record I have still not seen the newest Twilight movie, that makes me a little sad. 
We are almost ready for the party tomorrow.  I cannot wait.  It is my favorite time of the year and I love kicking it off with just a have fun relaxed party. 

Thursdays

For some reason Thursday seem to be the least active days of the week.  I am thinking it is probably a good thing though everyone needs a lazy day!  Of course it is never lazy.  We are working on getting ready for the party this weekend so making sure the house, food, drinks, and of course general spirits are ready is a lot of preparations.

Happy Birthday Memaw

Today was a regular Wednesday except for the fact that it is a very special lady's birthday.  Happy birthday Memaw, we all love you so much!
The boys had a great day at school and after school care was interesting.  A few fights actually broke out which was quite shocking.  These boys especially and even the girls though need a vacation soon.  They are all getting a little antsy.  The problem is once we have Christmas break it is a long time till Spring Break!

Seriously

So I am slammed with photo shoots which is a blessing that I do not take lightly.  I drop the boys off and head off to Morris Avenue to start my day.  I am waiting there when I finally get a text that they need to cancel.  Grrrrr!  This is the hardest part about owning a business.

Rainy Day

Mondays that are rainy are even harder to make productive.  I was supposed to be working at Mount Laurel all day but the rain  means the camera stays indoors.  Plus, most clients prefer not to play in the rain.  I hate that it did not happen though, I was seriously looking foward to it.
The boys had a great day at school and after school care was great!  You can tell everyone is already ready for Christmas though.

Ornaments Are Hung

I had to start today with a few photo shoots on Morris Avenue, but it was not all day.  I was able to get home by two which is a blessing in itself. 
The neighborhood was decorating the tree at te Club House and wanted all of the neighbors to bring an ornament to hang on the tree.  We took an ornament that was a star and had the Holy Family.  It is really pretty and the boys hung it on the tree when we got there.  I hope that they do this every year.  I love these little things that can become tradition. 

There are so many reasons that I love living in Legacy Springs and it seems that each season another reason or two is added. 

Hello December

Wow!  December 1st is here already!!  Enoy the month everyone it is going to be seriously magical.
Today I had back to back photo shoots.  Sveryone wants a session before Christmas and I cannot say that I blame them.  I was downtown all day.  Splitting my time between Morris Avenue and RailRoad Park.  I was again able to add to my collection of alphabet letters, which is definitely a blessing since the orders for words has been pretty steady for Christmas gifts. 
Brandon and Danny worked around the house all day, they worked on the last few Christmas decorations.  They also started putting the boxes up. 
John Michael played with the neighbors granddaughter all day.  They play so great togther.  They both love to be outside. Today they made an art project in the lot between us.  It is going to be so sad when they build a house there.  If I had a spare 35K I would buy it and garden and give the boys a good place to play.  For now we will use it though, even though I hear it has been designated a spec house after the first of the year. 

It was a great Saturday even though it was slammed. 

Silly Elves

I cannot believe that it is the end of Novemeber.  I am not sure where all of the time has gone, but it is flying by.  It has been an amazing month full of ups and downs like them all but the ups are definitely outweighing the downs.  I hope that November was great for you all.

This morning the elves had made one of the little storage boxes a boat and they were floating around my bathtub.  We all laughed about that for a while.  It was pretty funny and the boys, especially John Michael had fun playing with them in there.  I love it when they do something great, the boys think it is awesome which means big smiles and giggles, which are definitely two of my favorite things!

Thursday

Thursdays are always a combination of awesomeness.  I am trying to get so much done and I know that I will.  The boys had a great day today and after school care was a joy.  So many of the children have my heart.  They are all so special.

Thank You

The teachers and staff at Saint Francis Xavier are truly amazing.  They are one of the reasons that I feel so blessed to have my boys in school there.  Today was their appreciation snack from the first grade.  We sent mini cupcakes.  I was going to make cakeballs, but time got away from me and I never got to make them.  Oh well, at least there was something sweet in fact there was a lot of sweets! 

He is slick

So today was  A photo shoot at Botanical Gardens again and a great day at After School care.  I love it when things just go the way that we all need them to go.  Today while the kids were eating snack and watching a movie John Michael and his new best friend Laiyla were sitting together when he got slick and put his arm around her.  Sneaking a picture was not easy.  They are so funny.  He says he cannot help it the girls love him and he loves the girsl.  He is too funny.  Danny says he is nuts and is going to get detition for kissing on the playground. 

Back to Normal

So today we all headed to work and to school. 
I dropped the boys off and headed to the Botanical Gardens.  I had a great photo shoot with a precious two year old little girl and her mom who is expecting twins in February.  They were both so fun to work with.  The pictures were great and I am hoping to stay on top of editing because it is about to get seriously busy.  While there I also was able to add to my alphabet which is always a good thing.  I love having a growing collection.

The boys had a great day at school and after school care was a lot of fun. 

The Trees

We have started to decorate in the house now, well downstairs.  We promised mom we would wait until after Thanksgiving and that is what we did.  We have so much stuff, I seriously have no idea how we ever got it all in the old house.  The good thing about this year is that next year everything will be in the boxes together where it should be instead of randomly spread throughout all of the boxes. 

Iron Bowl Memories

This is the game day that every football fan in Alabama waits for.  It is the Iron Bowl.  Alabama vs. Auburn for those of you not from around these parts.  This year was not the year for Auburn though, the score made me pretty sad.  Especially for the players.  Nobody wants to end their season like that. I am sure that changes are coming for Auburn and I know that they will be for the best.  No matter what War Eagle!
Amy, Terry, Sasha, and Connor came over to watch the game.  I had gotten a Home Depot Gingerbread house for the kids to do.  It was meant to be fun and they definitely had fun doing it.  All of us stepped back and watched and let them have at it.  Smiles and memories are what happened at the kitchen table tonight.

Amy also helped me cut material and make the garland for the railings at the house.  I love the way that it turned out.  Who knows maybe I will start to really try my hand at being crafty.  We will have to see.  I have been thinking more and more about a lot of different things and crafting is one of those.  The garland is gorgeous though and I am so glad that I did it.  I love it and so does everyone.  Brandon even hung it for me tonight which was awesome of him. 

Shopping Anyone?

Usually mom and I or Brandon and I head out for some seriously intense shopping on the day after Thanksgiving.  This year it did not happen.
Poor Danny was up sick most of the night.  I finally gave him a third of a phenogrin (sp?) to help his stomach settle and let him get some rest.  He is so pitiful.  I would not have been anywhere but with him today.  I cannot stand it when the boys are sick, but I am very thankful I was able to take care of him.
Danny and I spent most of the day laying around.  He finally held something down, but he was just tired and still not feeling great.
We were supposed to go to Thankgiving dinner at Teresa's today, but Danny did not  feel like it and we did not want to share anything he might have had.  Brandon and John Michael went though and they had a great time.  They even brought us a plate of food, though after dealing with what we all night and morning food was the last thing on our minds.  The thought was definitely there though.

Happy Thanksgiving

So it is Thanksgiving.  So many people have spent this month talking about what they are thankful for.  It is something that we all reflect on this month.  I am working on reflecting on this everyday and I plan on improving my thank you's to God as I have so much to be thankful for.  So many times we concentrate on what someone else has, or what we do not have, that the blessings that are ours are looked over.  I know I am guilty of this.  Every morning we wake up is a chance to do better to be better, every morning is a new day with new possibilities and so many blessings. 
I complain about time, running behind, having a bad day, being broke, and so many other things that until I stop and think about it seem so huge, but truly they are not huge, they are not even big.  In life we lose focus.  The things that I do have should definitely take up more room in my mind as they are the things that are huge.  I have God and Jesus, I have an amazing family, I have an amazing church and school for my children to attend, I have love, hope, faith, and I have friends.  I have a roof over my head and a wonderful job.  I have so much and this is what I hope to focus on more.
We started this morning with the Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. One day I will make it to New York City to watch it live.  I have thought it was so magical since I was a child, and I know that we would all love it. 
This year the turkey was carved and my boys pulled the wish bone.  They were so funny doing it and really thought it was the best thing ever.

Family came over and helped us to celebrate Thanksgiving and we all had a very nice time. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my family and friends both near and far.

Thanksgiving Preparations

We are all officially on our Thanksgiving vacation, which is a little misleading since we are not going anywhere and getting ready is a lot of work.  Oh well, here we are, and we are all looking forward to the first Thanksgiving in our new house.
We started to get some of the food prepared.  Even though we were only going to cook the ham and turkey getting the casseroles and desserts ready will make it even easier tomorrow so that most of the day can be spent enjoying everyone being over here.
Brandon is finishing up the lights outside while we are working on the food.  It is looking so good.  I am so proud of all the work that he has done.  It looks great.  So ready to turn them on, I think that is what I am looking most forward to tomorrow night. 
We got the turkey from The Chopping Block in Springville.  And the ham.  I love their meat.  I am slightly biased because it is Pop's but still it is amazing!  They brought it to us today since we have been so crazy busy. 
Brett, Mindy, Hunter, Hayden, and Hudson came over too.  Brett was willing to help Brandon finish up the lights, and some of the positions they had to put the ladder in, well it had me inside.  Thank you so much.  Also thank you Nick and Kiersten for coming up to help.  Decorating is risky business the way that we do it. 

Last Day

So today was Mass day at school, and it is the last day before Thanksgiving break.  I have to admit I am pretty Thankful for the week being a short one.  I am desperately in need of a break.  I think that we all are.  Brandon started his vacation already so we are definitely ready for some family time.
Brandon came with me to Mass today.  John Michael's class did a couple of Thanksgiving songs after Mass and since he was home I wanted him to come, and I know that the boys did too.