Working More

I am finishing out the weekend before Thanksgiving on a high note.  I have shoots non stop, which I am definitely thankful for.  I need as many jobs as I can get before Christmas, it is probably what we will be buying Christmas with. 
The boys were going to go to the Auburn game today, but with John Michael being so sick yesterday chancing a two hour drive was just something that they were not up for.  Had any of them been sick it would have been miserable. 
After I was done working I came home and got Samantha and the boys and we headed to Gardendale.  I needed to get some fabric for a project that I am going to attempt for our garland.  While we were there the boys had a blast, they found things they added to their Christmas list.  They found arts and crafts that they wanted to do, they found fun hats to run around in.  Samantha and I had a good time too. 

Today I am thankful for being able to spend time doing things that make my boys smile.

Crafty Day

Today we needed to be productive, but somehow counter productive seems to explain the way that things went a little better. We had a few things we needed to go do, but the weather was pretty nasty and cut our plans short. It will all get done though, for some reason the more I say that the less I believe it.
I had a bunch of Christmas crafts put up for the boys and since we were rain bound, we made crafts. We painted, made sequined ornaments, and more. It was a lot of fun, but there is now a lot to finish so that we can get the mess cleaned up.
Our elves had a bit of an issue with the tape last night, definitely had a few fits of laughter this morning :0) I really will miss Jake, Owen, and Aubie!

So if someone called to tell you they wanted to talk to you after Christmas, but were waiting till then because they did not want to ruin your Christmas what would you think? Seriously if you did not want to ruin my Christmas then why bring it up. Some things are so irritating to me. I am NOT going to let it ruin my Christmas though. I have enough on my plate right now. Sorry needed to get that out.
Well, I have been working on getting organized for 2012 and I am headed in the right direction, but I do have to get back on track for Christmas then I can shift focus. 2 weeks is never enough time to get it all done. Photo session are heavy duty again starting next week, so I have to get there. I just need to have more confidence in everything. I will get there, with an open mind and an open heart.
I have said many times how much I love what I do. I know that my career in photography is where I am supposed to be, I will be even more elated when it actually starts to pay some bills :0) That will come, I have confidence, and am dedicated to becoming better and doing more.
Well, it is almost 1 and I have to get some sleep. We have assured the boys that they are getting up no later than 7, they are staying up way to late!!!
Know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers. As this Advent season draws to a close and we get ready for Christmas I have to hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas!

March....Seriously?!

WOW! I cannot believe that today is March 1. This year is seriously flying by. So many amazing things have happened already and so many amazing things to go. I can remember thinking that it took forever to get from Christmas to my birthay, now it comes too quickly after Christmas. The strange thing is the date has not changed for either of these.

We had Boy Scouts tonight. I forgot my camera which I hate since tonight we combined the Tiger's Den and the Wolf Den and watched a magic show. Dawn did a great job showing the boys some tricks and then letting them try their hand at magic. Danny even took a few tricks of his own, and showed them some skills. It was so cute and a lot of fun. It is great to watch these boys grow up and realize just all that they have done in such a short time. They will all be advancing soon, and I know that they are very excited about this.

John Michael had a fun day today. Tomorrow is Dr. Suess's birthday so today they made Cat in the Hat hats, bow ties, and even tails! I love it! It made my morning when I saw the 4K teachers already in costume, and then to see the kiddos come out this afternoon was what I needed.

So we had someone come out and look at the lovely leak at the bottom of our stairs. Thank you so much for coming. If you need anything done at your house call Shelby Box! Well, the good news, the wall should be okay. The bad news is it seems to be the water heater. He could have repaired it, but said a plumber can give us the extended warranties and maintenance and the price would be the same. We have Wilbur's coming out Friday and we are looking into going tankless. We will see what that price is first. Shelby did get the carpet up right there so that the drying can happen. I will keep you all posted on the repairs.

So it is not 9, but only an hour later and I am off to bed! Before I go to bed I will say a prayer for all of my friends and family. I hope that March brings many blessings to all of you!

Christmas is not going anywhere here

Well, it is January 18 and we still have a lot of Christmas decorations to get down. Sometimes I wonder if it will ever end. I want to go t Auburn this weekend. I need to throw a roll of toilet paper in the trees! And more than that I want a picture of my boys doing it. I need to get the Christmas decorations down. What should I do? Here is the thing, part of my resolution is not to stress and enjoy life, which would put Auburn first. It is also to be more organized and on top of things, this would put Christmas first. Grrr.....

My pictures of the boys are of them sleeping again. Mainly because they both went to school today and then Danny had choir and Brandon picked him up and took him to basketball, then when he got home he finished homework, got in the shower and then went to bed. John Michael and I played for a while and then he took a bath and went to bed. I wanted to be in bed by nine, that obviously did not happen I will try again tomorrow night.

My other picture is of the gifts that I have purchased, and some actually wrapped for Christmas 2011. Some areas of my life I have organized. If only I could get it all there. Anyway, I am proud of my progress so I wanted to share. I have a few more bags in the van, and I hope that I have it all wrapped before February party time. Mainly so I can get it in boxes and put away.

Well, my mom and her friends arrived safely in California but not without a little excitement. The wheel on her suitcase broke at the Birmingham airport. Now she has pink (and I mean hot pink) luggage. When she saw it again in Sacramento she said that it was black. Her friends told her it looked like quarer luggage from a garage sale. She was upset, but it was pretty funny. Tomorrow they go to San Fransisco, Alcatraz beware...these three could end up being the tourist attraction! I love you guys and am just kidding! I hope that they have a wonderful time and that one of them took a camera, I know my mom didn't her son managed to take that with him...convienient huh?! Anyone who knows him knows what I am talking about.

Well as I head to bed I remember all of my friends and family in my prayers and I hope that they do the same for me. I know that there are some serious questions that I have been praying for the answers to. I also pray that the winter weather stays away at least for this weekend. I am so over being cold and stuck inside.

Lazy Tuesday

We have been in the house since Sunday afternoon. Wow! I love my family but the mess is bigger now than it was post Santa Claus I think. It is all good though I will be able to get it back in order. Plus we still have to get the Christmas stuff up. We always wait until the weekend after the epiphany but this weekend we were getting ready for snow/ice. Oh well, Christmas decorations are pretty joyful.

Danny has to be at school tomorrow at 10:00 am. The good thing is if he cannot make it the absence will be excused. I do not know if I will be able to get the van out of my side of the garage. John Michael is out again. He is pretty restless. He is like his momma loves summer not so much winter. Danny does not mind the cold. The ice was not thick enough for all of the sledding today so we were pretty much inside most of the day. I am looking forward to the sun coming out tomorrow and even though it is going to be freezing again I am hoping it dries it up.

I am also hoping that Brandon's place of employment, I would put the name, but I know how they work and I do not want them holding my words against Brandon, will see that delaying opening again is a must for tomorrow. Brandon had to go in this afternoon as they opened at noon, and it took him an hour to make what is usually a 15 min trip. His way home he said that it was worse, black ice was definitely in abundance. Hopefully they will show that their employees matter and that Christianity is not all that they preach, but they also practice. We shall see. I will continue to pray for anyone who is traveling or has to while the roads are as nasty as they are.

Well, celebrating the National Championship has really been a lot of fun. I wish that I could be in Auburn, and if the roads were not bad we might have made the road trip, but safety first especially since we have sweet boys. I love my Auburn Tigers and are glad that they made it home safely! When we woke up this morning Santa had come to take the elves and Aubie back to the North Pole, but before they left they rolled our house. I am so glad that they brought a little Auburn to us this morning, it was great and the boys absolutely loved it!

Before I go to bed tonight I think of all the people who are being so dangerous on those roads, remember you are not the only person on them and be safe! As always my friends and family will be in my prayers. I love you all.

Epiphany

We had a King's Cake for breakfast and other than the fact it fell apart and did not look pretty it was yummy. Brandon got the lucky piece! I took the one to Danny's class and it was a big hit, which is always a nice thing to hear. They had a great day and the new student is who got lucky in class. Danny was a little disapponted, but now that the tradition has been started I let him know that their is always next year.

Basketball and homework pretty much have been the story since we got out of school. I do not know what makes homework time so difficult but it is always nice to know that I am not the only one. I dread the day they both have homework. Thursdays are Brandon's late night at work so I will be glad when he gets home. It is nice to have some reinforcement and the way that the night is going it is possible we will still be working. I spend a lot of time taking deep breaths while we do homework.

I do have to say that I am sad that the Epiphany is here, I love Christmas and all that it brings. We will start taking everything down tomorrow and work on it throughout the weekend, it is a lot so it takes a while. I love it though and am excited about the additional items we purcased to put up and out next year.

John Michael has just fallen asleep on my shoulder and the sweetest sounds of laughter keep making me smile. I love knowing that he is having sweet dreams. Now to keep him asleep when I take him to bed.

Before I head to bed I will be praying that everyday can be a little more like Christmas. There is a joy and a peace in the air, and I will miss it. I will also add that if it is going to be winter precipitation on Sunday night, I hope for snow not ice!

Christmas Ends on Sweet 16 Note

January 2, 2011

What a day! Is it possible that Christmas is over. The epiphany was celebrated at Mass, a little earlie than normal, but still a very special day. The 6th is just a few days away and the boys will be back in school by then and Brandon back at work. It is amazing how everything goes from holiday celebrations to the normal hustle and bustle. I plan to keep the treasure in each day! It is the present, and that means it is a gift.

My sweet sister in law is sixteen and we celebrated her Sweet 16 today with family and friends. It was a surprise and I think she was surprised to see everyone. However a few of the cars might have given it away. Oh well, she enjoyed herself and all of her gifts, and most of all I think she was thankful for the people being there who love her. Tomorrow she goes for her license and we will be praying for a pass. So be careful on the roads...just kidding, she is a good driver.

We followed he party with our Christmas party. It was great to see our family. Brandon's brothers live in GA and FL so it takes some skill for everyone to be together, but when we are it is always special. While gifts were exchanged so of course the kids were excited, the greatest gift was all being together to celebrate.

It is amazing how easy it is to take for granted getting together for dinner, or lunch, or any occassion, but so easily it goes from being with people almost daily to catching up only at weddings and funerals. This is something I do not want to see happen with our family, they truly are a blessing.

There is a family picture that captures us all, I have not edited any of these so you will see people looking away from camera, eyes closed, etc. I am sure. The thing is this is family, not determined by DNA, but by love! Love is truly the most amazing gift that God gave to us.

We came home and enjoyed a few minutes of lego fun with the boys for a few minutes before getting ready for bed.

While tonight comes to a close and we get ready to say our prayers, they will continue to be for my friends and my family, and most importantly that everyone remembers family should be treasured!