A Little Confession

Ok, a big confession. I have the best intentions in all that I do. But I am starting to realize that I am real. A real person who would like to improve herself. I wish that I was the perfect mother and woman. But I know I'm not. I'm not a good blogger. I tried blogging daily about what I am thankful for and quickly got behind. I'm not a good cook. I tried making my own baby food, but Rea seemed to not care for what I was offering. I want to start getting serious with photography, but I'm afraid that I won't be good enough. I started selling jewelry, but I don't like it as much anymore. I worry all the time that I'm not doing enough for my children, but I think they are happy well adjusted babies. All these things make me real. And they make me who I am.

Day 21 - Siblings

As an only child I always wished I'd had siblings. I didn't have anyone with which to share all things, good and bad. And so the thing today that I am thankful for is that my children each have a sibling. They already enjoy playing together. Reagan thinks Hayden is the coolest and he already seems protective of her.

Day 20 - My Horses

This is my baby Splash. He's really pretty and just the sweetest horse around. I am so thankful to have these beautiful creatures right in my own front yard. I absolutely love sitting on the front porch and just watching him and the others graze. Watching them is just so calming and peaceful.

Day 19 - Marriage

I am so thankful for my marriage. My husband has been my best friend for 8 years and it just keeps getting better. God has blessed me more than I could ever imagine with this union.

Day 18 - Bryson

Ok, I know I'm very behind. Family reunions and such. And as you can tell I don't have a pic today. This day I am thankful for the birth of a new little guy. My best friend, Holly, had her sweet baby boy Friday November 12th. He was 7 pounds and 6 ounces and has made his mommy and daddy so proud. I don't have a pic because I haven't met him yet, but I have seen pictures and he's pretty darn precious. I'm a proud "Aunt". Congrats Jeff and Holly.

Day 17 - Family

I didn't take this picture seeing as how it was taken WAY before my time (note the stylish clothing). But it's of my Uncle Jerry. I miss him so very much. It's hard to believe it's been 9.5 years since he passed. Where has the time gone? Tomorrow we have a family reunion. It's always sad that he is not here anymore. He was the best story teller. He loved getting together with our distant relatives and catching up as well as reliving old times. So tonight I am thankful for two things. I am thankful that I had the most wonderful Uncle, who was much like a father. And I am thankful for the family that I do still have.

Day 16 - Love of Country

On this Veteran's Day I am thankful for the sacrifice that so many have made so that we can enjoy a country like America. There aren't enough words to express how grateful I am that we have the freedoms that we have and that so many men and women are willing to lay down their lives so that this country can remain free.

Day 15 - The Girl

For as long as I can remember I have wanted a little girl and her name would be Elizabeth. As it turns out my Mother-in-law's middle name is Elizabeth, so it was meant to be that Reagan would share her middle name. From day 1 of my pregnancy, I knew this was the little girl I had been waiting for. She will be 10 months tomorrow and she makes me smile everyday. I can't wait for days of playing tea party and house. Who knows? She might be a little tomboy and want to get just as dirty as her brother does. Either way, I am so very thankful that she has come into our lives.

Day 14 - Matthew

Matthew is my youngest nephew. He became my nephew when I married Craig. He won my heart over at the age of 6 when he called me Aunt Christie before I was even married to Craig. And how can I forget that he proposed to me before Craig did? Today is his birthday and he's a teenager today. It's hard to believe that's he's 13 now. Happy Birthday Matthew! We love you!

Day 13 - Premier Designs

I am so thankful to have an opportunity like Premier Designs. I know God put this company in my path for a reason. I have met many wonderful people and had so much fun in the process. I have also been able to contribute money to the family bank account. Having worked since I was 16 it was hard for me to get used to staying home and not making a paycheck. I know my "job" of raising kids is the most important work I can do and I am so very thankful to be able to do it. But I am glad that I am able to do my job with Premier Designs around our family schedule.

Day 12- Salvation

What more can I say? I'm just so thankful for the gift that Jesus Christ gave when He died on the cross.

Day 11 - The Boy

I never knew how much my life would be changed when I had children. It has been the best experience ever and having a son has been just the icing on the cake. My days are filled with dump trucks and cars. I knew that little boys love their mommies, and that is so the case. I also told him the day that he was born that no girl would ever be good enough for him. He makes me laugh every day and although he is a challenge at times, I am thankful for every moment I have with him.

Day 10 - Against All Odds

It shouldn't make sense, but my Mom and Step mom are here spending the weekend with me and we are having a blast! I am so thankful that they get along. Most families could never dream that this would happen. What a joy to get to spend time with Mimi and Gigi!

Day 9 - The view from my front porch

I am so thankful to live in the country and get to see a view like this from my very own front porch. The stars are always so beautiful. It's just not a scene you get when you live under city lights.

Day 8 - Portraits

When we looked at buying this house this hallway was full of pictures. When we moved in it was full of holes that I had to fill when I painted. The couple we bought the house from was in their 70's and had a lifetime of pictures on the walls. My lifetime is not as long yet, but I am thankful that I have family portraits to fill these walls. I have my own holes in these walls. I love looking at those smiling faces and watching them grow before my eyes.

Day 7 - The United States

It goes without saying that America is the greatest country around! I am thankful for such a great country where my voiceis heard each election day. And tomorrow is one of those days!

Day 6 - My Handy Man

I am so thankful that I have the BEST husband around. He is so great to put up with me buying a house that I absolutely loved. And then I set out to change EVERYTHING about the house that I originally loved. This includes all new doors and trim. I don't know why he puts up with me, but I am so thankful that he does. I don't know what I would do without him.

Day 5- Halloween

This year I have decided that I am thankful for Halloween. I am usually dreading it coming around every year because I lack in the creativity department when it comes to costumes. But now that I have a little one who is old enough to start enjoying it, I am starting to enjoy it too. I love seeing that little grin when the candy hits the bottom of the bucket. And I love that he still grabs my leg when he sees something that scares him. It's a relief to know that Mommy is still comfort to him.

Day 4 - Time

I am always obsessing about time. What time is it right now? If I wake up I HAVE to know what time it is. I HAVE to know what time the baby ate. I HAVE to know what time Hayden went to sleep, what time Craig will be home. You get the idea. So today the thing I am thankful for is the fact that my husband is teaching me not to be so worried about time. He covers the clock in an attempt to make it pitch black. I must admit that at first it really bothered me. But now I am learning that it is quite nice to not have to know what time it is. I'm actually sleeping better at night. And if the baby wakes in the middle of the night, she gets herself back to sleep! Maybe he was right all this time that I didn't need to have that darn clock shining so bright. And I don't HAVE to know what time it is all the time.

Day 3 - Apple Blossoms

We have lived in our house a 2.5 years already and one thing I love about this place is my little apple tree. One thing that Mrs. H was proud to point out when were looking at the house was that there were 8 peach trees near the front gate and a lone apple tree in the front yard. She told me that the apple tree had only put out one apple since she planted it, but that the peaches did pretty good. Well, needless to say, I have a brown thumb and know nothing about peaches so they have all quickly died. It doesn't help that the horses like to nibble on them as well. But my apple tree is thriving. In fact, when we fenced around the house I made sure to have the fence encompass the apple tree so that it would not become of victim of the horses as well.





It's not a very tall tree. Maybe twelve feet, but this year the blossoms were beautiful. The bees were swarming all around and I noticed the start of apples! They didn't get very big this year. In fact, they were rather small, but the horses didn't seem to mind when I pitched a few over the fence. I kept waiting to see how big they would get and then realized they were becoming victims of the worms and black birds. But for a few short weeks we had apples. Green apples at that!

Give It A Spin

This picture came to me as soon as I hit post on last night's blog. I'd like to say that I'm thankful for all the money I won on the show, but that's not true. (I have wanted to be on this show for about 25 years). What I'm thankful for is the time that I spent as a little girl watching this show with my Great-Grandmother. We called her Wuh-Wuh. I can remember watching this show in the evenings with her sitting on the bench in front of her fireplace wearing a sweater in July. She always had a Dr. Pepper in her red glass and crunched on ice until it was gone. I tried to solve the puzzle before she did, but I was never as quick. I was so proud when the total number of puzzles I had solved at my young age exceeded ten. I hope that she enjoyed that time with me. I am so thankful that I have that memory, but even more thankful that tonight I got to snuggle on the couch with my son watching this same show. He seems to love it as much as I do.

What I'm Thankful for...

I know it's just a few days away from Halloween, but Thanksgiving is right around the corner. So, right now I am asking myself what am I truly thankful for. The list is long. It includes many simple things. It also is packed full of some things that no words can describe. So for the next month, right up until Thanksgiving, I am going to post a picture a day. It is my attempt to show what I am grateful for and why. I'm sure not every picture will bring a smile. After all, we can't be just grateful for the happy times. We have to learn that the sad times can be treasures too.

As I was mentally sorting through the pictures I have, Hayden came in with the biggest grin on his face. I couldn't resist snapping his goofy smile and decided this was the best shot to start off my challenge. Obviously I could start off by saying that I'm thankful for this child. That goes without saying. But what is in this photo that I am thankful for is that he still laughs at the silliest things. That won't always be the case so I better enjoy it now.

Reagan 8 months and 9 months

I didn't do Reagan's pictures this time. Since I don't have an indoor studio it limits me to what I can do. Plus I rarely have time with just her since I am now working at Hayden's school. Her 8 month pictures and 9 month pictures were just two weeks apart so there is not much change (not that there really is on a monthly basis anyway). You will notice two different costumes. I just love the pink butterfly, but since we live in Texas I know she would burn up. I found the Tinkerbell costume for $15 at Toy's R Us and couldn't pass it up.

8 Months

9 Months

On an exciting note, Reagan is walking. You can see in her Tinkerbell pictures that she is standing. She is taking a few steps at a time without holding onto anything and I know it won't be long and she will be walking everywhere. I can't believe that at 9 months it is already happening! Someone should tell her she is too young to be walking!

Big Truck Day

It's been a while since I have posted and I have few things to talk about but today it's just about Hayden's "Big Truck Day". A girl that I am working in the nursery with told me about this little event. It was put on by a Longview ministry and admission was free. All they asked was that you bring a jar of Peanut Butter as a donation. Not a bad deal! And all for a good cause. This kind of event is right up every little boy's alley. Every type of big truck that you can think of was there. There was a DPS helicopter, a fire truck, a trash truck, a GIANT dump truck, a school bus, a crane, a S.W.A.T. truck and even some Monster trucks. The National Guard even came with a tank like vehicle (I'm not sure of the proper name) and a couple of other trucks. I have to say that this is the first time that we have been able to completely keep Hayden in the dark about where we were going. And he was so surprised! We couldn't get out of the truck fast enough.

Here he is in the tank. How cute is that? I couldn't get him out of it and he told Daddy to get me so I could take his picture.

I love this picture. It makes me think that someday he might really be riding around in one of these things. And in 20 years this is exactly how I will picture him. It sure is tight quarters in there though.

Let me just say that walking under this crane was extremely intimidating. The fact that ANYONE could get into the cab of it worried me. I kept picturing some 3 year old little boy turning a knob and dropping the hook on some poor unsuspecting parent. 'Cause if it had happened it probably would have been my 3 year old little boy!

The other highlight of the day! I don't know why he likes trash trucks, but he does. It was a little stinky, but that didn't seem to bother him too much.

I was impressed by this one myself. They didn't allow anyone to get into it, but sitting on the railing was cool to him.

The largest dump truck that I have ever seen! The tires alone were nearly as tall as Craig. Hayden wasn't wanting to get in this one until Daddy climbed up there with him.

Right after he got on the bus, this (and I have to be nice)boy got on and immediately started trying to close the door. His parents were not around to stop him and somehow he managed to get the door locked. Hayden had a little moment of panic. The guy sitting by the bus had to go through the back door and open it from the inside since he couldn't find the key. Needless to say, he doesn't look too thrilled to be having his picture taken after that happened.

7 Months and Hayden

I took a few pics of Reagan for her 7 month milestone. She has accomplished so much in the last month! She weighs 16.5 pounds and is nearly 26.5 inches long! She started crawling the week she turned 6 months and started pulling up the next week. Her first tooth came in two days after she turned 7 months and the second just 3 days later! I have caught her trying to climb on the couch and even walked in one day to find her standing ON a toy, looking over the back of it! She has yet to say an actual word, but she has said "dadada" a couple of times and what sounded like mama when she was really mad and crying. It won't be long and she will be following Hayden everywhere and talking non-stop.






Hayden is changing so much too. He's had a really good summer with trips to the pool and the park. He has continued mom's day out through the summer and started Tae Kwondo in June. Tuesday and Thursday is quite busy since he goes to school from 9-3 and then TKD at 4. He's talking so well and is quite expressive and animated when he talks. The potty training is almost done! We still use a pull up at night, but for the most part he wakes up dry. We have tried one night (a couple of weeks back) in big boy underwear, but he had an accident when he first woke up and we haven't tried again since. I am proud of him though because once he set his mind to it, he got it down.


I saw a couple of friends blogs where they interviewed their little ones and thought it was a great idea. It will be fun to look back in a year to see how the answers change. I thought I would try it with Hayden and see how he did. It's so neat to think that he's old enough to contemplate answers to questions like this. I could see the wheels turning as he thought about what he wanted to say. (Thanks for the idea ladies!)


Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Animal: Horse
Favorite thing to do with Daddy: mow grass (it's all he ever talks about)
Favorite thing to do with Mommy: color (this was also his fave at church and school)
Favorite thing to do with Sister: play with her toys
Favorite place to eat: McDonald's (I would have bet all my money on chick-fil-a)
Favorite book: truck books (of which we have many)
Favorite toy: Monster trucks (seeing a pattern here?)
Best friend: Ethan
Favorite teacher: Ms. Gaye
Favorite food: hamburger
What do you want to be when you grow up big like daddy? Race car driver!

Getting Healthy

Lately I have been thinking about getting healthy. I feel I owe it my kids to stick around as long as the Good Lord lets me. That means that I need to get serious about what I am eating and how much I am working out, which up until this very moment has been few and very far between.

It's just that I love food. I mean I love good tasting food. I was raised in Texas, after all. We "sop" our biscuits with the left over gravy in the bowl. We lick the spatula when we make cookies. I will admit I'm not a huge fan of fried chicken unless it's my granny Pat's, but I love me some chicken fried steak! I could go on and on, but I will stop because I'm getting hungry!

So now that I've decided to get healthy, everyone in the family is going along for the ride. At least the kids are. They can only get what I make them. Right? So starting with the little one (who is now 7 months!), I am going to start making her baby food. I got these great single serving contains filled them up with Peas, Green Beans, Carrots, Bananas and Apples. We shall see how they turn out, but I'm pretty proud of myself. I have a great magic bullet that purees, but any blender will do.

I went to the website http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/ and found some great tips on what to feed at what age and how to make them. It's really easy and it actually cost me about half of what it costs to buy it in the store. Each little container is about the size of a gerber #1 container. Two of those containers costs about $1.00. I bought one bag of peas for $1.00 and made four containers! It's even more economical for the fruit! So not only am I saving money (which I love) I am also feeling better about what I am feeding the little one.

The real challenge will be the bigger kiddo and the husband. Hayden will eat some things, but mostly he likes chicken. I may have to get sneaky about how I get the veggies to him. Wish me luck!

The business of freezing time.

Remember the Le Clic camera? I sure do. It's the first camera I can remember having. It's the camera I used when I thought I was Ansel Adams. I took pictures of EVERYTHING. I was hoping and praying that I would capture that amazing photograph that would land me on the cover of some magazine or end up in a coffee-table book. It was always like looking through a window. Many times I would just get lost in the picture. I know it sounds silly and cliche. Somewhere along the way, I got interested in other things and I didn't really pick up a camera for a long time for any reason other than a candid snapshot. But then I was exposed to better equipment and the bug got me again. I'm still striving for that perfect shot and learning along the way.

I can remember as a small child my Great Uncle, Jerry, traveling to all parts of the world and along with him went his Cannon AE-1. He took pictures of Big Ben, London's Parliament, St. Basil's cathedral in Moscow and so on. It was always a dream of mine to see those places. Some I have, other's I have not. When he passed away, I got that camera. I was so intimidated by that camera. I still am in a way. I don't know that I will ever capture things quite like he did. Maybe it's just my sadness at him being gone, but to me he had a great eye. I have used it a few times early on. It's still a great camera, but the digital age has taken over. Instant gratification helps my confidence. I'm feeling better about my work after having my first session in which I was paid. I'm hoping to expand and try new things and possibly start a small business doing something that I love. Isn't that the goal? If you love it, it's not work. Who knows where this road will lead? I am my own worst enemy and criticise myself rather harshly. So, if I can keep from second guessing myself, this thing might take off.

Here are a few samples of my first session. I went to highschool with their mom. I hadn't seen her in probably 15 years. WAY too long. They were great subjects considering it was nearly 100 degrees. I am pleased with the outcome and hope that this is the start of something wonderful.

What she's doing now...

My baby girl turned 6 months last week! I can't believe it. It seems just like yesterday I was pregnant and wondering how I was going to manage two little ones. I had no idea how she was going to fit into our lives and wondered if I would have enough love in my heart for another child. I don't know why I wondered because from the moment she entered this world she has been the completion of this little family. She has fit in so well and we are all happier having Reagan in our family.

So now to what she's up to. I, of course, think she's very gifted and progressing rather quickly. In fact she's right on track with Hayden and doing all the things he did at almost the same time, within a few days. She is crawling AND pulling up on the furniture already! She is still not showing much interest in baby food, but has had some bananas and peaches and seemed to like them. Her P.A. said that she might just prefer "real" food instead of baby food. We shall see. Everything is going into her mouth, but she has yet to show a tooth. Her hair is growing slowly, but it looks like she might have blonde hair! Daddy had white hair as a baby so it will be fun to see what it's like in a year. She went for her check up Tuesday and she weighed 15 pounds and 13 ounces and was 26 inches long! She's growing right in the middle of normal. I'm so proud and just absolutely am in love!

Reagan's 6 month pics.

Last month we had family portraits done and I absolutely loved them. I decided this month to try some myself. She is, after all, my favorite subject. I am still learning as I go, but I'm happy with how they turned out. I just can't believe that she will be 6 months this week! Time is going by way too fast.

On a bright note I have had three people contact me about pictures for their kids after seeing my photos on facebook!! I think that Meredith asking me about coming to Utah helped get the idea in their heads. So, Thank you Meredith! I have also been asked if I am willing to do prom pictures next year for the junior class where my nephew goes to school!!! I don't know if I am quite ready for that, but I'm gonna be working hard over the next few months to improve and hope that I can live up to their expectations! I am so grateful to God for opening some doors for me. Things are going to be changing around our house for the better! I have complete faith in that.