Just a couple of shout outs...

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to Tim and Carey over at Fort Thompson and Jean Stockdale for awarding me a great blog award. I am super excited that people enjoy reading my blog. I know that I love reading and keeping updated with close friends through blogging. Not only do I enjoy reading, I also love to blog and journal on the daily events in my life. With that said, thank you, thank you to Tim, Carey, and Jean for acknowledging my blog and giving me these awards. They truly mean a lot:)

If you all have a moment, take a look at these amazing bloggers who I have grown to adore.

Tim and Carey at Fort Thompson at www.fortthompson.blogspot.com



Jean Stockdale at www.jeanstockdale.typepad.com



Thanks again for reading and enjoying my blog:))

Thank you I Heart Faces...

A warm thank you to I Heart Faces for representing my picture as a Top Contender. It's a great honor to be a part of this amazing site and to be acknowledged for my pictures is such a wonderful boost to my creative side. Thank you also to all who read and follow my blog. Your wonderful comments are great and I enjoy reading each and everyone of them.

"Photograph Each Day...So You Can Live Forever"




Check out I heart faces at www.iheartfaces.com and see all the amazing pictures and inspirational moments people are making in their lives!

Where's Austin...

I was on the floor laughing so hard at this morning's little adventure...I was picking up the house and all of a sudden realized Austin was gone. Now, lately he has had a huge fascination with the stairs, so I immediately ran to see if he'd gone upstairs. When I found him not whee I thought he would be, my heart started to pound...where is Austin! LOL:) Well, there he was sitting in his toy box watching Oswald on Noggin...Oh my goodness! I just started laughing and quickly grabbed my camera...can you see...where is Austin!







It's OK MOM I am right here...


My year, my story, one picture at a time!
28-29/365

My little cookie monster...

Austin enjoyed his FIRST cookie this afternoon! After devouring his dessert and getting it all over, he looked like a happy mess. When it came time for him to get down and have his face cleaned he proceeded to throw a fit. He wanted more and as a mommy I had to say no. If any of you remember his first birthday post you'll remember that sugar and him don't mix...he kept me up until four a.m. on a sugar high. Needless to say one cookie is enough for my little guy:)

I had to capture this moment in it's entirety but don't be fooled by the faces at the end...he defiantly knows how to work the puppy face!

Mr. Happy Mess!



After he got his face washed and was told he couldn't have anymore cookies...



This look is hilarious...How could you Mom you just ruined my life!





My year, my story, one picture at a time!
27/365

In my back yard...

I felt like the paparazzi today and not because I was following a celeb, but because I was chasing a mountain! Here in the beautiful northwest, we are very lucky to be surrounded by beautiful mountains, trees, oceans, and lakes. Today had to have been the nicest day in about three months. So of course I leave the house without my camera and head off for running errands. Not long after we left the house did I realize that Mt. Rainer was out and very clear. Normally it can be seen by it's tip, but today the whole mountain was out. So, I quickly ran home and grabbed my camera to take pictures and before I knew it, I was chasing the mountain for it's perfect angle. After driving around for about an hour, I finally found the perfect angle. It a beautiful mountain that takes my breath away every time in graces us with it's presence. It's a must see! Hope you enjoy my picture for today:)


(Click on the picture to see the full size)

This second picture is taken in the same spot as the first, but I was lucky enough to be there as the sun was setting...absolutely stunning!


P.S. Sweetie this is for you...I thought of you the whole time. I am SO sorry that I did not get Heidi in this picture...next time I promise:) Love you...MUAH!



My year, my story, one picture at a time!
26/365

Baby Ashton is getting so big...

Baby Ashton is now one month old...I can't believe this month has gone by so fast. Adrienne and Cody are so lucky to have such a precious little boy and they are so cute as parents!

My year, my story, one picture at a time!
25/365

I heart faces week three...Joy!

This photo is for the I love faces kids entry.



We are now in week three of the I Heart Faces photo contest and this week's category is "Joy." This photo represent joy for me because it is the look that my son gives me every time he looks up at me. He's always full of smiles, laughter, and joy. He truly makes my heart melt. I hope you enjoy this photo entry and if you would like to check out other contest entries, feel free to visit their website at www.iheartfaces.com


My year, my story, one picture at a time!
24/365

Congratulations to Lollie...

Another wonderful week has pasted at I heart faces and I must say I am sooooooooooo excited to announce this weeks winner in the kids category. My fellow admired photographer and blog friend Lollie has won this weeks photo...CONGRATS! Head over to her sight at www.1momof5.blogspot.com and see her amazing work for yourself. I do want to encourage all who read this blog to participate in I heart faces weekly photo contest. It's a fun way to post your pictures and get inspired by others work. You don't have to be a professional, just take it from the heart and shoot! It's also a great way to get busy on taking those pictures you always say your going to take of the kiddos:))) Again Congratulations to Lollie for this weeks win!


Oh yes by the way...I can't go without mention that we were featured in two of the four showcases. It's still a great honor to be recognized and I am thankful to I heart faces for the recognition.





Stay tuned for next weeks post...It's going to be a great one!!

Bargain shopping at it's finest...

Alright hold on to your mouths (so that they don't drop to the floor). I always shop for Austin at the GAP and Children's Place for two reasons...DEALS! Ok, now I know what all you mommies are thinking when it come to the GAP and trust me I know...they aren't cheap, but I have mastered the bargain technique to it's finest. So grab your paper and pencils and get ready to take notes!

When shopping at the GAP or any higher end children's store...NEVER buy at full price! Here is why:

1. They turn their clothes over so quickly...have you noticed GAP already has their spring clothes out. Last time I checked it was still 32 degrees out.

2. With a high turnover of clothes, comes great clearance prices. Shop one week and see full price, two weeks later it's on clearance. Three weeks or more later marked down even cheaper...ALWAYS shop on the clearance rack!

My friends and sisters make fun of me because they always see Austin in such expensive clothing and I always tell them that I never pay more then $8 for a shirt...NEVER! Of course they don't believe me, but I have this one to prove it:) Take this shirt (seen below) originally $34.50 regular price are you kidding me! Well guess how much I bought it for....drum roll please...$6.74 thank you I know! Do you know what kind of excitement I got out of that...It was great! So there you go mommies you can dress your kids super nice with a bargain price:)

Happy Birthday Adisyn

Happy Birthday Adisyn! I had a great opportunity to photo shoot Adisyn for her second birthday. She was full of energy, but a blast to chase around. I had also did a lot to prepare for this shoot. I made two backdrops, bought several props and imagined what it would be like to have a little girl...hence this is the first little girl I have shot:) Anyhow, I had a great time and can't wait to do it again!

Hope you enjoy:))))







My year, my story, one picture at a time!
23/365

Just me being me...

So, I am always taking pictures of others and hardly ever taking pictures of me...lol! For those of you who truly know me, I always have the camera pointed at me...too funny for words that I have to admit that! Well what can I say I love to take pictures and since I have been taking pictures with my DSLR, I never get pictures of me. So, this afternoon in complete boardum (while Austin was taking his nap), I decided to take out the camera and see what I look like behind it. So here are a couple funny shots from this afternoon.





Oh yeah...P.S. It's a lot harder then you think...trust me!


My year, my story, one picture at a time!
22/365

Where's my camera when I need it...

Austin and I went shopping today at Toys R Us for one of our little friends birthday party. As all parents know, toys + kids + shopping carts don't mix, so I let him down to look around. While looking, he decided he would take all the toys off the lower shelf and hop right up. It was so funny to see him on the shelf laughing and playing (thank goodness it was in the middle of the day and no one was there). This was also a perfect opportunity to grab a picture for my 365 journal, but of course who takes a DSLR into Toys R Us? So today's picture is brought to you by my LG camera phone...pretty good for a cell phone huh? What a moment!



BTW his price tag was only 10.99 what a bargain:)



My year, my story, one photo at a time!
21/365

History was made today...

"We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."
Barack Obama



It was amazing today to be a part of history and to see the first African American be sworn into office. It gave me chills to see the emotions on peoples faces as they listened to the words of our historical President on the foot of our nations capitol. It's amazing how symbolic it was that Martin Luther King once stood but a couple feet infront of him preaching his "I Have a Dream Speech." The day has finally come and I am thrilled to have seen the transformation our nation did today.





1.5 million people gathered today on the capitol mall to witness history unfold. I along with many others wished only to have been there personally to see this historical event. What an amazing day:)



It doesn't matter if your Democrat or Republican, black, white or asian, today should always be remember as a day for change not only for our country, but for the generations of our past who have worked so hard for equality in every man and women:)

In closing, the one thing that truly touched my heart from our presidents speech today was when he spoke of equality...

"This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall. And why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath."
Barack Obama

So beautiful and so true!



God Bless the United States of America


My year, my story, one picture at a time!
15-20/365
These picture were not taken by me, but will be used in my 365 journal.

I Heart Faces Week Two...."Anything Goes"

This photo is for the I love faces kids entry. This photo features my fourteen month old son Austin:)



This photo is for the I love faces adults entry. This photo features my good friend Adrienne and new son Ashton:)



This weeks category is "Anything Goes." I hope you enjoy this photo entry and if you would like to check out other contest entries, feel free to visit their website at www.iheartfaces.com

Sooooo BUSTED!

Even though this situation could be potentially dangerous, it was very comical to see my little one be a total boy! My son decided he would be just like his father and become McGiver. As a child, my husband was always getting into something or making something out of nothing. This was a perfect moment to capture for his daddy. Getting into the oven is all you honey, so this one is for you!!

My year, my story, one picture at a time!
14/365

I heart faces...

Well even though we didn't win this week, we were fortunate to be represented in the pictures that made you say AWWWWW! Can you tell? All the entries from this weeks photos should be recognized as wonderful and amazing talent. It was so much fun to look through everyones work and get amazing ideas for the next photo opportunity. Stay tuned for next weeks entries...so excited!!



If you have time, head over to www.iheartfaces.com to see the winning photos...Congrats to this weeks winners Jenn Bowen and Mt.Hope Chronicles!

Scary it could happen to me...

As you can see from the picture above I did not take this image with my camera (obviously). Even though I did not create this picture, it most definitely will end up in my 365 scrapbook as an eye opening experience. This evening on my way home, I stopped by the ATM of my local bank and as I was pulling out a gentleman walked from behind the dumpsters. Now, a normal person would not be going through the bank's dumpsters at eight o' clock at night, so I knew something was up. As a concerned member of my bank, I called 9-1-1 to report the incident. As I dialed, the gentleman hurried into his truck and sped off. While talking and driving with the 9-1-1 representative I followed the gentlemen to catch his licences plate number. After speeding through a red light and swerving to follow the culprit onto the freeway, I finally got his licence plate number...he wasn't going to get away if I had something to do with it! I suppose I will never know if the guy actually took something of value from the dumpster, but it definitely opened my eyes as to why you should never throw away anything that contains your personal information. My husband has always told me this concept, but I truly never understood until tonight. If someone wants to steal your identity, they will go to any length to get it...even if that means dumpster diving at eight o' clock at night! Tomorrow morning, I will be making a visit to my bank to speak with the president on their policies regarding this manner...I'll keep you informed!


My year, my story, one picture at a time!
13/365

The beauty of technology...

My love for technology is the highest it's been in a long time...why you ask? Well, everyday I get to spend quality time with my love via skype. Skype is a free program that allows you to talk to anyone in the world via webcam. So who better then to talk to then my greatest love; my husband. He is currently working overseas and as anyone would, I miss him like crazy! It's very special though to see him everyday and talk to him as if he were here. More importantly, Austin gets to see his daddy everyday and talk to him through skype...it's GREAT! So, today I am sharing my love of technology with a picture of my husband on webcam...lol!



P.S. Sweetie, I know you think I am a dork by posting this, but I just had to include you some how:))) Love you...MUAH!




My year, my story, one picture at a time!
12/365

Love my blue eyed baby boy...

OK, so as moms we wait nine months to meet our little creations of love and while we wait we all imagine what our little ones will look like. I will have to admit the ONE thing I wanted for my son was the eyes of his father....oh man did I luck out! I love his eyes and melt everytime they look up and sparkle at me. Can you see why the eyes of his father captured his mommies heart:)

Love this picture:)



My year, my story, one picture at a time!
11/365

A lasting memory...

This picture is a very special one as the memory of the stool my son is sitting in, is one that my father sat in at the same age of my son. What an awsome way to recreate a lasting memory for my family and grandparents. It was also a very special day as Austin got to meet his six month old second cousin Elias for the first time. It was so much fun to watch them play and interact with one another. It was also very nice to see and catch up with my cousin David and his beautiful wife Abby. Memories...AWWW what a wonderful thing:))







My year, my story, one picture at a time!
9-10/365

I Love Faces...Anything Goes!

This photo is for the I love faces kids entry. This photo features my fourteen month old son Austin:)



This photo is for the I love faces adults entry. This photo features my good friends Allison and Ian:)



I am posting my first entry in the I love faces contest for adults and kids. This weeks category is "Anything Goes." I hope you enjoy this photo entry and if you would like to check out other contest entries, feel free to visit their website at www.iheartfaces.com

Retiring my first pair of "mommy" shoes...

This is truly a moment I thought I would never experience in my life. I never thought I would wear out a pair of shoes so much that I would have to throw them away. This pair of shoes has been to the end of the road and back (literally). I bought these shoes a year ago as my official first pair of "MOMMY" shoes. Before having Austin, my closet was full of heals and pretty shoes that could go with anything. When I realized that those pretty shoes weren't going to work with a newborn, they quickly moved to the back of the closet and well the mommy shoes came to the front.
I just have to laugh though when I write about this because all of my wardrobe has changed and I don't remember the last time I actually dressed up like I use to. Now it's what's comfy and cute and the kind of attire that will get me through my day even if the applesauce falls into my lap...lol! Anyhow, moving onto the rest of the story...so I go to take a picture of this monumental moment and who decide to pop his head in....Austin! It actually makes the story even better because it just goes to show you that your world truly does change when you have a young child...hence trying to take a picture (by myself)! I couldn't help it though he was so cute:)

Well Kenneth Cole flats that I bought on Macy's clearance rack a year ago...you have done your job and I am thankful. It's a sad day to see you go, but your soles are worn and my feet are getting wet. Adios!


My year, my story, one picture at a time...
8/365

I'm a big boy now mommy...

Austin is no longer a baby, he is now officially a little boy. Today, we went to the Children's Hands on Museum and had a blast learning and discovering new things. He played and explored independently and as I watched from afar, I wondered if this was the beginning of learning to let go of every stage in his life. By this I mean, as much as I want him to stay a baby, he is not, and soon he will move onto a new stage and well, then I will have to do the same. I know it may sound crazy, but if the years fly as fast as the first, we may be in for trouble. On a positive note, I will have to say it was quit funny to watch him be a little boy...he was into everything and I mean everything. He wanted to play with the toys others were playing with (i.e. he was taking the toys away) and as a mother I wanted to give him what he wanted but at the same time I knew he had to learn to share and play nicely. Awww the things I need to teach him. Is this where I begin to read the self help books and guides to raising boys? LOL:) This is definitely a new journey and stage we are entering and all I have to say is, we'll be taking it one day at a time!





P.S. Excuse the wet shirt...he got a little crazy in the water table...lol!

My year, my story, one picture at a time!
6-7/365 (all caught up:)

Just one more...

I couldn't help it, I had so much fun at this shoot that I had to share just one more with you...he was so sweet (and still is of course:)!



My year, my story, one picture at a time!
5/365