Fancy hotel pool? Looks like the perfect day? Well... AC in the house broke last weekend. We were mildly celebrating that it didn't break with a house full of company. But... AC in the house broke again this weekend. My poor in-laws. Ugh. 115 outside. Mazda cooling...
Never fear... Grandma and Grandpa are here. The kids are having such a great time on their 'staycation'. When I woke up this morning they were already at the table coloring and drawing with Grandma. What can you do these last few days of summer to soak up that quality...
My first official Arizona dust storm. It was amazing. This distant wall, that looked like a yellow cloud, covered our mountains... quietly, quickly. Whatever weather you are having in your part of the country, have a beautiful day!
Brian's parents are here! They are having a 'staycation' with the kids. I wanted to give them a few ideas of local things to do, B-U-T didn't want it to be overwhelming or too check-listy... so, I used this adorable keychain flipbook from JaneSays and did this......
Carter and Walker's Birthday party at the Sugar Bowl in downtown Scottsdale! They sat us and all seven children under this cute quote. I wonder why?! 🙂 (Bill Kearne, Family Circus, frequented Sugar Bowl back in the day!) Oodles of tickets! Beautiful sisters, Molly...
Inspired by Tom Brokaw’s The Greatest Generation, the Mayor’s Council on Senior Citizen Affairs has instituted a special award to recognize Corpus Christi residents, age 65 and older, who have made a significant difference in the lives of those they have touched. The...
A ramp... that's what he wanted to build today. For his matchbox cars. Julia decided to help. Or start an art project. Depending on how the hammering was going. Isn't it funny how they play with something and they move on to playing with something else. And about the...
Sometimes, us Texas kids just need to feel the grass between our toes! We were having a rough night the other night... lots of whining and complaining, so I grabbed my camera and we went for a walk. Barefoot. At 7:30 at night. (Most of you know that is the time we...
I sat patiently, staring off, thinking of my day. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw brown beautiful hair slide to the floor. I sat up. Suddenly awake. Oh, I hope she likes it. I suppose it will grow out if she decides that it isn't the way she wanted it. Oh, I hope...
Skateboarding. It's Nate's flavor of the month. We had the hardest time finding a skateboard, but we finally did! We find one just like the one I had when I grew up - black and sand-papery on the top! We took it home. He got on. (This is the point where I lectured...
Secret Gardens Beautiful Smiles Looking for clovers Beautiful Fountains Find the beauty around you today It's there. If you don't see it, take a deep breath. Look at the window. Drink some cold water. It's gonna be okay.
Fourth of July Parades... Seriously, there is no place like Texas. I searched and searched and found a local parade. It was cute... Beautiful horses... Yummy baby toes... Cute little red boots... Adorable little doggies... But it just wasn't Texas... No floats. No...
A great day for bike riding! And scootering! And splashing! And gardening! I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July! I am so thankful for my freedom. My freedom to smile. My freedom to pray. My freedom to teach my children about Christ. My freedom to tell you how...
My first engagement shoot! My friends Micah and Justin moved here from Texas last summer... and this past week they moved back... I already miss them. Before they left, we tried to capture some fun AZ memories. I love Justin's smile on this one! They were walking back...
Disneyland - Day 5, Continued  Thank you for being patient with me as I cataloged my memories. As I get older, my days fill up so quickly, I get stretched so thin and I have learned that if I don't write everything down, it will disappear into a fuzzy haze. This was...
Disneyland - Day 5 Â At the gates by 7:20 AM. Sooo early. Sooo tired. But ready. Ready to capture the day. Ready to make those memories stick. Ready to laugh and smile and soak in those giggles. We met the princesses. (Belle is Julia's favorite - because she has brown...
Disneyland - Day 4, Continued We wandered back over to the Brother Bear. The kids climbed and ran and smiled and giggled. I sat in the shade, very thankful for benches. At this point, I was completely exhausted. Brian was such a perfect companion. He took over...
Disneyland - Day 4 We said goodbye to Uncle BJ, Mom and Dad. They headed back to Texas Friday morning. Thank you, mom and dad and Uncle BJ for making it happen. We always said we would get Nate and Julia to Disneyland right after Nate finished Kindergarten... and you...
Disneyland - Day 3, Continued  Disneyland - the California Adventure was our next stop. We got front row sidewalk seats for High School Musical 3. Julia was in heaven! She got picked - not once, but twice! She was so happy / shy / fun! She talked about it for the...
Disneyland, Day 3 Dad has always been known for his shortcuts. We all decided to take turns dropping the family off, then one of us would drive back to the hotel and walk - try to save as many legs as we could. Well, day 3 morning was my turn - but of course - dad...
Disneyland - Day 2, Continued  We started day 2 at the Finding Nemo Submarine - the ride Nate picked over all other rides in the entire park. It was probably my favorite ride so far! Nate was amazed and was sure that we were actually in a submarine under water -...