Life With 4 J's

The Doodle is Six

2012-01-23T11:31:00.000-06:00

Six. How is that possible?

It seems like just yesterday that we were preparing for his arrival.

Now he's a bright, precocious kindergartener who's being visited by the tooth fairy on a regular basis.

We celebrated the big day with a party at our local bounce house place. He had a blast running and playing and thought that his Angry Birds cake was pretty darn cool.

We happen to think he's pretty cool, too. Happy Birthday, Doodle!

Favorite Photo Friday ~ Peanut's 8th Family Day

2012-01-20T10:48:00.000-06:00

On January 5th, we celebrated our 8th Forever Family Day with Jaden. Right before we headed out to PF Chang's, a family day favorite for my girls, I snapped a few quick shots of her in her new glasses, which are, of course, pink. We're so blessed to have this little firecracker in our family, she definitely keeps things fun around here. Happy Family Day to all of our dear travelmates and Yahoo group buddies from back in the day. How did our baby girls get so big so fast?

I'm baaaaaaaaack!!!!!

2012-01-08T10:57:00.000-06:00

I guess I should back up to that since I never even got around to blogging about it. Back on October 29th, Derek and I had been at a wedding and were both in our closet getting ready to change into our pj's. I asked him to take my boots off (as I always do), and was standing and holding on to the shoe shelf when he began to pull them off. The first one came off just fine, but when he went to pull the 2nd, my other foot (that was in a sock) slid along the carpet toward him (away from the shelf I was holding on to) and BOOM, I went down. Somehow my left arm got caught underneath me and the radius, right at the wrist joint, snapped. It was obvious immediately that it was broken and broken badly, so after calling a neighbor to come stay with the kids (thank you Melissa!), and several minutes of dragging myself up off the closet floor and practically crawling to the car, we were off to the hospital. Long story short(er), they admitted me that evening, did surgery the next day to put it back together and then I got home on Halloween, just in time to hang with my cute Wizard of Oz characters.

The next few weeks were a blur of pain meds, having to ask for help with EVERYTHING, physical therapy, and well, to be honest, misery. You don't realize how very necessary an arm is until you lose the use of it for a bit. I can't help but be thankful though, that it was my left arm and not right, because things would have been SO much worse had that been the case. I am also thankful for my husband, who stepped up as always to do what had to be done, and our neighbors and friends who helped during that time, as well.

So, fast forward to now, 10 weeks later, and I'm still battling the break. At my 6 week follow-up, I was diagnosed with RSD, a condition where the sympathetic nervous system in my left arm was in hyperdrive and was preventing it from being able to heal normally. I've been getting weekly nerve block injections in my neck (under sedation, thankfully), which have helped tremendously, but I am still battling some swelling and have limited mobility in my wrist and fingers. I hope that with continued therapy, I'll get most of the use back, but am starting to come to terms with the fact that my hand may never be "normal" again. The surgeon who repaired my arm called the break "wicked" and I think that term pretty much sums up what this entire experience has been like. I know that in the grand scheme of life, I could be dealing with something a WHOLE lot worse though, and I am thankful more than ever for my healthy body, which I certainly took for granted before this happened.

I didn't want to see the x-ray of my wrist pre-surgery, so I don't have any pics of that to share (you're welcome), but here is the "after" look with the new hardware.

I hope y'all are doing well, I've missed the bloggy world and will do my best to catch up here and check in with all of you soon. How the heck did 2012 get here so fast?!?!?!

favorite photo friday ~ my characters

2011-11-04T18:45:00.000-05:00

We had to talk the Doodle into going along with our "theme" this year, but in the end he loved being the lion. I love that my kids still love Halloween.

favorite photo friday ~ surprise!

2011-10-28T17:44:00.001-05:00

So last Friday afternoon I'm standing in my closet, pulling the plastic wrappers off my dry cleaning when Derek arrived home from work. He comes walking into the bathroom (we enter our closet by way of the bathroom) and I'll be darned if my bestie Lisa doesn't walk in right behind him. I can only imagine the look on my face, as it took me several seconds to understand that she was really standing there, and then I proceeded to jump up and down like a maniac in my bathroom of all places with an arm full of dry-cleaning plastic wraps. It was seriously the coolest thing EVER! They got me good, as I had NO earthly idea that she was coming, and in fact, I'm constantly telling people how Derek NEVER surprises me (this was the first time in 20 years of marriage). It was the perfect weekend to celebrate our anniversary, Reagan's one year family day and Lisa's birthday and I only wish it could have lasted longer, as those 3 days passed in a flash.

You'd think that two photographers would have an abundance of pictures to show for that type of weekend, wouldn't you? Well, we don't. Nope, not one solitary frame taken with either of our DSLR's. We were just too busy having fun to slow down long enough for pics. Of course, I'm kicking myself about that now, but it's OK, we have a few fun shots taken with my new iPhone 4S (if you don't have one yet, get one! The camera rocks and Siri is pretty fun, too) and the memories of the weekend will last me a lifetime. Thanks to my sweet hubby and amazing friend for such an awesome surprise, I will never forget how excited I was when I saw you two standing in the bathroom, LOL. We definitely need to start planning our next get-together soon! Love you both!!

favorite photo friday ~ pink peanut

2011-10-21T08:49:00.002-05:00

I believe in manicures. I believe in overdressing. I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick. I believe in pink. I believe happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles. ~Audrey Hepburn

twenty years

2011-10-19T15:21:00.000-05:00

Today Derek and I celebrate our 20th anniversary and what an amazing journey it has been. Recently I got a tattoo of the last part of the Song of Solomon scripture "My beloved is mine, and I am his" in Derek's honor and it fits us perfectly. He is mine, I am his. Totally, completely, forever his. I am so thankful that I was blessed with "mine" at such a young age and am looking forward to MANY more years with my love, my friend, my Derek.

Here's a quick look back at our day, October 19, 1991.

i heart faces ~ tickled pink

2011-10-17T21:34:00.000-05:00

No way I could let the tickled pink theme at I Heart Faces go by without including my Peanut. She is all pink, all the time. You know that scene in Steel Magnolias where Shelby says that her wedding colors are blush and bashful? Well, I imagine I'll be hearing those same words from Jaden one day and we'll be hosing down the sanctuary with Pepto Bismol, just like in the movie. Hopefully, she won't bust this particular move in her wedding pics though. When I asked what she was doing, all she said was "Peace out, Yo!" Mmmmmkay silly girl, whatever you say. Yo.

favorite photo friday ~ fall food

2011-10-14T17:00:00.000-05:00

I tell ya, this is my absolute favorite time of year for food. Every fall, I stock my pantry with cans of pumpkin and then hope that I can find new recipes to use it in. Well, last weekend, I was drinking my coffee and goofing off on Facebook (as I often do on a weekend morning) and noticed my neighbor had posted that his "better half" had made him pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Ummmm, yes please! I immediately commented that I'd like the recipe and within minutes our doorbell rang. Not only was the recipe delivered (hand written on a card with cute Halloween stickers on it) but there was also a huge plate full of said cookies all wrapped up pretty and ready to eat! Do I have great neighbors, or what?!?! They were so yummy that I couldn't wait to make my own batch and I just have share the recipe with all of you. If you like hard, crunchy cookies, then just stop reading now ~~and what the heck is wrong with you?~~ because these cookies aren't for you. If ~~you're normal~~ you love a soft, moist cookie, then get ready to hit "print" because you're going to want to make these over and over!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup walnuts (optional) ~~yuck~~
1 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp baking soda dissolved in one tbsp milk

Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil and egg. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add to pumpkin mixture along with dissolved baking soda and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips, nuts ~~not~~ and vanilla. Drop onto lightly greased baking sheet and bake @ 375 for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen. (I got almost 4 dozen using a #60 scoop)

Enjoy and happy weekend everyone!!

six years

2011-10-10T20:56:00.001-05:00

Six years ago today, we met our biggest girl half way across the world in Nanning, Guangxi, PRC. When I first imported these pics, I couldn't help but think "Who is this young lady and what's happened to my little girl?" I continue to be amazed at the young woman she is becoming and am so proud to be her momma. We celebrated tonight at PF Chang's, her favorite restaurant and one of mine, too. Happy forever family day, pretty girl, we love you!!
She totally enjoyed rocking out the supermodel look, but I did talk her into smiling a few times for me, too. Isn't she cute in her braces?

favorite photo friday ~ sneak peek

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm currently on a quick chick trip to New Orleans, but didn't want to miss out on Favorite Photo Friday. This is a little sneak peek of some fun Jacey and I had this week with her favorite new hat. I'll post the rest on Monday, when we'll be celebrating her 6th forever family day.

Happy weekend everyone!

favorite photo friday ~ fall

2011-09-30T09:48:00.000-05:00

Though it certainly didn't feel like fall yesterday with temps over 100, the inside of our home is all set for my favorite season. I love the colors, the smells, and the anticipation of all that is to come when fall arrives. The kids are already excited about Halloween and were more than ready for the decorations to come out of the attic. Before we know it, the pumpkins and leaves will be replaced by nutcrackers and stockings, but until then, I'm going to enjoy every second.

my silly kids' contribution...

Happy favorite photo friday and happy fall y'all!

i heart faces ~ a touch of sun

2011-09-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

I don't typically shoot with a lot of sun flare or haze, but when I saw the theme this week at I Heart Faces, I thought back to these shots of Jack and realized that I never even finished editing them. I'm not the only who does that, right?

favorite photo friday ~ friends

2011-09-16T18:47:00.007-05:00

A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be. ~Douglas Pagels

I have a feeling that if you check back on my blog in about 10 years, you'll see these two posing together as teenagers. Lexi could easily be the 5th J (ok, except for the fact that her name doesn't start with J), she's a total sweetie and we love having her over. I'm still friends with a lot of girls that I met at this age, and I hope Jaden and Lexi will be lifelong friends, too.

Be sure and check out all the cuteness over at Lisa's blog today and have a great weekend everyone!

favorite photo friday ~ my silly girls

2011-09-09T07:00:00.003-05:00

The slightest hint of fall arrived last weekend and we are loving it. It's nice to walk outside and not feel like you're going to spontaneously combust. The girls and I ventured out for a little shoot one pretty afternoon and they were excited to put on their favorite boots from last year. It wasn't really that cool, but hey, when the temperature drops from 108 to 88, it feels like winter to us!

This is Jacey's way of getting Jaden to quit giving me the fake smile, it works every time.

I can hardly believe how tall Jacey's getting these days, that dress is a 10-12 and look how short it is on her! She's about as big around as a pencil, so I'm having a bit of trouble finding clothes that fit her well, any suggestions from mommas of tall, skinny girls?!?!

Be sure and join Lisa's new weekly link-up, Favorite Photo Friday! It's going to be a ton of fun to see what everyone posts!

Happy weekend everyone!!

Good-bye summer, hello school year!

2011-08-29T21:59:00.001-05:00

Well, once again I've let the old bloggity blog fall by the wayside. August has been a busy month and I simply didn't manage to get any posts up. BUT, now that I have all this free time while the kids are at school, maybe I'll do better?!?! I know, I won't hold my breath for that to happen, but a girl can dream.

Our summer officially ended last Tuesday when all 4 of my J's left for school. I can't believe I don't have any more babies at home, and I do miss my little shopping partner, but I am not going to lie, the free time is going to be nice. I forgot how much faster I can run errands without 4 kiddos in tow and I can actually fit a full shopping run to Costco in my car when they're not filling the seats. The first week has gone incredibly well for everyone. I am especially proud of the Doodle, he walked right in on the first day, put his things in his locker, sat down and went to work. And I was pretty proud that I didn't cry at the Boo-Hoo Breakfast too, I was afraid I was going to embarrass myself. I'd have been toast if he'd been upset, but he set a great example for me so I was able to keep it together. It's fun listening to him recall the day and tell about all the new friends he's making (though I'm afraid he's inherited my inability to remember names), and he truly seems to be enjoying himself. He got his first "paw card" today for good behavior and walked it down to the office all by himself, a pretty big deal for a kindergartener. Not too bad for the kid who was so shy that he didn't speak 3 words in his first two years of preschool.

So here they are, my 4 cuties all ready to conquer the 2011-12 school year!

We packed apples for their teachers in cute take-out boxes, I think it's important to show teachers how much we appreciate them, even if it's with something little.

The scientifically savvy seventh-grader...

The fabulously fearless fifth-grader...

The tiny, but tenacious third-grader...

And last but not least, the courageous and cute kindergartener (sorry, I couldn't think of any "k" adjectives to save my life, lol)

Ready to roll...

B&W Wednesday, Summer Fun

2011-07-27T16:35:00.002-05:00

There's not much else we can do outdoors right now besides hang in the pool, it's just too darn hot to do anything else. Even though this is our 3rd summer with our pool, the new still hasn't worn off and we spend a lot of fun afternoons out there. Yesterday, I took the camera out to catch a few action shots of my silly girls. You might notice Jacey has a bit of new "bling" going on, as she got braces last week. She's doing great with them so far and is excited to see her new smile in about a year and a half when she gets them off.

Hope y'all are staying cool out there!! I love summer, but admit that a nice crisp fall day would feel pretty good about now.

I Heart Faces, Water

2011-07-26T20:20:00.002-05:00

Thanks Angie and Amy!

Thought it might be fun to enter this week's challenge at I Heart Faces, given that I never have a shortage of "water" pictures on hand. We have been spending a LOT of time in the pool lately (what else can we do in this oppressive heat?), and I snapped this action shot of the Peanut today.

B&W Wednesday, Forty

2011-06-29T15:14:00.000-05:00

Yep, I'm 40 and you know what? I'm totally fine with that! I'm not one of those people that gets all weirded out about birthdays, even the big ones. I don't remember 30 being a big deal at all, in fact, my thirties were amazing and I plan for my forties to be just as good, if not better. I'm older and definitely wiser, but I'm still the same fun-loving chick that I've always been and I don't see that changing at any age. My friends and I joke that our nursing home better be a good one, because we plan on being a handful, just like we are now.

We celebrated my big day here at our house on Saturday, with about 50 of our closest friends and family. We had some amazing Mexican food, a great variety of beverages, a decadent red velvet chocolate chip bundt cake (I know, right?!?!) and a TON of laughter and silliness. It was everything I could've wanted in a party and then some. I'm so blessed to have such a great family and amazing friends, both old and new, and appreciate each and every one of you for helping me kick off the 40's in style.

Yesterday was my actual birthday, so Derek and the J's took me out to have some of my favorite foods, sushi and hibachi steak and lobster. It was absolutely delicious and we all had a great time watching our chef prepare our meal.

I wanted a pic with my cuties after we got home.

And of course, Derek and I did our usual selfie too. Converted for B&W Wednesday.

B&W Wednesday, The Real Beach Pics

2011-06-22T14:27:00.001-05:00

Fellow photog moms out there can appreciate how excited I was to be doing my first real beach session with my kiddos. I was going to do the traditional white dresses for the girls and had already decided on blue for the boys. Well, I didn't exactly start looking for the white dresses that far in advance before we left for the trip, I mean, how freaking hard can it be to find two white dresses, right? Apparently, it was harder than I thought, so I decided that I'd just wait until we got there to pick up a couple. I mean, how freaking hard can it be to find two white dresses in all of Gulf Shores, right? I'm sure you can see where this is going, and I'm sure you already noticed that there is not one white dress in any of the pics below. After several unsuccessful shopping trips, I all but gave up deciding that I'd just put the girls in something they'd brought along instead the whole matching dress thing, but I admit I was pretty pissed at myself for procrastinating that particularly HUGE detail.

Never fear, Derek (and Wally World) to the rescue! We noticed after we got to Gulf Shores and had driven around on a nice dusty gravel road for a few days that the tires on my car weren't exactly in great shape. (don't ask me why we didn't bother to check that out before we left, lol) Derek went into town in search of new tires before we started off for home and happened to notice a Wal Mart along the way. He popped in to search for dresses, knowing that I was still upset with myself for not getting them in advance. He couldn't find a thing in white, but instead came up with these cute pinks ones. In the end, I'm glad we didn't find white because I just love the result of the pink and blue together. So, thanks to Derek, my bald tires and Wal Mart, I give you these lovely beach images of my J's.

And just in case you've ever wondered what my kids are really like, here ya go!

And one for Black and White Wednesday.

Beach Vacay, Part 1

2011-06-21T20:24:00.000-05:00

Well hello out there!! Did y'all think I'd dropped off the face of the earth? My FB friends know I'm still around, but unfortunately the old blog has been a bit neglected. The 4 J's finished school strong and we took off for the beach shortly after. This was our 2nd trip to Gulf Shores, AL, and we loved it as much this time as the last. We had one whole week of nothing but sun, sand, surf, and seafood, which for me, is just about as close to Heaven as I'm going to get on earth.

I'm so glad my kids love the beach as much as I do.

We spent a lot of time just goofing around, playing in the surf and digging in the sand.

Did a little night time crab hunting

Made a couple of trips to town for shopping and seafood

Witnessed some amazing sunsets

Enjoyed a full moon over the ocean (this picture does no justice to how pretty it was)

And yes, took the obligatory self portrait that Derek and I are famous for, which also happens to be the only photographic evidence that I was actually on the trip, lol.

Now, I know my photog friends are asking, where are the real pics? You know, the ones where you made the kids get all dressed in beachy clothes and drug them out for a sunset shoot? Check back tomorrow, but here's a sneak peek, just to hold you over. :)

B&W Wednesday, My Baby Boy

2011-05-18T18:46:00.000-05:00

The littlest J is growing up right before our eyes. Maybe I should say the "youngest" J, since he's bigger than his 8 year old sister now. Last week was a huge week for the Doodle and for me. On Tuesday, I registered him for kindergarten and on Thursday we watched him graduate from Pre-K. My shy little guy stood up there and sang his heart out, jiving and grooving to such tunes as Shout to the Lord, This Little Light of Mine and my personal favorite, the hip-hop version of Tooty Ta.

He wasn't super crazy about the part where his teachers bent down at the same time and kissed him on the cheeks, lol, but otherwise, as far as he's concerned, it was a perfect night. I think he'd have slept in that cap and gown if we'd have let him. My baby boy is going to kindergarten in August. He's it. The last J. Someone pass the Kleenex!

B&W Wednesday, Mother's Day

2011-05-11T20:07:00.000-05:00

I celebrated Mother's Day with my mom, we enjoyed a yummy fondue brunch (all by ourselves, no one else was invited, lol), did some shopping, and then ended the day with a dip in the pool. It was the perfect quiet, relaxing day and I hope we can do it again soon. Only next time we'll just go for the cheese and dessert fondues. Or heck, maybe just the chocolate, why mess around with that other stuff, right mom? :)

I am so thankful to have my mom by my side. She's my mentor and my friend, and I thank God that He chose me to be her daughter. Love you Mom!

I Heart Faces, Soft and Sweet

2011-05-01T12:49:00.000-05:00

When I saw the category this week at I Heart Faces, I couldn't help but think of this super sweet shot of Jack and his beloved Baby Lamb.

Twelve

2011-04-28T23:12:00.000-05:00

12. Why does that number seem SO much bigger than 11? It's been 12 years today since I became a Mommy, Derek became a Daddy and our lives were changed forever for the better.

Jakob came into this world 8 days past his due date weighing in at only 6 lbs, 15 oz. He was a long skinny little guy and that hasn't changed much in 12 years. He had a head full of dark hair that in just a few weeks' time started to stick straight up and at 5 weeks old, had his first buzz cut, a look that he still sports today.

We are so proud of the young man Jakob is becoming, and look forward to seeing where the next 12 years will take him. Happy Birthday, big guy, we love you and thank God for you every day!

B&W Wednesday, My Not-so-Littles

2011-04-27T19:26:00.001-05:00

These four are growing up right before my eyes. Every time I take new pictures of them I am just amazed. I am proud of who they are becoming, but sad at how fast they're changing from babies into young ladies and gentlemen. Jack was watching the Disney Channel this week and asked to change the channel because "this show is for toddlers and I am NOT a toddler, Mom." Sigh. Can someone please slow down time for me?

Easter Weekend with the J's

2011-04-25T12:03:00.000-05:00

It's rare for us to have a weekend with very little planned, so when we do, we take full advantage and enjoy every second. We spent our Easter weekend here at home and it was so nice we wish it hadn't already ended. The weather was a bit iffy all weekend with storms around us, but we still managed to spend almost all of both days outdoors, which is what we love most around here. We dyed eggs, swam, had lots of good-eats and spent time with family. It doesn't get much better than that.

Hope you had a blessed weekend too and were able to spend it with the ones you love.

B&W Wednesday, a lesson in doing the right thing

2011-04-13T07:00:00.003-05:00

On Jack's days off from school, he runs errands with me. Last week was an especially busy errand-running week, as I was in charge of our school's spring fundraiser, which took place on Friday, and I had LOTS to pick up. One of our stops was the local party supply store, and while I was standing at the check-out sorting out my tax-free status with the sales lady, Jack bent down and came back up with a $20 bill in his hand. I could tell by the look on his face that he was pretty excited about his find and hated to burst his bubble, but I quickly explained that the right thing to do was to give the $20 to the sales lady in case someone came back looking for it. He gave me one of his looks, but agreed to what I said and handed the money over the counter right away. The sales lady was so impressed with how he handled himself that she took his name and our number and promised that if no one came in and claimed the money that it would be his.

Well, two days later, she called and asked me to tell Jack that he had $20 waiting for him at the store, so the next day I drove him to go get it. He was pretty stinking excited and the manager of the store made a big fuss over giving him the money. I'm sorry for the person who lost the $20, but am thankful that my little guy was able to learn a little about doing the right thing.

When I asked him if he wanted to save his "reward" and put it in his bank, his immediate reply was a big eye-roll and "No Mommy, I'm going to go to Target and spend it!" He's now the proud owner of a set of water swords for the pool. We'll work on that whole saving thing later, I guess. :)

B&W Wednesday, amazing city, amazing friends

2011-03-23T23:43:00.001-05:00

Well, as y'all already know by reading Lisa and Dita's blogs, Derek and I were in New York City last weekend for a little grown-up getaway. To use the word "fun" doesn't really do it justice, we truly had a blast and are so blessed to have such dear friends, even if they do live 1500 miles from us. Actually, it's probably good that they live that far away or we'd either all be a)checking into AA together, b)in jail or c)both. Heh.

Here's a look at the weekend. Most of these courtesy of our handy dandy point and shoot. Yeah, yeah, I know I'm a photographer, blah, blah, blah, but trust me, worrying about the perfect shot isn't near as much fun as experiencing the perfect weekend, so the big camera didn't come out and play much.

St Patrick's Day in the city, even the Empire State Building was in the spirit.

The view from the top, it seems like the city goes on forever.

A sweet surprise that greeted us when we got back to our room that night. Thanks Lisa and Pat!

Our visit to a place where the unimaginable took place. To stand there, look up and see nothing but blue sky where those towers once stood was an experience I won't soon forget. I hope we can return when the memorial is completed.

Times Square, our home for the weekend. Crazy. Crowded. Cool.

Where's Waldo, anyone? See Derek and me on the screen?

And finally, the best part about the trip, getting to hang with my peeps. This is the one and ONLY shot of the 6 of us together. It's not perfect, but it's priceless. Thanks Mr. 20D. ;)

Me and my girls.

I can't even thank our fabulous friends, Dita, the HC, Lisa and Pat enough for giving up your weekend to spend it with us. Dita and HC, you were the most AMAZING tour guides two Texans could've ever hoped for, we practically have a new vocabulary thanks to you, SoHo, NoHo, Howston, etc and Dita, your parallel parking skills are nothing short of spectacular. I'd grow basil in the city with you anytime. Lisa and Pat, what can I say? I am SO glad y'all were able to escape to the city to hang with us, though I do apologize for the near-miss on the bus thing. Next time we'll try to get you there with at least a minute to spare instead of the 15 seconds you had this time.

We love you all and can't wait to start planning the next trip...

B&W Wednesday, Silly Sock Day

2011-03-09T20:28:00.004-06:00

I sent my son to school in ladies' socks today. We couldn't find any "silly" ones in his size so we had to get creative. The Doodle thought he looked pretty cute (he's usually pretty embarrassed by stuff like this) and insisted that I take some pics.

I love that his shorts are crooked and that he looks all sleepy in these. He's about as much of a morning person as I am (which is not at all for those that don't know me) and we're having to drag him out of bed to get him to Pre-K by 9. Next year is going to be a challenge, I can already tell. They say you "pay for your raising" when you have your own kids, so maybe I'll get to repeat my mom's trick of threatening me with ice water to get me out of bed. Nothing wakes you up quite like the sound of ice and water swirling in a pitcher at your bedroom door, LOL! *she never actually had to pour it on me, folks*

Apparently, it was also "Silly Face Day" and I didn't get the memo.

This afternoon he left me snap a few more and I got my new fave of my guy.

Hope you get to do something "silly" this week too!

B&W Wednesday, it's just a word...

2011-03-02T20:04:00.000-06:00

But we don't like it. If you're going to use an R-word, let's make it "RESPECT", OK? As in, respect people with intellectual disabilities. They deserve it. He deserves it.

Take the pledge with us, won't you?

Peanut's Pink Pool Party

2011-02-28T14:00:00.000-06:00

Friday we celebrated the 8th birthday of our Peanut. She chose our favorite Mexican place for her birthday dinner (where she orders mac & cheese, oy, not sure where I went wrong there). She got a special package in the mail from her Papoo and Merlyn and included in it were matching outfits for her and her AG Doll, Mia. She couldn't wait to show them off and Mia joined us for dinner so she could do just that. Aren't they cute together?

Then Saturday we had her party here at the house. We'd been watching the weather closely and were hoping to luck into some warm temps so we could heat the pool and have her party out there. Gotta love living in a state where you can have a pool party in February!

Special thanks to Mimi for the water squirters, they were the hit of the party!

My little mermaid.

This picture is just SO Jaden.

Mmmmmm, ice cream cake.

2 cuties

A great time was had by all! Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us!

A little boy and his little lamb

2011-02-11T20:06:00.002-06:00

When the Doodle was small, he had a little lamb that he loved. He carried him around, slept with him each night and called him "Baby Yam" before he could say his L's correctly. He took him with us on vacation to the beach in 2008 and sometime after that trip, though we're not quite certain when, Baby Yam got misplaced. I've been accused of donating him (I have a habit of purging our house frequently and often get blamed if something comes up "missing" lol), but I am very sure that I did not donate that lamb.

Fast forward to early last week, Jack brought a book downstairs for us to read, as he often does at night, and we headed off to my room to "snuggle up" and read it in my bed.

*This is one of the many books that Derek's mom bought for "Baby Jack", she always signed the books she gave the kids and it makes me smile to see her name on them. Jack doesn't remember her, as she passed away when he was only 18 months old, but he knows his Grammie is the one who gave him all the stuff that says "Baby Jack" on it. She was the only one who called him that and probably still would today if she were here.

Anyway, about half way through the book, at the part where Little Lamb loses his way and hopes his shepherd will find him, Jack burst into tears. He'd suddenly remembered Baby Lamb and was very upset that we'd never been able to find him. He asked where Baby Lamb was, if I thought he was hurt or scared and kept saying "But I'm Baby Lamb's shepherd and I need to find him!" It was just about the sweetest (and saddest) thing I've ever seen. We finished the book, dried his tears and I knew after he went to bed what I had to do. I immediately started scouring the internet, determined to find my guy a new baby lamb. I could only find one picture of him, from our beach vacation, but it was enough to help me remember what he looked like and after a few minutes of searching, I found one on eBay. I made an offer, it was accepted immediately and Baby Lamb II was on the way!

Derek went with me to pick up Jack from school on Monday and I had my little surprise along in the car, as he had arrived in the mail that afternoon. Needless to say, the Doodle was THRILLED. He was so precious, talking to and hugging him and he must have thanked me for him 10 times that afternoon. He obviously knows he's not "the" Baby Lamb and that I had to buy a new one, but he doesn't care, he's just glad to have his old friend back. That night, we read his book again with Baby Lamb snuggled up in bed right there with us and it was perfection.

It's amazing how something so small can make someone so happy, I think I should take some lessons from my little guy and start appreciating the "little" things more.

B&W Wednesday, Brrrrrrr

2011-02-09T22:29:00.000-06:00

One word comes to mind when I think of winter in Texas. Unpredictable. OK, that's not entirely true, several other words have crossed my mind and lips lately, but I'd probably be better off not sharing those here. We can literally go from lounging by the pool one day to playing in the snow the next and that's exactly what we did last week. Except we weren't exactly playing for most of the week, we were stuck indoors because of ice that came down and stayed. My kids have missed 5 of their last 7 days of school, including today, and I've about had it. Luckily, warmer temps are on the way and they can't get here fast enough as far as I'm concerned. This Southern chick was not made for winter!

We did get some half-way decent snow at the end of the week ~~from hell~~, so of course, I headed out with the kids and the camera. Jakob, as always, wanted nothing to do with freezing himself to death to play in the snow, so you'll notice he's absent from these. Smart kid, I tell ya.

Anyone care to take a dip?

No really, the water's nice, come on in.

Not.

The grill hasn't seen much action lately.

The snow was super powdery, so the kids had a hard time actually building anything. They mostly just threw big hand-fulls at each other.

I'm looking forward to seeing these candles glowing warm and pretty soon instead of sitting out there full of ice and snow.

Hope you're staying warm and safe this week!

I Heart Faces, Hearts

2011-02-08T17:47:00.002-06:00

Woohoo, Top 10! Thanks so much Bobbi+Mike!

The Doodle was walking around this morning looking all fly in his khakis and no shirt, so I did what any good mom-tographer would do and grabbed the camera. He was giving me his best 'tude (which sadly comes way too easily for him) and I couldn't help but laugh when I saw this one. Add one "Mom" tattoo to that face and you have "Doodle the Tough Guy". Hehe.

Check out all of the cuteness at I Heart Faces this week!

40.

2011-01-28T13:07:00.005-06:00

You're going to be seeing this number a LOT this year on my blog. You see, this is the year that I turn 40. And since I still hang with a ton of the people I grew up with, we're ALL turning 40. My BFF Angie had the ~~rotten luck~~ distinct pleasure of going first in 2011. She and I are exactly 6 months apart and have been friends for a VERY long time. Today is actually her birthday and she's soaking up the sun in Curacao probably with a pretty frozen beverage in her hand right at this very moment. *insert jealous friend here*

Since we knew she'd be out of town for the big day, we celebrated last Saturday. Angie wanted to do something different for her party than our usual nights out on the town and came up with this brilliant idea:

*the brilliant invitation was my creation, not that I'm tooting my own horn or anything (toot, toot)

She got online, printed off a bunch of games, and we went to work getting it all set up and ready for our friends. We had each couple come as teams and assigned them all a color. They were to wear black, come up with a "colorful" team name and accessorize "creatively but thriftily" (is that a word?) in their team color. Well, let me tell you, our friends did not disappoint. Unfortunately, due to our ummmmmm, ridiculous amounts of originality, I won't be sharing too many images from the night here on my "family" blog. Not to mention that I could be sued by our lawyer friend who showed up dressed as a pimp alongside his wife, who was dressed as well, ya know...the kind of female that hangs with pimps. HAHA! What I can say is that we rocked the Minute to Win It games (OK, not really, some of them were HARD!), laughed until our stomach muscles ached, danced like there was no tomorrow (and considering we didn't go to bed until 3:30am there literally almost wasn't), and partied like the rock stars that we all aspire to be. It was a blast and I look forward to a year full of celebrating with my amazing life-long friends. I can only imagine what our group trip to Puerto Vallarta in August is going to have in store. I think I'd better start resting up now...being a rock star hurts a lot more than it used to.

BRING IT ON FORTY, the best is yet to come!!

B&W Wednesday, My Party by Jack

2011-01-26T21:17:00.000-06:00

Did you know I'm 5? Oh yeah, Mom said she already posted that, but anyway, I'm FIVE in case you missed it! We had a party for me on Saturday (which was my REAL birthday) at our house, would you like to see some pictures that my mom took of it? OK, here ya go!

Me. I'm FIVE. Did I already say that? Sorry, I'm just real excited about being FIVE.

These are some of my cousins and my big brother. They're cute huh? Well, not as cute as me, but they try.

This is my cake and me. My mom took me to the bakery last week so I could tell them exactly what I wanted my cake to look like. It's Toy Story. Of course. 'Cause I like Toy Story. Duh.

This is me waiting for everyone to finish singing so I could blow out the candles.

And I'll huff and I'll puff...

And I'll blow them candles right out!

Oh yeah, baby, I rock!!

This is me opening presents. I got some really cool stuff that I wanted. Today my mom made me write my name about a billion times on my thank you notes. It was boring but she said that it was "proper" and that I had to do it. Whatever! Does your mom make you do that?

Now we get to the REALLY neat part of the party, the bounce house. I love bounce houses and always ask for them for my birthday parties. The Toy Story one was already reserved (way to wait too late, Mom!) so I picked this big one that looked like a cake. It was cool and my mom even bounced and went down the slide with me. She's kinda crazy like that.

And mom said it's Black and White Wednesday, whatever that is, so here's me and my Daddy.

I hope you had as much fun last weekend as I did!

Love, Jack "The Doodle"

A very excited 5 year old

2011-01-22T10:48:00.000-06:00

5 years ago today, we became a family of 6 with the arrival of our Doodle. Jack is the perfect "baby" of the family, he's got us all wrapped around his little finger and somehow manages to get his way every single time we're making family decisions. He's smart, handsome, witty, very tall for his age (as in, off the charts tall), and EXTREMELY happy that today is his big day. We took him to dinner a few nights ago to celebrate and he insisted all night that we should thank him for being born since that was, in fact, the reason we were all out to dinner together. Yeah, he's that kind of handful. We're gearing up for his Toy Story themed party in just a few hours and the J's are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the bounce house.

Jack had the idea that we should get five balloons and take some pictures with them, so that's exactly what we did yesterday afternoon. He was cold, so I had to work fast, but it was fun and I love the results. Here's my big FIVE year old with his bright orange balloons and even brighter birthday smile. Happy Birthday, sweet Doodle, I love you to the moon and back and yes, thank you for being born. :)

I Heart Faces, Smiles

2011-01-10T21:40:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I love the little smiles just as much as the big ones. This is my Doodle with his beloved Pillow Pet, Buzzy Bee. Buzzy's nose has already had to be reattached, he's been played with that much. Since Christmas!

This is Jack's attempt at Buzzy's smile, and I think he nailed it. :)

Do check out all the adorable smiling entries at I Heart Faces this week, there are some super cute ones!

Seventh Family Day

2011-01-07T16:35:00.001-06:00

Yep, SEVEN! Wednesday we celebrated our Peanut's forever family day with dinner at PF Chang's. This is the first year she's been really into the fact that it was her "anniversary". She started counting down shortly after Christmas and talked non-stop about it right up until Wednesday, probably driving her teacher and classmates insane in the process. I know later down the road it might not be the case, but right now, Jaden thinks the fact that she's from China makes her pretty darn cool and she isn't afraid to share her story with anyone who'll sit still long enough to listen to it. I pray that she remains this confident in herself and her heritage in the coming years.

We took a couple of quick pictures before we left for dinner and she wanted to know immediately when I'd be getting them posted on Facebook. She enjoyed reading all the comments people were leaving for her there, so thanks to everyone for making her night.

Happy Family Day to all our Firecracker friends who are celebrating meeting their precious children for first time seven years ago! I can hardly believe how fast our babies are growing up. Next thing we know, they'll be on their own Facebook pages and blogs talking about how old their parents are getting to be... ;)

B&W Wednesday, another Christmas in the books

2010-12-29T20:33:00.001-06:00

I can't believe the holidays are coming to an end already, it feels like we just finished getting the house decorated and now it's time to put it all away again. We had a really nice Christmas here at home with family. We changed things up a bit this year and prepared our big dinner on Christmas Eve so that we wouldn't have to spend all of Christmas day in the kitchen. It worked out perfectly and I think we'll make it a yearly thing, I love that I was able to just hang out and watch the kids all morning and I was able to help with toy extraction/battery duty that Derek normally handles on his own. As is par for the course for me, I took very few pictures. We woke Christmas morning to dark skies and rain, so since my normally light, bright family room was more like a dungeon, I opted for a few quick shots with the point and shoot and called it good. I did drag everyone (kicking and screaming in some cases) to the porch for a few shots before my parents left just so that I'd actually be able to prove that they were here. :)

The J's had a wonderful time with all their gifts, as always. Among their favorites were:
Jakob: Veggie Tales DVD's (he's loved those since he was little) and his new Toy Story 3 Woody
Jacey: her 2nd American Girl Doll, Julie, and "daughter" pendant from China
Jaden: "daughter" pendant from China and unicorn pillow pet
Jack: Interactive Lotso Huggin' Bear and bumblebee pillow pet

A very rare shot of my parents! Wahoo!

An even more rare shot of my parents with the J's! And oh look, a family shot too, be still my heart!

The brothers Westbrook. We were excited that Uncle Lynn came all the way from Utah to spend the day with us (he's the one NOT wearing shorts). These boys are trouble when they're all together, there are always lots of laughs, especially when there's a remote-controlled fart machine on the premises. Boys. Just sayin'.

And since it's B&W Wednesday...

I hope y'all had a wonderful Christmas and were surrounded by those that you love.

B&W Wednesday, Eleven

2010-12-15T09:27:00.000-06:00

The definition of eleven is "ten and one added", but for some reason, it seems like Jacey's added a lot more than one this year. She's really matured, both physically and emotionally and I think we're starting to get a glimpse of the teen years already (yikes). She had a fun birthday slumber party over the weekend with some of her classmates. The boys were smart and spent the night in a nearby hotel, no doubt that they couldn't have handled the overload of estrogen in this house with 7 rowdy girls and me. There was lots of giggling, Rock Band playing and karaoking, pizza and snack eating, and of course, a healthy dose of girly drama, which was actually pretty amusing for me to witness and brought back memories of my own slumber party days.

Of course, I had to get her out for a few birthday shots too and she wanted to wear her new hat from Sophia Jane Boutique. I think it looks adorable on her (sorry Jace, I meant to say you look really cool in it, "adorable" is probably not the right word for a big eleven year old, heh)

Happy Birthday, beautiful girl! We love you!!

The Card

2010-12-09T09:00:00.000-06:00

OK, most everyone's had a chance to get it, save a few friends in the Great White North, so here it is. It's been a fun week, we started getting texts, emails and FB messages right away and so far, CPS has not come knocking, so I guess we're in the clear there. ;)

Several people have asked about the tape and yes, it is real. We unstickied it on our jeans before ~~slapping it~~ placing it ever-so-gently on the mouths of our babes. We actually had a hard time keeping it stuck on, the kids would giggle, it would come loose and we'd have to stop and re-stick before continuing. I told them to "look mad" and I think they did a great job, especially the Doodle, he was totally into it.

Thanks everyone for the awesome reactions, we thought it was pretty funny too, but had no idea just how much everyone else would enjoy it. Merry Christmas!

B&W Wednesday, the Christmas card shoot

2010-12-01T13:21:00.000-06:00

Oh yes, it's that time again, the dreaded "What on earth am I going to put on our Christmas card?" time of year. I rack my brain all year (and I just spent an embarrassing amount on time on Google to see if that was supposed to be "rack" or "wrack") for creative ideas and with 4 kids who may or may not cooperate, it's not always easy. This year, I borrowed an idea from a fellow photographer and thankfully, the kids were on board with it so we got our shoot all squared away last weekend. What was it? Well, you'll just have to wait and see, but you'll chuckle when you see it. I hope. That or you'll just think I'm crazy and you may or may not want to call CPS. Oh well, either way, I'll post it here after they've had a chance to hit mailboxes around the country. And those two of you who've already seen it? Shhhhhhhhh!! In the meantime, here is one of the shots that didn't make the cut. Yeah, that small guy on the end there was pretty enthusiastic with the smiles, eh? I will say that as these four get older, our shoots do get easier and we actually got this one done in record time with minimal amounts of whining. I'd dare say they even had "fun", a word I never thought would collide in the same sentence with Christmas card photo shoot.

Happy Black and White Wednesday everyone. I guess now I'll go start "racking" my brain for next year's card...

I Heart Faces, Scenic B&W

2010-11-30T18:57:00.001-06:00

I couldn't help but think of some of my pictures from China when I saw that the theme this week at I Heart Faces is "scenic black and white". The catch is that it has to have a face in it, so I picked this one. I'm sure the guy in the boat thought Lisa and I were a little goofy as we both stood snapping away at him, but with that bridge in the background, we just couldn't help ourselves.

Be sure and pop over to I Heart Faces and check out all of the gorgeous entries this week!

Thankful for a lovely holiday

2010-11-29T20:43:00.001-06:00

Well hello! Is anyone still here? Yes, I realize it's been 26 days since my last post...tsk, tsk. I'm back though, and now that the holidays are here, I promise I'll be around more. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, we sure did. Thanksgiving just might be my favorite holiday of all of them. I mean, what's not to love about hanging with my favorite peeps and eating tons of delicious food? And I do mean TONS. I won't be going near a scale any time soon, that's for sure.

As is usual with me on holidays, I did a dreadful job of taking pictures. You'll notice that most of the ones I did take were of the food, not of my family. Once my turkey coma kicks in, the camera is the last thing on my mind. We did have a blast though, and even if I don't have photographic evidence of such, you'll just have to trust me on that.

I cooked a turkey this year and I have to say it was quite yummy (I've cheated in years past and bought them already cooked). Luckily, Lisa promised that Ina Garten's Perfect Roast Turkey recipe couldn't fail me and it didn't. It was tender juicy herbalicious turkey perfection.

On Friday, we started getting our house prettied up for Christmas and worked on it throughout the rest of the weekend. After fighting electrical issues for the past two years with our giant pre-lit tree, we opted for a real tree this year and made a trip out to a local farm to pick one yesterday. We looked over every tree they had (probably twice) and decided on a pretty Frasier Fir from North Carolina. I forgot how much I love real trees and don't think I'll be going the pre-lit route again. Nothing frustrates me more than lights that don't work, especially when you shell out the kind of bucks that those things cost! Our new tree is gorgeous and smells divine.

I'll take some shots soon of it all decorated, the kids love it and so do we. I find that the older I get the more I look forward to the holidays each year. I am so thankful for my many blessings...my sweet husband, my four beautiful kids, my parents, our extended families, my dear friends, and I am SO excited that Christmas time is almost here again. I've been listening to Christmas music for a few weeks already and the kids have their lists all ready for Santa. We got the Elf on the Shelf for them this year and it's been fun moving him around each night and waiting for them to find him in the morning. The J's had a long "staff meeting" to pick his name over the weekend and finally settled on...

Wait for it...

"Mr. Elf"

Yes, folks, that's creativity at it's finest. Ha!! Oh well, at least it's easy to spell and remember. I hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend and were able to spend time with those you love.

B&W Wednesday, a look back at an unforgettable journey

2010-11-03T21:58:00.001-05:00

I decided today that it was time to get all my China pictures transferred from my MacBook to my desktop and have loved sitting and looking through them again. I am more than thrilled to be home with my family, but there are definitely things about the trip that I am missing right now.

I miss the excitement of that moment...

The people and their willingness to share themselves with us...

The beautiful scenery...

The city and orphanage that stole my heart...

The signs that made me giggle...

But more than those things, I miss my friend...

Lisa and I share a bond that I can't even describe. Derek asked me at one point during the trip if she and I were getting on each other's nerves yet. The honest answer was no, not at all. Lisa and I have traveled together before and know each other about as well as two friends can. We are very much alike in a lot of ways, are both very adventurous (especially with eating, which is convenient when you're in a country like China), and we worked really well together throughout the trip. We shared just about every emotion in existence in those two weeks, from laughter (tons of it actually) to tears and everything in between. Thank you, my dear friend, for allowing me to join you on this most amazing adventure, I'd fly out of terminal seven (seven, seven) with you again any time. :)

And lastly, I miss this precious little being...

I miss seeing her cute sleepy face peeking over the side of her crib each morning, the way she smelled when she was fresh out of the tub, her soft fuzzy bed-head hair, that big toothy grin, those expressive little eyebrows, her sideways glance when she was being spicy and her funny, scrunchy face when she was fake sleeping (seriously, she would shut her eyes tight to try and convince us she was sleeping, it was hysterical). I feel so honored to have played a small role in bringing Reagan home to her forever family, and like I've said before, she'll always have a very special place in my heart.

I have to give a HUGE shout-out to the amazing Dita (and her darlings), who not only took us to dinner at an amazing restaurant the night before we flew out, but also showered me (literally, lol) with overwhelming hospitality on our return, putting me up for the night in high-style and delivering me safely to the airport the next morning (after staying up all night entertaining me). I can't thank you enough, my friend, please give the HC and those sweeties a big hug from me.

What a journey. It was only two weeks of my life, but I will carry the memories made in my heart forever. To read more about Lisa and Reagan's beautiful homecoming, click the button below!

Happy Halloween from the J's

2010-11-01T19:48:00.000-05:00

Halloween is a favorite around here, so I was happy that I made it home from China just in time to celebrate with my cuties. Their costumes were ready to go long before I left, so it was just a matter of counting down the hours yesterday until it got close enough to dark for them to get dressed and head out into the neighborhood. As is our tradition, my mom came over and handed out candy with me while Derek and the J's ventured out in search of candy of their own.

It was an all-Disney Halloween this year, as the girls re-used their gorgeous costumes from our summer vacation and the boys went with Toy Story characters. Jack has been Buzz Lightyear-crazy ever since we saw Toy Story 3 this summer so his choice was an easy one. Jakob has been Woody before, but he makes such a great one with his long, lanky body that we just couldn't help but go with that once again. We are all excited about the release of the DVD tomorrow and are planning a rare weeknight movie night to watch it with Daddy, who missed it at the theater.

Reach for the sky! ~ Sheriff Woody

Up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun. Wanderin' free, wish I could be, part of that world... ~ Princess Ariel

All you need is faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust. ~ Tinkerbell

To infinity, and beyond! ~ Buzz Lightyear

As for me, I decided to go as Jet-Lagged Minnie Mouse. :)

I'm still fighting the exhaustion and backwards schedule from China, but hopefully will be back to normal in a few days. Keep Lisa and Baby Reagan in your prayers as I know they are having an even more difficult time adjusting back than I am. I will be doing one final China post as soon as I have had time to get myself together.

Guangzhou...last leg of the journey

2010-10-28T08:45:00.003-05:00

Well, here we are, spending our last night in China. In some ways, the trip has flown but in others, it seems we've been here much longer than 2 weeks. We have to be up bright and early in the morning for our flight to Hong Kong and then after about a 6 hour layover there, we'll be heading back to the good old US of A. I'm sad to be leaving this amazing country and to be ending my time with Lisa and Reagan, but I am so excited to see my family that I can hardly stand it. Two weeks is a long time to be away from home.

Our week (actually it's been less than a week as we just arrived here on Monday) has been nice. The schedule here has been much more laid back than when we were in Changsha. We've shopped, sipped afternoon coffee at Starbucks, enjoyed dinners on the patio at Lucy's and at the Thai restaurant and done lots of walking around the island.

I like Guangzhou, but I have to say that I don't really feel like I'm in China when I'm here. It's so very different, especially on Shamian Island, Lisa and I were saying yesterday that it feels and looks more like New Orleans than China (without the naked people and beads, of course). We're here during the Canton Trade Fair, so there aren't as many adoptive families around as there have been on my previous two trips. I guess with the slowdown in referrals, there just aren't as many families here ever and it really seems to be affecting the shop owners. Several of the shops I remember as being huge and having lots of selection have downsized dramatically and they almost seem desperate for customers. I'm sure they long for the days where hundreds of families were traveling here at once, instead of the trickle that is coming in now.

We did get to venture out for a little sightseeing yesterday and we got a good glimpse of life off the island. We went to the Folk Art Museum (formerly the Chen Family Temple) and it was beautiful. Various types of artists had worked displayed there and we got to see a few in action. This particular gentleman did beautiful paintings with his hands and I bought a small piece to bring home. Unfortunately, I forgot to photograph it before I packed it up, so I'll have to do that later so you can see the finished product, but here he is at work.

On the way into the museum, we passed through a really cool alley that reminded me a lot of the scenes we saw in Changsha and Chenzhou. I quickly snapped a few shots as we walked through. Lisa tried to snap a picture of a lady shaving a man right there smack in the middle of the street and she yelled at us to stop, so I didn't push my luck with trying to get much more than I did. Nothing like an angry old Chinese lady to scare you into putting the camera away, LOL.

I'm going to miss China. And I'm going to miss Lisa and Reagan. A lot. Lisa and I are planning to Skype frequently so sweet Reagan doesn't forget her Auntie Marla. This has been an absolutely incredible journey and watching the relationship between Lisa and Reagan develop has been nothing short of miraculous. Reagan is not the same child we met 10 days ago, she is blossoming each day and I pray that her transition home goes as well as it is going here. She is an absolute doll and is going to have everyone at home wrapped tight around her tiny little finger, just as she has Lisa and I here. You can't help but smile when she flashes her big toothy grin and her giggle is just about one of the cutest sounds I've ever heard. I look forward to seeing her grow into her forever family and will always have a special place in my heart that's reserved just for her.

Please pray for safe travels for us as we begin the journey home and thank you all so much for your prayers and wishes during our trip. They meant more to us that you can possibly know!

Leaving Changsha

2010-10-27T01:47:00.002-05:00

I got a bit behind, so I'm backing up just a bit to our last day in Changsha. We toured the Provincial Museum in the morning, it's a really cool place, but WOW, was it ever crowded. Since I was here last, it is free for the public to attend and people show up in droves to get in, the line was literally around the block. Apparently, the day we were visiting, some big wig government folks were also there so our awesome driver, Mr. John, had to pull some strings to get us in. The Provincial Museum is a huge source of pride for the people of Hunan Province, as well it should be, and I've enjoyed both my visits to it. I hope to bring Jaden back someday soon so she can see it for herself, since I'm pretty sure she doesn't remember being there in 2004. ;)

This is our driver, Mr. John. It was raining the day I took this, but normally his prized Buick is the cleanest car in all of China. We'd walk out of the hotel every morning and see him outside, polishing it until it shined, I mean, seriously, I think we could have eaten lunch off the hood, it was that clean.

We decided on Pizza Hut for our last lunch in Hunan. It's apparently hugely popular and was packed with people. We flipped open the humongous menu and were thrilled when white wine was the first thing we saw. I thought the waitress's eyes were going to pop out of her head when we finished our first glasses and ordered seconds. Hehe, she obviously had no idea how desperate we were for wine. We went with veggie pizza as some of the meat choices didn't sound too appetizing.

Monday morning, we were up bright and early to catch our flight to Guangzhou. We wanted a quick picture with Susan, our incredible guide, before we left. She was so good to us and Lisa and I both really enjoyed getting to know her. I will definitely want her to be my guide again when I bring my girls back for a visit. She is from Changsha, knows the city inside out and backwards, and is just a lot of fun to hang with. I'm happy that we'll be able to keep in touch via email and imagine that she'll be a lifelong friend.

Changsha, Days 5 and 6

2010-10-23T08:40:00.001-05:00

We've spent the last two days exploring Changsha and getting to know Miss Reagan a bit better. Yesterday, we visited Martyr's Park, a HUGE park that's right smack in the middle of the city. It was fun to be out and about (the hotel room is getting tiresome for all of us) and we enjoyed seeing and learning more about life here.

The people are so warm and friendly and seem to welcome us taking their pictures. Lisa and I were joking yesterday that we'd be flipping out if some stranger stopped us in the city and snapped a picture of our children, but here they actually seem to want us to take them, and a lot of parents even try to get their kids to smile at us. I forgot how much I love China. It is SO different than home, but after a few days, I find myself more and more comfortable, even when our guide isn't with us to translate.

There is a large lake in the park and we loved exploring it. Our guide said her mom used to work there as a lifeguard when she was younger and apparently, it's quite a popular spot to hang out. You almost forget you're in a city of 6 million people when you're out there.

I get a giggle out of a lot of the signs here, when translated into English, they can be quite funny. We were laughing in the store last night at the writing on a bottle of wine that said something like "Drinking this in moderate will benefit to your health".

Today Susan took us to the education center of Hunan, on the other side of the Xiang River from where we are staying. It is home to the oldest still operating university in China, The Yuelu Academy, which was founded in 976 A.D. It was a beautiful day and it felt so good to be out in the nice clean air. Although Changsha is not nearly as polluted as it was the last time I was here (which was in the dead of winter), it has been quite hazy and I keep getting a tickle in my throat from the exhaust on the streets and all the cigarette smoke. I actually got a few pics of blue sky and that's something we haven't seen since we arrived here. The architecture was absolutely amazing and I am in awe that what we saw today has been in existence for over 1000 years.

One of the highlights of our day was lunch at McDonald's. I love Chinese food, especially here in Hunan, but after a week of it, a Big Mac and some crispy fries really hit the spot. The cold Coke Zero and fried pineapple pie weren't too bad either. You'll have to check out Lisa's post from today to see Reagan's reaction to her first trip to the Golden Arches, but I can tell you that the three of us left there very happy. :)

It's been a great couple of days, Reagan is really coming to life, it's amazing to see how much she's transformed since that first day that we met her. She and Lisa are doing lots of playing and snuggling and today Reagan really started looking around for Lisa and is starting to reach for her, as well. We're seeing glimpses of a spicy little personality peeking through and I have a feeling that the next few days are going to be a lot of fun. We are looking forward to heading to Guangzhou Monday morning, it should be nice and warm there (it's been cooler here than we expected) and we're ready to get our shopping groove on! Thanks again to everyone who is praying for and thinking of us here, we appreciate it more than y'all can know and are enjoying each and every comment from home.

My update, the trip so far...

2010-10-21T10:34:00.000-05:00

Day 1, Reagan Day

Where do I even begin with the day Lisa met Reagan? I know you’ve read all about it on her blog, but I really wanted to share the experience from my perspective, as an observer, a friend, a fellow adoptive mom, and yes, a photographer. First let me tell you how nervous I was about that last part. For months people have been saying things like “Wow, how nice that you’re going with Lisa, imagine how many amazing pictures you’ll be able to take for her”…yeah, no pressure there, huh? I mean, what happens if I screw up my settings? Or there isn’t enough light? Or I just get all flustered and shoot everything from a horrible angle? It could have happened, LOL, but luckily it didn’t. I have to say that the moment she met her did not go quite as I had pictured it in my head though. I thought there would be a hand-off, like there was when we met Jaden, but there wasn’t. The first spot we sat down in the Civil Affairs office did not meet my approval lighting-wise so I wanted to move closer to the window. After we got settled I kept glancing over at a little cutie in pink sitting on a bench next to a nanny. Lisa and our guide, Susan, were chatting about passports and such getting everything ready and I looked over again and it clicked. Holy heck, that’s Reagan! She popped her two little fingers in her mouth and I knew for sure. Lisa noticed her right at the time I did, we exchanged a glance, and after a quick confirmation from the nanny that she was in fact, WenYi, Lisa went over, crouched down, said “Can I pick her up?” and then plucked her right up off the bench. I scrambled for the camera, snapped a few not-so-great shots, realized I was at a bad angle and practically launched myself to the other side of the room so I had a better view of the action. One minute we were sitting there thinking we had time to wait for the babies to arrive and then seconds later, Lisa was standing with her daughter in her arms. It happened so fast, I think it took a few minutes for the realization to hit Lisa that she actually had her. There were a few tears, and there were several minutes when neither of us talked, she just stood holding Reagan close, rocking her back and forth and I walked around them snapping pictures. This is one of my favorite shots, it’s the third shot I took of the two of them together and I think the look on Lisa’s face pretty much sums up the whole moment. Pure joy. Thankfulness. Relief. In mere seconds, years of waiting finally came to an end…

It was an amazing morning…one I’ll never forget. There is just something magical about observing the first few precious moments when a mother meets their child for the first time and I’ll forever be grateful to Lisa for inviting me to share this with her.

Day 2, coming down off the "high"

I’m sure most of you have read about our second day on Lisa’s blog already, it was a much harder day for all of us. Reagan was pretty out of sorts and Lisa and I weren’t exactly feeling our best either. In addition to all of the changes Reagan is going through, she’s also got a few teeth trying to pop through and is getting over a virus. I guess we all came crashing down from the high we were on Monday and it wasn’t pretty. I felt bad for both Lisa and Reagan, even though I know that everything they are experiencing is totally normal, it didn’t make it any easier to watch. Reagan was sad and didn’t really feel well and it broke Lisa’s heart to see her hurting. There were a few highlights of the day though, including Reagan’s first bath, which she loved. Lisa brought the cutest little hooded towel for her and we had a mini photo shoot in it after she got out of the tub. We also discovered that she is a huge fan of Cheerios. She positions them just so in her mouth so that she can chomp them with her four little teeth and we can literally hear them crunching. Needless to say, we’re making sure the Cheerios are in the bag with us everywhere we go.

Sweet girl, look at those big gorgeous eyes

Day 3, Chenzhou

Some of my fondest, but also most emotional memories of my first two trips to China were the visits to my girls’ orphanages, so I was thrilled when I found out that Lisa and I were going to have the opportunity to visit Reagan’s SWI during our trip. I think that it’s so important that we get to see the place where our girls’ stories began whenever it’s possible (in China, it’s not always, some SWI’s are either too far away from the provincial capitals or are simply not open to visits from outsiders). Chenzhou not only approved our request for a visit, they welcomed us with open arms and went out of their way to accommodate us. We took a high-speed train from Changsha to Chenzhou, an amazing experience in itself and, after a downright frightening cab ride from the train station (if you have a death wish, I have a cab driver I can recommend), arrived at the place where Reagan began her journey. We were dropped off at the back gate of the SWI, and as we walked around to the front of the building, we could hear the sound of babies crying coming from the windows. I knew (and had warned Lisa before hand) that I’d cry when we visited the orphanage and the second that sound hit my ears, the tears started to fall. I just can’t help myself, I’m not normally an overly emotional person, and I don’t cry easily, but those babies get.me.every.time.

We were taken to a reception room, where we were served fresh fruit, including oranges that are grown in that particular area, met and chatted with the orphanage director, who was very kind and friendly and then were taken upstairs to see the baby rooms. The first little boy we saw looked up from his bowl of rice and said “Hello Mama” and Lisa and I nearly lost it. I can still hear his little voice in my head and I pray that the next time he says those words that he’s looking at his forever Mama. I can’t even accurately describe what it’s like to walk into those rooms and see all those cribs, lined up one after the other. In each crib, there’s a tiny little face, sometimes two, some sleeping, some crying, some smiling, some just staring up wondering who on earth you are and what you’re doing standing over their bed. I want to scoop them up and run. I want them to have families. Right now. As I walked around the cribs, wiping the tears from my face, trying to keep what little composure I had left, a precious 3 year old girl followed me around, curiously looking into my bag, looking at my camera, looking up at my face. I smiled, told her hello and touched her little hand. She walked with a limp and she stole my heart, I don’t know her name, but I’ll remember her always. She needs a family and I pray one finds her soon.

I can’t express enough how impressed I was with the staff at Chenzhou. Lisa was allowed full access to Reagan’s file and was given some absolutely priceless treasures out of that file, including the red envelope containing her birth information and the original picture of her the day she was found. It was an emotional moment when Lisa saw that tattered red envelope and that precious photo for the first time.

Despite all the tears that were shed, it was an absolutely amazing day. I almost wish we could go back once more before we leave. It was definitely an experience I won’t soon forget.

The train. What would have been a 4 hour drive by car only took an hour on this speedy bullet.

We even had a snack

At Chenzhou

Around the city

These I took of the countryside on the way back to Changsha as we traveled at warp speed.

Day 4, relaxing a bit

Finally, I’m up to today. It was a pretty laid back day, we went to a local arts festival that showcased some of the art that Hunan is famous for, including embroidery, chrysanthemum stone, and various forms of painting and china from this area. At times, Lisa and I felt like we were the ones on display and more than once, we attracted quite the crowd of curious onlookers. Everyone was stopping Lisa to make a fuss over Reagan and we had our picture taken more times than I could count. Even though I’ve experienced this phenomenon twice before, I am still amazed at the amount of attention that we attract on the streets here.

Reagan had a much better day and I can tell she’s starting to relax. She is much more comfortable being snuggled up close to Lisa in the Ergo and is making great eye contact with her too. It’s cute watching her open her mouth when Lisa feeds her, she’s like a little baby bird. She is eating well, seems to be feeling much better and we’re seeing more and more of her little personality emerge each day.

Thanks to everyone who has been commenting and sending us well wishes, we appreciate it so much!

Nineteen...

2010-10-18T23:58:00.000-05:00

Nineteen years ago today I married my best friend. Happy Anniversary, Derek, I love you more now than I ever have. Tell the kids to give you an extra hug and kiss today from me. XXOO

Wow!

2010-10-18T03:40:00.000-05:00

What an absolutely amazing day, it's hard to even put it all into words. As you can see, Lisa has Reagan and has finally reached the end of her VERY long road to China. Things are going beautifully so far, Reagan has a super sweet disposition and is absolutely gorgeous. She's tiny, but very strong, loves to be held and already fell asleep all snuggled up next to her Mommy. The nanny said she was one of their favorite babies at the orphanage and I can totally see why. I'm looking forward to seeing more of her little personality in the next few days and have a feeling we'll be seeing lots of smiles soon.

As expected, I took a ton of pictures and Lisa's posted several already on her blog, so be sure and pop over (if you haven't already) to see more of the adorable Reagan and her very happy Mommy. I promise to be back soon with more pictures and will tell y'all more about our incredible morning. My brain is a bit mushy right now, I think I'm coming down off my "Reagan Day" high. :)

To my sweeties at home, I miss y'all already and will talk to you soon.

Almost time to go...

2010-10-15T09:00:00.019-05:00

Well, the time has finally come! Today I fly out for Newark to meet up with Lisa, Pat, Dita and her hubby and then tomorrow morning, Lisa and I depart for China! I can't even describe how excited I am to get to be there to witness Lisa's miracle and of course, to see China again. And you know I'm looking forward to taking a few (or several thousand) pictures while I'm there too. Poor little Reagan isn't going to know what to make of her mommy and Auntie Marla with their big ole cameras in her face. It's going to be such an amazing journey, with an amazing friend, and I absolutely cannot wait for that moment when that sweet baby girl is finally in her arms. I get chills just thinking about it...

Thanks to all of our family, friends and neighbors who are helping to take care of the J's in my absence. I am going to miss my family a ton, and pray that all goes ~~according my ridiculously organized Excel spreadsheet~~ smoothly and that everyone stays well while I'm gone. To my sweet hubby and my Jakob, Jacey, Jaden and Jack: I love y'all bunches and will see you in two weeks. To the J's: Please be extra sweet to Daddy, help him around the house and kiss him goodnight for me.

China, here we come!!!

B&W Wednesday, 5 years

2010-10-13T21:03:00.000-05:00

Sunday marked five years since the day we met Jacey. It's hard to believe it's been that long, but in a lot of ways, I don't remember life without her. We had our official family day celebration last night with dinner at PF Chang's, her favorite. It was a gorgeous evening and we had so much fun hanging with the girls. The boys aren't huge fans of Chinese food, so they hung out here at home with their Mimi. Jaden offered up the toast for the evening after we got our drinks by saying "Here's to five years of family joy!" and I think that about sums it up perfectly. We are extremely blessed.

It's amazing how grown up she looks here, especially when I look back at those pictures of her braided pigtails from our first day together.

The "supermodel" serious posing ended quickly to be replaced by sidewalk sister silliness.

OK Mom, just a quick "normal" shot and one with Dad and then let's EAT!

Happy 5 years sweet girl, we love you and are so thankful that you're ours!

B&W Wednesday, My Boys

2010-09-29T20:37:00.000-05:00

A boy's story is the best that is ever told. - Charles Dickens

If I have a monument in this world, it is my son. - Maya Angelou

Of all the animals, the boy is most unmanageable. - Plato

Between the innocence of babyhood and the dignity of manhood, we find a delightful creature of a boy.
- Author Unknown

Boys are beyond the range of anybody's sure understanding, at least when they are between the ages of 18 months and 90 years. - James Thurber

A small son can charm himself into, and out of, most things. - Jenny de Vries

You don't raise heroes, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they'll turn out to be heroes, even if it's just in your own eyes. - Author Unknown

Aren't these quotes just so true? Would you believe I got all these shots for the bargain price of two milkshakes? Oh how I love my boys, even when they're working my last nerve, I adore them and they know it. Hope you all are having a fabulous week, we're rocking along here, in full school, sports and packing-for-China mode. Life is good, that's for sure!

"Wo Ai Ni (I Love You) Mommy" - My Take

2010-09-09T15:00:00.002-05:00

Try not to be shocked y'all, but I'm going to blog about something and I might catch a little flack for it. That's not normally my style, I pride myself on this being one of those nauseatingly "happy" and non-confrontational blogs that so many folks dislike, you know, because it's not "real" and all? Well, I watched the documentary, "Wo Ai Ni (I Love You) Mommy" for the first time last Thursday night, and let me tell you, it was real with a capital R. At times, it's not easy to watch. I cried for Faith, I cried for my girls, I cried for all the children in China (and all over the world) who have been taken away from everything they've ever known and thrust into a new family in a new country that was nothing like the one they left. This might be a good time for me to add that I, by NO means, consider myself an "expert" on adoption. I'm a mom who has two daughters from China, one of whom was "older" when she joined our family, but I know better than to confuse my experience with expertise, so keep that in mind as you read my thoughts on this documentary.

I've been reading quite a bit of the discussion that has been going on all over the internet about this and I have to say that I am quite shocked at some of the criticism that the Sadowsky family, specifically, the mom, Donna, has received. What really bothers me is that a lot of that criticism is coming from people who haven't experienced what this family did. Now, I'm not saying that if you haven't adopted (or adopted an older child) that you can't express your opinion on this documentary, that's not it at all. I do find it unfair though, that one can watch 76 minutes out of 17 months of a family's life and deem the mother cruel, heartless, and ill-prepared for her daughter's adoption. I've seen post after post breaking down everything Donna did "wrong" with her daughter. My how easy it is for us to sit in a place of judgement and point out all of the "mistakes" of others after the fact. I can GUARANTEE you that if there had been a camera crew following my journey to China to adopt Jacey and her first year and a half with us, there would have been many moments captured that I would not have been proud of later. Let's just say that if the incident one night at dinner in Guangzhou where Jacey spent half an hour sitting under the table crying because I refused to let her have yet another Coke that day, had been captured on film, I'm sure I'd have been viewed as "harsh" too. No doubt the part earlier in the day when I let her have one Coke (even though I don't let my kids drink Coke at all) would have ended up on the cutting room floor. And I can think of other moments right off the top of my head that, especially if they'd been taken out of context, would not have earned me a Mother of the Year nomination.

I'm not saying that there weren't moments when I disagreed with how Donna was handling things, because there were. Did I feel that Donna was harsh at times with her new daughter? Yep, I felt that too and I cringed when she insisted that Faith "sit up" and get back to work on the English flash cards. But I also knew that we weren't seeing the whole story, how could we, in only 76 minutes, possibly know what was happening between Donna and Faith for the entire 2 weeks they were in China or in the 17 months after she was home? The simple truth is that we couldn't possibly know. I've read comments from Donna, since this first aired, that stated she had no editing rights to this documentary and that she knew after watching it for the first time that she was not being portrayed in the most flattering light. The most difficult moments were the ones that made the final cut. Adopting an older child is hard for everyone involved, especially in those first weeks and months. Even in the best of circumstances, when both the parents and the child are prepared as well as they can be, it's hard. Although I do wish the film maker had shown at least a few more positive interactions between Donna and Faith, if this documentary had been all sunshine and smiles, I wouldn't have seen it as a very accurate or realistic portrayal of what most people experience when they adopt an older child.

For those who have commented that Donna should've learned Chinese before she adopted Faith, well, yes, in a perfect world, that would have been wonderful. For every adoptive parent from every country around the world to learn their child's language before they meet them would be ideal. Unfortunately in the real world, or at least in my real world, that would not have been practical. I signed up for Rosetta Stone after we received Jacey's referral and I learned a few basic words and phrases before we left (and it seemed to me that Donna did that as well) but there is no way I could've been fluent, or even remotely conversational, in Mandarin in only a few months. Learning Mandarin (or Cantonese, or any other dialect spoken in China) is extremely difficult and the notion that one is only fit to adopt an older child if they've studied and acquired the language is, in my humble opinion, completely unreasonable.

After seeing Wo Ai Ni Mommy once, I decided to watch it again, and the second time I watched it with my girls, because I thought it would be interesting to get their take on it. Adoption is something that's openly discussed in this house, always has been, so I had no hesitation in allowing them to view it. The girls, of course, took away very different things from the story. Jaden, who was only 10 months old when she was adopted, understandably was more focused on the cute Hello Kitty pajamas Faith was wearing, how long her hair had grown, her fun birthday party, and the cool Barbie car that the girls were driving than on the interaction between Faith and her family. She did say she felt sorry for Faith when she was sad, but obviously can't really compare Faith's experience to her own given the drastic difference in the circumstances of their adoptions. [and let me add that I'm not saying there isn't "loss" involved in infant adoption as well, I'm simply pointing out that there is a huge difference in the experiences] But for Jacey, who was almost 6 when she was adopted, it was much more personal and emotional. I stole a glance at her face as she watched Faith meet her new mom for the first time and I could see the empathy in her eyes. She'd been there and done that, and though she didn't react quite the way Faith did, I have no doubt that she remembers just how nervous and overwhelmed she felt meeting us for the first time. The scene that really got to Jacey though (and I knew it would), was when Faith was in the bedroom sobbing that she wanted to return to China. Jacey held my hand tight while tears streamed down her face. You see, Jacey too, had sobbed and said those same words to us, more than once. And even though before we adopted Jacey I was prepared for the fact that she'd probably feel that way at times, it didn't make it any less heartbreaking for me to hear it. At that moment in the documentary, my heart ached for both Faith and Donna.

I asked Jacey a few questions after the show was over and here were her answers.

Me: Do you think Faith's mom was too hard on her at first?

Jacey: Yes, sometimes.

Me: Do you think I was too hard on you when we were in China and after we first got home?

Jacey: Yes, not all the time, but sometimes. I didn't like all the rules.

(I could probably do a whole other post about this comment and Jacey's expectations and pre-conceived notions about what life in an American family would be like, and maybe someday soon I will)

Me: Like the time I wouldn't let you have the Coke?

Jacey: (big smile) Yes.

Our conversation continued from there and as hard as it was to see Jacey cry while we watched this together, it sparked a discussion that I'm sure we'll continue to revisit in the coming weeks and months, and I'm thankful for that. Even though Jacey's been with us for almost five years now, each time we get the opportunity to have discussions like these I learn a little more about the experience from her perspective.

There is no "perfect" way to prepare for the adoption of an older child (or any age child for that matter) and there is certainly no "perfect" way to parent them. I think Donna, and most parents out there, would agree that we do what we think is best for our children at the time, and yes, we make mistakes, it's part of the process. While we're all going take away something different from this documentary and there are going to be varying opinions on it, some of support, some of harsh criticism and some that fall in between, I, for one, respect the Sadowskys for being willing to share their family's experience so publicly. It was, at times, heart-wrenching to watch, but it was real, it was authentic and my family could relate to it on many levels.

If you haven't seen "Wo Ai Ni (I Love You) Mommy" and would like to view it, it will be available online until November 30th. Grab some Kleenex and click here.

Back to regularly scheduled "happy" programming now. Or maybe not? Maybe I'll actually publish that post I wrote a while back about why we still recognize our girls' family days...

B&W Wednesday, Back to School

2010-08-25T12:28:00.000-05:00

Just like that, poof, summer is over. The big J's went back to school yesterday and Jack and I spent the day wondering what on earth happened to June, July and August. I admit to being one of those parents that used to count down the days until they went back to school, but we had such a fun summer this year, I truly did not want it to end. I think it's hitting me more and more how quickly they are growing up and I find myself wanting to slow down and enjoy every moment.

Everyone had a good first day and reported that they liked their teachers, etc. The real complaining won't begin until homework starts to be assigned, LOL.

Jacey is in 4th grade this year and Jaden is in 2nd. I wasn't able to walk them to their classrooms because the whole school now meets in the gym for assembly first, so I was only able to snap a quick shot in the foyer before they headed off. *note to self - bring the camera to "Meet the Teacher" night next year

Jakob's in 6th grade and started middle school yesterday. He's not too keen of the first-day-of-school picture thing, hehe, but he did humor me for a few. His new school starts later than the girls, so he is able to sleep in a bit, which is nice because he's not a huge fan of getting up in the morning (a trait he inherited from his mother). ;)

Here are a few more of my big cuties. Here's hoping for a fabulous school year!

If you haven't already, be sure and click over to Lisa's blog today, you might see a familiar face there. :) You'll be seeing lots of her over here soon too, as I'll be joining her on the journey to bring her precious baby girl home from China. Details, including travel dates, on that coming soon (or at least we hope soon)!!

B&W Wednesday, a letter from Jack

2010-08-11T22:55:00.001-05:00

Dear Summer,
Please don't leave me already. I really like you and don't want to say goodbye. When you're here, I get to swim. A lot. And this year I learned how to swim all by myself without floaties. This is my friend, he's a killer whale.

Me and him like to hang out together. See how happy he is? That's because we just got done swimming in the sea (really it's a pool, but we like to pretend it's the sea). Yeah, I know, we can swim in the tub too, but we don't have as much fun as we do in the sea.

See how happy I am?

I'm happy because you're here and that means I get to swim, eat ice cream, go to the movies, drink milkshakes (lots of them!), stay up late, sleep till whenever I want, and sometimes I even get to stay in my pajamas all day! My mommy said that school is starting soon and I think that stinks. My big sisters and big brother will be gone ALL DAY LONG and I will be sad. Then I have to go to school too, yuck!

Can't you just stay a little bit longer? Please, please, pretty please???

Love, Jack

B&W Wednesday, The Visions Workshop

2010-07-28T12:09:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I had the privilege of taking part in my friend Lisa's first workshop weekend. Our participants flew in from all over the country and we took the quaint little town of Bethlehem, PA by storm. Lisa did a fantastic job of planning the entire workshop, no detail was left to chance (if you know her, I'm sure you're not surprised by that) and everything went even better than we thought it would. Our models were fantastic, as you will see in just a sec, and all the ladies who attended walked away with a whole new set of photography/editing skills that they are already putting into action. It was so fun to see everyone shooting in manual and watch their faces light up when they had those "ah ha" moments and things started to click. I'm so proud of the gorgeous pictures I'm already seeing them post too, and look forward to seeing their progress over the coming weeks and months.

I, of course, had my camera along and though I didn't shoot a ton, I couldn't help but jump in get some shots of our amazing models.

This is sweet Catherine. Isn't she precious?

And this handsome fellow is Catherine's big bro, Anthony.

And now for the explanation as to where those kiddos got their looks, their pretty momma, Lina.

We also had an adorable couple that posed as a bride and groom, something fun for me because I've never shot a wedding or a bride. They were so cute and so obviously in love that we all kept saying "Awwwwwww" during our time with them. Thanks Kelly and Tom!

This cutie and his little bro (who I didn't manage to get a shot of) were so adorable.

Their pretty mommy was awesome, too. Thanks, Tiffany, for bringing your beautiful family out!

Cute shoes, eh?

Finally, this lovely young lady is Alicia and WOWSA is she a joy to shoot.

I think this one is my favorite shot of the day.

Would you believe me if I told you she just turned 13? Yes, that's not a typo, she's THIRTEEN! And she's as sweet as she is gorgeous. Imagine the hearts that will be breaking all over PA in the coming years.

Thanks to all the models and ladies who made this weekend such a success and a HUGE thanks to our fearless leader, Lisa. You rocked this workshop, just like I knew you would, and I know everyone who was there feels the same way. I have a feeling that your next workshop is going to fill up in record time and I sure hope we can manage a reunion of our first one sometime, too. New York City, California, Dallas? Where's it gonna be, ladies?

Disney, Part 4 {Disney at night}

2010-07-22T12:29:00.001-05:00

Somehow after the sun goes down (or as it's going down as you'll see soon), the "magic" of the Magic Kingdom seems to intensify. There's just something spectacular that happens when those castle lights come on and those fireworks shoot up into the sky. We were lucky enough to get to see the fireworks all 7 nights that we spent at Disney. We stayed in the gorgeous Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort and had the Magic Kingdom view which was worth every extra penny we paid for it. Of course, we got up close and personal a few nights too so that we could experience the Main Street Electrical Parade as well as the fabulous "Nightastic" fireworks display.

One evening I happened to glance out the window of our villa and nearly fell of my chair at what I saw. It had been cloudy all afternoon, but as the sun began to set, it popped out from behind the clouds and the sky was literally split in two with color. This picture doesn't really do justice to what it looked like in person.

Whether you're 2 or 102, you gotta love the Main Street Electrical Parade. It's a great way to see a lot of the characters in one spot and the music is unlike anything else I've ever heard.

Of course, one of my favorite parts of being in the Magic Kingdom at night is the castle. You just can't help but stand and stare as it changes from one brilliant color to the next.

And once the fireworks start, well, there's not much that compares to it.

These I shot from our balcony at the Bay Lake Tower. Again, pictures don't really do justice to how spectacular they are.

Our last night at the Magic Kingdom was our most fun (despite the huge rain storm that blew through) and our last few shots of the castle are among my favorites.

Do I rock those Minnie ears or what?!?!

As you can tell, we had an absolutely fantastic vacation at Disney World, it's one that we'll all remember until we're all old and gray. If you're looking to plan your own Disney getaway soon (or in the future), I cannot recommend our travel agent, Erin at Never Grow Up Travel, highly enough. She provided us with a detailed daily itinerary (and when I say "detailed", I mean it, right down to what order to ride the rides in), booked us in a fabulous resort that was perfect for our family size, and even called to check on us while we were there to make sure everything was going well. She was recommended to us by a friend (thanks Carla!) and I have a feeling we'll be calling on her again soon to help plan our next vacation.

Disney, Part 3 {Random shots}

2010-07-21T16:12:00.002-05:00

These are just some other faves of mine from the trip that I wanted to get up on the blog. Again, they're in no particular order, they're just us, having fun.

The girls are quite good at hula-hooping. Daddy? Not so much. ;)

Jack loved his fan/spray bottle and had fun keeping us all cooled off with it.

Since it's Black and White Wednesday over at Lisa's Long Road to China, I converted a few just for fun.

I've got one more Disney post planned for tomorrow. Thanks for following our journey!

Disney, Part 2 {Got characters?}

2010-07-20T16:48:00.001-05:00

No trip to Disney World would be complete without lots of character greetings. We waited in line for them, went to two character dinners and sometimes just happened to be at the right place at the right time to see them. The J's got tons of autographs and we have a really nice collection of pictures to add to their books. The girls of course, preferred the princesses and fairies, while the boys thought Woody, Buzz and of course Mickey, were the coolest. We all enjoyed Lotso too (the pink bear from Toy Story 3), he actually smelled like strawberries and we got a kick out of that. The Doodle was pretty picky about who he'd pose with, so you'll notice he's missing from a few of the pics. He wanted nothing to do with the princesses, despite their best efforts to lure him in. Secretly I think he liked them making such a fuss over him and several times I saw him smiling while he was trying to hide behind me. :)

Note these of Jack with his beloved Lightning McQueen. He went back 3 different times to visit him the day we were at Hollywood Studios and the kids all wore Cars tattoos that day in his honor. :)

We met up with some friends from our first trip to China and the kids all piled in to see Mickey and Minnie together. It was so nice to see one of Jaden's ZZ sisters (and her little sis and parents) at Disney!

Our favorite character dinner was at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary (which just happened to be right next door to our villa at Bay Lake). The food was yummy and we really enjoyed see Mickey and his pals.

Part 3 of 4 coming tomorrow...

Disney, Part 1 {A princess, a fairy and a couple of pirates}

2010-07-19T19:19:00.005-05:00

Well hello out there! I had all these great intentions while we were on vacation to do some blogging so that I wouldn't be so overwhelmed and buried in pictures when we got home. Well, as you can plainly see by the date and subject matter of my last post, that didn't happen. So, here we go, I'm going to do my best to catch up and hit the highlights of the trip along with posting a few {haha!} pics. We spent a full week at Walt Disney World and it was everything we expected and then some. Disney is magic, plain and simple. There is no place on earth quite like it and I have a feeling that we'll be talking about and remembering this trip for many years to come.

I won't bore you all with a blow-by-blow account of every single minute of the trip (I heard that sigh of relief), I'm just going to share with you some of our favorite moments and not necessarily in the order in which they occurred. Now would be a good time to forget that I'm a photographer too, as I can assure you that composing and properly exposing every shot was the last thing on my mind as I watched my children soak up the experience that is Disney World. We relied on our trusty little point and shoot to record a big part of the trip, as I found it too much of a hassle to drag the big DSLR around in the heat and humidity (not to mention that it cramped my style on the rollercoasters, LOL).

Our first full day at Disney was one of our busiest so I'll start there. The girls had an early appointment at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, which for little girls (and their mommies) is just about the coolest.thing.EVER. I snuck a couple of quick shots of the castle as we were headed to the boutique, we were there before the park opened and practically had the whole place to ourselves.

Once inside, the girls picked their characters and were whisked off to the dressing room to begin their transformations. The fairy godmother-in-training pulled the curtain aside (with lots of fanfare and chanting of "bibbidi boddidi boo") and the girls saw their complete costumes.

Next came the pampering...(and I should note here that I've never seen so much hair gel in my life, but the good thing is that those hairdos lasted all day and might have made it all week if we'd left them)

Jaden took her role as Tinkerbell quite seriously, she chose the blonde hair piece (because, "DUH Mom, Tinkerbell is blonde" and when they asked where she was from, she quickly replied "Why, Neverland, of course."

And then with a sprinkle of pixie dust...

Ariel and Tinkerbell were revealed.

This was the first time I've ever seen my girls rendered speechless. I think all I heard come out of their mouths for a full 5 minutes was "Wow." :)

Since it was still early and hardly anyone was in the park, we rushed back out and enjoyed some time in front of the castle. If you've ever been to Disney, you can probably appreciate how wonderful it is to have pictures like these without a million people in the background. We were there at the perfect time.

Then it was the boys' turn for some fun. We headed over the Pirates League so they could undergo a little transformation of their own.

Meet Solomon Dockcrumbs and Jason Sunbain, otherwise known as Jack and Jakob. Arrrrgh!!!

The kids got so much attention walking around that day, it was amazing. Our 2 pirates, beautiful princess and cute little fairy were quite the hit and loved every minute of it.

Stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon...

B&W Wednesday, Walden Plantation

2010-06-30T22:59:00.000-05:00

This past weekend Derek and I celebrated my birthday Texas Hill Country style at the fabulous Walden Plantation. My best friend and her sweet hubby just happen to own the place, so we got the VIP treatment and had one of our most fun weekends ever. They call the Plantation a "bed and breakfast", but to me, it's more like a mini resort. It's absolutely gorgeous, overlooks the Llano River, has delicious food, and has super fun and relaxed atmosphere. If you ever find yourself in the Hill Country and in need a beautiful place to spend the weekend, do look them up. And tell them I sent ya, of course.

Is this place gorgeous or what?!?!

Sunset the first night we were there was spectacular, check out those thunderstorms off in the distance.

These are a few shots that we took with our phones, I was having too much fun to drag the big camera around the whole time. That's my bff and me in top left and bottom left is the view from right outside our room.

There's a nice little vineyard just a few miles down the road, so Derek and I headed over Saturday to check it out. We got there toward the end of the day and they were VERY generous with the portions and had really reasonable prices. We ended up coming home with a case of some of our favorites (party at our place, anyone?) and had a lot of fun chatting with the ladies who worked there.

This gorgeous little road lead up to the winery.

I couldn't get over how blue the sky was all weekend. There's nothing like being in nice clean country air. No Photoshop was needed on these, they were perfect as-is.

My sweet hubby.

Again with the sky, I just couldn't help myself.

Since it's Black and White Wednesday, I converted a few for fun.
Night view from the bar area up toward our room.

I thought this one looked kind of cool in b&w too.

I have send a special shout-out to my mom and our babysitter, Miss Andrea, for spending the weekend with the J's so we could get away. We had such a fabulous time and appreciate them so much for holding down the fort. And of course, a HUGE thank you to my bff's, Angie and Brian, for the incredible hospitality and for making my birthday so special. I love you guys and can't wait to get back down there. Well, after I've had time to recover from this trip, that is. ;)

B&W Wednesday, The Haircut

2010-06-23T20:58:00.005-05:00

OK folks, prepare yourselves...we did something drastic. You know that one J that has all that hair? The curly cuteness that you all rave about? Well, it's gone. And let me say right now that it was ALL HIS IDEA. He's been asking for weeks to have a "buzz cut" like his big brother and Derek and I were hesitant for obvious reasons. I mean, his hair is a BIG deal to him. And to us. Yes, I know it's just hair, but it was a big part of my Doodle and I couldn't really imagine him without it. Well, now I can because we did it. And he's adorable, as always. His first reaction to seeing it though, was NOT GOOD. He bawled. He handled the cut just fine, but when he went upstairs to get in the bath, he took one look at himself in the mirror and had a major meltdown. It was heartbreaking. He hated it, thought it looked "terrible" and asked if we could glue it back on. :( Later that day though, after we had all been complimenting him for hours, he lightened up and decided that his world had not, in fact, ended with the demise of his curls. Now, he's totally fine with it and thinks he's pretty darn cool (and he literally is cooler now) with his new 'do. He allowed me the privilege of doing a photo shoot of the new cut on Monday so here it is.

This is the look we got for several hours after "the cut."

Or maybe it was this one, I forget.

But then, he started to change his thinking.

And when I told him how nice and cool he's going to be at Disney World, he started to get a little bit excited.

"I'm still cute," he said.

Who needs all that hair when you have this handsome face?

In honor of Lisa's Black and White Wednesday, here's one more of my handsome fella.

B&W Wednesday, The Very First J

2010-06-09T20:32:00.005-05:00

When we found out we were expecting our first child back in 1998, we were overjoyed, as were our families. When we found out we were having a boy, well, that was just the icing on the cake. Not long after that though, we found out something we weren't expecting at all, that he had Down syndrome. The things we read when we began to research Down syndrome weren't too promising. There were lists upon lists of the things he wouldn't be able to do as well as countless medical issues that it said he would likely face. Well, let me tell you, our son has spent 11 years wowing us with what he can do and is one of the healthiest kids you'll ever meet. Jakob is a tall, skinny, blue-eyed cutie who wears glasses because he's farsighted, loves to read and is great at it, is a total neat freak (much like his mom), can quote more Disney movies than anyone else I know, is obsessed with anything associated with space or the solar system, thinks science is really the only worthwhile subject in school, loves his siblings dearly but also appreciates some alone time, and is one of the most popular kids around here. He just finished 5th grade, which means *GASP* that he'll be moving up to middle school next year. The biggest compliment we get in regards to Jakob is that he has impeccable manners. He is very much a "please, thank you, yes and no ma'am" kind of kid and we are very proud of that. Don't let this sweet face fool you though, he can push my buttons like no one else can, but he amazes me daily and is a blessing to our family and everyone he meets. So, there you have it, a little bit about the first J, who was named after Derek's grandfather, Jacob, who I never got the opportunity to meet but I understand was quite the character, much like his great-grandson.

To see some amazing black and white photography, hop on over to The Long Road to China.

B&W Wednesday, Jacey's turn

2010-06-02T09:57:00.006-05:00

Yes finally, I'm picking back up where I left off with my 4 part "get to know the J's" series.

Jacey WenLing (sometimes still called Ling Ling, her nickname in China) is 10, joined our family when she was 5 1/2, is ambidextrous (which still amazes me and is already coming in handy for sports), is a very adventurous eater (sushi anyone?), and is one of the sweetest and most caring little girls you'll ever meet. We tell her often that she's going to make a wonderful mom someday, as caregiving seems to come very naturally to her. She is a great peacekeeper and will often make sacrifices (like giving up whatever it is she's playing with) to keep her siblings happy, but is also quick to put them in their place when necessary. She doesn't quite share my love for keeping things neat and orderly, especially when it comes to her room and closet, but we're working on that one. ;) She is well-loved by her teachers and classmates, is complimented daily on her excellent behavior, and busts her rear for each and every one of the good grades that she brings home. Jacey is truly a treasure, and we are blessed to be her parents.

A few new shots of our pretty girl.

To play along with Lisa's B&W Wednesday, hop on over to The Long Road to China.

Have a great week everyone!

Batter Up!

2010-05-24T19:53:00.004-05:00

Saturday was Jakob's last baseball game of the season and what an awesome finale it was. His league got to play at TCU right after the men's team had finished their game and the TCU players stuck around to be our guys' (and gals') buddies. It was so cool to see our players all decked out in TCU gear (they got new shirts for the game) and it was even more cool to be down on the field and in the dugout while they played. It was a game that our kids won't forget any time soon and we so appreciate all of those who helped make it happen. GO FROGS!

Our handsome Horned Frog

Warming up and first at bat

With his buddies

His adoring fans

He got so excited about the announcer saying his name that he literally jumped up and down when he was at bat.

His favorite part, safe at home

His other favorite part, getting a trophy

Being silly with Dad after the game

It was the perfect Saturday afternoon at the ballpark and we're already looking forward to next season.

B&W Wednesday, The Peanut

2010-05-12T20:51:00.008-05:00

This week's B&W Wednesday post is dedicated to our Peanut. Jaden XiangHui is 7, loves to read and is great at it, is by far our most dramatic child, loves animals, is a very girly girl, but can get as dirty and stinky as any boy we know, is tiny and often still mistaken for a kindergartner even though she'll be a 2nd grader in the fall, is by far our loudest child, is a cheerful morning person (the complete opposite of her mother), and wants to be a veterinarian, zoo keeper and a rock star when she grows up. She's outgoing and outspoken (I've no idea where she gets that from, heh) and the term "spicy girl" which is often used to describe girls from her province, fits her to a T. She's a major Daddy's girl and can usually get what she wants from him with a few sweet words and her big huge smile. I feel sorry for her future husband for this reason, as it really isn't possible to say "no" to that smile. :)

Here's a new one of our cutie, taken last night as the sun went down.

And in color too, just for the heck of it.

For more black and white beauty, hop on over to Lisa's blog.

My 12th Mother's Day

2010-05-10T16:57:00.004-05:00

My idea of a perfect Mother's day is pretty simple. All I want to do is hang out with my family and have someone else do the cooking. I got both wishes this year, so it'll go down as another great one. Derek whipped us up his famous chicken enchiladas, my parents joined us for the afternoon, the kids were super sweet and made me some cute homemade goodies and earlier in the week sent me a dozen absolutely delicious (and gorgeous) chocolate-covered strawberries. What else could I ask for? Well, actually I did intend to have a little photo shoot with my mom, the kids and myself, but it was cool and windy so we'll do that another day. Derek snapped a quick one of me and mom though, in front of my freshly painted "paprika" niche.

I can't even describe how thankful I am to have spent another Mother's Day with my mom. Actually, I'm thankful for every day I have with her, holiday or not. I'm so blessed to have you in my life, Mom, thank you for all that you do and all that you are to our family. I love my new wind chime and when this ridiculous wind stops blowing, I'll get it hung up and will think of you when I hear it. Love you!

B&W Wednesday, The Doodle

2010-05-05T15:57:00.005-05:00

I thought it would be fun to do a little series over the next four B&W Wednesdays about my kiddos. You know, just because I know you all are dying to get to know them better. Let's go from youngest to oldest, shall we?

First up will be Jack. The Doodle. I've been asked a few times lately how he picked up that nickname. When he was teeny tiny I started calling him Doodle Bug (no idea why) and it stuck. Somewhere along the way the "bug" got dropped and "The" got placed in front. I'm sure at some point (probably soon), he's going to request that I stop calling him that, but for now, he doesn't mind and in fact often refers to himself as Jack The Doodle.

Jack's 4, is bigger than his 7 year old sister, loves Cars, Thomas the Train and marine animals (he can tell you all about killer whales, moray eels, loggerhead turtles, and manatees), loves his curly hair and knows that everyone else does too, is too smart for his own good, is extremely detail oriented and has the memory of an elephant, knows his way around Target as well as I do, will be going to Pre K 3 days a week next year, is still shy but getting less so, and makes me laugh out loud every single day, even when he's working my nerve by asking 6 billion questions and then correcting me after I answer them. He was a total surprise to us, a little gift from God who we found out was coming smack in the middle of Jacey's adoption, and I absolutely cannot imagine my life without him. He completes our family perfectly and he has us all wrapped right around his little finger. This is my favorite recent picture, taken on Saturday.

And in color too, just for fun. I love how he's already getting his summer highlights. I'm a bit jealous that he gets his for free though.

To see more of B&W Wednesday, pop on over to my friend Lisa's blog and check it out!

B&W Wednesday, Kentucky Style

2010-04-28T22:00:00.003-05:00

I was lucky enough to be able to make a quick trip out to Louisville (pronounced Luhvul, not Lou-ee-ville), Kentucky last week to see some dear bloggy friends. Note the correct pronunciation there, seriously folks, if you get it wrong they give you the stink eye and ask where you're from. :)

Anyhoo, my good friend Becky, a Luhvul native, took me out to Churchill Downs, the very famous home of the Kentucky Derby. With entrance to the museum, we got to do a walking tour of the whole place, which was actually pretty darn cool. They were busy preparing for this weekend's Derby festivities, so we didn't get to see any horses running, but it was a really neat experience nonetheless. Being there almost made me want to buy a big hat and order a mint julep (which we actually did later in the trip and I have to be honest, I wasn't a big fan, sweetened bourbon is just not my thing, I suppose).

I thought I'd share my tour of the Downs in honor of Black and White Wednesday. Lisa was actually the one who invited me to meet up with the group in Luhvul, and I'm sure glad she did because I had a blast and enjoyed hanging with a fabulous group of ladies.

Thanks Lisa, for inviting me to tag along and being my roomie, Becky, for being our taxi driver and tour guide, Felicia, for being our fabulous hostess and for the killer (and yes, vapory, LOL) chocolate martinis, and to Missy, Marla, Leslie, and Carolin, it was nice to meet y'all and I'll look forward to us all getting together again.

To check out more of B&W Wednesday, click the button below and Happy Wednesday y'all!

Birthday weekend

2010-04-27T22:01:00.004-05:00

Actually, it would be birthday month if Jakob had his way. On April 1st, he starts talking about his birthday and doesn't stop until the day finally arrives on the 28th. He had a great weekend of celebration though, with more planned tomorrow night, so hopefully, it's been worth the wait for him. Saturday, he had a tee ball game and as always, had a blast. His favorite part is running the bases to the cheering of the crowd and he makes quite a production out of crossing home plate.

Safe!

We had a perfect weekend weather-wise and were able to officially open the pool to swimming (with a tiny bit of help from the heater). As far as Jakob's concerned, there's no better party than a pool party, so that's exactly what we had to celebrate his big day.
Big smiles from the birthday boy

Nothing better than a pool full of peeps

We opted for a big chocolate chip cookie which made the candle thing a bit challenging, but luckily dad got it to work. We're having Mimi's special chocolate cake tomorrow for the "real" day, yummo.

Jakob loves for everyone to sing to him

He blew the candles so hard that one fell over. :)

It was an absolutely perfect day celebrating Jakob turning 11. Special thanks to our family and friends for coming over and making it special for him!

Spiffy new 'do's

2010-04-19T10:19:00.002-05:00

It was spring haircut time for the J's last week, so all 4 of my cuties are sporting new 'do's. For the boys and Jacey, it wasn't much of a change, but for my little Peanut...well, you'll see. She had been saying for some time that she was ready to go quite a bit shorter, but I had heard that before only to have her change her mind when we actually walked into the salon. This time though, she stuck to it and was proud that she was having enough cut off that it could be donated.

Jacey went first (while Jaden sat and read fashion magazines, LOL), and got her cute little bob all trimmed up. I love her hair at this length, it's so thick and shiny and flatters her long pretty face.

Then it was Peanut's turn. Her favorite part is getting her hair washed and having it all wrapped up in the towel.

Before.

Here we go...

Done! 10 inches gone!

One last shot with her ponytail before it gets sent off.

It's amazing she had 10 inches cut off and still has quite a bit left.

She's still getting used to it being gone (she has a habit of playing with her hair a lot and pulling it all over to one side), but she loves it and was very excited to go to school today to show it off. I'm very proud of her and know we're going to love her new shorter 'do this summer.

A boy and his boat

2010-04-14T22:23:00.003-05:00

We're not quite swimming just yet, but it doesn't mean that we're not playing in the pool. My parents gave the kids a remote control boat and the Doodle just loves it. Sadly for the boat, he's not that great at steering, but luckily it's holding up pretty well and he hasn't sunk it yet. I did a little quiet observing (with camera in hand) yesterday as he was taking it for an evening spin. I love watching this little guy play, he takes everything so seriously (as you can see by his expressions here).

And in honor of black and white Wednesday...

Have a great week everyone!!!

April already?

2010-04-07T20:52:00.002-05:00

Excuse me, will someone please tell me where January through March went? Was I in a coma? I CANNOT believe that Easter has just come and gone. We had a nice quiet Easter at home with my parents and entirely too much yummy food. I didn't even manage to get pictures of the kids with their baskets, by the time I got up, they were all dismantled and the contents were strewn all over the house. We didn't dye eggs this year, we never eat them and I feel like it's such a waste. We decided instead to get the kids a spring cookie decorating kit and let them go to town on those, knowing full well that we wouldn't be tossing them in the trash later. The girls and Jack dipped strawberries too, and they were delish.

The girls were so serious with their cookie decorating...

Somehow I didn't manage to get a shot of Jakob with his cookies, but he could barely get the icing on fast enough, he just wanted to chow down. This next shot is the obligatory "she made us sit on the stone bench for a picture on Easter" shot. Fake smile, anyone?

Since it is Wednesday and I was a slacker last week, I thought I'd throw in my favorite shot of the day of two of my guys for Lisa's Black and White Wednesday. Aren't they cute?

Of course, I guess I shouldn't complain too much about the fact that's it already April, as soon I will be posting more pictures from here. The water's getting warmer...summer's almost here!

Signs of Spring

2010-03-24T21:05:00.004-05:00

It's finally start to feel like spring around these parts (ok, except for that one last round of snow we got Sunday) and I couldn't be happier about it. Shorts, flip flops, tank tops, and yes, swimsuits will soon be our wardrobe of choice. I promise that after the winter we've had, you will NOT hear me complain about the heat of summer ever again. I'll take 105 over snow any day of the week.

Anyway, in honor of my good friend Lisa's Black and White Wednesday, the Doodle and I got out today to do a little spring time exploration and found a nice patch of tall (though still dead) grass to romp around in. Look what we saw peeking up at us through the grass.

Spring is here! Can I get an AMEN?

Check out the other gorgeous entries on Black and White Wednesday by clicking the button below and Happy Wednesday, y'all!

I ♥ Faces, Bundled Up

2010-03-15T11:40:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I played along with the weekly challenge at I Heart Faces, but given our freakish Texas winter, I just happen to have some shots that fit with this week's theme of "Bundled Up". Here's one of my faves of the Doodle catching snowflakes. Looking out now at everything starting to bloom, it's hard to imagine that this was our backyard just a month ago.

Happy week everyone!

A little taste of Japan...

2010-03-10T19:09:00.003-06:00

right here in Texas. Saturday I met some friends for a shoot and we decided to venture into the Japanese Garden in Fort Worth. I hadn't been there in years and had forgotten how absolutely gorgeous it is out there. I can't wait to go back later in the spring when everything's in bloom. For now though, the winter scene made for some nice shots for Lisa's Black and White Wednesday.

Click the button below to see more black and white beauty!

School Projects

2010-03-07T20:07:00.002-06:00

We devoted most of our Sunday to a couple of first grade projects for the Peanut. Her class has been studying the rain forest so she had to write a report, draw a picture and make a diorama of the habitat of her chosen rain forest animal, the jaguar. She is also the featured person of the upcoming week, so she had her poster to complete for that too. I printed off some jaguar info from the internet and let her decide what all she wanted to include in her report. She wrote out the sentences, I helped her decide what order to place them in and she did the rest. We could have typed it all out, but she wanted to do it herself in her own handwriting, and she did a very nice job. The diorama was more of a family effort. Jaden and Daddy hit the craft store for supplies (and spent $40 to decorate a SHOE BOX, I might add), and with a little paper, some plastic plant matter, a tiny ~~leopard~~ jaguar and a LOT of hot glue, the habitat was complete. Now I just hope she gets it to school in one piece.

Our $40 shoe box. ;)

She's pretty proud of the whole thing. In fact, she's being just a bit dramatic about how hard she had to work on it. She mentioned needing to go to bed early because she's "so tired from all that thinking" but I hear her upstairs squealing right now, so I guess she's caught her second wind.

Her poster. Note the little peanut next to her name? She insisted on that because her "middle name is Peanut", which prompted a little discussion about the difference between middle names and nicknames. Heh.

See LuLu? That's her creepy Fur Real cat that Santa brought. I was convinced that Santa was going to be outed this year because that darn thing meowed at the drop of a hat. We had to banish it to the outdoor storage building to keep it under wraps and you should have seen us tip-toeing around Christmas Eve trying to keep it from waking everyone up. It's a bit too "real" for my taste and reminds of something a taxidermist would keep laying around. I'm just glad it lives upstairs in her room. *shudder*

Two Posts in One Day?!?!

2010-03-03T21:01:00.003-06:00

Try not to die of shock, folks, but I couldn't let Black and White Wednesday slip by without posting a few.

We didn't have any crazy winter weather phenomenon to capture this week (thank goodness) and I've been busy shooting clients lately, including a birth Monday *sigh* I just love being there when teeny tiny little people make their grand entrance into the world, what an amazing experience! Oops, got off task there, sorry. My point was that I didn't have anything new of my own to convert this week so I went back to a shoot that Jack and I did in January and pulled out a few more faves.

Click on Lisa's button above to check out the rest of today's pics and Happy Wednesday!

A Birthday

2010-03-03T20:41:00.002-06:00

Ummmm, yeah, we had a birthday here last week and I'm just now blogging it. Bad Mommy-Blogger! The Peanut turned seven on Thursday. SEVEN. How can that be? My (formerly) itty bitty bald baby is growing up right before my eyes. We had a nice dinner with a pretty flowery cake for dessert. Unfortunately, due to some poor decisions she had made at school earlier in the week, her spa night birthday party was postponed until which time she earns the right for it to go forward. So pics from that will have to wait. It was actually quite a week with 3 of the J's, I don't know if something was in the water or there was a full moon or what, but they certainly gave me a run for my money. I tell ya, parenting is not for wimps. I have to say I've never had as much appreciation for my own mom as I do right now and she's definitely my go-to gal for advice. Questions like "Am I expecting too much?", "Did I do this stuff?" and "How the hell am I going to survive the teenage years?" have been the topic of several of our conversations recently. Thanks Mom, for always listening. I only hope I do a good enough job with my kids that they're calling me years from now (many years from now) asking for parenting advice.

Anyway, happy birthday to all of Jaden's spicy girlfriends and to our Feb '03 Firecracker friends, too!

Winter Wonderland

2010-02-24T08:43:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we awoke to yet another visit from our good friend winter. <---insert sarcasm here. It snowed like mad for several hours and then just as quickly as it had begun, it stopped and the snow immediately started to disappear. There's not much left today (which is just fine with me), but at its peak yesterday, the result of our little storm was quite beautiful. I had a ton of errands to run so I brought the camera along and was able to capture some of our wonderland before it melted away. I knew I'd love these in black and white, so I'm including them in Lisa's Black and White Wednesday.

I shot these from the warm dry confines of my car. It was actually pretty fun balancing my big camera on the steering wheel and waiting to time the shot just perfectly with the windshield wipers, all while driving down the road. Don't worry Mom, I wasn't going that fast and there weren't many other cars around. ;)

Pop on over to Lisa's blog to check out the rest of today's gorgeous shots and play along if you'd like!

Poppy Seed Cake

2010-02-22T14:48:00.003-06:00

Well, I'm a dork and didn't realize that Colleen wasn't doing Recipe Monday anymore, but I already had this post ready to go, so I'm going to share one of our favorite cakes that just happens to be easy-peasy to make. Are you detecting a theme in my recipes yet, like that they're super EASY? That's because I love good food but really don't enjoy having to spend hours upon hours in the kitchen to make it. And this is one of those cakes that you can throw together at the last minute if you have guests coming or just need a little something sweet, because you probably have the ingredients on hand.

Poppy Seed Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 small box instant Jello pudding mix (we love lemon, but you can also use coconut, vanilla or white chocolate)
4 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 cup water
1/2 vegetable oil
4 eggs

Blend cake mix, pudding mix and poppy seeds together. Add water, oil and eggs and mix about 2 minutes on medium speed. Pour into a greased bundt pan and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Cool 10-15 minutes then turn out onto a cake plate and DIG IN! This one's great warm.

I made this one Saturday afternoon and didn't photograph it until yesterday morning. You can see just how much was already gone. :)

Celebrating the New Year

2010-02-21T14:23:00.003-06:00

Friday night we took the girls to Dallas to a Chinese New Year celebration at the Crow Collection of Asian Art. It was a really beautiful place, but not set up well for the huge crowd that came, so we had to skip a few things that we'd intended to do (like face painting, because we'd have spent the entire evening in line). The girls were excited to get all dressed up and loved that so many people made a fuss over them, so we had a good time, despite the crowd.

The girls' favorite part of the night was the lion dance. They managed to sneak their way to the front row (who could say no to my cuties?) so they had a great view of the dancers. I, on the other hand, was several rows back with my camera so I just raised it above my head and snapped away (this was one of those times when being 5'11" really came in handy). Much to my dismay, I captured a few decent shots of the lions in action.

Static cling, anyone?

2010-02-17T18:25:00.003-06:00

For this week's Black and White Wednesday over at The Long Road to China, I give you, another reason I don't like winter...

Holy moly, do we have some static cling around here! I'm constantly shocking myself and our hair is just disastrous (well, not Derek's...heh, there I go cracking myself up again). Jaden especially has issues when it's cold and dry like this, her hair literally crackles when she brushes it and since she won't let me put it up any more (this is probably a topic for a whole other post), she spends her days looking like she stuck her finger in an electrical outlet. Oh well, it made for a cute pic, huh? I converted this one in Lightroom and just sharpened a bit and watermarked it in Photoshop. Speaking of Lightroom and Photoshop, if you would like to learn more about editing, my friend Lisa is going to be hosting some online/interactive classes soon and I highly recommend signing up for one! You can find details here and you can also check out the rest of this week's B&W Wednesday posts.

Happy Happy!

2010-02-14T10:26:00.004-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

And Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Hope everyone has a great day!

Snowmageddon!

2010-02-13T14:06:00.003-06:00

*title of this post borrowed from my friend, Shannon in DC, who has been trying to dig her way out from under a serious amount of the white stuff

We got over a foot of snow Thursday. In Texas, y'all. That is just unheard of in these parts, but it was amazing to watch it come down. Sometimes the flakes were the size of quarters, I've never seen anything quite like it. The kids enjoyed it, I practically had to drag them in before they turned into popsicles. Unfortunately, our wardrobes aren't exactly well-equipped for this type of stuff. Jakob chose to stay warm and dry and I was pretty much in agreement with him, except for the short period of time I spent making my bikini-clad snow girl. She was cool. Heh. Sometimes I crack myself up. :)

Now winter, we've had this discussion before, but let me restate that we've had it with you. The white Christmas was beautiful, yesterday's snow day was lovely (and timing it with a holiday weekend was an extra-special touch), and I've truly enjoyed getting so much wear out of my Uggs, but this is TEXAS and we need our sunshine and warm temperatures back. Please go back up north where you belong. See ya next year, K? Sincerely, Marla

Daisies

2010-02-10T18:27:00.003-06:00

I was a total slacker last week and skipped B&W Wednesday (sorry Lisa!) so I knew I couldn't let today go by without participating. I tried talking Jack into a few shots outside but he wasn't having it so I turned to the cute little bunch of daisies that I picked up at the store this morning. We may not be having snow like my northern friends are digging out of, but believe me, winter has settled over Texas and I needed a little something to brighten up my day. Photographing flowers is so nice, there are no complaints about the cold, there's no need for bribery or begging, they just sit there and pose for as long as you want. So, here are my two submissions for Lisa's Black and White Wednesday.

And this one's more chocolate than b&w, but I'm including it anyway.

Soup's on!

2010-02-08T19:04:00.002-06:00

It's Recipe Monday over at Colleen's Crazy Eight and given that it's been a miserably cold rainy day here, we had one of our favorite soups for dinner. Again, this is another slow cooker recipe (I promise I do know how to use my cooktop, LOL), you just can't beat the Crock Pot for ease.

Pasta Fagioli Soup

2 cans reduced-sodium beef broth
1 15 oz can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (I use more)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup uncooked tubetti or small shell pasta
Garnish:
garlic croutons
grated parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese
fresh basil

Combine broth, beans, tomatoes, zucchini, oil, garlic, basil, and oregano in slow cooker; mix well. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours. Stir in pasta, cover and cook 1 hour or until pasta is tender. Garnish to your heart's desire with cheese, croutons, and basil and serve!

For our family of 6, I usually double the recipe, as we like it left over. Also, we normally skip the croutons and opt for a crusty French baguette instead. This one's also good in the summer time with a nice salad.

Our hero

2010-02-07T21:48:00.002-06:00

This weekend Derek attempted his first ever 100 mile trail run. He's been training for months, and was as ready as a person can be for such a mind-boggling feat. 3 of the J's and I drove down yesterday to surprise and cheer for him. Jakob opted to stay with Mimi, 7 hours in the car for 10 minutes of seeing Daddy wasn't his idea of a good time. The race consisted of five 20-mile laps through the forest (and I mean deep woods here, peeps) and we timed it so that we would arrive when he came in from his 2nd lap. We went armed with a big orange sign so Daddy couldn't possibly miss us.

The look on his face was priceless when the kids jumped out after we saw him coming down the trail toward us, and even though I could tell he was hurting, he had nothing but smiles for us.

I snapped a few shots while he changed socks, refilled his bottles and grabbed a little bite to eat. The whole operation was very organized and it was interesting to just observe the scene. What amazed me most was the number of ~~crazy~~ dedicated runners who were there and more than that, the age of some the runners. I'm talking grandmas and grandpas here, and they were just jogging in, refueling and jogging back out. Big smiles on their faces, lots of words of encouragement for the young guys like Derek, and a spring in their step. Amazing. Apparently, this kind of extreme distance running gets easier with age so the "more mature" crowd really digs it. I can't imagine!

Anyway, after a few more minutes with Daddy, he was back on his way down the trail and we were back on the road for the drive home.

Jacey spotted him in the woods (don't ask me how) as we were leaving the park so I pulled over and we gave him one last shout of encouragement.

Unfortunately, in his 3rd lap, he stepped into a hole and tweaked his knee so he stopped at 60 miles. When he called at 11pm to say he was done, I was sad, but at the same time relieved that he wasn't out there in the cold, dark forest any more. I have a feeling it won't be long until he's signing up for another 100, but in the meantime, we're super proud of him for even attempting this one. The cold, wet conditions made it an extremely tough race (most of his friends that were there didn't finish either) and the fact that he completed 60 miles was amazing.

To my man, you inspire me every day. I know you're disappointed at the outcome of yesterday's race, but I have no doubt that if and when you decide to do it again, you'll cross that finish line. I know I tell you all the time how crazy I think you are for putting yourself through all you do, but I also think you're incredibly courageous and I can't even put into words how proud I am of you.

Friends

2010-01-29T17:44:00.004-06:00

I got together with my girlfriends today to celebrate my best friend's birthday. Lately, we've been getting together fairly regularly and it's been so nice. I grew up with these girls, we know everything there is to know about one another. We've celebrated joys and mourned losses, shared a lot of laughs and shed just as many tears, and I honestly don't know what I'd do without them. I may not see or even talk to them for a week or two at a time, but they're always there.

One of the husbands of our group named us the Hornet's Nest when he first met us because he said if one of us got hurt, we all came swarming in and that couldn't be more true. If one goes down, we all go in and you don't want to get in the way. :)

To my Hornets, I love you girls. Thank you for always having my back, telling me when there's food in my teeth, knowing exactly when I need that night out, and most of all, listening when I just need someone to hear me. I look forward to many more years of our nice long lunches, I just hope our nursing home serves Corona. :)

B&W Wednesday

2010-01-27T18:50:00.005-06:00

Week 3 of Lisa's Black and White Wednesday is in full swing. Thought I'd share a few recent ones of the kiddos this week.

The Doodle on his birthday. I almost deleted this one because of that little piece of grass in his face, but thought, what the heck, it's still cute, grass and all.

My silly girls the other night playing on the stairs.

And this one I just took tonight of Jakob. I love how sparkly his eyes look.

So there ya have it, the 4 J's in black and white. Happy Wednesday everyone!

A message from the Doodle

2010-01-26T21:14:00.002-06:00

OK, so my mom is a little late posting this, but that's OK, because it's still big news. You know what Friday was, don't you? It was a very big day for me, I could barely contain my excitement.

I was singing from the rooftops (OK, actually it was our backyard, but you get the picture)

I TURNED FOUR!!!!

What, you don't believe me? Hello? Does this look like the face of a three year old to you?

Yep, I'm four. Pretty cool, huh?

Here are some pictures from my party. Cars is my favorite movie of ALL TIME so that's what kind of party I wanted. I had a Lightning McQueen cake.

And a Cars bounce house (This is the only pic my mom got because she said she didn't want her camera getting wet. I didn't see what the big deal was, it was just a little ~~downpour~~ rain)

I got some really neat presents.

And I totally loved my cake.

Mom thought it was funny that when I blew my candle out, I blew my hair too.

I hope you enjoyed my birthday pictures and thank you to everyone who came and helped me celebrate. Sorry you all went home wet, but I hope you had fun anyway. :)

Black and White Wednesday

2010-01-20T22:24:00.004-06:00

Week 2 of Black and White Wednesday and I'm barely getting mine in on Wednesday! Oh well, better late than never, right? This is actually a shot I took in the spring, but I couldn't help but think that I'd like it in b&w as well as I liked the color version (the rose is actually a really soft pink). It turns out I actually like it more this way.

Pop on over to Lisa's blog to see everyone else's submissions, they're gorgeous!

Recipe Monday

2010-01-18T13:28:00.003-06:00

My friend Colleen at the Crazy Eight is hosting Recipe Monday each week so I thought I'd participate and share one of our family's faves. I'm a big fan of cooking in the slow cooker, since I'm a bit ~~lazy~~ busy most days, so this one's for those of you who like EASY as much as I do.

Easy Delicious Chicken

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
for seasoning: lemon juice, salt, pepper, paprika and celery salt
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cans cream of chicken (or celery) soup
2/3 cup dry white wine or dry sherry
grated parmesan cheese
fluffy white rice

Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Season with lemon juice, salt, pepper, paprika and celery salt. Place in slow cooker. In a medium mixing bowl, combine soups and wine and pour over chicken. Sprinkle parmesan over the top of the soup mixture, cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5. Serve over rice and ENJOY!

Black and White Wednesday

2010-01-13T19:11:00.005-06:00

My good friend Lisa over at The Long Road to China has started Black and White Wednesday so folks can share their favorite b&w images so I'm jumping in to play along. In exchange for a pretzel from Target, Jack let me have a little photo shoot with him and this is one of my favorites of the day. Shooting in winter can be a challenge, it's not like there are any pretty green fields or flowers around, but I found today that a big patch of dormant weeds and a bunch of leaf-less trees can make a pretty amazing back drop, too, especially when they're converted to b&w.

If you'd like to play too, just click here to submit your own black and white Wednesday shot!

Happy Birthday Mimi!

2010-01-12T21:30:00.002-06:00

Isn't she pretty? For those that don't know her, this is my mom. AKA Mimi. Tonight we celebrated her birthday with a yummy dinner and an even yummier cake from our favorite bakery in town.

Mmmmmmmm...

We were about to just cut the cake and dig in when Jakob announced that we needed a candle and had to sing, so we found a cute little yellow one and then got down to the singing.

All four of the kids adore their Mimi, but Jakob and my mom have always had an extra special bond and he's quick to remind everyone that she was HIS Mimi first. :)

Happy birthday, Mom. You know you mean the world to all of us and we're so blessed that your ours. I hope you had as much fun tonight as we did!