Archive for April, 2008

Apr

30

2008

Counting Down

Counting down the days until my new blog design is ready and I can share it with you all that is!! Jennisa, the fabulous, amazing, talented and oh so patient designer is working away on it and it is really coming together!! She sent me the header a couple of nights ago, we made some fairly minor changes and she has totally perfected my visions!! And after bombarding her with numerous e-mails yesterday, we also instant messaged for an hour last night, all the while she was working on the rest of the design! It is so bright, happy and fun! It won’t be much longer now that I will be able to share it with you all!!


I wish I could tell you all to go get on her waiting list N*O*W, but her talents are in extremely high demand and she has had to close the list for a short time while she gets caught up! There are over 90 people waiting on her services! Crazy! I will tell you to check her out though…you’ll be inspired!!

Apr

29

2008

Storms

So we all know I LOVE a good ole fashioned thunderstorm! When our Google homepage popped up a minute ago I about jumped for glee seeing that there were storms forecasted for Thursday AND Friday…Then I looked closer. Yeah, that is back in Kansas! The high Friday is 61. Let’s just say I can’t wait for the summer monsoons to roll in and darken our days here in the desert!!


Now I am off to get us all ready…we have a busy day today! And if it is cool, cloudy or raining where you are, just know I am jealous and would love to trade spots with you for the day!

Apr

28

2008

Slip ‘n Slide!

So after seeing all the fun my friend Lindsey had with their slip ‘n slide a few weeks ago, we decided that we needed one too! I attempted to pick one out at Wal-Mart last time I went, but then decided that this is really a “dad” thing. I mean, really now, chances are I will not be partaking in the slipping and sliding (at least until it is 120 out and I am totally miserable!) so I don’t really care what it looks like!!

So after dropping off Grandma at the airport Saturday, Chris and the kids hit up Toys R Us and headed home with this lovely jewel! We got it out yesterday and the kids (all three of them…I am including Chris here!!) had a blast! I must say that Huntler by far had the most fun! He wore his little self out! He was frozen solid and exhausted, but he refused to stop! 

He didn’t quite get the whole “run and dive on your tummy” concept, but we found a way around that…Chris would hold him and then launch him down the slide! He laughed and smiled and talked up a storm…loving every second!

Miss Gentry is much like her mommy in this area…she doesn’t mind getting a little wet, but only on her terms. By NO stretch of the imagination did she want to be flung down the slide. Nor did she want anyone coming at her or invading her space. She wanted to splash around where the water had pooled a bit and then stick her hands in the water spouts every now and again! 

Huntler has already been asking to get it out again…looks like we found a fun new summer toy! And since it isn’t warm enough to get in the pool yet, the Slip ‘n Slide will work out just right!

(Remember to click on the pictures to see them bigger! The ones of the kids drinking are really cool big…our camera did an amazing job of catching the water!!)

Here is our sassy girl doing her own thing! You can tell that I am experimenting in Photoshop and learning new techniques!! I have always loved vintage…

Look out! Here come the boys! LOVE this shot!!
Not so sure what to think of this…we don’t drink water out the tap down here…it has a tendency to make people sick and we don’t want to go there…However, running back and forth forever in 99 degree heat does make a boy thirsty!!
What a pose! Tongue out and all! Love it!
A little more vintage for you!
He was absolutely frozen solid yet we gave him a popsicle!! These Minute Maid frozen lemonades are THE BEST! {MMMMMM!!!}

Apr

28

2008

Morning at the Zoo…Part II

Here are just a few more shots from our trip to the zoo Friday…I actually have many, many more that I could share, but I have lots of other pics to edit too! And really…these are some of my absolute faves, so they are the ones you get to see!!

Love those rainbow shades!! Miss Gappy Tooth! Huntler’s teeth have always been perfect…we are hoping sissy’s come in straight when she gets her permanent teeth!

Huntler was covering his ears because the “Scarlet Goldcaws” were WAY too loud! Go Diego Go is a popular show around this house and the “Scarlet McCaw” is one of the most talked about animals on the show. Huntler has created his own little version…Anyway, he was absolutely fascinated to see them in real life, but we all know how obnoxiously loud and annoying birds can be…the little man couldn’t have agreed more!!!
This is one of my favorites of him…we had just left the porcupine exhibit…he was wearing down and ready to see the giraffes and head home! Can you tell the difference in the colors of the black and whites in these two images? I used two different actions by two different artists and the top one has more brown tones in it. I bet you never realized that a black and white could have brown tones, eh?!! I didn’t get it so much until I had two right beside each other! Very interesting!
You have to click on this one to see it bigger! Yes….Huntler is feeding the giraffes!! It was similar to a cattle call up there on the podium to feed these beloved giraffes and it is a miracle that I managed to get any photos worth saving considering the large amount of people crammed into a not so large space, but I did! YEAH! Proof that he was that close to a giraffe!
Although the kids were tired, exhausted more like it, after spending the morning at the zoo, they both lit up when they saw the carousel. So, Grandma and Daddy each took a kiddo and went for a ride while I stayed back and took pictures. I didn’t mind much…I get motion sickness and prefer to be on solid ground!! I am amazed I didn’t get dizzy just taking pictures!! They had to pick the scariest animal up there to put this little princess on!! Huntler rode a giraffe, of course!! 

This is a little off topic, but several weeks ago Huntler requested a crocodile cake for his birthday (which is not until September but I like to plan waaaayy ahead!)…we are so going to take this jungle theme and run with it! I can’t wait!!

Apr

28

2008

Sneak Peek

Here is a little sneak peek of what we did this afternoon! Okay…well, not ALL of us…Chris and Huntler! Gentry played in the water a bit and I observed and snapped pics! I took 413!!!  OOPS! Not all of those turned out, but needless to say I have lots to sort through!!


Anyway, I need to be getting my next round of zoo pics up, but I HAD to share this one right away! Huntler was so, so happy and had an absolute ball on the slip n slide! Despite the fact that it was 99 degrees, his chin was still quivering and he was shaking like a leaf! I think it is safe to say we have acclimated to life in the desert!! It is going to take some days of serious heat before the cool water doesn’t make us tremble!!

Apr

26

2008

Six on Saturday

Ok…I am going to try to keep this rather “short” considering I was posting like a mad woman yesterday (so if you haven’t checked lately…there are FOUR new posts from yesterday)! I write like I talk…which is a lot…so that may be a bit challenging for me but I am going to give it a whirl anyway!

  1. I am left handed.
  2. My hair is naturally VERY, VERY wavy…down right curly in many places! I do love curls and hoped that my sweet Gentry would have some, but mine is hard to work with so I straighten it Every.Single.Day!!
  3. I am the oldest of three children.
  4. I flew for the first time in my life during my senior year of college…to New Orleans for a Sociology conference where I had to present a paper I had written. Although it was a “fun” trip, my relationship with Chris was still really new and it was miserable being so far away from him!! 
  5. We have no pets…although I am considering getting the kids a fish. I know, “Whoo hoo…a fish” right, but I do NOT like cats and although I do like dogs, I don’t want one shedding all over or ruining our stuff. HOWEVER, I could probably be swayed on that as the kids get older! Gentry already loves animals…but our timid Huntler does not so much! In his defense, he has grown in leaps and bounds in that area over the past year and we can now at least go people’s houses that have dogs as long as they are put away!! Yeah Huntler!!
  6. I am a TOTAL phone talker! I can talk on the phone for hours during the day…and often do! I am very productive during that time too…cleaning, doing laundry, taking care of the kids, unloading the dishwasher…you name it, I can do it! My LONG (as in lengthwise too) distance phone calls with my dearest friend Lisa have helped me through some of the loneliest times in my life out here in Arizona! Thank goodness for unlimited long distance!! And thank goodness Lisa is a big phone talker too!!
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Apr

26

2008

Morning at the Zoo…Part I

I am breaking this up into segments for my benefit and yours (uploading a ton of photos takes FOREVER and overwhelms me at times!!)! Although I am sure many of you could care less about seeing an obscene amount of photos of my darling kiddos…Mema and Papa back in Kansas who weren’t able to make it to the zoo with us this time around do enjoy them! So…you have to bear with me! I guess maybe it is a good thing I haven’t been posting pictures like crazy over the last couple of weeks since I have TONS…and I mean T*O*N*S…to share now! 


Anyway…if you haven’t been on in a while this is my fourth post TODAY so scroll on down…yes, I am going a little blog crazy! Grandma is still here and she and the kids are outside playing, Chris is toodling around in the garage and I am here…editing pictures and playing around in Photoshop! I probably won’t be adding the next post until tomorrow or Sunday though…just so you know!!

Anyway, what a perfect day!! :)

This is right as we stepped into the zoo…lucky for us Grandma had a pocket full of quarters and the kids were able to feed any and everything they wanted to! Gentry would act like she was throwing but her fist was clenched so tightly the food pellets never left her hand! And Huntler really seemed to catch on and have a fun time! And yes, the water was a murky green and matched his shirt perfectly…EEEEEWWWWW!
Grandma Debbie and Gentry girl seeing the sights in their shades!! (This happens to be another new pair of glasses from The Children’s Place…the outfit is from there too! They have some of the brightest, most vibrant colors right now!!!)
Grandma and her first born grandchild… I can’t remember what they were looking at, but there were three of them! See Huntler’s left hand?
I LOVE this one of the kids! Gentry was absolutely EXHAUSTED all morning, but once we arrived at the zoo she perked up and acted as though she was three years old just like her brother! They are quite a pair, these two! I can’t imagine life without them! Huntler is growing up so much these days…he is so patient and loving towards Gentry. I am so glad they have each other!
I love behind shots for some reason and this one just screamed “PHOTOSHOP ME!!” I wanted to show the bright colors in her outfit, but I also thought it would be fun vintage!! Love them both! And love those tippy-toes!!
 
Which path Daddy?! For anyone familiar with Dora…you know all about maps and paths! Here are my two boys checking out the map to see where we were and where we needed to be going next! Huntler is SOOOO much like his daddy in SOOOO many ways…including looks! Although he can be rowdy at times, Huntler is so quiet, calm and serious like Chris. He is intense beyond measure and although he may not say much, he is taking it all in and doesn’t miss a beat! 
I found a new set of actions from The Pioneer Woman and downloaded them this afternoon. I have a long ways to go in the vast world of photography and Photoshop…but I learn something new each time I open ‘er up! I am loving the old time feel of this one of Huntler. And notice that hat? I bought it yesterday and he LOVES it! It is his “jungle hat” and we could NOT head to the zoo without it! Jungle hat??? I mean, obviously it looks like a jungle hat, but where does he come up with all of this?! He continues to amaze us with his antics!

On a funny note…I was standing in the bathroom with his this afternoon waiting on him to finish up and he was sizing me up. He so innocently says, “Mom, your tummy full?” And
I thought I was having a skinny day…AHHH, from the mouths of babes! Love you little man!! To the moon and back!
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Apr

26

2008

Uh-Oh!

Although we had a WONDERFUL time at the zoo this morning, of course the trip did not go without some mishaps! Forgive the blurriness of these first two photos, but I had to share them so you could get the full effect of the last two shots!

So, here they are…holding hands on the slide. Huntler even waited so patiently on Gentry to get back to the top so they could hold hands while going down the slide together. This seems to be a pretty common occurrence when there is a double slide…holding hands that is. (You’ll have to click on the second one and last one to see them close up…)

So, here they go…

Whew…they are zooming! Notice Gentry is on her back, yet tilted to the side, and has her foot kicked up in the air! And what an expression!! Daddy is RIGHT there should anything go wrong…
But, oops…Huntler doesn’t let go of dear sissy’s hand and she crumbles into the mulch…it was a forceful fall and one met with MANY tears and a scuffed up face. Poor baby…although it was actually funny…and she wasn’t hurt that bad!
I am hoping if you enlarge this one you can see the mulch in her teeth and the fragments of wood slivers or dried grass or something on the corner of her mouth…
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Apr

25

2008

Flashback Friday!!!

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, I finally gave up on the other two pics I had for this post and am just going with what I’ve got here! Blogger is moving slower than a snail’s pace this afternoon and I am moving at warp speed! Needless to say, the two don’t mesh too well!!

Anyway, since we ventured to the zoo this morning, I thought it only appropriate to share pictures from one of our trips to the zoo last year! Some pictures from today will be coming soon…

Here is our oh-so timid and intense Huntler! He is not so much into animals but after much prodding finally fed the goat! That was 16 months ago but I still remember it! We didn’t even attempt the petting zoo today! This mama is SO NOT INTO grubby, dirty animals and I prefer not to be licked, sniffed, bumped into, trampled, mauled for food…you get the picture! 

Can you even believe this is our sassy Gentry girl?!! Talk about how much difference a year makes!! She would have been six months in this picture…all I can say is, “Wow…where did my BABY go????” Same blue eyes though! Some things never change!!
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Apr

25

2008

For My Dad…

Although I could totally use this (and might have to if I can’t get Blogger to cooperate and upload the pics I am planning on using!) for my Flashback Friday…I am not. This is far more important…far more meaningful than a few sweet images posted for the world to see. This post is in love and appreciation. A time to reflect on  a distant childhood and  fond memories. Of yesteryear and how despite the fact that time marches on and and we grow and change, love stays the same. This is for my dad…to remind him of how much he is loved and appreciated. I would not be the person I am today if it weren’t for him (and my mom!). 

I know I don’t say it nearly often enough…thank you. I had an amazing childhood and I only look back with fond memories. Dad, I know you don’t really read this unless Mom makes you, but I just want to say I am sorry you have had such a rough week and I love you! I thought maybe these cute little faces…and that ornery pony of course…would make you smile! Throughout everything, you know that we are always here…the big clown, the baby clown and the pony!! I love you!

{This picture is from 1986…I was six, my sister the pony (Natalie) was almost 5 and my brother (Garrett) almost 1! Crazy to think that that chubby little guy is an amazing athlete and will be graduating from college in just two weeks! Wow…WHERE does the time go???}
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