My little man

Can you see why I'm in love?

















I didn't know my baby was a pirate...



Or that he looked so much like his daddy! ::smirk::




So yeah, you could say I feel like I'm getting the hang of this photographing baby thing. :) It helps when my little subject is the cutest thing on the planet. Love it.

Sneak Peek! :)

More to come, I promise...

We had the great pleasure of seeing my dad this week! He was out here on business and had some time to come and hang out with us. We went to dinner on Monday night to a great restaurant here in Riverside (which, by the way, you should check out if you're ever here because they make their own tortillas in front of you in the restaurant and they're amazing!!) and he got to come back and see us again today. Eli was talking about it for two days, asking me over and over when Grandpa was going to come back and see us. It was really cute, he had a fun time.

I just have to say that I love my dad. He's one of those people that you know will always do the right thing, no matter what the circumstances. He's always been the example to which I look for how to act (or at least how I should act) and he's just a genuinely good-natured person who has his family's best interest at heart.

And since I've gotten married and have started my own family, I'm so much more grateful and understanding of the kind of dad that he was. I suppose hindsight is always 20/20, right? I think it was hard for him when we were growing up, because we girls were always such good friends with my mom, that I'm sure he felt like he couldn't really compete with that. I'm glad to say, however, that with time he's really started to be much more proactive at being involved in our one-on-one relationship and I think he's doing a great job. There's also nothing quite like seeing your kids interact with your parents and seeing that grandparent role just seamlessly take place. I love it. And I love my parents.

I just wish that we lived closer together so that this wasn't such a rare occurrence. Someday, maybe. I can dream. :)

Gosh, has it really been that long since I posted here? It feels like a couple of days, not over a week! I suppose time flies when you're....well, what are we doing? Sometimes it's having fun, but a lot of the time it's just surviving. Nathan's out of town again this week so things are a little sketchy, but I'm trying to be positive and not complain. Because that just makes it worse. ::insert half-hearted smile here:: So in that light, here are some fun things we have done since my last post:

We went to the San Diego Zoo. Nathan and I decided to get passes for ourselves because they were relatively inexpensive (compared to Disneyland or something) and we get admission to both the zoo and the Wild Animal Park. And that's worth it for me. Eli loves animals, but on this trip he was more interested in seeing the 'next animal' rather than looking at the animal we were positioned in front of. Ah well, he liked the snakes at least. Nathan was proud because those are his favorites too.

This jaunt was the first time I got to use our new double stroller and I can't tell you how much I loved it! I knew I didn't want to be going to the zoo with an umbrella stroller for one kid and a separate one for the baby, no way. So we got this at Target and it's very maneuverable and surprisingly easy to break down and put up. West slept in it the entire time, so I was grateful for that. And Eli loves being able to sit, stand, or get out and walk with us very easily. So yeah, you could say I like my new stroller. Geez, I'm such an old mom lady who talks about strollers. When did that happen?? :)


We also made some finger puppets.

(That's a farmer in case you were wondering. I never said I was good at drawing, but I'll do it if my kid asks me to.)

We also had some good 'brother' time. Eli is a great big brother, helping me to get diapers when I need them and doing what he can to kiss, hug, and love on West. The best is when Eli falls asleep in the car, and I'll be carrying him into the house, he'll say, "Don't forget baby West!" in his drousy sleep-induced state. So cute. :)

Also, I don't have a picture of it, but today, for the very first time, West smiled at me! He did it a bunch and I'm so excited to see that. That is the one thing I just can't get enough of -- baby smiles. Ah, those are the good moments of being a mom.

That's about it. I've done some other projects and things that I may post about later, when I get some photos taken. I made a couple of super hero masks for Eli and his friends, from an idea off the Crafty Crow website. I love that site, there are so many great and fun ideas all packed into one place to try out. Once I get Eli to actually stop and pose for a picture, I'll put one up. I'm pretty proud of myself for using my sewing machine to make these!

Alrighty, hope you're having a great week and are as excited as I am that tomorrow is FRIDAY!!

Just because...

Well I decided to post some more photos of this adorable little guy named West. He's taken over our house for the most part and we all just love him to pieces, even Eli.

Life is good.

Seriously??

Can this kid BE any cuter? :)

Just for fun

I've been doing some playing around in Photoshop with a few of the recent pictures I've taken of the boys. I just love editing photos! :)

So what do you think?





And, just some regular ol' ones. Eli at home with his jammies on and crazy hair.



And West chillin' in the Bobby, with his crazy hair, too. I just love that full head of dark hair! :)

Happy Birthday to you....

...my dear sister Angie Bean.

And even though Ali beat me to the punch, I'm still going to write a little about why I love Angela so much. :)

First of all, it's hard to imagine Angela without a smile on her face. She's always making me laugh, giggling, telling funny jokes, and making funny faces. Case in point -- that top picture is her version of a silly inside family joke and I love it (even though Tom is the master at it)!



Second, Angela is so sweet and has such a tender heart. I know how much she cares about others, and it completely shows in her words and her actions. She has a soft spot for those who are left out or feeling bad, and goes out of her way to be friends with them. I just love that about her.



And Angie is still the queen of the scene! She is fun to hang out with, fun to be around, and she has a ton of friends to prove it. I'm so glad to be her sister and even though we're far away, I know that we're connected.

Love you Beanie! Happy Birthday! :)

Just want my hubby to know that I love him and I know he sneaks peeks at my blog every once in a while. So here's a shout-out, SMR! Love you! :)

Oh, and if you're wondering why, it's because I had a really tough day with the kidlets and trying to get a few things done for work and all the dishes staring at me from the sink, and he came home and immediately took the little kidlet and put him to sleep. Something I could hardly do all day long. So yeah, my hubby is a good one and I think I'll keep him.

I'm a Published Author!

Well, sort of. :) I wrote and taught a class for the 2008 Scrap Girls Digital Scrap Link Convention and it is now available for purchase in the Boutique over at Scrap Girls! I'm so excited to have a product available to buy, this is my first one. It's a great opportunity for anyone who wanted to go to the convention but didn't get a chance, as we are now selling all of the classes that were offered at the convention.

SO, if you're so inclined, you can go check out my eBook and pick it up! It's a great deal, only $8! And if you have any questions about the book or any of the concepts, you can just email me or comment here. It's great knowing the instructor, right? :)


And if you're interested in finding out more information about this year's convention, you can look here. It's going to be really awesome, we've learned some things from our inaugural run last year, and have made some great improvements. I'm going to be teaching another class this year, all about photo retouching, which is going to be so fun and really worth the admission! So check it out! I'd love to see any of my friends there in Utah!