Spring Is In Full Swing

And what better activity during the spring than an outdoor picnic with your friends? With cold juice boxes and princess dresses....crowns and all :-)

Bella and Tyler have been busy little kids with lots of friends, family and activities going on lately. So busy, in fact, that I have had trouble keeping up on everything! And more specifically, we had a very special house guest this past weekend...Uncle O'Neal!

He is busy working out and staying focused until the finale of the show, but he was able to sneak out here for a quick visit to surprise his son Arece and spend time with his AZ family. So we had to throw a party of course! We got all our friends together and threw a viewing party to watch Tuesday nights' episode together with Uncle O'Neal. He looked AMAZING and he worked out so hard while he was here, so I can only imagine how much even more amazing he will look by the finale :-) So because the show is still airing, we can't post any of the pictures we took of him, sorry! But soon enough, you will see the new-and-improved O'Neal Hampton!

So we got all decked out in our yellow, and celebrated with him on Tuesday as we watched the show together. And if you watch the show on Tuesday, you saw that he won a prize challenge! Oh, it was just something small.

Like. A. New. Car.

As soon as he won, he promptly handed over the key to SunShine :-)

Excuse me while I hold back the tears and lump in my throat.

So touching and awesome!

Bella even owns a "SunShine" Barbie that Aunt Katherine made for all the little girls in the family.

And lastly, just because I thought this was the most adorable thing ever....I found the kids sleeping like this when I went to check on them before going to bed last night. Ty had quietly snuck out of his room, and climbed into bed with his big sister. The two of them were all cuddled and fast asleep when I found them like this. I just had to take a picture...not even the flash woke them up!

My little sleeping cuties.

It's been busy few weeks around here, but we are having fun and loving this weather!

I've got lots of photo shoots coming up and family activities...so stay tuned :-)

A Very Special Date.

Bella had a very special date on Saturday night.... with her papa.

We surprised her with tickets to Disney on Ice (for the record, this is her fourth time to the show....different shows but still same idea :-) ) and we even surprised her with a brand new princess dress from the Disney store. The look on her sweet little face was priceless :-)

So she got all dressed up...a little lip gloss and everything...and headed out for a date night of just the two of them.

( a little Top Model action here.....)

Papa (of course) was a sucker for his granddaughter and bought her snacks, a princess purse and a sparkly wand at the show, but she came home with a huge smile and lots of fun memories of her special night with Papa.

On a side note, can you believe I am the mother of an almost-5-year-old???!!!

Dear God,

Please keep my little girl little for as long as you can.

In fact- freeze each sweet moment in time for me so that I never forget her beautiful little face just the way it is right now.

Love, Me

Where Has Time Gone?......

Oh my poor little blog.

I have been severely neglecting you.

And then I realized that this blog is more for me since I print at the end of the year and it serves as somewhat of a memory book for me to keep...and so I'm going to try to be much better about my blogging.

So let's play a quick little game of catch-up! First off- welcome the newest Scottsdale resident and our favorite house guest...Arece Hampton!

Arece is John's cousin, and he has been the most delightful addition to our local family here in Scottsdale. Many of you have heard me brag on and on about his dad and sister O'Neal and SunShine, who are currently on The Biggest Loser. Well, now he calls AZ his home, and we couldn't be happier to have him here. The kids are pretty much obsessed with him, and they drop everything to play with him when he walks in the door. He is staying with us while he looks for a place of his own, but the kids will be devastated when he does! :-)

We love you Arece- and welcome home!

Morning Trouble.

This looks like a sweet little angelic face, right?

Well, don't let him fool you.

Recently John and I have pleasantly discovered that we can get at least 30 more minutes of sleep in the morning because the kids have been getting up and playing together quite well lately. They read books, watch cartoons in Bella's room or go play in the office or playroom together...and we get to sleep some more!

However-

We have come to learn the consequences of letting them play without us knowing what's going on. This morning I woke up to find that Tyler had taken a purple marker to the playroom carpet...and the sliding glass doors....and his arms and legs. I started scrubbing it immediately (thank goodness for washable markers) and then promptly threw every marker I could find in the house, into the trash. As for his arms and legs- oh well. Yes, I am sure we got some stares as we ran errands together this morning. Yes, I am the mom who is so tired of scrubbing marker off her son, that I finally just came to the conclusion of "whats the point?"

But the part that gave me the biggest laugh was when I was cleaning Ty's face this morning he randomly said-

"Bella draw on my back."

What?! I said to him. She what?

So I took off his shirt, and this is what I found:

Yes. Bella had indeed drawn on his back.

Apparently, she wanted to be sure he (or anyone else) didn't forget his name, and so she tagged him.

And this is what happens when we try to sneak away with those 30 extra minutes of sleep.

I've Got The Luck Of The Irish.....

... and it comes in the form of these two beautiful little munchkins :-)

In celebrating my ethnicity of 1/2 Irish (thanks to my mom and the Irwin side of the family), I enjoy getting the kids all decked out in their green outfits and preparing a traditional Irish meal of corned beef, cabbage and baby red potatoes. The recipe for preparing corned beef is actually quite easy...but somehow, I'm still confused and find myself constantly checking on it all day long. I may have also called my mom about 5 or 6 times to verify that I was doing it right. But now the house smells delicious, and I'm fairly confident that it will be cooked correctly. Note that I said "fairly confident"....you just never know until you cut it open and take a few bites. Fingers crossed!

On a more serious note, St. Patricks Day marks exactly 5 years since we said good-bye to my Opah. He was my mom's dad, and the patriarch of the Irish brood on that side of the family. His funeral was appropriately on St. Patrick's day, and had beautiful Irish flair- complete with bagpipes and all. We miss you Opah, we will remember you tonight as we enjoy our Irish meal in your honor. You would be proud to see my corned beef! :-)

We Better Start Saving...

....because Bellas wedding someday is going to be a doosey!!

She our baby girl...our princess...and the only one we get to throw a wedding for- so believe me when I say that every last detail will be tended to. :-) The reason I started daydreaming of her future magical wedding is because this past weekend we spent time with our awesome-amazing good friends the Squires, and Bella and Jacob fell even more in love.

Yes, Bella & Jacob.

Megan pointed out to me it's like a Twilight romance....too bad I have no idea what she's talking about since I've never read the books. Megan is probably rolling her eyes at me right now :-)

But seriously- it's not even that us adults tried to "force" it in any way. The two of them just kept holding hands, hugging and giggling with each other every time they were together. At the end of each day, we kept having to listen to Bella tell us over and over that she missed Jacob, and kept asking, "when is Jacob coming back?"

It was honestly the most precious thing ever. They genuinely enjoyed being around each other.

Megan and I were pregnant at the same time together, and Bella & Jacob are only about 3 weeks apart. It's like they were meant to be! And the best part? We would be in-laws with the Squires!

{Jacob isn't so sure about this kiss....}

At the end of our trip, the kids had to say good-bye at dinner, and then sadness ensued in the separate car rides home. Megan texted me a picture of Jacob pouting in sadness, and Bella just kept asking when we would see them again. So after the kids were in bed, Megan came by to watch the Oscars with me, and she brought along a "love letter" that Jacob had written before he went to bed. Actually, he dictated it to Megan, and she wrote down exactly what he wanted to say to Bella......

In case you can't read it, it says:

"I love you. I'll kiss you and hug you. When you come back I will hug you forever."

So adorable! Bella is a very lucky little lady :-)

Small Things To Remember....

Time to freeze a few memories in time. I wanted to jot down a few things about the kids as of lately, so that I would always remember the little things :-)

{ Miss Bella }

* Loves playing board games like Pretty Pretty Princess, Trouble and Chutes & Ladders

* Sings a hilarious rendition of "Hey Diddle Diddle" that cracks us up

* Is obsessed with drawing, painting and coloring. She could do it for hours.

* She told John the other night {I was gone at bible study with my girlfriends} that when she grows up she wants to "be a nurse and a mommy and go to bible study". Hmm... watching her mom closely perhaps? I melted when I got home and John told me.

* She gasps with delight every time we pass the Barbie aisle at Target. It never gets old to her.

* She loves cheeseburgers. And every time we ask her for her order, she tells us "a hamburger with cheese on the top and steak on the bottom. And no sauce."

* Still loves to be a nudist at home. Or run around in just underwear.

* Still petrified of people in animal costumes. She freaked out at a birthday party at Chuck-e-Cheese when "Chuck-E" appeared. And she still won't step foot in Red Robin ever since she saw the bird costume.

* L-O-V-E-S ballet. She loves twirling and frolicking :-)

* She's getting very accustomed to people commenting on her hair. Whenever someone stops her and compliments her curls or tells her how beautiful her hair is, she now answers with "I know." So modest and humble! :-)

{ Mr. Ty }

* Wakes his sister up every morning by going in her room, turning on the light, and crawling into her bed.

* Whenever he tries to sneak a snack from the pantry, he announces that he is "getting one for tyler and one for bella", and he brings her one!

* Tells us exactly what he wants, then asks and answers it himself. For example, he says

"I want to get ice cream, ok? Ok! "

* Eats like a bottomless pit, and yet looks skinnier and taller every day.

* Loves hiding in "tents" {when he puts a blanket over his head}

* Has learned about his "boy parts" and tells us what they are every day :-)

* Has has the cutest little voice when he says, "Mommy I hungry".

* He is still a dancing machine.

* Loves having both mom and dad tuck him in at night. He especially loves it when we kiss both his cheeks at the same time.

** And John and I still think we are the luckiest, most blessed two people on earth :-) **

My Little Ballerina.

Well, she did it again!

Another performance that was adorable and incredible all in one. I think she found her confidence after the last performance went so well, and this time she did even better!

She was in an older class this time {mostly 5 year olds}, but that didn't seem to bother her, and she followed along perfectly. One of the first thoughts I remember having when Bella was born and I saw that she was a girl, was- "oh my goodness, I get to take her to dance class!" I don't know why, but I instantly had this vision of a curly-haired little girl in a tutu dancing around on stage. I envisioned being able to share in those girly moments with her, and they are moments I wouldn't trade for anything.

The best part of the recital was when each girl has her moment to shine by performing a solo when her name was called. I actually felt nervous for Bella because she usually gets shy in situations like that- but she was the BEST! And of course, I am her mom...but seriously- she was amazing. I have the video to prove it :-) She pranced around stage and twirled so gracefully and with such a huge smile of accomplishment on her face. I was bursting with pride!

Then after her recital, we took her out for in ice cream celebration for a job well done, and then she got to go to a sleepover at Aunt Emily's house and have some really girly-girl time painting nails and eating popcorn :-)

Girls will be girls :-)

And believe me- I love having my little girl to enjoy it with!

Bravo Bella!!

Welcome Girls!

Our sweet friends, Andrew & Sandra welcomed identical twin baby girls this morning.

Kaelyn & Brielle are the epitome of perfection....and unbelievably healthy sizes for twins! Each weighed over 6 pounds, and they did beautifully after delivery.

I was excited to head over to the hospital today to visit them and {of course} take a few pictures of the girls. I took Sandra's maternity pictures a few weeks back, and everyone kept commenting to me how amazing she looked for being 8 months pregnant with twins....well, in true form, Sandra looks radiant and beautiful even after having twins just hours prior. Not fair!

Congratulations again you guys, I can't wait to watch your sweet daughters grow!

To see a sneak peek of some of the pictures taken at the hospital today, see my photography blog HERE.

Sweet Valentines.

Ah, young love!

What do you do when you want to see your girlfriend on valentines day, but you are only 2 years old?

A family/group date! :-)

Tyler and Allie spent their valentines afternoon with their families, picnicking in the gorgeous cool sunny weather {I would not want to live on the east coast if you paid me to! Picnicking in the park in the middle of winter?! That's right!!} and spending time together.

They took a romantic ride on the train....

Played a friendly game of soccer.....

And strolled hand in hand through the park {until Ty got too antsy, and decided to run away}

But that didn't bother Allie, she decided she wanted to walk with Uncle John anyway :-)

All in all, it was a great morning for the two little love birds. Ty even brought her a balloon and heart-shaped box of chocolates, like any true gentleman should.

Thanks Abram family, we love you guys!

Go Get Em' Uncle O'Neal!

Hopefully you watched this weeks' episode of The Biggest Loser

{you better! }

Because this week Sunny and O'Neal kicked butt.

They both won individual challenges, and proved that they are a force to be reckoned with on that ranch!! John and I look forward to Tuesday nights so much...we eagerly wait to put the kids to bed, then we watch the show intently - savoring and soaking up every moment.

This week we were so excited to watch the challenge where the contestants had to race laps and use laser guns to shoot each others target, because you may not know this- but Uncle O'Neal is an EXPERT marksman. If there is anyone on earth that I would trust with a firearm in an emergency situation, it would be O'Neal. He was a paratrooper in the Army, and even wore the distinction of a green beret during his time. He has seen some scary stuff....probably more than he ever wants to talk about, but he came out of it a better man- and an amazing marksman. As a certified sniper for the US government, you do not want to mess with O'Neal! Oh, the poor boys that want to date SunShine! :-)

When we visited Minnesota a few summers ago, John and Uncle O'Neal convinced me to come along with them to the shooting range to try shooting for my first time. I am not a big gun fan- and I am very uncomfortable around them...but I couldn't have picked a better person to go and learn from, than O'Neal. He took his time to carefully teach us about proper handling and the proper way to stand and hold our arms. And he kept me calm and taught me how to focus and keep myself in the perfect stance when I shoot for the first time. My heart was pounding out of my chest, but I felt safe knowing that I trusted O'Neal completely, and that he would keep me safe.

We had so much fun that day- and in a weird way, it was a very cool bonding experience.

In fact, I actually enjoyed it so much that we went back the following year with Arece {O'Neal's son} , and this time, our group grew! Everyone in the family wanted to learn!

So when we saw that shooting was a challenge on this weeks' episode, we knew that O'Neal was in his comfort zone :-)
And in my usual fashion, I couldn't keep the tears from running down my face as I watched him win and celebrate his victory. Sunny and O'Neal got their moment to shine, and I can't imagine two more deserving people.

We love you guys!

Go Team Yellow!!!!!

The Outtakes.

Something I am learning more and more about as I play with photography, is sometimes the "outtakes", the pictures that I usually think are pointless, end up being the best.

Sure you may not frame them or use them in a future wedding montage {actually, some people might!} but they are the ones that make you laugh the most. They bring out the honesty and the true personality of the person. In most cases, kids look their most authentic selves in those goofy pictures that we erase too quickly off the camera.

Someone once made a comment to me that I am so lucky to have kids who love the camera. After all, all the pictures I post of them and frame in our home, are gorgeous pictures of the kids in perfect lighting, perfect smiles and perfect composition. But boy do I have you all fooled!! Like any 4 and 2 year olds, my kids would much rather twirl, run, make silly faces and ignore the camera altogether. But there are those rare moments when I see their little faces soften and hold still just long enough to snap a picture. And trust me, my shutter speed is fast. It has to be.

And especially when we have photographers take pictures of our family, the kids morph into these little tasmanian devils that usually go out of their way to make the poor photographers job especially hard!

So here are a few "outtakes" that I have found that just crack me up:

Ah yes- classic Bella.

I'm trying to smile, John is trying to keep Ty from running, and Bella has decided to flash the camera. Perfect family portrait.

Here's another classic: Trying to get the cousins to pose for a picture. Lexi is bawling and wants nothing to do with it, Nolan is off in his own world smiling, and Marley and Bella can't stop looking at each other and talking.

And yet another way to show the grown-ups that you are done with pictures : pick your nose with both fingers.

And this is what I call "The Over-Smile"

....because sometimes a simple smile just isn't enough.

And this picture is just plain hilarious.

Judging by the look on Tyler's face, he is totally embarrassed by his sisters' hair.

You see?

Family-of-perfect-pictures we are not.

But we sure do have a ton of good embarrassing pictures to use during their teenage years!

You just won't see any of these framed as 8x10's :-)

Another On The Way......

Yep. Another little one will be gracing our group of girlfriends!

No, it's not Jessica. {That would give you a heart attack right about now, right Jess?! :-) }

It's AMANDA!

Her and her sweet hubby are letting people in on the secret, so I'm allowed to tell people, and I pretty much want to scream it from the rooftops. For some reason, I am sooooo excited for them to have a little baby. She's just one of those women that I can't wait to see be a new mom!

She's hilarious, honest, bubbly....and completely new to the world of pregnancy and babies- which will make this a very fun experience for all of us :-)

Man, between us 6 girlfriends, we have 9 kids.

Nine.

And the oldest is my sweet Bella who is only 4 years old!

Talk about a crazy brood of kiddos!

Like I said before, there is something seriously contagious in whatever we are drinking at our usual Starbucks on Tuesday nights.

We may need to find a new coffee shop :-).

Still Exploring....

I've noticed that I see everything differently now. I used to pass by things without a second thought- but now I view everything through the lens of camera...and judge it on whether or not that would make a good picture spot.I just recently discovered a new overgrown field that I love {I blogged about it on the photography site} and then I found another fun little place!

The other night we were out running errands as a family, and we passed an area that I had never given a second glance before. But this time, I noticed the perfect rolling land, and the view of mountains in the background. So last night we took the kids out to the park to play and we stopped by this new discovery of mine. Trust me, I would have walked by this place a hundred times before and not even thought twice. But last night- I saw it's potential.

So we set the kids free, and I tried to capture this new place.

{Tyler had his own agenda, and did not like me following him around with my camera...as usual. But Bella humored me for a few minutes :-) }

And thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of me trying out photography! I have booked quite a few sessions for this month, and I'm so excited about it!

***And on another note- don't forget to watch Biggest Loser tonight!!! The yellow team makes their comeback....and we can't wait to see it!........***

My Budding Artist

I have a little cupboard in our office where I keep a stash of all the cute things the kids make. I'm on the hunt for a cute, vintage treasure chest for each of them, so that I can store up all their childhood "creations", but for now, it's just in a cupboard.

Ever since Bella started going to preschool, I have been able to add volumes to my little collection. Sometimes John and I laugh at the cute explanations she has for all her drawings- and sometimes we are amazed to see what she sees through her eyes.

Lately, she's been on a big kick of drawing our family. One of the most recent drawings just melted my heart, so I had to share it.

Bella's on the far left, then myself, then John and then Tyler.

Notice how she made me have long curly hair, and she gave herself short curly hair, just like mine. Bella also pointed out to me that her and I are holding hands, and she is holding a flower in her other hand that she picked for daddy. I was cracking up when I saw how she drew John and Tyler to look just like each other. She used the same colors and everything, but John is just much bigger :-) Then, with her adorable writing- she wrote, mom loves Bella {with a heart for "loves"} and Ty & Dad with a heart up at the top.

Ugh! How adorable is that?!!!!

I just love being their mom! A day never goes by where I don't laugh :-)

And for the record- that's a butterfly in the center of the picture. I made the mistake of asking if it was an airplane. Oops.