My Very Favorites

Here are my very favorite photos. My heart bursts with love when I look at these kids. How did I get so lucky?

My Inner Self

So...after a little persuasion (yeah - I'm sure you all know how much persuading I need to throw some attention on me!) I am posting the pics that I'm sure will one day make Emily famous. Click here to see her photography blog - she is amazing! Love you Emily!

Family Photos

We finally got some great family photos this year. Thanks to our miracle worker, Emily Garrard, who did this shoot on a holiday because we really only had one day to drive to Burley and back when Mikayla was in town. Wahoo! I love them! Thanks Emily - you are spectacular!

Jacee had her own poses already picked out. She loves the camera!

I can't believe how many cute shots there are of Maddie - she was not being very cooperative but Emily was patient and it paid off.

Jack, what else is there to say...

Ours even turned out. Isn't my hubby handsome!

And grown up Mikayla. I can't believe she is 14. She was 3 1/2 when John and I got married. So glad she is able to come visit us.

I'll post more - because I love them.

Addendum for the Deck Post

So...it is true. John did not build the deck all by himself. He had a LOT of help from our trusted friend Nate. Even though it is hard to believe that he could help when a girl can beat him at boxing. He will try to tell you otherwise - but I have picture proof of the outcome of the very first ever "Wanna Box" Match. Love you Nate!

The Deck

John was able to build one awesome deck this summer.

I couldn't even begin to get pictures to do it justice.

The awesome stairs.

It was in three sections and had three different doors into the house. It turned out beautiful and I'm proud of him for working so hard - oh and thanks Steve for throwing some work our way.

So - all I have to say is, "What a man, what a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty fine man - say it again yeah." (Throw back to my Salt-n-Peppa days.) And he's all mine!

My Mom's Stuff

My mom came to visit last weekend and asked me if I happen to have any of her fall decorations. I replied, "No, I think I left them all in Burley." Well, we started to unpack our fall boxes and I noticed I might have kept a few of my mother's things. I started to put all of her decorations on the table. When all was said and done - the table was overloaded with my mom's decorations.

No mom, I don't have any at all!

Love you!

Let the Holiday Season Begin!

I use to be a firm believer in not decorating for Halloween until the first weekend of October. Well, I must admit I have succumbed to the commercial peer pressure that has been heaped upon me since the last week of August. My new tradition is that we will decorate the last Monday of September. We'll see how it goes in coming years.

My traditional "decorating hat".

John's main duty - putting up Harry the Spider and his web. We all love it and I'm so glad he's willing to do it year after year after year.

Maddie's favorite is getting out the costume box.

She is posed this way so I could capture the wings on film.

The witch hair is always a big hit. Jacee now is thinking about being a witch this year, or Cleopatra, or a bat fairy, or Galinda the Good Witch...the list goes on and on.

This is what I am hoping (trying to manipulate) Maddie into wearing this year. This is what Jacee wore when she was this age and I think it's so cute. Maddie has said she would be a witch if she gets to wear the long black witch wig. We'll see....