A Glimpse of Fall. WARNING: extremely long and LOTS of pictures...and some rambling.

         This blog is, mainly, my way of digital scrapbooking and journaling. I use it to keep track of our family's events, silly stories, and the things God is teaching me; which means sometimes you get deep profound thoughts and sometimes, well, you just get life :) This past week, we made another lightening-fast trip to Durango; this time, for a very happy occasion. An old student of ours, Sarah Branch-Boyle, was engaged to be married and had asked Adam several months ago if he would perform the ceremony. Of course, Adam told her that if it was at all possible with school, he'd be honored to do it; and as the summer went by we figured that we could make it work. So last Wednesday morning, I packed up the kids, picked up Nicole and Peyton Lobmeyer, and we headed to the cool of September in Colorado. Nicole was going to be a bridesmaid in the wedding of another old student of ours; so carpooling worked out perfectly! Adam and Jason left Phoenix late Thursday evening with their older 3, after Adam was out of class...I was a little nervous about their drive, I'll admit. It was pouring rain, they would be driving very late into the night....I prayed, a lot :)

Blythe the builder. With Blaise and Madi in the
background!

It's so fun when Daddy gets to come!!

 After fresh pain au chocolate for the kids and a croissant with coffee for me (just one of the perks of having inlaws who live over a bakery!), the kids and I spent Thursday morning at the Discovery Center with my sister-in-law and 3 nieces...I couldn't help but laugh at the contrast in their clothing. It was (to us!!) cold and rainy-my kids were dressed for Arizona winter. My nieces all showed up in summer dresses :)

Nina and Blaise "building" together.

 The discovery center is fun for all, and since it's small enough that the kids can roam at will, Tiff and I had a few minutes to talk, which feels like another rare occurance. We decided next time we're in town, we must figure out a way to go get pedicures, just the two of us... it's always fun to see how the middle 4 cousins just pick up where they left off. And Nina, our oldest niece (who, by the way, turned TEN today; which is crazy, since she was born 6 weeks after Adam and I started dating!) loves playing with and looking after Blaise.

Violet

Seriously...the kid was in heaven!

This is the rocket Violet made for herself and Pax :)

 The next day, with Adam safely arrived at about 2 am and a short break in the rain, we went to the "triangle park". See my very tired eyes? That's because someone got sick AND decided  his pack and play was extremely uncomfortable...the only time he slept all night was on me. Which, as all mamas know, means not much sleep for Mama :)

This girl. She's an emoter, that one, and although it can be challenging when she's angry or upset, watching her in full-joy-mode is delightful! Her cute little rain jacket was a gift Grandma brought back from their last trip to Paris, and she wouldn't be parted with it. No matter that the sun was actually shining for a few minutes....

I love the relationship that is already there between our boys. And I love my husband's goofy side (wearing Pax's fleece, which disappeared...now it occurs to me we may have left it at the park that day. I told you-no sleep!)                          

Tiff and the girls came, too-cousins swinging! Yup, now that I look at this picture, I'm convinced we left the fleece at the park. Glad to have that mystery solved, anyway...

Fall colors. Miss this so, so much! And I adored our little taste of fall...it's my favorite season (at least in Colorado); which may or may not have something to do with the fact that I was BORN in the fall. ahem.

We spent the morning climbing, running, playing hide and seek; then in the afternoon Adam and i made one of the most beautiful drives ever up to Silverton for the rehearsal dinner. it rained the whole way up, but cleared for the rehersal. Aside from being incredibly touched at the thoughtfulness of Sarah and Alex towards their family and friends and those involved in the wedding, it was so nice for Adam and I to just talk...and talk...and run through eye disease flashcards...romantic, I'm telling you! Saturday morning I had the opportunity to do 2 photoshoots, both for good friends of ours. In the middle of the first shoot, Jill (the mama) answered her cell phone-it was my sister-in-law, Tiff.
"Oh, sure, he can come. No problem!" she said, and I'm thinking to myself, "Oh no, my son did NOT just invite himself to a birthday party..." but yup. Apparently he literally sobbed when he heard Violet was going to Jack's birthday party (he loves the Palmer kids...Kale introduced him to Star Wars Legos. Pretty sure he's Pax's hero right now) and wouldn't let go of her; so Auntie Tiff of course called and asked if he could come along. (Her exact words to me that night were, "If it had been one of my kids I would have just told them to "suck it up, buttercup" but it was my nephew and I just couldn't....") Thankfully, Jill's pretty much great and so is Mark and so Pax got to go to a Star Wars themed birthday party; and loved every second of it. Blythe was thrilled to go off with Madi and Nina and Blaise to Farmington to watch uncle Yay-Yay coach peewee football; and somehow came home with her first Barbie-like doll: Cinderella. (ahem. Aunt Tiff again.) All in all they had a fabulous day...and so did Adam and I!

It rained, once again, all the way up; but the clouds kissing the tops of the mountians and the waterfalls rushing down in the distance were absolutly spectacular. We even saw the first snow on the mountiantops of Silverton, although it had melted by the time the ceremony was over. The rain stopped literally 5 minutes before they started the ceremony, and the sun came out. It was chilly and majestic and perfect. Adam did a wonderful job with the service; and the personal touches Alex and Sarah added (including washing each others' feet and communion with their parents) made the service one of beautiful worship, as well as a marriage celebration. It truly was an unforgettable wedding!

Below, you can see the view from the gazebo and the mountains with the low-hanging clouds clinging to them...it was spectacular.

                             

Sarah is half Irish, half Hispanic, which meant that both parents walked her down the isle. I couldn't hold it together, watching the three of them walk down the path; proud of the woman Sarah has become and seeing her parents love for her; and, yes, thinking a bit about our own only-daughter.

And the bride and groom :) see? Sun!!

The reception was very nice, although we left a bit early in order to pick up our kiddos and put them to be ourselves that evening. And to pack the car. We actually had everyone in the car and pulled away from the bakery at 6 am; although after gas and a few other errands we didn't actually get out of town until an hour later. But, really, that's how it goes! The drive home was almost-uneventful, with more eye disease flashcards and a little carsick girlie who unfortunately takes after her Mama. Even with a car-full of sick kiddos and very little sleep-I'm so very glad we made the trip happen. There's just something special about watching old students get married...and then, I love hearing Adam share his heart so eloquently...and seeing family was just the icing on the cake! And, a week and umpteen loads of laundry later, I think we're almost recovered. I think.

Diary of a PA student('s wife): the First Term.

 
    Somehow, just like that, it's August. Somehow, the craziness of PA school has made things time-warp...no longer are we in the first month of school. We raced past that milestone without blinking, and the kids and I flew to Ft. Collins to spend they week of midterms with my folks, and half of this past week with great friends up in Flagstaff. You know, so Adam could bury himself in bodyparts (that sounds weird, but it's kinda true) and come out victorious. Or at least still standing.
   Somehow, we are adjusted (for now, at least) to his crazy study schedule and I have learned to balance having my husband home but not available 90% of the time. I'm seeing more and more just what an incredibly beautiful support system of friends and family we have...I've gained insight from sistercousins on how to deal with the days when it's overwhelming...and then the hubby comes home and must go study. I've been reminded by a dear friend and mentor that each minute does not last forever; and that there isn't a limit to how many times you can ask God for the strength and patience to make it through this temper tantrum and not freak out too each day. I see that even in the hard times, in the exhaustion, in the trips by myself with the kids when I throw up on the airplane as we land in a crazy lightening storm; there is still a beauty there to grasp that does not come from me. (My daughter kept singing joyfully, "oh, no, you never let go; through the calm and through the storm..." and the baby bounced up and down and laughed at the turbulence and Pax stared at the lightening flashing just outside the window and exclaimed, "Oh, wow!!" 18,000 times during that landing...)
      Adam and I are both soaking up more than ever the beautiful truth of, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you," (Matt. 6:33)  Adam has learned to be efficient in his studying; and it has made his time more productive. Like drinking from a fire hydrant. He's been home every night for dinner (when we're in town), been there for bedtime every night; and although sometimes I feel the absence of "us" time more than others; the kids know their Daddy will be there every night. That's HUGE right now with the hours some of the students are keeping-but we knew it was a priority. We're both finding out, again, the importance of true connection with each other every day in some small way. And that good communication is worth its weight in gold. And that love notes are never, ever overrated. And so we press on....
    The kids slept better in Colorado than they ever have at my folks' house. It truly was Grace, because as they sleep all-too-often so goes my day; as was evidenced 2 weeks ago when the baby was cutting his one-year-old molars and up three times a night and then the bigs started getting up (for no reason I can find) several times a night themselves which all added up to a very tired, half-lonely, sleep deprived mama who caught a bad sore throat and may have had a tiny breakdown one morning in which the words "it's not fair!" poured out with my tears....for about 2.5 seconds. Until I realized, again, that there is no guarantee of fair, only of grace.  Having the right priorities, being intentional, meeting the needs of my husband and kids, filling up my heart with the Lord's goodness daily, checking my attitude...these things are essential. Wonderful. But they don't guarantee an "easy" life, only a life rich with goodness. Some days I have to look harder than others to find the richness. But it's always there.
   It was there on my bathroom mirror later that same morning, where my husband had written:
 What to say?
Know that even in struggle you have great purpose.
Your effort...your great work is NOT in vain.
Your Lord God sees and loves you.
He is your strength.
He is your comfort.
Look up and be encouraged.
(yes, I absolutely know how wonderful he is. He knows I think he's wonderful, too.)
  
     And then there's Celine..the grieving we are all going through along with all the craziness of PA school is continual. We think about her often, of course. Some days, the kids come to me and simply say, "I miss aunt C.C."; to which I can only reply, "Oh, honey, so do I,". But we don't ever leave it at that. We talk about where she is, what heaven might be like, what she might be doing. Why she left. Who she's with. We've had more conversations about the what-ifs of heaven in the past 3 months than I ever have before...because they want to know what it's like. Except I don't know what all of what it's like, of course; so I tell them what we do know and sometimes we "maybe its" the rest. But we always, always end these conversations with good memories about times we spent with her...because that's the best way to remember her and celebrate her life. And I want them to remember her.
    It breaks my heart a little, sometimes, when Blythe asks me what she used to do with Aunt C.C. She's three-and even though she's very smart, she's too young to remember some things very long. So I talk about how we were in Paris with her when Blythe was almost two; and when Aunt C.C. was here for her third birthday and played tea party with her new tea set. How Celine loved to carry B around long after she actually needed someone to carry her because B was so tiny.
    I think about the picture I found on my phone (which used to be her phone) just a few weeks ago of Celine and her sushi and I smile even as I tear up a bit; and I am thankful for this chance to teach my children that it's ok to grieve, it's good to let yourself feel the sadness because it means they left an imprint in the softness of our hearts; but that joy-the good memories and the knowledge of what comes next-always comes at the end. I find myself wishing our kids had memories of their Aunt Erica, too; but instead I give them mine, so when they think of both their aunts together they have an idea of who she is, too.
   So tonight, Adam will come home. A bit late, but he will be here. We'll eat breakfast for dinner and play in the pool and put the kids to bed exhausted, since there was no napping  today. And I'll go to my computer, put on my headphones, smile at my studying husband across the room....and remember again how very far we've come to get to this point. How very blessed we are. First term finals almost done. Next week, we will rest and just be together and talk and talk and talk.
I can't wait :)

Merry Christmas!

  I had to post some outtakes from our family photo shoot-done with a tripod, a camera, and a remote. It was an adventure... but we've done it every year and ended up with a great Christmas card, so surely we could do it with one extra kid, right?

yeah....right.

I couldn't help laughing when I saw this one. I like to call it, "The Secret Hand".

 Pax's face reminds me sooooo much a certain middle-sister cousin whose photos I'm working on right now...






....and here, you can see what happens when Mama tries to be IN the picture and big brother finds the bribery just-smile-and-look-nice M&Ms. At least he's sharing...

..but this one takes the cake. My favorite by far. "Hey, Sis, you've got something in your eye!!"

Diary of a {pre}Med Student{'s wife}

     Adam came home from work a couple of hours ago; nothing unusual there. Since he has class today, he gets off early. But,as I ran around trying to make lunch for the big kids, mash up a plum for the baby, and sweet up glass and flour off the flour (the flour from a fun "moon-scape" activity Pax was doing earlier; the glass from breaking my French press...boo. No coffee tomorrow!!) he walked in, kissed me, and told the kids to go sit on the couch. That he had something for them...and for me, too. So, once it was safe to walk across my kitchen floor, the three of us sat on the couch and waited.
"Close your eyes!" he says.
A minute or two goes by, as I cover my eyes with one hand and peek at the kids with the other, making sure their eyes are closed too.
"Keep 'em closed!" he says. Now I can hear him doing something with his phone...is it a late birthday gift for Pax from someone who wants to be on the phone while he opens it? I have no clue what's going on.
Adam walks over to the kids and hands them each something.
"Mama, keep yours closed," he instructs, walking away again.

Then he's back, placing a bouquet of roses in my hands as the sweetest sound I've heard in a long time reaches my ears....

"We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to the Physician Assistant program at AT Stills University...."

the rest of the message got lost in my huge "YAY!!!!" as I threw up my hands, then jumped up and kissed him. "Yay, yay, YAY!!! Congratulations!!" He grinned at me as I looked down and saw an absolutely gorgeous bouquet of white roses in my hands.

      The next few moments kinda went on like that, as we explained to the kids that Daddy had gotten into the Arizona school, ("Good job, Daddy!") and that this meant we get to stay at our house. "YES!!" Pax crowed, after hearing that. Immediately after he ate his lunch (ice cream first...that's what Adam had brought for the kids), he ran outside, peed on a palm tree, ran around the back yard, stripped off his clothes, and jumped into the pool naked. I think that's his way of celebrating.

      I could not be more thankful for the way this whole thing has played out. Remember back in May of 2011, when we started the whole moving-to-Phoenix process? Our prayer was that we'd be able to settle into the place where we'd be for the next 4 or so years, make some friends, find a church, etc. so we could be a bit settled when the husband-man actually started PA school. And that's actually (this time!) exactly what has happened...not exactly in the way we though it would. But it IS happening! A direct, blessed answer to prayer, coming at the end of a challenging year. We didn't exactly see moving 5 times in one year in the picture. Or not hearing anything, one way or the other, from the schools he applied to last year. Or a new baby, for that matter, one who made me sicker than a dog my entire pregnancy and caused my mother to move in with us for 5 weeks at the end. {so incredibly thankful we won't be doing THAT while Adam is in PA school..pretty sure my mother would have had to just move in with us.} I know it's been incredibly stressful for my husband, thinking about moving everyone again; and not the easiest on the kids (especially Pax), dealing with all the moving and the mom-being-sick and the new-baby thing. Although once he was on the outside, Pax at least gave a big sigh of relief. And although it surprisingly wasn't too stressful for me to think of moving again, possibly across the country, I am beyond excited that we are staying here. Adam will still interview at Midwestern in Glendale in 3 weeks, but no matter the outcome of that one-we'll be here, in the hot, for the next 3 1/2 years. At least.
   Adam didn't need to be accepted to 4 schools; one would've been plenty. But God showered His favor on him. Why? I think just to bless him-to show Adam that he's on the right path-and just because God loves him lavishly.
     I don't think-actually, I know-that the answers to our prayers aren't always "yes." They don't always make sense; sometimes we don't even like the answers at all. If God did always answer "yes" in just exactly the way we wanted Him to, my sister would still be alive, for one thing. And I wouldn't be married to Adam. And if somehow we had ended up together, we wouldn't have the kiddos we have right now. So here's what I do know: God's ways are better than my ways; His thoughts see farther than my narrow scope of now does. In every situation, big or small. Even when the answers are "no", "not now", or "yes, but not like that," I've learned to praise Him and, yes, thank Him. For His ways are better than my ways; His thoughts are greater than my thoughts. He knows the end from the beginning, thank goodness, so worrying isn't something I need to-well-worry about. I also know that as humans, we make dumb decisions sometimes. And we have to live with the consequences. I know there's evil in the world...and we have to fight against it. But not alone-never, ever alone.

     Right now, today, as I sit on my couch with all three of my littles napping at the same time (!!); with my husband 200 ft. away in the air-conditioned shop-slash-office off our carport; with dozens of pictures to finish editing from a recent wedding and three more shoots coming up this weekend  I know that God is good. I knew this last night, too, at the end of a rough couple of stay-at-home-mama days; I will know it as we face the next few years of clinical rotations and crazy study schedules and, I'm sure, weeks of parenting without my husband during finals and who-knows-what-else. I'm thankful for the difficult times in my life when I learned this truth in the very core of my being; because now, when life hands us a bouquet of beautiful white roses, the goodness of God flows out of me with overwhelming joy. I'm so proud of my husband-and so thankful to our God. It's not over yet-really, it's just beginning! But after the years of working and studying and applying and waiting, it's so very good just to rejoice right now. {and to know that, for once, I can paint the walls any color I want}

Diary of a (pre) Med Student('s wife): So it begins.

This will be short, as it's 6:43 and a little energizer-bunny of a girlie has already been up for an hour and 15 minutes. But I had to post this-Adam is on his way to his first Physician's Assistant school interview today. It's been a looong road and it isn't over yet-but I'm so proud of him and all he is. As of right now, he's gotten six- SIX- invitations to interview at 6 different schools; including the two schools that are here in the Valley of the Sun. He's accepted 5.
And this morning, he left for the first one.
This one is in Philadelphia...he'll get there tonight, and spend the majority of the day interviewing/seeing the campus/talking to current students; and then fly back home tomorrow evening, getting in about 10pm. Fast and furious. If you think of us at all in the next couple of days, pray for him. Pray for favor, for wisdom, for the right words as he interviews, for early notifications one way or another. We're supposed to hear something within 2-4 weeks of his interview. The hubs is pretty good with people, (ha! that's an understatement) so I don't think either of us is really too worried about the interview process, but still-this is a big deal. Actually, it's a HUGE deal. So please pray along with us. And celebrate with us! God is so good, all the time, and we are absolutely aware that is is HIS favor and HIS grace working in and thru Adam that has gotten us this far.

Wordless Wednesday

Daddy brain

We went to the park tonight..after we fed our kids ice cream for dinner. ( good parents,eh? I promise we had a good reason) It was a beautiful evening, at least 85 at 5pm. I hearded the 2 big kids over to the park to finish their cones and play, hauling the big giant mama-bag and counting on my husband to bring along our smallest child. Adam was busy fiddling around by Blythe's carseat for a few minutes (probably cleaning up ice cream...), and then headed towar us. As he came down the hill, I noticed he was...missing something. Me:"missing something??" He nods emphatically, turns abrubtly, and heads back to the car..... And grabs the keys off the roof. He shakes them at me as he starts back down the hill. Me:"uh..." (the husband shakes the keys at me again in a "yup I got 'em! We're good!" kinda way) Me:".....the BABY?!?" Adam:"Ah!! That was SO not on my radar." Oh, the perils of being the 3rd child... Also, I think my husband needs more sleep.

Wordless Wednesday: my guys

Mother's (Birth)day

This is my husband.

This is my mother, with my daughter.

This is my husband and son playing catch with my father, using Adam's birthday presents-new baseball gloves for the big one and the little one.

This is one of my favorite pictures ever of my son playing catch with my husband and my father. {see the tongue?}

This is how we spent part of Mother's Day, which also happened to be my husband's birthday this year.

{This post is very, very late}
My husband was actually born on Mother's Day...pretty good present, huh? Aside from the whole being-in-labor bit.
This is my father sweeping, although I promise he wasn't doing this all day. He just managed to mostly evade the camera.

The rest of the day was spent barbecueing with my brother and sister-in-law and eating pie, which I didn't take any pictures of. Possibly because I was too busy eating it...my mom makes a gooooood pie.

I am so thankful for my mother and the sacrifices, love, and patience she has poured into me over the years...I don't think you can ever fully understand all your parents did for you growing up until you become a parent yourself. And I am so thankful that, on Mother's Day 28 years ago, my mother-in-law gave birth to her own gift--because he is a blessing to me, abundantly and overwhelmingly, every day of the year.
Including Mother's Day.
and what were my presents this year, you ask?
I got to sleep in-'till 6:45. {hey, you take what you can get!!}
I got to get ready all by myself, in a quite house.
I got Starbucks brought home to me and crepes waiting on the table when I came down to breakfast.
I got a beautiful bouquet of tulips carried in by a small son who crowed, "Happy Mother's Day!! ...you're supposed to be sleeping!"
I got sweet baby snuggles from a tiny, curly-haired little dollie, sandwiched between her daddy and me.
And I got a gift card to Targ*t to buy myself new summer sandals.
Does it get any better than that??

.

Wordless Wednesday

5 years this Friday... I love him so very, very much.

B is for....

...bowling!!
Even Little Bit got in on the action...and took over Pax's frames, with Daddy's help. After about 4 frames, Small Son decided the computer was a bit more interesting. Maybe he's going to be an engineer....or CEO of a company, at least. He likes be in control of things :)

I, on the other hand, definitely benefited from the kiddie bumpers...much to my husband's chagrin. What can I say? My bowling skills have gone down-hill since high school. But we had fun! The coolest part? When we walked in, we recognized 3 of our previous youth kids from when we were youth leaders at a church here in Ft. Collins. They immediately recognized us, called us by name...it was so fun to see them all grown up & hear about their lives now...and the sweetest part? One of them comped us everything when we went to pay at the end. The shoes, the game, everything...
it's pretty neat to see that our lives, and the things we do with them, actually DO make a lasting impact on people. Especially because I know those kids made an impact on my life.

Spring Break....

....was a flop. At least, the spring break visit-the-far-away-family trip we had planned was a flop. Today marks the first day 10 days that there haven't been lots of liquids coming out both ends at our house. And I couldn't be more thrilled :) And, although we were bummed we didn't get to see our family...and then bummed that we had to cancel our last ditch attempt to "get away" to Denver with the kiddos on Wednesday...I'm SUPER thankful that we didn't drag a super-sick kiddo (who is already prone to motion sickness) over several mountain passes and then force his sick body to endure a whirlwind of friends, food, and attempts at fun. So what did we do? WElll....
nothing. Just rested, cleaned up after sickness, rested some more, did more laundry in 4 days than I have in the past month (pretty sure our sheets have never been so clean...they both only threw up in their beds once, but managed to hit ours about 10 times. Each.) went on a few walks to air out, see the chiropractor, and do a major grocery store run because I'd perfectly coordinated the emptying of our fridge with our scheduled trip. And, of course, Adam and I tried not to get sick. Which means I've practically sterealized our entire house (spring cleaning, anyone??). We DID manage to make it to a very cool pool in the next town over today and thoroughly wore our kiddos out in 45 minutes-they both crashed in the car at 11:45 and Small Son slept until 3:30. So much fun and totally worth it! Adam is coming down with the crud now; I'm not feeling fantastic myself. Too bad he has to go back to work tomorrow. I so hate seeing my kiddos feel so very crummy...especially when there's just not a lot I can do to help. I've never seen Pax sleep so much or Baby Girl be so fussy. Poor things were miserable. I cannot even describe to you how very, very, very thankful I am that my husband was home this week! He's such a great dad- and, let's face it, it's nice to know you can leave the clean-up to someone else and just take care of washing the sick kiddo off-or vice versa. So. We know how to party, eh? We gotta work on this Spring Break thing...

Diary of a (Pre)Med-student('s wife)

I've spent the last 3 nights looking at diagrams of dissected cats & brains, helping my husband study for his Anatomy & Physiology midterm today...and although I'm more than happy to help him study...I may never eat another chicken wing again. (there's a reason he's the one getting into medicine)

Once Upon a Snowman

Last week, at the tail-end of a nasty cold my kids began passing back and forth as soon as I stepped off the plane, we had a beautiful, fantastic, lovely snow. The kind that is perfect for making snowmen. You know, very wet and mooshy and not too cold the day after...perfect snowman weather for my not-so-good-at-being-winter-Coloradoans kiddos.A certain little boy insisted he wanted to make a snowman...Daddy decided it needed to be a giant snowman...and so it began. Although I'm pretty sure Adam did 90% of the actual building of the snowman.

And, yes, I know my daughter only has a sweater on-please don't report me, it was really quite warm by this point and she was only outside long enough for me to document the snowman-making. I promise! TaDA!! the finished product.

As soon as I snapped this picture, Adam turned to his small son and asked him if he wanted to knock it down.

KNOCK IT DOWN?? you just spent a half-hour building this thing!! I thought to myself...but Pax shouted "YEAH!!!" (of course!) and I switched to video mode....this is the difference between boys and girls. Girls like to admire their handiwork for a bit...boys just want to tackle it. And each other. I'm so glad I have one of each!

Trying to learn...

I stumbled across a shoot I did of Adam and Pax the summer before Baby Girl was born; Pax was about 22 months old. I LOVE these pictures of my two guys...and, since it's a snowy Sunday, I have some free time (!!), and I'm trying to teach myself some new editing techniques with the fantastic software Adam got me for my birthday...I had a little fun. So...voila! A little step back in time. Some of my favorites from that beautiful day in August of 2009

Pax was super cranky that day...I'm pretty sure this is the closest things we got to a smile all morning!

Adam took this one of Pax and me-it's one of the only preggo pictures of myself I actually LIKE. I'm about 5 1/2 months pregnant here.

and, fair warning...the next one is of my husband's booty. But it's my blog, and I like the picture and the edit on it--so, if you don't want to see his rear, I suggest you scroll down a bit :)




Yes, this is what I do to relax now....I think another snowy Sunday next weekend would be just the ticket!