The Clark Family

3 is GRAND!

2011-12-27T22:40:00.000-08:00

Natalia turned 3 years old a couple of days before Christmas. I look at this blonde sweetie I wonder when in the heck did she get to big? She is such a funny girl. Her personality is so funny and cute. She is convinced her name is Talia tu-tu and she wears dresses any chance she gets. She loves to snuggle anyone that is close to her. Including the occasional stranger (we are working on that one). Whom ever sits by her on the couch will get snuggled so death. If one of her older sisters forgets to hug her before they leave to school she is devastated. Natalia your spunk and smile light up our world. We love you so very much!

Natalia has been asking when her birthday was coming up for months. When the big day arrived she was beside herself. She slept in her "birthday dress" (as dress Sabine kindly gave her). These photos were taken at 7:30am. We opened presents early and had pancakes to kick off her special day.

Happy girl!

Opening her gifts.

My parents got Natalia a treasure box of dress ups. I have never seen this girl so excited. Many of our dresses have been passed down from the older girls and they have seen better days.

Look at that face! This photo melts me.

She wasted no time and tried on her new dresses. She quickly picked the pink on as her favorite.

Oh to be 3 years old again. Pink dresses, tiaras, and pearl necklaces. 3 years has never looked so good!

Sweet Cheeks is 7 Months

2011-12-01T19:36:00.001-08:00

Oh my baby how could 7 months pass by so quickly? I swear yesterday the Dr. put you in my arms for the first time. You are still that sweet, mellow, gentle soul that was given to us 7 months ago. To say that we love you is an understatement. You came into a family that is crazy about you. We love you so much Olive.

You are getting so big and you can already do so much.

You sit up all on your own.

You are curious and follow little sounds and sights that come your way.

You know your name and smile when we call you.

You love to eat. You have tried a whole variety of smooth foods and like them all. Even peas. You still are an excellent nurser and don't even seem close to giving that up yet.

You are really starting to explore. Since our floors are hardwood you virtually slither where ever you want to go. Not quite crawling-probably because the floor is too slick. You are a mover and a shaker.

You have all 5 of our hearts wrapped around your tiny baby finger.

We love you Olivia!!

My Big Girls

2011-11-25T09:46:00.001-08:00

Ava has been in Kindergarten for a few months now. She has grown up so much I am in shock half of the time. Ava is constantly drawing and coloring. She is my creative kin spirit. I see many years of crafting with her in the future. She has such a big heart and is really sensitive to those around her. She loves to ride her bike and go on runs with her dad. She has a ton of energy which reminds me so much of Cameron. When she is home she is usually my shadow. She loves to help out and hold Olivia any chance she gets. She is my little buddy-love her.

Sophia is continuing to grow up despite my plea for her to slow down. She is still one of the tallest girls in her class. She loves to read and write. Math kinda drives her crazy. She is so much smarter than me it scares me. She is such a good big sister and has really taken Ava under her wing at school. Sophia is still my sassy girl. Her quick wit can make us all laugh or get her in trouble at times.:) She also has a tender heart and is so good to her younger sisters. She still sings and dances whenever and where ever. Middle of Target is her stage-so brave that girl! Love her so much!

These girls have really developed a good relationship over the last year. It makes my heart sore to see them befriend each other. I love these two so much.

Just One of those Days

2011-11-04T13:01:00.000-07:00

No sleep can make us all feel like this.

5 months

2011-10-11T12:45:00.001-07:00

My sweet sweet girl. I love you so! You are growing so fast and I need you to slow down. You babble all day long. You are still a great eater and we are working on the great sleeper part. Getting up with you in the middle of the night isn't so bad-it's quiet and I can snuggle and smell you all I want without being interrupted by your big sisters.:)
You can see things far away now. I love it when you see daddy walk through the door and like your big sisters you smile and get all excited. In fact, you can see and hear so well that while I was taking your photos you got distracted by the big AF planes flying by. I love you Olivia!

Olive loves to be on her belly and can roll all over the place.

Finally got her to give me a couple glances for the photos.

Announcement

2011-10-10T11:20:00.000-07:00

My sister and I have a little something to announce. After years of talking about it, and months of planning, we are launching a sewing, craft, cooking blog called Goober and Bodkins . I am super excited about it. I have so many projects that I have completed, half finished, or are floating around in my head that I can't wait to share with you! My sister is an AMAZING cook and is quite crafty herself and I can't wait to see the things she creates. So, if this is something that interests you, check it out and maybe follow us over there.

Around the House

2011-10-05T09:57:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of photos I shot last week of simple but, sweet moments. Just thought I would share.

While cooking dinner last week I caught Sophia reading to Olivia. It kinda melted me... I just love how little Olive looks so in tune. Ava made the crown for Olivia in art that day ** Olive you are so lucky to have older sisters that adore you!**

After school is usually always the same. Snack time, lots of chatter about their day, a lot of questions about when daddy will be home, and Ava and Sophia fighting over who gets to hold the baby first. It might drive some people crazy but, to me it is the favorite part of my day.

4 months

2011-09-16T11:14:00.001-07:00

I can't imagine how our family existed before she was a part of our lives. She is so sweet and happy. I love you Olivia to the moon and back and back again!

Bumbo Baby

2011-08-31T19:10:00.001-07:00

None of my girls have liked the Bumbo as babies. So, I asked to borrow my friend Raylene's Bumbo to try it out with Olivia. Well I think she likes it. What do you think? I love to see her chubby body wedged into the seat. It's just cute.

Teething Much?

2011-08-31T18:22:00.001-07:00

Saturday

2011-08-31T13:03:00.000-07:00

Farmer's Market: I usually try to get to the Farmer's Market by about 7:30am. I can get the best produce then. I got all of these veggies plus 2lbs of organic beef and 1 loaf of artisan bread for $23. Such a good deal. It all tastes so fresh and yummy!

Made home made pasta with roasted eggplant this week. It was a hit with the whole family!

I have been trying really hard to clean and chop all of my veggies when I buy them. It cuts a lot of time out of preparing food during the week. This all took me about an hour and a half. I also freeze quite a bit to last us over the long winters with weak produce selection.

Soccer: Soccer has been a part of our Saturdays for a couple of years now. Both of the girls have great coaches and teams. The girls are off to a great start this season!

I stayed up late on Friday making bows for all the girls on their teams. The girls really liked them.

Ava's little team. Aren't they all so cute?

Sophia's team "Money". The girls came up with the name and the coach found these socks. Pretty funny yelling out "go money" during the games. Sophia has been on the U8 team for 2 years now. We have gotten close with some of the families and have had a great time on the sidelines cheering for them together.

Ava is an aggressive animal. Wherever the ball is you will find Ava. She pushes herself really hard and has already scored a dozen goals. We are working on team work with her. She doesn't really care too much about passing and will take the ball away from her own teammate--oops.:) We are working on that one.

Sophia isn't super aggressive but, has really come into her own this year. I am always so impressed when I watch her and her team play. Sophia is one of their top scoring players and I take NO credit for her athletic ability at all! I am in awe of how coordinated and good she is. Anyone that knows me will confirm that these are not my strengths--I am a klutz!

That's the game!

My Gladiolas

2011-08-31T12:12:00.000-07:00

From outside.

To inside.

I love these flowers!

Curl-less

2011-08-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

Natalia asked me to straighten her hair today when she saw me flat ironing mine. I can't stop laughing. She doesn't even look like my little girl.

I can't believe how long her hair is without the curls!

I got one photo of the girls before the were off to school. The are ready for the weekend!

A Perfect Afternoon

2011-08-25T14:42:00.000-07:00

The weather was perfect. The little girls and I went for a walk and then had a mini picnic in the backyard. It has been so nice spending extra time with my little girls.

Natalia has an AWESOME since of style. When I told her to get ready for our walk this is what she dressed herself in. The one pink bow and all. She wears a tu tu everywhere. Long ago she was nicknamed 'Talia tu tu (for obvious reasons). Whenever people ask her name she says:"Talia tu tu". She cracks me up!

Took advantage of the great lighting to snaps some photos of my babies.

Olivia is almost 4 months. Doesn't take a binki but, sucks on her arm instead. It sounds hilarious. She had a few hickis (sp) to show for it too.

Sweetness is my Weakness

2011-08-23T10:03:00.001-07:00

There is a lot of sweetness going on here.

First Day of School

2011-08-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

I am feeling some mixed emotions right now as I sent my 2 oldest girls off to school today. Having a baby this summer made keeping up with the big girls a challenge at times. There were days this summer where I wanted the time to fly so they would be out of my hair ( I know that sounds horrible) and busy at school.
Well the day came-I sent them off. Although they were thrilled to be seeing their friends and to be starting a new adventure-I was a ball of mush. I wanted every minute back to the summer. I wanted the chance to spend more time with my big girls and cherish those moments we all know go by way to fast. They are growing so fast and I am truly so proud of the little ladies they are becoming. They are both so different but, so dear to me. I love you Sophia and Ava we will miss you during the day.

Ava 5 years old started full-time Kindergarten.

Natalia realizing she wasn't going to school with her big sisters.

Sophia age 7 starting 2nd grade.

Sisters.

They are off!

*****I will enjoy my nap this afternoon! It will be one of the first since I had the baby--pretty excited about that.*****

Hanging Around

2011-06-22T13:29:00.000-07:00

This summer has been pretty low key so far. Birth of baby + Cameron's foot surgeries has slowed us down quite a bit. So we have hung out around the house quite a bit the past few weeks. Here are some photos.

Eating ice cream in the tent after jumping on the tramp for hours.

I brought all of the kids craft things up into the sun room. I also set up my 6 foot table so they could craft to their hearts content. It has been really fun having it all out and ready to use. We have had a great time cutting, gluing, taping, drawing, sewing, and painting. I have even turned a blind eye to all the mess it creates. Pretty proud of myself.

Natalia is my official beater-licker. The older girls get the bowl and Cam gets the spatula (that way everyone is included:)). Natalia takes such care in licking everything off that I had to snap shots of her licking the beater clean.

Natalia is always stripping down to her undies and will constantly take her hair out. I am about ready to give up and just let her look like a homeless child. She also likes to hide out in her room. After taking this photo she told me to "get out of my woom! Talia's quiet time!" Bossy little thing....

7 weeks

2011-06-22T12:43:00.001-07:00

One more week has passed having Olivia in our house. We fall in love with her more each passing second. She is sleeping longer at night, is smiling more, and has really chunked out. I love me some chunky baby!:)

Since Cameron has had his foot surgeries he has had plenty of opportunities to hold Olivia.

Ava out of all of the girls wants to hold the baby the most. She is so sweet and tender with her. It really melts me to see her with Olivia.

Sisters

2011-06-15T22:04:00.000-07:00

The girls are all crazy about the new baby. I often have to fight them off to get to her.

Balding @ 6 weeks

2011-06-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

I am always sad when my babies hair starts to fall out. All of my girls lost their "newborn" hair and then they were bald until the age of one. I had so much hope for Olivia and her thick dark fuzzy hair. Oh well, with a face this cute she can pull off the male pattern balding look right?:) Here are a few shots I took of little Olivia today.

The baby profile shot.

She flares her nostrils a lot which cracks me up.

Happy baby. She really has started to smile a lot this past week.

She is such a sweet baby and puts up with so much. I feel guilty most of the time because of the amount of chaos that she has to endure. She handles it all like a champ and can sleep through anything. Olivia we love you to pieces!

Baby Olivia

2011-06-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

**Photo of Olivia at 4 weeks**

Olivia Ann was born on May 3, 2011. She is a sweet little thing and I fell in love with her long before she ever arrived. She is a wonderful addition to our little lady clan. She sleeps really well at night, eats well, and has been such a joy. I am not just saying that. After a long and hard pregnancy for me she was the best reward a mom could ask for.
The girls are handling all the changes pretty well. I always think the older kids go through a crisis after a new baby comes. That has been the hard part. Natalia is just now starting to fall apart and is getting really demanding. Oh well, it couldn't all be peachy right?
We are enjoying having a new baby in the house. Cameron and I are soaking every little bit of Olivia that we can. As we all know babies grow way to fast and we want to soak in all of the memories of this little phase as we can. Our cup runneth over!

***More updates to come!****

Natalia is Two

2011-01-27T18:47:00.000-08:00

On December 22, 2008 Natalia was born. I can't believe that she is now 2 years old.

Fishing out a fruit snack with deep concentration.

Natalia you have filled our life with so much joy and laughter in just 2 short years. Your sisters adore you. Your daddy thinks you hung the moon and will call you "the baby" most of the time. Mommy loves that you still let her rock, cuddle, and smother you with kisses. We are so very very thankful to have you as part of our family.

Here are some things about you that I don't ever want to forget:

-You love to say "Oh thank you, oh thank you, oh thank you." You will repeat that about 10 times even if I am giving you your sippy cup.
-You know more words and phrases than I can count.
-You love to sing, dance and dress up all the time. Rarely do I see you without a tu-tu on.
-You can keep up with your sisters when they are role playing. You will jibber jabber right along with them.
-You LOVE to be tickled. You will often lift up your shirt to tease us and say "You tickle me."
-You are great eater. Probably because you are constantly growing.
-You wear 3T pants and can easily wear a 4T shirt. Your shoes are size 11.
-You are the size of a 3 year old.
-You are our most quiet child---your sisters are really loud.
-You are pretty stingy about letting us kissing your big luscious lips. You are always willing to lend us your cheeks for a smooch. If we do get your lips by chance you will suck them right in to your mouth. Such a tease.
-You love to run all around the house.
-You are a great sleeper--thank heavens!
-Your favorite things is your Olivia the pig. You won't go to bed without her.
-You are always happy. Only a few times have you been really grouchy (generally when you are sick).
-Your normal 2 year old tantrums are very short lived and I can distract you really easy.
-You are a momma's girl which is fine by me. I love having you hug my legs, hold onto my shirt, and stick out your hand to say "Come on momma. Come on!"

I hope that you have a great 2nd year Natalia. You will become a big sister this year and I know that you will do a wonderful job. We love you to the moon and back. We feel so lucky to have you in our lives.

When did this happen?

2011-01-27T16:00:00.001-08:00

(Sophia 1 year)

(Ava 1 year)

When did these two little sweeties turn into those big girls?

(Ava 4 1/2 years)

(Sophia 6 1/2 years)

I took these photos for our Primary's bulletin board. I got to looking at these and I am in awe of how big my girls are getting. There are so many days I wish I could speed up time because of the work involved in raising small children. More times than not I find myself wanting to freeze time so I don't forget a single thing that they are doing right now. I love my big girls so much. With a new baby on the way I know that time will pass even faster.

Sophia with her friend Emma. They asked me to take their photo together. They both look so cute.

The "D" Family

2010-12-20T13:29:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I had the opportunity of meeting this fun-loving family. They were wonderful--especially considering that it was about 10 degrees outside. Despite the cold they hung out and put up with all of my requests :).

These girls were so sweet. You could tell that they weren't only sisters but, good friends too!

This little guy was so cold--he was such a trooper though.

She doesn't think she that she is photogenic. I disagree---she is gorgeous!

A Visit with Santa

2010-12-08T07:48:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we went to the Children's Village to visit Santa with the girls. For those of you that aren't from Cheyenne the Children's Village is a large garden catered just to children. During the summer kids can go and water plants, plant their own flowers in the green house, float across the little pond, play in tepees, dig in their numerous sand boxes, do puppet shows in the secret garden, or just lounge around and play board games on all of their little tables. It is a magical place. Oh yeah and IT'S FREE!!! The first thing that Cameron and I fell in love with in Cheyenne was the parks. They are really quite amazing.
During the cold winters they use the clubhouse for hosting story time and hosting special guest like Santa. We had a great time visiting with a very authentic Santa and Mrs. Clause. The girls kept hugging them and telling them they loved them. We had to pry them off before other kids started a riot from them taking too long!:)

Ava kept telling me the rest of the day how much she loved Santa and Mrs. Clause. She said "They are just really nice people."
Making our own Santa beards at the craft table.

A rare photo of Cam and I together. Love him....

After going through the clubhouse we went outside to roast marshmallows and have some hot chocolate. It was freezing so it was nice to sit around the fire for a bit. We stayed longer than we should because as you can tell in the photo of Natalia she was about ready to pass out from exhaustion. Great day!

Time Out

2010-12-02T17:44:00.001-08:00

(This photo was taken this summer while my sister was in town. John my nephew and Ava got a little naughty at the park and had to take a time out. Made for a cute photo.)

I know that I have done a very poor job of updating my blog lately. The truth of it is I haven't been taking many photos. There are 2 reasons why. I got a little burnt out. I love photography but, it isn't my passion. I was getting a little burnt out and so I took a step back. I literally took 6 pictures in the month of November. Not feeling like I had to take my camera everywhere actually felt really nice.

I also didn't do shoots for anyone last month. I have a very talented photographer friend who I referred people to if they asked me to shoot for them. That also felt really nice. I skipped out on the holiday card rush and was able to focus on other things. That also felt really nice.

I might break my camera out here pretty soon but, for now it is sitting in it's case safe and sound. Waiting for me to blow the dust off....

The other reason I haven't updated lately is lack of time. Cameron was called into the Bishopric of our church a couple of months ago. I was called as the Primary President during the summer. We feel extremely blessed and enjoy our new callings greatly. Now our free time has been reduced greatly. Cameron already has a pretty busy schedule with work and travel. So, with these new added responsibilities we have really been trying to take advantage of any free moments we have together. So, other hobbies have been put on the back burner.

We are doing well and feel extremely blessed these days. The girls are healthy, happy, and full of life. Although we are super busy these days we are still taking time to stop and smell the roses. So, life is good. :)

Feeling the Love

2010-11-10T12:20:00.000-08:00

So I recently posted about being smitten with Natalia. I am eating my words because she has turned into a little monster the past couple of weeks. Just being honest. Third time around I know full well it's just a phase but, my patience is wearing a little thin.
So today while my little monster is taking her nap I decided needed to "feel the love" for her strong little spirit again. Looking at some old photos I found the one to do the trick. My happy place.
So while she pushes the kitchen chairs around all day and throws a fit for just about everything I am going to remember this sweet baby face and be---smitten again.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T08:46:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful Halloween this year. Lots of fun, friends, and of course CANDY!!! The weather was PERFECT. Last year was a blizzard so we really enjoyed the nice weather this year.

Natalia:

I only got one shot individual shot of Natalia in her costume this year. She was a jungle girl and her costume took about 15 minutes to make. The bone was made out of masking tape and foil. She loved getting candy from people and thought it was the coolest thing. After each stop she would try to sit down and eat the candy right then and there. So trick or treating was slow going with her.

Sophia:

Sophia had her costume picked out months ago. Aunt Julie gave her this cool witch costume for her birthday. We found the hat at a thrift store and spiced it up a bit. She loved being a witch. My girls favorite part about getting dressed up is definitely the make up part. They love getting all dolled up.

Looking witchy!

Ava:

I made Ava's costume this year. She had originally wanted to be a bride. I don't know why but, it kinda creeped me out thinking of my 4 year old dressed up as a little bride. So after a little convincing we settled on an ice queen costume. We went and picked out the fabric and I found a tutorial online for a princess costume here. I have to say it was one of funnest sewing projects I have done in a long time. I couldn't stop adding things to it to embellish it. Needless to say I was up until 1:00am the night before our church Halloween party. I was having way to much fun!

It was worth every second I spent on it! The moment she put it on she came alive. She couldn't stop twirling and whirling. It made me get butterflies watching her.

All ready to go trick or treat.

My silly girls.

***Now off to go detox them from all of the sugar!***

Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!!

Warm and Fuzzy

2010-10-25T08:57:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you the feeling I get when I look at my big haired blue eye girl. I just feel warm and fuzzy. It doesn't even matter that she just pressed the water button on our fridge and literally flooded the floor. I just smiled and handed her a towel.

Morning hair is the best. Whenever I get her out of her crib in the morning she says "hewwoooo mommy" in her raspy voice. Love her to pieces!

Senior Shoot -Megan

2010-09-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun doing this Senior shoot. Megan is sweet, beautiful, and so much fun. My cheeks hurt after this shoot from smiling so much. Thanks Megan!

It's a Magical Thing....

2010-09-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

Magic

When a little girl puts on a fluffy skirt something comes alive inside. Nana (my mom) sent the girls these outfits. Oh boy how they love them!! They go to another world when they slip them on. A world of dancing, imaginations, dreams, and giggles. Oh how I love these little girls! Thank you Nana for these fabulous outfits!!!

Sisters

Each very different and unique in looks and personality. I have really come to cherish their differences and strengths. They are each very strong willed in their own way but, very tender hearted. They love each other and hate each other. It is a perfect balance for a life long relationship!:)

Talking
Our girls love to talk---A LOT. Here are some of the conversations we were having with them while we shot these pictures.

Kitties- her new obession. She crawls around on the floor meowing while her sisters will give bowls of milk to drink out of. She has the perfect meow that has fooled me more than once for a real cat! (should I be worried?)

Here Ava was talking about her favorite ice cream. Chocolate with sprinkles--just in case you were wondering.;)

Now Sophia was talking about a cute boy in her class Nicholas. Just look at that face!
Remember your first crush?

Dreamers

Oh to be a kid again with endless dreams and fearless ambition. Anything is possible. Princess or president what will it be???

To be a Girl

Today they were girly and tomorrow it they will be back to skinned knees, and dirty fingernails. Isn't great being a girl?

The End.....

End of Summer

2010-09-06T19:15:00.001-07:00

Goodbye shirtless days, bbq dinners, long days, snacks in the playhouse, and roasted marshmallows. Hello fall colors, nip in the air, long sleeves, and pumpkin bread!:)

1st Grade

2010-09-06T19:00:00.001-07:00

Sophia started 1st grade at the end of August. She was so ready to go. She loves her teacher and has a lot of her friends from Kindergarten in her class. She has been really busy with soccer practices, games, school, homework, and church. She has been handling it all really well. I can't believe had old she is getting... The house has been pretty quiet without her during the day. Ava is missing her quite a bit and I have to admit I have too.

My favorite photo of the day goes to......

2010-05-16T22:02:00.000-07:00

Off to go snuggle these two right now....

Just a Regular Sunday

2010-05-16T20:48:00.000-07:00

Today I realized it has been a very long time since I have photographed my family and since I have blogged. We have been pretty busy these days. Cameron and I have about a 10 page list of home projects that we want to get done. So our lives have been filled with a lot of dry wall, paint, clean up, and repeat lately.
In between house projects we have been just hanging out and enjoying some down time together. Any chance that we get to go outside we TAKE it! Which isn't much considering the weekly snow storms we have been having. But, today things started to look up. It actually hit 68 degrees!!! Happy sunny days are just around the corner... We hope....

So, back to today. When I uploaded these photos I actually had no idea Cameron had snapped these pre-church photos of the girls. See Sundays before church I am always the last person to be frantically getting ready. While I am running around the house like a mad women Cameron sweetly scoots the girls out to the car to wait for me. Lately I guess he has been taking the time to photograph the girls. I love it because it wouldn't happen if it were up to me. I am inside in my whirlwind of last minute preparations.
These 2 photos are so classic. They are all posed for 1 shot and then the next is a wreck. In almost all photos Ava is on guard ready with a pose. I got a good laugh out of these when I saw them tonight. Thanks love for catching these moments! **Note my mullet baby has pig tails. The only one of my mullet babies that has ever kept them in!***

Fast forward to after church. We are all feeling lazy and sleepy. What is it about Sundays that will do that to you. The clouds rolled in but, the weather was still warm. The girls decided to pick "flowers" from my lovely "flower"beds.;) With the weather yard work has been near impossible...

Talia got a nice little nap in after church. Her face still has wrinkles on it and she is still sporting her crusty milk stash. Where is that girl's mother? The b/w photo is her classic glazed over saggy cheek post nap stare.

Sophia was in a mood today. Kind of emotional. I think she is tired. School is coming to an end soon and I think the break will be so nice for her. Full day kindergarten is starting to take it's toll on this 5 year old.

Finally got her to smile. Love the goofy toothless grin. My sister made this shirt for Sophia. It is by far one of her favorite shirts. If you look close my sister even embroidered her name next to the butterfly. So talented.

Sweet Ava. She keeps singing the song she learned in Primary for Mother's Day over and over. "Mother I love you, mother I dooooooooooooooo." It cracks me up. She is such a character.

Love these two!

Natalia is such a snuggler. She is always wanting to hug and lay her head on your shoulder. I absolutely LOVE it! I take every second I can get from her. Third time around I know that this time passes WAY too fast so I am just soaking up every minute of it. Gosh, someone needs to give that haggard looking mom a nap!

Easter Dresses

2010-04-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I stayed up until 2 am sewing these dresses for the girls. I have to admit I had a lot of fun putting them together. Since we had General Conference on Easter Sunday I had the girls wear them last week. Cameron kindly took these pictures while I finished getting ready for church. By the looks on their faces they weren't too thrilled about having their pictures taken. Oh well, you can't win them all.....

Ava's face is classic. Torture pure torture.

Sophia is proudly showing off her 4th lost tooth. She is about ready to lose 2 more. That will be 6 teeth before she turns six years old. Why does it all happen so fast? She is looking so old to me these days. Her favorite thing about losing her top tooth is "sticking a straw through the hole to drink."

Found

2010-04-04T20:16:00.000-07:00

I found these photos on the computer. Cameron took these a couple of months ago before church and I just love them. I love these girls so much.

Ava always puts her shoes backwards. It cracks me up. I will put her shoes back on the right feet and wouldn't you know that next time I see her she has switched her shoes back to the wrong feet. Little stinker that girl!

A girl and her dog

2010-03-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

Before we got Lily I was pretty apprehensive about getting a dog. Cameron had always wanted a dog and I kept saying no way. After we moved to Wyoming bought our house and actually have a decent backyard I was running out of excuses. Once Cameron started traveling more I started to see why having a dog wouldn't be such a bad thing. We researched and researched different breeds. I remembered one of my good friends from high school had a weimaraner and that might of been one of the only dogs I remember liking in my childhood. After hearing about a weimaraner rescue in Denver we thought we would check it out. Well they matched us with a dog that would fit our family and that dog was Lily.
From the beginning I actually doubted I would even get attached to her. I thought that I was doing Cameron such a huge favor by letting him have a dog. Little did I know that she would wiggle her way into my heart. She is a perfect fit for our family. She is so great with the girls and is super gentle. I love that while Cameron is gone I feel safe with her in the house. I don't know what I would do without this pooch. So weird to say. So I guess what I am trying to say is I am a dog lover! There I said it. I feel better now.
Oh yeah and she is an awesome runner too. She just did 10 miles with Cameron on Saturday. Such a stud that dog. Oh yeah Cameron is a stud too.:)

**Pictures taken by Cameron***

Sewing Addict

2010-03-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

I have been sewing A LOT lately. I have a table and some shelves set up in the basement with all of my sewing and crafty things set up all the time. It has been so nice to be able to work on my projects whenever I want or when ever time allows. I have always loved to sew and it has been such a treat to create again. It has been a long time but, my rusty creative wheels have started to turn. I have about a hundred projects I want to do over the summer. Mostly are for our house but, I also want to sew some things for my girls. I also have a new nephew that is hopefully coming soon so I have project in the works for him too.

The other night while Cameron was away for work I stayed up WAY to late to finish these skirts for the girls. I am addicted to these simple ruffle skirts. They are girly and oh so easy. I attached Natalia's skirt to a $3.00 T-shirt and added the ruffle to the top to make it a little cuter. I am pretty happy how they turned out. So, enough about sewing here are a few pictures of the finished project.

Natalia is addicted to the phone. Any time I am talking on the phone she is either trying to grab it away from me or throwing a fit because she can't have it. Her first word at 10 months was "Hi!" in this really perky tone. Cameron says it sounds like how I answer the phone. Sometimes she walks around with her hand to her ear and babbling like she talking on the phone. So after many meltdowns I took the batteries out of an extra phone and let her carry it around all day. Oh and you better believe I carry it in my purse for bribes. Oh boy, Cameron and I are in for it!

The girls were giggling over Ava burping. Such little ladies.

The older Natalia gets I see more and more similarities between her and Sophia. They are two peas in a pod. Natalia is all over Sophia and Sophia just soaks it up. They are also the chattiest little people I have ever met. Sophia started talking nonstop at Natalia's age. I can already tell Nat and Sophia will be fighting for air to talk. I tell you, we are in for it!

Cabin Fever

2010-02-19T20:46:00.000-08:00

Between sickness and weather we have been inside A LOT lately. I have had many melt downs and moments where I have felt like I am losing my mind but, I see healthy days in our future. Poor Natalia has suffered the most with all of the stomach flu, regular flu, and colds that we have had running through our household. On Monday I took her to the Dr. and they said she has bronchiolitis which is the same thing she had at 10 weeks old which ended up landing her in the hospital. So I have been ultra paranoid this last week.
This morning Natalia woke up with her little spark back. She was happy and somewhat energetic--which is a HUGE improvement. So this afternoon with some of the fresh snow melting off we had a mini celebration to our good health. Fresh chocolate chip coconut cookies and what else but a dance party to Taylor Swift and Black Eye Peas. It was a good good day. These girls make me so very happy.
I had to take a bunch of pictures to make up for the lack of photos I have taken the past 3 months. So here are a some of my favorite little ladies.

SISTERS
These two are quite a pair. From the moment Sophia leaves for School Ava is asking about her. "What do you think she is doing?" and "When will sissy be home?" on and on. Everything Sophia does Ava will do and of course Sophia loves to be her idol. We are constantly trying to remind Sophia to be a good example and to remember how much Ava looks up to her. That's a lot for a 5 year old to remember at times so much of their relationship is Sophia "kindly" bossing and Ava obliging to all of her older sister's requests.
Sophia is fiercely protective of Ava and no one can make Sophia laugh like Ava. They are both so silly and love to giggle. They wanted to share a room so a few weeks ago they moved in together. I have seen them grow closer and less competitive since they have started sharing a room. Cameron and I love to hear their nightly chatter before they go to sleep.
Having an older sister myself I know exactly what that relationship is like when you are little. You fight like cats and dogs and then you are as close as can be the next. One of life's greatest blessings is a sister. I love my sister so much and although, we didn't always get a long growing up there isn't a friendship I value more than the one I have with my sister.
I loved reading this about sisters. I hope that all of my girls despite their differences, realize what a treasure and a blessing it is to have each other.

Then there is sweet Natalia still oblivious to her silly sisters. She would much rather dance.

Sophia

She lost another tooth last week. That makes 3. Her top 2 front teeth are barely hanging on.

Typical Sophia face.

Sophia's class made these cute hats and beards for President's Day.

Ava

This girl is full of spunk. Just when I have her figured out BAM-she has totally changed. She has toned down quite a bit and I have really gotten to see a tender and meek side to her. But, mostly her fiery side prevails.:) Love her spice.

See that sweetness.... Watching the snow.

Ava looking through my gardening mag. We are all so excited to plant our garden this spring. They really want blueberries which I hear is pretty hard to grow around here. Any pointers?

Natalia

She is feeling so much better. You can see the sore under her nose from all of the wiping and snot dripping. Poor thing.

There is my little bubba! Love her nose crinkle. Reminds me so much of Cameron.

This picture is for Daniel my brother. See the dimples. Daniel is the only one in our families with dimples. So very happy one of mine has been blessed with dimples. Hope they stick around.

That about sums it up....

2010-02-18T21:46:00.001-08:00

...The relationship between Ava and Natalia. Love/ Hate.

My poor middle girl. All she wants is a little love and attention from Natalia.

Natalia completely oblivious to it all. Who wants nothing to do with Ava. I wonder why?....:)

Oranges yummy yummy!

2010-02-18T20:37:00.000-08:00

We love oranges-especially Cuties. I am starting to think if you cut us open orange juice would flow out in place of blood.:)

Honeymoon Red

2010-01-24T21:44:00.000-08:00

Honeymoon red is the color of nail polish I wore on our 8th anniversary. Don't wear nail polish much but, thought I would get dolled up. I was pretty giddy on our anniversary date night. Night out in Ft. Collins, great friends watching the kiddos (so no worries), yummy dinner at the Melting Pot, hours of uninterrupted conversations, winking and smiling at each other, holding hands, laughing tell my cheeks hurt.... Pretty dreamy... I love him.

8 years- 7 moves, 5 u-Hauls, 3 states, 3 babies, 2 houses, and 1 dog. It has been quite a ride. Many ups and downs. We wouldn't trade a minute of it. So thankful to be on this journey with my soul mate and best friend. I love him. (Did I say that already?)

My Favorite Moments in Between of 2009

2010-01-11T18:33:00.000-08:00

I haven't been that great of a blogger. We had a pretty crazy year. I am feeling pretty settled and I am ready to dedicate a little more time to my blog. Not only for my family and friends far away for but, for myself and my girls.

So, with that said I wanted to post some of my favorite pictures of my little family. In the past most of my posts have been more informative. I wanted to keep my family abreast of milestones in my girl's lives. So, when I would pick photos to go with my post they were usually ones I thought my parents, grandparents, in-laws, and extended family would like to see --kids smiling, looking right at the camera, clear and in focus, well groomed etc. --. You get my point.

Well when it comes to the pictures that I love of my family my choices of perfect photos is quite different. The ones that take my breath away or transport me to the time and place when they were shot are the ones that are hardly ever in focus or perfect. They are the moments in between. These are my treasures. You know what I am talking about right? Where you can almost hear the chatter, smell their smells, feel that feeling you felt when you went **click** and took the picture.
So, without further ado here are my favorite "moments in between" of 2009:

Ava rolling her eyes at me as I ask her to smile "just one more time for mommy".

Natalia chomping away on a cold cucumber as she tries to break her first teeth through.

A rare quiet moment in my house as Sophia "the momma" snuggles with her baby sis.

Natalia's blessing was given by these powerful men. It was such a rare opportunity to have my grandpa, dad, Cameron's uncle Walt and Richard, and cousins all together to bless our new baby. It was a moment I will never forget.

We had a lot of happy moments this year.

And a few sad ones.

Dreaming girl.

Another dreaming girl.

And yet another dreaming girl.

Silly girls.

Down right sweet girl.

It was a good year....

Christmas 2009

2010-01-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

The obligatory pre-present opening picture. Why do I do this to my children? This photo looks ridiculous.

Cameron played Santa this year and totally hammed it up.

Ava took opening her presents quite seriously. I love this picture because you can see the 5 layers of Chapstick she put on her lips. My bright idea of a stocking stuffer. This girl loves Chapstick for her dry "wips".

Sophia showing the cute shirt she got from Grandma.

My dear friend Netty gave us this GINORMOUS Barbie house a few months ago. Her girls are a few years older than mine. I tucked it away and gave it to them for Christmas. They LOVE it. It is quite amazing. I would of loved that as a kid.
Overall we had a wonderful Christmas. My parents bought our family a Wii which the girls and Cameron were ecstatic about. I didn't think I would like it as much I do. We have all had so much fun with it.
The weather here on Christmas was horrible which made it a great day to stay inside. We were in our p.j.'s all day (made me happy since I made them all). We played the Wii virtually all day and ate yummy food. It was such a fun and relaxing day. We couldn't of asked for more.

Natalia's 1st Birthday

2010-01-10T18:54:00.001-08:00

Natalia's birthday was a small affair. Just us and to celebrate we did a few of her favorite things.
One of her favorite places is the library (our library rocks). It has this huge area of where little ones can load wooden books on to a conveyor belt and work them through this amazing contraption then they unload down this cool slide and out the other side. It mesmerizes Natalia. There is also a huge wooden bus with all sorts of do-dads and do-hickies to play with. All baby friendly. It is a FANTASTIC place to take kids during the long winters. Anyways, whenever we go Natalia could spend hours crawling/walking/exploring. It was even fun for the big girls.

Natalia inside the reading bus in heaven!

Waiting for the books to go down the slide.

After a long day of playing it was time for cake. I have to say she was pretty timid about the whole cake thing. I was kinda bummed. There was a lot of licking and poking but, not much smooshing and smashing. A little too sweet for her.

She sure liked the sprinkles. Sophia and Ava helped me make the cake. So there were a lot of sprinkles.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATALIA--WE LOVE YOU!!!!

You are a perfect fit in our family and we have loved every minute we have had you in our home this last year. Your sisters adore you and Mommy and Daddy love every ounce of you!
So happy to spend many many more birthdays with you sweetie!

Little Baby Where did you go?

2010-01-10T16:48:00.001-08:00

This past year has been a whirlwind. I feel like I blinked and Natalia turned one. I love all of the independence that Natalia has now found but, I would be lying if I said that my heart didn't ache to hold this tiny sweet smelling little thing again. Even just for a minute....

This Time of Year.....

2009-12-13T23:02:00.001-08:00

Is magical.....

Special Visitors

2009-12-13T22:39:00.001-08:00

The month of October was filled with visits from some very special ladies. The first visitor was my mom. Cameron was away on business for over half of her visit so, we had a lot of fun girl time. My mom and I can always figure out something fun to do. While she was here we had a pretty big snow storm so, we were stuck at home for most of the time. We still had a wonderful time talking and playing with the girls. One of the nights she was here she let the girls give her a make over which turned out hilarious! She looked like a drunk clown. I died laughing at their creation!

The next visitor was Cameron's mom. Diane also arrived during a record breaking snow storm right before Halloween. We all had a great time hanging out waiting for the storm to pass. By Halloween the storm cleared up and we were all able to go trick or treating. It was really nice to have Diane here for that. The girls had a great time with "Gramma" and her monkey Jo-Jo.

Last and definitely not least my dear grandma came for a visit. It was the first time that she had ever traveled without my grandpa and I am so thankful that she braved the flight to come and see us.
It was a dream come true to have my beautiful 80 year old grandma come and stay for a week. This woman is an unstoppable force. She wakes up with a fire under her and is busy until the moment she falls asleep. While she was here she taught me how to knit (I still need a lot of practice) which is something I have always wanted to learn. We spent many hours of talking and sharing stories. She is such a fascinating and amazing women. I loved hearing stories about her childhood and how they were raised on a remote farm in Oklahoma. I hope that I can one day be a fraction of the women that she is.
I feel so blessed to have such strong and amazing women in my life. You are all such great examples to me and my girls. Thank you Thank you for taking time out to come and visit us!

Bubba

2009-11-16T22:53:00.001-08:00

My Bubba is getting so big. She has reached so many different milestones. She has a total of 5 teeth and is cutting more as we speak. She is getting pretty close to walking and free stands quite a bit. I can't believe she will be a year next month.
She is such a sweet and easy baby. I am so grateful for her little sweet spirit. Talia you light up our lives.

This is when she looks the most like her dad...;)

She is never sad for long. Always easy to cheer up.

So Bubba.

We love our Bubba.

**The cute "baby legs" are courtesy of my mother-in-law. Thanks Bam!***

Halloween 2009

2009-11-16T22:02:00.001-08:00

Sophia was a disco dancing queen.

Ava was snow white and looked quite angelic.

My girls in their true form. They can't be still of serious for long. Turkeys!

Natalia was a spider. I was a spider web but, wasn't quite in costume when the picture was taken. Natalia wasn't feeling too hot and wasn't into the whole costume idea. The girls with their "Gramma". (No that's not Natalia she is holding). That is her 50+ year old monkey the girls beg her to bring every trip.

**We had a busy and eventful Halloween this year. The week of Halloween we had record breaking snow fall, all of the girls had the flu early on in the week, a really fun trunk or treat at the church, a cool Halloween party at the public library (the library here rocks!), a run in with an old familiar face (Dan Blake and his family moved to Cheyenne a few months ago--pretty cool huh?), a really nice visit from Cameron's mom, a fun Halloween night spent with really great friends and family, and WAY more candy than we know what to do with. Who could ask for more????***

My dear friend Netty, gave the girls these costumes and I think they turned out super cute.

Cameron's Mini Me

2009-09-15T22:53:00.001-07:00

All we ever hear is how much Natalia looks like Cameron. She is such a sweet baby and I am so very glad she looks so much like her dad.

Sophia's First Day of School

2009-08-26T22:26:00.001-07:00

Today was the beginning of our children's public education. Sophia started kindergarten today! She goes to school from 8:30am to 3:15pm. That is a long day for a 5 year old but, Sophia loved every minute of it. Here are some pictures I took this morning as we were waiting to take her to school. By 8:00 am Sophia was already to go and was bouncing around the house asking us if she could go yet. Since the school is literally in our back yard she had a while to wait.

I love these pictures.

Sophia's outfit she picked out. Pretty cute.

Am I the only one getting tired of Hannah Montana stuff? She loves it though....

Cameron finished our fence this past week. So cool to have it finished. No more worrying about escaping children or dogs. This bottom picture is her classroom. Isn't that reading loft cool. That is where they can sit and be quiet and read. Her teacher is so kind and nice.

Sophia had a great first day. Said she made some friends but, couldn't remember their names. Her favorite part was playing on the play ground 3 times that day. I thought for sure she would come home exhausted but, it was the opposite--she was bouncing off the walls hyper. That's my energizer bunny. I wish I had half of that energy!

Lily our New Dog

2009-08-26T22:11:00.000-07:00

I NEVER considered myself a pet person. I grew up with yippee little annoying dogs (sorry mom). Cameron has wanted a dog for a very long time. We talked about different breeds and then I remembered my friend Harmony from high school had a beautiful Weimaraner that I loved. So we did a lot of research and found a rescue in Denver.
It was a long process with an home inspection and a couple of interviews they finally called us and told us that they had a perfect match for our growing family. They said "Big Momma" (her previous name) was mellow and came from a family with 5 kids.
She is perfect for us and is super mellow. The girls have fully razzled her and she doesn't even bat an eye. I never thought I would get attached to a pet but, pooch had me from first glance.
She is a big dog weighing about 80lbs. She is a total teddy bear and loves any and all attention. For being 2 years old she is super mellow. We love her so much and it feels like she has been a part of our family for a while.
Cameron is in HEAVEN and has started running with her. She is up to 3 miles with him. They are buddies.

My Heroes

2009-08-23T22:52:00.001-07:00

These are my grandparents Quentin and Marjorie. They are the dearest people in the world to me. They are the most hardworking, loving, selfless, smart, interesting, funny, kind, caring, resourceful, amazing people I have ever met and they are my grandparents. I often wonder what I did to deserve to have these 2 special people in my life. All I know is that they are who I want to be in 50 years.

I am such a lucky girl.

The Wild Things

2009-08-23T22:45:00.001-07:00

Looking so sweet and innocent posing for a picture we took for Nana's birthday present. (If you only knew how many shots we had to take to get this of them all looking at me). This was the ONLY shot that worked.

I introduce "The Wild Things".

Next Stop Amy's House

2009-08-23T22:21:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful time at my sister Amy's house. It is always so fun being with my sister and her boys. All of the cousins got along so well. The kids played in the pool and jumped on the tramp ALL day long. They lived in their swim suites. My sister and I always have these lofty plans of things that we will do and projects that we will accomplish but, we end up talking instead. I guess that is what sisters do best! It was so much wonderful being able to be with Amy's family again. For those of you that don't know my sister is an AMAZING cook so while we were there my sister whipped up some yummy food that I am still trying to work off!!!
My kids miss the boys so much and I do too. We had such a fabulous time and we wish that we were there right now.

All 3 of Amy's boys. John, Charlie, and Sam.

John is such a funny kid and I had a great time showing him how to blow bubbles and getting water fights set up.
Oh Charlie I heart you! Your curls, eyes, and high pitched voice have me wrapped around your finger.

My mom and dad stopped by while I was there. We always love to see Nana and Paca!

Ava is madly in love with Paca (my dad). She is stuck like glue to him when ever he is around.

The "big kids" Sophia and John. I hardly saw Sophia the whole time I was there because John and her just played and played.

The little ones. They played so well for 15 minutes until they would make one another cry and then they would need a break and then they would be back at it again! The poor middle children...

Clark Girls Road Trip 2009-First Stop: Boise

2009-08-09T21:16:00.000-07:00

After 12 hours in the car Sophia, Ava, Natalia, made our first stop in Boise to stay with some of my dearest friends. After a good nights sleep in Cala's amazing bed we spent the whole day with her little family. We had so much fun. We met up with Tasha (Cala's little sister) and her little ones and spent the afternoon at Eagle beach trying to beat the heat. The kids had a blast. Thanks Dan for entertaining them all so us girls could talk and catch up on the shore! We had so much fun.

Below are pictures of this terrible twosome-Daigen (Cala's son) and Ava. I am convinced that if they had more time together they would get in A LOT of trouble together. Since we have been home all Ava talks about is her friend Daigen. Pretty cute. They were little buddies. Daigen's personality is quite mischevious and funny. A perfect match for Ava.

After the beach Cala and Dan invited all of the Kynaston's over for a barbque. It was so much fun catching up with everyone. Below are pictures of Karlene who was like 10 years old when I last saw her. Isn't she a babe??--and she is super cool. Watch out boys! The bottom row of pictures is Rodger (cala's dad) who is like a uncle to me. Such an amazing guy and I was so happy to see him again. Bottom right picture Natalie and Natalia.

The Kynaston girls and me. We were missing the youngest "Squashy" she had to leave.

In our true form. Ladies you have ALWAYS made me laugh until my sides hurt. I have never met a funnier group of sisters. Your sense of humor and love of laughter is a gift from your mom that I have missed so much! Thank you for always making me feel like such a part of your family. I love you all!

***Cala you are an amazing host. Thank you for opening your home to us weary travelers. We had such a wonderful time. It was so fun spending time with you and your amazing little family. You are such a wonderful mom and it was so neat to see you all grown up. Love you lots quacker!****

Up next Oregon................after 10 more hours of driving............................................

Wasn't it just yesterday?

2009-07-27T23:37:00.001-07:00

Wasn't it just yesterday that I could hold you both at the same time?
Wasn't it just yesterday that I was nursing Ava while Sophia played with my hair?
Wasn't it just yesterday that you were both in diapers?
Wasn't it just yesterday that you both needed me so?

Oh how time flies my beautiful girls. I can't believe that you are now the big sisters. You are 5 and 3. I remember like it was just yesterday waiting for your arrivals as you kicked in my belly.
5 years ago when my journey as a mother began did I ever how much I learn from 2 little people. Thank you girls for teaching me how to be patient, tender, and for showing me really what love was really all about. I can't wait to spend many many more years watching you grow!

Sophia you were my first and I made and continue to make so many mistakes and blunders with you. You have always kind of been a daddy's girl which makes your dad feel on top of the world. You light up our lives and I love you so much.
You are:
patient
funny
kind
so tender hearted
loud
creative
TALKATIVE
sensitive
brave
silly
boss
affectionate
active
smart
This last year you:
lost a tooth, learned to write all of your letters and a handful of words, really learned to love drawing and you take a lot of pride in your work, learned to ride your bike, have adjusted to a big move really well, really enjoying primary and going to church, and have been an amazing big sister and helper to me this past year.

Ava being the 2nd born I feel like I was able to slow down and enjoy each moment with you more. It also helped that you were so easy going right from the beginning and fit right into our growing family. You were a momma's girl right from the start so, when it came time for Natalia be born I was so nervous about how you would handle it. Over night you turned from my little baby to a big girl. I have been surprised time and time again over this past year to see this strong little personality come out in you. I love my spunky monkey Ava!

You are:
surprisingly very strong willed
very determined and independent
you love to accomplish things on your own
you love to help out and are up to any task
you are pretty shy and feel the most comfortable with your big sister around
you love to run and will run where ever you go
you are a monkey and with your long arms you can hang and swing on about anything
you have a dry sense of humor that cracks us up
pretty quiet when you are happy
This last year you:
potty trained really fast, got rid of your binki, started to make a couple friends on your own, learned to pedal your trike, started to color, switched to a big girl bed, and handled a big move and a new baby sister really well.

The Party!

2009-07-27T23:24:00.001-07:00

The birthday girls waiting for their birthday cupcakes.

Yummy cupcakes.

Yum Yum.

I love Gracie's face in this picture. She looks like she is having so much fun. We are missing a few kiddos from the party in this picture.

Everyone eating lunch in the sun room. We had the party right around lunch time so everyone had little sandwiches, chips, fruit, and salad. Simple stuff.
The girls wanted pink and brown (chocolate and strawberry was what they said).

Everyone just hanging out at the end of the party. The girls had a great time with all of their little friends. I have made some AMAZING friends here and I feel so fortunate to have them in my life. Their children are all around the same age as my girls which makes for a lot of fun play dates. I love my girlfriends here and all though I have only know them for a short while I feel like they have all been apart of my life forever. You all made the party so much fun thank you!
**Christina--thank you for shooting all of the cake shots-- I would of missed it all!**

Learning to Ride

2009-07-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

Since the weather has been nice we have spent a lot of time riding out bikes.

Ava is FINALLY able to reach the pedals and loves "pedwalling" her hot wheel trike. She gets a little frustrated when she can't keep up. She is persistent though and will pedal around for hours on end.

Sophia ditched her training wheels right before her 5th birthday. We are so proud of her. She loves to ride her bike and will just take off with her new found freedom. As you can tell in the picture of Sophia above she is pretty happy with herself too. I took her for a walk with me around the lake at Frontier Park which is just under a mile all the way around. Sophia rode her bike for a solid 3 laps and didn't stop once. Cameron is one proud papa and is already talking about the next bike he is going to get her. No more of this wimpy princess bike stuff!

Look Daddy!

2009-07-03T18:38:00.001-07:00

If 'Talia could talk she would say: "Sorry Daddy I didn't wait but, while in Oregon I learned to sit up all by myself."

"I think it is pretty fun."

"Miss you bubs."

Sophia says: "Daddy I am learning all sorts of new tricks. Look what I can do on John's tramp."
"How many more days until you come."

Ava says: "I miss you Daddy. I am doing lots of fun things."

I ventured to Oregon by myself to visit our family and friends. I stopped along the way to stay with my dear friends in Boise. Now that we are here we have been busy busy and have been having a fabulous time with everyone. One thing is missing and that is Cameron. It's not quite the same without him and can't wait for him to join us on the 2nd leg of our trip.

Right now we are in Tillamook visiting my folks. I have a lot of pictures to post and will do more later. Happy 4th of July all!

Marshmallow

2009-06-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

Oh me oh my! I can't believe how big my little baby girl is getting. This is my favorite sleeper for her. It is soft and she is squishy just like a marshmallow. If she smelled like one I would for sure have to bite her. Get ready for a picture overload of Natalia the marshmallow.
Our living room has this great big window that Natalia loves to just stare out and pucker her lips. She is always puckering out her luscious kissers. These lips definitely didn't come from me.

"Sissy" snuck in for a picture. Yes if you are wondering Sophia is ALWAYS in her underwear. She can't stand being in clothes. She always strips after shortly coming home. We have tried everything to keep clothes on her but, she always strips. Sophia is such a good big sister to Natalia and loves to sing to her. It makes Nat laugh.
Look at that widows peak! That she got from me!
Look at those cheeks! Yummy! We love her so much. She is such a good baby and is growing so fast. I want her to slow down just a little. I love this phase.
Here are a few little things about her.
-She loves to face out when you hold her. She loves to look around and doesn't want to miss anything.
-She loves to be around her sisters and cracks up at some of their antics.
-She is a great sleeper. Morning naps are always 2-3hours then she will cat nap in the afternoon. At 8:00pm she is done for the day and will let you know it. She will only wake up once to nurse. I wish that the older two would sleep as well as her!
-She loves her bath. It is one of my favorite times with her. Kicking and splashing the whole time. I just have to keep her from rolling over.
-She loves to be on her stomach. I lay her down on her back for bedtime and she will always (even in a dead sleep) flip over on her stomach.
-She has made nursing this time around a breeze. My other two girls were a bit of a struggle at times which made it hard for me to want to continue nursing for the full year.
-She has been eating solids for the past month and is a little piggy. I only feed baby food 1 time a day but she will snort and squeal because I am not feeding her fast enough. She doesn't care for any of the cereals but, loves all of the veggies and fruits (totally different than my other two).
-Any time you make eye contact with her she will flash you a huge grin (it melts me).
-When she talks it sounds like a bird chirping. It reminds me a lot of Sophia's babbling as a baby.

We feel so blessed to have Natalia in our family. She fits in like a glove and seems to like all of the chaos. I don't know if I mentioned it but, I love this baby girl! :)

Just for Fun

2009-05-22T20:36:00.001-07:00

I asked the girls to show me their:
1. happy face
2. silly face
3. mad face
4. excited face

It was fun to see what they came up with. Love these two.

Girls at the Park

2009-05-17T21:22:00.001-07:00

Cameron took these pictures yesterday of the girls with the telephoto lens. These are my new favorites of the girls because you can really see their personalities. Their hair crazy, faces dirty, clothes raggy, and just happy as can be. Sophia the is happy social butterfly and Ava is the serious shy observer.
Ava's cheeks are my favorite thing on her little body and I can't seem to stop kissing them. Sophia's freckles are in full bloom. It is funny how I can't stand my own freckles but on her I think they are beautiful.
I am glad Cam captured these girls without them even knowing he was taking pictures. My new treasures. Although they are both fast asleep I think I need to go kiss some cheeks.....

The Wiz Kid

2009-05-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

I should of known something was a brewing.

Her face is classic.

Look closely to what happened during a little photo shoot. I didn't even notice what was going on until Ava came in and said "WOOK (look) WOOK!". Then I notice the nice puddle my baby made.

Crazy Weather

2009-04-20T23:02:00.001-07:00

What a difference a day makes here in Cheyenne. The top picture is the girls on Wednesday enjoying Popsicles, drawing with side walk chalk, and playing in the 70 degree weather with friends. The next is Thursday with 5 inches of snow. It continued to dump snow all day and through the weekend. While the girls played outside Natalia and I stayed warm and cozy indoors.

Natalia and I had a great time inside. We love to be warm and to watch the snow from inside the house.

Sophia and Ava didn't last long outside either. They kept coming in and out to warm up.

The pile of winter clothes I thought I wasn't going to see again until next winter.

After the girls were done playing in to snow we all just hung out around the house in our p.j.'s and played games, watched movies, read books, took warm baths, drank hot cocoa, colored endless amounts of pictures, and I even convinced them to ALL take a nap. Oh sometimes the weather is a good excuse to relax all day...

Sophia Lost a Tooth!

2009-04-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Sophia came to Cameron and I saying that her tooth was wiggly. We thought yeah right but, it was actually loose. We ask her if she hit her tooth on something because being only 4 1/2 we couldn't believe that she would already be losing her teeth. Well after a look around the inside of her mouth we saw her an adult tooth starting to come through. Cameron and I both were shocked (actually Cameron got a couple of tears in his eyes and had to sit down). We couldn't believe our baby girl was growing up so fast. It was a heart breaker.
We checked her tooth ever few days to see if it was ready to be pulled. We really tried to get her excited about losing her tooth because she was really freaked out.
Well this last Saturday was the big day. I wiggled it and realized it was hanging on by a thread. Our little family was gathered in the kitchen for the big event. Sophia was wimpering and whining "Will it bleed? Well how much?" and "Is is going to hurt?" All of these questions she had asked us every day for the last month. While she was talking I reached in and gave it a twist and to my surprise it literally just fell out. She started to kind of scream but, quickly turned to laughter saying "It didn't hurt! It didn't hurt!" We all cheered and hugged her. Cam and I cried a little. After all of the chaos Sophia called all of her nearest and dearest friends (Gramma, Nana, Paca, Tes, Brayden, and Brooklyn) to tell them her "important news". She was so proud of herself and kept saying that she was now so much older and how pretty she thought she looked with the baby tooth was gone. It was a cool moment and one I will remember forever. Here are some pictures.

Ava kept saying "I so proud of you sissy-you so strong." She loved touching the space.

If you look close you can see the new tooth coming in.

So proud!

"E" For Effort

2009-04-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

This afternoon while Sophia was in school I decided to take a few photos since I have been so bad these past couple of months about taking pictures. I even set up my back drop to take a few new ones of the baby. Well this is what I ended up with.
Ava wanted nothing to do with me and would not crack a smile to save her life. That stubborn middle child! Wonder who she gets that from?:)

This little one was wiggling, flapping her arms and legs, and babbling so much every photo was out of focus except for this one. She was wild and did not want to sit still. I think I have another lively girl on my hands.
So, I gave up and took them for a walk instead... I will try again later...

Almost 4 Months Can't Believe It!

2009-04-12T21:28:00.000-07:00

Working so hard to hold up that heavy head. Almost!

Oh darn! Too heavy.

Taking a break.

Now looking like a pro.

Way to go 'Talia!

She is getting so big I can hardly handle it. Right after I took this picture she rolled right off the ottoman. Luckily, I was right there to catch her. She cooing and gooing up a storm. We are all still madly in love with this little bug. She melts me every moment of every day. I just don't want her to grow one more inch. Cam and I have decided we want her to be a baby forever! No more toddlers for us!:)

Por Fin---an Update!

2009-04-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

So there is actually a pretty good reason why I haven't posted. We moved! Cameron and I started looking to buy a house about a week after I had Natalia back in December. The interest rates are so good right now that we thought it was worth a shot. We weren't sure if we could even get a loan seeing that we still own our condo in California. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that we did qualify for a decent amount. So, the house hunting began.
After a few weeks of looking we found a house perfect for our family. We bought this nice older home in a great established area. We have always wanted an older home with minor updating that we could do ourselves. We love to do home improvements and things so this house fit the bill. It is in a great neighborhood and right next to the girls elementary school.
Right before we moved in we tore up all of the carpets and found nice hardwood floors hiding away. We got them refinished and are really happy with the results. Since then we have done all sorts of painting, tiling, and personalized touch ups here and there.
We love the space that this house has. Living in an apartment or condo for so long we can really appreciate the full basement and extra rooms we all have. We each have found our favorite space. Cameron loves the down stairs family room where he can blast his stereo and watch movies as loud as he wants, Sophia LOVES having her own room and tells me every day how she likes being by herself for quiet time in her room, Ava loves the sun room and will play for hours out there, and for me I have to agree with Ava the sun room is my fave too all of the windows and light just makes me happy.
It has been so much fun but, a lot of work trying to get things done. For now we have taken a break for a bit on the remodeling. Here are a couple of pictures of the living room. I took these a few weeks ago and we have finished it up even more. How do you like the brown shag baby! I need to hang some things on the walls. I am really indecisive about decorations I need some help. I hate putting holes in the wall unless it is going to stay there for a while. I need someone to make the decorating decisions for me!
So, now that we are slowing down a bit I will better about updating.

It all started with a sore throat...

2009-02-25T20:40:00.001-08:00

A week from last Sunday Sophia was complaining of a sore throat and Ava was saying that she her "mouth" hurt too. As the day proceeded the girls got progressively a worse. Monday hit and both of the big girls had full blown colds. Cameron left on Tuesday morning for a 3 day business trip.
What happened from Tuesday to Thursday with Cameron gone quite frankly is quite a blur. I will sum it up by saying there was a lot of nasty coughing followed by vomiting from the amount of coughing and a lot of snot flowing. I got a total of about 2-3 hours of sleep a night between sick kids and nursing Natalia. Being on my own I was running around in circles trying to fill all of the sickies needs. I was completely hammered and delirious from lack of sleep. Wednesday I noticed Natalia getting a little congested. I had fruitlessly trying to keep the big girls away from the baby and constantly washing hands and sanitizing things. Last thing I wanted was a sick baby. Sometime on Thursday I got showered for the 1st time in 4 days (gross I know) and packed everyone up and headed for the Dr. The Dr. wisely told me that none of them had ear infections and that they sounded okay and it should run its course and be over in 2 weeks. 2 WEEKS! Oh and he also said that not to use any of the over the counter medications because they all were virtually worthless for kids this age. He listened to the baby and said that although she was congested to not worry she sounded good. Alright, $90 in copays for that. Whatever. I was pretty annoyed.
Cameron got home that night and I was a wreck. It wasn't until he got home and I had 5 minutes to rest that I realized that I felt horrible. I was having similar symptoms as the girls and wasn't feeling that hot. Natalia was getting progressively more congested and was just miserable. Having a baby 8 weeks old sick sucks because all you can do is suction and humidify and that is about it.
Friday evening she started to have these coughing and choking attacks that she just couldn't catch her breath after. It broke my heart seeing her like this. Saturday she kind of perked up a little but by Saturday evening she sounded horrible and continued to have these coughing attacks that would result in her throwing up milk and loads of mucus. She wasn't nursing much by Saturday evening so, I really started to worry.
Sunday morning after many efforts to get her to eat during the night had failed I couldn't take it anymore. Cameron stayed home with Sophia and Ava who were still hacking and vomiting off and on. I packed up Natalia and headed for the ER. When I got her there they triaged her right when we got there. Her O2 saturation was between 80-82% (95-100% is healthy normal) and her heart rate was 175. I was starting to really freak out. They immediately took her back into the ER. They ended up suctioning her nose and upper airway and gave her 2 breathing treatments and were able to get her O2 up to 86%--still not great. They put her oxygen and her sats started to climb up but, baselined at 92%. After some more tests and x-rays they concluded that she had broncholitis and admitted to her to hospital.
To make a long story short Natalia ended up staying in the hospital for 2 days. After the first day Natalia started to really perk up and started to get her coloring back. She was on oxygen and antibiotics doing really well. Here are a few pictures from her hospital stay.

Well my poor little baby was able to come home from the hospital yesterday afternoon but, is still on oxygen for the time being. She is unable to keep her oxygen levels up while she is asleep so for now she is getting a little of oxygen so she doesn't have to work so hard to breath. Natalia is still sick and congested but, is doing so much better. It has been really stressful having her at home just because the girls are still a little sick and it quite a task trying to keep them away from her. We are all tripping over the O2 tanks and tubing but, we are all hanging in there. Cameron and I are emotionally and physically exhausted. I have broken down a few times this last week but, I am so glad to see the light at the end of the tunnel. My little bubba is such a trooper and I can't even tell you how grateful I am for her and her strong will.
So, thank you all for her prayers, phone calls, and well wishes. We are all recovering slowly but surely and will up and running in no time!

Bath Time

2009-02-15T22:04:00.000-08:00

Oh how I love this baby!!!! She is really becoming more alert and smiles more every day. She has begun to enjoy bath time which has been so much fun. I love this phase.

All clean!!! Ready for nap time. My favorite smell is that of a clean baby. Thank you Johnson and Johnson for making such a yummy baby smell!!!

Sledding

2009-02-15T21:28:00.001-08:00

Natalia isn't that happy that I woke her up to snap a picture. Natalia hung out in her car seat in the warm car with me for most of the time. 18 degree weather isn't that welcoming for a little baby.

Will we ever get used to all of the snow??? We had no idea how much it would snow here. We are really enjoying it and are quite fascinated with the beauty of this winter wonderland. On Valentine's Day we decided to go to the sled park located about 5 blocks from our house which is right down town.
The girls were so brave and I flinched a couple times at their sledding stunts. Ava's face was so fun to watch as she flew down the hill. Sophia loved to try different tricks and show them off. We had such a great time.

Our Sweet Little Visitor

2009-02-13T21:23:00.001-08:00

Oh yeah and his mommy came too.
My sister Amy came to visit for few days. We had all of these grand plans of things that we would go do but, we ended up talking and hanging out around my house. Which is the best thing to do with your sister anyways. Amy spent hours in the kitchen baking with the girls. Sophia was so stoked and Amy was so patient. She also cooked up some yummy dinners. My sister is a fantastic cook so it was quite a treat!
We didn't take many pictures. I broke out my camera only to catch some photos of this little baldy. He has one of the sweetest personalities out of any baby. I was trying to get Amy to trade Sam for Ava but, she wasn't that interested:). My girls just ate Sam up.
Well the visit was way too short but, so much fun. Amy so glad you made the trip and braved the plane ride to come.

The President of Natalia's Fan Club

2009-01-20T22:41:00.001-08:00

Cameron is definitely crazy over this little one. What is it about your newborn that makes you want to stare at them for hours and oogle over their every breath?
After we put the two loud and crazy older sisters to bed that is all we do---oogle and awe over our newest addition.
And did I mention that she smells like heaven???

Natalia's Fan Club

2009-01-20T22:28:00.000-08:00

Sophia is such a little momma and will always let me know if the baby needs something.
She calls her "the child". I asked her why and she said because she is our new child. Funny girl.

A little too much smothering from her fan club.

Heaven help poor Natalia!

Ava has a little binki envy. Everytime I turn by back Ava has her little hands all over Natalia's binki. She also loves to smother the baby.
The phrase I probably say 100 times a day is: "Girls back up from the baby--give her some space!"

We Miss You Nanna!

2009-01-13T22:24:00.001-08:00

Mom has been gone for a week now and boy do I miss her! She was here at my house for about 3 weeks and I don't know what we would of done without her! It was so nice for Cameron and I to be able to go the hospital and have my mom to take care of the girls. Being new here I was stressing out about who would take them while I was in labor. We didn't have to worry about one thing. The girls were so happy to have "Nanna" here.
She surely made my recovery nice too. I hardly had to lift a finger. She did it all. With my spinal migraine lasting for a week post delivery I would of been in misery if she hadn't taken over for me. She cooked, cleaned, took the girls on numerous adventures so I could nap, canned homemade applesauce, filled our freezer and fridge, did our laundry, entertained the girls for hours on end, and made us the best Christmas breakfast ever! We stayed up many nights just talking (which was my favorite part). It was truly special having my mom here.
She sacrificed her Christmas holiday and anniversary with my dad to take care of us. We are a crazy little family and know we tired her out! So, I owe her big time. Mom, we all miss and are so grateful for everything you did! WE LOVE YOU!

Sleepy Natalia

2008-12-28T21:53:00.001-08:00

I know these are a lot of the same type of pose but I just couldn't resist these pictures of my sleepy little baby. She is so sweet and mellow and is a perfect fit in our family. I love these little mittens that my dear friend Lindsey made for her. I just love her to pieces!

the early christmas present

2008-12-24T22:22:00.001-08:00

well, i guess these pictures are a million words. i'm going to go ahead and do this post for jules because she is very preoccupied with baby needs right now and she does not want to wait another minute to do a blog post. this day has been a long time coming because i think this pregnancy has psycologically spanned more than just 9 months for our entire family on many levels. with the relocation, job, ward adjustments, and new environment in which we're adjusting, a pregnancy has just added to the experience. we went to the hospital here in cheyenne to have jules induced at around 9 a.m. on monday 12/22. after about an hour of orientation and logistics, jules was dressed and ready for the delivery. the entire experience was very pleasant because of the small town and small hospital that offers a little more attention and accommodation than the hospital that ava was born in (loma linda university, among the largest in socal). the staff, room, accommodations, food, parking, etc exceeded our expectations which made the whole process very enjoyable. after about 7 hours of waiting around for the medicine to take effect, jules went from waiting to actual laboring in less than an hour. after under a minute and two simple pushes (sneezes i like to say), the baby came out squaking and crying like a normal strong baby does upon discovering air for the first time. it was a very reassuring and comforting sound and sight to see such a healthy beautiful baby. jules did such a great job from start to finish, i was amazed by how strong and confident she was with the entire process and the several unknowns that come with a baby delivery. the biggest problem with the whole labor was the epideral because of a very, lets say, "unsmooth" administration of medicine. julia's mom has been here for several days to help us take care of the girls and all the challenges that go with adjusting to a new member of the family. her support and patience has been unparralled by anything else at such a sensitive and critical time of ours and the girls' lives. having to leave the girls with people they have only known for several weeks would have definitely brought new challenges. today (12/24) jules was released from the hospital after staying under doctor's observation for two days due to a condition of leaking spinal fluid from the epideral administration, which was remedied through another simple procedure (blood patch). i brought her home from the hospital today (regrettebly in our super-dirty car that i couldn't clean because of sub-freezing temperatures for over a week) at about 10:45. she was very excited to leave the confines of the hospital to come home to where we'll be designated bodyguards for little natalia against the papparazi of sophia and ava that are aggressively in love with their new little friend. the baby's full name is natalia pearl clark, and she weighed in at 6 lbs 13 oz. and measured 20". welcome home little pea!

Christmas Photos 2008 (The few pics that turned out)

2008-12-15T22:47:00.000-08:00

So, we got a few pictures that turned out that are worthy of sharing. I love Ava's rosy cheeks and crooked smile-melts me every time...
The girls were being a tad difficult (understatement) and didn't want their pictures taken together. So, thus the individual shots. The family shots didn't quite turn out either. Oh well. I only had patience to try the family photo shoot once. Too much work to get us all dressed up. Can you tell I am 38 weeks preggers or what??

My darling hubby with my ginormous belly in horizontal stripes. Really what was I thinking?

Big belly and all I like this picture of us.

Silly and sweet Sophia. She was trying so hard but, kept closing her eyes in all of the pics. She totally gets that from me. Over half of pictures ever taken of me my eyes are either closed or mid blink. Sophia may not be looking at the camera but, it's a keeper because the eyes are open!

Cheese Anyone? (The real Christmas pictures)

2008-12-15T22:28:00.000-08:00

This is what you get when you promise your kids candy if they will smile for you.

This is what the parents do after dealing with uncooperative kids in the cold for an hour.

This is what you get after you give the kids the candy you promised them...

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!!!

From Swimsuits to Sweaters

2008-10-31T08:57:00.000-07:00

So , we made it to Cheyenne all in one piece. All of our things are out of boxes and put away in our little rental house. We managed to get some really good renters for our condo in California (major blessing and weight off of our shoulders!). The move from California to Wyoming went way too fast and we only got to see a few of the people we really wanted to. I will post pictures of our trip later. I blew some dust off of my totally neglected camera and shot a few pictures the other day. This is a picture of the most glorious park ever! I was almost in tears when we first found it. The colors are overwhelming for me. I know it sounds a little dramatic but, I didn't realize how much I missed fall until I got here. The community is really cool---the downtown reminds me a lot of Corvallis and the rest of the town is a mix of Albany and Corvallis. So, we feel right at home and are loving every minute of it.

Our girls essentially being California girls have been trying to adjust to the cold weather. The first week we were here we were welcomed with a little snow and temperatures that dipped down into the mid 20's. Cam and I had no problem bundling up but, the girls couldn't stand all of the cumbersome clothes. They literally went from temps in the 90's to winter cold. EVERY time we get inside of the house both of the girls will strip down to their undies just out of habbit. I can say that this week is better and we aren't going through 10 outfit changes a day! We also aren't having to fight them to put their jackets on....every time.

Last week we arrived home with 5 boxes on our front porch all from my gracious mother. She and my dad went on a little shopping spree for the girls and bought them all sorts of sweaters, vests, warm up suits, socks, pants, gloves, and hats. The girls look so cute in these sweaters and all of the other clothes they gave them. Thanks mom and dad you guys are awesome. It sure has saved us a bundle on buying a whole new wardrobe!

We are all doing well and are happy in our new home. We are out house hunting a few times a week but, want to wait until we have the baby before we make any other life changes. I have definitely hit the last trimester and all that goes along with it (feeling huge, tired, and a constant heart burn) but, overall with all that we have done in past month I am feeling surprisingly well. The girls and I are filling our days with walks, bike riding, and playing around the back yard--yep that's right we finally have a back yard after 5 years!!! Oh the simple pleasures. We are in heaven with these simple pleasures!

VOTE!!

2008-10-05T19:33:00.000-07:00

We have some pretty hefty things to vote on folks. Here in California there are a couple things on our ballot that are pretty frightening and that need our support. If you are from here you know what I am talking about. So without sounding too bossy let's all exercise our right and our freedom to vote. If you aren't registered yet there is still time. VOTE PEEPS! Okay, I am stepping down from my soap box.:)

Life Changes in the Horizon...

2008-09-24T15:59:00.000-07:00

I know that I have been very delayed in posting our Hawaii Trip adventures. Life has gotten very busy since returning home. We had an amazing time and if it wasn't for our 2 girls we would probably still be over there! I will post pictures VERY SOON.
Well we have some new and exciting adventure looming in our near future. Cameron got an amazing job offer up in Cheyenne, Wyoming that we couldn't refuse. To be honest, we have been wanting to get out of the hustle and bustle of urban life for a while now. Our hearts and roots belong in wide open spaces. Cameron's unceasing efforts and our prayers were answered because if there is one thing Wyoming has is A LOT of "wide open spaces".
We have made so many amazing friends here and have had so many once in a life time opportunities since moving here that it will be sad to say good bye. We are really excited for what the future holds for our little family in Cheyenne.
If you want to find out a little bit more about Cheyenne and plains of Wyoming click here. As for now with a move date set on October 15th we are busy trying to find renters for our condo, planning a yard sale, finding a house in Cheyenne, getting the movers lined up, selling our Jetta, fixing the air cooling system in my car (don't ask), tying up all the loose ends, Sophia finishing up school, Cameron speaking a couple more times for the stake as a H.C., me finishing up work (last day Sat.), saying goodbyes, sleeping, eating, growing a baby in my belly, and I'm done... :)

Happy 30th Babe!!

2008-09-19T09:14:00.001-07:00

Well love, you are finally 30! I don't feel like such a cradle robber anymore! I love you more than words can say. You are the man of my dreams and the love of my life. I am one lucky lady to be able to spend the eternities with you! You are also our daughters super hero, best story teller, "pokey faced", fixer upper, and fun loving dad. We love you and hope you have an amazing day!
HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY YOU OLD GEEZER!

Down at the Pool

2008-09-08T22:48:00.001-07:00

Cameron and I leave tomorrow and I am feeling a little sad about leaving the girls. Maybe it's the hormones but, down at the pool today while watching my little fish swimming happily I got a little choked up. I am going to miss the little stinkers!
They are having a great time with Nana and Paca. Ava won't leave my dad alone. It's really cute. She says:"Paca where you go?? Oh Paca." Poor guy can't go to the bathroom without her banging on the door. When mom and I got back from running some errands we found Ava and Dad snuggled up taking a nap--so cute!
Sophia is a Nana girl! They will just talk and talk. Sophia loves to dance with her too. My mom is so patient with them.
Well off to bed. We have a big day tomorrow. Just thought I would post these pic's of our pool time today.

Countdown to Paradise

2008-09-05T20:14:00.001-07:00

Cameron and I have the amazing opportunity to go to Hawaii for 10 days! We leave on Tuesday and we can't wait! My parents are driving down to take care of the girls while we are gone (Aren't they great?). Sophia and Ava are so excited to have there "Nana and Paca" come to stay. We are so fortunate that they are willing to come down and take care of our little ones.

We have a lot planned while we are there including seeing Cameron's long time buddy Cory get married (They have been friends since they were 4. They still call each other every Christmas to see what they got. Funny huh?)

So, needless to say we are totally excited. We haven't been on a trip together alone like this ever except for our 3 day honeymoon. We will miss the girls like CRAZY but, they will be in good hands. This vacation is LONG over due!

It is never the ideal to visit a tropical island paradise when you are 6 months pregnant but, we will enjoy every minute of it. Me and my big belly will soak up every ounce of sun on the beautiful beach. Talk to you all when we get back! Stay tuned for more crazy announcements!

Thanks mom and dad for volunteering and being so willing to watch the girls--you are two brave souls. See you all later......

All We Want for Christmas....

2008-08-01T16:37:00.000-07:00

...is another baby girl!!! Yep that is right, baby #3 is going to be another girl! We are anxiously awaiting her arrival at the end of December. The girls can't wait for their new baby sis'.
We have been staying pretty busy this summer and have been spending A LOT of time in the pool. We are ready for some cool weather. I can't even roll over in bed without breaking a sweat! I am ready for a long cold winter!

Baby Names by Sophia

2008-07-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

This pregnancy has been so fun to share with Sophia. I didn't realize that she would be so involved and curious. I just love it. She is so excited for the new baby and talks about it all the time.
Cameron and I asked her early on what we should name the baby. She has taken it pretty seriously when we ask her--too bad we won't be using any of them:). She comes up with new ones all the time that just crack me up! Oh, to live inside her head!

Boy names:
1. Chucky (as in Chuck-E-Cheese)
2. Diego
3. Good Boy
4. Max (the only decent name)
5. Baby Jesus

Girl names:
1. Her
2. Good Girl
3. Princess Buttercup
4. Max (a unisex name I guess)
5. Sister Andrews (her primary teacher)

My Fish

2008-07-08T13:50:00.001-07:00

Cameron demonstrating that white men CAN jump. They just kind of look like idiots doing it.:)

Sophia had to show off her mad jumping skills.

Just messing around.

Ava is really jumping in the pool. She looks like she is sitting on the edge but, that is how she jumps in-pretty funny.

My little cuties.

With 100+ temps we have been in the pool about 2 times a day. I usually take the girls out in the early afternoon and when Cameron gets home from work Sophia will usually sweet talk him into taking them out again. So even with our religious application of sunscreen we are all freckled and baked by the sun. I have gotten more freckles as an adult it's funny. Sophia is getting her fair share of freckles this year-they are pretty cute on her.

Our kids this year are loving the water. Like I said before Ava is a crazy swimmer and if she has her water wings on she wants nothing to do with us holding her. It's hard to believe that last year Sophia would hardly go in. Now we literally drag her out every time.
These picture aren't that clear. In my hurry to snap some shots I forgot to check my ISO. Oh well thought I would post them anyways.

A Tasty Summer Treat

2008-07-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

I found the recipe on one of my favorite websites by Heather Bailey. I decided to try it out for the 4th of July. Every drop got eaten by our friends. It was a tiny bit more involved then the other ice cream recipes that I have tried but, it was DELICIOUS! The recipe was a little large for the ice cream maker that we have. So, I would recommend making it a little smaller. So without further ado here is the recipe for Strawberry Pretzel Dessert.
Enjoy!

Coming our Way Before the New Year! (Hopefully)

2008-07-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

Yep that's right we are expecting baby #3 on December 31, 2008.
Although we were a little shocked at first but, with a little time to let it all sink in we are really excited to see our family grow.
I am 14 weeks and I am feeling good. I am over the feeling nauseous 24/7. I have never liked the 1st trimester (who does?). The 2nd and 3rd are generally really nice for me.
I have started swimming every day which has made me feel like a million bucks.
I was working out religiously before getting pregnant and I have to say that swimming is one of the hardest workouts I have ever done! So props to all of you swimmers out there.
Overall it does give me a lot more energy.
Anyways, all is well and Cameron is happy that I am over the 1st trimester. As I said before I am a pretty cranky sick person. So, we are ALL doing well.
Being as type "A" as Cam and I are we will definately be finding out what we going to have. We both think it will be another girl. We'll see...

Happy Birthday Mom

2008-06-29T21:45:00.001-07:00

My mom with her dad Ted.

My mom with her sister Judy.

Mom's senior picture. Isn't she pretty?

I was my mom's little snuggle bug.

At the Portland zoo in 1978-79ish.

My mom is an amazing women, a selfless mother, a fantastic Nana, and the of best friend a daughter could ask for!
Happy Birthday to the kindest, most compassionate, selfless, and strong person I have ever met. You inspire me as a women and a mother--thank you.
I love you Mom and hope you had a wonderful day!

Ava Turns Two

2008-06-26T17:48:00.000-07:00

Ava at 9 weeks. This is when our 4 mega pixel camera was on the fritz.

Ava at two. For once making eye contact with the camera! Isn't it funny how much her eye color has changed?

The typical Ava pose. A perfect picture of her little stubborn side. If you could hear me bribing and begging her to look at me you would laugh. She is totally tuning me out. This is Cameron's favorite picture of her because he is obsessed with her cheeks. I can't believe he hasn't kissed them off yet!

In this last year my mellow little love bug turned into a very head strong and stubborn little toddler. Her daily conversations consist of: "No me!", "Me do, me do!", "Binki peeeees!"(her binki is her vice, which will be ending shortly.)
Some of the sweet stuff: (she loves to say all of our names to the tune of Dora) ex: "DooDooDooDaDaddy!", "DooDooDooDaSissy!", "DooDooDooDaMomma!"(you get the idea).

She still is such a happy girl. She loves to tease and laugh. One of the funniest things about her is that shortly after learning how to walk she took off running. We have had many people comment that they have never seen a toddler run so fast or with such good balance. We like to call her Forest because "she runs like the wind blows". Her running skills makes her daddy more than proud. He already has big plans for her little chicken legs.

Ava has NO FEAR which scares me to DEATH! She has attempted many death defying acts at the park which has almost sent me into cardiac arrest. On a couple of occasions when we have gone to the pool she will take a flying leap into the water before we even get in. She will sink right to the bottom. We will jump in after her (of course) pull her up and when she surfaces would you believe that little stinker has a wide grin on her face!!! So, we now have a death grip on her hand anytime we are by any body of water! Ava is a fish and loves being in the water. She is already starting to swim a little.

Her best friend by far is her binki. She is completely happy with 1 in her mouth and 2 in each fist. As much as I try to hide those suckers she will always pop up with them. She is so funny she will even talk to them and wash them. We are going to have one huge orthodontic bill with this one! Her binki time is ending this week so wish us luck!

Besides testing my patience and nearly sending me to an early grave on a daily basis Ava is a sweet heart. She loves to snuggle, kiss, laugh, be sung to (which makes me feel like a superstar), dance, and copy anything her older sister is doing. Ava melts my heart with affection and laugh. She is such a huge part of our family and I can't imagine life before her. Stubborn or not we are all pretty smitten with Ava.

Happy Birthday Bubba!

Sophia Turns Four

2008-06-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

Sophia at 3 months.

Sophia at 4 years old.
In the bottom picture she said that she wanted to pose with her favorite flower. I asked her why dandelions were her favorite and she said:"Because they are the only ones you will let me pick!" That's my sassy girl for you!
How time has flown by! She has really turned into a big girl and my little helper in the last year. This last year she has learned a few new things: riding her bike, sliding down the long pole at the park, swinging from the monkey bars, spelling her name and a few other short words, she has completely mastered opening every child safety lock and other "off limit spots", learned how to sweet talk her dad into getting extra Popsicles, and in the last couple of months has really learned how to swim by herself.
I have learned a lot about Sophia in the past year. There are some things about her that haven't changed one bit from the moment she was brought into this world but, there are other little personality traits that have began to develop.

Sophia is:
-Funny
-Protective over her little sister.
-Social
-Talkative--Some things NEVER change!
-Inquisitive
-Sensitive
-Affectionate--We love her hugs and kisses!
-Mischevious
-Energetic
-Fun loving
-Tall
-Always kind of sweaty-must be all that hair!
-Goofy
-Girly
-Daring
-Spunky
-Sassy at times
-Always up to something

Sophia had me from the moment I saw her big blue eyes. Every day is an adventure with her and I think with out her life would be such a bore! I look forward to years and years of her keeping us on our toes. We are over the moon and back for you Sophia. We love you big girl!

Whitney & JR's Wedding

2008-06-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

I actually shot this wedding almost a month ago. These pictures of this gorgeous couple have been edited and just waiting to be posted for a while now. So, finally I am getting my buns in gear.
It was a beautiful wedding with lots of sunshine (which can be a challenge when you are trying to shoot with NO shade)! These two lovebirds made the day so special and amazing! I know Lindsey is happy that one of her sisters finally got married! It was a great day. I will post some of the reception pictures later--their house looked so beautiful!

My Head is Spinning

2008-05-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

WARNING WHINING AHEAD!!!
Over the past few weeks things have been particularly crazy around here. With working close to 30 hours a week with transcription and working in the office, babysitting 3 full 12 hour days, my calling in the YW presidency, being sick with ear infection, strep throat, and pink eye, and doing all of my other motherly and wifey duties I have been feeling very overwhelmed.
Cam has been really busy himself with work and studying for the GMAT but, has been so helpful when he is at home. I am so thankful for him.
Even though we have been super busy there have been a lot of fun things that have been happening too. So, hopefully this week as things seem to be slowing down a bit I will have time to post some pictures. I have had the opportunity over the past few weeks to do a couple of senior pics and a wedding. I am so grateful for those opportunities. I will post more soon. I am done whining now....

Joshua Tree Camping Trip

2008-05-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

Yummy French Bread--Easy Too!

2008-04-20T12:57:00.000-07:00

I have failed many times at making the perfect bread. I have looked and tried many recipes. A couple of weeks ago the stars aligned and I found this recipe through someone else's blog and viola! Is super easy and sooooo yummy.

Recipe as follows ~

Dissolve in a small bowl:
2 T yeast
½ cup warm water
½ tsp sugar

In large bowl combine: (I used my bread mixer)
2 cups hot water
3 T sugar
1 T salt
½ cup oil

Add to the mixture in the mixer bowl 3 cups of flour and mix well. Stir in yeast mixture (note: my yeast mixture didn't completely dissolve so before I added it I stirred it until it was mixed well). Add 2-3 cups more flour (I needed 3) and mix until well blended. (At this point my dough still seemed a little sticky but not sticking to the edge of the bowl as it was being mixed). Leave in mixer and let rise for 1 hour mixing a few strokes every ten minutes. Divide dough into 2 or 3 pieces. Roll each out on a flour surface into the length desired then roll up length wise like a jelly roll. Put on greased cookie sheet sealed side down. Slash the top diagonally across the top with a knife. Brush with egg white. Let rise 30 more minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. (Note: to help the dough not stick to my hands I spray a little pan spray on my hands and rub it around - works like a charm!)