Train yard...

We went OMSI on Friday (pictures to follow). I promised Rowdy I would try to find this place that we have taken him before. It is a real roundhouse. There is a turn table in the back too. If you are Thomas the Tank Engine fans you know what I am talking about.

Here he is standing in front of a train that had 6 Engines doing the work. It was actually moving behind him. I will post more photos of this adventure because his cousin Evan went and there was plenty of excitement involved.

Miss Avery Girl...

So, I am going to try to extend this little 12 of 12 to each of my kids. But the date when I follow them around with my camera is going to be a little bit more loosey goosey. It is a fun task and hard to only keep it to twelve photos...so I did thirteen on this page for Avery.

By the way...if you find typos in my pages...just let it slide...I just found one in this top page...it would be a major pain in my fanny to go fix it...it makes it all that much more fun to figure out what I meant...

Snack time...

I used to give Bodie fruit snacks. He loved them. He called them "Na-nacks". Bodie used to also have really bad diaper rashes. I called those "owie-bums". It took me awhile to figure out that eating Na-nacks = owie-bum. So, while we were in Hawaii I distributed zero Na-nacks. Guess what? No more owie bum! See little triumphs like that make me feel like maybe I am qualified to be a Mom! The saddest part is he sort of went through a withdrawl from them. He kept asking for them months after I stopped giving them to him. And I had to choose my words carefully, because if I said the word "snack" he would beg for them. Poor little guy.

Friends...

I know that Bodie is in his pajamas in both of the album pages that I have posted. What can I say? He is the last one to get up. Getting him dressed is the lowest thing on my priority list because I am busy all morning doing things to get the other two out the door. He usually gets his bath in the afternoon anyway so it works out well somedays to just stay in the old pjs. Don't worry I get him dressed when we go places.

Mr. Helpy Helperton...

It seems like I don't have very many photos of this little boy. So I am going to try to get more of him. This album idea is going to work out great! Here is another layout I worked on last night. I knew I wanted to get some shots of him afterschool. I thought we would be taking some more photos of him on his bike. When Ron asked Rowdy to feed the chickens I followed him in there and just let him do his thing...When I take photos of Rowdy he will pose for me. But the ones that end up being my favorite are the ones I snap when he is talking to me and telling me a story. Today he was talking about the movie Up! and his favorite line when the Dogs get distracted while they are talking and say "Squirrel!" So that has been a little joke around our house right lately.

Princess to Sea Star...

I set a goal of scrapbooking more in 2010. Initially, I wasn't sure how I was going to find another window of time to do that. I already feel like I spend too much time blogging and editing photos.

The truth: When you walk into my home you wouldn't be able to tell I am a photographer. I haven't been good about printing photos since I went digital when Avery was one. Also, my scrapbooking has taken a back seat to the photography. Well, since both go hand in hand I am going to be working on some albums for the kids. I have often felt a little bit bothered by the fact I have all these awesome photos of my kids but no books or prints to show for it...bothered and guilty. So I have a solution! I figured out that I can double dip by doing a blog post and then using that post to put into a book. Therefore, I am not working with the photos two times and spending twice the amount of time. I didn't ever think I would be a digital scrapbooker but it just seems to be the natural progression of things.

I am working on a test album to see how the printing side of it will work out. I hope to have it sent off sometime this week???

The post I did about Bodie playing on the computer will go in his book. And here is one I did for Avery and I added some journaling so that I don't need to type that again when I go to make the book. I'm really looking forward to the finished product. Again, I am so thrilled that my blogging time will be serving two purposes now!

Fisher Price dot com...

Rowdy and Avery like to play on the computer. Bodie hasn't played on it too much yet. There are some good on-line games for kids. Fisher price even has some games for toddlers. The other day while I was cleaning up kid mess in my office (Bodie and Avery had been cutting paper earlier), I introduced Bodie to Fisher Price on-line. He loved it! The toddler games only require the child press the space bar. I put a lady bug sticker on the space bar so he would know what key to press. He thought the sound that the shape game makes was so funny!

January 12 of 12

See the post below to find out what this post is all about.


1. Rowdy eating his breakfast in front of the heater in his nest
2. I do homework with Avery before she goes to school
3. Bodie is excited because he is eating the marshmallows off of Avery’s homework
4. Avery catching the bus
5. It rained

6. Avery loves honey bunches of oats, it is the go to, anytime meal
7. Afterschool snack
8. They were in a really silly mood
9. We are reading a train book that Rowdy looked up and brought home from the library
10. I had to run into town to pay a ticket I got for expired tags…they waived it…yes
11. Burritos for dinner…so easy
12. Bodie at the end of the night snuggled in with “noopy”

*Things not pictured are the kids out in the barn helping Ron (I was making dinner) and he is working on a new workout space for us. It is going to be great. We also went to Wal-Mart, my visiting teachers came and I didn’t get any of Tim today. It is hard to narrow it down. I’m sure some of my extra photos will end up in other blog posts.

The Blog for 2010...

You don't know how good it feels to type a regular blog title and not check to see that I am typing the right number in the title...whew!

So this is the plan for my 2010 blog. I have been inspired by another blogger and my friend Kim to do something different with my blog. The 365 was fun and I know that I took more photos than I would have if I didn't have the challenge.

We got the idea from another blogger who on the 12th of each month takes her camera throughout her day. She takes photos of all the things going on. Then she blogs about 12 of those photos.

I am going to take things one step further and begin with the end in mind. I am going to take these blog posts and turn them into a book at the end of the year.

I am really seriously thinking about doing a seperate 12 of 12 for all my kids too! I would pick a different day of the month and follow only them around with the camera. I am thinking their birthday day would be a good day. Although, Rowdy and Avery are both on the 7th so I need to work out that detail.

Doing something like this will force me to do two things. One, take pictures of things that I normally wouldn't at times of the day I normally wouldn't and I will be forced to take more of me and Ron (and that is a great thing!). We don't tend to be in many of the photos.

If anyone wants to join me it is not to late. I didn't really commit to doing this until yesterday and the 12th was two days ago. So my January 12th was really the 13th...oh well.