I Heart Faces - Creative Cropping

So, this week at I Heart Faces, they are celebrating the creative crop. When this shot came out of the camera it was NOT pretty! The coloring was weird and it was centered funny. But thanks to www.picnik.com, I was able to jazz it up a bit!

Here is the end result:

Still a bit off centered, but I like it that way because you can see her creation - a rainbow! And man, oh man, was she proud of that rainbow!

Stop by I Heart Faces to check out some more creative cropping ... or enter some of your own!!

Project 365 - Week 10

Can you even believe we are 10 weeks into 2009? Time is FLYING!!!! Sometimes I wonder where it all goes. And then I am so happy that I am doing this project, because I can look back and see EXACTLY where it went!


March 1 - Our worship leader, Aron (Miss Belle's Daddy!!!) was officially ordained as a minister! He dedicated is life to God's service, a mighty warrior for our Lord!

But, really, it just confirmed what we have all known all along - Aron is a man of God!

March 2 - This is a picture of my counter ... and to be honest, it has been a while since this section of the counter has been visible. It has been covered with financial papers, house hunting forms, etc... This week a lot of that stuff was finally put to rest! Thank the SWEET, SWEET Lord!!!

March 3 - (CHEATER SHOT!!!! This was actually taken March 4.) Here is our little fashion diva workin' the scarf! Isn't she just so stinkin' cute?

March 4 - Sweet Hattie was FINALLY well enough to celebrate her birthday with the family. And my little sweetheart picked a Lightening McQueen cake!

Yeah, that one is ALL girl... NOT!!

March 5 - The day after the party and the balloons are STILL a blast to play with!

March 6 - Fun spring day ... OK, this is actually from the blooper roll of the spring day pics ... if you look closely you can see that SOMEONE'S "coin slot" is sowing!

March 7 - Here Hattie is imitating her mama ... I took a picture of her taking a picture of me!

March 8 - This morning in church we had a little skit. We were trying to get people into the spirit ... of giving. We are in need of a new HVAC unit in our building and we were taking a special offering to help cover the extra cost.

Our friends the Spartan Cheerleaders came by to cheer us on!!!!!

And they were stinkin' HILARIOUS!

So, that was our week - stop by Sara's place for a glimpse into even more day by day recaps of other people's weeks!!!!

By the way, how was YOUR week?

Bring On The Spring

Two posts in one day, but I could not resist!

It is sooooo nice out today that the girls and I had a little outdoor fun. They really probably did not even need these jackets, but I am a little crazy like that. We all had a blast and I took about a kajillion and 12 pictures ...

Here are just a few:

While Sophie took her nap, Hattie enjoyed the outdoors through the open window. She looked so stinkin' beautiful with the wind dancing in her hair, I could not resist taking this shot. Sadly, it came out a little weird so I had to edit it a little. I love that you can barely make out her sweet nose and those killer long eyelashes!

LOVE this kid!!!

Once we made it outside, she blew some bubbles and drew on the sidewalk - Here she is making a rainbow. She knew what she wanted to draw and was so proud when it came out the way she wanted!!!

And Sophie just wanted to run ... and run ... and run ...

I think she's gonna be my wild child!

Don't ya just love when God sends you a little surprise like a lovely day in the middle of March (we don't get em often here in the frozen North!!)

I hope your day was just as lovely!!!!!

Whole Lotta Nothin'

We have had a busy week here in B manor ... Some good busy-ness and some not so good. It all started last Friday ...

Hattie had had a restless night and, although she had slept, I could tell she had not really slept well. I woke up around six when Hubbs was getting ready for work. She usually starts stirring around 6:30, but I didn't hear a sound up there - and it was the first time all night that I could tell she was deeply asleep. I decided to giver her until 7 and if she wasn't up yet, I would call her in absent for school. At about five minutes till I heard her getting sick. YUCK! So, I called her in and then put her in the shower and cleaned her up. No fever, and after about an hour she was acting fine. So I was thinking that the girl was already learnin' to play me!

She is gonna be a FUN teenager!!!

Since we had learned, the day before, that we did not get the house we had wanted, we decided it was time to start looking again. We had definitely decided that we want to stay in the school district and there just has not been a lot available in this area. SO, we made arrangements to look at 3 condos and a house on Saturday afternoon. However, by Saturday morning, all but the smallest condo had already been rented.

We did go look at that condo and kinda liked it. It was small, but very well laid out and had a basement. However, it was the middle unit (meaning we would share walls on BOTH sides) and only had two bedrooms (meaning the girls would share a room) and had the smallest kitchen I have EVER seen, so it was far from ideal. See, we have loud kids, and by loud, I mean L.O.U.D!!!!!! I do not think that I, in my pre-parent days, would have wanted to share a wall with us! Also, both girls have sleep issues, so sharing a room is not my preference. At ALL!!! But, we kinda feel like we need to know where we are gonna go - for a few reasons, one being our own peace of mind and another being we need to come up with an educational plan for Hattie, so we decided that we would do the condo - it's only a rental and only for a year or two...

Meanwhile, while we are at the condo, I look at Hattie and notice that she does NOT look good ... Yep, she was now running a fever. And she was GRUMPY! Beyond Grumpy! ARGH!!! So we go home and decide to camp out there for the weekend. However later that evening our agent (Cheri) call us about a house that she just learned about. We decide to look at it and after a few phone calls she has made arrangements to see it on Sunday. Since we can't take sick kids to church anyway ...

Oh, did you notice that I said kidS? Yeah, Sophie now has the faucet nose and is coughing ...

Annnndddd, the hits just keep on comin'!

So Sunday morning we have no fever and the nose is fine so we go to the house - all of us. We like the house a lot so we make a verbal agreement and decide to meet up on Fri. to sign paperwork and put down our deposit (the owner is out of town all week, so it ahs to wait til Fri.). Then we head home and by the time we get there, the fever, it has returned ... along with the nasty nose.

So, I kept Hattie home Mon., Tues., Wed. & Thurs. and she FINALLY went back to school today. She probably could have gone yesterday, but was still not really eating and was the grumpiest kind of grumpy known to mankind, so I thought I should spare her teachers. This, however, meant that I had to miss Bible Study - and I HATE it when that happens. It also means that, by this point, if I have to watch one more episode of the Backyardigans, Wonderpets or Olivia the pig this week, I will throw MYSELF in front of a truck!!! Seriously, I am OK with these shows for the most part, but a girl can only take so much ...

So, for the sake of my entire family, today has been a self declared DIY Network day around these parts. I now know all ya need to know about fixing a drywall hole and or tiling a bathroom. I could totally get a job at Home Depot, if, ya know, there were any jobs to be had at Home Depot ... But I AM completely qualified, thanks to DIY!!!

And so, tonight, we will sign and pay deposits on the rental house and then the man and me are going on a DATE! And I am pretty stinkin' excited about that.

'Cause I sure do like that boy.

Oh, yes I do!!!!!

I Heart Faces - Beginner's Mess

It's Messy Faces week over at I Heart Faces ... it's also a special week with a Beginner's Category. This photo qualifies on both counts. Sophie is soooooooo messy here (her very first blueberry breakfast bar) - right down to the eyelash near her eye and the drool dripping from her lip and chin!

And I am sooooooooo a "beginner" in the photographer department! But I am having so much fun learning!!

I hope you enjoy this shot, and I hope you head over to I Heart Faces to see more messy faces ... or maybe even enter your own!

Project 365 - Week 9

Well, here we are again ... another week has gone by and I have the pictures to prove it!!!


Feb. 23 - This is my sweet niece Savannah's birthday!! We love ya Rosebud :) Also, we had to take a little trip to the store ... this pic shows you how Sophie feels about being cold. Yeah, not so much a fan.

Feb. 24 - Sweet Hattie Grace's 5TH birthday ... and here she is in all of her crown & pink feather boa glory. OUR birthday tiara broke, but fortunately her teachers provided a crown. And she has worn this thing every day since!!!

Feb. 25 - My April Lei Lei's birthday ... yeah, lots of b-days this month!!! And I learned a very important lesson: ALWAYS put the liner in the bottle before attempting to fill it with milk.

(Also, NEVER take the time to find the camera before cleaning it up, unless ya want to clean the floor too!!!)

Feb. 26 - This was my view for most of the day ... lots of quality time spent with the steering wheel! Oh, JOY!!

Feb. 27 - THis is a scene unseen in quite some time ... the back yard with NO SNOW WHATSOEVER to be found!!!

And 10 minutes after I took this shot, it started snowing.

**sigh**

Feb 28 - Here is Sophie doin' her thang. Girlfriend likes to bust a move, here she is bustin it with none other than Shrek, Fiona, Donkey and the rest of the crew on the Karaoke Dance Party.

Well, there is our week ... check out Sara's bloggy goodness to see more!!!

So, how was YOUR week?

Random Randomnimity, With a Little Randomness Thrown In

So, I have had an emotional week. Not gonna lie, I let it get to me. I forgot for a few brief moments that my God is in control. NOT GOOD!!!! But, fear not, I am back.

Back to the One who never left!

However, I am tired so I am just gonna break it down in list form ...

** We did NOT get the house. This little roller coaster has been the main source of my moodiness this week. Last Friday we learned that there was another applicant so we made some changes to our offer and waited. Saturday we learned we did not get it. Sunday we learned that they changed their minds and wanted to meet us. We met the husband on Mon. and it went well (we thought) and were supposed to hear by the end of the day. On THURSDAY we learned that they changed their minds AGAIN and gave it to the other applicant. Honestly, I am happy it is over and KNOW that My God has a bigger, better plan for us! BRING IT ON!

** Hattie turned 5 on Tuesday! YIKES!!! My baby girl is growing up! She chose McD's for her b-day dinner and - attended said dinner in a crown and pink feather boa! She KNEW that she was all that and a bag of chips! LOVE that girl!!!

** We are trying to come up with a plan for Hattie next year. She is just not ready for Kindergarten and we do not want to set her up to fail, so we are looking at a more intensive PreK program where she will have a shadow that takes her for visits to the K class to get her ready. They will also work at pushing her through her barriers. We also want to start her on some new therapies, but will need some funding from the state of AZ to pay for them. They are insisting on a diagnosis to provide the aid. So, next month we will be taking steps to do whatever it takes to get a name. We have seen a neurologist who did NOT diagnosis it as autism, and we agree. But we have to give it SOME kind of name so we will be diving in.

** I stepped on the scale this morning for the first time in a long time. NOT GOOD!!!!!!! I have officially gained back all of the weight I lost over the holidays.

EMOTIONAL EATER + EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER = BIG 'OL BECKYJOMAMA!!!!!

Hello tread mill, do you remember me?

** We are doing the new Beth Moore Bible study of Esther at church. Ummm, it kinda rocks!

** OK, it REALLY rocks! As in rocks my world kinda rocks!

** My hubby is a wonderful man who knows how to take care of his girl! In my emotional state this week he has let me become a chick flick-a-holic.

** My FAVORITE Chick Flick, You've Got Mail, has become a staple in our house this week.

** My hair is getting obnoxiously long, to the point that the curling iron is looming in my future.

** My man, the one who knows how to take care of his woman, has decided that he likes the Meg Ryan You've Got Mail hair do. So, tomorrow, when I go to get my hair cut ... this is what I will be getting:



Hello sweet hair cut (that requires no curling iron AT ALL)! Come to Mama!

** Hattie woke up sick this morning. And now she is watching Sesame Street, bouncing and dancing on the couch.

** I think she just wanted out of going to school.

** She is gonna be a fun teenager :)

** Hope Jesus comes back before then ...

That is all for now! Hope you all are having a fabulous week.

Be Blessed!

Faces - In Black And White

It has been a crazy week and I almost forgot about the I heart faces contest!!! And I am sure that this is not an award winning photo - I mean, come on, I took it with my CELL PHONE!!! But it is one of my very faves!!!

This is the day Sweet Sophie was born, Hubby had gone home and it was just she and I getting acquainted. He had taken the camera and I just looked at her sleeping face and knew I wanted to remember it forever. I put the cell camera on b/w (it had that capability!!) and started snapping. And here is what I came up with ...

And, tell me, who could not love that face?!?!

Head on over to I Heart Faces to see more (or enter yourself!!).

Dear Miss Boo

Today you are five years old. It hardly seems possible to me that you could be this big. But then it hardly seems possible to me that I could be the mommy of such a brilliant, fun loving, lovable, funny, creative, smart, generous and kind hearted girl either.

I want you to know how VERY much I love being your mommy. Somedays I wonder how and why God chose me to raise you, I truly feel you deserve so very much more than I have to give. But I hope you can tell that I give you my all. You are such an overwhelming Blessing to me. I love you in ways that even I cannot comprehend.

I watch you grow and learn try new things and I am so very proud of you. You have challenges that not every child has, but you are brave and strong and so true to who you are. I wish more than anything that I could make life easier for you, but you, my sweet girl, I would never change for anything in this world. You are exactly who God created you to be and to watch you grow to meet and brave each new day is a wonderful thing to see. I am so very proud of the way that you work so hard to learn new things and to share your heart. You are the very best five year old girl I know! I love you soooooooo stinkin much!

I am gonna write this down so you and I can both remember who you were when you turned five years old:

You love to be outdoors...

... even when it is only 5 degrees out there, that is where your heart is!

You are becoming a little fashion diva ...

... with very strong opinions about what you wear. (You were not happy to wear this new shirt with jeans and not the legging capri's that it came with, but I had to pull the mommy card ... 9 degrees, remember!!??!!)

You love animals, all kinds of animals, but ESPECIALLY sea creatures. You are also so very smart and can name just about every animal (even some I didn't know!!) and what sounds they make. I love to watch you read your animal books and try to learn new things.

You love to learn new things and explore. Just this morning you were watching a show about spiders and you were anxious to tell me all about them ...

... especially their sticky webs. Mommy though it was a little gross, but you were loving it!

You really enjoy school and are excited to get up and ready every morning.

You like pizza, hot dogs, peanut butter, cheese adn crackers, bread, pop tarts, blueberry bars, bananas, Skittles and fruit snacks. You also enjoy a good milkshake ... especially from McDonald's!!!

You love to ride in the car and see the world. You would sit there all day just to look around and see new things. I love that you are such an easy traveler. You also love airplanes, which makes trips to AZ sooo much easier!!

You love to be a princess and get dressed up pretty, but you also love to get dirty and muddy.

You want to splash in every puddle, play in the sand, dig in the mud and roll in the grass.

You like snow angels and snow men and sliding down snowy hills on the disc Daddy bought you.

You do NOT like haircuts, bed time, veggies, hamburgers or water on your face in the bathtub.

You love Dora, Backyardigans, Diego, Wonderpets, Olivia and Sid the Science Kid.

You also love Lightning McQueen, Horton the elephant, Barry The Bee, Ariel the Mermaid, Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp and your forever bouncy friend Tigger!

You would spend all day in the bathtub if we let you, as long as we weren't washing your hair.

You can eat your weight in ritz crackers or tortilla chips - especially if you have salsa to dip them in!

A little Ranch dip makes everything - especially chicken dinos - that much better.

You are fiercely protective of your little sister and would do whatever it takes to protect her ... as long as she doesn't touch your toys.

You think your daddy hung the moon and would rather be on his lap than anywhere in the world.

You have recently started saying your own little prayers at lunch time - makes me cry!!!

You have your baby Bible memorized word for word and can now read it to me!!

Y
ou love to go to Grandma and Grandpa B's house - and you know exactly where they hide the animal crackers!

You LOVE your Uncle Danny (and he loves you!!!)

You Think that Mindy is a princess since you saw her in her wedding dress (and now every bride you see is Mindy!) and could not stop staring at her through the whole wedding!

You are head over hills for your big brothers.

You want a puppy more than you want your next breath.

You would rather eat icing than cake.

You would rather eat chips than either icing or cake!

You hate having your picture taken, but you love to say cheese - go figure that one out!!!

Did I mention that you love being outside? 'Cause, yeah ...

... you REALLY do!!!

You are every prayer that Daddy and I ever said, for the little girl we wanted, answered. You are the light of our lives and we simply ADORE you and always will!!!!!

The first time I held you in my arms, I knew you were created to be my little girl ... And I am so thankful to God for creating me to be your mommy!

I love you ... more every day ... since the first moment that I saw you ... forever and ever.

Happy Birthday my Hattie Grace!!!

Love,

Mommy

PS - no, you cannot wear your tiara to school ... but you CAN wear it to dinner tonight!

Project 365 - Week 8

OK, I am really late in getting this up - sorry - plus, my battery is about to die, so I gotta hurry!!! We have had a crazy week, especially the last couple of days ... I will have to get back to you on that one, but I got a story to tell. One that, it seems, is still developing ...

Anyhoo, here is our week:

Feb. 16 - We went to see the house that we are in love with again ... FYI, this is the story under development ... stay tuned!!! Hattie fell in love with one of the bedrooms ... here she is trying to sneak back upstairs to see it again!

Feb. 17 - OBVIOUSLY, this child needs a pet!!! She is leading a snow boot around the house! Poor, deprived child :(

Feb. 18 - ARRRGH! Pirates have taken over B Manor!!!!! Captain Blue Eye (AKA Hattie) and...

First Mate Curly Top (AKA SOPHIE)!!! Cutest pirates I ever saw!!!

Feb. 19 - One would think we starve this child. We have to sweep the floor before letting her out of her chair or she will hunt down every last crumb! As it is she will go back the high chair to get anything she left behind. This AFTER she insists that she is "all done"!!!

Feb. 20 - I had it written on the calender for the 20th, but I had it in my head for the 21st. And, we missed sweet Caleb's birthday party all together. In my defense, this was the day that our "developing story" started to get interesting...

Feb. 21 - Hattie's new fave book. We have had it FOREVER but she cannot get enough of it these days! Love that Nemo!!!

Feb. 22 - Ya gotta love a little sun on a crisp winter morning! Simply beautiful!

So, that was our week! How was yours?

Go visit Sara for some links to check out other people's weeks!