365: WEEK 47

I have been pushing myself so hard to finish editing clients' photos that I feel like I've had little time for anything else. Like blogging. The one thing that I HAVE been doing is taking every opportunity to get our family outdoors. We have been riding bikes. Playing with friends. Drawing with sidewalk chalk. Going to the zoo. Anything to be outside. This weather is why I live in Arizona. That, and a million other reasons... My favorite image of the week: November 23rd - Comfort Blanket. This little guy is seriously such a joy. He is always happy. When he IS in need of a little extra comfort, we can just toss him his binky and blanket and the kid is content. He loves to twirl the corner of the blanket right under his nose, just like I did when I was a baby. It melts my heart.

365: WEEK 46

Long week. Photo editing. Crazy kids. Design work. These are my excuses for not posting earlier. I'm exhausted. But that comes with five littles/pregnancy/holidays. Now that ALL of my Christmas shopping is done - down to stocking stuffers and elf hijinx supplies - I think things will balance out a little. Or at least that is my hope. My favorite image of the week: November 13th - Sweet Stroll. Last Thursday was a day for passing out flowers to a couple dear neighbor-friends who were celebrating birthdays of loved ones who have passed away. This photo is a flash back to one taken in January. I cannot get over how Nene has grown.

ON FIRE

Preschool has been amazing this year. Maybe that's because I know what works and what doesn't. Or maybe because I have insight for additional trips/activities that I hand't thought about last year. Either way, we've been loving it. A few weeks ago we talked about community helpers such as police officers and firefighters. We even discussed a home evacuation plan in case an emergency arrises. To compliment our 'HELP' unit, we scheduled a trip to a local fire station with some friends. It was crazy. And fun. Minutes after we arrived, the alarm sounded and our guide had to go. Luckily, a replacement was quickly found and our tour resumed without a problem. The kids got to take a peek at the living quarters before climbing aboard an actual engine to learn about all of the duties on the job. With so many buttons/levers/contraptions to investigate, the kids got a tad bit chaotic. But for five littles 5 and under, they did great.

365: WEEK 45

I feel like life has become even more of a blur than usual. If it weren't for these photos, I couldn't even begin to tell you what we have done this past week. Stuff? Something? Survived? Between preschool, photography and Christmas planning, everything else is lost. Now that the weather has let up a bit, I've been doing my best to get us outdoors as frequently as possible. Which has made me realize that my oldest two still do not know how to ride bikes... Training wheel are expectable for 5/6 year olds, right? My favorite image of the week: November 9th - First Steps. This little guy has been the fastest of my littles to meet milestones. For the heck of it, I tried to get him to take a few steps last week. And he did. All on his own. He is not quite a full-blown walker yet, but boy can this kid get around on two legs.

My kids. They now wear those plastic fire helmets every. single. day.

365: WEEK 44

Whew! Halloween has come and gone, so I have a moment to breathe. But only a moment. I've been going non-stop. Prenatal appointment. Zoo trip. HALLOWEEN. State-wide Conference. Newborn photo session. Oh. That state-wide conference? I was asked to SPEAK at the adult/12+ session for my stake the evening before. Imagine my surprise when I was one of only three speakers in addition to two members of the stake presidency. Or my complete shock when I learned I would be the very first person to speak. Good thing I've had several years of public speaking experience - I actually enjoyed it. Because I am weird like that. My favorite image of the week: October 31st - Mario Bros Halloween. These kids. They are hilarious. And I am so glad they played up their parts. It is so fun to rock a theme for Halloween. I may or may not be trying to decide on costume ideas for next year already...

365: WEEK 43

I'm falling behind. But I don't even care. This time of year is crazy and my absence just means I am where I need to be: with my family. For Halloween this year, I did something with my littles called Spooktacular 13 Days of Halloween. Each weekday, we did a [simple] Halloween craft and ate a [simple] Halloween treat. It was a blast; it gave us something fun to look forward to each afternoon. When I wasn't doing something with the kids, I was writing a murder mystery for a Halloween dinner that a friend hosted OR making Halloween costumes. Not to mention, the oldest two boys had their primary program and a good friend had her baby. Dear life, slow down. I don't sleep and I'm going insane. Favorite image of the week: October 22nd - Halloween Crafts. Her eyes - slay me. This girl is seriously my double, right down to the sassy, little attitude.