Recharge ~ Best Shot Monday

We said goodbye to our visitors and basically spent the rest of the weekend just recharging and gearing up for the week. And the weather was so very cooperative. It was mid-80s, sunny, just perfect.

So while we were very productive and got all the little stuff done like laundry, picking up dry cleaning, grocery shopping, and returning library books; we also got a lot of time to do stuff like hangin’ in the hammock…

And hunting for our friendly avocado tree dweller…

Ah! I think J. and Em found him…

He provided us with about 30 minutes of entertainment…

It was such a lovely day.

Stop by Tracey’s for more BSMs today.

Three Musketeers ~ Best Shot Monday

Have been a little absent this weekend because our friends from Chicago swung into town…

And even cold, cough and fever have not slowed these girls down…

We are off and running for the week, but we’ll try to check in from time to time. In the meantime, stop over to Tracey’s for some more BSMs to start the week off.

My Funny Valentines ~ Best Shot Monday

Beautiful flowers, a bag of all green, peanut M&Ms, an extra day in the weekend, and an amazing day with all three of my funny Valentines –

Life is so good.

Visit Tracey for more great moments today.

Addie-tude ~ Best Shot Monday

I know someday her iron will, independent spirit and stubborn streak is going to serve her well. And, yes, I do want her to grow into a strong and liberated young woman…

But, whew boy!

If I hear “I wanted to do it, Mama!” one more time before she dissolves into yet another fit of tears…I may just throw myself off of the top of that jungle gym!  (AND, she is now big enough to open the car door from the outside by herself. How on earth did that happen?)

I mean, just look at this Addie-tude! I think this photo pretty much says it all. She is a 3-year old girl on a mission!

And I wouldn’t change one tiny piece of her for anything.
Find more photos that say it all over at Tracey’s new spot today.

Good Friends & A Park Bench ~ Best Shot Monday

Sometimes you just need to take a little breather, pull up a bench, and hang with some good friends.
Stop by Tracey’s for some more of the week’s best moments.

How do we get the candy? ~ Best Shot Monday

Technically, this was a horrible shot. That was indeed a very plaid sofa behind the girls. So I tried to tone down the colors by editing the photo and making it black & white. Plus the lighting wasn’t so great and it was what I imagine it would be like to be a member of the paparazzi at a Hollywood movie premier, with about ten moms and dads jockeying for position, trying to take photos, flashes going off left and right.

But all of that aside, I cannot stop looking at this photo and just smiling. My two princesses, (it was a Princess-themed birthday party for Addie’s little friend) anxiously waiting for someone to just bust open that pinata!

Such concentration and seriousness! How can it not be my Best Shot Monday for today?

Brought to You by Emma and the Letter “S” ~ Best Shot Monday

It is nearly impossible to get a good photo of Em lately. She sees the camera and she thinks she has to strike a pose.

I get a lot of Silly Emmy….

Or if I can sneak a shot of her when she doesn’t know I’m shooting, I get some Serious Emmy…

Oh hey, there’s the camera! And this would be Sassy Emmy…

But maybe every one out of 100 photos, we get to see our Sweet, Sweet Emmy…

…and my favorite shot of the week.

Go on over to Tracey’s for more sweet shots today!

New Resolutions & A Best Shot Monday

So….Hi! And Happy New Year! And all that other stuff.

I know it has been awhile and I have had very good intentions to write about all of the holiday fun we have had over the past few weeks. I’ve got photos from our Nutcracker date, Christmas Eve, THE pageant, Christmas morning, our vacation to Michigan – all waiting to be edited and posted.

And I also had planned a 2008 year-end review, it was kind of a happening year! We traveled to some fun places. I ran my first and second triathalons.  Em had a milestone birthday, Addie turned “free!” and both of them had first days of school.

As far as my resolutions from last year…well, some of them got crossed off, and a few are just perpetually going to be on my list.

But as I have had a few days to reflect on everything – I have decided that my biggest “to do” for 2009 is to just be a little nicer to myself.

Give myself a break.

I need to realize that (on the inside and out) I’m a pretty good person, and I deserve a little break once in awhile. I deserve to do stuff because I want to, not because I feel like I have to. I deserve to stop obsessing over things I cannot change and help shape the lives of those I can help change. (Including these five little miracles – Em, Ad and their three cousins!)

And most of all, I deserve owe it to myself to step away from the computer so that I don’t miss amazing moments like this – my Best Shot for this first Monday of 2009!

I’m going to print this and put it in as many rooms of my house as I can as a constant reminder. I’m living for moments like these not to make other people happy, but to make myself happy.

Whaddya mean – I’m two? ~ Best Shot Monday

It’s true, my youngest niece, Gabella-Ella turns two today! I hope you have a fantastic year, Gabella. And the very happiest of days to you. I’m very excited that we got to spend a few days celebrating with you.

In other news, we are indeed spending time with this sweet girl and my other two sweet nieces right now. We are here in Michigan for the week, so while I have all kinds of Christmas aftermath to post about, and a few projects that have to be done, I’m just enjoying my time away from home – and maybe taking a mini-blog vacation, too. I might post some stuff this week, I might not. We’ll just have to see.

I hope all of you are digging out from Christmas and have some good shots to show today, though!

Wishbone ~ Best Shot Monday

Whatever happened to that little wishbone that we dug out of the Thanksgiving turkey, I wonder?

Oh, yeah! It has been drying out behind the kitchen sink for the past month. Do you think it is ready yet?

Come on, Addie – put a little muscle and enthusiasm into it!

Yep – it apparently was plenty dry enough as it snapped into four pieces! Oddly enough, the long pieces were exactly the same and the smaller pieces were the same as well!

I guess both of us will have our wishes come true!

I just love this last photo of Em. I’m making it my Best Shot for today. Make sure to stop over to see if everyone else’s wishes are coming true, too!