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1.28.2011

RELEASE

What a week...
2 sick kids :( and 1 momma that was VERY eager to get out of the house.

Friday came and everyone was finally feeling well enough to get out- WooHOO!
I was hoping everyone would be feeling a little better because I had a photo session scheduled for Friday with one of my favorite little men. Every month, I am lucky enough to shoot this {not so} little guy.
I just LOVE shoot days!

Look at those CHUBS:
LOVE it!

***

The rest of my free time last week was spent out in the garage trying to make a decorative shelf {yup, I watched that video about 20 times to figure out how to make it}. After the multiple trips to Home Depot and the extra this and that, I am starting to think that the $30 shelf at Michael's wasn't such a bad idea :) Oh well, I had a great time making a mess and using all those power tools {making you proud babe!}
When Friday night rolled around, my back was a little sore from squatting and doing everything on the floor.

Here is the ALMOST finished shelf {and my "work" boots!}
All it needs is one more sanding job and then I can start painting.
{of course YOU probably have NO sympathy for me and my sore back, since working in heels isn't the SMARTEST thing to do... but at least me feet looked cute in the process!}

As soon as it's done, it will get hung on the wall and then THIS 20x30 canvas print will be going right on top of it:
...and I cannot wait!

Since I had THIS guy out:
I figured I might as well sand down the kids play table and put a new finish on it. The iron and some water stains had left the table looking a little sad. But NOW, it looks like it did when we got it about 5 years ago!

YAY to a job well done...
What a fun way to get out of the house and release some stress...

Good thing everyone is back to feeling well. Some of the people you/we love MOST are visiting us this week- your parents :)

*LoVe U*
always

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1.26.2011

PS...

So I am not one to use blogging as a platform for really anything, but tonight I watched a movie that moved me in SO many ways. It was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. and really something I needed. I really don't know what else to say about it.


{The story is about a man who dies of cancer and leaves his wife letters that she receives over the next year. The movie takes you on her journey of healing and hope... }

If I wasn't laughing, I was crying{my therapy...} and if I wasn't doing either of those, I just sat there with a HUGE smile on my face. Not only did I feel this movie was very relatable, it taught me a lot as well. I really could just go on and on... it was wonderful {for me}.
***

Babe,

I am so grateful for the time you took to write these letters for me that I would receive after you passed. At times when I have felt so alone, I can read them and I feel as if you are RIGHT there saying those very words to me. I can't help but cry because I miss you SO incredibly much, but at the same time, I also know how present you are...

Thank you for everything- then, now and forever.

i.L.O.V.E.u
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1.05.2011

Today was a GREAT day!

So I can NEVER say that I have had a bad day since you have been gone. Moments- most DEFINITELY, but they are just that. Sometimes it's a 20 minute bawl session of uncontrollable tears and sadness, where I so BADLY want you to just wrap your arms around me and let me know everything is going to be okay. Other times, it's watery eyes or a tear or two and I'm done. But each night since you have been gone, I have NEVER laid my head to rest thinking how HORRIBLE my day has been. I feel blessed and extremely grateful for the constant peace that enables me to feel that way.

So let me tell you about my day today:

Okay, so it kind of began yesterday...

Yesterday night the kids and I attended Tu Nidito, which is an AMAZING program for kids who have lost a loved one. The kids have been looking forward to going since our interview day last month.

It was everything I hoped it would be, and MORE.
Hallie and Max are both in the same group for 4-7 year olds called 'The Littles.' (They both frowned upon that name as they told me "...But I'm NOT little Mom!!!!!!" It was cute) At this program, the kids spend the first 45 minutes talking/crafting and the last 45 minutes playing. While the kids are doing their thing, I meet in a group with other parents whose children are in the program.

So after it is over, Hallie runs up to me and is talking SOOOO fast because she was SO excited to tell me EVERYTHING they did:
"Mom... Mom... look at what we made! It's a rhino and it's a picture frame. We can put a picture of our loved one in it- of ME and Dad!!!!! I did a rhino because that's what you call dad, Ryno. Remember Mom you always called dad Ryno?!? It's a rhino, like Ryno!!"
Hallie even showed me HOW and WHERE to put the picture. I had that rhino about 1 mm away from my eyeballs and that rhino horn nearly gouged my eye out and I didn't even mind!

She was talking SO fast, I finally had to tell her to calm down and SLOW down because she was getting a little crazy. The kids were SO happy and excited and I too had the biggest smile on my face. To see/feel that joy and happiness- PRICELESS!

I went to bed so incredible happy with the night. First, feeling so blessed for programs like Tu Nudito, so grateful for the people who volunteer and for those who give financially to make such a program a possibility. Lastly, for all those attendees whose participation uplifts, strengthens and inspires each one of us.

***
Then I woke up to get the little Misses out the door to school. She was excited about a new drop off location where they can walk to school with staff, so we made use of it. She normally takes the bus, but I drove today. I don't know why, but I feel like a better mom when I drive her. She was so excited to get to the drop off and see some firemen who were there too. She was happy, I was happy...good start to the day.

I got home, read my scrips, got the Bubbacito some breakfast and then we played Lego's.
Since we live in AZ, I was especially fond of this little guy:
Oh, I HEART Lego's.
We are definitely a Lego family!
This was actually one of my Christmas presents, the Toy Story Woody's Round Up- LOVE IT!

Then I headed over to the gym and got my booty kicked. It felt good at the time, but now... not so much!

Came home and played more Lego's and then then we packed a lunch and headed to a good friends of ours house. This friend you specifically asked to take care of me when it came to the CAR... and he has! While he changed the oil, his wife and I chatted away and we both kind of lost track of time. There is NEVER a shortage of words between the two of us (and I LOVE that about her and I) ;) Since school was out, I needed to head home to get Hallie. I left feeling VERY grateful to these friends and many other good friends that have taken care of me and the kids. It means more than they know and I know it means a LOT to you too!
*
After all the homework was completed, we went outside to get some things done.

If there is one thing that makes me feel REALLY proud of myself, it is when I do things that normally you would have done. So today, I refilled my window washer fluid. I know it may seem like no biggie, but when it comes to doing things under the hood of a car, I am usually NOWHERE to be found. Cars were YOUR thing, not mine.
So I got a little giddy popping the hood, finding where the fluid went and putting it in.
Go ME!

Then I pumped up Hallie's tire with another Christmas present... my new air compressor
...and used it fixed this WAY broken piano bench
with my NEW nail gun:
it's DANG sweeeeet!

Sometimes I get a little down having to be the only one to do things for our little fam. But days like today I feel joyed, loved and empowered. I know that we will get through this okay... and we are.

Life sometimes brings you lemons and like Mom always says, "MAKE LEMONADE!"
The lemonade was SWEET today baby and I loved it.

Here's to more of life's sweetness... it was a GOOD day!

~Love YOU~
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1.03.2011

I just couldn't help myself...

So you know my L.O.V.E for photography.
Well, imagine.... Okay never mind, you don't even need to imagine because you already know how excited I get when it comes to taking and looking at pictures. I LOVE, love, LOVE to look at pictures and it doesn't even matter if I know the people or not, I still love it. But of course I love it even MORE when the pictures are of the people I LOVE the most- my FAMILY.

So as I was on my way home from our Christmas vacation, I got a text from my photographer friend Phil saying that the CD of our photo session was READY!
WOOT WOOT!
I seriously got all giddy in the car driving home because I was SOOOO excited!

He did an AMAZING job capturing what I wanted...
I wanted to include YOU somehow in our family pictures, but how would I go about that? How could I include you without it being "weird?!?"
Hmmmmm...
Then the idea popped into my head
Use the TRUCK!
Even though your time with the truck was short, you LOVED that thing. I knew it would be the PERFECT addition to our family photos.

Thank you Phil for beautifully capturing our little family :)

Here are just some of my favorites from the first part of our photo session:


Does this picture just make you SO happy/proud?!?!?!
Yup, that's right! There's your girl doing donuts in the middle of the desert, kicking up a ridiculous amount of dirt/dust. The kids and I LOVED it... it was pretty dang sweet!

This picture almost made me cry...
LOVE IT!
...and so did this picture:
When I first saw it, I could totally imagine this kid in about 13 more years doing this same exact thing, but not just posing in a picture, but driving this thing for REALS.
Your dream was to have this thing all fixed up by the time Max went to prom and I am not going back on what I said to you. It WILL get done, bit by bit. 13 years should give me enough time ;)

Your 3 FAVORITE peeps
I wanted to blog about our wonderful Holidays, but I just couldn't resist posting a few of our family pictures.
Hope you like them... I SURE do!

Love you so much- always have, ALWAYS will!
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