Happy Birthday Parker!!!

I am a day late, but I hope my little nephew will not mind!





Yesterday, the only boy in our family turned FOUR!!!! Parker has got to be the sweetest little guy around! Yes, yes, I am totally and utterly biased when it comes to this little guy, but I am very confident that after a few short minutes with him you would be under his spell as well!!!! He is full of energy and I mean FULL - and that isn't code for obnoxious - he is one ball of energy (much like his father was at that age). He is loving, sweet, kind, thoughtful, and ready to give hugs and kisses to me, his uncle, and cousins. As if his little heart wasn't enough . . . he has the most enviable eyelashes known to man (second only to his sister's)! He packs a lot into his tiny little frame and we love every bit of him!!!

Thanks for letting us help you celebrate at McDonald's yesterday.
We love you bunches and bunches!!!!

garage sale

This weekend we had the first of two garage sales at my grandma's house. You would think I was taking my girls to Disneyland - they LOVE the garage sales . . . yes, this is a regular event in our family - we do them at least twice a year and have a BLAST!!! It is really the only time we get to sit and hang out. It is even more fun since my cousin, Susan, and her family live about four houses down. The kids play and play and play - so much that Ellie and Lily took a 4 1/2 hour nap yesterday!

Anyways, here are a few pics from our fun and HOT garage sale weekend.

Thursday - messin' around while we all set-up.








Friday . . . playing with the cousins, enjoying the garage sale, and trying to cool off!

So it isn't ALWAYS fun and games.

I love feet and hands. I especially love Lincoln's little chubby toes.

where were you . . .

on June 21st, 1997????

I was getting married to my dear, sweet husband!

Yesterday, we celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary! We went shopping and to dinner - we had a great time! I am just thankful for the time to spend with him. It seems - between work (his) and the girls and all of the stuff that goes along with both we don't get to spend as much time together as we would like. In God's providence, Flavio had the weekend off!!! Yeah!!! We all got some much needed time with him!

Eleven years have flown by (and actually, we have been together for nearly 17 years!!!). We've had a great time on this ride and I look forward to many more wonderful years with this man who loves me in spite of my (many) faults!!!

I love you babe!

the leonard boys

Here are a few pics of the adorable Leonard Boys . . . Ewan and Tate - what sweet little guys. Poor things were totally sweating by the end of our shoot. There are more to come . . . still editing, but I just had to post these.










Look for more pics on my new blog . . . www.graceandjoyphotoblog.blogspot.com

playing catch up

Here are a few pics from the last week . . .
Ellie and I went on a date to The Glendale Center Theatre to see Singin' in the Rain - she had so much fun!!! This was her first play and she was completely mesmerized! At one point one of the actors says that he'd "rather kiss a tarantula than kiss her" (talking to another actor) - at that Ellie turned around and said "is there really going to be a tarantula?" I thought that was so cute - she was really paying attention. As if the play wasn't enough she got to sit between her two 13-year old cousins, Laura and Megan, she was in Heaven!!!! After the performance she was able to meet a couple of the actors - she thought they were pretty neat and they were quite impressed that she had stayed awake for the entire show! So much fun, I see more plays in her future!




Here are some random pictures taken by Ellie . . . this is what happens when a five-year old has a camera and your little sister is a ham!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

I know I'm a day late . . . but, better late than never (as my mom always says!!!) ~ Flav had to work on Father's Day - apparently people want to buy cars for their dads.

The girls were so excited to wish him a Happy Father's Day when they saw him. He is such a great daddy! It is so cute to see the three of them all cuddled up together - talking, playing, giggling, watching sports (yes, he's already started brainwashing, I mean, training them on the finery of sports) - I think the cutest time is when he gets home and the girls have to "hide" - mind you they are 5 and 2 so the concept of hiding quietly has totally alluded them . . . but, they generally hide under the dining room table, under the blanket on the couch, or in the bathroom . . . no matter where they hide as soon as they hear him walk through the door the SCREAM!!! Screams of joy and excitement ~ and the "tickle me's" that come are too much! Earlier in the week Flav took both the girls on a date ~ he has always taken Ellie with him to get his haircut - they get a donut, go to the barber, run some errands, and just hang out for a little while . . . well, last Wednesday, Lily was included on the date. She was beside herself - she even recalled the adventure by saying "no mama" - meaning it was a time without mama.

I love the little ways that he shows the girls he loves them and that they are the most important things on this earth to him!

And to my dad . . . well, I just hope you know how much I love you and what a tremendous impact you have had on my life. Thank you for not compromising and for living a godly life! I love you!

ellie's turn

Ellie was looking out our bedroom window at a few of our neighbors' backyards . . .

E: "Mama, those people with the kitchen in their backyard?" (I know that isn't really a question, but she posed it as one)
M: "Yes"
E: "They need to do some mow-lawning!"
M: "Hmm?"
E: "The other neighbors, who don't have the kitchen, their yard is PERFECT!"
M: "What do the other neighbors need to do?"
E: "some mow-lawning!"

Well, there you go . . . anyone need some "mow-lawning" done?

a Lily funny

On our way home from church this morning I had this little conversation with Lily . . .

Me: "Lily, what did you learn this morning in Sunday School?"
L: (without hesitation) "cookies!?" (there was a little lilt in her voice - so funny!)
Me: speechless . . . I am pretty certain there was a lesson (as there is each week), but this week the cookie won out!

Have a blessed Sunday and Happy Father's Day to all you dad's - I will post a special post for Father's Day - but gotta run!

interesting take on public schools

We had always said that we would send our children to public school and that we would take the year-at-a-time approach. We are about to embark upon our local public school (several weeks away - thankfully) and I must say that I have, and am sure will continue to feel, a myriad of emotions as we creep closer and closer to that day. But my friend, Lynn, emailed me this link about one woman's Christian perspective on the local public school. I pray, even now, that God will use our family to be a force for him on this campus. Read her thoughts - I thought it was such a great perspective. And if you think about us, pray that we might be a light at this school.

http://slowomenofgrace.blogspot.com/2008/06/i-praise-god-for-public-schools.html

how long has it been????

Oh my goodness!!!! I can't believe it has been over a week since my last post! What is going on??? You'd think I had other things to do than just sit here . . . oh, that's right I guess I do have a few things going on . . . ok, now I don't feel so bad.

Let's see, what has been going on here??? A lot of swimming! Ellie is becoming the little mermaid I knew she could be. She even jumped in the pool yesterday at the 4 1/2 marker - huge for her - of course, it helped that her daddy was right there waiting to catch her. Lily, on the other hand, is pretty sure that she can swim! Overconfidence runs deep in my family :o). She has learned that she MUST wait until I am in the pool to catch her (and let me tell you - the pool is FREEZING - by my standards, of course, people in Antarctica would probably bathe in this water, but I am a wimp!!!) - so she has to pretty much push me in the pool and then she can have her fun. It is so amazing to see how these two little girls are so different and yet so similar.

Something cute. . .
Ellie and Lily have been really enjoying each others company - it is so sweet. I often find them in the play room - dressing, undressing, and dressing again their Polly Pockets. They do have the scuffle here and there, but by and far are playing really nicely together - what a blessing! Praise the Lord!

The other night we were driving home from dinner and Lily noticed the stas (stars). So I asked her "who made the stars?" to which she replied, "desus" (Jesus) So I went on asking her - "who made the moon?" "desus" and so on. After I had asked her about a few different things that "desus" had created we were quiet and then I heard this . . . "umm, 'bout, dada?" So, I asked her "who made dada?" - "desus"
L: "umm, 'bout, mama?"
M: "who made mama?"
L: "desus"

L: "umm, bout, mankie?"
M: "who made your blankie?"
L: "umm, desus"

So cute - we went on and on like this for quite a while - I just think it is so sweet to see her little heart and her understanding, that God or Jesus did create all things - even her mankie!

Hope you have a blessed day - I will post pics when I get a chance. :o)

this is what happens when . . .

I started this post yesterday and I was going to title it something like -"my girls, the park, and yummy chicken", that is until . . . this morning . . .

flashback to about 10:30 this morning - I am on the phone with my friend and the girls are playing away - having a great time, very few scuffles to think of. All of a sudden - I'm not sure exactly how this happened, but somehow Lily is in front of my with . . . drumroll please . . . the brightest, pinkest cheeks!!!! WHAT???? I quickly realize that she and her big sister have been "body painting" with the toothpaste! Fortunately, the painting was relegated to cheeks and the bathroom counter . . . if there is a positive note to this story.

I am totally shocked, but my wits are about me enough to know that I HAVE TO GET THE CAMERA and then we can discuss the wrongness (if that is even a word) of this little painting project.

So . . . here they are.

Does this make anyone else wonder what exactly is IN
this toothpaste to cause such an unnatural shade of pink?

Now, on to what I was working on before . . . girls, park, and yummy chicken

Tuesday we "converted" Lily's crib into a toddler bed of sorts (it isn't sold as a convertible, but I figured this out with Ellie . . .) - she couldn't wait to take her daddy upstairs and show him "mine new bed, dada!" So cute!!! She has been told that she is NOT, under any circumstances, to get out of her bed without mama or dada helping her! We don't like the kids just roaming around . . . anyways, this afternoon Ellie comes downstairs around 2:30 (middle of "map pime" - translation: nap time) and says "Lily got out of her bed and came to mine and woke me up!" Apparently, she didn't understand the rules the first time!

Here are a few pics of the park and as for the yummy chicken . . . well, I always like getting a whole chicken, but it just seems like I can never get it quite right - the white meat is dry, there just isn't enough flavor and so on, but this time I decided to try it in my crockpot . . . so good. In fact, Flav asked for seconds!!! That is huge as he isn't a big chicken fan. I guess if you put enough salt, pepper, garlic, lemons, rosemary, olive oil, carrots, and celery in with the chicken it tastes delicious!!! Just don't forget to take the liver, heart, and other disgusting organs OUT!

Lily and Ellie trying out the "new" bed
not a great picture, I know, but they were being so silly and wouldn't sit still.

finally I get a picture of that precious girl!
Love the "frashy" hair

my little model - she did this herself

what-a-ham!!! Love the snot running down her nose!

Playing at the Park

Lily came up with this outfit on her own!

notice the band-aid?
well, that would be a mommy-inflicted wound
I pinched her skin trying to get her bike helmet on
(btw. . .that was last week, but the injury was so great she has had to have a bandage on!!!)

yea, we're at the park!

it might be just me. . . but I think she is beautiful!