Precious in Her Sight

The love I see in this picture is beautiful to me.

Thank you Jocelyn for capturing this moment!

If you give a girl a lollipop...

She will be sweet!


I l♥ve this picture. My niece is in the pink. What a great idea to keep the girls happy during a photo shoot!

Just Us!

Happy Birthday Princess Julia!

Are you really 11 years old? I wish you could stay this age for a few years. You are the best daughter a mother could ask for. I do not know what I would do with out you & your sweet spirit in our home.

I love you.

Happiness is...

Family Pictures! Thank you Mom for following
the photographer around so we could have a peek. I love you.
The last time my family had pictures taken with everyone in attendance was December of 1998, almost 12 years ago.
Our family has grown & multiplied,
so this was an exciting event for me. ♥ Me & My Precious Little One. Julia is 10 years & 362 days old! ♥

♥ My Little Sisters & I ♥

♥ My Baby Brothers Mark & Matthew ♥

For the L♥ve...

What a difference 2 years make!

2008

2010

Brooklyn, Brock & I

♥ Thank you for the picture Jocelyn!

13 Things Your Child's Teacher Won't Tell You

A look inside a teacher's mind could help you understand & maybe even guide your child to perform better.

1. When I hear a loud belch, I remember that a student's manners are a reflection of his parents'.
2. We educate future leaders & make about $51,000 a year.
3. Kids dish on your secrets all the time—money, religion, politics, even Dad's vasectomy.
4. Please, no more mugs, frames, or stuffed animals. A gift card to Jamba Juice or Staples would be more than enough. A thank-you note: even better.
5. We love 3-day weekends as much as your kid does.
6. The students we remember are happy, respectful, and good-hearted, not necessarily the ones with the highest grades.

7. Just because your child says he did his homework doesn't mean it's true. You must check. Every night.
8. Teaching is a calling. There's not a teacher alive who will say she went into this for the money.
9. Teaching is not as joyful as it once was for many of us; we get jaded too. Disrespectful students & belligerent parents take a toll on us.
10. We spend our own money to buy things our students need, such as school supplies & even shoes.
11. We wish parents would make their kids own up to their actions instead of pressuring us to bend the rules.
12. Please stop doing everything for your child & allow them to make mistakes. How else will they learn? Kids are not motivated to succeed because they feel their parents will bail them out every time.
13. There are days when I just want to quit, but then that one smile from that one kid, changes it all.

Mommy & Me in Italy

Julia & Jacob

‎We had tickets for the 9pm showing of Eclipse last night! Julia & I sat with Andrea & Richard on my favorite row in the theater. We had great seats behind the rails, so you can put you feet up.

Thank you Nordstrom!

♥ YOU ♥ #1 on my Playlist!

These are the lyrics to my new favorite song. You.

What do I have to do
I've been down & out, Doing without
The love that got me through
And what do I have to say?
I just want you to know
That I know

It takes a village to raise a child
It takes an army to march a mile
And it takes true love to stand the test of time
And it takes you babe to make me smile

What do I have to do
Ive been thinking about, Dreaming about
The things we used to do
And what do I have to say
I just wanted to know
That you know

It takes a village to raise a child
It takes an army to march a mile
And it takes true love to stand the test of time
And it takes you babe to make me smile

And I would walk across the ocean if I could
If it would bring you back to me

And I would steal a feather from an angels wings
Don't you know its true that I'd do it all to prove my l♥ve for you

It takes a village to raise a child
It takes an army to march a mile
And it takes true love to stand the test of time
And it takes you babe to make me smile

It takes you to make me smile!

Fairyland

Brooklyn is 8 weeks old. We love you! You are growing up so fast!

Ninja Sparkle League 5K

On Saturday I will participate in my first 5K.
The fight against Breast Cancer! I am going with my friend Andrea & our daughters will run with us!
I am really excited. I will keep the following quotes in mind as I run, jog, or speed walk.
The difference between try and triumph - is a little "umph"
Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever. - Lance Armstrong

I know He lives.

Green for Lunch To Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

♣ Shirley's Green Roll made into a Tuna Sandwich
♣ Spinach & Snap Peas (2 of Julia's favorite veggies)
♣ Grapes & Dole Pineapple in Green Jello
♣ Pear applesauce
♣ Melon Powerade
♣ French onion Sun Chips
♣ Dry roasted almonds
♣ Green gold fish
♣ Cool mint Oreos
♣ Watermelon gummy lifesavers
♣ Watermelon Skittles
♣ Watermelon poprocks
Watermelon is her favorite fruit!

This is what Julia's lunch contains today. My best friend, Andrea, is the type of Mother who makes every single little holiday a grand celebration. Her kids look forward to every holiday of the year.
It truly warms my heart to see Andrea do special things for her kids like this. Julia's birthday is not till October & Christmas is pretty far away too, so I decided to copy Andrea & do something fun for her this holiday.
Do you want to know how I handled all this food? I was picking & sorting all the green items so I was sure to wear sanitized gloves. Disposable gloves are one of my favorite items to use when I am cooking, cleaning, or putting on makeup. I know it sounds strange, but if you have extremely dry hands, gloves are heaven sent!

This was also a fabulous find in my hunt for green fun! Julia loved this candy we found in Hawaii 3 years ago. I bought more than I wish to admit. I have never seen it anywhere but Maui until now....Walgreens has it! I will save it for later today, since she already has plenty of goodies.

I was able to fit this 11 ounce bottle in her lunch bag if you can believe that! I wish I could see the look on Julia's face as she unloads her lunch bag today. H♣ppy St. P♣trick's D♣y!

♥ Home is Where the Heart is ♥

I purchased this home yesterday & I l♥ve it!

Julia found this house on Hometoursutah.com & suggested that we go see it. I thought it was OK until I saw the inside. I fell in love!
I day dreamed about it constantly. It had been on the market for 27 days & I made an offer they couldn't refuse. I am so lucky to have a Julia as my daughter, I would have never looked at the house if it wasn't for her. We are so blessed.