dooLITTLE THINGS 365

Day 157

2011-06-06T14:58:00.026-05:00

I had my first paying photography gig tonight! Woohoo! The kids and I loaded up and went down to Chelsea to take pictures of Daniel's baseball team. I got some good ones, but didn't want to put them on here without permission. Here's one of Booners. (They didn't all have the house in the background!)

I can officially say that I'm a "professional" photographer now. I've been paid, so I can no longer claim amateur status, right?!? Never mind that after printing the pictures I only made a little over $5! (Yep, really need to rethink my rates!!)

Day 152

2011-06-01T15:58:00.013-05:00

Samuel with a soccer ball head.

Ha! I love this picture! I snapped it at just the right second and couldn't do it again if I tried!

Day 151

2011-05-31T14:22:00.009-05:00

When I went out to check the mail this evening, I saw this little bitty praying mantis on the mailbox. He was so cute I had to run inside and grab the camera. The neighbors probably thought I was a nut for taking pictures of the mailbox.

Day 150

2011-05-30T15:16:00.001-05:00

It's Memorial Day. Mom and I took the kids to the Rec to swim for a few hours and then out to eat. These pictures are not very good at all, but I think they're funny.

The difference between Ashlynn and Daniel...a girl and a boy.... a weenie and a daredevil.

When Ashlynn goes off the diving board, she takes a few seconds to work up the courage and timidly steps off the end of the board.

When Daniel goes off the diving board he doesn't hesitate, bounces on the board, and does a back flip.

Day 136

2011-05-16T14:43:00.019-05:00

Ash is hooked on the show "Extreme Couponing". She's been clipping and organizing coupons like crazy lately, so I guess we'll see if we're able to get thousands of dollars worth of stuff for like $6 and have a big ol' stockpile of junk food, deodorant, and toilet paper in the garage!

Day 135

2011-05-15T13:36:00.024-05:00

The much anticipated "Captain Underpants and the Zombies" is finally complete. It's Samuel's very own take on Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants books. You can purchase one copy for $1 or two for $1.50. If you'd like a signed copy that can be arranged as well. Also, be on the look out for the sequel, "Captain Underpants and the Man Made Out of Pee" coming later this summer. :)

(Please don't sue us Mr. Pilkey. My son is your biggest fan and doesn't yet understand the concepts of plagiarism or copyright infringement.)

Day 134

2011-05-14T14:38:00.004-05:00

Just playing around with the camera again.

Day 132

2011-05-12T14:30:00.013-05:00

We had a hail storm this evening. (See the hail?) Crazy weather. I think Mother Nature forgot that it's May. And this is Oklahoma.

Day 126

2011-05-06T11:12:00.084-05:00

Today was finally the day of the big science fair. We'd put in a lot of time, effort, and expense into the project and this was the day it would all paid off with an award.

Samuel and I took his project to the gym, set it up (See his bacteria petri dishes, sample of hand sanitizer, and report?), then we scope out the competition. One other project had me a tad concerned- a little girl made a battery out of lemons and nickles. All the others were very simple- "Which battery makes a Zhu Zhu pet toy run longest?", "How long do you have to chew Bubble Yum bubble gum to get the biggest bubble?", and "Does the refridgerator or an ice chest cool a can of pop quicker?"

We had this thing in the bag! Or so I thought.

We returned to the school in the evening for the awards ceremony and were stunned. Not only did we not win a prize, but neither did the little girl who made a battery.

The winners? All the projects mentioned above won a prize. Apparently when you're in the second grade you're supposed to do a cutesy project, not something fairly scientific. (Yes. I'm just a teensy bit bitter!) Another thing I didn't like was that the judges were ladies from the PTO. Why didn't teachers, specifically science teachers, judge?

Even though we didn't get the result we felt we should have gotten, I can say that we learned a lot from the science fair this year. Samuel learned how to grow bacteria, that clean hands do matter if you want to stay healthy, and that the germiest place in school is the boys' bathroom.

He also learned that life isn't always fair.

That's a tough lesson for a kid to learn. But it's an important one. It's a lesson that will stay with him much longer than anything the "winners" learned about toys, bubble gum, or pop!

Oh, and Momma learned that she needs to join the PTO next year. You know, in case my kid wants to enter the science fair! *wink!*

Day 125

2011-05-05T13:16:00.022-05:00

Ashlynn and I needed pictures of the dogs doing gross things for her science fair project over who has the dirtier mouth- dogs or humans. We wanted a picture of them and their "personal hygiene habits" so we staged one by putting peanut butter on Magee's back and tail. Heehee! It worked out pretty well because Ashlynn got a 100 on her project!

Day 124

2011-05-04T13:09:00.006-05:00

After more time at the funeral home today, I left to take the kids to their final swimming lessons. I'm actually glad for the distraction of the kids' activities this week.

Day 123

2011-05-03T12:52:00.013-05:00

Today was Samuel's 2nd grade field trip. We went and saw the movie African Cats and then went to a park for a picnic lunch and to play. It was a gorgeous outside- perfect for the park. I rode with friends and enjoyed the day. It was nice to get away for a few hours and forget about my sadness.

Day 122

2011-05-02T23:31:00.002-05:00

Today was a tough day. Mom, Grandma, Aunt Berta, Angela, and I met at the funeral home to begin making the arrangements for Grandad's service.

We all met back at Mom's house in the evening for dinner and to surprise her with the new living room furniture James bought her for Mothers' Day.

After a rousing couple games of basketball...

...and Ashlynn and Rachael entertaining us with their mad dance skills, Angela made us an authentic Mexican dinner.

She showed the girls how to roll enchildas and made homemade salsa with the smoothie maker. Ha!

I love spending time with all my family. I just wish we didn't have to come together for the reason we did.

Day 119

2011-04-29T12:19:00.018-05:00

Ash and I woke up early to watch the Royal Wedding specifically to see Kate's dress. I didn't disappoint- at least not me. I thought it was gorgeous. I loved her sister's dress too. Ashlynn wasn't that impressed- didn't like the lace.

Day 118

2011-04-28T10:35:00.015-05:00

Steven's home and we're going to dogsit Emmi while he's here. She's a little spazzy, but a good girl. She'd be a better girl if she didn't bark non-stop!

2011-04-25T13:59:00.008-05:00

I don't have very many pictures of myself for a couple of reasons.

First of all, I'm usually the one doing all the picture taking.

Second, and most importantly, I'm the least photogenic person in the world. (I certainly hope so anyway, because if I really look the way my pictures look, I'm gonna go into hiding, never to be seen again! Sheesh!) Nine times out of ten, I hate pictures of myself and delete them as quickly as they're taken.

I've been doing this 365 project, though, and thought it might be nice to have a couple of pictures of myself in it.

So I had the crazy idea of asking the kids to each take a couple of pictures of me with their brother/sister Sunday before church.

I hoped for the best. Maybe, just maybe, I'd get a picture I actually liked.

Here are the pictures Samuel took of Ashlynn and me.

Oy! Well, Ashlynn's eyes are closed, there's a shadow behind me, and I look so tired and chubby. Try again.

Samuel didn't really want to play photo shoot. Right before this one he said, "Pretend there's an earthquake while I'm taking your picture!" Great. Once again, shadow. And why didn't I do my hair before we tried this?

Sister was getting on his nerves by now, so he showed her! I look stiff and just plain weird. And thick!

Obviously, Samuel wasn't going to get a good shot of Ashlynn and me so we might as well be silly. She's totally kidding around here. I normally wouldn't be smiling as I proudly watched my kid dig for gold.

Let's see if Ashlynn can do any better.

Ok. Here's where I should have taken a time out and fixed my eye makeup and done something with that crazy hair. Next!

Well, this is a tiny bit better. We're both so pale we look like we could be members of the Cullen family, though. Samuel's going through that goofy, big toothed phase right now and I'm not loving his smile here, but his dimples sure are cute.

Ok. I give up!

And this is why there are so few pictures of me.

Day 109

2011-04-19T08:53:00.017-05:00

I don't know what got into me tonight. I was feeling mighty domestic and made a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I never do that on a week night! The kids loved it. And I was pretty proud of myself for only eating a couple. That workout I've been doing is so hard that fattening things just don't taste as good as they used to!

Day 107

2011-04-17T10:06:00.001-05:00

Today was a beautiful day so I took my camera outside to play around with different settings. This picture is an action shot taken with my big ol' zoom lens. I love my camera! And one day I'll actually learn how to use it. Ha! (I like how Samuel stuck the water bottle on his handlebars in this picture. Crystal Light anytime, anywhere!)

Day 106

2011-04-16T09:06:00.076-05:00

I looked out the window this afternoon just in time to see this. The neighbors had some leftover bricks stacked up on the side of their house and Samuel lugged one out to our backyard. I happened to have my camera around my neck so I took a quick picture and then yelled at the knucklehead to get down! Crazy kid! The way Magee is running, it looks like even he knows this isn't a good idea.

Day 104

2011-04-14T13:03:00.006-05:00

Bad storms tonight. The sirens went off and the kids started to get a little freaked out. It blew over pretty quickly, though, and then the sun came out and the kids went out to play for a while before dark. Oklahoma weather!!

Day 103

2011-04-13T13:11:00.000-05:00

Samuel fell off his bike this weekend and boogered up his knee pretty good. (I covered and water marked this picture because he's in his skibbies and I just didn't feel comfortable putting it on the ol' blog as it was.) Poor thing. He's been shedding his jeans as soon as we walk in the door every evening because they rub his sores, even with band-aids on them.

Day 101

2011-04-11T09:44:00.000-05:00

Popcorn and Spongebob- the perfect way to relax after a long day. For Samuel, at least.

Day 100

2011-04-10T14:14:00.009-05:00

Samuel is writing and illustrating his own Captain Underpants book. He decided to make a poster to hang up in his classroom advertising his new book! :) Love it! Love him!!

Oh, and his allergies are much better today.

Day 99

2011-04-09T13:37:00.012-05:00

My poor Samuel! His allergies are horrible this spring.

This picture was taken right before we left to go to Urgent Care. He was supposed to have a soccer game, but the eye he's covering was so swollen up that there was no way he could have played. He was prescribed some steroids to take the swelling down, some eye drops, and a new combination of allergy meds. Hopefully he'll get some relief soon. My poor little puffy-eyed baby!

Day 98

2011-04-08T13:59:00.001-05:00

Day seven of Samuel's science fair project. Or as I like to call it, "As the Bacteria Grows!" We're starting to get some pretty good bacteria growth going on!

This is from the front door to the school. Pretty gross, huh?!

Day 97

2011-04-07T14:04:00.014-05:00

My smart little guy took his bike apart and fixed the messed up chain all by himself! I was pretty darn impressed. I made sure all the screws were tight when he finished. Other than that, though, it was all him. I may have to put him to work fixing other things around the house! Ha!

Day 96

2011-04-06T14:25:00.001-05:00

Oh my gosh! I can't tell you how happy this little bunch of tulips makes me every time I walk by the kitchen window and see it. I got them on clearance at Wal-Mart- $2.50! I just plopped them in the same vase that the carnations had been in (didn't even change the ribbon) and put them in the kitchen window. Love!! Tulips are my favorite flower and white tulips are my absolute favorite!

Day 95

2011-04-05T14:25:00.042-05:00

Just thought it would be nice to have a picture of the school we see almost every day. (Obviously I covered the name!) This is Samuel's campus. I drop both kids off here every morning and Ashlynn shuttles to her campus.

I can't tell you how much I love this school! It is the very best public school in the area and I'm so grateful my kiddos get to be students here! Go Wildcats!

Day 91

2011-04-01T13:45:00.015-05:00

We started Samuel's science project today. He's doing a project over the "germiest" place in his school. We swabbed the class computer keyboard, his desk, the water fountain, the boys' bathroom sink, and school's front door, then we rubbed the swab in petri dishes with nutrient agar. Now we just wait for bacteria to grow!

Wonder what'll be the germiest. My money's on the boys' sink!

Day 90

2011-03-31T09:31:00.019-05:00

Ashlynn's history class has been studying China and were asked to bring Chinese food today. My crazy kid somehow talked her teacher into letting her bring fried biscuits because, "they always have them at Chinese buffet restaurants!" Silly girl. So I got up early this morning and fried some biscuits for her. They weren't really Chinese food, but they were a hit. One boy even said he'd pay her $5 if she'd make some more for him! Ha!

Day 89

2011-03-30T09:09:00.026-05:00

Samuel made the 100 Point Club in AR today so I surprised him with an oreo cake to celebrate his accompishment. He's the first in his class and one of only four (we think) in the whole 2nd grade to make the club. I'm so proud of him and his reading. He earned his points the hard way too- not all easy books for Samuel. The average grade level for the books he has read is 4.4. The books he's been into lately- Professor Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid- are 5.5. I'm so proud of my super smart little reading maniac!

Day 87

2011-03-28T09:57:00.012-05:00

My boss returned from a business trip to Germany today and brought me my favorite candy in the world- German Haribo gummi bears!! Yummm! You can't beat the German version. They're way better than the Haribo gummis you get in the states. Thanks Yolanda!

Day 86

2011-03-27T09:42:00.000-05:00

This is a horrible picture, but we went to see "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules" today. Such a cute movie. At one point, I laughed so hard I think the kids were a little embarrassed!

He loves to read!

2011-03-23T15:13:00.000-05:00

My Samuel Cade is a reading maniac!

It doesn't matter if we're in the car....

...or in a store.

If he's in his skibbies....

...or on the back of the couch.

The boy just loves to read!

And it makes his momma very happy!

Ashlynn and Family Bingo Night

2011-03-23T15:04:00.002-05:00

I can rarely get a "normal" picture of Ashlynn.

I get things like....

"I'm a very focused, fun dip eating, bingo player."

Or, "Here, get my good side, Mom!"

Wait! Looks like I snuck one in on her.

Oh, she caught me. "Super model bingo player!"

I love the little nut!

Day 82

2011-03-23T10:02:00.020-05:00

The carnations from Larry on my desk at work. This little bouquet makes me smile every time I look at it. He said he bought this one because it had lots of red flowers and he thought I'd like the red since it's the color of my beloved Sooners. (My Sooners' colors are actually crimson and creme, but that's ok!) It was so nice! Especially considering that Larry's an OSU grad!

Day 81

2011-03-22T09:48:00.027-05:00

Wow! Today I turn the big 4-0!

Even though I had to work on my birthday, it was a pretty good day. My co-workers are so good to me. When I got to work there were balloons, a funny card, and a plant from Anita. She said everyone wanted to decorate my office with black stuff, but she wouldn't let them. Thank you, 'Nita! They took me to Olive Garden for lunch and got me the most amazing chocolate cake covered with chocolate shavings. It was wonderful! In the afternoon, Larry brought me a pretty little bouquet of carnations. I don't know why I didn't think to take pictures! :(

But I did take a picture of the new OU watch Phyllis got me.

Love it!

Day 80

2011-03-21T09:20:00.002-05:00

When I got to Phyllis' to pick up the kids, they surprised me with a red velvet birthday cake. (Sissy decorated it!) Yum! It was amazing!! Phyllis also gave me a really nice gift basket with a pretty top, some of my favorite shampoos and conditioners, and the coolest OU watch!

Phyllis is such an amazing person and a wonderful grandmother to my kids. We are truly blessed to have her in our lives.

Day 79

2011-03-20T09:42:00.022-05:00

This is not another picture of a sleeping kid! I don't dare post another picture like that or I'll have to hear it from my mom.

Samuel was lying on the couch with Maddie and thought she looked cute. He wanted me to take a picture of the two of them and at the last second pretended to be asleep. Think Maddie's just a tab bit spoiled?

Day 78

2011-03-19T09:50:00.011-05:00

Samuel's first soccer game of the season with his new team. They're still calling the team the Rockets and he's still #9, but those are the only things that stayed the same. All the boys but Samuel and one other left to play competitive soccer or different sports. The new coach is nice, but we're coming off three awesome, undefeated seasons with an amazing coach! I miss the old Rockets and Coach Chris and Kim. :(

Day 77

2011-03-18T17:01:00.025-05:00

Woohoo!

Kate at The Gaines Gang had a contest and I won!

I get a really cute birthday banner. (I'll post a picture when it arrives.) Maybe it'll be here in time for my birthday and I can hang it up for myself! Ha!

Day 76

2011-03-17T14:25:00.003-05:00

Saint Patrick's Day decorations on the dining room table.

Day 75

2011-03-16T16:17:00.010-05:00

I got to have lunch with my favorite vendors, Robin and Ken from Tool Center, at my new favorite restaurant, Logan's Steakhouse. I don't know why I didn't get a picture of us. I'm just a dork who takes pictures of peanut buckets, I guess.

Day 74

2011-03-15T10:14:00.025-05:00

I got a deployment bracelet both times Steven went to Iraq and I've never taken them off. I don't know when I'll ever stop wearing them. Every time they clang together, it reminds me to say a little prayer for all our soldiers and to thank the Lord for allowing my brother to return home safely. And I don't want to ever stop doing that.

Day 73

2011-03-14T10:09:00.006-05:00

Got my bracket filled out. I love March Madness!!

Day 70

2011-03-11T16:57:00.000-06:00

Ashlynn's long awaited birthday slumber party!

Day 65

2011-03-06T16:05:00.011-06:00

Aunt Betty got Samuel a dinosaur fossil you have to excavate. He dug and dug for that dinosaur skull this evening. It's really neat but very, very messy. I told him to put some paper down and apparently he chose a sheet I'd made notes on! And them he got dirt and dust everywhere anyway. :)

Day 63

2011-03-04T16:12:00.010-06:00

Tonight the kids' school had "Family Bingo Night" to raise money for the PTO.

Ashlynn, her friend Gracy, her class' student teacher Miss. B., and I all sat together. None of us won a thing, but it was fun.

Day 61

2011-03-02T10:21:00.009-06:00

My two favorite hand lotions (currently) on my desk at work.

Day 60

2011-03-01T10:17:00.008-06:00

My favorite band in the world is Third Day. I have several of their CDs on my computer at work and listen to them almost every day. I never get tired of Mac Powell's voice!

Day 59

2011-02-28T17:27:00.025-06:00

Ok. I know it's Day 59 and I've already had several pictures of my kids sleeping.

I can't help it though. There's just something about their sweet, sleeping faces that I can't get enough of.

Pelican beanie in his hands, little slobber drop on the corner of his mouth, curled up lips....uh, I just want to kiss those squishy, rosy cheeks!

Day 58

2011-02-27T17:08:00.038-06:00

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Samuel hurt himself on his new pogo stick.

They spent the night at their father's house and as soon as we got home- I mean, the very minute we got home, as in Ashlynn and I hadn't even made it into the house yet- he got his pogo stick and started jumping on it. In his church shoes. The shoes with no traction.

His feet just slipped right off. He hit his chin on the handle bar thing and bit his tongue pretty hard on both sides. It bled and bled and I thought for a minute he might need a stitch or two. After lots of tears, a cold wet washcloth, cold water, and a few bites of a popsicle, he was ok.

He wouldn't let me take a picture of his tongue! :) But here he is later on, milking his injury, and watching Spongebob. I had to make sure to get the bandaid in the picture too. That was from a previous injury at his father's house. Poor little banged up thing!

Day 57

2011-02-26T13:05:00.005-06:00

Poop! There's been a delay with my tax return. I sure was looking forward to having that money. :(

Day 56

2011-02-25T12:23:00.079-06:00

Ashlynn went to a slumber party so Bub and I had a fun-filled evening together! Ha! We ate at El Maguey, rented a movie from Redbox, and ran to Wal-Mart for a few groceries. While we were in Wal-Mart, Samuel said, "I thought you said this was going to be a fun night, Mom!"

We went home and watched the movie we rented- Diary of a Wimpy Kid. What a cute movie! Samuel checked the book out of the library a couple of days earlier and kept looking at it while watching the movie so he could compare the two.

It was getting late when I realized I hadn't taken the photo for the day, so I pulled out Ashlynn's camera, played around with it, and zoomed in on Samuel's face to take a picture.

I don't know why, but I like this picture even though it's not very good. I think it's because, to me, he looks so young here. Most of the time when I take a picture of him I think he looks older than he really is.

But right here, his sweet little profile looks exactly the same as it did eight years ago when I first saw it and fell in love!

Day 55

2011-02-24T11:53:00.005-06:00

Ashlynn has another slumber party tomorrow night, so after work I picked the kids up and we ran to Justice to get a gift. Samuel was not happy! He just wanted to go home and read, not shop for girl clothes!

I told him he could take his book in the store and read as we shopped. As you can tell, he wasn't very pleased by the situation!

He tried to read again while we waited in line for dinner. He still wasn't too pleased by the situation or the fact that I kept taking his picture! He just wanted to be left alone to read! Poor thing!

For being such a good sport I let him pick what we had for dinner. He chose Chick-fil-A. That's my boy! Love me some Chick-fil-A!

Day 54

2011-02-23T12:09:00.047-06:00

Maddie.

Madeline.

Miss Mattitude.

My ever-present companion and protector.

I sure do love the little ~~brat~~ sweetheart.

P.S.-She really does have two ears!

Day 53

2011-02-22T10:55:00.056-06:00

The music department at Ash's school got to go on a field trip today to see the Tulsa Opera perform Don Giovanni. They'd studied the opera for a couple of weeks and she was excited to go. I snapped a picture of her before school because I thought she looked cute.

She absolutely loved the opera, by the way, and I think she even developed a little crush on the guy who played the Commendatore. :) She made a picture of him the wallpaper on her phone, learned his real name, and told me she found someone she would be happy with me marrying! Uh....ok!?!

When I got off work I ran to her parent teacher conference and got a glowing report! She could stand to try a little harder in math and history, but other than that they all said she actively participates, is well liked, and a joy to have in class. Ahh! My sweet girl!

One of the very best parts of the day, though, was that Aunt Betty called and asked if we'd like to go to her house for dinner. Heck yeah we'd like to! She had a ton of leftovers from hosting bunco at her house. It was wonderful. Dinner at AB's always is. After eating we went back to Amy's old room and went through even more of the clothes she left and no longer wants. I got several brand new outfits- slacks and tops- with the tags still on them! What a blessing!

It was a good day!

Day 52

2011-02-21T18:53:00.012-06:00

Samuel loves to play Just Dance 2 on the Wii. He's just like his sister, though, and won't let me take a picture of him as he plays.

I snuck up behind him and was able to snap this crummy picture.

This is him dancing to one of his favorites- Viva Las Vegas! I love that his screen name is Homie!

Day 51

2011-02-20T12:41:00.039-06:00

A collection of random photos recently taken by Samuel Cade.

The latest Lego set he wants off the Lego website.

The bottom of his Titanic model on the back of the couch to show how long it is.

The beginning stages of a helicopter (?).

Magee. On the couch-grrr!

Stuffed Cat in the Hat on the couch by the laundry I was folding/hanging.

Uhh? A Lego store with a hand written sign made by greasy little fingers. ?? :)

Possibly a Lego hat store to go with the cup store. ????

I never know what I'm gonna find when Samuel's had the camera, but I love it.

Day 50

2011-02-19T18:41:00.036-06:00

Samuel on his new birthday pogo stick!

This was the first time he was actually able to bounce on the pogo stick. Yes, I know he should have had on shoes. Actually, because it's Samuel- an accident waiting to happen- he should have been in full protective gear.

Also, I think it's time for a haircut. He's looking a little Eddie Munster-ish in the last picture!

Day 49

2011-02-18T13:13:00.139-06:00

Today Samuel's class finally got to have their Valentine's Day party. It had to be postponed due to Blizzard 2011 and all the missed school days.

I'm glad I have a job where I get off early on Fridays and can go to things like this. I love going to the kids' classrooms- seeing where they spend their days and the way they interact with their classmates.

One thing I noticed and wasn't too crazy about was all the attention the little girls pay my baby! There are only six girls in Samuel's class this year. Five of them were there and, honest to goodness, five of them spent the majority of the party right by Samuel. Seriously! They wouldn't leave!

Back off chickies! There's only room for one girl in his life right now and it's his momma!! Check back in 30 years or so.

Samuel showed me his desk and how he likes to keep it organized. When I looked around the room, I realized how rare his desk organization is. The other kids' desks looked like this...

and this.

I know it's blurry. I was trying to nonchalantly walk around with Ashlynn's little point and shoot to get these so I didn't look like some kind of nut taking pictures of other children's desks.

You get the idea though. Not only is my guy a chick magnet, he's also neat and organized. Or anal. However you want to look at it!

Today was also Samuel's class' turn to give the Wildcat rally.

His job in the rally was to invite all the kids who had a birthday the past week to come up.

Then he led the school in singing "Happy Birthday" to them.

The class sang a cute little song about bubble gum and it totally cracked up Samuel.

All his reading has really paid off. He was one of the students awarded for AR points.

After school he and I went home and hung out together reading and watching movies while our little social butterfly, Ashlynn, went to yet another slumber party.

Day 47

2011-02-16T09:26:00.027-06:00

Samuel's class is having their Valentine's Day party this Friday since they missed school on February 14th because of the blizzards. He's supposed to take his Valentines and box to school tomorrow, though, so I worked for about an hour putting the finishing touches on the USS Samuel Valentine box.

Here she is! Cute, huh?

It made my heart happy seeing how happy my little boy was about this box. He kept thanking me and said, "This is the best box ever, Mom! I mean, no one has ever had one this cool before!"

I may have won "Mom of the Year" for this one!

Day 46

2011-02-15T09:48:00.117-06:00

Ok. You know my plan for a "12 on the 12" album? Well, even though I marked it on my calendar, I forgot to take 12 pictures Saturday. So I did it one month and forgot about it. Oy! I don't want to give up on the idea, though, so I made up for it with 12 pictures today.

Let's hope I do better in March.

Here's 12 on the 15th!

This is the snow in the yard this morning as I stepped out the front door at 7:06. The snow has gone from pretty to melty, dirty, and gross looking.

Today is my friend Wayne's birthday. I made a quick stop at Wal-Mart to pick up a cake to take to work for him. While I was there I picked up the things Samuel's teacher asked me to bring for his V-day party Friday and some candy. Celebrating Valentine's Day after the 14th works out pretty well. I got the candy for 1/2 price!

Oh my gosh! We couldn't even wait until after lunch to cut Wayne's birthday cake because it looked so good! It's a turtle cake and tasted amazing! Good job Wal-Mart bakery!

Horrible picture of me at work. Ugh! Why can't I take a picture without cocking my head to the side? My last two driver's license pictures had the head tilt too. Sheesh! And how bare does my office wall behind me look? Boooring!

The front yard this evening when I got home at 6:20. Obviously at that time it's getting dark so the picture is pretty dark, but you can see how much the snow melted off today. Now it looks even grosser. And there's a piece of mail in the front yard Bub dropped when he was carrying it all in.

Ashlynn couldn't wait to get home because her new favorite show, House of Anubis, was on. It's about these kids in a boarding school solving some crazy mystery. When she saw me walk over with the camera she pretended to be scared. She actually had been sitting there completely entralled. Her Uncle Steven would have told her to close her mouth and teased her for being a "mouth breather"! Ha!

Bub got a Captain Underpants book we orded in the mail today. I think that's why he was so excited he dropped mail in the yard and didn't even notice it. This book has puzzles in it and he immediately plopped down and got to work.

Later on I looked over and he was on top of the couch reading another book. He's such an avid reader. I just can't tell you how happy that makes me.

I started working on his Valentine box. I know you can't tell anything here, but it's going to be a ship. Should be cute.

We put together Samuel's Valentines tonight. He wanted to give out Spongebob cards and today I found the Spongebob dipping candy on clearance so we're going to attach them to the cards. He somehow lost his class list and had to try to think of all the kids in his class. I was impressed when Ash pulled out a yearbook. Not only did he name everyone, but he told me the correct spelling of everyone's name too.

Magee in his kennel right before bedtime. His kennel could use a good cleaning. It's pretty cruddy from him going outside in the snow. He also doesn't have a blanket or towel or anything right now because he was naughty and chewed up yet another one! I know it seems mean to put him in a bare kennel, but I don't know what else to do. He chews up everything! And I'm don't want to give up another one of my towels for him to ruin in a day or two.

And to prove my point... here's an example of Magee's handywork from just tonight. While Samuel and I were working on Valentines and Ash was doing homework, Magee got a pillow I had in a basket to wash and chewed a hole in it and got stuffing everywhere! He is the sweetest, most loving dog, but if you aren't watching him, he's a destructive little thing.

Day 45

2011-02-14T12:04:00.002-06:00

Today was the kids' first day back at school after nine straight snow days. It was also Valentine's Day, but it didn't really feel like it. I gave the kids their gifts yesterday because I knew getting up and off to school this morning would be difficult enough after all the time off. We didn't need the added distraction of Valentine gifts and candy. So today we woke up and got around like any other day. The kids went to their father's house for the night and after work I just hung out at the house.

It may sound a little sad to be home alone on Valentine's Day, but it really wasn't. I got a new book today that I'd ordered so I could be part of Angie Smith's book of the month club over at (in)Courage called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I started reading it and... wow! I can see why everyone's talking about it. Here's a website- onethousandgifts.com- all about the book and it's challenge to live fully and celebrate your gifts everyday. Really, I can't say enough about this book and I love the site too.

Anyway, I got so lost in the book that I completely forgot to take a picture for the day so I'm going to cheat a little.

This is actually a picture from last year. I did something similar with the decorations this year, though, so it'll work. I guess it'll have to!

xoxo

Day 44

2011-02-13T09:47:00.007-06:00

When I saw these suckers I knew I had to get them as part of the kids' Valentine's Day gifts. Samuel's is a sign language "I love you". We flash that sign to one another all the time. And because I tell Ashlynn she rocks on a pretty regular basis, I got her a "Rock on!" sucker.

This is where the story gets good though. Ashlynn saw her sucker and thought it looked like the Texas Longhorn "hook 'em horns" sign that their fans are constantly making. (gag!) So when I came over to take a picture of the kids and their suckers, Ashlynn turned hers upside down to look like the "down horns" sign Sooner fans flash! (yay!) My baby girl used her sucker to throw down the horns! I love it!

You know, there are times when I wonder if I'm doing a good enough job as a mother. Then I see things like this and I know I must be doing something right. They're learning the important things in life! Ha! :)

Oh, and Boomer Sooner!

Day 43

2011-02-12T09:46:00.031-06:00

Woohoo! Half price day at Goodwill! We didn't go until the afternoon but were still able to find a few good deals for Sis and me. Bub was as thrilled as he usually is on GW half price day. Poor kid! He did talk me into buying him three new beanie animals since he was so good. Here he is sitting quite comfortably in the cart (ha!) holding a rhino beanie while we wait for Sis in the fitting room.

After Justice, GW, and a quick stop by Wally World, we went to Chelsea for Mom's birthday. It was just the five of us. We went to Main Street for dinner and them back to her house for cake and a little Guitar Hero. We're party animals, I tell ya!

Day 42

2011-02-11T09:44:00.012-06:00

This is a big ol' snow mountain in the Wal-Mart parking lot. All the area businesses have had their parking lots plowed, but there's nowhere to put the snow. There are giant snow piles everywhere around town! In the Wal-Mart parking lot alone there were probably 40 mountains like this. Crazy! They probably lost a quarter of their parking spots due to all the snow piled up.

Day 41

2011-02-10T09:40:00.024-06:00

It was cold, cold, COLD today! The temp in C-more this morning was -22. It was -24 in B'ville and -31 in Nowata. James said he checked the weather and it was 15 degrees at the North Pole today. We were colder than the North Pole! And the weather report says that by next Thursday the temp will be in the high 60's/ low 70's. A 90 degree change in temperature in one week! Crazy Oklahoma weather!

The kids didn't have school again today, but I had to go to work. Boo! The roads were still pretty slick so the drive in to work was slow, but I did see a rainbow. This is inside the port about a mile from work. I wish I would have gotten a better picture, but I was stopped in the middle of the road and could see a car was coming. I'm dedicated to my project 365, but not enough to chance a car sliding into me 'cause I'm taking pictures of a rainbow!

Day 40

2011-02-09T09:39:00.061-06:00

It snowed again today! We got around 18 more inches! I can't believe this weather!

I didn't work today or do much of anything picture worthy. It was getting late when I realized I hadn't taken a picture for the day so I snapped one of the dogs when I put them out just before bed. Poor babies! It was a little too cold for their liking so, needless to say, they weren't very happy about being models for the daily 365 picture. I figure the least they can do is let me take their picture. After all, they have been "taking care of business" on the porch right by the front door! I'm gonna have a heck of a mess when all the snow and ice finally melts.

And again, why can't I ever fix their glowing eyes?!?

Day 38

2011-02-07T09:32:00.057-06:00

My baby.

My sweet Samuel whose name, fittingly, means "asked of God".

My precious gift who has been everything I prayed for and more.

Today he is 8.

For eight years I've been blessed to have him.

For eight years I've thanked the Lord every day for allowing me to be his momma.

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord granted me what I asked of him."

1Samuel 1:27

Happy Birthday Samuel Cade! I love you!

Day 37

2011-02-06T15:55:00.006-06:00

I shoveled and shoveled and shoveled some more today! First I had to shovel enough to get the car pulled back up into the driveway. My neighbor helped me do that. Thank goodness! Then I shoveled the porch and sidewalk. Quite the cardio workout!

I picked up the kids and when we got home they decided they wanted to help.

Here's my sweet boy in the middle of the yard shoveling. Yeah. I have no idea why he'd choose to shovel the middle of the yard, but whatever!

Then Sissy came along and there was lots of chasing each other and throwing snowballs.

The last time I saw either one of them anywhere near the snow shovel again it was here. Samuel fell and Ash was sitting on him. Nice! Needless to say, they weren't a whole heck of a lot of help with the shoveling of the snow.

Their grandpa picked them up and they spent the night with Memaw and Pepaw. School's out again, I have to work in the morning, and they'd be going there anyway. This way I don't have to drag them out early in the morning on the still slippery roads.

Right before they left, though, they talked me into letting them have the Oreo cake I bought as a belated Ashlynn's birthday/pre-Samuel's birthday treat.

This was the picture I got of them blowing out cakes. It wasn't good (except that you can see how happy Samuel is) so I had them restage the picture. :) They'd already starting taking the candles off the cake when I suggested the do-over and weren't very happy about it.

Here is the do-over picture. It makes me smile.

Don't think any of us will be winning an Academy Award any time soon, although Ashlynn does look pretty convincing in her role as "Candle Blower Girl". My attention to detail as the director of this re-staging was horrible. They're holding the already removed candles! And Samuel...oy! It's very obvious that he's not actually blowing!

That Oreo cake was really, really good though! Oh, and the Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburg Steelers to win the Super Bowl.

Day 36

2011-02-05T15:31:00.003-06:00

Freedom! We made it out of the house!

The kids' father came and picked them up at 1:00. After they left I went out to my car and started digging it out and cleaning off all the ice and snow. I really didn't think I'd be able to get out of the driveway, but somehow I managed to do it. I picked up Mom and we went out to eat and then to Wal-Mart. It felt so good to get out! It stunk when I got home, though, because I got stuck in the drive trying to pull back in. The snow was fun for a few days, but now it's getting on my nerves!

Wal-Mart was crazy. It was really busy and there were lots of empty shelves. It was the first day most people were able to get out and, if they're anything like us and ate and ate and ate while they were stuck at home, they were needing everything. Plus, I'm sure Wal-Mart hadn't been able to receive any deliveries for the past several days. Oh yeah, and they're predicting another foot of snow this week so everyone is stocking up again!

Yep. That's right. Another foot of snow! Oy! With all these snow days the kids may be going to school until July!

Day 35

2011-02-04T15:05:00.011-06:00

My baby girl's birthday! I can't believe she's 12! Oh! It makes my heart ache thinking about how grown up she's getting.

This is a horrible picture of her (we're still stuck in the house with no chance of getting out today and she's on the phone with her father who's wishing her a happy birthday), but it was taken at 9:42 a.m.- the time she was born. 12 years old exactly!

Exactly 12 years ago, my world was changed and I was blessed to become a momma to my amazing, precious girl.

Samuel was so sweet. A couple of days ago, when it became apparent that we wouldn't be able to get out of the house to do anything for her birthday and her party would have to be cancelled, Samuel made something for his sister. He showed it to me and said, "I feel sorry for Sissy. I'd be sad if I was stuck in the house on my birthday!" Then he hid it from her so it would be a surprise.

Here it is. It says, "Happy b-day Ash". I thought it was really sweet.

My poor girl! She definitely won't forget her 12th birthday. The weather ruined everything. She didn't get a cake, a present, a visitor, anything! Had I known the storm was going to be this bad, I would have made arrangements so the three of us could have at least had a little celebration at the house. I didn't know though. It couldn't be helped, but I still feel terrible. She's been so looking forward to her slumber party. We'll reschedule it and make her 12th birthday party as "fun memorable" as her actual birthday was "crappy memorable"!

I love you Ashlynn Elizabeth! More than you could ever know!

Day 34

2011-02-03T14:51:00.046-06:00

Day 3 of being forced to stay home by Blizzard 2011. (Shucks! :) )

So what are we doing after three days at home?

We're reading. **

Watching movies.

Texting and playing games on the phones.

Sorting Nerds candy by color. (That's when you know you're bored!)

Playing lots of Legos, of course.

We're also playing board games and eating A LOT!

But mostly....

We're just lying around stinkin'!

** Yeah. I know. There's a blizzard outside and Samuel's hanging around in his skibbies. (I did make him cover himself up a little for the pictures.) Ash and I like the heat turned up and it makes him too hot. He's outnumbered though! Poor little warm natured, sweatin' baby!

Day 33

2011-02-02T14:25:00.008-06:00

Today is Day 33 of Project 365 and Day 2 of staying home due to Blizzard 2011.

I didn't take many pictures today because we just lounged around the house all day. It was really, really nice being forced to slow down, chill out, and not worry about work, homework, or anything else. I feel like it was just the breather I was needing.

The pictures today are of horrible quality- blurry, bad lighting- but they're all I've got and they make me laugh. Ashlynn talked Samuel into playing "baby". She swaddled him in an OU snuggie and tried to hold him and rock him. His expression in the second picture just cracks me up. Oh the games his sister can talk him into playing with her!

Day 32

2011-02-01T14:21:00.003-06:00

Blizzard 2011!

Wow! They were right! It was a BIG storm. Big! Huge! I'm not sure exactly how much snow we got. The news said between 18" and 21". That, in and of itself, was pretty bad for Oklahoma, but it was also so windy that there are huge snow drifts everywhere. And there's a layer of sleet and ice underneath it all! We could be stuck here for days!

This was taken looking out my front door and across the street at 12:27 p.m.. The wind was howling, the snow was flying, and the visability was horrible. It was just like you'd see in a movie!

I really wanted to get some pictures to show just how bad this storm was, but it was difficult. I could only push the storm door open about a foot because of all the snow. This is underneath the overhang of the porch.

So I squeezed out the door and stuck the tape measure in the snow on the porch. I know 9" doesn't seem that deep, but again, this was on my covered porch. The snow in the yard was much, much deeper. I couldn't make it out to the yard to get pictures because I don't have any boots and my shoes were already soaked just from coming out on the porch! Dangit! I'm so upset that I missed a really good photo op because of a lack of boots!

This is my birdbath. I'd say it stands about 3' tall and all but about, oh I don't know, 8" are covered.

It was one heck of a storm, for sure!

Later we scooped some snow up off the porch to make snow ice cream. I'd never made snow ice cream before and thought it would be something fun for the kids. Ashlynn and I didn't like it that much so Bub ate the most of it. Oh, and Ashlynn dropped a few chocolate chips in it. We really didn't pick up brown snow! Haha!

And with that we made it through Day 1 of Blizzard 2011!

Day 31

2011-01-31T12:59:00.003-06:00

Oh boy! There's a BIG storm coming! There's no school tomorrow and the company I work for has shut down because the forecast is saying it's a storm the likes of which we haven't had around here in years! I went to the grocery store at lunch to stock up on necessities (apparently everyone else did too because that place was a mad house!), picked the kids up after work, went home and got ready to hunker down for a few days.

One of the things I wanted to do before the storm was cover my outside faucets. I hadn't been able to find covers in any stores all winter, so I improvised and made my own with foam and duck tape. I got the homemade covers rigged up and on the faucets just before the sleet started. Yay me! :) After I'd come back inside and had a few minutes to thaw out I looked over at Ashlynn to see her entertaining herself with two little pieces of duck tape.

I love this goofy kid!

Day 30

2011-01-30T12:20:00.001-06:00

The kids went to their father's house this afternoon. Before they went, though, Ashlynn and I got the gift bags put together for the girls invited to her spa slumber party. They're full of spa related items and I think the girls are going to like them. Ashlynn's so excited about this party! Sweet girl!

Day 29

2011-01-29T11:35:00.002-06:00

Today was a beautiful day- 73 degrees in January! We should have taken advantage of the weather and done something really fun outside, but we didn't. We just hung around the house and cleaned, played Wii, and watched movies. We'll probably regret not doing something outside because they're predicting a foot of snow next week. Ugh! Oklahoma weather!

I'm so happy about my kids' love of reading lately that I thought a good pic of the day would be of the books we all went to bed reading. Samuel can't get enough of Dav Pilkey and Ashlynn is hooked on Margaret Peterson Haddix. I'm reading the Mitch Albom book. I got it at a church garage sale where they let you have everything you could cram in a brown paper bag for $1. And I must say, it alone was more than worth the $1. Very good book! (Pic was taken in the dining room so, yep, those are the doors in the background! They're just part of the decor now!)

Day 28

2011-01-28T11:10:00.000-06:00

Ashlynn and I ran to Owasso today after school and work to get party supplies for her big 12th birthday slumber party coming up next Friday. (Once again Samuel wanted to go to Memaw's instead of coming with us.) These are the little invitations she's taking to give the girls on Monday. We're having a spa themed party and Ashlynn's so excited she can barely stand it.

Oh, and I finally broke down and got a new cell phone today- a Blackberry. Ugh! I'm so glad to be rid of that piece of poop LG phone!

Day 27

2011-01-27T10:50:00.028-06:00

Work is pretty slow right now. From what I understand this is the slowest it's been in the company's 48 year history. It just feels weird after coming off of a couple of record breaking, pull your hair out you're so busy years. So, yep, this is my desk during the slow time. Maybe one day I'll get it all cleared up and everything caught up! Yeah, right!! Oh, and the hot pink piece of paper is a flyer from Goodwill. Half price day is February 12! Gotta keep the important paperwork on top!!

Day 26

2011-01-26T13:06:00.008-06:00

My addiction. I always have a Diet Dr. Pepper first thing in the morning when I get to work.

Day 25

2011-01-25T10:45:00.014-06:00

Anita and I went to lunch at the Pecan Porch today. Love their food (chicken tortilla soup!) and decor. It's my favorite place to eat.

Day 24

2011-01-24T13:48:00.029-06:00

Random picture today. I love carrying a point and shoot in my purse- pictures anytime, anywhere. I sure am glad Santa brought Ashlynn one! Ha!

Speaking of purses... this is my new Thirty-one purse on my desk at work. Anita got it for me and I love it! Love her! And not just because she's the best gift giver ever!

Case in point... she gave me that little stuffed OU football and bear too. She knows me well!

Day 23

2011-01-23T10:44:00.000-06:00

Samuel checked out another Dav Pilkey book and read it all weekend. It's a 4.7 grade level book and he wants to make sure he makes a 100% on it when he takes the AR test. He has been a reading maniac lately! I love it!

I didn't do any reading, but I did watch a little football. It's going to be Green Bay and Pittsburg in Super Bowl XLV.

Day 22

2011-01-22T10:15:00.038-06:00

Today Ashlynn and I headed to Tulsa to take advantage of Harps Double Coupon Day. (Samuel didn't want to go and stayed with Memaw, which was a good thing because it took us several hours. He would not have liked it at all!)

I was pretty proud of Ash and myself. We saved $51.48 with our coupons. That's 55%! I love Double Coupon Day!

Speaking of saving money. Samuel built a little piggy bank with Legos. I told him that anytime he wanted to he could take pictures to add to the the photo-a-day project and this is what he wanted added today.

And I can't believe I'm showing this, but here's another picture he took. I thought he was zooming in on his bank. I had no idea I would be in the picture. Obviously!! It cracks me up. Me in all my wild-haired-big-crazy-looking-eyed-pimple-on-my-chin-licking-my-teeth glory! Yikes! I keep thinking of the Price is Right girls and the way they hold things up for the cameras! I'm the Okie, hillbilly version of Barker's Beauties! Hahaha! *snort*

Day 21

2011-01-21T23:32:00.053-06:00

Today was a good day.

I got off work early and had a way overdue lunch with Stephanie, went home and took a short nap, then headed to Mom's for James' and WayJ's joint birthday.

They shared a cake with 36 candles total. I can't believe WayJ is 4! I really can't believe my baby brother's 32!!

One of the little gifts I got for WayJ was Cootie. (I'm trying to start him out lovin' board games early.) We played a rousing game and he won. :) Can't you tell how thrilled James is?! Haha!

The hit of the night, though, was the little shooting game Mom got him.

Air blows the little styrofoam balls up and you try to shoot them with darts. Looks like he aimed a little high on this shot. :) He loved this game. He's definitely his daddy's son and his uncle's nephew when it comes to stuff like that.

And seeing as how the picture on my blog of me lovin' on him is four years old now, I had Mom take a couple of new pictures of us.

2007

2011

It was a good day!

ETA- I was looking at all the pictures of Way and in every single one of them it looks like he has a bald spot! He really doesn't. He'd been wearing a sock cap and it messed up his hair. Just didn't want anyone out there in blogland to think my nephew is balding! Ha! :)

Day 20

2011-01-20T23:27:00.004-06:00

Yay! Snow day!!

School was cancelled and I took the day off. We really didn't do much of anything. It was nice to just hang out around the house together with nowhere to go and nothing to do.

By afternoon the kids were ready to go outside. Ash went next door to play with Bailey and Samuel went outside and played by himself for a little while. It's not much fun to play in the snow all alone, though.

Bub doesn't have a good pair of "playing in the snow gloves", so it didn't take long until his hands were soaked and freezing and he was ready to come inside.

Poor little frozen handed baby!

I love a snow day and wish we had more of them. It was a nice little break in the routine for all of us.

Day 19

2011-01-19T23:18:00.006-06:00

There's a storm heading our way, so the kids and I went to Wally to stock up on necessities in case we're snowed in. They were both so embarrassed that I was taking pictures of the Wal-Mart sign in the dark parking lot. Oh well. I'm sure it's not the last time I embarrass 'em! :)

I told the kids that any time they want to, they can take pictures to be included in the photo-a-day post and album. This is Samuel's picture of the day for January 19th, 2011.

He had me take the picture and specifically asked me not to show his head! Ha! This is his latest Lego masterpiece- a two story restaurant with floor to ceiling windows on the upper level. I have a feeling a lot of Samuel's pictures are going to include Legos.

Day 18

2011-01-18T23:15:00.005-06:00

The kids went to their father's house for the evening so, after a very uneventful day at work, I went home, ate a sandwich for dinner, and watched the Sooner men play basketball.

They won tonight, but it looks like it might be a long season for the Sooners.

Day 17

2011-01-17T22:47:00.003-06:00

Ha! I love these pictures. Samuel was making fun of the show Ash was watching- The Next Great Baker. He said someone on the show was really dull and looked like this.

He looks really crazy in this one. The shadow behind him makes him look like a lump head! I feel sorry for the person on the show who looks like this! :)

Day 16

2011-01-16T22:09:00.007-06:00

Tonight was the series finale of Hannah Montana. I snapped this picture of Ash as she watched. (And ate an apple.) I guess she's not too broken up about it ending.

And here's a picture of the end of the show. We knew all along how it would end. Of course Hannah/Miley would come back and go to college with Lilly.

So long Hannah Montana. We've bought your CDs, gone to see your movies and concerts, and watched your show faithfully for several years now. And by "we", I mean Ashlynn! I think she's going to miss you more than she lets on. I'm sure she'll have never ending re-runs to remember you by, though. Ha!

Day 15

2011-01-15T21:53:00.004-06:00

Legos, Lego boxes, and Lego books and magazines everywhere!

To say that Samuel loves Legos is putting it mildly. We've got to find a way to organize them though.

Normally the Legos everywhere drive me crazy. Then I find some cute little creation like this, which I later found out was a restaurant, and I'm reminded that one day he'll be grown and I'll long for the days of constantly stepping on and sweeping up Legos. I guess Legos everywhere isn't so bad afterall!

Day 14

2011-01-14T10:15:00.003-06:00

Woohoo! It's Friday! The sunrise was really pretty this morning. I snapped this on the drive to work after dropping the kids off at school.

We decided to have a movie night. I love Redbox. Especially when I have a coupon for a free movie!

Shrek the 4th for Samuel and Ashlynn and me too, I guess. We all love Shrek. Letters to God for all of us, Charlie St. Cloud for Ash and me too a little (Zac Efron!), Grown Ups for me.

Day 13

2011-01-13T21:42:00.029-06:00

Bub read this entire little chapter book this evening. I'm so proud of him and his love of reading.

After the book he konked out on the couch. A perfect evening in my mind- falling asleep after reading a good book. The only problem here, though, is that he's still dressed and hasn't had his bath. I hated to wake him. I think he looks so cute when he sleeps. (Obviously I think my kids are cute when they sleep. It's day 13 and this is the 3rd picture of the day with a sleeping child. :) )

12 on the 12th

2011-01-12T09:48:00.004-06:00

Another little thing I want to do with my Project 365 this year is a "12 on the 12th" project. The plan is that by the end of the year you'll have 12 pictures on 12 days for 12 months.

So here we go.

Bub in the car as I'm dropping both kiddos off for school. It was still dark outside so the camera flash was really bright.

First thing I do when I get to work is check the weather. It's gonna be cold all day.

Back at work after lunch with one of my favorite vendors. "Work" lunches are one of my favorite perks of being a buyer.

It seems like everywhere I go there's road construction. This is inside the Port.

Talked to Mom on the drive home.

The kids are at their father's house tonight so I can do whatever I want for dinner. And what I want is ravioli and garlic bread. Quick, easy and yummy. Also one of the reasons my butt's not getting any smaller!

I had these two at my feet begging the whole time I was fixing dinner. I need to mop the kitchen floor. And why can't you fix dogs glowing eyes like you fix red eye on people?

I was going to start cleaning, organizing, and getting rid of a lot of the stuff on the desk and hutch in the utility room. It's become a catch all for all kinds of knick-knacky stuff. I walked in, took a photo, became overwhelmed and knew I'd never finish in one evening, and walked back out. Maybe I'll tackle this little project over the weekend. I think I need to start with a good dusting!

Instead of de-cluttering the hutch, I washed, folded, and put away a load of blankets.

Turned on the TV and was happy to find the Lady Sooners playing. They won too!

It's time for bed and, even though it says it's about 72 degrees in the house, I'm freezing. Wore sweats to bed!

This is the book I'm reading right now. Perfect book for someone a little bummed about hitting a milestone birthday this year.

Day 11

2011-01-11T20:07:00.005-06:00

Cold, snowy, yucky day.

One good thing about days like these is that I get to really see the little squirrels who live in the tree in our backyard. Normally they are so fast- grabbing acorns, drinking from the dogs' water dish, and running back up the tree in a little brown flash. When there's snow or ice on the ground, though, it slows them down and I get a good look at all three of them. I love watching them dig for their acorns and breaking the layer of ice on top of the dogs' water dish to get a drink.

See him (or her) there? So cute.

This little guy (or gal) was drinking out of the dogs' tub on the back porch. I was standing at the french doors only about two feet away from him. It's so cold he didn't even care about the crazy lady standing that close to him snapping pictures like some sort of paparazzi!

Day 10

2011-01-10T22:45:00.046-06:00

Ashlynn cracks me up. She likes to dress in some crazy outfit when she plays her new Wii games (Glee, Just Dance 2, and Michael Jackson Experience). I guess it helps her because she rocks all three games. She blows Samuel and me away when we play with her.

I wanted to get a picture of her tonight in her Wii playing outfit- last year's Easter dress (which is way, way too short now) and leggings, with the hang up loop thing hanging out! She wouldn't let me take her picture though. C'mon Ash. You said you wanted me to take more pictures of you!

I know this isn't a very good picture, but it's the only one I could get. I had to sneak up on her after she'd quit playing and forgotten about the camera. The only part of her awesome outfit you can see is the hang up loop thing sticking out. You can kinda see how it doesn't fit anymore by how low the back is. She'd already taken the leggings off and tugged on the dress to try to cover her legs a little. It was either most of her back showing, or her butt hanging out. She chose back. It was an awesome outfit, trust me!

Day 9

2011-01-09T22:54:00.006-06:00

I've decided I'm tired of putting clean clothes in a laundry basket and not getting them folded before they're wrinkled and need to be ironed. I'm also tired of folded clothes sitting in a laundry basket instead of being put away. They always end up with dog hair on them because Maddie loves to climb into a basket of clean clothes to sleep.

New laundry procedure at the Doolittle casa: Step 1- wash and dry. Step 2- fold or place on hanger immediately after pulling out of the dryer. Step 3- put away in dressers or closets immediately following folding. :) Simple right?!?

Well, old habits are hard to break. For extra motivation today, I did the folding on the dining room table. Can't eat dinner with clothes on the table so they'll have to be put away!

Hey, whatever it takes to stay motivated!

Day 8

2011-01-08T21:23:00.004-06:00

Ashlynn complained that I haven't been taking pictures of her. She didn't give me much material today, though. It was definitely a lazy Saturday for Sis. The first week back at school after Christmas break wore her out.

Here she is konked out in the big chair, so sleepy she didn't even take her glasses off. Poor baby.

Of course, if anyone's going to lie down with a blanket, Maddie's gonna be right there with them.

I don't think this is quite what Ash had in mind when she told me to take more pictures of her. :)