Summer Flashback

The San Antonio Hyatt has an amazing hotel which is great for kids given it has a small beach with shallow water and a lazy river. Here is snapshot of the girls cooling off and playing in the river.

Photo Favorite

Well, we didn't make top 10 at Trendy Treehouse on the Shutter Love Tuesdays, but Jerry & the kids were a host favorite.  Click on the button in my sidebar to view the winners and favorites!!!

I Heart Pets

It's pets week at I Heart Faces and given this is a blog about our family and not just photography, I thought I should include all of our pets... even the soft cuddly stuffed ones!! 

We have two very small dogs, Sushi and Sake if you can locate them above.
We also have...
An Elephant, Darcy
A Horse, Rocky
Pink & blue bunnies that sing Jesus Loves Me
A lion, Roary
A pink pig, Bacon
Some poor un-named bunnies
A Leopard
A white bear that lights up, Twinkle Bear
A Panda named Pandy
A white tiger, Oreo
Tigger
A big dog, Bisquit
A little brown dog, Crackers
A big white dog, Big Dog
A dog blanket, Cuddle Dog
and 3 Zhu Zhu pets... Chip Chip, Rosey, and Winky!!!

Head over to I Heart Faces and check out all the other wonderful pet shots!!!

Bye Bye Cribs....

Nothing stays the same... Wednesday afternoon I had a doctors appointment so my Mom put the kids down for naps and babysat. When I came home, she told me Cody had climbed out of his crib a couple of times... Yes, we went through this with the triplets and I had hoped Cody would never figure out this trick.

We didn't move the triplets into big beds until they were 2 years 4 months old and Cody won't be two until mid July, so he still seemed to young. I was afraid we would deal with a child up throughout the night. I was more afraid of injury, so when Jerry got home I had him convert his crib to a toddler bed (until I can buy him a twin) and crossed our fingers he wouldn't wander. The 1st night, he got out of bed twice and quickly learned getting out of bed comes with consequences. Day 2 naps, no problem!! Woo Hoo. 2nd night, he got out of bed and peaked out the door, but quickly ran back to his bed when he saw Jerry. He KNOWS he isn't suppose to get out of bed. He went down no problem, but fell out of the bed during the night, so he has a rail now. All in all, I am holding my breath his transition to a big bed goes as well as the triplets.

Sisters...

What I LOVE about The Paper Mama is it's about kiddos and man I love my babies. Here is one of my favorite shots of the girls... they are truly buddies and recently have started insisting that they sleep in the same bed (twin bed), but it's ok with me. I love that they are great "buddies"

A Father's Love

When I married my wonderful husband, I sure married a wonderful Dad!!

Walk a little slower daddy
said a little child so small,
I'm following your footsteps
and I don't want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast
sometimes they are hard to see,
so walk a little slower Daddy,
For you are leading me.

Someday when I'm all grown up
you are what I want to be,
then I will have a little child
who will want to follow me.

I would want to lead just right
and know that I was true,
so walk a little slower Daddy,
For I must follow you!

There is no man I'd rather have my children follow...  he will lead them well.


PS... I went to another computer recently (with a diffent style monitor) and noticed our photos looked really bad when using blogger photo upload, so I've moved back to flickr. I reloaded some previously posted photos using flickr as well so older post should also look better.

Be sure at visit Trendy Treehouse for the other great photos!!!!

From babies to little kids

ou hate to rush the your little one's itty bitty years, but the triplets are now 3 years 8 months and are becoming more independent each day.  They are able to work the stair baby gate and have free run of the house.  Cody, however being one month short of 2 is stuck downstairs crying.  He is always too little or too young to do what the triplets are doing and I feel soooo sorry for him.  I am ready for him to be part of the triplets play group and I'm ready to be free of diapers, baby gates, changing tables, and all the other baby clutter around the house.  But, I don't want to rush him outgrowing his chubby baby thighs, his wet baby kisses, and sweet little baby hands and feet....

Yes, we are done having kids....  I do wish I could be pregnant again and give birth again because it's a highlight in my life like my wedding, but our family is complete and we are slowly slipping away from enjoying babies to enjoying our growing children.

Water Days

Ahhh, the kids are at a Summer Fun camp today and I am posting with absolute quiet. I can hear the clicks on the keypad as I write this... what a beautiful noise....

Well, here is another picture from the water hose shots we took the other night. I posted a few the other day and have a couple more still to post.

Smiles

Welcome Back to The Little Gym

Today was our 1st day back to The Little Gym since last summer and oh my....  a good time was had by all!!!  The triplets are a year older and sooo much better equipped to enjoy all the Gym has to offer and this year Cody is able to participate.  We had a GREAT time!!!  Jadon was soooo funny.  He is so much more confident and did his I'm soooo excited dance I just can't contain it anymore.  It's an investment taking 4 kids to the Gym, but worth every penny!!!

We let the kids play outside last night and Jerry got out the water hose....  here are a couple shots.  I'll share more later.

A Child's Imagination

The queen of play...  Addison.... 

Addison is a world of imagination in and of herself.  She regularly disappears and I find her with all her dolls lined up around the dining room table with plates of "play" food in front of them or with all her dolls tucked perfectly in my bed sleeping.  I get the "Shhhh, you have to be quiet, my babies are sleeping."  Her imaginative play never stops.  Last night she said, "I'm going to give my babies a bath.  I'm the mommy.  I'm a pretend mommy, not a real mommy like you."

Clean Her Up... It's Photo Time

he kids had finished up lunch and Addison had her head resting on the table and once again I had my camera clicking (much to the dismay of the kids)... well, I take that back... Kaylee recently has been asking me to take her picture and the other day said, "Mom, it's ok if you want to take my picture."  So beautiful, Did I mention when she was in the NICU the nurses said she looked like the next Angelina Jolie?

Build me a son, O Lord...

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know Thee….Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clean, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.
~General Douglas MacArthur

And thanks to Julie at The Peanut Gallery... I found this on her site several months ago and put it back for future use since I thought it was soooo good.

I Heart Playing...

This weekend we went to my parent's pool and I was determined to get a really great "play" shot.... well, as it turned out my favorite shot was of Cody just taking it all in...  

TGIF

Well,

It's finally Friday and the kiddos and I are all officially over our illness, but now Jerry has it.  Hopefully, his fever will pass today and we can have a good weekend.  My parents have been in Dallas all week, so I am missing adult conversation throughout the day. 

We got a new movie while the kids were sick, Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaur which I have watched at least twice a day for the last week.  If I have to watch an animated show, I have to admit this is one of the better ones. 

I'm looking forward to next week and getting back on our normal routine.  I complain at times that our life is too structured.  It has to be for the kids, but I am honestly looking forward to getting back on track...  Go figure.??

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

Once again, I haven't had time to do much personal photo editing, I've been putting my time to better use....  Two weeks ago I was approved as a volunteer DRA (Digital Retouch Artist) for the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep organization.  NILMDTS is a group of volunteer photographers who give their time taking memorial photos of angel babies whose lives were cut short due to preterm labor, complications, or any variety of reason.  Many times the babies are severely damaged due to life saving measures and their little bodies are so fragile; so I have been spending my time repairing the damage so families can have beautiful photos of their little angels.  I have also attained a paying job retouching newborn photos for a group of photographers.  I encourage you, if you have time to visit NILMDTS and see if you can help with either your talents or with a contribution.  I first learned about this organization when they touched the life of my brother and sister-in-law.  One of the photos taken hangs in their bedroom today.

Illness Update

ell,  I have to say I've had better holiday weekends...  I have better weekends all around....

On Tuesday, I picked the kids up from school (their last day) and it was casually mentioned as we were walking out that one of the kids had tested positive for Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease.  Great....  well, Wednesday evening Cody started running a low grade fever, followed by the triplets shortly after.  The low grade fever quickly turned into 103+ fevers, followed by mouths full of sores and ulcers making the consumption of any food or beverage unbearable.  Are we having fun yet??? 

Trapped in the house with 4 sick kids, watching nonstop animated flix, and lots of crying.... not fun.  Well, to make things worse on Sunday afternoon I fell victim to the illness and started running fever.  My fever has reached a high of 103 and the throat is starting to get yucky.

My parents are going to see Baby Lane (my nephew) this week so they can't come help me due to the exposure risk and Jerry can't easily take off work... so I am home sick with kids which I have to say are feeling better now....  WHOA!!!  Back up.  Yes, they are feeling better now, but Kaylee unexplicitly threw up her chocolate milk this morning all over the front of her PJs and the sofa....  not a great way to start the day.  Gonna be a rough week I'm afraid, do I dare say it can only get better....