Am I the only one?

Am I the only parent who can't get her children to cooperate for a photo?

Please tell me I'm not alone.

I thought the boys looked handsome on Sunday, and I was determined to get a photo after church.  Will didn't want any part of it, and Ben refused to put down the sippy cup.

I was tickled to get one photo of them looking at me.

Let me show you the effort it took to get the photo above...

First, they wanted to look at everything but the camera. 

Next, Will looked but Ben was too busy drinking his juice. 

Ben is being a little ham and Will is bored. 

Now Will looks but Ben is thirsty again. 

I have them cornered by the door. There's no where to go so you might as well look and smile. 



So much work for one photo!  That's why I hired a professional to take their photograph.  If you noticed the new photos on the side of the blog, all credit goes to the extremely talented Lauren.  She took spring photos of our family at the Dallas Arboretum in March.  I plan to share my favorites with you soon.  She did an amazing job.

Just Because

I took these photos just because the boys were having fun on Saturday morning playing in the backyard.  I don't want to forget lazy Saturday mornings at home and Mark pushing the boys on the swings. 

Life is good.

One more just because...
I posted this verse on my facebook status last night.
Hopefully it will encourage you today.


Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us




Concert, Sprouts, High Heels, Q&A and VBS

It's Monday so here's some random for you to start the week!

#1

In less than a week we'll be seeing--

--The Avett Brothers--

Image

--live in concert at the Palladium Ballroom in Dallas.  To say that I'm excited is an understatement.  If you've never listened to their music, you must.  They've been called "punk-grass", but I think their music has too many dimensions to label it as one genre.  Another bonus is Langhorne Slim is opening.  My sister-in-law purchased the tickets months ago.  By the way, we're going to show with Mark's brother and his wife.  They are huge Avett fans, too.  We all receive the presale ticket info via email so we had first dibs at getting them online.  She was so on top of getting the tickets that we almost got backstage passes!!!  The first 30 tickets get to go backstage and our tickets are #33, 34, 35, 36.  I would have been beside myself if we made it backstage.  I'm not too disappointed because my husband made a good point, he said it was probably for the best since we're not really cool enough for the backstage scene.  We all got a good laugh out of that.  Honestly,  he's probably right ;)

#2

You know I'm obsessed with my sprouts.  So far my zinnia and marigold seeds are thriving.  This is what they look like currently.  My father-in-law is supposed to come over this week and till up a spot in my yard to plant a garden.  I'll have to ask him what I should do next.  I'm not sure when I need to transplant them.

#3

I purchased a pair of high heels this weekend.  I thought they would go with several spring outfits and my Easter dress. 

Does anyone else buy an Easter dress?  I still do.

I usually don't wear high heels, but these are actually comfortable.  No joke.

I brought them home and tried them on to make sure I didn't look silly.  My husband assured me that I didn't look silly.  I think I'm going to really like them.  (I bought them at TJ Maxx, in case you were wondering AND you can still see the tacky blue sticker on the heel.  Oops!)

#4

A new blog friend, Robin, tagged me in a Q&A.  I'm terrible at breaking chain letters and passing on blog games, but I did want to take a moment and answer the questions.  I'm always up for a good Q&A.

Food: Pei Wei, anything and everything on the menu is so yummy.

Color: Blue, although my house has a lot of neutrals

Animal: I have a fish at school named Jett.  We don't have any pets at home.  We've been thinking about getting the boys a dog.  It's such a big commitment, so I'm not sure about it yet.

Dessert: Love dessert!  The Cheesecake Factory original cheesecake with strawberries.  Perfection!

Artist: I'm all about the upcoming concert so my focus is on music right now--The Avett Bros.


Pair of shoes: TOMS, so comfortable and socially responsible

Outfit: I'm really wearing a lot of skirts right now.  They are comfy and cool in the Texas heat.  I also live in shorts and tank tops in the summer.

Skinny Jeans: Yes. I bought a pair about 6 months ago and they've ended up being one of my favorite items of clothing.  I swore I'd never wear them so now I'm having to eat my words.

Brand: Anthropologie, Gap, Target

Perfume: This is sad, but I don't really wear perfume.  Some ladies have a signature fragrance, but I don't.  Any suggestions?  I do have some body sprays from Bath and Bodyworks that I like.

Accessory: Wedding Band and Engagement Ring and ring from Sundance--all from my sweet husband

City: NYC or Seattle

Hobby: Gardening, Blogging, Shopping, Hanging out with my husband and little boys

Beauty Product: Moisturizer and lotion

Holiday: Christmas or Halloween

Snack: Cracked Pepper & Olive Oil Triscuits or fresh fruit

Movie: Best in Show, You've Got Mail, Notting Hill, Pride and Prejudice, The Holiday, Pretty Woman, Hope Floats Dirty Dancing, Garden State, Steel Magnolias.
It's hard to choose just one.  I have so many.

Song: Let me give one more shout-out to the Avett Bros, "Swept Away" or "Talk On Indolence" or "Distraction #74" or "I and Love and You" or "Go to Sleep" or "The Perfect Space" or "Kick Drum Heart".  Picking a favorite song is like trying pick a favorite child.  I don't know if you can.

Guilty Pleasure: Shopping or Blogging and Blue Bell ice cream fudge bars


#5
I help coordinate VBS at our church and we had our first meeting on Sunday.  I'm so happy that there are a lot of people who are willing to volunteer and work.  It's one of my favorite things that we do at our church.  It's such a big undertaking that I probably won't blog the entire week that it's going on.  I'm excited and nervous all at the same time.

I'll be linking up to lowercase letters

Miscellany Monday

Jane Marie

When I was a young girl, I loved to play with baby dolls.  My favorite baby doll of all time was named Jane Marie.  My grandma said I named her after a character on one of the soap operas she watched.  Isn't that funny?

These crocheted afghans were baby blankets for my baby dolls.  They were made by my very talented great-grandmother, Mama Lynn.  The sweet, little blankets were the perfect size for my baby doll, Jane Marie.  I remember playing happily for hours with my baby dolls and these blankets.

To see more sentimental treasures, check out Sit Relax and Read.  Cha Cha hosts the sweetest link up where you can share what's in your home that's near and dear to your heart.



First Family Campout

 Last night we had our first family campout in the backyard, which lasted...

2 hours!

The campout started at 7:15p.m. and ended at 9:30p.m.  The excitement of camping out had Will and Ben so wound up and they couldn't calm down.  They were both having fun, but today is going to be a very busy day so we decided to give up and go inside and put them to bed.  I think it was the right decision.  Everyone was able to get a good night's sleep and that will make for a much more enjoyable day.

This morning they wanted to play a little more in the tent before we took it down.

I think their sleeping bags are the cutest.  They are so little!

Please excuse Ben's messy face.  He just finished eating a chocolate donut.

Today we have a busy, fun-filled day ahead of us--en early Easter egg hunt and cookout with Mark's family and then a birthday party for my cousin's little boy who is turning 2. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Knockout Roses

I have big plans for these Knockout Roses.  In an effort to keep it real, I took a photo of our flower bed in the front yard.  It's shameful.  Just shameful.  I'll post it in a before/after of the flower bed when we are finished.  My husband asked me not to post the photo because it was so bad, but I think it'll be a very dramatic difference.  For now, I just wanted to show you these beauties.  We bought them on Monday night at Home Depot for $9.98 each.  That's a very reasonable price.  Knockout roses are supposed to be extremely hardy and long-blooming.  It's just what I needed for a trouble spot in my flower bed.  I can't wait to get my hands in the dirt and show you the finished product.

Two Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed

I posted these photos last night on my facebook page in an album titled "Two Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed", which seemed like an appropriate title for my two monkeys.  I know we shouldn't let Will and Ben jump on the bed but they love it.  We get a kick out of watching them have so much fun.  I just had to snap a few photos of the boys in their new superhero pajamas at bedtime.  Ben's felt terrible the last few days so it was nice to see him having fun with Will.

Mark thought the boys arms looked weird in this photo since they were in the exact same position.

"Jumpy Jump Jump"

 Does anyone else have little ones who love the Yo Gabba Gabba song  "Jumpy Jump Jump"?  All we have to do is start singing it and Ben starts jumping.

Woo Hoo!

Super cute grins in their superhero PJs.