Silence Is Golden.....??

My wonderful Mom took Abby for me this morning. She had to run a couple of errands and Abby woke up insisting that her siblings did NOT like her and she was running away to live with Grandma.
Only having 2 instead of 3 really changes the dynamics of the house. Especially when its the older 2, because the are so self-sufficient and entertain themselves well. I took full advantage of it and relaxed on my bed watching a TV movie and snoozing while I was waiting for some laundry to cycle.
When the movie was over I thought to myself..."they sure are playing quietly together." It's such a reprieve to have the house so quiet.....too quiet.
I went in to see what they were up too.....
Whoever said silence is golden was WRONG!





All I can say is THANK GOD they weren't cutting Gracie's hair.....oh and there are two little kids in this house that are in big trouble and grounded from toys.....FOR LIFE!!!!!

"weev-wee"

There comes a time in every moms life that your daughters make your heart swell..... mine was today.

I was busily working on some photos before we get school started, and the girls were contentedly "playing" in my bathroom. When they came out.... I died. Their beauty is overwhelming.



Gracie's potential as a make up artist is clear. She will go far in life.



The BEST part of this is that after I took their pictures, Grace gave Abby a mirror so she could see how be-a-u-ti-ful Grace had made her.
One look in the mirror and Abby says, "Awwww man Grace! I look like a clown!"

And I died.

Old Man Winter

It snowed a little bit on Friday. It was kind of funny to see these tiny little flakes come down.

Saturday morning Grace came running into our room.

"Mom! Dad! All those little flakes stayed. I looked out my window and there is snow everywhere! I pinched myself. I'm not dreaming!"

Sure enough there was 3-4 inches Saturday morning. And it snowed ALL day, and most the night. By Sunday morning we had between 10 and 12 inches in some places.

It was no longer funny. I'm not ready for winter. And in protest, I will be wearing my tank tops and shorts with flip flops today. And crank the heat up.

BOO. BOO to you Old Man Winter.

How dare you try to sneak in and ruin one of my favorite seasons.

By the way, on Thursday the "meteorologist" said we had a chance of some flurries over the weekend. Clearly he partied his way through college! It's IDAHO, there's never a "chance of flurries". That ALWAYS translates to "winter storm watch 2008".

On a bright note, the kids loved it.

Clearly my child has a snow deficiency.

Dirty 30!

This last month(September 7) I did the unthinkable and turned 30. BOO. Going into it, I didn't think I would have a problem with it. But well, I did. It's not that I feel old. I don't. It's just hard to say I'm not in my twenty's anymore. I have to check that other box now on the surveys.... Bleh.
My hubby and kids were super sweet and planned me a little party. As always it is more fun to watch the kids celebrate. Both the girls "helped" me blow out ALL THOSE CANDLES! Clint had them make these giant cards. I will keep them for forever.

On the bright side...I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a UH-MAZING husband. Three great kids. A wonderful career. Good friends and family. My life is good. It's the B-E-S-T. I luv it.

Here's some pics from the party!

E ja ma ka shun

I know it has been forever since I updated, but well I have so much on my plate that updates just aren't on the list.

Here's a little of what we have been up to at the White house:

We started homeschool the last week in August. Our first week was really hard. By the third day into it, Gabe and I were both in tears! But once we got a routine and some authority established, thing have been much better. I can honestly say that I enjoy it, and at this point in our lives, it is certainly the best decision for our family. Grace in in kindergarten this year. She is already reading and writing really well. And she LOVES homeschool. She. Eats. It. Up. On our first day she was raising her hand and saying "Teacher Mom". (I had to put a swift end to that one!) :) "Mom, is just fine sweety.... you don't need to call me Teacher." I am really seeing her personality blossom. She is so sweet and has such a passion for learning...especially the arts. Both she and Gabe are taking piano lessons this year, and she just loves it. She spends a lot of her spare time at the piano "writing" her own songs. Which of course makes her daddy beam.



Gabe had a bit of a difficult time with homeschool to start. He's had a taste of "real" school and just wasn't thrilled to be in a "class" that didn't have any boys, and was made up of....well... his sisters. After a couple of days into it he was crying and really concerned that he wouldn't see his friends from school. At this point I really started to question whether or not we made the right decision. As time has gone on he has really adjusted. He actually seems to enjoy his sisters...well most days anyway. He still really misses his friends, and it is very important to us that our kids have friends, so Clint and I have made some changes in our lives to ensure that our children get the socialization they need.
Gabe is also a boy genius. He excels at math and reading. And has impressed the pants off of his piano teacher. Which clearly is a direct reflection of the skills of his teacher! :)



Abby is...well...she is just Abby. She wants to do what everyone else is doing. She wants NO help doing it. And she wants to do it HER way. I spent the better half of my first week homechooling, arguing with the 3 year old. Who technically doesn't need to be in school. She has mellowed out...some. And I see that she is gleaning from the other two a lot. She is mastering her letter recognition, can write her name, and several other letters. Knows her shapes, colors, numbers, and is getting the basics of phonics. She forever keeps me on my toes. Always.



On top of teaching the kids, this is the busy season for work. EVERYONE wants fall family portraits and Christmas pictures. So I have be juggling 2-3 clients a weeks as well as housework, schoolwork, and editing, editing, editing. I love my job, so I won't complain. Every time I get a print order I am amazed that people pay me to do what I love. It's rad.