Exploring my parent’s backyard…

My Mom’s favorite, the willow tree

One view from the deck…the pool (yes, that’s one of my kiddo’s in the water).

The rest of these photos were just experimental with my new camera.  There are so many beautiful flowers, trees and bushes in the backyard….see for yourself:

I have always loved to take photographs.  I can’t help it.  I carry my little digital camera in my purse and it goes everywhere with me.  I’ve had too many experiences that I wish I would’ve had a camera for, I learned my lesson when my son was very young.

My children’s lives are well documented in photographs.  So well in fact that they both either huff and puff because I’m taking “another picture” or they say, “Mom, take a picture of me holding….”  whatever they have in their hands at the time…

When my kids were younger I went through a Black & White phase.  It was before I went digital and I would haul my big camera around with me.  That big Camera went along with us on all of our outings, it was just as necessary as the diaper bag was.

I took the following photos about 6 years ago.  I am not and have never claimed to be a professional photographer…but it does not deter me from pretending to be with my children.  Looking back at these photos, even if they’re a little blurry…I’m so glad I lugged that camera around with us.

I took this photo of my children in 2003.  When I think about my children they still seem to be this size.  At the time my daughter was almost 3 and my son was 6.  It is as if they never age in my mind.  Even when they are standing before me, sometimes it seems as if they will always be small.   I am often shocked when I look at them and realize that they are huge (well, not huge  but it seems they are very large when compared to the above photo).  My daughter, Izabelle is 7 almost 8 and my son, Parker is 11. 

It seems as though I will turn around and they will be adults.  I prefer to keep them forever young in my mind.  Just as they are in the photo above.  I finally understand what my parents meant when they said, “You will always be my baby”.

…These two will always be my babies.

Yesterday at about 11 am a fire started about 5 miles away from my house. It’s really dry around here right now and the winds have been insane…up to 50 miles an hour and beyond! Lucky for me and my family, the fire started to travel the opposite direction from where I live. But my heart still goes out for all those people that live in the path of the inferno!

I took this photo from the park down the street from my home at about 4 pm yesterday.

And then I drove down the street and took this shot (notice how dry everything is):

The fire is STILL burning today and moving towards Paradise (where my beloved Paradise Scrapbook Boutique is located). I have friends that live in the area of the fire…I’m so worried about them!

While I was putting the horses back in their stalls this afternoon I took this photo at about 2:30 pm (and yes, that is a huge pile of manure in the lower left hand corner):

Crazy! I heard there is a huge fire a couple towns north of town too (about 20-30 miles away).

Makes me think…what would I grab from my house in a fire if I only had time for a few things???

Considering that my children and animals are out safe…I’d probably go right for the photos! What would you grab? I’d love to know!

My kids planted some sunflower seeds in an egg crate a couple weeks ago. Today I let the kids plant them in the backyard along the fence…We probably waited a little too long, the poor sunflower sprouts were clinging the the cardboard egg crate for dear life. Now that they’re in the ground it will be fun to watch them grow and bloom!

My friend Jen came to visit today and we decided to take the kids and go rose shopping. Jen and I have been meaning to do this for at least two months (seriously, emails and phone calls…crazy how hard it is to hook up these days). We finally made it happen and Jen showed up on my front porch.

I’m so excited to finally have roses again. We bought our house last July and I haven’t planted any until now! It’s been a long time waiting.

I took some photos to share…if you’re curious, the names of the roses above are (from top-bottom, left-right):

Golden Shower, Sentimental, Double Delight, Don Juan, and Angel Face. It’s hard to pick a favorite they’re all so beautiful and smell WONDERFUL! I’ve been feeling down in the dumps for a couple of days…planting the sunflowers and roses totally lifted my spirits. I think i just needed to get OUTDOORS. I need to pamper myself like that a little more. It’s funny how something that can seem like a “chore” can actually be so rewarding.

Sky is a year old this month!  Do you see the red bridal on her?  It was so huge back then.  Now…it doesn’t even fit her, she’s completely grown out of it!  I went out the other day to turn the horses out in the pasture.  My husband came with me…he didn’t even recognize her, she’s grown that much. 

My children have had so much fun watching her grow.  They were there an hour after her birth and have seen how much she has grown in the last year…

As much as I love my parents horses I have to admit…yesterday was somewhat of a crazy day.  My parents have been out of town (quite often lately, seeing as they’re opening a business in another state) and left me in charge of turning out the horses.  That’s all…just turning them out.  They have hired someone to feed them morning and night and to shovel manure, etc….So, my only job was to turn them out, come back several hours later and put them back in their stalls before dinner. 

I drove out to their house yesterday at about 9:30 am and let all four of their horses loose to run free and graze in the pasture.  Here’s were the problem arose.  Remember the story I told you yesterday about Parker?  Well, I think I  must have been rattled a little because by the time we were all calm and left the movie theatre it was well past dinner time.  Naturally I drove home so that I could feed my family.  Then settled in for the night….

Before I knew it I was completely exhausted.  I looked at the clock: 11:30 pm!  Suddenly I remembered the horses out running free in the pasture.  Wow!  I felt like a complete idiot.  I jumped in my car faster than you could say “horse neglect” and drove (a lot faster than I should have) to my parent’s house the next town over.  The whole time chanting “stupid, stupid, stupid…”

Luckily when I arrived the horses were all safely in their stalls and as content as horses can be.  The gal they had hired to feed them had put them all back.  I was so grateful.  It did not stop me from feeling stupid though.  I left her a note thanking her and made sure she had my cell phone number (I don’t trust myself much anymore- can you tell?).

As much as I am an animal lover….you might not want to leave me in charge of yours while you’re away.  I have several more examples.  Like my friends dog that decided to run away while I was watching it or the time I was kicked in the face by the horse mentioned above…or the time I fractured my foot while caring for horses…or the time I got my dog hit by a car because I am so bad at throwing Frisbees.  Yep…those are all stories for another day.  Believe me I try but I think I’m a little jinxed in that area. 

I’ll stick with childcare.  Babies…I’m good them I’m good at…

Since it is the final week I have to prepare before opening my website, this will be my final give away (for the time being). I’ve designed this 6″ x 6″ mini album using Teresa Collins paper. I adore her paper and her blog! So, here’s how you win this album: Comment on my blog daily (you may comment on any post) until Saturday, April 26th. Each new day that you comment I will enter your name in the drawing again. This gives you at least 6 chances to win. I will draw a winner at random Sunday, April 27th and announce the winner on my blog! Good luck!

Today was really unusual…it seemed that everything wound up mixed up and crazy (as far as my schedule). I was hoping to get some scrapbooking in. I still might…after all, the wee hours is when I work best!

One thing (specifically) did go well today…

This week I’ve been helping my parents with their horses while they’re in Idaho. I had the privalige to see this today when I let the horses out to graze in the pasture…

I love to visit my parents house, I swear it’s like a mini-vacation for your soul!

…I love uninterrupted time…How do I spend it? Well, these precious few hours usually come late at night after my kids are tucked in and generously kissed goodnight. My passion is my family and our memories, naturally this equals scrapbooking.

Family + memories = scrapbooking

I love the late hours, my creative juices start to flow…I’ll come up with layout ideas, organize photos, make homemade cards for my friends and family. I also love the time to think, read the scriptures and listen to the spirit.

I love knowing that my family and our memories will go on for generations…There will never be a doubt that I loved my family and friends!

…let the wee hours and these pages unfold my soul…

I’m not exactly sure when I wrote those words…I just scribbled 2006 at the bottom of my journal. I am sure I’d just finished reading a Rebecca Sower article (she SO inspires me to journal) in a scrapbook magazine or something of that sort.

I still feel the same about the wee hours, although it’s getting harder and harder to stay up late now that I am working full time. Believe me, I’d rather stay up and create than sleep…I just turn into “crazy-coo-coo-lady” when I don’t get enough of those precious Z’s.

…that’s what I was back then. Just a twinkle. My parents, they were definitely seeing stars…

I love my Mom’s shoes and the stars on her shirt…and is that a leather jacket my Dad is sporting on his ‘Honda’?

I love the photo of my parents “riding” a motorcycle, it’s a glimps of their love when it was brand new, the photo was taken approx 33 years ago. I took the photo of my silly parents laughing (below) just last year in Washington DC. They’re still in love after all these years.