House of Pancakes Birthday Party

The birthday party planning diva strikes again. This time with pancakes and some ridiculously yummy cake-pop ice cream cones.

My ultra creative friend, Angie, does this party planning stuff for fun. I take naps and clip my toenails for fun. But, hey. To each their own. It makes the creative portion of my brain hurt just thinking about planning a party like this. No worries. It's just a teeny-tiny portion of my brain so it doesn't hurt much.

Angie, as payment, came over and played with my hair for one of my late night photo editing sessions.  All I needed to make the night complete was two men, preferable wearing speedos... or maybe not... feeding me grapes and fanning me with an over-sized leaf. One could be Nate and the other could be.. I don't know, possibly David Hasselhoff since he already has the speedo wearing thing down. Really though, it was HEAVEN.

So, onto the party...
The invitations were super cute and along with each invitation was a pair of matching pajamas for each girl. Not to mention, Angie sewed each pair.

And here is the birthday spread...

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Taking Pictures of Your Offspring

And/or other objects in your life including, but not limited to, pet dogs and cats... and gold fish too.
This is a post revisited that I did for Marta's How-To series a while back. I thought, maybe, that my elite circle of readers might enjoy it too. :)

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To me there are two types of pictures:

First you have your posed pictures; which are beautiful and perfect.

Then you have your candid shots; the one’s that capture the essence of life and embodies the spirit of your subject.

Both types of pictures are great to have, but the images that I love and cherish the most are not the one’s with the perfect smile and the perfect head tilt with the perfect little outfit, but rather the one’s that were completely unscripted; the one’s that show my children doing what children do best- enjoying LIFE.

I absolutely love this picture of my daughter, Abrie. This picture speaks to me and makes me feel all kinds of happy. I love that I was able to capture this moment that embodies childhood- fun, carefree, & full of LIFE.

Quick tips for capturing the kiddo’s in your life:

            
            • Take a step back & put your zoom to work

Most kids are not a fan of a camera in their face. They have a tendency to hold back and act a little bit more reserved if there’s a camera invading their personal space. Just take a step back, watch your children play with your camera handy, practice you secret agent/spy skills, and let your zoom button (or your zoom lens) do all the work.

• Always keep your camera close by and easily accessible
I keep my camera in my living room since that's where all of the action happens. I try to use it at least once a day (which is actually turning more into once a month). And when I'm not using my camera it becomes a center piece on my table right next to the papers that need filing and the ever growing pile of candy wrappers and junk that collects in my kids' pockets.

Try a different perspective

•  Repeat after me, I will not count to three

We all say it, “Ready? Look at me & say cheese’ 1…2…3…(click)”. Counting to three defeats the purpose of getting those good candid shots. Don’t get me wrong, counting to three has its place and time, like when you’re in the grocery store and your child is throwing a massive tantrum over a box of Lucky Charms… “You better stop acting like you’ve been possessed by demons by the time I get to three or so help me…” You know, times like that.

You don’t have to have the best of the best & you don’t have to have the know how.

All you need is a camera and an eye.

This picture was taken by my husband on a trip he took to Haiti. He’s not a photographer and he didn’t have a super fancy camera with him. All he had was our little Canon point and shoot and an eye for what he thought was beautiful. And this to me is beautiful & perfect. One of the best things about photography is that you get to decide what art is.

•  Drop it like it’s hot

Or ummm, rather get down on their level. You can lose the connection with your subject if you’re standing above them.

Perfectly imperfect

It’s funny how some of my favorite pictures of my children are the one’s that aren’t completely in focus or the one’s that aren’t angled just right. To me it’s just capturing life in motion. Sometimes mistakes make the best pictures.

• Capture the details
The toys the play with, their morning bed head, the dirt under their nails, their favorite blankie you have to pry out of their hands on laundry day… details are the thread of life.

  
            

            • Harsh lighting: Just say NO

Try your best to avoid harsh lighting & flashes. The goal is to get beautiful, realistic, and naturally lit images. If you’re outside and it’s a bright sunny day, try to find a shaded spot. Try to find natural reflectors such as buildings to bounce light on to your subject. If you’re inside find a well lit area or move close to a window to get as much natural lighting as you can.  

•  Take pictures, take them often & take a lot

Don’t just pull out the camera on special occasions like birthday’s and Christmas. Make a goal to take at least one picture a day. One of the joys about digital camera’s is you get to take as many as you want. So don’t be shy, click away.

Remember…
Life is not posed- it is spontaneous & unscripted. It is fast paced & constantly moving and in a blink of an eye those passing moments become memories. So pull out your camera and capture it, dagnabbit!

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Since it was Mother's Day & since I am a mom

I am at the stage in my life where I am no longer a person... I am a MOM. The stage where I try to remember what life used to be like without kids and I cannot remember. It's like the 21 pre-children years of my life have become a blur.

Some things I can recall, like the time I was 4 and I pulled a knife on one of our maids while we lived in Chile. I cornered that poor old woman, taunting her with the knife swaying back and forth saying, "Hermana Lopez!" and then I'd jump, inching my way closer and closer to her. I don't really remember how it ended. I think, maybe, her frantic yelling for my mom paid off. And I don't remember any blood shed. So that's a positive.

Or the time I was 10 and I didn't want to go to school so I faked my own vomit. How, you ask, does one fake their own vomit? Easy. A couple of eggs, small pieces of bread, and a scoop full of last nights left-overs dumped out strategically on the floor somewhere between my bedroom and the bathroom making it look like I made an honest effort to reach the toilet. Again, I don't remember the outcome, but I think it ended with me staying home either because I was grounded or because my mom took pity on me in my stomach flu like state. Either way, I'd call it a success.

Or the time I was 13 and I was lost somewhere between rebellion and desperate soul searching, I shaved off the back of my hair. Yep. I put my hair up into a pony tail, took the clippers, and just buzzed the bottom of my hair off.  Needless to say, it did nothing to help me out in the desperate soul searching department. 

Or maybe fast forward to the time I was 19, during my short shorts wearing days. Those were good days. And I went to visit my sweet Grandma and noticed, during our visit, that there was and extremely good looking painter painting away on her deck. So I placed myself ever so strategically on the couch near the window trying to catch that workers attention. It worked. My father would not have been proud.  Turns out that extremely good looking painter ended up being my husband.

Now I am a Mom of 4 and I officially have Mom brain- the phenomenon known to women where after they become pregnant any part of sanity, firm recollection, or the ability to carry on a conversation without forgetting what there talking about slowly disappears. The more kids you have, the worse it gets and soon, before you know it, the Mom's brain is rendered completely useless.  

The only hope a mother has of ever being normal again (I use the term 'normal' loosely... very loosely) is medication and a really good therapist. And even then, the odds aren't good. My completely non-professional professional studies show that the mother's brian has a 28% successful recovery rate. 

With that said, there are 4 reasons why I'm content replacing my functioning brain with a defective Mom brain that gives out on me on any given day at any given moment. The reasons aren't elaborate or fancy. They are simple, short, and occasionally sweet. And those reasons are Abrie, Kaleb, Macie, and Eden. 

I am a Mom and I find more purpose in my life now than I ever did... 

At least I think I do, I can't remember.

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Never underestimate the cuteness of a baby in a bathtub

And on every 4th thursday of every 2nd month of every year, we take a bath. After you do the addition please let me know how often my kids bathe. I may have to switch up their bath schedule a bit and add a few more days... like alternating Sundays every other month that begin with a vowel, or something like that.

I decided it was time to do some more bathtub pictures, this time with Eden and add her to the bathroom wall. That's the least I can do since she's been a member of our family for almost two years now.

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Like Mother, Like Daughter

Dear Eden,

I love how your perfect little plump cheeks wobble back and forth with each step you take. Kind of like my cheeks... my other cheeks... that, as I've been informed by my loving son, jiggle up and down when I run... or jump... or walk... or do anything that involves some sort of motion. So now I just stand in one place. All of the time. And I have strongly considered getting a segway to help get me around.

If I, for any reason, am forced to move, I take great caution in walking-  trying not to cause any sudden movements that might start a ripple effect, similar to when you throw a rock in the water. I tell the kids that I can do the ghetto booty shake so well because once I get started my butt practically propels itself with all the momentum it creates. They think I'm kidding. I'm not.

I feel that this is a special little bond we share. You and me. Me and you. Cheeks that jiggle... Unfortunately, mine aren't quite as cute as yours.

Sincerely,
Your Mother

My Mom is...

A mother is so many things... a doctor, a maid, a teacher, a referee.

A mother is joy. A mother is love. A mother is a safe place.

A mother is someone who feels are hurt when we are in pain and rejoices at our happiness.

It is amazing that so many so many qualities and attributes can be embodied in just one word... MOM.

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A few posts back I wrote about the sweet idea Marta had for her cousin (and my friend), Whitney. I loved the idea so much had to use it for my mom for Mother's Day.

It was quite the feat getting pictures of my Dad, my 7 siblings & their spouses, and 37 grandchildren and I'm happy to say, I did it! (even if a little photoshopping magic was required)

I printed out a paper that said, "Mom is..." or  "Grandma is..." and then with photoshop I filled in the blank with their words. It would have been just as easy to have everyone print there own and fill in the spot (which is what Marta did), but knowing my family they would have never done it. So I chased them down to take their pictures... it was a labor of love. ;)

Originally, I was going to print the book through Shutterfly or Blurb, but I ran out of time... so it was off to Walmart to be printed. Definitely not my first choice, but they were my only option for same day printing. I think I had them reprint it like 4 times before they got the color to look decent.

For the cover page I did a collage of words that my family used. I was really excited about how it turned out and needless to say, my mom was even more excited.

My only goal was to see tears...

...mission accomplished.

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Today I Miss My Parents

I just got back from a week long trip to the Dominican Republic visiting my parents, who are serving as MTC presidents there. It was so great to see my parents- to hug them, love them, and spend time with them.

It's been a year and half since I've seen my Dad (my Mom's been able to come home a couple times) and we did all we could to fit a year and a half worths of time in one short week... one short week in paradise, mind you.

I sure miss my parents a lot and I'm reminded how much more I miss them when I get to spend time with them.

One thing is for sure, I'm so lucky to be blessed with such amazing parents!

And now, I am currently suffering from a severe case of post-vacation depression and I have decided the only antidote for such a thing is going on another vacation. Sounds completely fabulous to me.

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The Train Crash

A short story, by Kaleb

One day we were going to my cousin's house. We wanted to ride the train. 

The next morning there was another train going 5,000 miles per hour. There were people in the back of the train. They screamed, "Aaahhhhhhhhhhhh! Someone help us, we're going to die." 

The engineer had fallen asleep and the train was heading toward the other train. "I don't want to die! Someone help us or we will die because of you it will be your fault and you will pay us $1,000,000,000,000,000."

The train crashed into the other train and no one survived the crash. 

 The end.

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I have been left almost speechless... almost.

I just wonder what his school teacher thought when he wrote up this story.

It's really quite a shame no one survived to collect the

$1,000,000,000,000,000

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The Little People That Were

Have I expressed to you my affinity for little people?

Not these Little People,

but rather the Fisher Price Little People. 

It started when I was young. My Mom had a collection of the old school Little People with wooden little circle bodies and perfectly round shape heads with painted on smiley faces. I knew we were moving up in the world when my Mom upgraded to the Little People with plastic bodies with perfectly shaped hair.

Now that I'm a mom, and I have spawn of my own, I wanted to share the joys of Little People with my children. Fisher Price has come a long way since the days of my childhood. All of the Little People  have cute chunky cartoon-like bodies... and I love them. I did my best to keep my Little People in pristine condition; keeping them in their own separate box and making sure the right people stay with the right set. Heaven forbid the Noah's Ark Giraffe should end up on the Farm House with the cow. That would be just awkward.

As it turns out, I'm not the only one who has a love for Little People. Millie, our dog, has been lovin' on the Little People a little too much. This is a sight that physically pains me...

This dog is KILLING me. I don't know how she does it. It's like she has a super sense that can sniff out Little People from anywhere... just like she does Eden's binki's.

Now who's going to ride the bus to school with the little handicap boy in the wheel chair?

Who's going to father the children in the Little People House?

How are they supposed to eat their cereal on the farm if they don't have any cows to milk?

I guess the farmers going to have to figure out a way to milk the sheep.

And the poor, poor other giraffe on Noah's Ark. She's going to have to live a life of celibacy.

So much for multiplying and replenishing the world with little giraffe babies.

(It's okay, I can say that. He can't hear me)

These Little People have now found their final resting place in the garbage next to last nights leftovers and the kids Gogurt wrappers. May they rest in peace.

As for the Millie dog, we are currently in a love-hate relationship... unfortunately, right now it's mostly hate. And if she doesn't change her Little-People-eating habits soon, she might quickly turn into the Millie dog that was. Tread lightly, dog. Tread lightly.

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Birthdays

I received and email from Marta several weeks ago. She was scheming a little birthday surprise for her cousin (and one of my best friends growing up), Whitney. I'll have to admit that I was a little envious of Whitney when I read that email, and for al little while I had a severe case of cousin coveting  (yearning to possess one's cousin and wish they were yours).

Marta had sent an email out to all the people that love whitney and asked them to take a picture of themselves with one word that described Whitney... I couldn't come up with just one.

She printed them all out and made a collage poster board for whit. How perfect and sweet is that?! And I'm sure, without a doubt, that Whitney was brought to tears at the sight of mine- no, not just tears, but fetal position sobs.

So my mom's birthday is coming up next month and I want to steal this idea and make a book for her. Right now, it sounds great in theory, I just usually struggle with the follow-through part. We shall see.

In other news, it was my birthday week and a great week it was. It looks like all my subtle threats of our marriage depending on my birthday happiness paid off.

Nate surprised me by kidnapping me and taking me to dinner with all of my siblings, then staying over night at a hotel. It was perfect! I just wish we could celebrate my birthday EVERY week for the rest of the year. Do you know how happy my life would be? So happy.

Thanks for all the birthday love!

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