the life of a fotobug

halloween...

2011-11-06T20:42:00.003-07:00

these are all SOOC (straight out of camera)...had no time to edit this week yet.

chloe as a witch...

brinley went with a MSU fan costume...something that took her about 10 minutes to complete.

jordan went with a soccer player...super easy & always on hand at this house!

and all 3 together...

the weather actually cooperated for the most part. it was in the 40's & dropped down into the 30's by the time we finished. the wind was blowing when we first started...but it died down. we trick-or-treated for 2.5 hours!! definitely enough time for some considerable loot! buck took jordan & her 2 friends to a haunted house that was put on by a nearby family in a subdivision up the street. it was free as long as each person entering brought a can of food to donate to the local foodbank! LOVE that!

just ask....bucket list

2011-10-31T10:01:00.002-06:00

what are some items on your bucket list?
do you have one?
i haven't written mine down anywhere to record them...but i have a visual list.
*go on an african safari
*see the northern lights
*travel around europe
*fly in a hot air balloon
*dye my hair
*take a scrapbook cruise with girlfriends.
*have professional family photos taken by my amazing friend jaymee foster
*go on a sisters/mom trip to NYC
*run a 5K
*continue to donate blood every 56 days for the rest of my life
*go on a sled-dog trip (one day trip)
*ride on an elephant
*swim with dolphins
*have a house on the river somewhere in our valley
*flyfish in new zealand

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happy birthday to my brinley!

2011-09-19T06:00:00.001-06:00

12 years ago, 9-19-1999, at 4:44pm, brinley grace marie was born! happy birthday my sweet girl!

here she is at just a week old...

and at her one week check-up...

"check-up" pictures are kind of weird to upload & share but it's all i have on my computer of her as a baby...these 3 pictures. my negative scanning hasn't went past 1997. it's on hold right now. but on my to-do list.

let the games begin...

2011-09-18T17:34:00.002-06:00

jordan's first game was against livingston. they tied 2-2.
brinley worked on her homework.

the sunshine was short lived. rained pretty good in spurts. good thing i had the umbrellas & blankets in the car.

jordan LOVES playing in the rain! it's her favorite!

there was actually a triple rainbow! never seen one of those before?! the bottom of the rainbow is a double stacked.

chloe is also playing soccer this fall. she's purple...the purple dolphins! she's excited to have a "girl color".

she absolutely loves doing throw-ins...

her bestie twin sister friends, brooke & jenny are on her team. they often goof around on the field & during breaks!

so HOT! not our normal soccer cool weather! but we'll take it!

parent bridge...

labor day weekend...

2011-09-18T16:44:00.002-06:00

for labor day weekend we headed up to canyon ferry lake. the first night because of a misunderstanding in directions we ended up at our friends ranch 45 minutes later than what we were suppose too. oh well. we didn't eat dinner until 10pm! we were all starving. the next morning we slowly got around & ate breakfast. packed all our gear up & headed to the lake. cody & his family, chase & his family, their mom were meeting us there as well. our friends with whom we stayed with the first night have a house boat...they were toodling out into the lake while we went & found cody & everyone. we then tied the boats together & anchored down. one of the big draws to the house boat is that you can jump off the top of it.

kim & kylee hanging out on the top of the house boat.

kim's daughter, kiah, jumping off the boat...

chloe swimming around with craig watching everyone jump.

jordan brought along one of her best friends, jonathan for the weekend.

he didn't hesitate at all by jumping off the house boat, but i don't have any photos of his jumps.

buck & chloe swimming around

cody jumping off the boat...

it took quite some convincing for jordan to jump. buck was in the water waiting for her to jump...after about 20 minutes she finally did it!

love her look of accomplishment...she just kept saying over & over, "i did it, i did it!!"

craig diving off...

megan & axcin...

when there is music to be heard, there will be moves coming from this girls' body! she loves to dance & boy does she have soul (i think i've said that many times on here).

buck making the jump...

leta, megan & kara...

leta's puppy, bitsy, stayed inside her bag in the floor of the boat the entire time. so dang cute!

chase, axcin & keelin

brinley...loves to be in the water swimming around, but does NOT like the tube!

megan & axcin...LOVE this shot!

axcin & his mohawk i gave him :)

that night we sat around the camp fire & made smores, ate dinner (for the kids...it happened in that order), drank some brewskies (well the guys did) & chatted until 1am at least. i had fun entertaining myself trying to get shots around the campfire.
chloe...

jordan & jonathan...

and i must say after this trip...we watched them interact & their friendship! just amazing friends! & so much respect for each other!

buck says, cheers!

when there is a campfire...jordan always is snapping pics!

brinley just hangs out!

sunday the weather was pretty dicey & throwing some major wind into the equation. so we took our boat with all 17 of us & headed for a cove.
megan & axcin...

our last day...monday...
we found a little cove to drop all the kiddos off to play at the "beach" & the boys & i headed out on the boat to get some major tubing in.
jordan, zane & jonathan...

first up was buck & chase:

i love this shot! love the action freezing motion & the water spray behind the tube!

next up- chase & cody (the brothers).
buck had previously looked up tubing on youtube & found a way to get the most "action" into the playbook. they had a fun time for certain!

they hit heads & the tube landed upside down in the water! but they got back on!

then this shot! OMG...i can't believe how crisp it is, perfect lighting (i was being pulled with the light on their faces, woot) & the action...just amazing!

after this...we headed back to the cove to pick up everyone so the kids could tube.
chloe, gracie jo & kayleeann.

megan, chase, keelin & axcin-

jonathan...running along the beach. he runs cross country & ran each day we camped. dedicated!!!

our friend colby joined us today with his jet ski...

jordan, zane & jonathan were the only brave "big" kids to tube at full speed.

anticipation...some of the pics i have are just hilarious with facial expression!

here...jonathan did a full back flip. um, not on purpose though :)

look at that air!!!

cody & buck couldn't get them off the tube! literally!

little gracie jo...

buck...

chloe's face & hair just crack me up here!

chloe, gracie jo, keelin & chase decided to take a turn...

a-ok...perfect speed!

lovin the hair bounce...

um, slower!!!!!!

starting to get a bit scary with all the waves going on around now from the boat...way too bumpy!

buck & chloe swimming...

and always rockin' it out!

jonathan...

jordan...

brinley & i just love that smile!

the lake bug...

and we get ready to head back to the dock & pull jordan, jonathan & zane once again.

what a fun 4 day weekend! the last hurrah before the cool weather hits us between the eyes & it's halloween! which i can't wait for!!!!

let's hear it for those panthers!

2011-09-17T07:00:00.002-06:00

i can't believe jordan is a freshman this year!
during the summer she received a packet from the soccer coach with a workout in there & also list of girls (mixed grade levels) that she was suppose to meet with during the summer & work on soccer together. she worked so hard all summer. she made it onto the JV soccer team.
here she is at spirit night...

they introduced all the different sports & players. each of the sports (except for boys soccer, cross country & golf) had scrimmages. there was a dance afterwards too.
man i'm not ready for this! but on the other hand...super excited!

our first day of school was aug. 24th. yup, almost a month ago! i know!
jordan the freshman. or "freshmeat as chloe calls it! LOL

she also just got contacts! that adds to her morning routine...OMG the things girls have to do to get ready!

brinley is in 6th grade...
i actually took this photo after she came home that day because the morning shots of her...her eyes were all watery from the sun & her contacts were bugging her. these new ones are so much better!

jordan & brinley get on the bus first. chloe was so excited to get to the bus stop. so i headed over to our street corner & waited with her. we snapped a couple with some of her buddies...cody & emily. then the bus came.

her ride to school is a short one.
cody's mom & i hopped into my car & headed to the school so that we could get them to where they needed to go & wait with all the other nervous parents.

then the bell rang & we went inside. her teacher had homemade playdoh at each of the kids desks to keep them busy while classmates trickled in & got settled.

then it was time for me to say goodbye & head home.
HOME...so quiet. this is new for me. i have complete freedom & complete quiet if i want. strange...being at home...alone! i plugged my camera in to upload pictures from the morning & discovered that in all the rush i never took pictures of chloe by herself. i WAS COMPLETELY SHOCKED that i did that...but hey...unlike a wedding...i can restage it :) yeah! so when she got home i took some of her by herself.

chloe the first grader...

buck's birthday float

2011-09-16T22:10:00.004-06:00

no not a rootbeer float.
no not a parade float.
not a boat a float!

but a fly fishing float trip!
for buck's birthday...this is what he wishes for each year!
it does his heart & mind good...those rivers, that pole, those flies, that crazy red haired dog, that "larry the cable guy" shirt (not seen here today), those swim trunks & those north face sandals. he looks forward to this day or this season more than any! fly fishing season!

these are on the boulder river. we had never fly fished the boulder...but, all day we saw 2 other boats! if we would have picked the madison, gallatin, yellowstone or missouri...we would of ran into way more people! this was absolutely perfect!

i was a little hesitant getting into this "raft" type float boat. but enforced with the metal frame, it was just as sturdy as a metal or wooden boat. i sat in the front fishing chair. & i was told by buck & the guide (he's went with buck many times & is a friend) that i'd better reel them in & not lose them all! tall order for someone who has never fly fished off a boat & one that has only been fly fishing for a couple summers (and just a few times each summer).

buck caught the first one:

then it was my turn a few after:

this is the biggest fish i had ever caught on my fly rod (yes, i have my own gear). i tell ya, i probably caught 8 or so. i lost count to be honest after being told this wasn't a competition, LOL! but i do know that i need to work on landing my fish. sometimes i don't yank my pole up in the most aggressive of mannners. last summer the fly shop owner told me it's like answering the phone (the movement of keeping the fish on your pole after he's on)...but it wasn't working. but i learned today...you have to answer that phone as if your ticked off at the person on the other end & answer, "what the he** do you want now?". LOL then i just couldn't get any bites.

we had the most amazing scenery ALL DAY!

however, this day was all about buck & his birthday wish!

he caught way more than me (again, not keeping count, lol)

oh & that is not sharpie...that is the guide's dog, olga! but man if you look quickly...definitely looks like her!

i'm super stoked that this year worked out so that i could go. in past years, something was always going on or i was in CO when he took his trip. a tradition that i was happy to be his choice :)

oh & another thing buck caught...a SUPER SEVERE sunburn! he even had sunscreen on. but if a person is on antibiotics or certain med's...the sun takes on a whole new level! OUCH!

she thinks we're just fishing...

2011-09-16T21:35:00.004-06:00

our fly fishing usually starts much earlier in the summer but due to our snow levels this year- the runoff levels delayed our enjoyment! *and don't get me wrong...i'm not complaining about the snow levels*

we loaded up saturday evening & headed up the canyon (about 30 minutes from our house) & landed at buck's dubbed "holy hole". We set up the camper in 5 minutes & were on the river. I didn't get my gear out...i just wanted to take pics for the time being. Chloe started to find little baby "sea shells" & playing in the sand.

The girls' "houses" they set up the last time we were here, which was last summer, were still there!

They spruced those up & added a few features.

chloe being a total goon. this girl seriously cracks me up. it's like a constant comedy show with her! she's always so animated! love it!

and she is also his side-kick...these two could have their own comedy show.

chloe & i headed to the camper...she was tired of the sand & "beach"...

a storm brought us a pretty heavy rain, so we were stuck in the camper for a while. thank goodness i have a few games stashed in there. we all decided to play yahtzee.

and i'm so grateful for my new camera here because without the high ISO mixed with my nifty 50 lens...this shot wouldn't of been possible! :) happy, happy, joy, joy!!

chloe grew tired of yahtzee & decided to have her own game of poker with her stuffed animal friends.

once the rain stopped we took our firewood bundles & made a fire right on the rivers edge. the girls made smores. i don't have any pics though.

the next morning buck got up & fished...didn't really catch anything though. a few babies but nothing worth really bragging about. some much needed time with the river though. once back we packed up & headed to greek creek camp ground & ate/cooked some breakfast. chloe found some snails & was completely in awe of them. we put them in a plastic bowl & the girls helped with making them a "home". she carried them around for the remainder of the day...including them in all her activities. even her sister photo...

buck taught jordan how to fly fish.

chloe & brinley built wooden boats...

we really didn't have any success with any fishing but we did have a great time during the weekend spent together.

oh & this one especially...

good ol' sharpie!

i received a text from a great bestie friend, jill, a while back. she was telling me of this country song (which i don't listen to country hardly EVER!) called "she think's we're just fishing" & that it reminded her of buck & the girls. i finally heard it the other day for the first time...and it is EXACTLY like buck & the girls! that will be a scrapbook page! amazing what fishing does for the heart & mind!

the petal girl & wanna be wedding photographer

2011-09-14T07:00:00.000-06:00

the main reason we went to CO this summer was for andi & kaleo's wedding. andi is my "step" sister-in-law. chloe was the "petal girl" & i was the photographer. wedding photography=pressure!!!!! i can't imagine being this stressed out on a normal every weekend kind of deal. OMG! makes my heart race & my chest hurt! and my brain turn to mush- not that i don't feel like that everyday! :) and by no means is this even a fraction of the photos i have. i took 1200 & ended up with almost 900! *disclaimer...these pic's look so much better in person & on my monitor than they do on this rinky dink blog of mine! :)* just sayin'. & i picked out the photos that highlighted my children most...because after all this is my blog :)

chloe has been practicing her "petal girl" duties for quite a while & has been extremely excited about andi asking her. and with zach being her wing man as ring bearer...all is good in her world!

so we start with the rehearsal.

i ran circles around the gazebo trying all sorts of settings for my new camera (which also freaked me out & added to the heart flutter) to try & get them right for the weird & crazy lighting during this time of day. this made me EXTREMEMLY nervous & at some points i wanted to cry. what would i do if the photos didn't cut it. ON THE DAY! OMG...i think i might just faint again! i realized in this moment- that i DO NOT like being held accountable for such important events. ones that you can't do over. birthdays, soccer games, fishing-----> i CAN handle. & those events...totally do-over "able". finally i collected myself & my little pen/paper (that i had written different settings that were working) and figured it out.

then we headed to the rehearsal dinner.
it was at a hawaiian restaurant that kaleo's parents (they are all from hawaii) had just for the night. it was some of the most amazing food i've ever ate. i want to go to hawaii! we had roasted pig, salad w/ this most amazing poppyseed/mango dressing (i went for 2nds on this), rice, and lots of other things..."some-timers" here. the dessert was this divine cheesecake with your choice of mango or passionfruit glaze drizzled on top.

you should of seen the kids faces when they brought this pig by our table to get set up! hilarious! chloe ate it up! zach...he wasn't touchin' it!

brinley making andi & kaleo's initials with the heart confetti from our table.

isn't she just so cute! we had major problems with this outfit she had on. she thinks she looks absolutely dorky & everyone else thought she looked great, including mwah!

buck's sister, becky, also zach's mom...

i actually let someone else touch my NEW camera & take this shot of me. can't remember if it was jordan or becky right now. yup, i occasionally have some-timers! not the greatest pic...but it proves i was actually there! and i LOVE the color of my shirt...i think that color is my new fav!

after rehearsal dinner was over i took the girls to buck's moms house. they were going to spend the night & then get ready in the morning. i also had to put chloe's hair up into foam rollers so she could sleep her curls in. once they were in bed i went back to my parents (luckily only 25 minutes away). i unloaded all my rehearsal pics & backed them up on my hard drive. i went to bed at 1am. and then i had to be at the country club early to start my photo venturing day. it's going to be a long day!

the wedding day.
andi getting ready...

buck's mom with jordan & brinley in the "dressing room".

and presenting- the "petal girl"...

the z-man ring-bearer & petal girl...

and my 3 girls all dolled up (yes, even brinley)! OMG...love this! i have it all big & glorious on my photo wall!

the bridal party...

andi's 2 cousins are on the lower steps, to the left of andi is kaleo's sister, and then to the right of her is my other sister-in-law, alisha. then of course the z-man & chloe.

andi...

buck's mom, her fiance (andi's dad), alan & andi...

kaleo & his family (mom, dad, sisters & brother)

now onto the ceremony...

& i just love andi's smile...big & happy...

the wedding party all together...

we then escaped...andi-kaleo, a groomsman & i...each had a golf cart to drive around & take photos of the couple.

we then went back for the reception to start...

this is jordan & uncle bo (buck's brother/alisha the bridesmaid's husband)...

i don't have photos of brinley "to share"...cause i do have photos of her...but i'm keeping them to myself. she had a migraine during the reception & was absolutely miserable. it was so hard for me to play photographer & mommy all at the same time. she wanted me & i couldn't help her. she ended up in the dressing room downstairs w/ a cold washcloth over her head & took an advil. didn't help. she just was crying so much. which didn't help matters any. she came back upstairs & continued the whining. she eventually closed her eyes & fell asleep sitting up at the dinner table. poor girl. she took about 30 minutes rest & then felt better. poor girl. i think it was a combo of not enough sleep, the HEAT (bleh) & not eating a snack.

beach themed shells & decor...

i made the little place cards for everyone...andi attached a starfish to each one.

i think one of the highlights of the reception (for me) was definitely the dancing. especially the father-daughter dance! they had been working on this for MONTHS. they started out slow & dancing all soft & tender. then they broke out into the 2-step, jitterbug, YMCA- there were about 9 different dances they did. it was so hilarious & VERY memorable!

chloe & zach had the best time entertaining us with their dancing. i swear i have no idea where chloe gets her groove & soul from. 'cause that girl can seriously dance! she's got rhythem & soul! brinley says she taught her everything she knows! LOL i actually believe a part of that...brinley is an amazing dancer as well...but no one knows it except for our family of 5. she WILL NOT dance in front of anyone! half the time i have to sneek peeks of her from the crack of the bedroom door. zach loves to break dance! so funny that boy!

alan even got jordan to break out her dancing shoes :)

i think my stint is over as wedding photographer! i enjoy it very much but it's just way too much pressure! so andi & kaleo...you are my last! enjoy your pics! i absolutely love them! i think i enjoy being on the wedding fun part much more!

a day with the boy cousins...

2011-09-13T13:49:00.002-06:00

a great way to test "formal" settings on my camera was to hold a mini cousin session in the park. it also happened to be my mother-in-law's birthday...so it was a great way to spend the day with all 5 of her grandchildren & a great gift to her to get pics for her wall :)

so i started with this little ball of energy & fun...zach...or z-man as i call him! this boy cracks me up! he's all about showing off & impressing whomever is around! he is just 7 months younger than chloe.

this is JJ. or john as he likes to be called now that he is older. however, he is still my little JJ...always will be. he reminds me of a "boy version" of brinley!! JJ & brinley are 3 months apart in age. he's an amazing football player :) and he plays for my HS rivalry team :) LOL

grandma wanted new "all 5 of them" pics...

z-man & c together are a hoot!

they were practicing their dance moves for the wedding & the "dipping" move!

new pics of my girlies...

this one i now have on my large photo wall...all big & glorious :)

and of course you can't be serious all the time!

especially little chloe...whom i've now nick-named red bull! cause she never stops!

now, these two girlies, brin & chloe. they get along 50% of the time. it's either they do. or they don't!

and she finally cooperated...and the result is b-e-a-utiful!

grandma with her 5!

and me with my 3!

and jordan...

gosh i swear with each pic she looks older! this needs to stop!!!!!!!

never forget...

2011-09-11T20:15:00.002-06:00

jordan & brinley on 9-11-01.
i will never forget that day.
i was driving jordan to pre-school when buck called me to tell me what was happening.
it wasn't until i returned home when i saw it for myself!
i remember driving all over greeley & ft. collins with my best friend, aimee, and her son, tyler, trying to find a flag. i finally found this used one. went home & took these photos of the girls. then hung it up outside our home.

thoughts & prayers go out to families & friends that lost loved ones. and to those in uniform...thank you!

Colorado Springs Zoo

2011-09-07T08:02:00.003-06:00

even though i grew up in colorado...i never had visited the cheyenne mountain zoo (in colorado springs). this was the one place i wanted to make sure & take the girls while we were on vacation. the main attraction is definitely the giraffe's. and i'm sure i'm a bit biased- they are my favorite zoo animal! i also didn't realize that this zoo was built slowly in layers up the side of the mountain. this made it difficult for my grandma at times...as well as my mom & aunt (my mom's sister & husband were also visiting from minnesota). but we made it! one of my best friends from CO, syalynne, met us there with her three kids. my sister crystal & her step-daughter, kaitlin, also joined us.

i was super excited to take photos with my new camera. however, i will tell you that going to the zoo with 17 people makes it hard to keep everyone in one place & more importantly...your kids all together in one place. jordan would go off with remi. brinley would go off with aunt crystal & kaitlin. chloe & payton would wander around us...my dad was usually close by. lynne would stay with her little guy, colston. my grandma would wander off- but that is how it always is with her. my aunt peggy & mike would go off. my mom either was with my dad, my aunt or looking for my grandma. i was fluttering around trying to capture a million photo opportunities at once. while i didn't capture some of the moments like i had imagined before we even came...the ones i did capture, i'm super stoked about! i definitely have some favorites.

that's my dad in the cowboy hat watching jordan, brinley & remi feed the giraffe's lettuce.

those tongues- chloe did NOT like. they were so scary to her!

i love this one of chloe & my dad...

syalynne's kiddos...

i forget how hard it is to take photos of little persons. colston wouldn't hold still. & then he wanted a photo of just him. so we had him pose & then rem & peyton came in & i took the photo! LOL

i almost missed this owl...i love owls...this one is super pretty & so majestic looking.

chloe loved this parrot, named buddy. she spent the majority of our time in the bird house with him & watching him eat his seed lunch out of foam.

another one of papa & chloe...

now the monkey house was probably my most favorite part of the zoo! they were so entertaining. all of them were! jordan has some really great video from her camera but it takes a full day to upload...so you'll just have to take my word! these photos of chloe & these monkey's are some of my favorites from the day...not crisp nor perfect...but capture the moment perfectly!

and brinley is starting to be camera shy...she positions herself in places where i'm NOT! naughty girl! this is what i have to say to her...via giraffe talk...

so this is my best shot...and it's a posed one! meaning stand here, let me take your pic. she's not enthused in the slightest!

jordan carried her camera around in this small little clinique apple bag. it didn't taker her long before she figured out that the giraffe's thought it was a piece of the lettuce & so they would come up & try taking a bite.

and my most willing subject these days is jordan...

july 23rd, 2011

2011-08-21T08:00:00.001-06:00

we had our annual trip to CO almost a month ago now. it was in perfect timing...i had been going like a ninja cleaning the airport so it was a welcomed break!

our 2nd day of vacation we had a big BBQ & celebrated my niece, aspen's 5th birthday. my mom & sister stayed up til 3am making her castle cake. i was amazed at the detailing & all i contributed was the waffle cones covered in frosting that i dipped into sprinkles. her eyes lit up like a christmas tree and as big as saucers when she laid eyes on it!

all the cousins together...

aspen loved standing on my mom's table being the center of attention opening her gifts. cowgirl clothes, hankerchief's, money, barbies, princess loot galore & even a walking stuffed kitten.

my aunt from minnesota was also home visiting and brought her two weenie dogs. lily (the brown one) & homer (the black one). chloe was so attached to them...when we were at my moms, she always was with lily. same with brinley- but i never took any photos of her with lily...so bummed about that!

after aspen's party...we noticed a storm brewing to the north of my parents house. we stood on the back deck for quite a while watching it just build upwards & upwards fast!

jordan & i moved in too take some photos...we don't get storms like this in MT!

our own form of "storm chasing"...but a very light version...all contained in my parents yard. the lightning show was amazing! golf ball sized hail came out of this storm but landed about 20 minutes west of my parents.

both of us were snapping photos. this was the first day i used my new camera & i think i took 350 pics of this storm! all trying to capture the lightening!

my dad called for us to come inside...it got super nasty! jordan was sooo afraid for the animals & certainly wasn't liking the idea of a storm coming along & they couldn't go anywhere!

then the show moved to the front porch of my parents house. while being shadowed under the awning we snapped tons more of the storm... once again trying to get the lightening! i was able to capture one and it's not "clear"...

my sister, crystal, & the 2 older girls were finding images in the clouds...here is a horse riding along...

kinda ironic considering this is denver bronco territory!!

i must admit there is something so wonderful about watching storms! electrifying! i have so many memories of storms as a child & storms so severe having to take shelter. shelter that always wasn't found in the house...sometimes in the nearest irrigation ditch! the girls have no idea! this was a small little taste...and i mean a sliver!

dot, dot, dot, continued

2011-08-20T08:00:00.001-06:00

my cousin, lisa, & i...

love this girl more than anything! miss her dearly!

mother's day...

jordan soccer...

jordan turned 14...

chloe graduated from kindergarten...

father's day weekend buck's sister & family drove up from CO...

taken by chloe during one of our fishing trips, which haven't been too many this summer.

over the 4th we went up to west yellowstone & camped at hebgen lake.

and i celebrated my *37th* birthday...

buck & i finally were able to get the fly rods out:

super quick so i can get current...

2011-08-19T14:53:00.002-06:00

life is just absolutely busy here! i'm sure in all of your households it is as well with school starting! i want to get current on this blog so that i can blog in real time...what we have been up too instead of "updates" from months past! i'm have a balancing act going on right now (...yup, a crown i wear proudly, the one of multi-tasker)- i'm baking snickerdoodles for jordan's big spirit night tonight! i have 1 hour before i have to leave! and i'm watering the grass hauling hoses around.

ok...so back to photos:
chloe took a field trip with her kindergarten class to MSU & had their students teach them different games...

they then went to the children's museum in bozeman...

we also had a spring carnival at her school...i put together the photo booth...
nothing fancy for sure...but hey it was a ONE day project!

brinley had her pirate play...

she is in the middle "wooden square".

jordan started soccer & we had lots of "spring weather" to contend with.

chloe visited the man with all the hop...

*jordan & brinley are NOW TOO OLD to share in this tradition (LOL, wink)*

we had easter with our friends...cody, kara, zane, kayleeann & gracie jo...

aspen & my sister came for a visit during their spring break...

we went to dillon to cheer on brinley in her first traveling basketball tournament...

one girl even called brinley the *B* word because of how good her defense was. and a girl on the dillon team that brinley was guarding for the game was also named brinley :).

ok, off to load more pics & catch up a bit more.

our year thus far {recap}...

2011-06-29T18:16:00.003-06:00

ok, i'm going to try & keep this to a few posts to get my blog caught up with the shultz family photos & goings on.

january:
we had chloe's 6th birthday...i already posted those though. so i won't repeat. i only took a handful of "other" photos...cats, chloe playing with friends & that's it. it was a slow photo month. other than chloe's bday being the BIG photo event, january is always a slow month for my camera.

this is chloe & her "husbands" sister, avary...she frequents our house on days that her big brother, cody is at school.

february
we started this month with a visit from some old friends- the howards. we miss them sooo much! our kids grew up together when we first moved here.

jordan started her basketball season... she is #13.

chloe always makes quick friends each & every game...

brinley also had watched her big sister play basketball.

jordan went to the valentines dance...this is her with her friend, kiara.

march
chloe lost her first tooth!!

i did a little decorating in chloe's room (i've blogged about this as well)...

i'm still here...

2011-06-22T16:13:00.003-06:00

i've had a few people ask me about my blog in passing & i'm still here! :)

i do have photos to share but no time to upload them. maybe i can tackle little bits here & there in the evenings. but i make no promises at this point!

i've been working at the new airport- um, all 200,000 square feet. construction clean-up is such hard work. it's not just a rag & water! and we'll cover that 200,000 sq. feet many times before we are all done...not just the floor but the walls & ceiling spaces too! my body aches on a daily basis, i pop advil like crazy, and i'm getting in shape. the airport is suppose to be up and running at the end of august. but then again, i always hear all different kinds of dates...so what do i know.

today buck & i celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. can't believe it! here we are on our first "dance date" at our high school...MORP.

aren't we sooo dang cute! :)
we are headed out tonight to get dinner & catch a movie.

i promise i will upload some of our recent photos too here soon. ttfn!

in memory...

2011-04-21T22:27:00.003-06:00

My dearest of cousin's husband passed away at the early age of 37 this past Sunday from cancer after an 8 month battle.

Rob's obituary

Love you Rob...may you be at peace & no longer in pain! Until we all meet again.

i'm still plugging away...

2011-04-09T08:00:00.001-06:00

yup, still not working.
yup, still scrapping like a fool!

made this to hang in chloe's room:

i'm up over the 160 mark now! and have just one more halloween layout to do, of brinley, and then onto november 2009!

nike ads

2011-04-08T14:24:00.003-06:00

when i think of nike, i think of:

when i was a teenager, i had MJ plastered all over my bedroom paneling, um, er, walls. one of my HS friends even bought me a baseball style jersey w/ the BULLS on it & JORDAN on the back. i still have it...it's in my closet! someday i will meet him & have him sign it...one of my bucket list wishes! just yesterday i was following a truck that had the classic MJ flight sign on the back of his windows....

both images via photobucket
{swoon}

oh, and no i didn't name my first born dd after {the michael}....that is my maiden name! :) just in case you didn't know that!

i had seen this on tara whitney's blog & fell in love again. i LOVE this! then i did a google search on nike quotes...who knew...amazing! now i need to have a whole nike section in my quote book! also would make a great addition to a mini album w/ sports photos of the dd's!

The Nike Ad That Changed My Life

You were born a daughter.

You looked up to your mother.

You looked up to your father.

You looked up at everyone.

You wanted to be a princess.

You thought you were a princess.

You wanted to own a horse.

You wanted to be a horse.

You wanted your brother to be a horse.

You wanted to wear pink.

You never wanted to wear pink.

You wanted to be a Veterinarian.

You wanted to be President.

You wanted to be the President's Veterinarian.

You were picked last for the team.

You were the best one on the team.

You refused to be on the team.

You wanted to be good in algebra.

You hid during algebra.

You wanted the boys to notice you.

You were afraid the boys would notice you.

You started to get acne.

You started to get breasts.

You started to get acne that was bigger than your breasts.

You wouldn't wear a bra.

You couldn't wait to wear a bra.

You couldn't fit into a bra.

You didn't like the way you looked.

You didn't like the way your parents looked.

You didn't want to grow up.

You had your first best friend.

You had your first date.

You had your second best friend.

You had your second first date.

You spent hours on the telephone.

You got kissed.

You got to kiss back.

You went to the prom.

You didn't go to the prom.

You went to the prom with the wrong person.

You spent hours on the telephone.

You fell in love.

You fell in love.

You fell in love.

You lost your best friend.

You lost your other best friend.

You really fell in love.

You became a steady girlfriend.

You became a significant other.

YOU BECAME SIGNIFICANT TO YOURSELF.

Sooner or later, you start taking yourself seriously. You know when you need a break. You know when you need a rest. You know what to get worked up about and what to get rid of. And you know when it's time to take care of yourself, for yourself. To do something that makes you stronger, faster, more complete.

Because you know it's never too late to have a life. And never too late to change one.

JUST DO IT

{swoon}
{goosebumps}

i crossed over

2011-04-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

yup, i took the plunge.
with a little push from jenn at cherished snapshots. {the first photo that comes up in the gallery...the little girl with the parasol is my niece, aspen} i only wish i lived that close to have her do photos for me! i have a list of people/friends, actually, that i want to take family pics! well, 3 of them. lovely, jaymee & jenn!

ok...back to crossing over...
jenn asked me to make some handmade cards for her business...to go along with her customers orders. i think they turned out fab! i'm a bit hooked!

a gentle reminder...

2011-03-24T13:55:00.003-06:00

not nearly often enough do i include myself in photos with the girls! i found these two amazing entries today while blog strolling & was served up a platter of reminders!

reminder #1
reminder #2

this is also the MAIN reason i don't really use computer journaling in my albums. i cherish handwriting. i think it's very important to include handwriting in albums/layouts for that extra sentimental value. i don't think it matters what your handwriting looks like! someone cherish's it!

my friend, syalynne, & i have a pact with each other that if something were to happen to one of us that the other would take over the scrapbooking for the kids. we both have 3 kiddos! god forbid something ever did happen to one of us...but it settles my heart, mind & soul knowing that my girls albums wouldn't stop in their tracks just because i'm gone.

LIVE WHAT YOU LOVE!

2011-03-22T09:34:00.004-06:00

i was cleaning chloe's room yesterday...dusting & putting a few toys away. she's good about keeping her room in order herself- wish jordan would take down a few notes from her!! she has a 11x14 frame on one of her small walls that has needed changed out for a few years now. the pic's in it were from when she was 3(and she's 6 now, LOL)...a collage print from costco. i wanted to do something a little different...make something :) something with a quote. i have quite the collection of them. this is what i came up with.

step by step:
1. print out the quote from here...just copy & past in your browser...sorry for the goofed up linkage- there isn't the proper linkage i need for the blogger format listed. and this is the first time i've uploaded a doc to print share online & hoping i did it right. if it doesn't work...email me & i will just send it to you :) OR if you'd like to tackle the print yourself...it's super easy. i just opened up a new document in MS Word & chose the font (that i downloaded off the net...just google search it...it's a free font)...it's called Rosewood Std Regular. make the font 115 in size & type down the left margin. that's it.

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B0hQL0RA-01PYTY4MmQxOWUtOTQ2Yi00NDE0LTkyNDYtZDg4YmJlZTI1NjY4&hl=en&authkey=CNKTgYEM

2. grab 4 different pattern papers that match the room where this will be...or your *favorite* papers. punch 8 circles, 2 of each design. cut those in half.

3. assemble your banner & using a bit of adhesive...adhere the half circles down. just enough to keep them in their spot- so you don't gum up your sewing machine needle.

4. sew along the top edge of the circles....all the way across the page.

5. put in a frame to enjoy :)

here it is hanging in chloe's room:

excuse the cat...juliet, she loves to be on camera :)

and just for showing...here is the rest of her room-

we have switched back and forth between the girls sharing rooms. we have 2 rooms & 2 of them have to share in the room with the bunkbed. well, chloe & brinley were sharing up until this fall (it's changed many times) when jordan & brinley approached me & asked if they could share the bunk room & chloe would get her own room (which was originally hers when she was born). so we swapped. i never have themes really because they are always switching!

the big dimensional flowers & the large photo boards that are on the large wall by her bed are from target! they were free! free? yup! last spring the girls & i took extra note of the target easter/spring decor. we loved it. all of us. so after many trips to target, we wondered what they do with the decor after the holiday is up. so i asked. they let customers have it & take names down. when they take it down the day after the holiday- they call you & you come get whatever you want. so that's how i decorated this room. with free target stuff. :)

i also updated my crib matress/photo hanger. not really sure what to call this thing. but i absolutely LOVE it to pieces!

i'm sure we'll be adding stuff to it thru the month.

i also decorated my mantle with lots of sewn butterfly banners.

i've also been working & plugging away on 2009's photos. here are a few of the recent layouts:

hope everyone has an amazing day! xoxo

dancer girl chloe

2011-03-14T15:57:00.003-06:00

we went on a drive yesterday. the sun was shining & it was 50 degrees! beautiful! we tried to find a spot to take sharpie to the river...but didn't have too much success until the end of our trip...which was 5 minutes away from the house :)
chloe.
miss redelicious!
this girl loves to dance.
this girl loves to watch herself move.
this girl loves hip-hop & fun music.
this girl has some serious groove!

raigan, chloe hopes you enjoy this new dancing video :)

one hundred & one

2011-03-12T14:39:00.002-07:00

this month alone i have completed 101 layouts! NO JOKE! but that wasn't with the help of scrapbook retreat a couple weeks ago! i completed 37 there & have worked this week on getting the rest that i had preplanned DONE & placed into the girls' albums! i'm in need of albums & page protectors once again! i will have to wait until i go back to billings in may for Nat'l Scrapbook Day!!! Fingers crossed they have them 50% off that week!

pull up a chair...this is a doozy of a post...all my pages. well, there won't be 101 because some of the pages i simply "triplecated" (meaning i did 3 of the same page, just different photos, for each daughter).

and one trick that i used to display extra pics (because i didn't want to scrap a million pages from this event)...american crafts photo page protectors (horizontal & vertical).

ok...that's all i got *wink*

the girls are home on spring break this week. i have compiled a list, cause that's how i roll, with what i/we want to accomplish! lets hope that i can get every single thing crossed off!
hope everyone has a great weekend! right now, it's full of sunshine & the girls are outside playing!!!!

class pages from retreat...

2011-03-04T22:09:00.003-07:00

just in case, there were a few girls who didn't get pages finished...wanted to get these posted so they can complete their layouts.

{use-it-up} class:

{i love you today because} mini-album:

and these are the only photos i have so far (thanks girls)... as you can tell... it was a brilliant time- lots of laughter- so much my face hurt each day from all the laughing! can't wait for NATIONAL SCRAPBOOK DAY! and for those inquiring minds...i "only" completed 37 layouts out of my 92 i planned! but guess what i'm going to be doing until i start work at the end of this month!!!! SCRAPPIN!

how does she do it?

2011-03-02T15:22:00.003-07:00

i am asked how i am so productive on a regular basis. first i must preface this by saying...i'm a type A personality...i don't know any other way to operate than to be organized! believe me- sometimes, it gets in the way of things & just letting things happen without control!

whether you have a table in a corner of a room or an entire room designated to scrapbooking…organization is the key to successful scrapbooking! keeping my supplies organized helps me create more pages and in a quicker fashion because I’m not dealing with disorganization that comes from a messy workspace. I stand by this 100%…organization is KEY!

in the winter months, yup, the majority of the year, i move my scrapbook area upstairs and into my entry way. someday the basement will get finished.

it's mostly out of the way & the temperature is controlled. the basement is absolutely frigid! my hands get so cold i can't scrapbook!!!

one one wall...

jordan let me have her desk this year instead of using a banquet table. she begged for a desk, this one was given to her & then she didn't use it but to pile her stuff on! works perfect for me!

i bring up my drawers of full sheets paper, drawers of scraps, categorized drawers, printers, laptop, punches, 12x12 photo storage boxes (I have one for each daughter), jar of flowers, basket of abc letters, embellishment boxes, buttons (that i store in these), ribbon bag, paint, adhesive, pens, inks, trimmers, stapler, mists, scissors, hammer, small abc stamps, photo paper. if I need something else I bring it up for the use & then take it back down. all these things are placed on my hutch & in the 3 drawers it has….well except for the 12x12 drawer units…those are stacked beside the desk.

Storage
Paper-
Whole sheets (patterned & solid): Divided out by color in rainbow order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, brown, black, white)
Scraps (patterned & solid): same as whole sheets
*Janelle World Rule #1, you must always look in the scrap bin for possible paper before cutting a new sheet of paper!

Themed drawers-
This is where I save TONS of time! I have each of these themes in 12x12 stackable drawers.
I put EVERYTHING related to the category in the drawer- ribbon, paper, buttons, tags, frames, any & all!! That way I never have to dig in various areas for all of one theme.

Categories:
Sports
School
Travel
Summer
Fall
Winter
Spring
Love/Wedding/Valentines
Halloween
Christmas
Dated (calendars, tags for dating layouts, etc)
Words…I have 2 drawers- one for small pieces & one for large sheet types
Journaling…I have 2 drawers- one for small pieces & one for large sheet types
Tags
Rub-ons
Gems
Frames/Photo Corners
Borders
Pets
Swirls
Camping
Flowers…I have 2 drawers- one for small pieces & one for larger pieces (however, I do not put floral paper in here- I categorize that within my colored drawers)
Birthday
Girls
Boys
Family/Friends
Baby
Numbers (chipboard accents)
4th of July
Sewing/Mesh
Tools

Tiny Accents/Embellishments
Again, anything themed, goes in the categorized drawers. What is considered general embellishments: brads, buttons, clips, etc are in little bins, and cross-stitch thread boxes.
You can also purchase some great circle tins of different sizes here:
Leevalleytools.com (they are called watchmaker cases)
I’ve used these in the past, but they don’t travel well without a rubber band around them…trust me on this one *wink*!

on the other wall, i have my shelf with the majority of my albums. i have some that won't fit...so i have those in my closet. and all my mini albums are on another shelf in my living room. also, you can see my stack of 12x12 drawers that house my cardstock/pattern paper. on top...my sewing machine.

Please feel free to adapt these ideas into your current methods & change them up to fit your needs. This outlines my current system & what works for me.

2011-02-23T12:41:00.002-07:00

{art colors the world tangible hues of the hearts dreams. ~unknown

well, i did indeed take advantage of the monday with no school & no errands needing to be ran! i scrapped- 8 pages! felt so good touching all those papers & goodies. slowly, but surely tackling 2009's pics!

and here is a little video of her @ the wedding....she's such a goof dancing & then going into the splits!!! have no idea where she got that!

next saturday...

2011-02-20T15:00:00.002-07:00

i will be teaching this little miss...

and it is happily snowing outside!
insert me *jumping up & down*

i've been going thru my google reader- finding lots of inspiring goodness today & found this blog...got lost for a while there! she has a love for quotes as well...i have 2 pages that i've recorded from her posts!

i love finding fun new places to visit & recharging that creative spark each day. make me so happy!

since the girls are out of school tomorrow i think i might just scrap starting NOW & keep going thru the whole week! my house is clean & i already have my errands done for the week!

back in the saddle...

2011-02-03T09:23:00.003-07:00

it feels so good to be scrapping again. over the course of the last year i *sort of* stopped. **major gasp, i know** i dabbled in other things & i really didn't take many pictures either. don't get me wrong though, i do have plenty still, but not the norm for me. i was missing it dearly. missing the friends i'd made thru scrapping- because i let that go too. missing our get togethers. missing it all. i've been scrapping for almost 15 years now, i guess i was entitled to a little break. if i did get in the mood to scrap...i was easily overwhelmed! i would step away or it would take me forever to get a page together. for new years i made a resolution: to *get back into scrapping & too enjoy it again*.

the sisters scrapbook store in billings emailed me asking me to teach at spring retreat. just in time to help with that resolution, to kick off the new year :) so, i put together my first class, my {use it up} class. the last time i went to retreat (last spring) i didn't preplan...i worked on stuff on the fly...which was a first for me. i'm a planner. so this time, since i'm not working, and i'm determined to get lots accomplished- i have been preplanning like a mad woman. i have 92 pages preplanned already...which i think i should be able to get done...or close to it. i'm working on 2009 pic's & trying to fill in all the gaps from skipping around. i'm already in september! yesterday, i printed out a bunch of pictures at home & just scrapped. finished 2 pages. man i'm loving this! in december amazon had an AMAZING photo paper sale on my favorite photo paper for only $4 instead of $28. this is 8.5x11 size (they also have it in 4x6 as well...it's the soft gloss & the premium plus!!! total score!!! you can print 20 2x2 pic's on one sheet or 9 wallets. i'm doing lots of collage style pages right now...so i can get caught up & save myself from having to do multiple pages of each event. i also keep a photo file of pages i find online in "my pictures" & refer to it often & scraplift pages. makes perfect sense & it has allowed me to get back in the vibe & create different pages without putting in a lot of stressing. i'm loving using up my shreddies & misc., but i do need new product...i'm low in several categories.

if you're interested in attending retreat...it's at the end of february...yup, coming up soon! i have one more class to put together...it's a mini album...and then i'm also teaching a mini organizing class.

here are a few sneek peeks:

on christmas eve...

2011-01-18T23:22:00.003-07:00

another rewind posting.
christmas eve.
it was a foggy night & when we woke up everything was covered in thick frost! it was stunning!

we started off the day with buck & the girls running into town for a last minute errand (to get the columbia coat i had on my list...i found this out christmas morning). on his way home he called & said to get my coat on & camera ready. when he pulled in the driveway, i hopped in his truck & away we went.

on our way down by the river we saw two bald eagles in a tree just off the road. very easy to pick these majestic birds out when everything is just branches.

so wish i had a bigger zoom lens on days like this. or that i could of been a bit closer.

we headed down the road...

the sun started to burn off the frost causing the frost to give the effect of snow falling from the sunny sky. my hair was covered. love winter!

on our way back up the road to head back home...
we noticed more eagles in that tree.
there were now 5!

it was clearly a mother eagle & her eagletts. the other two were in a different tree & i couldn't get them all together.
it was amazing.

more christmas {getting our tree}...the saga!

2011-01-15T16:04:00.003-07:00

being a bad blogger equals whoever reads this...reading a bunch of back log :) sorry.

can you believe that our christmas tree hunt resulted in one measly photo!!!
yeah i know.
but we had one crazy day! trust me! just read on & see! it's funny now...but it sure was frustrating then!
we started off leaving about noonish because we made a huge breakfast & slept in. head over to our friends house to load up the 4 wheeler & snowmobile. then start heading up the towards bridger bowl ski area. the place we cut our tree is right by there. so, we turn off the main road. our friends (cody, kara, zane, kayleeann & gracie jo...also cody's mom & boyfriend) are right behind us in their truck. buck gets the truck & trailer stuck. and i mean STUCK! so cody pulls ahead of us & hooks up to pull us out. it works. meanwhile, a truck comes down the road that had just cut their tree earlier & says that there is a guy in a large tractor digging out his logging gear up high on the road & as soon as he makes his way down he is going to bolt lock the gate shut. GREAT! well, buck & cody decide that we are here to get our tree & since he isn't forest service- he CAN'T shut the gate. so, we continue on our path, cody leading the way in his truck. people in trucks are continuing to come from the other direction, forcing buck to pull over to uncharted snow. and pulling a trailer with the 4 wheeler & snowmobile is tricky trying not to have them go off the side!! we get stuck again trying to get over for someone to pass us. and this time is worse! very close to the edge of a significant drop! i'm sweating bullets because that drop...is on MY side! buck has the girls & i get out of the truck. now remember, cody is leading us...and he continued, didn't realize we had gotten stuck. cody's mom & boyfriend were behind us so they we right behind us. here comes the big tractor...whips right by us & continues to plow the snow on the road & drop it over the big drop! kind of minding his business & NOT helping us by any means. buck continues to try & get out of his predicament. so now, boyfriend of cody's mom pulls their truck around to the front of us...meanwhile getting stuck right beside us. at one point...he was within inches of our truck. he put the truck in reverse and worked his way down the hill...still stuck & went in this huge rut...up the side of the mountain & finally out of the rut! all this comotion going on & the tractor guy finally decides to lend us a hand. then cody returns because he's realized we are not following him anymore. we get buck's truck hooked up to the tractor & the rope breaks! hook it up again & success! so buck follows him up the hill a ways because there was no place to turn around. comes back down & picks us up & we head out of there to try a new place. we go up the road & turn off to fairy lake. we get up to the trail head & park the pick-up & trailer. we didn't get stuck :) yeah! so we unload the 4 wheeler & snowmobile. the guys romp around a bit in the snow to get out their aggressions! LOL everyone loads up & starts heading up the trail. guess what...the 4 wheeler keeps getting stuck. i have to get off & he works thru the snow to get out. i get back on...the girls get back on their sleds he's pulling. this continues all the way to the end of the trail. cody's mom & boyfriend head up the mountain to pick out a tree....walking. cody & buck, after about 30 minutes, decide to take jordan & head up to just cut one down. kara's kiddos were getting quite cold & so we took all the kids (except for jordan) back down the trail to the trucks to warm up. after about 30 minutes cody, buck & jordan return towing 2 large trees. we load them up & head back for home. we stop at pizza hut for dinner...it was 8:00! long day! so that is why, this, is my only picture:

random & more catching up

2011-01-14T18:14:00.002-07:00

cats...
joey: the gray one, aka big guy, brinley's beloved, chases his own tail & wonders who in the world is bothering him, loves to climb up on top of the kitchen cupboards, sleeps on brinley's bed exclusively,

and LOVED the christmas tree. this was both cats first year with a tree! they loved the ornaments on the bottom & i cautioned the three girls to not hang their "precious" & breakable ones on the lower branches.

juliet: aka fatty mc schmatty & meow meow, drinks only out of the sink & wakes me up to get her water in the night, chatters instead of meows, loves buck & i, is my sidekick during the day, only sleeps in buck & i's room, is suppose to be jordan's cat, eats like crazy, has the best & funniest personality!

remember this from the olivia post:

during christmas i put all our christmas cards that we received randomly on it. LOVE IT! think i might leave it up permanantly to put more pictures up that are current!

the girls building forts in the snow...

there is nothing better than the glow of the christmas tree at night. i love staying up after everyone is in bed & admiring the quiet peace & the glow!

i have one little girl that will still sit on santa's lap...

santa even sent chloe a message here. goosebumps!

even though it took me a month...because of many technical difficulties...i finally accomplished something i've been putting off for a while now.

new stockings:

chloe had her christmas program at school

i finally got around to taking her picture with her soccer trophy:

we've had many sledding adventures:

i will post more later...still not caught up!

pushing the REWIND button

2011-01-12T07:00:00.001-07:00

i realized i never posted about thanksgiving!
we made a trip to Colorado. and thanks to another dear friend, jill, the trip was possible! love ya girl! she let us use some of her buddy passes thru frontier to get us home. and thank goodness we have this option because of the snow storm that hit...we would of never been able to drive! but that's not to say that we didn't have some difficulty getting out of bozeman's airport. our flight was suppose to leave at 10 and arrive in denver around noon...perfect timing to eat lunch with my parents, who were picking us up. well, buck drops us off at the airport & leaves to head into work. we get all checked in & there were plenty of seats left (because using buddy passes means you have to fly stand by) so we were issued actual tickets. they mentioned that the plane was delayed in denver (it was suppose to leave @ 8:15am to be in bozeman by 10) & hasn't left yet due to freezing fog. we all know that most times, fog burns off as morning progresses...but this wasn't the case. i talked to my parents & asked about the fog & they said it was so thick you couldn't even see to the back fence- which is probably 6 yards away! WOW! so i call buck's brother & ask, they live right by the airport. they said, "what fog?" so weird. we ended up eating lunch at the airport & waiting until 4pm to get out on our flight. it was a LONG day!!!!!
during our flight...the moon over the cloud cover...

happy to be in the air. happy to be in the 2nd row from the front!!!

she played with her barbies during the flight. she also ALWAYS plays with her barbies naked. not sure why. the flight attendant joked that she was going to tell the pilot that there was a bunch of naked girls in the back of the plane. LOL

when we arrived in denver we sat for another hour at the airport waiting for my littlest sister, brandy & her boyfriend, to get in from oregon. they were arriving at 6pm. what was another hour, eh? so if the roads were perfectly clear from bozeman to colorado...we could of already been at my parents house in the time it took us to fly! ah well! but it was a quick flight & no road worries. all i have to say is, "thank you" for modern technology! the girls had their DS's, ipods, leapsters & books! sanity keepers for this mom with nothing but time on her hands! i wished i hadn't packed my laptop charger because i could of done plenty on there! lesson learned!

i didn't get my camera back out until the day before thanksgiving. and even then, my dad told me, "hey, skillet, you should take pictures of this!" so i did. baking pies with my mom....the girls...

and i left my camera out & took these later that evening when we were having dinner. all of my sisters, brother-in-laws, mom & dad, grandma, my one niece- aspen, & the girls plus myself. all together! i haven't seen my littlest sister, brandy, for over 2 years! and no one has ever met chris, her boyfriend. i haven't seen her this happy in FOREVER!

and my sister (and aspen's mom), misty...

and my sister, crystal...

thanksgiving day:
we were planning on having a late thanksgiving dinner...so we didn't have to be up before the crack of dawn (like when i was a little girl). so aspen & chloe colored, made turkeys out of construction paper & paper cups (which i have no pictures of, ahem, misty...send it to me!!!).

i also gave my brother-in-law, todd (misty's husband) a lesson on their new camera...a canon T2i. and did a little bit of photo shooting just in the house.

and this is the point in my life where i've become nicknamed as the paparazzi! my sister, brandy, had warned chris of my picture loving ways. and even though my dad was being a turd about having to take time to do family pictures, he realized how much it meant to my mom & obliged! it was so cold out...8 if i remember right. the sun was going down & we were running out of daylight by the minute! i made a list of all the shots/groupings we wanted to get and started taking those outside...one by one. this is the first time we've had everyone together in 2 years...so these were super important!

too start...my girls...i brought that S all the way from MT for this shot.

my sister, brandy (the baby sister), and her boyfriend, chris...

brandy & chloe...

my sister, crystal (the 3rd sister), and her husband, bryan...

chloe with her favorite uncle (& aunt crystal)...

my sister, misty (the 2nd sister), todd & aspen

my mom & dad...

all six of us...

my grandma hazel with my mom. we call her grandma hazel nuts. she's a hoot!

the four of us girls in birth order from right to left...

buck was able to get on a 10am flight to denver on thanksgiving morning. the flight was all sold out! and someone didn't show up...so he got that last ticket!!! thanks again jill! he first went to his brother's house & had dinner there with his family. then drove out to my parents.
my family...

and the big family photo...

after dinner & pie...we headed to back to buck's brothers house. we stayed up & visited with his brother, sister & mom. then buck left the next morning at 8:15am to head back to bozeman. the girls & i stayed for one more day.
we had an early christmas...

uncle bo and chloe...

jordan & uncle bo...

we dilly dallied around brighton & shopped some black friday sales. next year, i will be getting up early & shopping more of those here. i missed out on some great deals! never thought i would be admitting that! we then went to eat at chili's...yumm-o! and headed back to play band hero & let chloe & zach play.

we headed back first thing the next morning at 8:15am. and back to our winter wonderland (which we missed the week we were gone).

chloe's birthday(s)

2011-01-11T11:37:00.005-07:00

chloe had 3 parties.
one at school the day of her actual birthday (the day they returned from christmas break).
i don't have any pictures of this one. she just took cookies to school.
one at home the day of her actual birthday.
and
finally, one with her friends, this past saturday.

her actual birthday, not her "pretend" birthday...meaning her friend party, LOL.

i decorated the window with her window markers while she was at school.

our friends, kara & cody came over...bringing their 3 kids (zane, kayleeann & gracie jo).

and we opened her gifts finally. we made her wait...except for one early one the night before. which was a bag of new clothes...so she would have something new to wear to school. it was so hard waiting!!!!!

and while she was at school, i also made her a "from scratch" carrot cake. carrot cake is also my absolute favorite, so i definitely loved the idea she chose this over her other favorite of cheesecake.

however, i think it's so funny that she wouldn't eat the cake part...just the frosting. so turns out, she doesn't like the carrot cake...just the carrot cake FROSTING! funny girl!

for the rest of the week i worked away at her friend party. a migraine for 2 days threw me off a bit, but i got it all done, & down to the very last minute. who's kidding, the very last second, actually!

chloe chose OLIVIA the piglet for her theme. it's her favorite thing right now. and lets just say it is so hard to find decor for it! so i had to improvise & do my own thing.

for her invites i took just an image i found on google image search & plopped it down onto a 4x6 sized image in adobe & added the text about the party. i only printed out one & gave it to her best friends at school (twin girls) & then emailed it to everyone else. saved postage & time.

GOODIE BAGS:

i included: a lipgloss, a beaded art craft from the dollar spot at michael's, a heart notepad from target dollar spot, and a candy bag that i made from coffee filters. i resized an olivia image & put it along with some text to put on the outside of the black sacks...with a strip of red/white stripe paper (like olivia's tights). i then wrote each girls name on the sack as well.

for the candy filled coffee filter treat bags...
(i saw this online somewhere & just tucked it away in my mental file as *to do* for her party...so i don't have the actual link, sorry)
**found the link**

1. take 2 coffee filters and it's best to grab 2 off the pile at the same time *leaving them stuck together* so that you don't have to try & line them up again before you do step 2.
2. using your sewing machine, sew the two filters together to create a pocket, and leave about 1.5" open. i used black thread to tie into the theme of black/white/red.

3. fill with candy. i used m&m's & rolo's. chloe's favorites.
4. fold over the top.

5. create a tag to put on the candy bag. again, i used a clip art image i found online & added text.
6. take a hole punch & while holding the tag & the folded over candy filter bag, punch 2 holes.

7. cut a piece of ribbon, thread thru holes & tie.

so easy!!!!

BIRTHDAY BANNER:

*i made this project over the course of a few days.

1. banner chipboard is from the $1 spot at michael's. they are meant to be for mini albums...but i love them for banners (i made an ocean themed one for aspen last summer using the same thing...but i don't have any pictures of it). i used 3 albums worth.
2. spray paint (the fast way) or paint the chipboard to match your theme.
3. spray paint or paint your chipboard letters saying, "happy birthday"
4. let everything dry completely. i let mine dry for a good day's worth of time. and because i had to work in the basement i just put an old sheet on the concrete floor & opened a window. thank goodness it was last week i had to do this...because it was actually nice out. however, now, it's currently -10! eekk!
5. glue your letters onto the chipboard.
6. using different types/colors of ribbon, or you could use all the same if you'd like, tie all the chipboard pieces together. the pieces at the end are about 24"+ long so you have room to hang.
7. for the 2 end pieces, i printed olivia out on photo paper & then cut her out silhouette style.
8. hang up :) i used clothes pins & attached to the edging of the mantle...i didn't have tape!

** next year, whatever her theme, i will change out the olivia's & ribbon colors. years of enjoyment. i could even use this for brinley & jordan as well. lots of possibilities!!!

PHOTO MANTLE & PHOTO WALL:
if you look at the photo above that i posted for the banner, you will notice i changed out all our photos & put pic's of ONLY chloe thru the years. i didn't print any of these, they were in my EXTRA's box.

also, i have this old crib matress that i spray painted this summer & use it for photos now. just used mini clothes pins & a few bigs to hold them on. I also included some olivia star printables from the nick jr. website as well as the "the cat's meow" printable.

*i also had red, white & black balloons on each end of the mantle...but they didn't show up in the pics! sad.

i also used the printables on nick jr. to print out the straw slides. i was going to print out the paper doll pack & put in the goody bags until i found out it was going to cost $30 just to print the 4 pages for each of her 10 guests! i chose not to include that. but did print it for her to do on her own.

i also made these cupcakes using the red velvet cupcake recipe on nick jr as well. the grocery store where i shop didn't carry a red velvet mix...so i made from scratch just like the recipe. but to save LOADS of time...i would find a mix...i know they make them. so much easier!

so, now, the party...

and thanks to aunt misty (my sister), chloe had her olivia dress from last year that still fit!

an added bonus

2011-01-11T10:51:00.004-07:00

i am forever grateful for the day i stepped into a *new* local scrapbook store about a month after chloe was born. the store was hopping with people all around & they were having a weekday "mom crop". i recognized a few people but didn't say hello immediately. i browsed the store until someone saw me & pulled me back into the crop area. they all ooohed & awed over little chloe & i told them about her birth & rough go we had. i then met the owner, she invited me to come to the saturday crop and said that i was more than welcome to bring chloe along. so, i went home, started gathering stuff to start chloe's book, ya know, pre-planning. and the next weekend, i attended my very first crop w/ a newborn :) i brought her bouncy seat & swing...lots of blankies, formula & diapers. i knew i could do this...did the whole crop/baby routine w/ both jordan & brinley as well. if i remember right, i got quite a few pages done that day as i started her book.

at the crop, there was a girl named sara. when i was up walking around with chloe she said that she had a baby probably pretty close to the same age. he was born january 8th. i told her i was still in the hospital then...it was the day of one of her transfusions. i never saw sara while i was there, because she stayed in her room & kept baby finley with her.

we started attending the crops every time one was held...which if i remember right, was every other saturday, or close to it. we would chat each time & looked forward to seeing each other. i always brought chloe with me. and occasionally her husband would swing by to visit her & have baby finley with him...and i would get to baby finley. thru all our conversations, we figured out lots of fun tid bits about *US* before we even knew each other or became friends.
*sara is a nurse for a OBGYN dr. in the same practice as the dr. i was being cared by & knew all about me & the circumstances of my pregnancy. her dr. observed a few of the amnio's with my dr., as well as checking on me in some of the follow-ups in labor & delivery (after i had amnio's i would go to labor & delivery to be monitored for about an hour to make sure everything was stable before going home). we never met.
*i was feeding chloe in the nursery when finley was brought in minutes after being born...5 days after chloe, & i know this because i remember her parents & husband being there at that time. finley was also a frank breach...his legs were up by his ears & over time they slowly went down. i remember asking the nurses...why are his legs like that. i'd never heard of frank breach before. how amazing is it that i was there when he was born...and saw him! goosebumps! and like i said...i only ever saw her parents & husband the day he was born. but, we never met.

but we did finally meet that first crop saturday. we were put on the stores design team together. both scrapping for our new babies. after the scrapbook store closed (after only 6 months), we started to scrapbook together on a regular basis. and have ever since. we go to dinner, movies, retreats, splash park, etc...for mommy time & then together w/ our kiddos. her 2 boys, my 3 girls. she added a new little guy, truman this summer into our mix. truman is the first baby chloe ever held.

we both firmly believe that this sb store, however short lived it was, was brought here to bring us together. we were destined to be friends. circumstances that all finally aligned gave us the chance to be friends. we have absolutely NO DRAMA, we have the best time when we are together & just truely adore one another. we chat with no judging & are completely open books. love that. i don't know what i would do without her. wish we could see more of each other...but life is constantly busy for both of us. but, we do make it a priority to hang out...sometimes scrap, sometimes not.

in a recent email discussing our plans to go to retreat at the end of february she said she had to work that friday & wouldn't be able to leave until after she was done for the day. i told her in a reply back...that is absolutely no problem. she replied back, you would do that for me? GIRL...i would do anything for you!

(photo by Lovely...another fab friend)
i adore you, love you & and i am ever so grateful for you my beloved sara! we were destined to be friends! so along with chloe & finley celebrating their birthdays (she on the 3rd & he on the 8th), it is also the time of year that we celebrate our friendship. a true added bonus, totally unexpected, that i received when chloe was born!

YEARS!!!!

2011-01-04T19:45:00.002-07:00

For Christmas Buck was a super sweet husband and bought me an external hard drive & photo/negative scanner. I have been wanting these for quite a while & while I do love jewelry...I would rather have things I "want"...so I gave him a list :) The week of Christmas Buck & his BFF, Cody, went shopping for their wives. So cute! I wrapped all of Kara's goodies & then she wrapped mine. I was so excited when I unwrapped my gifts!!!!

Now, fast forward a week and a half. I'm deep into scanning my negatives. Each strip takes about 5 minutes...which means each roll/envelope takes about 30 minutes. Let me tell ya, I haven't counted how many envelopes I have...I think I would possibly kill over instantly! But when I'm done I will post how many photos I scanned...the scanner counts them for me by assigning each image a number...I'm already into the 300's and haven't even got 6 months scanned!!!! It will be quite a hefty number...I usually average about 8,000-10,000 pics (if I take wedding pics it's higher). And tonight Brinley told me she needed a photo of her as a newborn baby...wa la! Just like that...scan & printed it out for her! Amazing! I'm hoping that I can get this all accomplished, 9 years worth of negatives, scanned & uploaded! ALL SAFE & SOUND! That is one of my New Year's Resolutions! Along with getting back into scrapping! I really miss it dearly!

So, yesterday was Chloe's 6th birthday!!!! Egads! Where does time go? I had the best intentions of scanning her "negatives" from when she was born. I did get them all scanned, but it was time for birthday party time, so I didn't get them posted. Time is always slipping away from me like that!

A little preface to her birth: Buck & I are RH incompatible. In between Jordan & Brinley I had a miscarriage. At that point in time I should of received a Rhogham shot (like I had after I delivered Jordan). I received the shots both while pregnant with Brinley & after her delivery. During my pregnancy though with Brinley, my OB noticed my antibody level rising. Here is an article I found to explain. When I had my first initial blood work done with Chloe's pregnancy my anti-body levels came thru already elevated. I went to a specialist in Billings, started having every other week ultrasounds... that later turned into having amnio's every week. It was so crazy! The antibody level was so high that at the end we were close to doing a blood transfusion while she was still inside me. But her level started to level out a bit. I received the shot to develop Chloe's lungs New Year's Eve & New Year's Day...she was then born Jan. 3rd. Chloe Madison Faye Shultz was 6lbs 9 oz, born one month early via c-section, and was 18" long.

Dr. Shomento allowed Buck to take photos of her birth. Amazing!

She came out screaming...which was music to our ears. We had prepared for much worse! Both her apgar scores were 9's!

In the nursery...

This is how the nurse measured her...

I picked her up from the nursery & took her to my room after I was out of recovery.

First bath:

All cleaned up & snug as a bug...

My parents were here to help with Jordan & Brinley (ages 7 & 5). After school was out (this was their first day back after Christmas break...just exactly like this year) my parents brought the girls up to meet their new little sister for the first time.

Buck picked this hat out for her & the nickname "Rosebud" was born. {Remember a couple years ago when she wanted to be called "Rose"...so funny coincidental!}

and one of my favorite pics taken by my mom...

The second day was Chloe's last of staying in my room at all. She was already on a bili blanket...the blue glow...aka glow bug. Chloe bug!

Every day after school they would come to visit! It would be 5 days later that they could hold her again. And not until her last day/hours before we left she would join me in my room.

We began intense light therapy for her jaundice. Her bilirubin level was 7.5 at the end of her first day. It was 15.4 by the end of her 2nd day. She was under an incubator light & the bili blanket.

I had to feed her in the nursery & she was in there 24 hours and not allowed to leave. At the end of her 3rd day her bilirubin was 23.5. The Dr.'s added another light and then another by morning. Her bilirubin was at 23.5. Her hematocrit was 29.8. The Dr.s ordered a blood transfusion. A State Patrol drove her blood thru a blizzard from Billings to Bozeman for her! ***one of the reminders of why it's so important to be a donor & donate blood***

Her first transfusion was thru the top of her head.

It worked and brought her bilirubin down to 15.9 and her hematocrit level up to 36.1.

And this photo just pulls at my heart...my Dad & Buck holding little Chloe's hands!

On day 8 she received a second blood transfusion. Her jaundice was better, still under all the light therapy, but the hematocrit level was low at 31.2. After the transfusion it was at 41.1. She was having issues breathing and was put on oxygen. My parents also went home. Buck's mom, aunt & brother made the trip up to take over the care for the older girls & see chloe & lend us support.

On day 9, the nurses allowed Jordan & Brinley to come into the nursery if they put on scrubs to visit their baby sister. There were no other babies in the nursery so they allowed this...otherwise they would of had to wait it out!

On the 10th day, the Dr. allowed us to take Chloe home if we felt comfortable with all her care. We had to be able to work her oxygen tanks (portable & at home) and feel 100% confident. It was a decision we didn't take lightly & pondered for hours that day.

We decided to go ahead & come home...

We finally took our little peach (from the jaundice-bilirubin levels) home...

and once we were home, the girls couldn't keep their eyes off her!

It's a good thing that little girl was a girl, has red hair, a bit stubborn & is a fighter!

what i wanna be when i grow up...

2010-12-09T14:30:00.002-07:00

while in colorado for thankgiving (which i will post about later...i'm busy craftin for christmas) chloe told us what she wanted to be when she grows up!

a CLOWN! and boy does it fit her!
this girl is constantly making us laugh till our cheecks & sides hurt!

accents

2010-11-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

had to make some pretties for chloe's hair {finally}...

THANK YOU!

2010-11-19T11:35:00.003-07:00

the girls were up & getting ready for school. chloe followed me into the kitchen to get her breakfast going. she walked over to the sliding glass door in the dining room & spread open the curtains to discover a yard full of snow. she slapped her hands up to the window & pressed her face against the glass & said,
"THANK YOU, GOD!"

love that this little girl (and the big girls) love snow & winter just as much as i do. i couldn't agree with you more chloe!

{december 2009}

the girls & i are heading to CO on a jet plane tomorrow for thanksgiving until next saturday. thank you to jill for making this possible. i am forever indebted to you: i don't have to drive 10 hours, i don't have to be white knuckled & nervous driving in snow & bad weather, and i can get there in approx 1 1/2 hours. all my sisters will be there...the first time in 2.5 years! i am so excited! plus we get to all meet brandy's boyfriend for the first time!

hope everyone has a wonderful thanksgiving!

if i had a dollar...

2010-11-03T08:51:00.003-06:00

jordan has been asking for a haircut for a while now & we just never could fit it in. always something going on it seems like. chloe requested her hair cut as well..."i don't like long hair, it's makes me hot". LOL i was reluctant to cut her gorgeous auburn red locks...so i had her call buck on his cell to ask. he okayed it...but i think he would prefer her hair long, just as i do. but it is her hair, not ours. so on their 4 day weekend in october we made appointments for her & chloe to get their locks trimmed.

jordan before:

jordan after:

her new haircut is just adorable! i just love it! really makes her look older, more her age...yup, teen! we have had curling lessons & she's finally got it down...but not without shedding of tears!

chloe before:

chloe after:

chloe could of donated 2" more & donated to locks for love, but i just couldn't do it. and that kills me, because i have TONS of people who come up to me & people i meet & tell me that they would love to have her hair color & that it's gorgeous!! i think if IF I HAD A DOLLAR for every time someone told me that...i could go on a really nice vacation! LOL maybe i should start charging :)

halloween 2010 events

2010-11-02T13:45:00.003-06:00

we had a busy halloween weekend. friday we trick-or-treated in downtown bozeman with our neighbors & good friends...avary, cody (chloe's "husband") & wendy.

chloe went as minnie mouse (i made her layered tutu)...

sweet little avary (in chloe's kitty costume from a couple years ago)...

and cody as bumblebee...

so glad this tree still has all the beautiful leaves, it made for the perfect backdrop...

brinley joined in the festivities...but was still getting ready when i took these outdoor shots of the kiddos. but here she is trick-or-treating. jordan was at a school dance (and man the drama, egads).

on saturday morning we picked up uncle bo & aunt alisha at the airport. they came to celebrate the halloween holiday & an end to the soccer season (on sunday).

we carved pumpkins...

i love this one...

*and this one SOOOO doesn't enjoy getting all the goo & seeds out of her pumpkin...she used plastic gloves the entire time! LOL

on sunday we enjoyed jordan & chloe's last soccer games for the fall season.

we had to bundle up for chloe's & then by the time it was jordan's turn...it downpoured & was so windy & nasty! chloe, brin & i stayed in the car.

uncle bo, aunt alisha & buck endured the weather. after half-time the rain had subsided & so i rolled down my window & took some photos of jordan. but nothing fabulous. i am so NOT a sport photographer by any means of the word!!!
i did get some great ones of chloe & brin playing horse though :)

we returned home with supper already done...pork roast & veggies in the crock pot! i chopped up a salad & all the toppings...then trick-or-treating (with avary, cody & wendy once again).

brinley the pirate, we couldn't find her earring from friday night...so we went without.

jordan as alice in wonderland...

and the 5 of them...

jordan, brinley & even chloe took turns taking avary up for her treats & pushing her in her little car...

we trick-or-treated to wonderful temps & no weather issues (who would of thought that with the start of our day being so yucky out) until 8pm. the girls have TONS of candy!

my new LOVE:

2010-11-02T12:02:00.003-06:00

a few tomorrows past since my last entry, but seems i'm always late on here :)!
recently i've been OBSESSED with spray paint! it is such a quick fix all & so user friendly without all the hassle & steps of "regular" painting! the ONLY downfall of using spray paint is that the colors are limited. another new obsession is thrifting. it's a great way to add things to your home & give them a new life/makeover.

up first- a desk for chloe. she's been really into playing school & loves to sit & write out letters/numbers. i bought this little desk (for which i'm on a mission to find a chair) at a thrift store, stumbled upon 1/2 off saturdays...so i got it for a whopping $1.50!!!! can't beat that!
BEFORE:

AFTER:
*using rusoleum spray paints in white, black & pink
*i sanded the desk down w/ a banded sander w/ fine grit paper
*i sprayed 2 coats of primer before painting
*i painted entirely in white first
*then taped off for my middle section using sb lace paper

my garage is my painting station when it's even a bit breezy out.

giving me this result-

*i then spray painted the drawer. i used a rock from the yard to hold it up & off the old sheet to get even edging

*there are still a few cosmetic damages that i couldn't sand away...but it serves as a reminder to me that it was a happy makeover & a success! and everyone/thing has imperfections :)

*i then added some making memories & heidi swapp chipboard letters (but just the negatives) to spell out her name. i taped the entire front off except for where her name was...

and the final look:

i haven't taken any photos of her sitting at her new desk because she was so super sick when i was doing this in stages...she's better now though...so i need to put that on my to-do list! :)
**and find that perfect little chair!

PROJECT #2- frames for the girls' bathroom
*i have had all these frames for a while now.

the two silver ones were found at a house in the garbage (eeekkkk) & the pink one- i bought on our honeymoon in texas. it had a photo of 2 bears in it...which i used to collect...and it was a dark red. i also had this white one, which was in chloe's nursery and with a photo of a pink lady bug. took the lady bug out & replaced it with this...

this is a play on those shadow box butterflies that you've all seen around the internet. i just finally had time to tackle it. i didn't want to mess with all the lining up (even after i had drew lines in pencil to do just that...but it was just too time consuming for me). so i just lined them up & stitched them all down (martha stewart butterfly punch & tons of paper scraps). i then used diamond glaze glue & added the bling. i went thru my quote collection & used this one. love it!

frame #2 & #3:

for the pink one i just added the photo (and this is the honeymoon frame that was red). this photo is the closest i could come with bright colors to match & "water" themed that i wanted since this is for the girls' bathroom. it was from this summer in CO.
the silver frame is the same stencil/lace paper i used for chloe's desk...matched perfectly & it was still on my desk to put away...so i chopped it up & sized it down to fit :) then i covered 3 chipboard butterflies with old book paper, silver UTEE (going a bit old school there, love diggin out old product) and pink martha stewart glitter. i sprayed some fixitif (sp?) stuff that i've had FOREVER so that the glitter would glitterfy the girls' bathroom.

frame #4:
this was another silver spray paint job. and some awesome "already sewn" paper that i picked up at sisters. also added a strip of word paper at the top because it's about 15 or 16" tall for the opening.
the brown strip is part of the packaging from the paper, i just flipped it to the other side so there were no words & trimmed to size. i used some quote stickers for the saying. outlined in my favorite gel pen to add some dimension & black!

this is the inspiration...
the girls' butterfly shower curtain:

i also had tons of butterflies left over that i didn't use in the shadobox frame so i just sewed them all together in a string & hung them swooping down over their mirror.

*up next, i have a cute little side table & a desk for brinley...which were both FREE!
*i have one project that i also completed out of an old wire bed frame- wires & coils- that i spray painted black & i have photos/etc. hanging w/ clips & clothes pins. it's in the basement in my sb area & i forgot to take a photo of it.

a little spooky...

2010-10-19T15:51:00.003-06:00

i tell ya with all the blogs i have in my google reader my mind swims in inspiration each day. however, i don't always have the time to put effort into projects. lately though i haven't been working, a bit of a hiatus, and i've had plenty of time to craft & create. spray paint has become my new best friend (more on that tomorrow)!!!!

when i found this idea on every day is crafting day. and with a blog title like that...who could resist! She has another project i wanna do as well...freezer paper transfer shirts! so simple!

so my attempt at the floating ghost...

i sprayed with starch 5 times...and i used heavy spray out of the aerosol can instead of the liquid because i couldn't find starch in a jug. i think i could spray it a couple more times. and it's best to do it on a sunny day so that it heat sets the starch faster & it tends to be more firm. you can get 2 ghosts out of the 3 yard package of cheese cloth, i just haven't done it yet.

i also had buck cut a branch for me while we were at the river two weekends ago. i've seen all over bloggie land plain 'ol branches in vases decorated with various themes. i'm going for the more spooky/bare look, so i just spray painted the branch black. and i love how it has a few leaves still on there...gives a bit more spooky feel i think.

and do you recognize that large frame? remember this...

well, add a little silver spray paint & shazaam (eh, sara)...

for a free find & $35 it is a new mirror that now resides on my mantle!

um, did i tell you how much i love spray paint!
oh & just so you know...it's less than $4 a can at home depot...i've been around town!

our local getaway

2010-10-17T05:22:00.001-06:00

during the fall we often head to the river to unwind, give sharpie her exercise & bath, and enjoy each other's company. our sundays are full of soccer and the perfect little getaway is just 5 minutes from our house...the east gallatin river.

all buck has to ask sharpie is, "you wanna go swimming?" and she knows exactly what he's talking about. sharpie is so anxious to get in the water when we arrive but doesn't do so until buck gives her the go ahead. she will sit on the bank & point until he throws that first stick. then she doesn't stop!!!

she actually hurt her paw or lower leg on this trip & we thought we were going to have to take her to the vet the next morning. however, when we checked on her the next morning she was fine & just a teeny limp. now, she's 100%!

sometimes the girls will be nice & pose for me...i usually catch some flack for asking...but i don't mind & they love looking at themselves in pictures i take.

jordan...growing up so quickly, loving soccer, making new friends, getting good grades, loves playing with her sisters in this INCREDIBLE webkinz town in the basement & can't wait to play after school is out, is becoming so responsible, is a space cadet, is still clumsy, always has a tidy mess of a room, wants to cut her hair short.

brinley...didn't want me to take her photo on this day because we just did her "birthday photo shoot", is a cat whisperer- and i'm so not joking on this, is still shy, is learning to put in her contacts by herself, has been sick all this past week, hates watching her sisters play soccer, hates talking on the phone, still loves to draw, can bark like a dog & it's so amazing!- it stops you dead in your tracks, will only wear t-shirts, school is easy for her.

chloe...love her hair color & has random white hairs dispersed throughout, has the most delicious little personality, has a mean elk call, loves watching hunting shows & animal planet with her dad, is growing up way too fast, learning incredibly fast at school, sounds out everything around the house, makes up homework for herself when she returns from school, loves to read, says the funniest things, is such a hoot to be around.

still madly in love!

so happy that whatever trail we pick to follow- new adventures & fun to be had by all.

and i want to wish my dad a happy birthday today! love you pa!

field trips & getting so big!!!!!

2010-10-16T07:55:00.002-06:00

chloe had her first kindergarten field trip at a local farm that had their very first corn maze/pumpkin patch. we had an absolute blast...i even had a flash back & rode the bus with all the kiddos! and this very bus ride is responsible for chloe's desire to ride the bus.

these two little cuties are chloe's best friends...twin sisters, jenny & brooke. they told me the whole time on our bus ride just how funny they think chloe is & how much they love being her friend.

we first picked out pumpkins in the yard...

then we went walking around the farm & looked at all the animals...cows, bulls, goats, cats, mini horses & even some percherons.

love this...

horsin' around in the corn maze...

we then went back to school & still had an hour until dismissal. first order of business was recess...

when we got back inside the kids did a bit of creative writing...

and then chloe decided that she wanted to try and ride the bus home. the driver for the field trip was our bus driver that has our subdivision route...so they met. i decided to let her go. so when school was out we walked out to the bus & talked with the bus driver & i got all the paperwork. put her in the front seat & of course, took photos.

every week it seems like it is one step further away with her. when school started i would walk her to her classroom. then i had her show me that she knew where she was going by having her take me to her classroom. this lasted two weeks. then she got the idea of me staying in the car & waiting while she waits by the kindergarten door by herself. some kids do the same...some kids still have their moms with them. i wanted to be one of those moms! but i don't want to shy her away from feeling confident in growing up and doing things with ease. now, she wants to ride the bus. her first ride went fine...i knew it would. so monday this week she started riding the bus. she got on & i got in my car & followed her too school. it was pouring rain. when she arrived at school the teacher outside had them all go directly inside instead of going to the playground. the ride home i'm at total ease with because her teacher makes the parents "check-out" their child from her. she has to physically see that you are there to pick your child up and are the correct person to pick them up. i LOVE that! then the bus riding kids walk with her & she puts them all on their correct bus. i LOVE that too! so, the ride home...it's in the bag. so, then wednesday comes. it's only 29 degrees outside. her name tag i made for her backpack comes off as she's heading outside to wait for the bus. i panic because it has her contact info & teacher info on there just in case. she gets on the bus. i go downstairs & get a new ring to clip it on & head to her school to put it back on her bag. i find her on the playground just as she arrives....put her clip on her bag & she tells me she's soooo cold. she wants to go & wait in the car until it's time to go in. so we come to the conclusion that instead of her waiting outside for 15 minutes, she wants me to take her in the mornings when it's COLD. then she will ride the bus in the afternoon home. i LOVE that idea! :) what a good compromise!

the parade wave

2010-10-15T19:50:00.002-06:00

belgrade fall festival + 4H club= parade float

making the float:

so intense...

brinley, another year gone by...

2010-10-15T05:00:00.002-06:00

brinley's birthday was september 19th...yeah, i'm late posting these! better late than never though right *wink*. her birthday was uneventful but not on our accounts. her birthday fell on a sunday...which in september...falls during soccer season. and sunday is game day! poor girl...hates soccer & has to spend her birthday watching her two sisters play in their games. this day they didn't fall at the same times...so it was stretched out thru the whole day.

we took her out to dinner the night before & she had a friend spend the night. we also took her shopping and let her go crazy (which is hard for her to do...she's very shy & cautious about money...where her sisters are NOT). we had some friends over (the castillo's from colorado were here & the monaghans) to help us celebrate! she requested cheesecake with cherries.

and here are her official photos, taken just over on the east gallatin & a new subdivision that is in the works...

fall soccer

2010-10-14T16:41:00.002-06:00

we are in soccer...full swing...chloe & jordan! we have a pretty crazy schedule...the majority of their games are at the same time...and their practices are at the same time as well. however, they are in different directions. makes it pretty interesting for both buck & i getting them too & from. we've managed though.

here are a few photos from the season thus far...

and brinley hates going to the games...soccer is non-sense to her! running after a ball in circles is what she says! LOL so many times she will not come or stay in the car and play.

i don't have enough photos of jordan, mainly for two reasons. first, i usually accompany chloe to her games & buck with jordan...i always have the camera. second, jordan's field is so big it's hard to get those up close shots w/o buying another huge lens 300mm or bigger. guess i need to maybe get up & follow the action!

this shot is not a great one...but, i love the action it conveys & i've also caught her watching herself run! which is what she does when she plays the game. she isn't aggressive on the field...shares the ball, even with the opposing team! which is nice of her, but not when you're competing, LOL!

i took team & individual photos for jordan & chloe's teams...
chloe's team is the sparkling bobcats! ahem!

aren't they just the sweetest things!

this is jordan & one of her best friends, stephanie...they are on the same team...we carpool as well.

and doing a team cheer..."GO SPARKLING BOBCATS, GO"

and our last game is on halloween! ugh! i so wish we would of started games a week earlier so we could of ended on the week prior to halloween! oh well! i can't complain though...ALL of our games have been so nice...temps not below 50! most of them we've had to drench the girls w/ their water bottles to stay cooled down matter of fact!!! we've got 3 games left for the season...let's hope the weather continues to stay perfect & that i can get some more pic's of jordan!!!!

street walking photography style...

2010-10-14T16:27:00.002-06:00

my dear friend, sara, and i met for a lovely breakfast in downtown bozeman & i showed her a few little camera tips i learned in my photography class from the lovely mrs. karen russell.

so we went walking about in the back alleys...which by the way provide some great textures & fun scenery. sara saw this sign & we just had to pose with it :)

love this sign...just for her...
1= one family
2= two little boys or two parents who fell in love
4= four total in the family

then we saw this...somehow painted onto the brick wall...it's blown up on my mantle for halloween. totally looks like a halloween cat :)

just look at the yummy textures!!!!

and this cute little guy...

& now this is where my banner photo came from. at the crochet/knitting store there is a fence around the stairwell....local gals (maybe guys too?) are covering it with their creations- so love that!

and my lovely dearest...
with whom i don't see enough of...
whom i absolutely adore!

look at all this fluffy yummy texture!

couch time, but not by choice

2010-10-13T16:30:00.004-06:00

i've been sitting on my couch with a box of kleenex, hot mint tea and my laptop most of the day today. i've got this aweful cold bug...the nyquil kind...you know the list they talk about in their commercial! ugh! my ears, throat & nose are my major symptoms & let me just say: I'M OVER IT! it's day 3 now! going to try & work tomorrow, that should be interesting!!!

so, it's been a while since my last post & i swear i have TONS of photos to share! :)

over labor day weekend we decided to take a last "summer" vacay with the buckster. we headed to Lagoon amusement park in salt lake city, UT. we'd never been to UT so it was a treat to take a drive over just to see the beautiful country- montana, idaho & utah! loved it all! we stopped in idaho falls, idaho to have dinner with our good friends, the monaghans (she's going to RN school there). then we drove the rest of the way...arriving just after 12:30am. checked into our hotel & snuggled in for some good zzzzzzz's.

the weather was HOT...106! thank goodness lagoon is filled w/ tons of HUGE trees! it certainly helped! when we first pulled up to the park, got out of the car & were walking up to the entrance...there were trees w/ acorns! never seen acorns in real life! LOVE IT! chloe even picked a couple...we still have them :)

this was our first ride...

and as you can probably tell, we should of eased chloe into these "big people" rides a bit more. maybe should of sat more towards the middle of the ride & we were the only ones on the ride (most people made a dash for the water park first instead of rides...we did that later when it was HOT & after lunch). buck made a signal to the operator & had her stop the ride early.

and can you believe that chloe couldn't ride the large swings, but could ride the sea dragon (the ride above)...i so don't get that!!!

speaking of not being able to handle rides...this KIDDIE RIDE about did me in! i'm not joking folks...i so can't handle direct drop sorts of rides! i wanted off so badly!

buck actually convinced jordan & brinley to ride the ADULT version of this ride with him...chloe & i watched, my stomach was sick just watching!

jordan & buck mostly rode the roller coasters...chloe, brin & i rode rides that all of three of us could or chloe in the kiddie section. chloe loved THE BAT roller coaster & this other spinny one that i also loved.

took this while the ride was going...a spinny one too :)

the second day (which we got our tickets using the bounce back feature and for just $10/person) we had some friends come...we hung out for just a while & rode rides together. however, they had family with them so we let them do own thing.

buck & jordan waiting in line...

for this ride (which i had them ride...totally one of my favorites)...

we drank what seems like gallons upon gallons of water!

and thank goodness for all the shade trees for this girls sake...

then i got the nerve to try the samurai...
jordan joined me...

jordan & are on the middle arm here & in the two seats closest to the middle...

all i did was laugh...this thing...
spins you around on your side...
spins you around on your individual arm...
jerks you one way & then decides to go another...
total fun...
total craziness!

we headed home after this ride was done. i have a suspicion this might become some sort of tradition. we all had a blast. i bet by next year chloe will be able to ride some of the rides she was unable to ride this year.

mountains right outside provo, utah.

painted ladies: butterflies in the mail

2010-09-20T07:00:00.002-06:00

for christmas last year buck & i purchases a butterfly kit for chloe (and my niece aspen). you send away when the weather is warm for your caterpillars. they come in the mail. they eat this yummy peanut buttery substance for a few days. they turn into crysallis's and you put them into the butterfly net habitat. and wait! and wait! and WAIT some more!

ours hatched after having them for a total of 2 weeks (caterpillar to now). what fun! we missed each one hatching...they were sneaky little boogers! on this day the weather was suppose to be nice (it had been in the 50's for a week) and for the next couple days....so we decided to release them. we'd just been feeding them sugar water on flowers/napkins. plus, who are we going to hire to take care of butterflies while we go out of town for labor day weekend? LOL

this project has been so fun for the C girl...remember the butterfly pavillion incident in denver this summer? egads! i am happy to report she loves butterflies once again! :)

and then they flew out one by one...some we even had to guide them out. a couple stopped by to guzzle out of our own flowers, others flew right away. we had 5 total.

meanwhile, we have tons of these on one of our bushes in the backyard....

and in case you're wondering...we got the butterflies here @ insect lore. there is more than just butterflies...worms, ants, ladybugs, etc. so fun!

the earring saga...

2010-09-18T19:00:00.001-06:00

so buck & i have left it up to chloe when to get her ears pierced. we would ask & she would say no. then...she changed her mind (after a couple years have gone by).

BEFORE:

ONE DOWN, ONE TO GO:

THE SECOND WASN'T AS HARD:

ALL DONE:

AND NOW THE SAGA:
so, i had signed chloe up for soccer. she's been dying to play! i should of been a little more careful in reading the sign-up sheet. it says NO EARRINGS or jewelry. chloe & i head to her first practice...first thing first, parent meeting. coach mentions the NO EARRINGS & asks if anyone has them. um, yup! *see proof above* so in order for her to practice i have to take them out. she's only had them for almost 2 weeks now. i figure an hour will be okay...they shouldn't close. she goes & practices, we go home. try & put her earrings back in. NO GO! omg, they are already closed in the back. she wants her earrings back in! so i wet them all down, get them thru the fronts & they stall. flip her ears over & look for the hole. and this is the part that absolutely was horrid! HORRID, just HORRID! i pushed them with all my might to get them back in. she's screaming & bawling her eyes out. more than what she did above! then we have to do the same to the 2nd ear. she tells me that she doesn't want to play soccer if she can't have her earrings. ugh! poor girl. i decide to call the head of soccer & talk to him. we chat & he refers me to the head of referees. he says that we just can't take a chance on something happening. so i get the okay to tape up her ears w/ gauze & tape during practice. but for games i have to take them out. the tape/gauze went well- no problems at all. last sunday was her first game (i still haven't downloaded the photos off my camera). what an absolute hoot! just adorable, those SPARKLING BOBCATS!!!! so i take chloe's earrings out just before she heads out onto the field & when she comes back for her first break i get the earrings out & sit her down. i figured i would just put them back in during all her breaks/half-time to keep them open. WRONG! they were already closed again. she decided to play & NOT have earrings. poor girl! so, i am leaving it up to her once again. if she wants them re-pierced (not by me this time) then we can after games end (oct 31) and do it then. she just can't play soccer until next fall. if she doesn't want them re-pierced, we will play spring soccer too. poor girl...what drama & pain!

enjoying those last few moments

2010-09-18T07:00:00.001-06:00

of summer, the river, fly fishing, swimsuits, hours of sunshine, shorts & tank tops.

i caught this on the rocks...eeeekkkk! i'm sad but SOOOOO happy...i love the colder weather!

and on this day, even though i have no photo proof, i caught my first fish on a fly rod!!!!!!!

razzies

2010-09-17T07:00:00.000-06:00

first, thanks to one of the sweetest families, the manships, for letting us pick your razzies while you were gone this summer. we made 2 trips to the patch & had such a great time! the first time i took all 3 girls...i didn't bring my camera & we only got a small amount...but they went perfect in our fresh fruit salads!

the second trip, only chloe joined me.

she picked for about 30 minutes & then i let her take my camera *insert eyes bugging out here* & walk around the yard & take photos. hey, kept her busy while i picked. she actually got some great shots. like this one...

turned out better than mine! :)

then we walked around the yard & took some photos of little miss C...

4 wheelin' families...

2010-09-16T20:50:00.002-06:00

gotta love headin' to the hills to stir up some dust!

zane...his shirt rocks!

we had a little fire hazard...smoking going on under the hood. cody fixed it though. this is where i rode & so glad i did...gotta take tons of photos & had an absolute blast!

the shultz trio of girls...

the monaghan kiddos...

love this one of brin :) so her!

jordan & brin hangin' out in kara's "mom jeep"...

details of the interior...

a few more years to go until this one drives...

now everywhere we go...JEEP, JEEP, mom, there's another JEEP!

jordan trying out zane's bike...

kara & gracie jo...

the day after KAREN...

2010-09-10T07:00:00.001-06:00

i was so excited to head to the hills with buck & the girls the day after my photography class w/ karen. wanted to put those skills to use :) we had headed up the canyon towards big sky with temps holding at 92! when we got in the canyon...52 degrees & pouring rain. we decided to eat dinner at half moon- so yummy! then headed back down towards bozeman. we ended up at the gallatin river, 5 minutes from our house & buck finally was able to fish. i would of fished had i not had new skills to test :)

one of karens pointers is to set your camera to the settings in which you think will work for your surroundings before you are actually in the setting. check. the buckster is all set up with sharpie behind him & pole in the hand whipping away, the girls are building their tree bark boats (a tradition they started every time we go to the river) and i find the most comfortable rock i can & just sit & wait. waiting so patiently for these...

look how crisp this is...

there were hundreds of birds flying above us...

she was so taken with it...amazing!

my story-telling shot...

love that i captured this...

love this!!!!!

then the girls let their creations go down river...

chloe was busy building up her muscles! seriously i have soooooo many of her from this series. i was dying laughing while taking these & knew that if i could get them focused...they would be ones that would go in the all time favorite pile.

so looking forward to all my photos now...and so glad i didn't throw my camera out the window- it really wasn't broken! it was all operator error! um, yeah, focus points!

life altering day

2010-09-09T20:46:00.002-06:00

i had the opportunity to take a photography class the first weekend in august with THE karen russell. and then it got even better when the sisters asked me to join them for dinner on friday night (the day before the class) and meet karen :) OMG!!!!!! i can't even tell you how excited i was...i about pee'd my pants! the drive over was not an easy one! i was white knuckled for most of the drive- i don't think i've ever driven in such terrential down pour...i had my wipers on the super fast setting and lightening was striking directly to the sides of the interstate! so glad i made it safe & sound. so i made it to the restaurant in downtown billings....yummy food! and KILLER carrot cake! can you believe i was a good little girl & shared my cake! it was just too die for good! dinner conversation made my face hurt! we laughed the whole time! karen is just as fabulous in person as she is on her blog. i just adore her! and what's funny is that she could of swore that she knew me...that's the first thing she said to me! um, i am absolutely positive i would of remembered meeting you before! :) also at dinner was becky fleck of pagemaps. love her too...she's such a hoot! after dinner, we drove karen to her hotel & i followed lynda (one of the sisters) to her house to spend the night. next morning...we went & picked up karen, grabbed coffee/bagels for breakfast & headed over to the store. class got underway. some of the material i knew already but it is always great to hear it pounded into your noggin some more in different terms.

loved karen sharing her personal photos for the slide show that demonstrated all her key points.

buck thought i was off my rocker for thinking i needed to take a class. but i KNOW that there is so much to learn & i certainly don't know it all (*but thanks for thinking i do*).
*i learned why, MOST IMPORTANTLY, my photos have been blurry & why sometimes they are just fine/crisp. it's all in the focus points and having the camera set to ONE SHOT!

*i learned how to bounce light & look for light naturally in flattering ways.
*it's not called bribing...it's called "artful manipulation" :)
just practice, practice, practice!

i walked about the store taking photos...testing my skills...

and this little saying...i just sooo LOVE :)

the cake lovely made for karen...stunning! and YUMMY!

karen had us go outside & practice with a partner some exercises/assignments...
here are the 2 sisters- lori & lynda...

they are just the most adorable gals, love them dearly!

and one of my lovely partner, shannon

after class was over, um, 11 hours of class, we put the store back to its lovely state of being & took a few photos with karen.

and to you karen, if you read this, which i doubt you will...but...
i owe you a million hugs girl! your class fixed what was wrong with my photos...the focus. not only in the sense of actual camera focus but bringing me back to the love of capturing emotionally grabbing photos! i am forever in debt to you :) love ya! & next time i will have a drink too & we'll just see who can sling more lambs :)

she's gone...

2010-08-27T10:44:00.002-06:00

chloe had her first day...mommy & little girl are great :) i was strong & didn't cry! although there were a couple of times where my eyes welled up!
it's sooooo quiet here. got my laundry going, grass being watered & i'm going to scrap ALL DAY with NO interruptions :)

then at school-

bravery!!!!!!!!!!

2010-08-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

it took a lot of convincing with miss brinley to go to yellowstone with her aunt misty & aspen on this day.

brinley is so afraid that yellowstone is going to blow up while she is there (or at home) thanks to a 3rd grade report on volcanoes!!!

aspen loved the sulphur steam blowing in her face!!!!!!!!
so much so that chloe & brin had to check it out as well!

we continued on after the geo-thermal features & up to old faithful...but aspen fell asleep as we were parking to watch. so we pulled right back out of the parking lot & just as we were driving past where we could see old faithful up close it errupted! so misty got to witness old faithful & aspen got the nap she needed :) win-win! then when we get home she says...can we go see old faithful? LOL next time!!!

uncle buck returned home from work & did some yard trimming. aspen asked if she could ride along. she LOVES, LOVES, LOVES tractors!

the look on this face says it all...

the last day...

2010-08-26T21:48:00.003-06:00

today was chloe's last day as a non-school goer. bittersweet. as parents we always are saying how much we can't believe our kids have grown & right now- my feelings to a T. i want her to stay little. she is just such a fun kid to be around. she's always got me laughing & i LOVE to watch her imagination at work. she's my last. she's my last baby. it's inevitable to have someone else's influence on her...but now i'm feeling a bit of a spiral here. i want her to stay so innocent. but, on the other hand i'm excited. for her & for me. i'm excited for her to have friends of her own, for her to learn, for her to become something special, for her to discover what she is passionate about in life (besides her blanky, animals & toys), i'm excited for her to have some independence and whatever else comes our way. i'm also excited that i will have 2 & sometimes 3 days (she is going M & W, every other friday) a week to myself. if i'm not working...i can scrap all day, watch movies & of course, all my family obligations & motherly duties. i let her pretty much do whatever today...

she played school, played dolls, played with her animals & barn, played dora games on nickjr.com, peeked at her butterflies cocoons often, drew pictures of her daddy, practiced writing her numbers & letters, and watched some cartoons...a very low key day.

that's her daddy :)

on wednesday, jordan & brinley had their first day of school. jordan is in 8th grade & brinley in 5th. both have come home raving about their teachers. LOVE that! love the excitement! chloe watched them wait for the bus...

brinley's eyes are so red...she just got contacts last night & had troubles getting them in...poor girl.

also on wednesday, chloe met with her teacher & took her supplies into the classroom.

her teacher, mrs. shepardson, read the kissing hand to the kids (there were 2 others with chloe during our scheduled time). she loves that story! we had to read it at nap too :)

she also was super excited to take a tour of the schools main areas- gym, library, office, music room & cafeteria...oh & the playground!

she had a fashion show for buck tonight so he could see her clothes. :) she's so super excited...she's sleeping as i type this. these long days of school are going to tire her out...naps will be needed on the days off i'm sure. will post the official photos of "first day" for her tomorrow. i made these for her last night...

2 days later...

2010-08-26T07:00:00.001-06:00

misty & aspen arrived to spend a week with us in MT! aspen wanted uncle buck to take her out on the boat & go fishing...

my nickname for her is "hooligan" (or sometimes, aspenini)...her she is in her prime hooligan-ness...

and another...

she was hiding under the umbrella with me & i continuously shot at arms length :)

we stopped & played in the water a bit. waiting for the wind to die down so we could go back out on the lake.

we didn't catch any fish at all. too windy!!! so we ended up staying in the canyon instead of the lake because the wind was so bad. we still had fun though! misty even saw her first bald eagle in the wild...and not just one, a family of 4! mom, dad & 2 babies!

denver museum...

2010-08-25T07:00:00.000-06:00

we (including my mom, sister misty & aspen) met up with my SIL becky & her family, BIL bo and my MIL at the museum in denver. the body world exhibit was still in full swing & i am so thankful that we were able to experience it. i came away STUNNED & AMAZED at the whole process, which i had no knowledge of before we went. no photos were allowed, so i have nothing to show on that. jordan fully loved it as much as i did...she's always been interested in "the body". chloe was a bit grossed out & left the exhibit a bit early. brinley was overwhelmed & also left early. i seriously wish i had one more day all to myself to fully go thru everything in great detail.

aspen's favorite cousin is brin! it is a VERY well-known fact in our family.

these two are so much alike it is insane!
when i captured this photo:

one of aspen & jordan i was so excited...
it is the relationship between these two that i have yet to document. mostly because aspen would rather hang out with brin & is brin's sidekick. she just prefers brin. as a matter of fact, aspen only wanted brin to come to her birthday party. she later asked us if we'd come too. LOL jordan has longed for aspen to love on her...she craves it. this trip jordan started to get even closer to her little aspen...and i captured it! even more than once...

this was our last day in CO...we drove home the next day. i was so anxious this time to return home. i missed it dearly...homesickness has never hit me this hard! and by home i mean MT! :)

all in a sunday...

2010-08-24T07:00:00.001-06:00

sunday, july 25th...
i had a huge migraine & so i had slept in a bit with the helps of some meds. my mom had came to check on my & told me that i needed to come see what chloe was up too & too grab my camera.

she was helping papa mow the grass...following him close to be able to empty out the bag.

then they changed my mom's oil in her 4-runner...

everything checks out...

she loved being on that creeper...

then they checked her tire pressure...she'd been having issues with it.

and she helped sweep out the garage...

and she earned some $ in the process...

later that afternoon i went to take some engagement photos for my step-sister-in-law, andi and her fiance, kaleo.

they are getting married next july...chloe is their flower girl :)

way too hot!!!!!

2010-08-23T07:00:00.001-06:00

we already covered the fact that chloe is fragile when it comes to the sun in any form- direct or indirect!
we went putt-putting with buck's sister, becky, and her family (john, JJ, zach) & my MIL. the girls have never been to an outdoor putt-putt so i thought this was the perfect activity to do. BUT i should of took a mental note: don't go at 2 in the afternoon when it's over 100 degrees! minor lapse of judgement on my part! actually HUGE! chloe tried so hard to cool off...

but it didn't really work & she ended up looking like this & feeling horrible...

meanwhile, the older girls & i had a blast putting around...

& now that we've experienced the outdoor putt-putt...i'm happy that our putt-putt in bozeman is indoors :) and even more so is chloe!