June Photo Days 15-21

I have so much to blog about, but life has been really full of craziness!  I have been so bad at posting these pics, but I am just happy that with everything that is going on I haven't forgotten to take them!  

Here you have the third week of June...

Days 15-21

Day 15: Yellow... I got my very first summer bloom this morning and it just so happened to be a  yellow Lily!

The only bag I carry around... My suitcase purse.  It contains the usual, kid needs and a wallet full of plastic that doesn't do me any good.  Oh, and of course the endless amounts of garbage handed to me by the kids.  

Now, you may not know this about me because I just learned this myself.  I am officially vitamin D deficient.  In case you didn't know, Vitamin D is a mood enhancer.  Low on vitamin D means bad mood bear!  Now I have a good excuse for my occasional (okay more than occasional) bitchiness... I also learned this is a result of my bad kidneys.  Apparently if my kidneys don't work properly my body does not absorb vitamin D properly.  It is now a running joke with Bill when I am the slightest bit cranky with him he yells at me "VITAMIN D!" Heaven forbid it really be his fault! LOL 

My greatest imperfection, (ha yeah right... I have far worse imperfections than this, but we won't talk about those k?)  I got my dad's toes.  I have these pinkie toes that don't bend.  I have no knuckles in my pinkie toes at all.  As you can see they look really weird when I bend my toes... 

How do I choose just one?  I seriously have THOUSANDS of pictures on my computer, on disks, on my phone... and I had to narrow it down to just ONE?  Not gonna happen.  I have others that I love just as much as these ones, but a mother has this sense of pride with anything that has to do with her children, so not only do I LOVE these pictures of my kids, but there is that pride thing that goes along with them.  I still am in awe of my beautiful children and sometimes I find myself thinking, "I can't believe they are mine!  That I am capable of creating such beautiful and amazing children..."  Looking at pictures of them just fills my heart so full it feels like it might explode.  I adore these little people. 

Mom and Dad Eldredge put us up really LATE this night... Bill and I got the blow up mattress that he insists has a hole in it cause he sinks.  Little does he know it was solid as a rock on my side.  Not sure that air mattress sleeping is really the best idea with our size differences.  Bill sinks in and I am left awkwardly trying to keep my balance while I sleep on a bed that is VERY uneven... I am sure it would be quite the funny sight to see. 

Wondering where Day 16 went?  Well...
Day 16: Out and About....
Clearly I was too busy to take a picture of what I was doing day 16 and I haven't the slightest idea what I was doing either.



There you have it...

Enjoy your last few days of June ya'll... Final photo a day post for this month coming soon. :)  

Happy Photographing!

June Photo Days 8-14

I haven't blogged in what seems like forever!  I have so much to talk about, but first I wanted update my June Photo A Day stuff.  

It's been yet another busy week in the Tomlin house.

Happy to report that it has been MUCH less chaotic than last week aside from the fact that I TOTALLY spaced picking Brenna up from school last Friday...

Yep, I am that mom!  

She cried and I cried. 

In my defense though, after the dramatic events of last week I couldn't remember what day was what. Everything just seemed to be one big blur.  

My poor little girl.

She woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed Saturday morning and the first words were,
"Mom, don't forget to pick me up from school today okay!"

"I won't Brenna.... It's Saturday!"

She was relieved.

NOW onto the Photo-A-Day update...

June Photo Day 8:

6 O'Clock

Wide awake at 6am staring at the ceiling....

June Photo Day 9:

My view

Sam came in dressed in the jacket that goes to his build a bear...

What am I going to do with this kid.

June Photo Day 10:

A favorite bit of my weekend...

I got a short, but sweet, visit from myShauna and then got to spend Sunday at my dad's for a BBQ with my family in celebration of my sister Shania's birthday. Priceless!

June photo day 11:

Door

They say where one door closes, another one opens...

Come fall both my children will be in school full time, hopefully I will too... As a preschool teacher. :)

Turns out my interview on this day went very well because 

I GOT THE JOB!

June Photo Day12:

From a Low Angle

No matter how much I hate driving down town, the beautiful architecture makes it all worth it!

June Photo Day 13:

Art

Brennas art work from school... All my kids refrigerator art is my very favorite.

June Photo Day 14:

Time

Nap Time?

Why is it that he decides it is nap time when Mommy has TONS to do?  

This kid NEVER naps... not even in the car.

Good reminder that as a mom I am NEVER on my time... 

I run on everyone else's time. LOL

June Photo-A-Day 1-7

Doing these posts daily were kind of getting overwhelming.  I mean I put them on facebook daily, so I felt that doing it here was a bit too much and repetitive.  Last month I did a few of them, then decided that I would do just one big post at the end of the month, but that took me WAY too much time to put together than really should be necessary.  So I found a happy medium... 

POSTS BY WEEK!

So here you have the first 7 days of June...

Got my son up, ready, and dressed this morning.  Then went and did Brenna's hair for school.   When I headed to the kitchen to get the kids breakfast, this is how I saw Sam.  Fast asleep, back in bed, fully dressed.  It was a rough morning for him.  

This was a dozen donuts....
Completely devoured by my adorable family in less than 24 hours.
For the record I only had ONE!

Sunday we (my brothers and older sister's family) got together at my mom's for some delicious shishkabobs (spelling?)!   We just hung out and relaxed.  I always enjoy time spent with my family. 

Any guesses what this is?
I'm just gonna tell ya.....

Bacon wrapped chicken and provolone marinated and cooked in a homemade honey mustard glaze....
MMMmmMmmmMmmmm!

Courtesy of Applebee's...
Who needs KY when you got Pennzoil???
Right next to this sign was a one way sign... I'll leave those thoughts for you to come up with on your own.
I personally couldn't stop laughing.  

HAPPY SWEET 16 SHANIA!!
It was my little sister's birthday and with the big heart attack event (you can read about  HERE) it was important that we did something to keep her mind occupied and make the very best we could of her day.
First we went and spent the morning at the hospital with our dad.
Then we went to lunch and  after we went and check Brenna out of school early and did a little Birthday shopping.
Shania tried on at least 20-25 outfits.  We laughed and goofed off.
Overall it was a GOOD day!

My morning pick me up from the BEST coffee place EVER!
The Brew Monkey
I know it is SO bad for me, but I already cut out soda over a year ago so I figure I can treat myself to  one coffee a day right?  Though I don't get one daily, probably 5 out of 7 days a week...
It's still a lot I know.

May Photo-A-Day Recap (Or in this case, Reveal)

It may seem as if I fell completely off the band wagon for the month of May Photo-A-Day fun, but in all reality I didn't. 

I just simply didn't blog my photo's.  I had so many crazy things happening in the month of May that I just decided, after having posted up to day 9, I would do one big post at the end of the month revealing my month in photos.  

In case you missed it you can see (and read the stories behind them) my first few posts of the month here, here, here, here, and here... 

Here is a quick recap of those days.

 



 

And Now for the NEW stuff...

May Day 10:

A favorite word

Simplicity... I strive for simplicity in life.  With two kids, school, mommy duties, wife duties, and of course everything else life throws my way I NEED simplicity in all I do.  Otherwise you may find me hiding in a closet, mumbling nonsense, rocking back and forth, pulling my hair out.  HA!

 May Day 11:

Kitchen

My little girl is seriously SO amazing.  She, at six years old, saw that the dishes needed done and took it upon herself to do them. I love her beyond comprehension.

May Day 12: 

Makes Me Happy

An early Mother's Day gift from my little man.  I love homemade gifts from my kids... they mean more than anything money can buy.  My heart is so full of love and happiness. 

May Day 13:

My Mom 

We got together at my moms house on Mother's Day.  It just so happened to be my birthday as well.    I spent the better part of the day at home with my little ones and husband.  I got an email from my brother that afternoon that said, 5 O'Clock, mom's house.  I couldn't just bail on the dinner plans Bill had made for me.  So I had to politely decline the invite.  It wasn't until a bit later than I learned my brothers had planned a little get together not only to celebrate mom's day, but my birthday as well.  At that point I HAD to make sure I didn't disappoint.  

I took my camera along because Mom ALWAYS wants a picture done with her and her kids, but for some reason it NEVER happens.  This day Sister Casey was doing all she could to not have to take a picture, but I put my foot down.... 

You can read more about my thoughts on Mother's HERE

and how I spent my Mother's Day HERE

{Along with some fun pictures}

May Day 14:

Grass

Spring Green.... I love to relax out in some shaded grass.

Spring weather is the VERY BEST!

May Day 15:

Love

This is an old picture, and maybe one you have seen before, but I love it.  

Bill is his usual dorky self, and I am blissfully in love with that man!

May Day 16:

I'm Reading

For Mother's Day/My Birthday Bill got me this book about how to run a successful photography business.  It's my current choice of reading material.  I have learned a great deal from it and have really enjoyed reading it.  I am sure it is a book I will refer back to quite frequently as I explore the photography business world.  

May Day 18:

Something I Made

Throughout the entire school year, each of the kids have had the opportunity to bring a poster board to school decorated with pictures and information about them.  Initially I believe it was suppose to be a weekly event, but somewhere along the line the teachers got behind.  It didn't seem to be quite as regular as they had initially intended.  It took them until the last week of school to get through all 20 something students.  Of course Sam's last name falls close to the end of the alphabet and he was one of the last ones to do his little all about me board.  It was only displayed in class for a few days before it got sent home.  I think next time I will just put together a little slide show that can be shared and then reused the next year so I don't have to spend a great deal of time on something that is only used for a couple days before it heads to the trash. LOL

May Day 19:

A Favorite Place to Be

BEHIND THE LENS

I love to take pictures... It's one of my "happy" places.  Bill has really been pushing me to start taking some nature photo's.  He thinks I would excel at it.  I personally like to photograph people... There is just something about a photo of a person that touches me, and inspires me.  I have said it before, but I feel that a person says so much about themselves without even having to say a word.  Hands, posture, wrinkles, clothes, facial expressions... all of it tells a story.  I personally like the story seen in every person.  Maybe, just maybe, I will take Bill's advice and focus a bit on nature as well, but my true passion is in the people.  

May Day 20:

Something I can't live without...

HA!

That's a given isn't it? 

My Camera.  

I would be lost without it.

May Day 21:

Where I Stand

FIRST: I would like you to take note of my awesomely awesome artistic abilities.  

These stick figures were drawn by yours truly....

Thank you, Thank you

(As I bow)

I am second to the oldest of 7 kids... Though we come from dis-function at it's best.  

Us older three girls have the same mom and dad...

Us older three girls and the middle boys have the same mom, but different dads...

Us older three girls and the youngest two girls have the same dad, but a different mom...

Are you following along ok?

You're lost aren't you...

Well, I guess the purpose of this post isn't to give you the run down of my family tree, but just to let you know where I stand...

So there it is, I am second to the oldest... 

OH! And BTW I also have 5 step siblings that are in the mix as well.

That's 12 kids in my family.

WOW!

WAIT?

Where are day's 22-27?

It was a holiday weekend, and friends came in town...

Give me a break! 

You can read a bit about our Memorial Day weekend and all the fun we had HERE

 May Day 28:

Today's Weather

Jessica Here, Reporting that today's weather was a bit cloudy, but beautiful....

SEE!

May Day 29:

A Number

My Favorite number to be exact.... Just in case you were wondering.

May Day 30:

My Personality

I did actually post about this day on my blog.  

You can find that post HERE

As you can see, I am quite the elegant, classy, wholesome individual.

Wouldn't you agree?

May Day 31:

Something Beautiful

We welcomed my newest Nephew, Wyatt Emerson Colton, into the world on May 31st.

The beauty of a new life is priceless, indescribable, amazing, blissful, surreal, exciting, precious...

You know what I mean...BEAUTIFUL in every sense of the word. 

I love this little guys so much already... 

CONGRATS SISTER KRISTIN AND FRED!

And there you have it...

MY MONTH OF MAY!  

I truly hope you all had as amazing of a month as I did.  

And in case you have missed it...

I started a blog series in May as well.

The story of my life,

(Told the way I remember it anyway)

You can catch my first few posts of

"Life as I Remember it"

HERE, HERE, and HERE

ENJOY JUNE EVERYONE!

June Photo Day 1: Morning

June Photo Day 1

Morning

This morning I woke Sam up, got him dressed, and then went  and did Brenna's hair.  When I was done with Brenna and headed to get them some breakfast, this is where I found Sam.
Back in bed, SOUND asleep....

It was a rough morning for this little man!

June Photo A Day Topics

Well, today marks the last day of May, 

Which brings NEW fun photo-a-day topics for June.  

I swear to you I didn't fall off this band wagon.

Okay, maybe I did just a lil, but I do have several photos that I have yet to post for the Month of may.

I will post them in my "recap" post coming soon...

SO BE WATCHING FOR IT!  

Who's joining in for June?

I promise it's worth it!

May Photo Day 30: My Personality...

My Personality...

Or so I've been told.

And no, no one has ever told me I am a Ninja...

I am certain of it!  

Watch out for my crazy, wild, awesome, mad, Bikenjutsu Moves!

HIIIIYA!

May Photo Day 9: Something I do Everyday

Homework

For 2.5 years I have been a student.

I have been logging into my online classroom every day for two and a half years.  

Okay, Maybe not EVERYDAY 

But nearly everyday.  

I'm tired. 

The longest break I have had from school in over two years is two weeks.

I have decided to take this summer off.  For the first time since Sept. 2009 I am taking a summer to focus on me and my family. 

I NEED THIS BREAK!

May Photo Day 8: A Smell I Adore

Now, you may be wondering what hands have to do with a smell...

Well, this is the hand of my hard working husband.

Cracked,

Dry,

and Stained with Grease, Grime, and Dirt...

I'm a Daddy's Girl.

AND

  I was his emotional kid.  His snuggler. His tender heart who found comfort and safety in his embrace.

My favorite place to be was on his lap, head resting on his shoulder, breathing in his smell.    

My Dad is a Mechanic. 

 He always smelled like gas, grease, dirt...

All the things that go along with being a Mechanic and working in a shop.  

Throughout my childhood I grew to love the smell of my dirty mechanic dad.  

It was a comforting smell. 

A safe smell.

.

.

.

.

Now, as an adult, it is a smell I absolutely love and adore.

Still comforting.  

Still safe.

It's been said you marry someone who has similarities to your parents.

And I did.

My husband is a Mechanic. 

He has that same comforting smell as my dad...

When he gets home from work I hug him, kiss him, and breathe in his smell...

 I find comfort and safety in the embrace of those hard working hands...

The ones that resemble my Dad's so much.