{these sweet moments}

A fish called Sam!!

2011-07-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

It's sort of a given when you live in this desert land that your kids have to go through this right of passage called city league swim team. And I gotta say... BRING IT ON! Growing up I always wanted to be on a swim team, nevermind that my strokes often look like someone is having a seizure in the water, but none the less I wished I had tried. Well, you better believe that this mama is living vicariously through her kids when it comes to swim. Sweating palms. Nervous stomach. Pacing back and forth... this is usually how you can find me and Scott on the sidelines. I LOVE IT!! She was pretty good last year for her first year, and this year she really did even BETTER...bringing home 3 first place ribbons.

I actually only ended up bring my camera to one of her meets, shameful, I know. But in my quest to be ever more present in my kids' lives I didn't want to be all camera-crazed, jockeying for the BEST position with all the mom-tographers videoing their super-star athletes. Rather, I wanted to scream and shout and cheer without my crazy voice being recorded for all to hear. ;-)

Here was Sam at her backstroke race... I think she got 5th.

And here she is in her backstroke relay race... I think they got 2nd.

My babies turned FIVE!!

2011-07-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

3 weeks ago today we celebrated the twiners 5th birthday. Nope, I refuse to believe my babies are now 5! I don't know when I should officially stop calling them babies, but you better believe I'm milkin' it for all it's worth... they are my BABIES!!

Aside from the fact that Brooke was absolutely determined beyond a shadow of a doubt that we would be celebrating her birthday in Disneyland, we had a super low-key birthday celebration. I have no idea how she got that bee in her bonnet about Disneyland, but the weeks leading up to her birthday were filled with questions like 'what's the first thing we're going to do, mama, when we get to Disneyland?', or 'will there be fireworks on our birthday at Disneyland just like on the commercial?' Seriously, it was heartbreaking to tell her the sad and pathetic truth that we would be spending her day at the all-you-can-eat Peter Piper Pizza lunch buffet. Not even in the same ballpark as going to Disneyland, but it did the trick... it put a smile on her (and Brody's) face all day long.

Scott was super excited and adamant that they get bikes this year for their b-day. Well, if buying a bike wasn't hard enough ($$) for one kid, try buying two... at a time. Pretty much their birthdays were bikes and $1 store bubbles. But, yet again, it did the trick. Clearly I'm setting the bar pretty high as far as birthday expectations go... ;-)

I did, however, manage to squeeze about 90 seconds out of their attention span in order to capture some photos at an impromptu photo shoot off the side of the road. I let them each bring a toy/present they received (bikes did not count) to show off their favorite gift.

First up... Brody Scott... Born July 7th @ 7:38am and weighed in at a whopping 4lbs, 14ozs... and now look at this little stud!!

And then there is our lil peanut, Brooke Anne... Born July 7th @ 7:40am with just a mere 4lbs to her... what she lacks in size, she makes up for in attitude and sass!

Family road trip // Jerome & Prescott

2011-07-08T18:28:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had quite a few days with some down time and we couldn't stand the thought of letting them go to waste. Having lived here in AZ for 13 years now there is still so much I have not done or seen, one of which is to visit Jerome and Prescott.

I loved both of those towns, but Prescott was by far my fav... and not only that, but the quick jaunt from Jerome to Prescott through the Mingus Mountain is absolutely beautiful.

So, if you haven't yet visited by other photo blog [HERE] and seen my other street and random photos from our Jerome & Prescott road trip be sure to do that as well.

Here are some fun snapshots of the fam from that trip...

Sammy J...

2011-06-27T00:14:00.000-07:00

Oh Sammy J...where do I even begin with this girl?! One minute I'm lovin' on her and we're having a great mother/daughter bonding moment, the next moment I'm giving her a time-out with her nose in the corner! I can't wait for the teenage years...said the mom in the most sarcastic tone!!

This was such a funny photo I took of her a few months ago...just her being so over dramatic...not at all like her mama... ;-)

So, about our Sammy girl...
-She's one of the toughest 8.5 year olds I know
-A few months ago she asked us how old she has to be to be able to base jump (cRaaaaaaaZy, I know)
-Can be the most tender big sister only when I'm not around...or so I've been told
-Is so determined to be the absolute best at everything she does
-Wants more than anything to be with her Dad at all times...she just adores him so much
-Is tough as nails on the outside, but sweet and tender when it counts
-Is obsessed, and even that's stating it mildly, with all things dogs...hence the reason we now have 2 dogs
-She is so very smart and really loves school
-Doesn't quite realize how much her little sister worships her
-Is such a great example to her bro and sis...in ALL the right ways
-And is so unbelievably responsible as in chores, duties and now even with babysitting

Super star soccer girl!

2011-06-26T23:52:00.000-07:00

And then there's Sam...who made us so unbelievably proud of her breakout soccer skills last year. She showed the most talent and enthusiasm for the goalie position so her coach pretty much made her the team's FULL-TIME goalie... yeah, she was that good. When all the other girls where scared to run into a crowd of girls kicking the ball, Sam would dive in head first to retrieve it. She has some serious 'no fear' when it came to diving and just getting in there.

Wee little princess...

2011-06-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

Oh man, where does one begin to describe our little peanut. For starters I still get a kick out of the random folks that ask me almost weekly what the age difference is between the B's... then the genuine look of shock and awe when I tell the unsuspecting person that they are in fact twins.

Let's see...what else about Brooke...

-She bounces EVERY where she goes...she can never just walk places she has to twirl, bounce, you name it
-She is the most amazing UNtrained dancer EVER...at least that's what her Grandma Herrick would say!
-She has the most loving heart I have ever witnessed...loves and cares so unconditionally
-Wants to be just like her big sister in the worst way
-Has my chin...and it's soooo cute!
-Her prayers will melt your heart...no joke!
-Still prays everyday that her Grandma will be strong and healthy and we don't dare correct her
-Always wants to be on the go and constantly asks to go to the mall
-Has the sweetest bond with her bro and I pray that never goes away
-Completely has her pops wrapped around her finger...like in the worst way.
-Refuses to eat anything I cook, which does not bode well for her size
-Would be completely content if she only ever ate quesadillas, gogurts, pudding and PB&J's forever!
-Has the cutest pursed little lips when she gives kisses

Big Girl Soccer Player: First Soccer Game [video]

2011-06-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

Never before has Brooke seemed so small... I couldn't believe how tiny she was out there on that field with all those gigantors and their gigantic bodies. Thankfully we had a bit of a pep talk with her before each game and just told her that she could throw elbows anytime they crowded her or started mowing her down. From that point forward she just began to run with her elbows out... girl's gotta protect herself!!

Here's a video from our lil peanut's first soccer game...

Big Girl Soccer Player

2011-06-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

Like I said, I do not plan to have all three in soccer again at the same time anytime soon... that is, if I have anything to say about it... which I'm slowly learning that I don't. The worst part about having the twins in soccer was that their games were played at the exact same time on opposite ends of the soccer field park...that meant the pops and I were running back and forth between the fields to watch each play. Now THAT was exhausting...

Any whooooo, here are some shots of our BIG little girl at her very first soccer practice.

Handsome lil guy!!

2011-06-10T08:08:00.000-07:00

How can you not be smitten with this lil fellow? Such a cutie...

Even though this was taken well over a year ago, here are some things about my lil man today...
-loves to wrestle with his sisters even if they don't
-he loves to tinker with EVERYTHING and learn and know how it all works
-can be such an independent little soul
-he is all about having fun... just like his dad
-can't NOT tease his sisters and pushing their buttons
-he is a definite mama's boy and I love everything about that
-he is afraid to flush toilets and thinks there are 'zewer' monsters (aka sewer monsters)
-he will eat anything I feed him...so grateful for that!
-he is quite the little fish...thankfully because the pool is the only way we can get him clean
-thinks all LCD/plasma screens in stores are giant iPads and will touch and swipe them all

Big Boy Soccer Player: First Soccer Game [video]

2011-06-10T07:27:00.000-07:00

I think we missed the mark by not fully explaining to Brody the most basic of concepts in soccer... and that is... KICK THE BALL!

Big Boy Soccer Player

2011-06-08T13:27:00.000-07:00

Last year we signed up ALL the kids for soccer, and while I don't plan to do that ever again anytime soon, we did have so much fun watching the little munchkins try their hardest.

Here's b-boy at his first practices with his team... the Orange Crush!!

Gotta stay hydrated here in the desert!!

And now for a little scrimmage game...

Whoa baby, it's been a lonnnng time!

2011-06-06T15:43:00.000-07:00

OK, here we go... my attempt to play catch up...

Scrolling down you see it was just a few posts ago that I was so proud of my new lil 2nd grader. Well as time so often does it just flew right by and we just wrapped up 2nd grade year... watch out 3rd grade.

As tradition in our house here is Sam's mini shoot commemorating her 2nd grade year.

Shame, shame... know my name!

2011-02-23T13:37:00.000-08:00

What the what?? October 2010 was my last post? That's no bueno... fo sho!!

Hopefully this fun video I put together for Sam's 8th bday & baptism will hold you over until I can get some proper posts up!!

Enjoy!

Could I be a bigger dork...

2010-10-26T09:28:00.001-07:00

... I'm thinking, NO...

Don't road trips just bring out the best in people??!!

Quickie family photos - the WHOLE crew

2010-09-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

I have been so bad at my family blog lately and I'm feelin' the guilt everyday. I have bunches of pics to post and am finding procrastination to be so easy - shame on me!

In the meantime we have been having such a blast these past few days with my brother and his awesome family in town. Granted, it's a bit hotter than we promised them it would be, but their kiddos are lovin' the pool so we can't complain to much.

Per my mom's strict orders it was mandatory that family photos be done while they were here, so I played both photographer and photo subject. It was actually quite hystercial...I could only imagine what I looked like running back and forth from the camera/tripod to the family group. There were some kind people that stopped and offered to just click the shutter button for us, but as the crazed control freak person that I am I promptly shooed them away and said 'no thanks, I got it covered'.

Here's your sneak peek mom!

The Herrick Family Vacation - 2010 [part 4]

2010-09-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

The last and final installment of photos from our summer vacation is here! Seriously, when I set out to document our journey on the blog I didn't think it would take me a month to do it... yet, here I sit posting the final images and it is almost exactly one month since we've been back. Shame on me... and I still have lots of other things to post on this blog, too - I'm so far behind!

Any ways, on with the show...

One of the absolute highlights of the vacation for me (and the family) was on the last little bit of our trip. Once we left the bay area our next destination was Carlsbad for one night. Now, we could have driven down I-5 and looked at nothing but farm land for hours upon hours, or we could make a last minute change in plans and drive to SoCal on PCH-1 along the coast. Really, it wasn't a tough decision! The drive had the most beautiful scenery I have ever witnessed of my home state. Big Sur took my breath away. I could have pulled over and lived out of my car and been the happiest person ever. Simply gorgeous! It was a LONG drive, but so much fun to spend it looking out into the ocean and enjoying it with the kids!

When we finally arrived to Carlsbad it was late so we grabbed our motel key and chucked the kids into bed and crashed! Early the next day before we made our way back home to AZ we had one last rendezvous at the beach. It was perfect! No one was there except for some early morning surfers. The kids ran and played and built sandcastles with seaweed... yep, good times!

And my most favorite picture of all time...

The Herrick Family Vacation - 2010 [part 3b]

2010-08-31T10:48:00.000-07:00

My sincerest apologies for that very long dramatic pause between posts. It would seem that you should NEVER solely rely on your external hard drive as your ONLY form of data back up. I escaped this potential devastating loss with a whole new appreciation and outlook on data back up.

Any whoooo... on with the vacation recap and photos...

We were lucky to see my folks again one last time before we headed home. My bro made an amazing dinner for us all and we had loads of fun watching the kiddos play.

Once Sam spotted my bro's skateboard there was no way you could pry her away from it...she was hooked on trying to master a 360 spin and a couple other tricks her dad was all to proud to show her "how it's done". Then there was Brooke who I'm pretty sure tried to sneak her cousins Razor scooter into her luggage to take home...that's how much she loved scootin' around their yard.

How many kids can say their cool uncle has an actual recording studio?? Not many... Sam was uber impressed and wanted to spend every second of the day in the studio - just watching and playing. My bro was beyond gracious to spend some time with her to help her record some music. The girl could not stop grinning...I'm anxious to get my hands on that music when my bro & his family come to visit in a few weeks.

The weather was so nice that I was ecstatic to see my kids walk into the house and head straight for the backyard...we never see that at our house. ;-)

I don't know what it is about my nephews, but they sure have a way with facial expressions. My kids kept calling baby Z... 'freaky-eyeball-baby' because he would sit and stare at the kids with these huge, wide eyes. It was quite adorable.
The photo on the left is baby Z during our visit and the photo on the right is one I took of lil man J when he was just a few weeks old...an absolute favorite of mine...cracks me up!

Of course no trip would be complete without the self-timer group photo...

The Herrick Family Vacation - 2010 [part 3a]

2010-08-18T14:54:00.000-07:00

OK, now back to the regular posts on our fantastic summer vacation. After staying a couple nights at my folks house we traveled to my hometown of Fremont and man was it sooooo great to be back home... literally! I am so lucky that my childhood home is actually now my brother & sister-in-law's home. So, when I go home, I really do GO HOME... I just love that feeling of walking through that door.

We opted to stay at a hotel just a few miles away as our brood can be quite the handful, but once we got checked in we excitedly made our way to my bro's home. I was just dying to see my nephews... 'lil man J and the big chunk master Z who I literally wanted to gobble up the moment I laid eyes on him. We had a lovely first encounter ;-)

So day 1 with my bro and fam was super chill...a great time for the cousins to just play and get to know each other better. The next day we ventured to a nearby farm and historical park where we lunched and met some of the local creatures...

Nothing beats seeing my bro play the part as 'the-human-jungle-gym'

All the cousins together...LOVE IT!!

Then on Saturday morning we managed to take all the kids to the cutest little garden at the base of Mission Hills. The grounds were beautiful and so well taken care of; the kids had a great time exploring the different paths and bridges and plant life.

Next up will be part 3b... the 2nd part of our Fremont stay...

First day of 2nd grade!

2010-08-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

I'm interrupting my regularly scheduled vacay picture posts to give a huge shout out to our #1 girl...our big 2nd grader! She started school last week and is totally still on cloud 9!

We've sort of started a "thing" when she began kindergarten by taking a quick photo against our front door. It wasn't until I lined up each photo from all 3 school years can I REALLY see my growing, beautiful daughter.

The pic below of the 3 cutie-patooties makes me miss the Fab 4 even more!

And they're off...

The Herrick Family Vacation - 2010 [part 2]

2010-08-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

OK, ready for the 2nd installment of our family vacation photos?? And if you think this post is a doozy, just wait for part 3... ;-)

So once we arrived to Stockton on day 2 we were greeted with lovely sunshine, a nice breeze and all the Coke and Dr.Pepper we could possibly wish for! We stayed with my folks for 2 nights and the bonus was that my Dad picked up my grandma from across the bay and brought her to stay at his home while we were there...it made for an extra special visit!

OK, so besides all the Coke and DP, there were other fun things awaiting us!

For instance...this remote controlled plane that Scott is holding that I actually crash landed, and hard... but that's OK because 5 minutes later my dad did the same thing only on his landing the thing nearly disintegrated upon impact...nothing my dad can't fix though! Or the big, fun backyard with the softest grass and wide open field! Or even the magnify glass my Gma gave to Brooke, which then Scott decided would be a good time to teach them how to cook ants!

Here's what Brody's highlight of the trip was...nothing beats a tractor ride with Gpa!

Then it was the girls' turn on the tractor...

Of course there was some quad riding in between a tractor ride, or two...

My folks have worked so hard on their backyard and have really done a beautiful job! Loved all the details... and who doesn't love a 140lb German Shepherd mix...Sam was in heaven!

Then it was time to say goodbye - but just for a couple of days - so I made everyone bear with me while my camera went into overdrive...

And these pictures I will treasure FOREVER!

The Herrick Family Vacation - 2010 [part 1]

2010-08-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

Well, the laundry is almost complete. The house is finally cooled to a comfortable 71 degrees. The car has been washed and vacuumed. And the kids are still asking which hotel are we checking into next. Man it's good to be home! Scott and I were comparing notes on our drive home and recalling some great times we had during this vacation. The one thing we completely agreed on was that our 8 day vacation felt more like 18 days; we truly felt like we had been gone for 2+ weeks. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing, but we did A LOT in our 8 days. I don't have any fancy camera shots from our trip on day one as I pretty much wanted to just be 'present' with my kids and enjoy the drive to San Diego and the time on the beach.

I did, however manage to snap a few fun pics with my iPhone from our time at Mission Beach...

We stayed the night in San Diego on day one and packed up the car first thing in the morning and started our day 2 journey with the long car ride north to Stockton to stay with Grandpa & Grandma and GreatGrandma Morin. Pictures from that visit will be in the [part 2] post, but for now here are some quick pics from the car ride and the best roadside food stop around...

A little backlog... Happy BELATED Birthday!

2010-08-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

Over a month ago we celebrated the twins' 4th birthday. With Mom Herrick passing away and the funeral and a birthday on top of it all...well, something had to give. So, here is the proper post B+B deserved...

The day started out at Sam's swim practice...

Then we all went and had a nice big breakfast at a yummy restaurant near our house...

(and no, Brooke is not in dance class...she just insisted on wearing the outfit and who am I to say no on her birthday ;-)

(thank you Sammy for taking this pic!)

Then, being the greatest mom in the world (yeah, right!) I naturally gave the OK go ahead to the waitress to bring out this mound of chocolate cake and ice cream...oh yeah, and it was only 10:30 in the morning!!

These next two photos are my absolute FAVORITE... they just scream pure joy!

How about a little mud with your volleyball?

2010-07-28T16:58:00.000-07:00

This is the 2nd year I've participated in a local mud volleyball tournament and Scott's first time. It is absolutely a blast and completely hilarious. Our team was the Muddy Hens... don't ask!!

Here is us after our first game...not too muddy except for our shoes...but that's all about to change!

Let the good times roll!!

Of course you can't tell by this picture, but I managed to stay very mud-free. However, my teammates had a different plan such as tackling then drilling me into the mud...hence the mud creatures...!

Accidents happen...

2010-07-28T16:38:00.000-07:00

...only this kind left me with those shivers you get after hearing a painful, frightening story. And of course, what kind of mother would I be if I wasn't there to document it first hand.

Unfortunately these photos do not to this shiner justice...

The story is the real creepy part. Sam was running around the house trying to get the dog to chase her. As she was running through the toy room she tripped or stubbed her toe on something (probably a toy, not gonna lie the room is a complete disaster so it's no wonder this never happened sooner). As she was still in the running momentum she grabbed her foot and began to fall. Rather than let go of her foot to brake her fall, she simply let her face do that for her... against the small play table. That small scrape next to her eye is where her face hit. Thank goodness for calm Daddies that know just what to do and how to handle this kind of stuff.

So now we've taught her that anytime anyone looks at her funny or says anything about her eye her response is... 'if you think this is bad, you should see the other guy!' Thank goodness she's our little toughy!

Our final farewell...

2010-07-24T01:38:00.000-07:00

I know I have kind of abandoned ship for awhile. The feelings and heartache are all still so real and painful. On Thursday the 22nd it was exactly 4 weeks since Mom Herrick passed away. In some ways it feels like that was 4 years ago but mostly it just feels surreal; like she is still at home in her recliner right where she has been all along. I still get teary eyed about once a day and my kids still think their mom has gone nuts because they just can't understand what all the fuss is over since we keep telling them that Grandma is in a better place. They think if she is in a better place then we should be happy and not sad or crying... oh how I love their sweet spirits!

Here are just a few photos from Mom's funeral... July 9, 2010.

Me and the kiddos have already been to visit the gravesite once. Boy did that make my heart ache and feel comfort all at the same time. It's amazing how you can talk to just a small plot of the earth and know the person hears you...I feel so blessed to know that me and my family can go there anytime just to be able to feel close to her, even though we are teaching our kids that Grandma is all around us everyday.

For instance, Sam had her big regional swim meet last week. It was just me, Sam, the twins and a 118 degree sun beating down on us. After she was all done and as we began to leave we could see the monsoon clouds were quickly approaching, however within those dark, ominous clouds was the most beautiful, bright rainbow. Sam and I quickly noticed it at the same time and looked right at each other...as if to say 'do you see that!' I whispered in her ear as we walked to the car that the rainbow was Grandma and she was watching her swim her very best and she wouldn't have missed it for anything. We both just sat there hugging each other. In that moment I felt her so strongly; I felt her embracing both of us letting us know that she was NEVER far away. Man, I miss her so much!

So long, my love...

2010-07-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we must bid you farewell, for now.

She wasn't supposed to leave us this soon. She was going to get strong enough to enjoy just a little more time. I know it is all on the Lord's timetable, but that sure doesn't make it any easier.

On July 1st at 6:14am the world lost the most sweetest angel and heaven gained the most glorious spirit. My heart is so full; it hurts so bad right now. I don't want life to go on without her. I don't want her miss out on all the wonderful earthly events that will transpire throughout the years.

Last Saturday when she was admitted to the hospital all of her family was able gather around her and whisper to her their love and adoration for her. It would truly be the last time she would be fully able to communicate back to you and in that all too short of a moment I had with her I gained more wisdom and comfort than I have ever before. I find it so unbelievably appropriate that during her last few days that SHE would be comforting ME. She is always in the service of her family and others and I hope that the words she spoke to me will never fade from my heart. I love you and miss you so much mom!!

In case you hadn't heard...

2010-06-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

...like if you're living under a rock, or if you don't ever peek over at my other blog or check me out on Facebook, well then...

Seriously, if you live in the bay area contact me as I would love to set up some photo sessions while I'm out there...seeing as I don't go home to NorCal that often anymore. And if you know of any family or friends out that way be sure to spread the word...THANKS!

Cancer is a BITCH!

2010-06-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

There. I said it. I've had this blog title picked out for weeks and didn't know if I had the guts to actually post all my feelings about what is going on.

I have not documented the battle our family is waging, which I should, however when emotions are just so close to the surface and the mere thought of what is transpiring right now is enough to make me crumble I tend to keep this stuff to myself.

You see, I have a mother-in-law like no other. Marlene is just the most beautiful human being that I have ever met and I feel beyond lucky that EVERYDAY I am related to her. She is...Compassionate. Selfless. Loving. Beautiful. Patient. Serving. And almost 4 years ago she was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. To say that this was not fair is the biggest understatement of all time. At the time we knew this was the beginning of the end, but when you have a woman who refuses to go down without a fight you get someone who beats ALL the odds and statistics. Fast-forward to about 2 months ago when everything was seemingly great, perfect, and close to a clean-bill-of-health you can get we get a diagnosis that shook us to our very core. The cancer has spread. This time to her brain to which there is no aggressive treatment. No leading chemo medicine. No last ditch options. This is it. One round of radiation and at the most we have 1 year, 6 months of which will be her most healthiest until the cancer fully takes over.

I can't ask why anymore. I can't think about what life will be like without her. I can't imagine my husband not being able to call her to tell her about his day at work. I can't even believe my kids will never truly know this great woman; only to hear stories about her like some mythical creature that once existed. I just can't go there. But, what I can do is try to make the most of what we do have, and that is just a few more moments with her.

A few weeks ago I had a dear friend, who I met through our mutual love for photography, come and do a quick photo session for me with Marlene, my sisters-in-law and Scott. Since I feel like I'm the walking advocate for documenting your life with pictures and photographing the moments I knew this was about the only thing I could truly GIVE to them. It was such an amazing experience to watch all the siblings snuggle up to their mom to get their picture taken. I will treasure that time for as a long as I live.

I "stole" a few of the photos off my friends photo blog, but I want you to go and visit her site to not only view the rest of the images but to read some of the wonderful words she wrote and poetry she posted alongside the images. Absolutely eloquent.

Go HERE to view the rest.

Our little fish!!

2010-06-18T00:44:00.000-07:00

Here is Sam at this week's swim meet, which was the backstroke - her absolute favorite right now.

This first pic is of her just before her first swim which was the backstroke sprint.

And here is the video of her race...

There was a little snafu at the end with her ribbon. She was presented with an 8th place ribbon and while she clearly didn't win top 4, she certainly wasn't dead last. Even the group of other moms I was sitting near all said that there was no way Sam touched last. So, being the vigilante mother than I am, I calmly walked over to the judges area an asked to know what place my daughter finished in, to which they replied 6th. Ahhhh yes, much better. It seems the blind fellow at the end of her lane passing out the ribbons likes to arbitrarily hand out whatever color ribbon he's feeling in the mood to give out... shame on you mister... get some glasses. Sam's face as she was handed the 8th place ribbon was so sad. When I asked her what happen she said she didn't know and that she didn't think she was in last place. Have no fear baby, mama's to the rescue!

And finally here are just a few still shots of her in her relay race. Her team placed 4th!

It's a new era...

2010-06-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

...for the twiners... and really, just baby steps for me. I do have a goal to completely redecorate their room by their 4th birthday which is just under a month away. So, in preparation for this we went ahead and took down their cribs. I've joked with several friends that the reason why my babies are so small is similar to the theory that a caged animal can only grow as big as it's cage... hence the twiners have only been able to grow as big as their cribs. I mean, they are turning 4 so I suppose now as good a time as ever to make the transition.

So long my baby cribs... it truly feels like the end of an era for me!

Now that the twiner's room has a slight empty feeling the kids find that to be much more fun as their new play room... naturally!!

And when Sam asked to play with the video camera this morning I allowed it... only to find this little slice of heaven recorded. It feels a lot like watching animals in their native habitat only because I can never get this real, raw footage of them being themselves whenever I turn the camera on. Enjoy!!

Love my girls...

2010-06-13T22:58:00.000-07:00

...because, when it's good, it's this good...

Hop on over to my other blog to see a few more photos of these girls. They were such patient models for me while I did some photography lighting experimenting. Such troopers!

Summer Sports | Swim Team 2010

2010-06-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

It's something we kept promising Sam we would do and now we've finally committed. She has shown some amazing swimming skills last year and even this year, too. So, she is now enrolled in our city league swim team and this week was her very first meet.

Check the video here...

We are so proud of her. She placed 6th (out of 8) on her 25yd freestyle race (7/8 year olds) and 6th place in her team relay. We kind of committed cardinal sin #1 with this meet and that was to keep her out of the sun and swimming the day of the meet. But, when it's 108 degrees out and her cousin's pool looks more like the poshest resort, and you are 7 years old... well, let's just say it was really hard to keep her locked down. We now know better for next time. Lots of rest. Lots of hydration. Possibly a RedBull before the meet. Maybe.
We'll see... ;-)

Another year, come and gone...

2010-06-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

I remember this day like it was yesterday... tears and all (on my part, of course)...it was the first day of 1st grade...

And now here she is with 1st grade done and over with and sooooo completely ready to tackle 2nd grade!

The differences are subtle, like the kind only the mother can see, but when I compare the two sets of photos it's my little baby that is missing. Those sweet innocent features and thoughts of barbies and baby dolls have now been replaced with dreams of kick ball, a boy named Matthew and being the first girl on an NFL team. No joke! Oh man I can only imagine what 2nd grade holds for us!!

We absolutely fell in love with her teacher, Mrs. G. We honestly thought her kindergarten teacher had set the bar so high with her love and attention to Sam that there was no way anyone could come close to being as good as Mrs. H. Then came Mrs. G. That teacher will forever be the gold standard in my book. You could truly feel her love and care for Sam and each one of the kids in her class... simply amazing.

Just a moment of your time...

2010-05-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

If you don't know how much Sam loves animals well then feel free to call her up anytime and quiz her on any species of ANY animal. She's kind of a walking version of Animal Planet... it's just plain weird. Anyway, the reason for this post is that she has been such the proud owner and caregiver of our new dog Roxy and she has been doing a really great job which is why I let her convince me to enter Roxy in to a locally sponsored contest for Arizona's top pet. If you have just a second our Roxy girl could sure use some love and votes HERE. Once you're at the site click on Vote for the Dogs, then click on Gallery #7 and she is the 17th pic, ID# 1719. You can't miss it...it's a big pic of Roxy and the 3 kiddos.

Thanks a bunch!

Havin' a little giveaway....

2010-05-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

...over on my other blog!

Go check it out HERE and just comment to win one of the little goodies!

Thanks!

We Love You Great Grandma Herrick!

2010-05-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

We are so grateful to the time we have been able to spend with Scott's Grandma over the last 6 years. On Friday, May 7th at 12:30pm she peacefully returned to her Father in Heaven and I feel beyond blessed that I could be with the family as we said our final goodbyes and I love you's to her as she passed away. Scott's parents have been selflessly taking care of Grandma Herrick for the last 6 years since Grandpa Herrick passed away (ironically he passed on May 6, 6 years ago and we joke that Grandma wanted her OWN date so we waited one more day til May 7th ;-) She was 91 and would have been 92 in just a few weeks.

November 2006

November/October 2006

We all have such wonderful memories of GreatGrandma Herrick and she will be missed very much!

Eye can see clearly now...

2010-04-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

In the back of my mind, and I mean very far back where the cobwebs grow, I just knew this day would come. I innocently convinced myself that all this time he was somehow getting better... I say innocently because the doctor was filling my mind with false illusions. So, here it is... my little man has to get glasses.

This is pretty much my inner monolgue for the past 48 hours...
This is killing me! I know tons of little kids have glasses and Brody sure is stinkin' cute in them, but to me this is the realization that his vision, his sight, his eye muscle issues have not gotten better all these years and after that horrific eye surgery nothing has really changed. I'm mad! It's the kind of mad that you get when all the things you hoped and dreamed for your kid comes crashing down. I know this is all sounding so dramatic and when I see that cute little face in those glasses it just melts my heart, but I still can't help but feel a little sad.

This is just a 6-week trial and his eye specialist will evaluate him at the end of the 6 weeks to see what has happened, changed, improved, etc. So, here's to the next 6 weeks... and beyond!

Monumental occasion!

2010-04-21T00:23:00.000-07:00

For anyone who has kids in diapers knows that the day your house becomes 100% diaper free is a day like no other... it truly deserves it's own national holiday. However, in my family's case I'll settle for a little underwear dance party. Oh yeah, that's how we roll. Only it's not so pretty with the big guy and me so we'll just leave that to the cute buns trio.

Seriously though, when we threw away the last and final wadded up diaper that happen to have found itself a nice quiet home behind the twiners bedroom door - don't worry, the diaper was bone dry just like all the other ones for about the last month - I decided (in my head) it would be an awesome thing to light a match and watch it burn, baby burn! But, thankfully that convo only happened in my head and so our neighbors were spared of any trash can fire that might have erupted in front of our house.

So, there you have it folks... my so called "babies" are turning 4 in just a couple of months and I'm diaper free... WOW! Next thing you know these kiddos are gonna want to go to something called a 'preschool'... ummmm, yeah, I don't think so... when you are the last baby/kid in this house I refuse to let you grow up. Sorry B+B, but even when you turn 14 I will most likely still be referring to you as "the babies"... sad, but true!

And just for the record, the answer to your internal question/comment is that we have been blessed with 3 lovely, beautiful little stinkers that nearly ripped my heart out trying to get here and we are not in a place now (or in the near future) to "pay" to get more here again... if you know what I mean. So, at this point I'm banking on a miracle if we were to be blessed with any more. There you have... your personal access to my world of TMI! Enjoy your stay!

Newest family member...

2010-04-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

Uggghhhh, I caved! But then again, I knew I would. Somehow I just knew this was going to be the year they would beat me down. Let me introduce you to the newest member of our family... Roxy!

Miss Roxy-roo (as I call her) or just Rox (as the kiddos call her) is an 11mo old german shorthair pointer. Once we started looking into getting a dog I knew instantly that there was no way anyone in this family was going to convince me to get a puppy. No way, no how! For us (me) it had to be a young pup with some obedience training and boy do I fee like we hit the jackpot with this dog.

Housebroken, check. Kennel trained, check. Knows common commands, check. Lets my kids play all over her, check, check and check :-)

But wouldn't you know it, we get the dog last night and conveniently Scott started a 3-day work schedule today so now it's just me, the kids and this beautiful dog who has got to be freaked out about what's just happened to her in the last 24 hours. Thanks, hun!

Welcome home, Roxy!

Brody just cracks me up!

2010-04-08T12:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday as me and the twiners were in the car leaving the rec center Brody shouts from his car seat "Mom!" I look in the rear view mirror to see him rubbing his leg and shouting in the most excited and enthused tone "Mom, I'm finally growing hair on my legs! Look! Can you see, Mom? There's hair on my legs!"

At that point I basically had to pull over in the parking lot because I was laughing so hard I couldn't see to drive. Man that kid cracks me up!

It's GIVEAWAY time!

2010-04-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

Hello all you wonderful followers, visitors and stalkers... you know who you are ;-)

I've teamed up with a dear friend and fellow blogger to offer one lucky (local, or willing to travel) person a free photo shoot with me. Ya-hoooooo!

So, whatcha gotta do is head on over to Viva Full House and check out all the details and simply leave a comment to win. Oh yeah, and if you blog, tweet or facebook about the giveaway you get even more chances to win. Sa-weeeeet!

OK, why are you still here when you should be HERE!

GOOD LUCK!

Just a couple of babies...

2010-03-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

And no, I'm not referring to the twiners, I'm actually referring to us, the Mr. and Mrs.

Looked at us here... it was 11 years ago last Saturday the 27th that we were married in the backyard of my aunt and uncle. We were young, dumb and in love! It's weird to think back and realize that we have been married for this long. In some cases it feels like it was just yesterday, but then we look at our kids and realize it's been a long and wonderful journey.

Happy 11 year anniversary to us!

No title can do this justice...

2010-03-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

A funny conversation

2010-03-30T16:05:00.000-07:00

The other day we were stopped at a gas station and while Scott drained our bank account filling our tank Samantha asked me the most left field, strangest, but completely genuine question for a 7 yr old.

Sam: Mom, is there going to be another 'King of Pop'?

Me: Uhhhhhh, huh? What do you mean?

Sam: Well, you know... since Michael Jackson died and he was the King of Pop do you think there is going to be another 'King of Pop'?

Me: Uhhhhh, huh? Well, it doesn't really work like that. He's not a REAL king, he just called himself that.

Sam: Uhhhhh, huh?

Yeah, bizarre but completely adorable!

A belated birthday gift to Samantha

2010-03-30T15:59:00.000-07:00

The first time Samantha ever went horseback riding she was 3 years old and Grandma Jill took her to a friends horse ranch to see and ride the horses. She came home and couldn't stop talking all about the horses. She got the biggest kick out of one of the horses names - Scooter. It was the funniest thing to her because that is what her Grandpa Jim calls her and she thought it to be quite silly that she and a horse had the same name.

As a wonderful birthday present to Sam her Grandma Jill promised to take her horseback riding again and boy did Sam hold her to it. Finally, plans were made and a Saturday was set aside from all our crazy hustle and bustle life and she got to go ride the horses.

I'm not sure if Scooter horse was there this time, but I can tell you that she is still talking about her special trip with Grandma to ride horses and this was almost a month ago.

This will only take a second.

2010-03-25T14:04:00.000-07:00

I just need to post something here to enter myself into a contest... thank you for your patience!

Win the @designaglow / designaglow.com Studio Look Book – visit Paperie Boutique / paperieboutique.com by @shutterblog to find out how!

Thanks!

For the love of hiking!

2010-03-21T21:35:00.000-07:00

It all started about a month ago. Sam would admire the beautiful Superstition Mountain practically in our backyard and would wonder what it would take to climb that mountain. Well, naturally Scott being the avid outdoorsman and clearly beaming from ear-to-ear that his 7 year old DAUGHTER had an interest in climbing any sort of mountain put the wheels in motion for Saturday, March 6, 2010. The week before the two of them made a valiant attempt to conquer the Superstition only to have one of the few major storms we ever see hit that morning; and while my brave little girl would have - and in fact wanted to - push through the rain, cold and eventual hail her wise papa thought it would be best to turn back, head home and try again another day.

So here it is... the Superstition Mountain. You can see from the arrows where they started and where they ended - a difference of over 2000' - with the last 1500' being virtually straight up and down serious rock climbing. Mind you, my baby is 7 - S-E-V-E-N and a hiking rock star in our world.

Scott is such the proudest papa when he retells this story, so my apologies if the details in his recount bore you - I for one will never get sick of this story.

One of her many proud moments on this hike has to be the time she said her and her dad passed a troop of boy scouts all probably 3-5 years older than her; now if passing them on the hike wasn't good enough it was also the fact that as she and her dad reached the top and enjoyed the view for about an hour the boy scouts were no where to be seen - they never made it to the top. They gave up. Scott was so proud of her. She is so tough and strong-willed with an amazing belief in perseverance. We absolutely love this girl to death!

Way to go Sammy... Next up, the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff!

Friday... Family Fun Day!

2010-03-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Last week to round out a wonderful spring break week we loaded the kids in the car and took a little drive East. A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine visited a near by arboretum and she said it was absolutely beautiful, and since the littlest munchkins would get in for free it seemed like a delightful way to spend our afternoon.

So, here are some pics from our recent visit to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum... such a gorgeous setting! This park has a rich history and it was great exploring around and reading all about the creator, Boyce Thompson, and his desire for and interest in things botanical, horticultural, and natural.

Let's see, what else have we been doing...

2010-03-16T00:27:00.000-07:00

I just realized that it's been almost a month since I last posted something... shame on me.

It's probably the fact that I feel like I'm treading water in order to just barely keep my head up which has kept me from doing any sort of posting or journaling... whoever said the "2's" are terrible never had a 3 year old (x2). These little creatures are just about the biggest stinkers right now - our poor house is in this constant state of filth to the point where I'm ready to burn it down and start all over. If any of us pull out of this stage alive and intact I will consider it the greatest victory of all. And, if by some stroke of luck or miracle the twins grow up and find it in their hearts to love each other and be decent to each other, I will consider it the greatest Mom victory of all.

I did read on Facebook somewhere that one of my friends was starting a new discipline tactic - for every time there is a quarrel or fight between siblings each has to do a chore. Now why didn't I think of that!! At the rate my kids fight I could have a clean house by 9AM tomorrow.

Actually, this week is spring break and so far it's been really nice having Sam home, however she is already counting down the days till she gets to go back to school (and I can't say that I blame her). During one of our many car rides today she said she had 3 reasons for wanting to go back to school ASAP (her words, not mine)... 1) to show her friends her missing tooth, 2) to see her teacher and 3) because she has the greatest friends and can't wait to see them again. Oh, to be 7 again!

Quick family update...
Scott has been working his tail off lately; he's even been training new hire nurses - not too bad for someone who's only been a nurse for less than 2 years - he must be doing something right. He loves his job so much and I know first hand that they absolutely adore him. Hopefully in the next few months he will start training to be a Team Leader - it doesn't mean more $$, but it's exactly what he needs to start segueing into management which will hopefully lead to more $$.

Sam is quite the big reader. For Christmas she received the book 'Diary of a Whimpy Kid' and it wasn't until she saw the previews for the upcoming movie has she decided to read it before she sees the movie. She really likes that book and it actually is pretty funny, however being the uptight mom that I am I'm not a big fan of some of the language in the book (moron, idiot, jerk, etc.). But, I have taught my girl well so she knows NOT to read those words, but instead use similar 'not-so-harsh' words - ie, instead of jerk she'll say "mean kid"... or something like that.

Brody has proven to me that boys can be potty trained. For the longest time I really was thinking I was going to have to send this kid off on his mission still in a diaper - I had really lost all hope. And actually looking back and comparing potty training timelines, Brody was a lot faster than Brooke. Once he understood the concept the lightbulb went of and he just 'got it'. Soooooo, this is what a house with no diapers feels like.... yeah, I'm liking this!

Brooke is 3 going on 13 and oh how I wish I was the least bit exaggerating. This pint size peanut is quite the prima ballerina and so help me if I do not get her into any sort of dance class, well then I will have lost my chance at a meal ticket. She has the most amazing grace and poise and without a doubt is going places. Mark my words!

And as for me, well... besides the usual photography (also known as 'mom, why do you spend so much time on the computer') I've been doing lots of soul searching on grudges and forgiveness and love and patience. It's interesting how it takes so much energy to hold a grudge, how you have to actually exert effort and time and conscious thoughts to holding a grudge and to not forgive. Most likely the person you're not forgiving or holding a grudge against doesn't even know you have a grudge against them. Think of all that wasted time and energy and ill thoughts about someone that doesn't even know it's happening. Life is waaaaaay too short to have grudges and to not forgive. It is so hard sometimes to forgive - and the cynical side of me never wants to be the first to admit wrong doing or to offer an apology, but in the end if it can save me a wrinkle or a frown line or two, I consider it worth it. I want to make the best and most of my time here, I really don't want it wasted on issues the other person knows nothing of.

I'm surrounded by one of the most positive human beings I have ever met, Scott. He is just an amazing example of love and patience and for the last 11 years it seems like I've been working hard to prove to him that people are bad and rarely have good intentions (yeah, I know, I need to see a shrink) but what I should have been doing is instead let him teach me to see the good in everyone and to forgive those that trespass us. So, in my late hour blogging - aka drunk-blogging - I want to resolve that I will embrace all the relationships in my life and not let them slip by or dissolve away due to missundertandings and grudges. It's just not worth it.

It's official...

2010-03-15T23:06:00.000-07:00

Sam has FINALLY lost her other, very weird, dangly tooth. It's a bit interesting to watch her big teeth grow in first and then have her loose her baby teeth - it's just the opposite of all her friends and their sweet 'all-gums' grins. She swears one of her top teeth are loose. I don't know how much more of her tantrums and fits Scott and I are going to be able to handle; she is the BIGGEST baby when it comes to pulling her teeth... it's like pulling teeth to pull her teeth... hey, imagine that! ;-)

So, no toothless grins here, but still kind of cute...

Da-Da-Daddy-O!

2010-02-20T23:00:00.000-08:00

What can I say... I guess I have the touch when it comes to begging and pleading for a model stand in while I work on some photo techniques! Such a stud! Watch out Zoolander, I think I see the Mangum Deux!

To all AZ residents...

2010-02-19T08:35:00.000-08:00

I will be teaching a class on beginner's basic photography. Do you want to take better images of your kids? Want to know what those button-thing-a-ma-jigs are supposed to mean on your super fancy camera? Want some basic tips and tricks to make your photos standout? Then join me as I will help teach you some basic fundamentals in photography.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

Guaranteed to be lots of fun... I promise!

"So much to do, so little time..."

2010-02-15T22:41:00.000-08:00

This was the first thing I woke up thinking this morning. There were soooo many things I really needed to get done today - mainly in the form of photog biz stuff. My list of call backs, album creations, photo editing is literally enough to keep me busy for the next 3 weeks. However, being that it was President's day AND with Sam home from school today AND because it was 75 degrees out with the most beautiful, big blue sky I knew I just had to take this opportunity to be with my kids... OUTSIDE.

We spent 4 glorious hours at a park in Gilbert where we had lunch, dug for dinosaur bones, enjoyed a relaxing nature walk learning all about the various Arizona vegetation and animal life and I have to say I have some of the greatest children EVER. We had fun, we explored nature, we climbed trees... we just had lots of fun together.

I love you kiddos... I'm so glad I get to be your mom!!

The first tooth fairy visit...

2010-02-04T14:40:00.000-08:00

WOW! I can't believe it... Sam has finally lot her first tooth!

Her 2 bottom BIG teeth came in months ago and have been pushing her little baby teeth forward and forward and forward until they were sooooo wiggly and just barely hanging on.

Scott tied some dental floss to the tooth that was the most loose and gave her an order to 'GET THAT TOOTH OUT'. She whined, she cried, she complained; her fear of the unknown is what kept her from touching that tooth at all. When I had finally had enough of her crying that it was going to hurt or that it was going to bleed I walked over to her and said pull it out right now. She cried some more so I grabbed the floss hanging from her mouth and as she turned her head to get away from me out popped her tooth. In that instance the look of shock of how pain-free that whole ordeal was made it absolutely priceless. Her grin could not get any bigger.

The very generous tooth fairy came and delivered her $5... but this lump sum payout was a one-time thing. The tooth fairy is working on lean mean times and from now on will be paying out in much smaller denominations.

Quick snapshot...

2010-01-27T14:31:00.000-08:00

Just got some new photo lighting equipment so who better to test it on than my not so willing and able children.

This is Brooke passed out on the couch (they photograph so nicely when they're unconscious) snuggling her newest Webkinz animal from Grandpa + Grandma Les which she named Opal, after their dog...

And here are the two conscious rascals always ready, but never willing to sit still for me...unless of course they have been bribed.

I can't leave this kid for a second...

2010-01-19T21:35:00.000-08:00

Brody is such a little rascal. I don't know what to chalk it up to. He's a boy. He is 3 1/2 years old. He is the most curious kid I've ever seen. He is his father's son. This could be part of the "Mother's curse" reining down on me for something Scott did 30 years ago... who knows??!! What I do know is that you can't turn your back on this kid for even a second because when you do you are bound to get pictures that look like this...

"The self-inflicted haircut"

Now I know this isn't as bad as it looks. Heck I'm almost convinced that Scott encouraged Brody to do it seeing as how the big guy has been so upset with me since I last took it upon myself to give the little man "just a trim".

Here is Brody mid-way through his buzz cut... Scott has waaaaayyyy too much fun with a set of trimmers than should be allowed!

Brody's half buzzed head from Michelle Herrick on Vimeo.

I'm warning you... this is kinda cute!!

2010-01-17T23:47:00.000-08:00

OK, it's really, really cute!

And I guess it's a little obvious now that we listen to a bit, too much of Beyonce's "Sweet Dreams".

Enjoy!

Watch out Beyonce... from Michelle Herrick on Vimeo.

A special visit...

2010-01-12T07:49:00.000-08:00

WARNING... this post comes with lots of photos!

We had a spectacular visit with my dad and step-mom last week that the kiddos are still talking about it. For the last seven years they have made the trek to AZ from NorCal always for Samantha's birthday - but really, could they have picked a better time of the year?? Probably not! We had the most gorgeous weather; I mean who wants to come and visit us for the twins birthday in JULY... in ARIZONA!

Here are some fun photos...

The first couple of pics are of their dog, Opal, who is actually more like a small horse. The twiners got a kick out of getting a ride on her back. The pic on the bottom left is of some fun magnetic LED lights that my dad brought for Sam to wear on her ears. And for some reason Sam thought it was completely hilarious to "ride" Scott's bike around the street. It just looked so painful!

Last Friday I kept Sam home from school so we could have one last day with Grandma and Grandpa. We took them to the Mesa Swap Meet as that is usually full of fun treasures and trinkets. Here are the kiddos being goofy and trying on dozens of hats. I'm pretty sure the elderly lady running this booth was about to have a stroke watching my kids grab hat after hat to try on.

And of course the worst part of their trip is having to say good-bye. The kiddos were super excited to walk around in Grandpa and Grandma's trailer. They kept telling Grandpa to just close the door and drive, like they were gonna hitch a ride in the back of the trailer and take off with them... silly kids!

A happy belated birthday post for my BIG girl!

2010-01-08T20:03:00.000-08:00

This is our Sammy girl and yesterday she turned 7, yes 7!! I know most parents say that time flies and that they can't believe their kid is already X years old, but really... WE CAN'T BELIEVE WE HAVE A 7 YEAR OLD!

We have had such a great time these last few days. My dad and step-mom drove in from CA earlier this week for their yearly visit to AZ and my kids have been in 7th heaven the entire time; they absolutely ADORE Grandma and Grandpa. I am so grateful for their visit and for their time here with us, but more importantly for the memories they are making with my kids.

I'll have more pictures to post about their visit, but for now... Happy Birthday Samantha Joy!

Reasons why our Christmas lights will not come down...

2010-01-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

These are the reasons why I think our house Christmas lights will not come down for a long time (in no particular order)...

1) They act as a better porch light then our actual porch light

2) We have some mighty fine, classy lights on our house... and that's not joke! I love our simple, big-bulb white lights - a lovely contrast to our neighbors weird blue icicle lights (no offense if that was your lighting set up for this holiday)

3) The kids literally fight over who gets to plug in the lights each night - so who am I to step in the way of their happiness!

4) It's a little piece of this glorious holiday we just celebrated that I get to hold onto and remind me of the important things - funny how a bunch of house lights can do that

5) Taking down the lights literally involves planning and time allotment - something that our family is apparently not in favor of.

6) The big guy is now fully booked up between work, upcoming birthdays, out-of-state visitors, etc. that the lights will probably be up until Valentine's Day... ooooo, I'm seeing a romantic dinner underneath the warm, Christmas light glow in our front yard - hey, I've had worse!

7) Building upon Reason #1, the Griswald lumination our lights give off are perfect to keep creepy people away from my house.

and lastly,
#8) WE ARE THAT FAMILY! Yep, cat's outta the bag. We are THAT family with Christmas lights up all year long, piles of old newspapers (I swear I'm gonna get to all those coupons one of these days), kids bikes, random pieces of wood and car seats all collecting on our front porch.

So ghetto... but hey, that's us!

What Christmas was this year...

2009-12-25T21:28:00.000-08:00

... it was all these things and more...

We had such a great Christmas today and we are always so grateful for the time we get to spend with our wonderful family; every holiday with Scott's mom is a precious gift to us.

We spent the morning with Grandma Jill who treated us to some of her yummy breakfast pizza and apple dumpling dessert (at 9am... mmmmm). We opened presents and inevitably the questions came... 'is that all?' or 'I wanna open more presents!' - that was always Brooke's line as I think she got the most joy from just the unwrapping process. But, once all the indestructible plastic was removed and every last wire twist tie was unwound from every doll limb and moving part we were in business. The highlights for the kids this year was ::

Samantha - Pixos (a ridiculous crafty-project type toy that is waaaaaayyyyyy over simplified in their 20-sec commercial spot that runs every 15 mins on the Disney channel which she just HAD to have), an alarm clock and a fuzzy bathrobe.

Brody - A small Transformer toy, a set of kids plastic Black & Decker tools and lego-type blocks called Trio.

Brooke - A princess Barbie (that was ALL that she asked for Santa to bring her; she is such a sweetheart), the movie Santa Buddies and a micro-mini Tinker Bell play house.

A highlight for me... the mounds of new clothes they all received because each one has decided to hit a growth spurt these last few weeks so nothing, and I mean NOTHING was fitting them. Thank you Santa!!!

Merry Christmas - 2009

A Christmas Choir...

2009-12-25T21:12:00.000-08:00

... better late than never!

Little Miss Sammy joined in all the reindeer fun this Christmas season and took part in a Christmas choir group for kids her age. The final concert was so fun and she was so very excited to perform all of her favorite holiday songs. Every time we would get in the car to go anywhere she just HAD to listen to the Christmas station in case they played one of her choir songs so she could sing along with the music and practice... worked for me.

Here is just a quick snippet from the choir concert... man I love my new camera!

Christmas Choir Concert 2009 from Michelle Herrick on Vimeo.

(PS - And yes, you're seeing double... the girl directly behind Sam just so happened to be wearing the exact same shirt... )

A hectic life, but for all the right reasons...

2009-12-06T22:40:00.000-08:00

So my 'little' side hobby has taken over my personal life these last few weeks but I am beyond grateful! I have been photographing old friends as well as a few new clients along the way and I'm lovin' every minute of it. Among the photography and the late, late nights editing I was able to help pull off one AH-MAZ-ING baby shower for a dear, sweet friend who just adopted the sweetest little baby, nay angel!

I am blessed beyond words for such wonderful and beautiful and inspiring friends that help keep me balanced. At the baby shower we were trying to figure out how long our friendship goes back and we settled on at least 8 years - for that, I am blessed.

Dear, sweet, hilarious Stacie hard at work. Girl, I figured for the purpose of this blog I would post this picture and not the "other" angle I got ;-) Love you!

Some detail shots...

And finally, the YaYa's... the best, most real friends EVER!!

Tamara (Miss T), Leanne (the new-est mommy), ma-whaaaaa, and Stacie (baby-onesie-garland-hangin'-fool)

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-26T22:05:00.000-08:00

So another turkey day has come an almost gone. We had a glorious Thanksgiving with the Herrick's and have much to be thankful for. Scott had to work today, well at least that's the way the day started out. He was first on the list to be called off if the patient count was low, but no such luck so he went off to work this morning business as usual which left me to take care of EVERYTHING. I signed myself up to bring way more than I would have if I knew I would be doing it alone, but in the end the kids were great, I was super organized and we only left our house 17 minutes later than I wanted to - I can totally live with that!

I took just a few pictures mostly for the benefit of Scott so he could see my handy work with the name tag place settings and so he could feel like he didn't miss anything.

But then at about 2pm I received a fantastic phone call from the Big Guy saying he was comin' home! He was lucky enough to have discharged his patients and not receive any new ones so he was able to take off early. This really was a day of thanksgiving to me. Thanksgiving is my most favorite holiday ever... I mean EVERRRRRR... and I hated the thought of doing it alone without him. So, thank you to the sick kids who got to leave the hospital... you gave me my husband back!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What else do you do at the end of November...

2009-11-26T19:01:00.000-08:00

...well, swim, of course!

The other day we had Sam's BFFs over after school for some play time and during the first hour they were here I had each and everyone of them come up to me and ask me if they could go swimming. Of course being the rigid, un-fun adult that I am I told them... 'heck NO, you can't go swimming! It's November for crying out loud and that water is like -30 degrees or something!'

Well, leave it to the Big Guy to say, 'sure, why not'. And so, I present you with the Fab 4 swimming... in November... fully clothed - well, some... and lovin' every minute of it!

Note to the mom's... I don't blame if you never let your girls come over again! Sorry!

And PS - Sorry for Sam's... ummmm.... 'free spirit' ... we're working on that!

Now I know why...

2009-11-10T21:54:00.000-08:00

Today, for the first time, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I get it. I am now in the club. I now know why most moms only want a family photo as their gift for Christmas, birthday, Mother's Day or any other gift-giving holiday.

Why do I know this... because today was OUR family picture day and it was everything I wanted and more. I don't care if no one looked at the camera, I don't care if we all had something stuck in our teeth... it was a picture of me and my most favorite people on earth and that right there is worth more to me than ANYTHING that could ever be purchased.

So, in honor of picture day I just couldn't help but grab my own camera as soon as we got home to get a few shots of my own since we were all lookin' uber cute. Completely random pics, most out of focus (I really am working to train Scott and Sam), but just a little sneak peek of us...

I really am that GOOD!!

2009-11-06T21:18:00.000-08:00

So I have recently ventured into the world of making ribs - on my own - and let me tell you I really am just that good! Thank goodness Samantha loves them, too. At the rate she inhales them she just might choke on a bone if I don't watch out for her.

Seriously though, I'm really quite proud of my new found cooking ability. My mom has always rocked the ribs - she can make a mean rack of ribs - so it's always been very intimidating to try something that my near and dear has already perfected. However after a lazy day of channel surfing I came across this cooking show demonstrating how to make some delish ribs. I was hooked. I committed everything this guy said to memory and set out to make my own mean rack of ribs. Ummmm yeah, I'm kind of a rockstar now in my family...we've all been in heaven the last few days with all the leftovers.

This was the final stage of the cooking process... the beautification part. Caution... do not attempt to eat your computer screen :=)

Oh yeah, and check out the b-e-a-u-tiful sunset we had here the other day... simply gorgeous!

My own selfish desires...

2009-11-05T09:45:00.000-08:00

I'm just warning you now that every once in awhile I will have to confiscate this blog and use it for my own selfish reasons... mainly contest entries. I know, silly right? You see most giveaway contests want you to leave a post on your own blog about the giveaway itself. Normally I wouldn't bother with ridiculous contests anymore (insert the bad experience I recently had with the whole EBSI website joke-of-a-contest thing) but since I feel like I never win anything, I will reserve my entries for the things that I absolutely have to have and really, really want to win.

Case in point... this giveaway contest for this necklace.

Ok, bye.

Another little funny...

2009-11-04T13:47:00.000-08:00

It would seem that Brody has become quite the imaginative little fellow. This is what he did/said to me today...

Walked into my office and came up to me sitting at my desk with one of Scott's stethoscopes around his neck and announced that he was Dr. Brody and need to check my heart.

Me: OK Dr. Brody my heart is right here (pointing to my chest).

Me: Does it sound good?

Brody: Well it does have a little gas in it.

Me: Oh really? What should I do?

Brody: Go to the doctor and spit it out... I'll be right back.

Ummm, yeah... apparently for heart gas you're just supposed to spit it out... whatever "it" is.

Brody then reappeared next to me with his blanket and said 'Put this on mom, it will make you feel better'. He then checked my stomach with the stethoscope and said there was a rock in it and then left again. Only this time he reappeared with an easter bucket, another one of his blankies, the tie to my bathrobe and the pillow from his bed and told me to 'put this on' to feel better.

They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words, but I gotta believe this is worth a bit more than that... Enjoy!

Oh yeah, and just so you know, Brody left to go watch Spongebob about 10 min. ago and the bucket is still on my head and I am now beginning to sweat profusely from the layer of blankets I have on me. I'm such a sucker...

Remember your first time to the dentist?

2009-11-03T09:29:00.000-08:00

I personally don't remember mine but I'm almost positive it was met with the whaling and gnashing of teeth - literally. I despise the dentist and it's no secret in our house that even though we have (the worst) dental insurance Scott and I still have a hard time making ourselves be the parent in this situation and just go to the dentist.

I can still feel all the anxieties I felt when I was younger having to go to the dentist and orthodontist - it's really quite debilitating.

So, when it came time for the twins' first dental appointment I made for darn sure that they thought they were going to Disneyland. There's only enough room in this family for two big babies when it comes to going to the dentist and those spots are already occupied by the Mom & Dad.

I was so worried how they would do - they don't do to well when it comes to new, unfamiliar sterile environments - but they both did so great. Brody was really quite the charmer. It was an early enough appt that there were no other patients in the office but just a handful of assistants, hygienists and the doc and he had each one eating out of his hand.

At one point this was an actual conversation he had with the hygienist just before the cleaning started...

Hygienist: Hi Brody, how are you?

Brody: Good.

Hygienist: You have some good looking teeth.

Brody: Uh-huh

Hygienist: Where did you get those beautiful teeth?

Brody: At the store.

Hygienist: Oh really. At the store? What store?

Brody: At Walmart.

My sweet boy... that's the one thing Walmart does not sell that they probably should! I just love that little guy... he cracks us up all the time!!

*****************************

And I know I am over due with some Halloween pictures... I will try and post them ASAP. I know it's virtually impossible to believe that ME, of all people, would forget to bring a camera to the halloween party we went to so let's just say that it's Scott's fault; the blame usually lands on him for most things anyways :=)

I hate Martha Stewart...

2009-10-31T13:05:00.000-07:00

...only because she makes some of her crafty projects look all to easy.

Case in point... something I saw once before on her site/blog were these photos of some cutely decorated pumpkins and I just fell in love with the idea and had to replicate.

It's like a bad mullet...looks great from the front view...

But a hideous, bad idea in the back...

Just in case you can't get the full view of my wilted pumpkins, here's a nice close up view...

Because of where we set these pumpkins on the half wall in front of our house the sun creeps over our roof and just beams right down on these pumpkins for about 12hrs a day - causing only one side to really wilt; weird, I know!

At least the good side faces the street view :=)

So sorry for the delay...

2009-10-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

OK, so I know I've been slacking a bit with this blog... alright, a lot... but this should hopefully do the trick...

This first video is of Sam playing soccer. She does great and we're super proud of our little soccer player! Thanks Mom for being the videographer! (sorry for the poor quality - I think I compressed it a bit too much)

Samantha playing soccer from Michelle Herrick on Vimeo.

This next video... well, what can I say... it's adorable and totally cute... Oh, and I do apologize now for her mid-song belch... I blame that on her father ;-)

Sam and Brooke Singing from Michelle Herrick on Vimeo.

Technically I'm cheating here...

2009-10-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

... by not actually posting anything but go to my other blog here to see some UBER cute, SUPER fantastic, WAY sassy photos of our Sammy girl that I just recently took!!

And I promise to post some good stuff on this blog very soon including a video of Sam playing soccer and a video of Sam and Brooke singing some church primary songs... stay tuned!

My boy's gonna be all right...

2009-09-30T20:31:00.001-07:00

Answer me this... why is it that you can be so concerned about something with your child - to the point that it keeps you up at night - so you finally make an appointment to address the situation only to be practically laughed at and told that your child is perfect, smart and totally cool??!!

Since I have twins - and probably more so because they are boy/girl twins - it is easy to "compare" and see the milestones that one accomplishes before the other. Sam was pure and simple a child prodigy when I birthed her - but we may be biased ;-) Brooke exudes those same traits - speaking, fine motor skills, social behaviors - just like her big sister. Our B-boy is such a drummer to his own beat that for the longest time I was convinced he would be enrolled in one of those "gifted and special" programs. So, to rest my mind at ease I scheduled the evaluation appointment with the education specialist and today was the day.

But plain and simple he is a ROCKSTAR kid who is intelligent, creative, insanely funny and just the best little stud around. He can somehow act like a big goof at home but the minute we get to the testing center he kicked the charm into full gear and had everyone eating out of his hand... almost to the point that I thought the folks there were ready to have us, the parents, tested to see if we were the crazy ones.

At one point the specialist conducting the series of tests (colors, shapes, listening, speaking, etc.) asked the Brod-man to count the blocks as he put them in a bag. We're still working on this at home; he knows his numbers just not always the order in which they should go in. So after he started counting 1, 2, 6, 8, 3 the specialist said over him 1, 2, 3, and then Brody continued right on after her with cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez. What the heck??!! He couldn't count in English for the lady but he sure as heck could count in perfect Spanish for her?! They probably thought it was a joke when I listed that English is our primary language... yeah right! Stinkin' Dora and Diego!

But in the end, my boy's gonna be all right!!

My latest random ramblings for today

2009-09-23T17:03:00.000-07:00

So I need to write some things down to document the crazy things my kids say...

The other day it was me and the twiners driving around town taking care of somethings while Sam was in school. I know (at least I hope) that one day the two of them will be able to ride in the car, sitting next to each other without trying to kill the other. But, until that day comes this drive was just like all the rest. Brooke started crying for some reason or the other and I look in the rear-view mirror and ask her what's wrong. She replies with the biggest crocodile tears and says that Brody scratched her. Not believing he could even reach her, I glanced at Brody and with his head buried in his hands looking as guilty as ever I ask him why did he scratch her. He replies... 'but mom, my muscles are just so big'! Yes they are son, and I love you!!!

I was lucky on this same drive to get another funny little nugget from them. I had to run into the camera store to return a rented lens and yes I left them in the car - I was gone for literally 90 sec. Anyhow, I returned to the car to once again find Brooke crying (I swear she is such a princess!!). I ask what is wrong and she said that Brody called her 'missy'. I told her there was nothing wrong with that; that was actually a cute name. Brody then says, 'no mom, I called her missy peanut'. To which I reply, 'ahhh, that's cute Brody, you can call me missy peanut.' In his oh-so matter-of-fact tone says, 'no mom, I call you Mama Scott Herrick!' I love it! I'll be Mama Scott Herrick any day!!

The very 1st soccer game... EVER!

2009-09-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

This is it... Sam's very first soccer game! Her team was able to get 2 practices in before this game and I don't think Sam really had any concept of what games were really going to be like. I honestly think she thought that games were like practices, but only on Saturday's and with a bunch of other girls. The field. The running. The sweat. She was beat after this game! But in true Samantha fashion, she ROCKED! Especially since this was only her first game in her life and she was the least experienced on her team; all the other girls have played for 1 or 2 years already and not to mention that she is also the youngest, but far and the smallest player on her team. One might think that with all this against her she might buckle and throw her hands in the air in frustration... but not my girl! Thankfully she got her 'can-do' attitude from her Dad.

I don't think Scott stopped grinning from ear to ear the entire game; he was soooo proud of her. She did such an amazing job and kept right at it with all the bigger, tougher girls. No one believed us when we told them this was her first game... we can thank her Dad for that, too. He is so awesome at getting her out in the yard and practicing as much as possible. He is great at motivating her and showing her techniques that will help her. He is such a great Dad!! Way to go Sammy!

Tempe Beach Park

2009-09-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

Since the big guy had the day off we took a quick trip to Tempe yesterday and ended up at the Beach Park. We were hoping to let the kids play in the water park area but sadly it was closed for maintenance. So of course we had some fun on our own, oh and it naturally became an excuse for a little photo op, too!

One of the many, many things I'm grateful for is the fact that when I ask the twins to 'turn on the charm' - meaning to hug, kiss, hold hands, etc. - for the camera, they are more than willing to comply. Hence these next few photos...

Brody being such a ham and a stud... I just can't get enough of this kid!

This was our cheap entertainment since we could not play in the water... we chased birds. Only this little guy didn't fly away, he actually started to walk up to the twiners. I love the last picture where Brooke is trying to wave the bird over to her...

And this is me, relinquishing the photo duties to my other half. It's sad that my kids' only memory of me will be with a big black camera attached to my face. If I can teach the Mr. a few things then maybe I'll get in the photo every once in awhile.

And honestly, what do I say about this girl...

More re-fashion fun...

2009-09-11T09:12:00.001-07:00

So, are you sick of these yet? Because I'm not. Sorry.

This latest re-do I found inspiration from a shirt I saw at Target. Now, of course I don't run a sweat shop factory in Southern China so my stitching skills leave much to be desired, however I think it turned out OK.

Started with a shirt on clearance from Target ($4) and some fabric I already had laying around.

Cut out some diamonds, sew, sew, sew, bada-bing, bada-boom... walll-laaaa

A little moment captured

2009-09-11T09:09:00.000-07:00

Do I really need to say anything...

While the cat is away...

2009-09-08T16:01:00.000-07:00

...these mice will play... at Goodwill that is!

Just one of the simple luxuries that exist while Sam is away at school is the little bit of freedom I have with the twins. Don't get me wrong, I am definitely limited to the places I will visit when it is just the twins and me, but Goodwill seems to be a place that I feel won't judge me for my unruly 3 year olds, or my disheveled wardrobe, or my lack of patience with other shoppers.

No real treasures today, but I did get a few things... cute dress for Sam, an adorable puffy pink vest for Brooke (yes, I know it is 105 degrees here, but it won't be for long) and a few other pieces for an upcoming photo shoot I'm trying to style.

Other than a little public restroom visit for Brooke, we had a fun time... here's the proof...

We are the Champions... with a puppy, too...

2009-09-02T13:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are the Champions! Scott and I have been playing in co-ed volleyball games for our church for the last 6 weeks and last night was the final tournament games. Usually our team looses within the first/second round for no other reason than lack of players, but for some reason the stars aligned for us this year and we had a good solid team from the start. Since these tournament games are for one night only - double elimination - they can drag on for a very LONG time. In years past when our team would loose right away in the early part of the tournament we would be done early and usually home and in bed by 8... (not really for this night owl). I had no REAL idea how long these games kept going for, but HOLY COW... we got home at 12:15AM... Yes, that's AM... as in the next day... as in our kids were dog tired... as in we kept Sam home from school as a reward for being such an awesome kid and a super-star big sister for helping with the twiners so we could play... and yes, as in 5 straight hours of volleyball 7pm-12AM... and yes, as in one of the greatest nights EVER! Thank goodness this story ends on a happy note with us winning the tournament otherwise this post just might have a bitter tone to it... Go Team Viewpoint!

OK, so on to the puppy story... no we do NOT have a dog/puppy... we actually found a sand puppy crawling along the side of our house as we pulled in at 12:15AM. Now, not being a native Arizonian or having much experience with desert bugs or insects, you could imagine that my first question to Scott was... WHAT THE HECK IS A SAND PUPPY??!! In case you don't know, it's this...

It's something like part arachnid and part scorpion and it's real name is solpugid (look it up, you'll be scared, too)... Scott first screamed scorpion pretty loud, too for it being 12:15AM, but it turned out to be a sand puppy instead. So naturally we had to catch it so we could view it a little more up close and personal. Scott, being the natural bug catcher that he is, ran and grabbed one of the few thousand empty 52oz Circle K cups we have around our house and scooped it up with cat-like reflexes.

We brought it into the house, put it in one of my tall glass vases because bug catcher Scott said it could not climb glass (famous last words). Low and behold at the end of its front legs are little suctions which makes climbing glass look effortless. So, with MY cat-like reflexes I grabbed the nearest plate and quickly covered the top of the vase to seal that puppy in... ;-)

Sorry these next few pics are pretty bad quality... all I had handy was my camera phone, and even then these pics don't do this bug any justice... this sucker was BIG!

And yes, we did add just a little bit of water to see if it could float... yeah, it can't... it drowned. I don't know which would be more humane, drowning or smashing its face in... either way, it was going to die that night. Cruel, maybe, but these puppies eat and feed off of gecko's and little lizards and we like gecko's and lizards because they eat little bugs and insects that try to get into my house... and well, frankly I'd much rather look at a lizard on my house wall than an ugly sand puppy.

An now, just when you thought this post couldn't get any longer, I go and add just a couple more pictures. In all the brew-haha with the sand puppy and getting home at 12:15AM I lost track of Brody. It seems it took Brody literally 3 steps into our house before he collapsed and fell asleep. While all the rest of us were in the kitchen examining the bug, Brody was fast asleep in front of our fireplace all curled up. What a cutie pie!!

I just remembered something...

2009-08-28T23:50:00.000-07:00

I had meant to post this a couple of days ago, but, well, you know the deal... twins, chores, cooking, piano and now soccer... blah, blah, blah...

So apparently not only do we have a super-star soccer player among us, but we also have a very talented creative writer. The other day one of Sam's homework assignments was to write down a quick story about ants (yes, ants... those pesky little buggers... I guess they are learning about them in class).

Completely on her own, with no help from us WHAT-SO-EVER (except how to spell the words), Sam came up with this...

"There once was a princess who sat and had a picnic. The ants came and ate all her food. She was very hungry. So she ate the ants."

I was (and still am) completely blown away by her creativity in this short little story. It makes me giggle each time I think of it... it's genius... well, at least we think so!

You're awesome Sam!!

Move on over Mia Hamm...

2009-08-27T22:09:00.000-07:00

That's right, our Sammy girl has got some awesome soccer skills! She was so pumped for her first ever soccer practice today that it was all I could use to get her to practice piano, do her chores and finish her laundry... I know, I'm such the drill sergeant!

Now, I knew my little super-star had a mild amount of coordination, and I knew she is most always good at anything she loves and/or practices hard at, but seriously... she was sooooo good today at her very first practice that Scott and I just stood there on the side of the field with our jaws wide open. She is probably the youngest and shortest on the team and the only one to have never "played" before... but by the looks of it you would have never known it.

We tried desperately to get her on the team with the other members of her 'Fab 4' posse (3 are on one team and Sam is on another), but we just don't think it's going to work out. So, at the end of the day, we just gotta make due with what we have, and we actually think Sam being on a team with older more skilled girls will push her even harder to do even better... I know, as if that is even possible... ;-)

And now the photos... I'm in no way a sports shooter, but hopefully by the end of the season I'll be better at this...

First, the prerequisite photo shoot shot...

Then some drills on their own...

Now for Sam's favorite part of practice, a scrimmage game...

(I don't think it's any secret that Sam THRIVES off of competition... their games are gonna be AWESOME!)

And finially, my favorite shot of the day... can't you just see the pure joy on her face... I think she's in love!

A little re-fashion fun...

2009-08-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

Look what I made... (aren't you proud, mom??!!)

Started with 2 identical tank tops from Target on clearance for $2.50 each - I used one to cut the ruffles out of and the other I sewed the ruffles on... LOVE IT!

For this one I bought a maternity shirt from Target, also on clearance for $2.50, and cut, cut, cut... sew, sew, sew...VIOLA a scarf... LOVE IT!

What we've been doing on our Friday nights...

2009-08-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

We somehow got roped into a softball team over the summer with almost Scott's entire family as our team (minus a few who were smart to steer clear of the sign up sheet). We actually had a great time playing together and it was fun to do something different; boy were we a bunch of mis-fit toys in wonderland. We had one injury after the other which only reminds us all that we should leave the organized team sports to the next generation - we don't heal as quickly as we used to.

Never the less, we did pretty good and were able to stick it out and make it through to the 2nd round of tournament games but then lost miserably and went down in a ball of flames to the tune of 24-4... YIKES!

Unfortunately Scott had to work the night we took this photo at our last game... he was there in spirit!

Our team captain - or the guy who *made* us do this - is Steve and he is the one kneeling with the goofy "thumbs-up smile" (and yeah, that's me next to the goof ball!) and he is our niece's hubby. He also just so happens to be best buds with the tall guy in the center of the back row... that's Eugene "Wildkat" Edgerson who plays for the Harlem Globetrotters... pretty cool!

What happens when I get bored...

2009-08-23T21:07:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know what you're thinking... how can I, a mother with 3 kids - two of which are crazy little twins, get bored? Well, it happens, and when it does, it's dangerous. See for yourself...

Boredom with a little bit of this...

...means this...

...which equals this...

And I love it! I still want to add a little 1/2 round moulding to the edges to frame it in, but in the mean time it is perfect for kids to draw on, little notes to the hubby, and as you can see letting the fam know that tonight, we're eating out!!

Without further ado...

2009-08-17T11:29:00.000-07:00

Let me be the first to say Thank You to Scott's mom for the years of dance classes she taught out of their home while he was growing up. I'm happy to report that something actually rubbed off on him and it is finally paying off!

Now, for your viewing pleasures... Oh, wait... go to the bathroom first, trust me, you just might pee your pants laughing...

Please Enjoy!

This skit was originally performed for a Daddy-Daughter activity we had this weekend at our church in which these 5 awesome, studly daddies agreed to do this for ALL the other daddy/daughters (just a small group of about 300... no big deal ;-)

We had to have these guys put on a encore presentation for us so we could actually get it recorded for all to enjoy!!

I'm sure all us wives owe them something... maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but trust me they will make us pay for it later!

It's happened again...

2009-08-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

Samantha started school today!! And as much as I beg her to stay home with me, to please stop growing and to please be my little girl forever she just simply refuses. How dare she, right? She tells me all the time that she has to grow up big like me... I guess that's not the worst thing a mother could hear from her daughter... but then again she is only 6 and the trouble has really yet to begin (hold me!).

So what's a first day of school without a photo shoot??!! Can you believe my little baby has gone from this, to this...

This was her 'day-before-school-starts-while-the-clothes-are-still-clean' photo shoot...

And this is her today on the actual first day, out the door and on her way to school...

And no first day of school photo would be complete without her bestie, Emily!

And this is what I'm referring to as THE FAB 4... all BFF's... in the same grade... in the same school... with the SAME teacher... sitting at the SAME table! That poor lady! She will deserve some kind of prize or trophy after the school year is over!

(Brynn K., Sammy-sue, Ryliegh M. and Emily M.)

And last, but certainly not least...

These girls are now the responsibility of the Mesa Public School system... GOOD LUCK!

Attention Blog-ville... I NEED YOU!!

2009-08-12T00:23:00.000-07:00

Oh, my sweet family and friends, how I adore each of you! I have probably the biggest favor to ask that I have ever had to ask of you...

You see, I have entered a contest in which the winner receives a free website and $6,000 worth of some awesome marketing help that I could use right now for my photography biz. However the only way to win is by racking up the most comments for my entry here.

So please, oh please visit this website and leave a comment, or two, or three - not sure what's allowed, but if someone named Fido leaves a comment I'll be impressed. You can also go to my photo blog here for more details.

I love you guys and thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me!!

Random happenings...

2009-08-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

So this blog post belongs in the MISC. file only for the fact that it has nothing to do with nothing. I rented a lens from a camera store in Tempe and while we were on that side of town we discovered our new fav spot... YOGURTLAND! Lots, and lots of flavors for pretty dang cheap - well, maybe it was cheap because I'm a stingy mom who won't let her kids fill their cups to the top... all they need was just enough to cover the bottom of their cup and that was plenty.

And so since I had a new lens to play with for the weekend and also realizing I hadn't taken any birthday photos of the twins (yeah, their birthday was like a month ago... I'm that good of a mom ;-) we had an impromptu photo shoot in the backyard...

Notice Brody trying so hard to get his 3rd finger up to show me how old he is... too cute!

I love my babies!!!

TRYING to beat this heat!

2009-08-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

In our very low-budget attempt to beat this awful heat, we took a trip to a local outdoor mall that has - of all things - a fantastic water play area. The kiddos were in heaven! They had a blast and have been asking to go back everyday since then.

Sam's magic ice cream trick... Now you see it... and now you don't!!

This is the life...

(thanks babe for capturing my favorite photo of all time)

Music to my ears...

2009-07-28T21:32:00.001-07:00

Samantha is taking piano lessons and words can't even begin to express how much this means to me!

Now some parents might invest in earplugs during practice time, some would rather lock themselves in a padded room far away from the piano and some might even go so far as getting a keyboard w/ a good set of headphones so only the one playing the instrument actually hears the sound. BUT NOT ME! I will literally make everyone in the house stop what they are doing just to sit around the piano to listen as Sam so gracefully dances her fingers across those keys.

It is music to my ears!

I have always wanted to be good at playing an instrument; I went so far as to beg my mom to let me take up violin. But really, who was I kidding. Reading music notes was (and is) like looking as some crazy foreign language - my brain just couldn't wrap itself around the concept. Now I know we are only into the 3rd piano lesson, but she is so good and loves to play and by golly I'm making that girl stick with it. In my entire life I have never met an adult who knows how to play the piano (or any instrument for that matter) that really regretted knowing that skill and I sure don't know of anyone who thought their life would have been better off not being able to play an instument. So yes, I will be that Mom, that drill sergeant Mom who sees the bigger picture and will absolutely push (and lovingly encourage) her to keep going for as long as possible.

My crafty side...

2009-07-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

I saw these monogramed towels for $20 at a home store and instantly I thought, "pa-shaw, I can do that for like a $1".

So, here is my version of a super cute, super quick, super easy monogramed towel.

(one for each of the kiddos)

A girl party with Grandma Herrick!

2009-07-26T22:47:00.000-07:00

My ever-so genius mother-in-law put together a super fun, all girl party/sleepover (I say genius, but some would say insane) for all of her granddaughters. Us mom's tagged along to help with the games, to play lifeguard on duty during swim time and of course to help get all 9 girls tucked in and kissed goodnight.

What a great tradition this will be for my girls (well, all of the girls) to have with their grandma. I'm so very grateful to have such a tremendous mother-in-law who among her own trials, struggles and afflictions can't help but think of others. She is such an example to me and I love her dearly.

Here are just a few photos of some of the fun...

This is Samantha with her 91 year old Great-grandma (Scott's grandma)...

Best-est girl cousins ever!!! Brooke and Brinlee...

Sam and her best-est girl cuz ever, Jacee...

I'm not exactly sure why Sam has such a sour face, but none the less she was having lots of fun especially when the older teenage girls painted the younger girls' nails - a definite highlight for both Sam and Brooke.

And it wouldn't be a true girl party if at least one boy didn't crash the party... here's Brody sipping down not 1, not 2, but 3 root beer floats! Man that kid is fast!

And PS, do not worry about the Brod-ster... The all-boys party was held 2 days later which I volunteered Scott to attend so therefore I have zero photos of that event (but I hear the little man had an absolute blast!).

Go on, take a look...

2009-07-22T18:07:00.000-07:00

Just because I'm not sure what cross over this blog gets with my photography blog, I just wanted to mention a little somethin'-somethin' here... I participated in a super fun photowalk (which is basically a bunch of lunatic photographers walking around downtown Tempe in 112 degrees taking pictures of ANY thing and EVERY thing just as a wild dust/monsoon storm blows through... all for fun)! It truly was a great learning experience!! Go check it out here...

I NEED ICE CREAM!!!

2009-07-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

Not often do I hear my kids say at 9:30 at night that they NEED ice cream. But, when I do hear those words and I tell them NO this is the face that will follow...

When do babies stop being babies??

2009-07-08T19:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't have the answer, but I'm sure it's right around their 3rd birthday, which just so happen to be yesterday... July 7th!

It's not like they grew overnight and just became "big kids" all of a sudden, I know this has been in the works for a long time - all eternity, to be exact. But somehow it still seems to catch me off guard. Thank goodness the twins' size keeps me in belief (as misleading as it is) that they are, in fact, my babies.

So to mark this momentous occasion I just want to note - for journaling and posterity sake - a few things about my-so-called babies...

Brody is a boy through and through! Rough and tough and teases his sisters so relentlessly. He is so willing and eager to be my helper boy - when you can catch him in the right mood. This time last year he hated swimming in the pool and now he's the biggest fish of all. He is incredibly smart but has the hardest time saying what he means. I know his speech will catch up, but until then, I count myself one of the lucky ones who can actually understand what he is saying. Just spend some time with this kid and you, too will see that his mind is like no one elses - he has this innate need to figure out how things are put together, how they work, what the parts do, etc... now, if I can just channel that mind for good!! His kisses are the BEST and his hugs are the tightest. He is the perfect example why boys are so easy and fun to raise and I could not imagine my life without this little man!

Brooke is the epitome of dainty, sweet with a whole lotta sass!! She's a little pistol so don't ever let her size fool you. That girl has such a big heart and a tender spirit. She is the only one who WANTS to say prayers and gets mad if we don't choose her. She absolutely idolizes her big sister and even when Sam yells and screams at her, she keeps coming back for more and never lets it get to her. She always wants to be out and about (just like her mom) and would much rather be in a hot car driving around to take care of the most mundane errands than to sit at home. She loves to sing and dance and any time there is music on in our house you can usually find her dancing and bopping around. And just in the last few weeks she has developed a love for puzzles; they are challenging to her and she really enjoys seeing everything come together. Last but not least, she is my little fighter.

I had a thought/dream the other day about how she came to us. When I was just barely pregnant with the twins (maybe just 1-2 weeks pregnant) I had an ultrasound to confirm that I was in fact pregnant and we found out that we had twins. Scott and I both started to sob; we were beyond thrilled, excited and scared to death. At the time of the ultrasound the doc noted that one of the twins was not appearing to be as big as it should be and the heartbeat was undetectable and so while we were excited that we HAD twins, we would have to come back for another ultrasound to be sure the other twin would thrive and develop a heartbeat, or to be sure that if the twin did not make it that it would absorb/dissolve away with no further complications to me. At this same time, our fertility doc had reminded us about selective reduction - the act of reducing the number of fetuses ONLY if it was to pose a SERIOUS FATAL threat to me or the other thriving fetus. I think of this because that non-thriving, little tiny, itty-bitty fetus was our Brooke. And what if we had to "selectively reduce" her? What if she had never made it to us? What if we never had a chance to meet this little spirit...? I can't imagine a Brody without a Brooke, I can't even begin to think what life would be like without her. Well, I am just grateful that of course, prayers are answered, we trusted that it would work out and that she would make it to us healthy, happy and completely perfect!

And 3 years later I'm still madly in love with my babies...

This was something fun I did for the twins... I hung about 75 pictures of the babes from the time they were born til now, so when they woke up and walked out of their room in the morning, this is what they saw. The absolutely loved it and love to see all the different pictures of themselves from when they were real "babies".

Camping weekend extravaganza!!!

2009-06-30T22:38:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we ventured on a little camping trip with some very good friends and we had an absolute blast. It's so nice to be able to let the kids run free - unlike the caged animals they usually are - and explore and have fun just being kids!

Dirt... check! Bugs... check! Good Memories... check!

These next two warm my heart like nothing ever before!!!

Some random ramblings for today

2009-06-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

OK, so I was going through a slew of pictures that I had stored and filed away completely forgetting they existed. Low and behold I found a few gems...

This next picture was fun... This is what happens when the 3 Sunday papers I get each week get stacked up and I procrastinate pulling the coupons from them... we have a newspaper party. This photo was taken after about half the mess was thrown in the garbage - it was really bad!

Then last weekend we were invited up to Scott's sisters cabin in Forrest Lakes and we had an absolute blast. It was some much needed R&R.

Sam and her other tree monkey cousins...

Last but not least was this fantastic view from the rim...

Fun with Brooke...

2009-06-11T13:49:00.000-07:00

So, it has been B-E-A-U-tiful lately here in AZ - in fact this may just go down as the best month of June EVER!! (knock on wood, fingers crossed, etc, etc.) We've been blessed with cloudy skies, highs in the 80's, low 90's and even a few early monsoon storms.

Brooke and I took a few minutes the other day to water our grass and garden (you're welcome Scott :-) and she just couldn't resist getting wet in the sprinklers. As I was sitting watching her (snapping pictures, of course) I became overwhelmed by how lucky we were at that very minute to be outside playing in the water - it was around 3pm and on most average June days our skin would be melting off our bodies. However on this particular day it was beyond fantastic weather and I enjoyed every minute of it... as did Brooke.

GARDEN UPDATE

We actually no longer have watermelon... so sad! Those pesty critters ate all of the plants. We are, however, growing our own pumpkin patch! Can’t wait ‘til October. The Herrick’s will have one wicked pumpkin display for Halloween... fingers crossed!