Bubbles.

Sam LOVES bubbles. He got a Bubble Gun from Daddy for Christmas, and its been so much fun to play with. Especially in the bath.





The gun has a blue light that makes the bubbles look pretty cool.







I hope life is always this fun (and cheap) for Sammy.

Christmas 2010

I would love to show you all of the fun we had this Christmas, but I barely picked up my camera the entire weekend. I am already regretting the lack of pictures I took, but this year was unforgettable none the less.

(Matts Dad got a video camera so we have lots of it on film. Yay!)

Sam got:

GIRAFFES. And lots of them. Seriously, a ton.
WOODY. This boy sure loves Toy Story.
A chair for movie watching.
A TENT.
Books and puzzles galore.
Some hip rags. A sweatshirt from Shauna and a sweater from Grandma.
TRICYCLE.
Bubbles.

Matty got:

A car jack. a very heavy one.
Coats, sweaters and tees.
KNIVES. A chef can never have too many.
A beater. Matt makes a lot of whipped cream. Im not kidding.
XBOX LIVE.
Black Ops Game. Im a black ops window.
Protein shake mix.

Holly got:

Bath stuff. Mmm.
L SERIES LENS. Yikes.
Nordstrom gift card.
Pink sweater and hair accessories. Thanks Shauna.
PELICAN camera case. So radical.
Battery pack.
Shoes.

As you can see, we were all very spoiled by our families. We had a great holiday and hope that you did too.

I know, I know.

You're dying to hear about our Christmas and you cant sleep at night without a new picture of Mr. Sam adoring this blog. Its all coming soon, I promise.

"Motivation" has been a curse word in this household all week long.

Dont give up.

Sometimes I am really hard on myself. I look at the skills and talents I have and I compare them to other people and I find myself coveting their creativity. I shouldn't do it. But I do.

I start to wonder, "Am I good enough? Should I keep going at this?"

Then darn it, I get a complaint or two (luckily it has only happened twice) and it tips the scale. I start to really believe that I should just sell my camera, put away all my ideas, hang up the "closed" sign and give up.

Today was one of those days. I felt utterly miserable about my creative outlook and photography skills. Frustration really blankets all other emotions, doesn't it?

Just as I am about to collapse and call it quits I receive a few morsels of "thanks" and a bright "You are amazing!" from pleased and happy clients. It was all I needed. Then I took a look back at a few pictures that I am proud of and I remembered. I HAVE to do this. Its a gift given to me and I am not supposed to just "hide it under a bushel." I need to let my light shine for all to see. I am commanded to do so.

So, Ill keep on truckin'. Taking pictures of things that make me and others happy.

Mostly because, its what I do!

Every winter...

...these two get mighty itchy. Poor puppies.

Last year we tried treating them with some vet-prescribed steroids that ended up making them drip pee all day long. Not a good solution. We prefer clumps of hair over puddles on our carpet any day.

This year, I don't know what I am to do. Move to a more humid climate? Okay.

Reasons why I love this photo:
1. Brizzy never looks at the camera. NEVER. So funny. We have to trick her every time.
2. When I bought a down comforter I swore the rule was "no dogs allowed." That lasted about a week. I love cuddling with the dogs over pure-white duvets.
3. Brimley. He is so happy and peppy all the time. Cant you tell he's smiling in this pic? Best doggy ever.

Feeling....distant.

Its been a rough few months. I try not to complain because I have it pretty darned good. But here I go anyway.

I have had a lot of work to do. Not only do I have my own photography to worry about, but I have started a new job with a marketing company that is starting to use me more and more. I wanted to get going with this months ago, but I just couldn't find the time. I'm starting to feel guilty about it and hoping that we can take off in early January.

The weather is so dreary. My mood is highly motivated by the seasons so as you can imagine I'm in a "stay home and nap all day" kind of mood. Its not very flattering on me.

Neither is this hack. I'm pretty sure Sam and I haven't allowed a silent minute to pass between our horrible coughing fits. We have been sick since we got home from Arizona. The drastic change in weather and hours in a contagious-disease-hub-of-an-airport probably didn't help at all.

Matty is amidst finals week. We do our best to leave him alone and let him study, but both Sam and I crave his attention. Poor guy. He's juggling a lot right now.

I miss my friends. I swear, when the winter hits I turn into this crabby-hermit-woman with no desire to "social butterfly" myself in the least. If I could hibernate with the bears and squirrels, I totally would. And don't you dare say I would miss Christmas, because the fact is I have never really enjoyed this holiday much.

Call me Scrooge. Go ahead, its been done before.

I don't like shopping. I don't like crowds. I don't like decorating and I really don't like Christmas music. At all. I envy people a lot this time of year because they all seem so jolly and merry and I just cant get into it.

So there you have it. My "pity me" post. Trust me, you have already done enough sympathizing just reading this pathetic complaint to the end.

Now, go have a Merry Christmas and Ill see you in the Spring.

Courtney's 30th Birthday

This year family and friends met up at Shanghai Garden for dinner and cake. It was a very fun event and we all had a great time telling stories and catching up.



























Happy birthday Courtney! You have come such a long way, and have become so independent and talented over the years. I cant wait to see what the next 30 years bring you!

Colton comes to visit

Matt's good friend Colton came to visit us after Thanksgiving. He was only able to stay a few days, so we packed them full of Seattle stuff. We visited the Fish Locks, Kerry Park, Dick's, The Aquarium and Deception Pass. We had tons of fun.

Sam could not figure out the Diver in the aquarium. He stared at her for probably 5 minutes in a trance. Silly boy.

Thanksgiving

We ate.

We laughed.

We played games.

Both the Aprecio's and the Bailey's had a great time.

I am so thankful for my wonderful family.

I dont like snow

Let me start off by stating how painful it was to go from 80 degree, sunny weather in Arizona, to 20 degree snowy weather in Seattle. Not really all that fun.

Now let me explain the number one reason that I don't like snow. (unless it can be used for skiing.)

Sunday - Matt decides to buy a new car that he has had his eye on for a few years. Only thing is, the one he wants is in LA.
Monday 9am - Matt asks for ride to airport
2:30 - Drive down in snow flurries to Sea Tac
4:00 - Drop Matt off at Terminal
4:10 - Get stuck in traffic due to snow
4:30 - Informed by police there is a 6 car pile up on the on ramp I am headed.
4:45 - Cop tells me that the other on ramp in the other direction is now blocked by a semi.
5:00 - Police officer breaks the news that I should expect to be here for at least 4 hours.
5:15 - Panic sets in.
5:30 - Sam is done spending time in the car. Hungry. Wet diaper. Done.
6:00 - Calling parents, friends and crying in the car. Possibly cursing my husband.
7:00 - Watch driver next to me make yellow snow.
7:15 - Matt lands in LA. Calls me. Receives an earful of bad words.
8:00 - Hear on the radio that I5 and 99 (only ways home) are closed.
8:15 - Hold Sam and cry and try to figure out how to spend the night in the car with no food, diapers or water.
8:30 - Cops open up 518W. Opposite direction, but I get on it anyway.
9:00 - Find any open road going north.
9:05 - Cell phone dies.
9:15 - Stop at Walgreens for gas, food and diapers. Change Sammy.
9:30 - Manage to get from 518 to Columbia, Columbia to Rainier, Rainier to 90, 90 to 405, 405 to I5, I5 to hwy 2. LAKE STEVENS.
10:15 - Slide down 3rd street hill almost falling into the lake. May have peed my pants a little.
10:30 - Park at bottom of Rhadora Hts Hill.
10:35 - Walk home with no socks, flats and a very unhappy baby boy. Thankful to have his snow jacket, hat, blanket and stroller in the car.

10:45 - HOME. Pajamas, heat on, warm oatmeal and BED.

The next morning, snowed in and without even a thought of going out in it again, Sam and I spent the day checking out our first snow and eating as much of it as we could.


It didn't take long for our un-gloved fingers to freeze.
But they were quickly thawed with some yummy hot cocoa.

Hopefully, if it snows again this winter, we will be more prepared and I will get to show Sam the "fun" side of snow.

In the Desert

There was something funny about being in the desert with Sam, watching him play in the red dirt, running around killing ants and continually yelling "Watch out for the cactus! Ouchy!".
This is the place where I was born, and I still consider it a little bit of home. It was very surreal to have MY OWN son there. Who woulda thought?

He sure enjoyed himself.
 
Well, that concludes our trip to Arizona. I loved being able to fly down to see family, and hopefully it wont be too much longer before we get to do it again.

Amazing Jake's

Amazing Jake's is an all you can eat buffet / fun center. They have bumper cars, arcade games, bowling, roller coasters and miniature golf. It was a super fun way to end our family reunion in Arizona.

Ill let the pictures prove my point.