Wordless Wednesday -Treasure Hunting

Izabel, McCormick Railroad Park, Scottsdale, Arizona, March 22, 2009

For More Wordless Wednesday, Visit 5 Minutes For Mom, MomDot and the Wordless Wednesday.

Phoenix Zoo Candids

I'm getting all of the photos in order to post about our vacation but in the meantime, I thought you might like these.

Izabel Daddy and Emily, Phoenix Zoo, March 24th, 2009

The carousel is a big hit for Izabel and she rides every time we find one. Emmy has liked all of hers in the past but by the end of this one she kept telling Daddy "done". Haha!

And finally, there's nothing like your big sister trying to make you look at the camera!! Haha!

Izzy 'N Emmy, Phoenix Zoo, March 24th, 2009

I ♥ Faces - Pouting Pets

(Click Image To Enlarge)

I chose to do a Pet photo for week 12's entry, but I also chose this photo because Tron appears to be pouting. Pouting is the Kid's theme this week. lol! Tron is our easy going mixed dog who's going on 10 years old. He loves the girls and is a great watch dog.

Doesn't he just look so pouty?

I ♥ Faces is such a fun exhibit of beautiful faces. There are some amazing photographers to be found and I am quite certain you will find a few favorites to follow in the future.

Macro Monday- Petrified Wood

Lisa is the fabulous creator and host!

During our vacation we took the time to visit the Petrified National Forest and Painted Desert. The wood is beautiful and it's quite remarkable to think there was a forest there once, in the middle of what is now desert. We visited several parts of the forest but I found the Crystal Forest to be my favorite.

This photo is of a close up of one of the many logs. The colors are amazing. There were some that were purple and green, blue and white and many reds and golds.

Petrified Forest National Park, Crystal Forest, March 25th, 2009

Heartaches Felt Around The World

We are back from our vacation and I've been trying to catch up. I've been a little thrown back by so many posts from my fabulous favorites. I didn't check a single blog while I was away and now I feel out of the loop. *sigh* I'm resetting the reader and deleting most of the 200+ emails. Forgive me.

I did however catch up with these two. Take a moment, send some love to these fellow bloggers who's hearts ache for their children. They need our support more than ever. Nothing quite compares to our little blogging world and I have found that we support each other like no other group out there.

Sage- Let Them Be Little

Stellan- My Charming Kids

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I'll be back later this weekend with some great stories from our adventures, and there were many, lol! I've also started uploading some photos from our trip to our Flickr! account.

Texas Trees, Before The Blizzard

Trees are one of my most favorite things to photograph. I especially love a bare tree. While traveling through Texas, we were able to pull over multiple times and capture some beautiful skyscapes with trees. Once the storms starting rolling across the plains, the shots were even more breathtaking.


These shots were all taken in once specific area off of highway 54. A stretch no human (or animal) should have to endure for very long. There's not a thing for miles and miles, except these beautiful trees. lol! This area was covered in 26 inches of snow just a few hours later.

Soaking Up The Sun

I am just popping in to say hello! Things are going well and we arrived in Arizona early Friday afternoon. We are enjoying the cool mornings and watching the kids play. The girls have been a bit roudy but overall they have been behaving. I've so much to tell about our advendture thus far, but I'll hold off until we return.

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Again, if you have commented or sent an email, I'm just reading and not responding. I hope to catch up with everyone a bit later.

Thursday Thirteen- Edition "K"

1. Kettle Kernels - I love kettle corn! So much better than the butter!

2. Ketchup - I like it on hot dogs.

3. Keys - I seriously never remember where I put them!

4. Karen - My mother's name. Hi Mom!

5. Kindness - The smallest gesture is worth it! I wish more people were kind.

6. Kira - I have just started the second season of DS9. She's an odd character.

7. Kisses - I give and receive so many in a single day.

8. Knuckles - I crack mine more often than I should.

9. Kraft - I'm not really a Kraft fan, but their Mac and Cheese is the best!

10. Knowledge - Learning something new everyday keeps the brain going.

11. Kite - Our girls have yet to fly their first kite. We might have to fit that in over the summer.

12. Kielbasa - Saute with some Paprika and Parsley and it's delicious! We also eat it for Easter.

13. Knight - My dearest hubby.

Bare with me for the next 26 weeks as I participate in Thursday Thirteen, Alphabetically. I think it's going to be a lot harder than I thought. LOL!

If you are playing along, you may sign Mr. Linky below. Please sign Mr. Linky with your actual TT permalink and not your blog's homepage.

Happy Thursday Thirteen and don't forget to visit a few other participants! Have Fun!

Wordless Wednesday - Izabel's Three Year Check Up

I am really good about keeping Wednesday's Wordless, but today I had to add a little note.

Izabel had her three year check up today. She did fabulous for the visit and did her best to show off her skills. Developmentally she is right where she should be and advanced in many areas. Physically she is a little on the small side but she is still healthy. Yay for good news!
More to come about Izabel's check up later!

Height: 37 Inches Tall
Weight: 32 Pounds
(50th Percentile Overall)
Blood Pressure: 107/73
Hemoglobin Level: 14.6
Lead Levels: Perfect

For More Wordless Wednesday, Visit 5 Minutes For Mom, MomDot and the Wordless Wednesday.

An Unexpected Trip

The last few weeks have been a bit overwhelming around our house. One thing after another, good and bad, have been popping up. So after about a dinner's worth of conversation, we have decided that we need to go on a little vacation. It's kind of crazy for us since we just got back from Florida at the end of January.

I'm used to having months to prepare, to plan and pack! I've had like 2 weeks! We are leaving this week and are excited about getting away. We will be going to Arizona this time and we will be driving instead of flying. Driving is always better for us and we would rather drive than fly anywhere.

We will be leaving early one morning so the girls can sleep until our first stop, which will be Kansas. We have some cousins who we are anxious to see. By the end of the first night we should be just past Albuquerque. Our first day goal is always around 12 hours or so and we love stopping in New Mexico.

I will be scheduling some posts for the next couple of weeks while we are away, Thursday Thirteen must go on! I will be near a computer once we reach our destination but I hope to just be popping in. I'll get to comments and emails as time will allow, so I'll apologize now if I am a little late in getting back to anyone.

On a side note, Greg and I took another photo hunting trip this last weekend and we were able to capture some wonderful photos. Some of them have been posted to Flickr. I'm anxious for the warmer (but not hot) weather to be here. Being out and walking around, searching for a great capture is so much fun. The girls love being outdoors too!

So here's to a nice long, unexpected vacation and a hopeful outlook once we return. I hope all of you have a wonderful first week of Spring!

"Things can only go up from here"

Macro Monday- Thorn's A Plenty

Lisa is the fabulous creator and host!

Greg and I have been doing a lot of "photo hunting" the past couple of weeks. I'm really trying to get the hang of the new equipment. These shots were taken this last weekend as we strolled through my favorite park in the area.

A sure sign that Spring has sprung.

There were so many pointy, prickly and sharp thorns everywhere that I had a hard time picking just a few to photograph.

These last two thorns were on a tree. Actually, the whole tree was nothing but these huge thorns all over the branches. Really neat but not a tree you'd want to relax by!

PhotoStory Friday - Remembering Florida

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

I'm still trying to recover photos from my mac crash but I'm also trying to remember the details of our Florida trip. I really want to finish up the series soon. I came across these photos tonight and whole heartily wished I could be back on this very beach. It was beautiful and even though slightly chilly, it was so much warmer than here! lol!

We will make it back to Clearwater this year, but until then, I'll gaze at these photos and remember what a wonderful time we had together. The girls were fascinated with the beach, the sea and the shells. It was a lovely vacation spent chasing seagulls in the sand and walking the planks of the boardwalk.

Izzy 'N Emmy, Digging For Sea Shells- Clearwater Beach, FL- Jan 21, 2009

Daddy, Izzy 'N Emmy making Olympus Mons- Clearwater Beach, FL- Jan, 21, 2009

Izabel Grace, Clearwater Beach, FL- Jan 21, 2009

Izabel Grace, Clearwater Beach, FL- Jan 20, 2009

Emily Rose, Clearwater Beach, FL- Jan 21, 2009

Emily Rose, Clearwater Beach, FL- Jan 21, 2009

More about our Florida Vacation can be found at the following links.
Back To Life...Back To Reality
Vacation Day One: Treasure Island
Vacation Day Twp: Tarpon Springs

Thursday Thirteen- Edition "J"

1. Jabber - I do a lot of this!

2. Jackpot - Wish I could win one!

3. Jail - Never been in jail before and hope to keep it that way.

4. Jambalaya - I love eating this dish as long as it's not too spicy. Shrimp and sausage in it is wonderful!

5. Java - I love me some Starbucks! However, I do not like coffee really. It has to be full of all that chocolate and creme!

6. Jaw - I have TMJ, kind of like lock jaw I guess. I can only open my mouth so far before it hurts. I use to wear a brace at night to keep me from grinding my teeth.

7. Jealous - I have to admit I do become easily jealous. I am working on it though. lol!

8. Jellybeans - I don't really like them but around Easter I tend to grab a few here and there. Especially the Starburst ones! Yum!

9. Jerky - So good! Most any meat is good this way.

10. JETS - My husband is the biggest fan I know and it's rubbed off on the girls and I too.

11. Jinx - I tend to do this often! lol!

12. Junk - I try and keep things de cluttered but sometimes the junk just accumulates. Those times I realize it are when the poor trash guy hates me!

13. Jobs - Something we could use more of.

Bare with me for the next 26 weeks as I participate in Thursday Thirteen, Alphabetically. I think it's going to be a lot harder than I thought. LOL!

If you are playing along, you may sign Mr. Linky below. Please sign Mr. Linky with your actual TT permalink and not your blog's homepage.

Happy Thursday Thirteen and don't forget to visit a few other participants! Have Fun!

Wordless Wednesday - Piggy Tails!

For More Wordless Wednesday, Visit 5 Minutes For Mom, MomDot and the Wordless Wednesday.

I "Heart" Tucker Raffles

New and exciting things are happening over at I "Heart" Tucker! We've extended the Arizona Villa raffle and lowered the donation entry fee! This really is a wonderful opportunity and the donations are very much appreciated by Tucker and his family!

There are also several more raffles going on through March 14th. You will love the Recession Owl, Safety Necklace and Signing Time DVD!!

We are still looking for a few more products to raffle off for March. If you have a product you would like to donate to our raffle, please contact me!

All of the proceeds from this fund raiser are going directly to Tucker and his family as they make their way to Boston for a life saving Heart Surgery.

Just look at this cute little guy!

I ♥ Faces - Creative Crop

This is my entry for week 9; Creative Crop. I chose this photo of Izabel because of it's crop but also because it shows the simple joy and pleasure of her being outside. The amazement in her eyes, the expression of her mouth and the dirt on her chin are proof that she is an outdoors Princess.

I ♥ Faces is such a fun exhibit of beautiful faces. There are some amazing photographers to be found and I am quite certain you will find a few favorites to follow in the future.

YoPlus Winners

How exciting! This time I had three Yoplait totes to giveaway! Thanks for giving some great tips on staying healthy this year.

The winners are as follows. Each winner has 48 hours to contact me or another number will be generated. Thank you!

Alexandria

Midwest Mommy

Sami

Congrats ladies! And thanks to everyone who took part in this giveaway!

PhotoStory Friday - 15 Month Check Up

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Today Emily Rose had her 15 month check up. Oh how she hates the doctor. As soon as you lay her down to check her length, the rest of the visit is all down hill.

Princess Emily is healthy and charting way up in numbers. Her vocabulary is that of a 18-24 month old and her measurements all fell in the 90th percentile. We are so happy to have had such a good visit and to hear the doctor say Emily's doing so well.

In addition to the meltdown she had while I was wiping her boogies, she really hated me after I held her down for two shots. lol!

All was forgotten when we spent the day at the park though. Funny how swings and slides make the boo boo's better. lol!

Weight: 25 Pounds
Length: 32 Inches
Head Circumference: 18 Inches
(90th Percentile For All)