My Sweet Emma

Okay, I admit it - I am a procrastinator and many lapses in my posts were due to my lack of sitting at the computer and typing. This time, however, procrastination was not the reason. I was acting more on shock and unbelief. Something huge, something crazy, something that changed my whole perspective on life. Emma became a statistic. Let me start from the beginning.

Last Thursday had a swimming play date at our house. Too many kids, too much fun and not enough watching, and your life changes in a moment. After playing in the pool for about an hour, a thought came into my head - "Where is Emma?" After a quick scan, I still couldn't see her. Then I saw her ridiculously bright swimsuit - a couple of feet under the water. From that moment on, life stopped.

There are things that I remember - pulling my limp child out of the water, her blue lips, pounding her back to get the water out, and holding her like I could never let her go. Luckily, there were friends there that could tell me to pound her back, get the other kids out of the pool, call 911, and help me get some things together for the hospital. - things that are all fuzzy. And then there is the question of how I got from point A to point B - that I have no idea how that happened. It's weird how when the stress is high, your vision is so selective. Simple things like swimming to your child, or walking along the pool are lost, not important enough to remember. Only thoughts of how to make awful better, and doing what your child needs in only what is important.

Emma was a champ. She held still while the firefighters and paramedics gave her oxygen and worked to get her vitals. She even went in the ambulance without going crazy.

Once we got to the hospital, they took chest x-rays, and took a blood sample. The diagnosis was a near drowning. As they were taking the sample, Emma turned to me and said, "They are poking me, Mommy. They broke me." Needless to say, she held still.

An hour later, Emma went from cuddling in my arms, to wanting to go home. Yes, the ER on a Thursday afternoon is not the most exciting place to be.

Luckily, I have a mom purse - a few fruit leathers and a few cards and the toddler is entertained!

Before long, Dad came to keep us company.

3 hours later, we left the hospital with our beautiful girl. She was fine. It could have turned out so different, but she only had a few owies.

We are so blessed that Emma is okay. I can't believe how much the Lord blessed us. We have our sweet Emma. So many cliches fit this situation. Your life changes in a moment, put your family first, be there for your friends, etc. All of them apply. It feels like each moment of life is sooo important - who knows when it might be your last one? Do those little things really matter? Anything that keeps you away from your family - physically, spiritually, or emotionally is not worth it. And, it just amazed me that when it was rough, there were friends and family there for me - thank you! I won't be able to tell you how much I appreciated everything you did for me and my family. And to my family - I love and am so blessed to spend this life with you.

A smile, a scowl and a few tears

I thought it was about time to get some photos of Austin and Emma and I decided to try something different. So, we went downtown and took a few urban style photos. Just a few suggestions for all those thinking about taking pictures of your own kids.

1. Make sure they get enough sleep and not fall asleep on the way to the photo shoot.

2. Food in the bellies keep the kids happier.

3. Contain your kids to one spot at a time.

4. Above all, smiles are always better than tears. :)

Needless to say, everything went wrong. Grumpy looks, a couple of break aways, a few tears, and fast asleep before we got to Florence Blvd. It was still fun. I loved all the textures and colors down there. Besides, the kids are cute - even with the scowls. :)

Here's the slideshow:

What were you doing at 2am?

So,what were you doing at 2:00 this morning? Well, this is what we were up to:

A little strawberry jam. Okay a lot. 18 pints and 12 4oz jars of strawberry jam.

Okay - I didn't really do the leg work. That was the cute man in my kitchen brewing up sweet culinary creations.

And thank you Janelle for bringing strawberry jam into our canning repertoire. :)

Marquez Family

Check out this cute family!

The younger girls weren't quite sure what to think of me. This look says it all - "Who are you and what do you think you are doing?" :):

There were lots of smiles and laughs. Here's the slideshow for more cute photos!

Coxon photo shoot

Last weekend, the awesome Coxon family came up from Tucson to get their pictures taken. They are family to a friend I have here in Casa Grande. This photo shoot was a blast! We were scaling the rocks on the waterfall and trying lots of different places, and even had an outfit change in the middle. They were ready to try anything - and they wanted their pictures taken. Near the end of the photo shoot, the rest of the family came along and even helped block the sun! What a great family. :) Below is a slideshow of some of the favorites.

Schmitz Family

This last weekend the Schmitz family went out to have a little fun and get some family photos. They are such an adorable family.

The kids were so cute, running (and walking) around being kids. That always makes the best pictures.

Here is the slideshow of some of my favorites:

A Toddler's Mind

I have always wondered what goes through my kids' minds. What are they thinking about all day? Well, I no longer have to wonder because I can look through the pictures Austin takes and get a look into his life as a 3 year old boy. Well, here they are:

Dad talking on the phone mid-wrestle time.

He loves to watch the house being built next door.

And, last but not least, a picture of the toilet being flushed. What a boy.

Now that I know what he thinks about, maybe I didn't really want to know. :)

A New Obsession

My boy has a new passion in life. He loves taking pictures. A while back when we were at Wal-mart, he insisted that he needed a kid camera. So, Todd took him to look at the cameras while I was waiting to check out, and I made a mental note that that will make a great birthday present a few months down the road. A few days later, he started grabbing for our point and shoot, so I let him take a couple of pictures with it and put up out of reach. Then, he started eyeing my DSLR, uh, no.
It is time to rememdy the situation. After searching to the bottom of a rather large tub, I found our old point and shoot, put in an old CF card, and handed it over to Austin with the understanding that he "be careful."

After about 30 seconds, he demanded that I fix the camera. Okay, not only was it an old CF card, but it was also a small CF card. I had to change the settings to small, small photos and not very sharp and pretty photos. That's okay, he now has over 300 pictures that he can take instead of 32. First hurdle conquered.

The next one came when the camera wouldn't take any pictures at all. Hmmm. The battery needed charging. After the battery is all charged up, it only lasts for 3 or 4 hours of constant shooting, but at least he is having fun. :)

He has some photograpy skills. Check out his composition. :)

Work is fun

Emma loves the plants around the house. . . she picks off the leaves and flowers which doesn't really help out the landscaping any. Well, she was in the backyard and comes to us with a guilty look and a plant in her hand.

Since the backyard landscaping consists of dirt and weeds right now, we indulged her. We gave her a plastic bag and let her at it.

Picking weeds were never this fun when I was a kid.

Austin even wanted in on the fun (for a little bit at least).

Party time!

We went to a birthday party at a friend's house tonight. The kids had fun playing with the bikes, backyard, and . . . the fire engine (only a couple of kids got ran over - no worries). The BBQ was great Bryan and Amanda made the cutest cake that looked like a tractor and a dirt pile. All the boys wanted the tractor piece of cake (but it was more for looks than eating). There was even a pinata, one serious pinata. The kids took some good whacks with it, but it didn't do a thing to it. Friends, a little dirt, some good food topped off with some sugar makes for some great times. Thanks guys!

Zoo Trip

Here is another "catch up" post. A few weeks ago me and the kids went with some Friends to the zoo. It was a little crazy . . . spring break is not the time to go to the zoo. It seems it is the thing to do in Phoenix. There were a ton of people. We got to see some animals, play at the kid's farm, eat some lunch, and have some fun.
Sometimes it was a little hard to see the animals. "Honey it's the brown blob in the back. See it? That is so cool that we saw a (fill in the blank)." We still go to see the lions and tiger. I guess we will have to get to the zoo early to make sure the animals aren't "taking naps."

Here is the slideshow of the highlights of the trip.

Easter

We had a fun little Easter here at home. the kids were more excited about the eggs, the stuff inside was just an extra bonus. Emma was up bright and early, it took a little prodding to get Austin awake.

Once he saw Emma running around with her Easter basket, he was up.

The chapstick("lips")was a hit.

There was lots smiles, toys and even a princess moment.

Utah trip

Well, I am going to be playing catch up for the next couple of posts. Things have been busy for for us. A while back we took a trip up to Utah to see family. With moving, we haven't had the chance to get up there for a few months. The drive up is always fun. :) We found some beautiful desert scenery.

Some of the best scenery can be found on the side of the road during the short notice potty breaks.

The previous picture may look nice and sunny, but that was before we actually got to utah. A lot of wind and cold and there was actually snow one morning. A couple of the mornings Todd and I got up early to get a landscape for his grandparents. It got so cold (Yes, my blood has thinned out quite well since Nebraska), we ended up in the truck until the sun came up a little bit more.

The kids had fun seeing grandparents, cousins, and playing in the outdoors. It was so good to see family and hang out with them for the weekend. Check out the fun in the slideshow below.

Welker photo shoot

This week our friends came by to get some family photos taken before they head back to New Mexico. They are a great family and their kids are adorable. The toddler is all about hamming it up for the camera at home, but not during the shots on the black background. It took a lot of convincing to get a couple cute smiles, but we got them. Then, once we got outside, he was all personality. Toddlers are so fun - unpredictable, but fun.

I'm so glad they came by for some photos and to hang out. Check out the slideshow for a few of my favorites.

Working hard

Here at Memories by Julie Photography we have been busy. Look at my good help, aren't they cute?

We are in a new location, trying to get the business up and going for Casa Grande and a new promotion.

That's right - a sitting fee and free prints just for trying out Memories by Julie Photography. So take advantage of this incredible deal! Also, I am going to extend that deal, you can substitue the free 8x10s for a 16x20. Big pictures are so awesome! So, call or email for an appointment before the photo sessions fill up. Only one appointment per week (I love my hubby and kids too much and I like to be around them). I hope to hear from you soon!

A fever, a fat lip, and a popsicle

Today was quite a day for Emma. Her fever from yesterday was still here. My little monkey preferred laying down in bed to playing and running around. That is a red flag that she isn't feeling well. So, I gave her some medicine to help with the fever and cough and she started acting more like her self. Her and Austin were running around and climbing on the furniture (a big no-no, but I guess that's half the fun), and she got hurt. Here is the scenario - little sister on the foot rest of the recliner, big brother decides to put the foot rest down, and little sister falls head first into the tile. Here are the battle wounds:

There is no surer way to get a popsicle than with a fever and a fat lip. Let's see if Emma can survive Austin. :)

Happy Valentine's Day

This afternoon we had a fun Valentine surprise from Grandpa Gardner. The kids and I got flowers, balloons and candy. My flowers are very beautiful!

And the kids LOVED the balloons and candy. Can you tell from the picture?

This was Emma this afternoon while taking her nap. There was no letting go of it. It is so fun seeing the excitement and joy of life that comes from the simplelist things in life. So innocent. Austin and Emma ran around the house the whole day playing with their ballons (which frequently meant hitting the other person with the balloon). I told them that they could have their candy after they finished their lunch. Austin finished first and thought he was "so cool" when I handed him the whole bag of fun-size m&ms - a first for him. He would take a few and then save them in the fridge for later. Then a couple minutes later he was back getting more.
We had a lot of fun yesterday! Thanks Grandpa!
So hold on to the joy even your during a nap. Happy Valentine's Day

Scouting Out the New Locations

As you know, we have moved, so it was time for me to stake at some of the local parks. I took the kids out a couple of days ago. They are pretty good at humoring me (as long as I bring along a bribe or two - Bee Movie friut snacks were the weapon of choice this time). One park we went to has some awesome lakes, with ducks, bridges, and waterfalls. Great backdrops and things to interest the kids - just don't let them fall in. :) Here are some of my favorites:

Cute Smiles!



Time for a break.

Feeding the Ducks

We have moved into our new house in Casa Grande, AZ. The kids love the parks and the lakes with the ducks. A couple of weeks ago (I mentioned it in a past post) we met Dad for lunch and fed the ducks. What an adventure. I have never had to chase down ducks this much before. My goodness! The kids would run after them, throwing whole slices of bread into the lake and the ducks would just swim away and get out on the opposite shore. Come now, Austin and Emma can't be that scary. :)



Austin still had his cast on for this excursion (no he didn't just lose a shoe). One sweet moment was when they were walking over some rocks and Austin was having a hard time, so Emma came back and helped him - they do love each other. :)






We have heard that the ducks on the another pond aren't quite as snobby and will actually eat your bread. It's worth a shot. What's the use of having ducks close if they can't even provide entertainment for your kids. :)