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. :)

Taylor Family

Today was the Taylor Family's Christmas portrait session. This was my first big family photo shoot, and it went so well - must have been the family :). They are such a nice family and they were so great to work with! I think the promise of Peter Piper Pizza kept the kids going.

This past summer I took family portraits for one of the daughters and now she brought back her whole family. I really appreciate the chance to photograph her and her family again. Thanks!

Enjoy the slideshow!

A Day to Play

We are moving! Next week we close on our house down in Casa Grande, AZ. My husband took a job there. So, that means no more moving around (at least for a while) and a place to call home. This will also give me the chance to grow my photography business. Austin and Emma are excited about Casa Grande too.

The kids were so excited when they saw all the playgrounds, and the ducks in the pond by our house. We bought bread so they could feed the ducks. They chased them around the pond. Wait till you see some pictures from that day. Too funny. I'll post them later this week. Maybe tomorrow if I am looking for something to distract me from moving. :)

A distraction was just what I needed today - too much to think about doing. I took the kids outside so they could play - on grass, not just rocks like our backyard. This gave me the chance to pull out my camera and play around myself. We all had a blast! The kids because they could run away from mom and me because I could chase them down and catch some cute pictures (a little bribery doesn't hurt either). Austin didn't let his broken leg stop him from having fun - or torturing Emma, and Emma had fun running away and looking for rocks.

Well, here's a slideshow of our half hour of fun - that's all we could do. It was too windy and cold to stay out there any longer.

Enjoy!

Let it Snow!

In an area where snow is basically fiction, or at best a long lost memory, we thought we would bring a little snow cheer to our home. :) We pulled out the paper, scissors, glue, and glitter. We made snow!




I cut out the snowflakes and A and E made them shine, putting glitter everywhere! The table, E's hair, fingers, toes, clothes, the floor . . . Lots of mess and lots of fun.



Merry Christmas!