Every outfit consists of three layers: a top, a ruffled skirt and leggings.

There is only one color in Beauty’s world and it is Pink Hot!

I am dying to make her on of those She’s Out of Control (that late 80′s movie with Tony Danza as the dad) skirts…. the one where you cut off the legs to your jeans and sew  layers of ruffles to the bottom to make a skirt.

Totally awesome 80′s chic,  I had one my mom made from white jeans, I loved that thing.

We talked about our kids, how we were struggling with them, how each have different quirks and ideas of how to deal with them ….how what  they really crave is our time.

My little Beauty is an independent girl, she only does things if she thinks it was her idea.  That’s tough to parent sometimes.

The flip side is that she will play by herself and keep “busy” with out the dreaded “I’m bored” complaint.

Since I am starting my own photography business from scratch here at the house, I tend to take advantage of that fact.

A whole afternoon can go by where she has been playing and there was little interaction between us.

I feel guilty, I gave my son more of my time…he demanded it.  I also didn’t have to work…..but that was another life.

Yesterday I signed Beauty up for Kindergarten.

Part of me thought, yes I’ll get so much done!

Then I realized, this is it…she is almost gone.  Our quiet time together with her brother at school is coming to a close and I am missing it!

So yesterday, I turned off the computer and it was all about her. We finger painted, we played outside with friends, we listened to music.

It was great.

I am going to make these last few months with Beauty home count!

I know I mentioned it before, but when I look through family pictures someone is missing.  And it is Me.

I take the pictures and it looks like they are having all the fun, but I am there too.

Today I coerced my son when he came home from school to take a picture with me….Beauty was having none of it.

Not too bad, for a quick shot using my handy dandy remote…hopefully there will be more to come.

The kids are super excited to do it.

This year my grandmother sent us a great kit too.

My sister and I did most of the decorating, I think the kids lasted about 30 mins and she and I were at the table for ohhh…. 2 hours.

The problem is they use up most of their attention span waiting for us to construct the houses (while they fill up on candy).

Our lesson learned…….construct the frames or houses a day before by yourself.  That way you and the kids can get straight to the best part…decorating! Only took 3 years but I figured it out.

It is also better to have a sturdy dry house for them to mash candy on to….a soft newly built house doesn’t stand up so well.

We noticed a little too late that this is exactly what the directions suggest by the way

After all that work I can’t bear to through them out even though the Holiday season is over and we finished putting or decorations away yesterday.

So here they are memorialized for all to see.

I love pictures, after I have taken a few I don’t feel so bad about letting it go knowing I captured the hard-work to enjoy forever.

We made 3. My daughters has the hot pink  and heart roof,  my nephew’s (6months old didn’t he do a great job…wink wink) is the one with the peppermint tree topper, and my son’s has the readhead out front.

The picture is by my dear husband.

I was carrying my little beauty over to get a gift from Santa Christmas eve.

She was not loving Santa and was hanging from my waist like a spider monkey, face buried in my shirt.

I decide to share this pic after listening to my kids in the car today.

They were talking in the back seat.

We were on our way to the dreaded Chucky Cheese (I only agreed because it is their winter vacation and they want to do something “fun” after I dragged them to the gym with me).

They were discussing trying not to be afraid of Chucky if he was strolling around the place.

Then my son says  to my daughter “Are you going to be scared,  cause you fruck out when you saw Santa on Christmas”

Fruck out : the past tense of freak out.

I laughed so hard, not sure why but it still makes me giggle.

We had a date, just my son and I.

His choice….the skate-park with a trip to Lamar’s Doughnuts afterward.

I went to grab my camera and he asked me to leave it ,  he wanted my full and undivided attention.

I was happy to comply with his wishes. I did get to actually watch him scooter around instead of being preoccupied with capturing it on  camera.  It was great to live the experience rather than being concentrated on documenting it.

My favorite moment on our date…….A quite talk in the car on the way home where he said ” You know what Mom? I really, really love you.”

Does that melt your heart or what?

I will try and think of that moment the next time he slugs his sister or blows me off when I ask him clean up.

After we got home he agreed to one pic, but it had to be quick.

Can you believe the kids and I grew this from a seed?

We have trouble keeping house plants, in fact we don’t even have any right now.

This is a major feat for us, and it is like 4 feet tall.

There is a row of them waiting to bloom, but this one was the first!

Yeah us!

Today is my big guy’s first day of first grade.

I know I was more nervous than he was.  I woke up at like 5:30am and couldn’t go back to sleep.

I just have all the mommy jitters…..

will he know where to line up when he gets off the bus?

will he find his friends in other classes to sit with at lunch?

will his teacher see his sensitive and loving spirit through his all boy/playful exterior?

will he remember which bus to get back on?

He on the other hand woke up at a leisurely 7am and cool as a cucumber and ready  for whatever happened next.

Yesterday I blogged about my love affair with summer cherries.  I thought it only fair to include my buddy the Bing Energy Drink , as it is what has got me through the winter months.  It’s an energy drink made here in Colorado and is made with Bing cherries.  I drink one every morning,  it’s become my version of morning coffee!

These are the stairs are outside my sister’s home in Boston.  The landscape there is so full of history and stories.  My next trip I will have to make a point of doing more shooting outdoors.