Those I Love the Most

January recap~

2012-02-09T16:32:00.007-07:00

Rewind. I have so much coming up in February, but I thought I'd better do a January recap. January is definitely a unique month. In many ways I love~okay maybe only like~it, but I also really don't like it. It's great at first, but then just seems never ending--cold, dreary, gray, long...it gets to be yuck to me after a while. So I am super glad to be welcoming February! It holds a special place in my heart especially since we welcomed our little girl into our family almost four years ago. I also love that it is a short month, after the unending doom and gloom of January. But here is why I like January:

Just one more celebration to welcome a new year. It promises new beginnings, another chapter of life, and many things to anticipate and look forward to.

We rang in the new year at Patrick and Kara's this year with lots of yummy food and fun entertainment in the form of the old-fashioned Little Rascals episodes that Patrick rented from Netflix. The kids though it was hilarious!

Another thing I like about January is how laid back it is. After the busy holiday season (which I love), it is nice to take it easy and just relax a bit at home! Coy and Bennett are enjoying some library book fun.

And here's a little card playing fun. Old Maid in the form of Disney Princess, with the Old Maid being none other than the wicked Ursula.

This game is some serious stuff.

Oh, and who can forget the cute little impromtu tea party we had. What started as a princess party ended up with the brave and cunning Spider Man being more than willing to pour the "tea."

Also, a great thing in January is getting to celebrate Russell's birthday. This year we went to the Temple and then ate at Famous Daves. Thanks to my mom for watching the kids! He picked brownies and ice cream for dessert afterward.

These crappy flash pictures from his birthday (and from many of the pics in this post) inspired me to buy a new "Point and Shoot" camera! It is so nice to have a camera that requires little to no thinking and works much better than the old point and shoot that we got back in 2004. It's amazing how far technology has come since then...So in January I also got a new camera...which I was planning on buying soon anyways because in January we also finally booked our Disneyland trip which has been literally YEARS in the making. And I really wanted a little P&S to take with us. We are so excited to finally go this summer.

And that was my January recap, sort of, in too many words because I never can make it very short.

just around the corner~

2012-02-07T23:06:00.004-07:00

V-day is just around the corner. I decided to make some photo valentines (really last minute) for my kids this year...Here's how they turned out! Bennett cracks me up. Coy wouldn't keep the hat on for more than half a second (even though he wanted me to put it back on the moment he got it off). And Mylie...well lets just say that's why I had the camera out. Her little Valentine's birthday is also just around the corner!

new post~

2012-02-02T21:26:00.002-07:00

There's a new post on my photo blog. Hopefully I can get a new post on this blog soon! Maybe a January recap? Well until then, you can see some little cuties HERE.

holly jolly~

2012-01-05T21:36:00.005-07:00

Well Christmas has come and gone again (~sigh), and it didn't disappoint! The only disappointing part is how fast it comes and is gone! We did so many fun things and enjoyed a great (but not nearly long enough) Christmas break with relaxing, game playing, movie watching, etc.

On Christmas Eve-Eve (the 23rd), we took the kids out to eat and then to a movie (The Muppets) at the Megaplex. Then that night we started a new tradition with the kids. When they were all ready and sent to bed, they were surprised to find Golden Tickets to the Christmas Express waiting in their beds! We rushed them outside to the Christmas Express (our minivan) where Christmas music was playing and blankets, hot chocolate, and popcorn were waiting for them! Then we drove around to see Christmas lights.

On Christmas Eve we enjoyed a relaxing day at home then headed over to Russ's parents' for some eating, visiting, presents, and a little nativity by the kids. Bennett I played all of his Christmas duets that he learned in piano for everyone and Bennett & Mylie sang for everyone.

When we got home, the kids opened their Christmas Jammies (which Mylie had not so patiently waited for all day). Then we eventually got the kiddos into bed. Coy was not feeling so hot on Christmas eve with a nasty cold, which unfortunately persisted on into Christmas day. You can see by all the pictures how miserable the poor kid was. Needless to say our usually cheery guy was one ornery babe.

On Christmas morning Santa did not disappoint! I love the magic and excitement of Christmas as seen through the eyes of the little ones. The best part of all though was how excited they were to give one another the gifts they had picked out for them. We eventually headed off to church where I was in charge of my seventh Christmas Sacrament Meeting program that I've done in the 10 years we've been married! (I am the ward choir director as well as the primary chorister, so I keep pretty busy :). My whole fam decided to come to church with us, so we were all together. It was great because Patrick's family did a number (they are in our ward which we love), Bennett & Mylie sang Away in a Manger together (so darling), and I also sang. After that we went to my parents' for some more amazing food (yum I miss it already!) and gifts. Later that night we took that party to my Grandma's to have the most amazing food of all...no offense to anyone else, but it is the meal I look forward to most all year! She makes the most delectable (as Fancy Nancy would put it) Clam Chowder ever! Not to mention the blueberry pie!...how many days left til next Christmas? I already can't wait!

The day after Christmas we get together with the Russ's mom's side of the family for more food, another cute nativity, and just some great visiting.

And as said before, we had a lot of fun relaxing, playing, reading, and all that the rest of the break. That's probably the part I look forward to the most! I finally read "The Help" and now I am ready to see the movie! I am sad to see another Christmas go, but am excited for another new year! Here is the same story as above in pictures!

Christmas Day:

Christmas Eve, and Mylie showing off her Golden Ticket from the night before:

Pics with the kids. I find that I sometimes match us all when dressing~ completely unintentional!

At Grandma Harkness's:

Opening Jammies:

Look! Coy is finally almost smiling! Poor little guy!

Coy was 16 1/2 months on Christmas. He is still not yet walking!

Mylie's dance moves in her new jammies:

Christmas Morning:

Giving each other gifts:

Lots of present opening!

Chrismas outfits! (One of my favorite parts of Christmas)

Had to get a pic with Coy since I didn't get one the day before. The one on the right was from the night before at G&G Harkness.

All of my parents' grandkids with their "twinkies" for breakfast.

Nativity on the day after Christmas:

Oh, and here was our Christmas card this year. One of these days I'll post all of our family pictures from over 3 months ago!

Working on my "Resolution"~

2012-01-03T16:12:00.002-07:00

Since a new year is a great time to set some goals (aka resolutions), I decided to try and buckle down and get caught up on my yearly photobooks. After all, I'm only 2 and a quarter years behind! Here's a page I just finished today. I just can't believe how much my kiddos have changed! And how fast they grow! I was thinking I wasn't that far behind on my photos, but then seeing little Mylie when she was close to Coy's age, I realized I really have some major catching up to do. Wish me luck! My goal is to only be a year behind by the end of 2012. That means I need to finish up this 2009 book (only 10 pages left) and complete all of my 2010 and 2011 books this year. I'm already doubting myself....I would just like to get to a point ~eventually~ when I can immediately make a page of the pictures I just barely took! Now wouldn't that be nice!

See this little sweetie~

2012-01-02T20:44:00.001-07:00

CLICK HERE

Wasn't this just yesterday?

2011-12-29T13:41:00.002-07:00

I am having a hard time keeping up on this blog lately! Maybe it is because time just won't slow down and is passing me by way too fast? To get in the bare minimum, I am trying to at least document the major holidays, so from Halloween I now jump to Thanksgiving... even though we are just finishing up Christmas. I am working on going through those pictures, so hopefully it won't be another month before I get those on here!

It seems like we just barely put up the tree and now it is time to take it down again! Thanksgiving break was full of relaxing, great family and food, and getting all geared up for the Christmas season.

Here's Coy, just cause he's cute. He is a hard one to get pictures of. He won't hold still and look even for a second.

Bennett with his "best friends"/cousins. Getting ready to eat!

Mylie and Olivia are ready, too!
I'm so glad my kids have cousins that are also their friends. We are lucky to all live so close together!

Later on during the break, Bennett and Mylie enjoyed relaxing watching a movie on the couch.
I just love how much they like each other. I hope that never changes!

Decorating the tree!

The snowflakes were all tangled up!

This is Halloween~

2011-11-30T21:04:00.002-07:00

I know we are all in Christmas-mode right now, but here is a little look back at our Halloween! It was only a month ago.

Here are the kiddos all dressed up and ready to go. We couldn't have asked for better weather!

Mylie chose (all on her own this year) to be Fancy Nancy. I think it fit her personality perfectly! Bennett really wanted her to be Lucy from the Peanuts characters, but Mylie didn't want to be Lucy because she is too mean!

So by Bennett's design, he was Snoopy and Coy was Charlie Brown. Coy didn't object, he just kind of wondered why we were drawing on his forehead.

And here is "Snoopy." I thought it was kind of a funny thing for a 6-year old to be, but there is no changing Bennett's mind once he has made it up. I just tried to get as creative as I could with two XXL men's white sweatshirts and some black felt.

And I decided to be...."the eighties" as Mylie put it. "Mom, are you the eighties?" Kind of a last minute idea.

And Russ...well, Russ was just plain old "ugly." :) I finally caved and let him wear his hideous mullet wig that I think he got for an object lesson a few years back. I am sure we are quite the pair.

All ready to go. Let's get some candy!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

These are so cute!

2011-11-21T21:15:00.001-07:00

You have to see this family's photos. HERE.

six~

2011-11-15T14:30:00.004-07:00

Bennett turned six back at the end of October! I am finally documenting his birthday. It was such a fun day. He was very excited, to put it mildly. He is loving being six and is a great kid. We love having him in our family. He's such a great big brother and is so good to his siblings. He is loving school (especially recess and the bus ride) and is just growing up way to fast for my liking!

Here he is opening his presents that morning! He was excited to get a real bat and baseball mitt.

He also got some new snow boots, as you can see below!

He spent much of his day engrossed in his new books.

Love the crossed feet and the concentrated looks.

Later on, we also went to Fat Cats to get pizza and go bowling. But I didn't take a camera with us. The kids had a great time doing that.

On to the Rainbow Cake! As mentioned before, Bennett has wanted a rainbow cake for his birthday for a long time. So instead of just decorating it with a rainbow on the outside, I found a great way to created a rainbow on the inside! And it was fairly easy! What ever did we do before the internet and google? Here's the Link.

The pictures of the cake after it was cut don't do it justice. It was dark then, so I couldn't get a great picture.

In addition to the "rainbowy" part, we had some halloween munchies as well. Kind of like two parties in one.

We made these toilet paper jack-o-lanterns (left below) earlier that week in Bennett's class for the room mother party. It was easy and fun. Here is the link.

The party and the guests!

Bennett and his buddy-cousins looked like they all dressed to match on purpose! These boys are such cuties and I'm glad they are all such good friends.

We had to do some with Uncle Kristofor, too, since he matched, too :)

Me and my six-year old!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BENNETT!!!!

picking pumpkins~

2011-10-12T21:57:00.005-06:00

One of our favorite things each October is to go to a local farm stand and pick out our pumpkins. I love taking pictures of the kids there each year to see how they have grown. In fact I never did blog last years pictures, though I always meant to, so I decided hey, why not? I'll put on both years!

Here was yesterday:

I love how there personalities show through in the pumpkins they choose. Bennett always tries to pick the biggest, roundest pumpkin he can find. He looks for perfection!

Mylie usually picks hers within the first 30 seconds. She just wants a small one that she can pick up by herself.

This year, Coy just kept pointing at them and saying "ba" meaning "ball" and would throw them as soon as we'd hand one to him.

And every year the stand owner always comes around with a big pumpkin on his head, and dear ol' Russ always reluctantly lets him put the stinky old thing on his head. (Luckily this one was a fresher one this time). This is what Coy thought.

First picture getting a good look. Second picture the reaction. I hope he isn't forever afraid of jack-o-lanterns!

And just before we could get out of there, a big down pour! (Same thing happened to me Monday night when I was out on a shoot!)

But, we were rewarded with this wonderful treat on the way home! I think I've seen more rainbows this year than my whole life put together. And this was a FABULOUS one!

If you know at all where I live by looking at the last picture of the rainbow, it seriously looked like it ended right at our house and that we would find the pot of gold there when we got home. The kids truly thought it would be at our house when we got there!

And FYI, Bennett has a HUGE fascination with rainbows and loved that this one actually showed all seven colors very clearly. He wants a rainbow birthday cake. Still haven't changed his mind on that one. So soon I will be making a rainbow birthday cake for my 6-year old boy.

So on to last year. Look how my kiddos have changed! We just put those pants of Mylie's on the shelf because when she tried them on they were up to her shins! And she actually wore that same dress today as a much shorter shirt.

Last year after we got home, we decided to paint and color the pumkins. Look at Coy! He just napped in his bouncy seat. Crazy how he's changed!

I know I've said it before, but I LOVE TRADITIONS!!!

A little one~

2011-10-10T21:16:00.000-06:00

See more of this sweet baby boy HERE.

We got'em done...

2011-10-03T23:04:00.004-06:00

But there are so many to go through! I think I am more picky about my own family pictures. Doing them makes me so much more empathetic for others!! I am happy with how it all came together (i.e. outfits). I think we at least got a few keepers! Hopefully some day soon I can share them all with you, but until then, here are two of my cuties. (I didn't get any individuals of Coy that night...he was so done by the time it was over.)

A new post...

2011-09-29T16:51:00.003-06:00

Busy season is here...hopefully I stay sane!

I love fall, but it is definitely a balancing act trying to get all of our activities and responsiblities taken care of. I hope I can just keep it all together and not feel like I am always trying to catch up with life. And are you kidding me with all of the Kindergarten homework?! I feel like it is my homework, too, and I only have ONE kid in school that goes only half a day! I can't imagine what it's like for people who have more...such as this cute family I just photographed.

It's my turn for family photos tomorrow. WISH ME LUCK!! It never turns out the way I want, and I always mess something up. Hopefully I get at least one! That's what everyone always says, right? Well I'm crossing my fingers. I was awake most the night last night stressing over what we will wear...I've been laying out outifts upon outfits all over to get a look I like. I don't think it will ever get to where I really like it...unless someone has $$$$ they want to give me, like right now, so I can go shopping. In fact, I think I need to go, right now, so I can go stress some more over everything.

Meanwhile, see more of this family's photos HERE. Lucky for them, they are done with theirs. I am envious.

Yea!!! Finally!!!

2011-09-19T21:57:00.002-06:00

I finally did it. I saved and bought an L-series Canon Lens!

And it came today!

Oh my, what a difference! Even after trying it out for just 20 minutes or so today, I am wondering how I ever lived without it...although it is very heavy! So after "years" of getting by on a third-party zoom lens, I made the (big) step up. I'm a bit excited after looking through the pictures I took today, so I thought I'd share a couple.

I love the bokeh.
I love how "life-like" the images feel.
I love how fast the lens focuses (and it was so quiet)! Now maybe I'll catch those wiggly little ones a bit better!

But even more than all of that, I love the little girl that let me take some pictures of her while she danced around outside and played with her brother's Batman ball.

{little red wagon and my little cutie}

2011-09-14T21:09:00.003-06:00

I never did post Coy's one year old pics! Well here they are! I can't believe he is already past 13 months. I hope some day I'll catch up with my life. I just wish these kids would stop growing up so fast!

This crying picture might almost be my favorite of the group :)

{first day}

2011-09-07T20:24:00.005-06:00

It's official. I have now begun the life of a mom with a child in school! I'm glad it is just kindergarten though, and that he isn't gone all day! Bennett loved the first day of school, and has loved going every day since. His favorite part? The bus ride, of course! As usual, I will tell the story in pictures:

He got up and got ready so fast! (Which I have actually been enjoying!) I didn't want morning kindergarten, but now I wouldn't trade it! We get our day going so fast, rather than him dragging out doing all of his "jobs" until lunchtime.

He insisted on signing up to be the "Star Student" the first day of school. He didn't want to have to wait like he did in preschool.

This kid was so excited to go. Can you tell?

Hardest part? (Well one of them, at least for me.) Watching him say goodbye to sis. These two are the best buddies. Mylie will say "I miss Bennett" here and there. Once again, I'm glad it's only half a day!

Excited for the bus! This is the first time the kid has ever set foot on a bus. No carseats? No boosters? No seatbelts? What? No wonder it is so fun! He did ask me why the bus driver has a seatbelt and the kids don't. Good question!

Arriving at the school. (Of course I followed him there!)

He gets to sit by his cousin Franklin on the bus! And he's super excited to have one of his buddies, Cade, in his class.

Finding his desk.
I thought it was great that they let the parents come in and help them get situated.

Overall, a very exciting day! It was so fun to wait for him after school to get off the bus. His huge smiles were priceless. Mylie and I had some freshly baked cookies waiting for him. He thought it was great that I let him eat one before his lunch. It was his special day, after all!

Have you seen?

2011-09-01T16:57:00.001-06:00

Have you seen these cuties yet? CLICK HERE!!!

Coy's First Birthday!!

2011-08-26T16:09:00.005-06:00

We have been having such a crazy and busy summer! I knew I would write about Coy's birthday sooner or later, though. Even if it was a little bit on the "later" side! Time just keeps going and going, I can't believe it has already been almost three weeks since his birthday, let alone already been one year and three weeks since he was born!
I am absolutely in love with this little guy. We all love having him in our family so, so much! He is such a spunky little cutie. He loves to bite and pull hair, but not to be mean, just because he can't help himself. He is an almost carbon copy of his brother (at least their body size/type). Coy is just over 18 pounds at 1 year, is always almost exactly the same height and weight Bennett was at the same ages, and is following suit by still being an army crawler and is just barely learning to climb stairs and pull himself up. (He's still not quite there!) He probably won't walk anytime soon, but that is OK with me! Bennett was 17 months when he walked, and I think Coy will be similar.
He says daddy (not just da-da), bye-bye, Bennett ("beh-beh") only sometimes, ball, hi, yeah, and hey, uh-oh (although it's more like uh-uh), makes awesome monkey sounds, but still won't say ma-ma. (He loves his daddy more than me right now, and yes it makes me jealous!)
He's extremely happy and easy-going despite the fact that he's recently gotten tubes in his ears (lots of ear infections...I know join the club), has had bowel problems/colitis off and on pretty much his whole life (how does a 2 month old get pseudomonas in his gastrointestinal system is the question of not only me but every doctor I've talked to), and has gotten 8 teeth (although only 7 when he turned one.)
Well on to the pictures. There are so many! But I just wanted to share everything! Plus his Harkness grandparents missed the party, so I'm sure they want to be filled in!

We love our Coy!

Daddy's boy!

Bennett can always get the smiles! That's who got them for us when I took Coy out for his one-year photo shoot! I will have to share those soon as well!

The party table. It turned out just as I envisioned it (or pretty close to it) 6 months ago after Mylie's birthday!

I came up with the sailboat cake in my head about 6 months ago, and the whole blue and orange thing. I'm glad it turned out so well. I was pretty proud of the cake and the fact that I actually came up with it all on my own this time. I didn't "google" it; it is actually my very own creation. That doesn't happen very often!

Last minute I decided to do the party favors.

Oooh, yummy cake pops. It's a good thing they are not around all the time. I can't resist them. And just as a side not, I used Pillsbury frosting and cake with them this time, and they tasted so much better. The Betty Crocker frosting made them taste too much like store-bought frosting. The Pillsbury frosting didn't overpower the taste of the cake. They just tasted like delicious, moist cake!

We got Coy a classic red wagon for his birthday. Of course all the kids love it. It reminds me of when I was little and my dad would pull us around in ours, making "tracks" on the grass. But we had to put a towel down then, or else we'd get rust on our bums!

Some sibling love. Love my my kiddos; family is definitely the best thing in life! Don't mind Bennett's super red face. He was busy at play before I could pin him down for a quick picture.

My grandparents. Sorry I didn't edit out the skin cancer this time, but I was wanting to keep things real for the memories. My grandpa has been dealing with a lot lately! I'm sure glad my kids are able to know and love so many of their great-grandparents!

Present Time!!!
Coy had lots of help! He needed it because of course he was mostly interested in...you guessed it, the bags and paper.

Two of my cute nieces!

Seriously, Coy's all time favorite food up to this point is Canaloupe! I had to put some out so that there was something healthy, and it is the perfect shade of orange!

Here he is already trying to get his cake before we could even get a note of "Happy Birthday" out.

Just getting started....

He eventually realized he didn't like the taste all that much, and that the destruction was much funner!

And he'll do anything for a little attention! The kids were loving him getting into his cake and it only encouraged him more! He would laugh right back with them.

He loved being the center of attention!

I love the blurry pieces of cake flying in the air.

Here are some other guests enjoying the treats! I would have taken more, but I was busy bathing my crisco-covered little boy. That was some greasy frosting!

THE END!

My Grandma and her girls!

2011-08-22T21:12:00.002-06:00

I love my grandma, mom, and aunts. We had fun a while back taking some pictures of them. You can see all of them HERE. I think the formal ones are nice (of course) but my favorites are the crazy ones! My grandma is a spunky lady...

In case you were wondering how Monday was...

2011-08-10T21:34:00.002-06:00

What started out as this...

...Ended up like this!

I'd say his first birthday was a success, wouldn't you? We had quite the little birthday bash. Stay tuned for so, so, so much more!

I have so much...hopefully coming soon!

2011-08-10T10:21:00.002-06:00

I have so much I want to share on here. Mostly having to do with my now ONE YEAR OLD!!! Has it really been a year? Coy's birthday was on Monday and we had quite the birthday bash. So hopefully I will share all of that soon! But until then, I have some cute brown-eyed goodness on my PHOTO BLOG! Thanks to my wonderful grandparents who let me use their beautiful yard for so many photos lately!

It's been a while.

2011-08-05T01:15:00.004-06:00

Someday I will catch up on everything I want to catch up on (like my pictures and my blog...maybe). Just wanted to share this picture of Mylie. How can I help but fall in love with this little girl every time I see her?

My niece.

2011-07-23T21:01:00.001-06:00

I have some new pics on my PHOTO BLOG of my niece, and also some other recent shoots.

how's it goin'?

2011-07-19T14:59:00.004-06:00

Summer is in full swing and we are having lot's of fun! I'm really enjoying summer this year. Last year I was cursing summer and pretty much hating it....hmmm...maybe it was the 8th and 9th month of pregnancy. So here we are, 2011, and it's a new story. I really think summer is one of my favorite seasons right now! Playing outside, swimming, popsicles, bubbles, races, sunblock, fireworks, snowcones, riding bikes, family get-togethers, running through sprinklers, fresh produce, baseball games, camping, late bed times, sleeping in....and the list goes on!

Most of these pictures are from the 4th of July. Better late than never, as always!

Bennett did it! He ran his first 5K. I love this little determined kid! He did so well. It took him 37 minutes (not bad for a 5 year old). I had the great privilege and enjoyment of running with him. He is already making goals for next year!

Coy and Mylie cheered him on from the stroller!

Here's his little red face afterward! He always get the reddest face when he exercises or gets hot! I think he inherited it from his uncle, Kristofor.

My niece Brielle smashed it, winning first place in her age group and running a 26 minute time. She's only 11! She's got a bright running future ahead of her, I think!

Later on we went swimming at my Aunt and Uncle's house. It is always so much fun!!!

This is Coy pretty much everytime you try to change his diaper or dress him. He just tries to get away. Not fun. But cute.

As if running a 5K wasn't enough that morning, Bennett jumped off the diving board then swam to the side to do it again 131 times. Yes, he counted.

Then Aunt Cheryl made snowcones for everyone! Yum!

And this picture just because these two are cute.

And one of Coy swinging with popsicle down his chin.

HAPPY SUMMER!!

{cute boys}

2011-07-16T16:39:00.000-06:00

See this family shoot HERE

I'm a posting machine!

2011-07-07T22:22:00.001-06:00

Here's another cute one for you. I also have some dog photos on there ~ Woo, hoo! See them HERE!

{princess}

2011-07-05T21:34:00.004-06:00

A while ago, we had a fun excuse to get Mylie all dolled up for a princess party! She decided she wanted to be Snow White to go to her cousin's Royal Princess party. Plus, it's always fun to have an excuse to put on a little makeup!

Here she is after her hair and makeup was done. It was almost like Halloween!

And now introducing Snow White, herself!

Mylie was in little girl heaven!

And here she is with her cousin, Kaydence at the party.

And I don't really know this little boy on the right, but he was super cute. I think he and Kaydence are betrothed or something like that.

Preview (again!)

2011-07-05T12:36:00.002-06:00

I've been pretty busy lately with photos. I just hope I can eventually get caught up! So here is another one!
Dax preview now available HERE.

{my nieces}

2011-06-30T17:29:00.002-06:00

These two are my nieces! They are both just such beautiful girls on the inside and out. I see so much of my sister in each of them and in so many different ways. It makes me so happy to be able to see precious glimpses of my sister when I look at her children. Although my heart still aches for her (as I am sure it always will!), and I wish she could still be here as her children grow, I am sure she is looking down on these precious daughters and is pleased with the wonderful young women they are becoming. I hope they will always remember their mother, how much she loves them, and will try to be the daughters she and our Father in Heaven wants them to be! Here are a few of their photos. Please see all of them HERE.

Ten Months: going, going....

2011-06-28T21:23:00.006-06:00

...And almost gone! Yep my baby has now officially passed even the ten-and-a-half month age. So here is a little look back at what he's been up to lately. And of course we will do it with a few pictures!

Here he is at almost exactly 10 months. He is getting a little easier to feed other "stuff".

And at 10 months, this little one STILL did not even scoot. He would pretty much stay in this position and "swim" on the floor, kicking his feet super fast and waving his hands.

Sporting a battle wound on his right cheek that he some how got at church that day.

And now here he is at 10 and a half months. (Bennett makes us faithfully keep track of exactly how old Coy is, right down to his half month marks.) He did finally start scooting! And now he is in to everything, making up for lost time.

He's pretty much spent his last month with sinus infections and ear infections. I know, I know. Join the crowd, huh. It just seems like what kids do best sometimes! He's had three rocephin shots in the past month, poor guy! And with Russ's crazy infection he had in his spine, we've used a lot of that drug in our household lately!

Aaaahh, here are the smiles again! Even with the gunky nose. Mostly took this picture to show him sporting the cute little teeth he's gotten. Those little top ones came through this past month.

And gotta love the cute little toes!

And one more smile! I am very blessed.

{more previews}

2011-06-28T09:04:00.001-06:00

I have some new previews on my photo blog. CLICK HERE!

{the essence of childhood}

2011-06-23T14:43:00.002-06:00

I took these pictures of Mylie a few weeks ago. I love how well they captured one of those fleeting moments that define what childhood is all about: boots, freedom, curiosity, innocence, nature, jammies, candid, sweetness, natural, uninhibited.

My cousin has such a darling family!

2011-06-16T21:18:00.001-06:00

I'm sure you'll want to see more HERE!

{new preview}

2011-06-08T22:21:00.001-06:00

CLICK HERE to see more photos from some recent sessions!

{all about bennett}

2011-06-07T21:49:00.002-06:00

Wow, this kid...where do I start? How about some recent pictures? His blue eyes and thick lashes truly melt my heart every day. Where he got them? I haven't the slightest.

This kid is THE BEST big brother. He is so good to his siblings and loves them so intensely! I know Bennett was meant to come to our family as the first child.

This kid has such a thirst for knowledge. He wants to know everything and he wants to know it now. The poor kid is already bored of summer. For example, the other day he sat there as shown below, and read ALL FIVE of his Dr. Suess books out loud to himself. I think it took about two and a half hours, because, these books are long! Have you read Cat in the Hat lately?

Also lately he has been questioning order, and the subject of alphabetical order came up. So I had this great idea and made perfectly cut out word cards with at least two cards for every starting letter. I gave him five cards to start. He easily put them in order and asked for more. Well, to make a long story short, about 30 minutes or so later, he had all SIXTY plus cards in perfect alphabetical order on the floor...without my help! I came down from folding laundry, and voila, he was done. So much for my lesson that I thought might take up a few weeks of the summer...What do I teach him next?
This kid is too smart for his own good!

Thus, when he had Career Day at preschool, I kind of chuckled when he said a doctor. Oh, but not just ANY doctor. He wants to be "one of those doctors that checks on babies." Oh, like "Dr. so and so, your pediatrician?" I answered. "No, mom. Like the one that checks on the babies when they are in your tummy and then helps them to come out." Oh, one of those doctors.

So I found an XXL men's t-shirt at Target and sewed it into "scrubs." Because that is exactly what my doctor wore when he checked on my babies.

So here is Bennett the OBSTETRICIAN.

Okay, so funny thing is. I'm sure this kid will definitely have the BRAINS to pursue this kind of employment, but the problem is, he CANNOT stand the sight of blood or even me putting my contacts in my eyes! He turned white and almost passed out when he watched Coy get his immunizations. And he would never be in the room when I was administering Russ's antibiotic through his PICC line these last few weeks. (I think the poor kid gets it from me.)

And as if missing preschool isn't enough, soccer ended a few weeks ago, too! I felt SO BAD that we missed soccer pictures since it was in the midst of all of Russ's illness, so I was glad when one of the other mom's took this picture the last game and e-mailed it to me! Bennett did such a great job and improved so much throughout the year! I think he made 5 goals on this last game! Now he is working on running a race. He wants to run our local 5K this summer with me. Yesterday we got him some running shoes, and to practice today he ran across our yard and touched each side of the fence 100 times, counting each time loudly out loud. He didn't even take a break until he was done. That is Bennett for you. He always wants a challenge and something to work towards.

{last of the easter posts}

2011-06-04T17:18:00.003-06:00

Here is my last installment of Easter. Yeah! I made it!

Easter is a fun excuse to get the kids some new dress clothes. I'm having so much fun buying matching clothes for my boys. I got their shirts at Children's Place and ties from Peanut Posh. Mylie got an Emily Harkness original. Thus, the crookedness in the seams, etc. Oh well, she only cared that it did pretty darn good twirls!

Love my blue-eyed boys!

Mylie did a lot of twirls and dancing on Easter. In fact, she even said she needed to use the bathroom during stake conference...but really I found out, she just needed some time in the hall to do some twirls.

I Love Traditions!

2011-06-02T19:30:00.004-06:00

Something I have looked forward to for as long as I can remember is the Easter hunt my grandparents have every year! It is so fun seeing the joy through my children's eyes now! Sometimes it really hits me that I have three kids of my own! Crazy. At times I feel like I'm playing house or something, like I'm not really old enough or grown up enough to be the mom. Anyway, there are some sidetracked thoughts for you... It's just hard to believe my kids are experiencing the same things that I experienced what only seems like a short time ago! Life is good! And like I said, I love traditions! It's always fun to have things to look forward to that break up what might be the mundane parts of life...~like really, I'm scrubbing the floor again?~

My grandparents have the most beatiful yard! It is the perfect place run around and hunt egss!

Coy loved the little rubber ducks dressed up like sheep and bunnies. He was perfectly content to sit on the blanket and chew on them. That is all he needed!

Here's grandma giving some pre-hunt instruction!

Still chewing...

Aren't my boys cute in their matching outfits. I love the cute shirts I found at Target, but apparently so does everyone else that has a little boy. I've pretty much seen it everywhere: church, preschool, photo shoots...People know when they've found a darling shirt at an amazing price. Have I mentioned I really like Target?

Oh! And the Easter bunny didn't disappoint. She showed up for the day. Kind of a little mix of holidays. Anyone else thinking...Christmas Story?

(Actually this is really my cute niece, Olivia, in case you were wondering.)

Easter Hunt at Home

2011-05-31T09:05:00.003-06:00

Here's my next Easter post! On the Saturday before Easter, we start the day with our little Easter hunt at our house. The kids each get a new outfit for that Saturday and some dressy clothes for Sunday.

Apparently what the older kids got was more interesting to Coy!

I just love the messy morning hair!

I decided to make Mylie her Easter dress this year. I just kind of made it up in my head. Of course, it didn't quite turn out the way I'd imagined it, but it ended up being pretty cute. I'll show some more pictures of the kids in their clothes in an upcoming post! I'm sure you are so excited...

{coloring eggs}

2011-05-27T14:30:00.007-06:00

I really have a lot I'd like to blog, so I am going to try and play "catch up." Right after my "I hope" post, things got a little crazy (i.e. a rare and crazy serious infection in my hubby's spine which put him up in the hospital for a bit), but things are getting mostly back to normal. So my "I hope" I blog easter is coming to pass!

We had a great time coloring Easter eggs again this year. The kids always look forward to it.

And of course, we immediately have to eat some right after! These two love boiled eggs (well at least the white part which I am totally OK with).

More Easter posts to come {I hope}.

You need to see this beautiful girl!

2011-05-20T23:45:00.001-06:00

Check out her baptism photos on my PHOTO BLOG ~please~

I told you I'd get them done!

2011-05-18T15:42:00.006-06:00

Now that it has been almost two months since I took these pictures and it's about time for new ones, here is Coy at 7.5 months. Now that they are done, I just need to figure out which ones I am going to put on my walls... Hmmm. At the rate I've been going lately, he might be 2 years old by the time I do.

Sorry...there are just some things I don't want to forget!!

{i hope}

2011-04-25T17:31:00.004-06:00

I hope your Easter was fabulous.
I hope I can get through the 200+ pics I took among coloring eggs, hunting eggs, and of course the kiddos modeling their Easter clothing for me.
I hope I eventually get some more of them on this blog.
I hope spring weather will eventually come and stay.
And I hope this little girl stays this sweet forever...

~little monkeys~

2011-04-22T13:55:00.002-06:00

Remember that ONE nice day we had for spring break? It was the perfect day for my monkeys to visit their friends at the zoo! We couldn't have asked for nicer weather. We were able to have a great time there and meet up with some cousins and grandparents.

Here are our ~lil' monkeys~

Mylie loves her daddy!

I remember lovin' these lion drinking fountains when I was a kid. But are they ever even on anymore?

Cute little buddies!

Kinda interesting trying to get a picture of all three of them.

Me and my babe. Growing too fast is what I think!

He mostly just hung out in the stroller.

Mylie wasn't scared of this elephant this time since it wasn't on and shooting water. Usually she cries and runs away from it. Making progress!

Making progress once again. She didn't cry about getting on the carousel or train! She was very brave, even though I could tell she was a little nervous. She chose to ride one of the animals that didn't go up and down. Playing it safe.

No fear, of course, from Bennett, choosing the fiercest animal. (By the way, we saw Disney Nature's African Cats today. It was really good! Crazy to think about what goes on out there in the jungle.)

Russ's parents met up with us for the visit. I know his mom is just going to love this picture of her and thank me for putting it on my blog :) The kids love riding on her wheelchair.

Here's Coy's first train ride!

Even the animals posed for me.

Have a great Easter Weekend!

I swear I will get these done eventually...

2011-04-15T22:39:00.001-06:00

...but for now, isn't he the cutest little thing? I could kiss his little cheeks all day.

{another preview}

2011-04-13T16:08:00.001-06:00

CLICK HERE to see this cute family.

{little angel}

2011-04-06T20:54:00.002-06:00

Got to take some pictures of this little babe the other day. See more of her sweetness HERE.

I Have Now Entered the Last Year of my Twenties!!!

2011-04-04T21:08:00.003-06:00

And I am already almost two weeks in! It just takes me a while to get around to blogging things sometimes. But I did want to share a little of my birthday and some of the feelings I had. It was such a good one! My cheeks hurt at the end of the day from smiling. When I look back at what I've become in the 29 years I've lived, I am truly happy and truly blessed. The greatest thing that has happened for sure is to be a wife and to become a mother of my three beautiful children. They are definitely my "greatest accomplishment." There's been a lot of talk lately how studies show that people who do not have children are "more happy." I really don't know how that can be!! I think if we define "happiness" as being able to do whatever we want whenever we want, it is a cheap replacement for the amazing capacity to feel unconditional love as we rear and raise children. What better way to try to understand God's love for us than to be able to take part in that love? I am so grateful to know how God intends us to find true happiness, and that is through having families! Well, on to the birthday!

My amazing husband decorated the hall and down the stairs from our bedroom with probably a hundred balloons. He had a yummy breakfast waiting from me of Martha Stewart's buttermilk pancakes.

He got me this new pot. I think he wants me to make him more soup...

Later that morning, I got to take pictures of my friends cute new baby, Gwyneth. It was fun to let our kids play and to visit.

She brought me these beautiful yellow tulips that I absolutely loved! Fresh flowers make me so happy! I enjoyed looking at them and feeling spring!

The day before my birthday, I had an official photo shoot with Coy. I got to edit this picture at one point in my day, but I don't know when I'll get around to all the rest! I guess I should be doing that instead of blogging. He is such a cutie. He makes me happy, too!

Later that night we dropped the kiddos off at my mom's so Russ and I could go out to eat. We changed our plans at the last minute so that we could try Tepanyaki. It was soooo good! Crazy enough we got seated right next to some family friends that I've known all my life. Their daughter shares the same birthday as I do. Then we got a huge surprise when the waitress didn't give us our check and told us it had been taken care of.... Some people are just too darn nice! I couldn't stop smiling as we left the restaurant.

After dinner, we came back to my parents' house and Russ had made me a German chocolate cake, my favorite! Yum!
Then my thoughtful brother, Patrick, came by and gave me these yummy things! They were a childhood favorite of ours.

Thanks so much to everyone that made my birthday so wonderful!!! I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family!

Little charmer...

2011-03-31T18:52:00.003-06:00

Click HERE to see more.

{going green}

2011-03-24T19:07:00.003-06:00

Isn't this what "going green" means? Here's a little look at our St. Patty's day. We had fun dressing in green, making green cookies and jigglers, and having a yummy green dinner.
If my kids learned anything about it, they learned that they still do not like jello...even though they gave it a good try (I think Bennett really tried to like it)...and that they think it's funny to refer to their uncle (my brother, Patrick) as Saint Patrick. (At least that is what Mylie called him on Sunday when he was conducting in church.)

We also had fun that night going to my cousin's wedding reception that was in a fun St. Patrick's day theme. The kids had fun eating chocolate gold coins and dancing to the music.

{create}

2011-03-16T21:07:00.004-06:00

Here are some of my favorite creations of late. Found a DIY for this yarn wreath and the felt rosettes. My door was in great need of something new. I love how it turned out! I think my favorite part was finding out how to make the flowers. I've made several new hair "bows" for Mylie. As if that girl needs any more!

That wreath is screaming Spring!!Can we please get a little more of the swingset weather? I think the forecast is calling for snow tonight. Boo!Well, here are two of my all time favorite "creations." Love these kiddos. Don't quite recall what Mylie was upset about. But she's cute anyway. Even cuter was how they were pushing each other on the swings and how Bennett was catching Mylie at the bottom of the slide.

And here's my "creation" for our Relief Society Birthday Party last week. The sign up sheet said, and I quote: "Don't be afraid to get creative." So that's exactly what I did! Cake balls and cake pops. (I actually just needed the excuse to feed my craving for these yummy things!)

P.S. Pay no attention to the banged up pops. My little creation toppled over when I tried to move it all at once. My cake pop weight was apparently not evenly distributed. Luckily I was able to salvage the arrangement without too much damage caused!

Oh, and just because he's so darn cute (and can also sorta be considered one of my creations...at least I took part), I couldn't pass up pics of this little guy. Seven months old now, people! Can you believe it?!

And don't let the smile fool you, he still pretty much hates his "solids."

Doesn't he make you wanna...

2011-03-09T22:25:00.003-07:00

...have...I mean hold a baby? More of his wonderful newborn goodness HERE. If you dare. May cause baby hunger...

{the party}

2011-03-02T11:33:00.003-07:00

Here are some pictures from Mylie's party (finally!)

But first here is just a little about my little girl:

She is so happy, cute, and dramatic. She loves to sing and pretty much sings all day long. She is currently bonkers over Cinderella and would watch it every day if I let her. (She takes after her mom on this, apparently.) She knows all of her uppercase letters, and lowercase (except for mixing up p's and q's) and most of the sounds. She counts to 20, but always leaves 16 out. She loves playing princess, make believe, and reenacts Cinderella all the time. Bennett is still her best friend and she loves to play with her brothers. She is still as skinny as they come, tipping the scales at 23 pounds, but that is a huge improvement from last year being 18 pounds at two years. She is 36.5 inches tall. And something I didn't realize until I took her in for her 3 year WCC, after a very sick year from one to two years, she hadn't been into the doctors since her 2 year old check up! So she's had a healthy year!
Mylie's birthday was so fun. Since it is on Valentine's day, we always have a fun theme to work around. We started the day with heart-shaped pancakes and eggs for breakfast on heart-shaped plates. From here, I'll just let the pictures tell the story:

Here she is checking out her cake.

This was my first attempt at a somewhat "fancy" cake. Thanks to Karlie in my ward (she is the most fabulous cake maker you could ever know) for letting me pick her brain. I used her buttercream frosting recipe and it was delicious and made frosting a cake easier than ever (along with all her helpful tips!)

The kids decided they wanted to go to the Candy Shoppe since we did that last year for Valentine's. So here we are getting ready to go.

Mylie's gotten a bit taller since last year!

I had a great time planning and preparing for this party. I like to go beyond just the cake and ice cream thing just because it is Valentine's after all, and I need to convince people to come to my house to celebrate it! This year I decided to do an array of desserts. Kind of fitting for the sweet-filled holiday.

Here's me with my girl.

The dessert table:

I made some cute pom-poms out of tissue paper for decoration:

These cake balls inspired by Bakerella were so so delicious. I still crave them everyday! In fact I'm planning on trying out the cake pops for Coy's Birthday party. (I know it's still more than 5 months away, but I've already got it all planned out in my head! Mylie's birthday got me on a party planning kick!) Thanks Lynette for the cake pops book.

Another picture of the cake and some raspberry cupcakes. (Believe me, I really limited the number of cake pictures from what I took. Cake photography is kinda fun!)

Here's the storyboard displayed...Still struggling on where to put it in my house now...

More yummy treats. Found these from Sharstin's blog.

Fresh flowers make me so happy. I don't know what it is about them, but I just love seeing them on my table. I think I need to make it a regular thing in my house. They just make me happy! Can't wait until spring when we can bring in some daffodils and tulips!

The presents. Mylie begged for this dress when she saw it from JC Penney. It is a true "princess" dress. Silly me though, she has no shoes to match it. Still haven't been able to wear the dress yet. Not to mention it's been a little too cold.

Here's that magical moment when everyone sings and you get to blow out the candles. Her joy and pleasure was just radiating from every inch of her. It was such a fun moment to share with her. She even joined in and sang along to Happy Birthday.

I love you so, so, so much Mylie. Thanks for being my sweet little girl!!!

{little avery's photos}

2011-02-23T10:45:00.001-07:00

Just posted a preview of this cutie's session. Check them out HERE.

{my little chickadee is three}

2011-02-16T10:48:00.004-07:00

Here are the photos from our little photo shoot the other day. I wanted some 3-year old pics to display at her party. And I was excited to try on all of her new birthday outfits. (I cannot get enough of all the cute things out there for little girls! Big weakness.) I was sad that it had been too freezing to go outside and some of my new fabrics for backdrops hadn't arrived in time, but I think the basic white turned out OK. It kind of puts the focus just on my beautiful little girl. I love her so much and I am so blessed to get to be a mom of this girl. She is growing up so fast. I can't believe she just turned three! I will post her party hopefully soon, but for now, here are some of just her.

She is looking way too grown up in these!!

This is the storyboard I had made up for her party. I had such a hard time narrowing it down, so I made a way to big board that could fit five pictures. Now...where to put it now that the party is over...

{yesterday}

2011-02-09T15:10:00.002-07:00

Yesterday this little guy turned 6 months old. SIX MONTHS OLD!!! How can a half of a year already have passed?! He's getting close to being able to sit up on his own. I can't wait because you know what that means?? Time for a photo shoot! I know you're probably thinking, more pictures, really? But I can't help it...kind of an obsession.

Speaking of photo shoots, I am dying over the pictures I took of Mylie really quick yesterday for her official 3-year old pics. How can one little girl give me so many pictures to choose from in just a short 25 minute session (which included 3 outfit changes!)? Well, stay tuned. I know you're so excited for more pictures of my kids :)

{Vintage}

2011-02-03T23:38:00.004-07:00

I've been working on my 2009 photo book and I just had to share little Mylie in this "vintage" dress. It was my dress when I was a baby. It kills me how much she has grown in the 2 years since I took these pictures. My baby girl is going to be 3 in just over a week! I feel like I ache for and miss my kids from the past, but I love so much what they are becoming as well. You just can't hug them, cuddle them, or squeeze them enough! So here's to all you moms out there. Go and give your little ones an extra love and kiss... because, whether we like it or not, they won't stay little forever!

{a good one}

2011-01-20T22:43:00.005-07:00

I definitely found myself a good one. This is a little {late} post in honor of my great husband, Russ, who just celebrated his 32nd birthday this past Monday. I sure love him and am glad I took a chance on him when I said I'd marry him almost 10 years ago. He has turned out to be all I hoped for and so much more!

We had some fun on Monday with some self-timer pics. We don't have too many pictures of just the two of us together anymore (kinda happens when the kids come.)

Of course the kiddos were absolutely dying to get in the pictures. You don't know how hard it was to keep them out! So here's a partial family pic (Coy was napping). And I don't know about you, but I don't think darling little Mylie could look any better (ha, ha).

OK, she's lookin' a little better in this one. Russ is such a good daddy. The kids sure love him!

Happy Birthday, Russ!

{christmas cutie}

2011-01-13T16:52:00.003-07:00

You know you want to check out this little precious one on my PHOTO BLOG!

{five months}

2011-01-08T16:00:00.003-07:00

Look who is ~five months~ old today!! Where does the time go? Coy was having fun hanging out in his jeans, playing with his feet, and just being cute on my bed yesterday. So we did a "mini" impromptu session.
Love his expression in this next one.

Getting tired. Holding up your head is hard work (when it takes up about a third of your body!)

some cuties

2011-01-06T21:34:00.001-07:00

I've taken some pictures of some cuties here recently. Jump on over to my PHOTO BLOG if you'd like to take a look!

{it was jolly}

2011-01-03T22:15:00.004-07:00

Christmas came and went and now we are already into the new year! But I still wanted to document our Christmas...better late than never!

Here's my lovely Mylie on Christmas Eve, just waiting until the festivities began! We went to my parents' on Christmas Eve and had a yummy dinner and then the cousins exchanged gifts.

Before we left for the party, I wanted some pics with my kiddos. Coy and I were wearing matching clothes...I didn't do it on purpose, but it was kinda cute.

I didn't take my camera to the party, so I don't have any from there. Too bad! We were taking some goofy pictures with my siblings. It was fun laughing and hanging out with them. I love my family!When we got home the kids got to open their jammies (a Christmas tradition!) I just love the matching jammies.

I love how much Mylie and Bennett love each other. They do these poses all on their own!

And here's my cutie, Coy. I just love him so much! I think I kiss him about a 1000 times a day!It was so fun having 3 kids at Christmas this year!

We decided for scripture study before bed, to forgo the Book of Mormon and read about the birth of Jesus. Totally unplanned (which made it all the better) Bennett and Mylie decided to use their blankies to pretend to be Joseph and Mary. Coy, of course, was the baby Jesus. They acted it all out as we read the verses.

CHRISTMAS MORNING!!!The kids still slept until about 8:00 AM. Well, Mylie probably would have kept sleeping, but Bennett woke her up.The goods:

Mylie was all about the dress ups this year. And Santa couldn't have gotten it better than the microphone for our little singer. This girl loves to sing at the top of her lungs all day, so she was in heaven.

Bennett loves his superhero costumes as well. One of the only things he asked Santa for was an X-man costume. Santa did not disappoint!

And Coy just hung out. He actually was more into Christmas than we expected. He is learning how to take toys with his hands and didn't miss out on any of the excitement.

This is what Santa brought him!

I am all about the new Christmas outfits. I always got one growing up, so we definitely have to keep that going. I love dressing the family up in new clothes on Christmas.The kids posed in their outfits on the popcorn tin.

And then Mylie had to eat some of the popcorn from the tin.

Of course I wanted a picture of all three of them together. It is nearly impossible getting a picture of all three of them.

So we got a great one of just two of them.

And Coy was kinda happy to just have Daddy hold him.

More dressing up...Mylie got even more dress-ups when we went to Grandma Harkness's. She was in heaven all day!

After Grandma and Grandpa Harkness's, we went to my Grandma's for the yummiest soup and pie of the year. We stop there at the end of Christmas every year. It is fun to visit there and finish off the day with her best-in-the-world Clam Chowder.And last, but not least, Coy loves his Sock Monkey Santa brought him. He is so sweet, especially when he is sleeping.

Merry Chrismas!

I am excited for tomorrow...

2010-12-03T21:58:00.002-07:00

...because my sweet little nephew is being baptized. He is the son of my sister, Amber. I am excited because I know she will be there tomorrow in spirit.

See the rest of his pictures HERE.

just can't get enough...

2010-11-22T07:38:00.003-07:00

...of this cute little face. They just change so fast! It is exciting and sad all at the same time.

A "Wizard-a-Boz" Halloween

2010-11-14T16:26:00.006-07:00

I knew I'd get around to "blogging" Halloween eventually... Months and months ago, Bennett came up with the idea of us all being Wizard of Oz (or as my kids say it "Wizard-a-Boz") characters for Halloween. He even wrote it down. It was before Coy was even here. He wanted to be the Tin Man, Mylie be Dorothy (of course!), and Coy Toto. When I came across the cute Lion Hat and realized it was one less costume to make, with major convincing (begging) I eventually got my stubborn Bennett to comply, and Toto would be a little dog in Mylie's basket. I was to be the wicked witch (he didn't want me to be the good witch...imagine that!) and Daddy was to be the scarecrow...If you want to see it, you have to scroll to the bottom! This is another huge post!

My three little darlings!

introducing....{dorothy}

Mylie's costume was relatively easy to make. The french braids were new for me, and the lipstick and mascara were a must! A little red spray paint and some glitter spray for the shoes and she made a perfect little Dorothy! (She wore here costume almost every day for a week prior to Halloween!)

introducing....
{the Tin Man}

Couldn't have done this without the silver spray paint! In fact I even spray painted a turtleneck and pants, but realized they were way too stinky to wear! Why didn't I just think of the gray shirt and the $3 pair of pants from Walmart in the first place! Russ made the axe, and did a great job of picking out bottle caps candy for me to use as the buttons.Cutest little Tin Man ever!

and my cute and cuddly little{lion}

I wish I could say I made the hat, but it was way too cute to pass up..and made my life a lot easier! Coy was the most darling little lion (although we also thought the hat looked a little napolean bonaparte...well at least Russ thought that.)

Okay, it is easy to get pictures of just two kids, but I couldn't figure out the three kid thing...and Coy wasn't liking things much. Gotta love the outtakes (2nd pic below)!Once we took it inside, and Coy fell asleep, I got some cute litte pics. (The first two at the very top.)

Oh, and another cute little one of the three of them...

And introducing...{the whole gang}

Just follow the yellow brick road!

Making Russell's costume was a blast. We stayed up until 2 AM one night to get it done in time for our Ward party. We had some great laughs, and of course a last minute trip to Walmart in the middle of the night because of mess-ups (I guess I thought my hubby was smaller than he is!) Needless to say, Bennett was very happy with the scarecrow costume (which was a relief, because he is tough to please...my costume was something to be desired...I just plain ran out of time.){the scarecrow}

The wicked witch likes this scarecrow!

Heading out to trick-or-treat in the rain!

Coy and I hung out at home to pass out the candy! He was such a happy little lion.

And a little self-timer picture of the two of us.

{HAPPY HALLOWEEN!}

It's Official...He's 5 (and he tells me all the time!)

2010-11-02T21:34:00.002-06:00

Oh, how I love this little guy! He turned 5 on Friday, and I think the day was a success! But before the pics, here are some things about Bennett these days:

He loves learning and is an absolute sponge!
He loves reading and amazes me everyday how easily he is picking it up...I wish I could take more credit, but he really is a self-motivated learner!
He loves his sister, Mylie, and tells me he wants to marry her. I tell him he will change his mind, but he doesn't believe me. "I just love Mylie, Mom. I won't change my mind." We'll see, buddy.
He is obsessed with time and numbers. He loves to tell time and thinks it is awesome when he stays up past 8 o'clock (I don't think it is so awesome).
He loves music and songs...he memorizes all of the track numbers to every CD he listens to. He can tell you what number any song is on any given CD (that he has listened to).
He has an amazing memory. He can tell you how old anyone is in our entire family...both sides, even most of his great-grand parents. The other day he was telling Russ that he knows who the oldest person in our family is. "Well, kind of in our family. It's Grandpa Laughter's sister. She's 85. Her name is Venice. I have a good 'remembery', huh." Yes he does have a good "remembery." Venice introduced herself almost a month ago at my grandpa's 80th birthday party.

Anyhow, you get the picture...now on to the pictures...

Bennett has been asking for Jesse and Bullseye ever since he got Woody and Buzz last year for his birthday {see here}. He also wanted costumes (another current fav of his right now!)

We headed on over to Color Me Mine for his cousin party. He wanted to do something fun with his 3 cousins (and Mylie, of course). Bennett is among 4 boys in our family (my side) that were all born within 10 months. They are the best of friends.

The ceramic studio was WAY FUN! The kids had fun picking their figures, and painting away!

Mylie was all seriousness! I had this great plan of "helping" her paint a beautiful Snow White that looked like the real thing. I even picked the correct colors. Mylie had her own idea. I think Snow White had about 40 layers of paint on top of her head. I think I will love her version much better than what I had in mind! I can't wait to see it when I pick it up on Friday.

My wonderful mother came to help out...good thing! It was nice to have an extra pair of hands. Coy wasn't the happiest guy this day, but luckily ended up sleeping a lot of the time! Check out his face...see, not happy.

Oh, Mylie again...so cute.

Bennett chose a robot to paint (eventually). I am so excited to see the final product! His red cheeks (as well as Mylie's) are a great indicator that it is too warm! That place was heating up that day from the south-facing windows. It, really was a pleasant day outside.

The gang:

Oh, here they all are, the 4 musketeers! They are so cute, and such great friends!

Afterward, my little fam took a walk down the street to go out to eat. We were planning on going to Olive Garden (Bennett's favorite), but we ran out of time. I wish we had stuck with Olive Garden, the place we chose was kind of a disappointment. Oh well...

The next party of the day. I was sCrAmBliNg to get this cake done and the food and decor ready. I essentially ran out of time. But, things turned out OK. I swear, cake-making is so stressful! Things never turn out as planned, and you always have to adjust things last minute!

Bennett chose a race track cake, so we kind of went with the whole race track theme. The cake (or should I say cupcakes) looks good, as long as you don't see the original picture I was going from!

Five Candles!

Happy Birthday, Bennett! I love, love, LOVE you!!

{almost 5}

2010-10-26T17:01:00.004-06:00

I can't believe it...look who is {almost five}!! The last five years of being a mother have been the greatest. I can't believe my first little baby is growing up so fast! I love him to pieces!

....

Isn't he just a little stud? He's like my little pro model. He knows just what to do when I take his picture! I love it.

See what I mean about a little pro model? Check out his pose and face in the next pic.

Here's a little cheese in this next one.

This is the face he gave me when I asked him to sit down on the bridge again. He said it was SO hard. By the way, apparently this bridge is off limits if you were wondering. It's has been a very popular spot for photos in the fall for photographers, but I later found out it is private property and the owners don't want people taking pictures there anymore. Just a little FYI they asked me to pass on...

Too bad...it is such a beautiful bridge....

This one is because I want to remember that pout. (He was stretching because he was so tired from taking pictures. It is apparently hard work being so handsome!)

And this next one is so I never forget his cute cheesy grin.

Love you, Bennett. Please stop growing up so fast!

{blessing}

2010-10-18T22:02:00.002-06:00

Last week, Coy was given his blessing. What a special day it was! I love my little family, and my wonderful hubby!

And can you believe the BEAUTIFUL weather we've been having? Who would have thought that we could celebrate with a luncheon OUTSIDE in the middle of October! It was such a perfect and beautiful day.

Can you believe how much a baby can change in just two months!? He is such a little darling; such a sweet and smiley baby. We are so happy to have him in our lives!

He truly is a {blessing}...

I bought Coy's outfit right after we found out we were having a boy. I can't believe the day he got to wear it has already come and gone! I just love soft sweater outfits (Bennett had an off-white one, too), so when I saw this one go on Clearance at babyGap, I snatched it up right away! His little loafers were the ones from SimplyJCrochet.

i {heart} fall

2010-10-04T10:39:00.002-06:00

My favorite season is finally here. When I think of Fall I think of crisp air, sweaters, caramel apples, spice, crunchy leaves, choosing pumpkins, bright colors, football games, early sunsets, and canyon drives.

Last week we drove up to snow basin to see the leaves. It has become a tradition with Russ's family to go the Sunday before conference. The leaves were beautiful, though not as strikingly so as in other years. Maybe because the weather has still been like summer? But I think today, the fall is setting in! Cross your fingers for sweater weather!

Nothing like gorgeous setting sun pics. Mylie had to blow the dandelions:

Can you believe my little Coy...not quite as little anymore! He is 8 weeks old now (7 weeks in this picture).

Cute cousins!

a newborn

2010-10-01T11:14:00.001-06:00

Check out this little darling on my PHOTO BLOG.

I will be back at it this week!

2010-09-21T21:52:00.002-06:00

Well, I am officially starting back into my photography this week. I am excited~but also a little nervous since I still feel like life is chaos around here :). Here's a little look at a shoot I did a while ago that I had to make an exception for during my little break. See the rest of little Avery and her family HERE.

My most recent favorites...

2010-09-13T22:04:00.002-06:00

I seriously take thousands of pictures...literally. These are my recent favorites.

While taking Coy's daily pictures, Mylie decided to join in. So glad she did. This is one of my most favorite pictures...ever. I know I say that a lot. But it's OK to have lots of favorites, right?

About a week ago, Coy's short blonde hair/fuzz that covered his scalp was coming out by the chunks (the longer dark stuff wasn't shedding off as bad). It reminded me of my sister, Amber's, "chemo hair". Well, what was I to do? Take some pictures of course before the hair is all gone...because it is inevitable! His hair was so cute and fluffy after his bath and the light was just right so I took some pics. Well, needless to say, I have some new favs! In fact I ordered a board of this first one for my living room. It is seriously beautiful!

First Day of Preschool!

2010-09-07T22:11:00.003-06:00

Last week Bennett had his first day of Preschool. He loved it! He is so excited to finally be able to go to school and get out of the house and do something different! I can't believe he is almost 5 years old. When I look at my baby Coy, I think, wasn't this just barely where Bennett was? How can my first baby be so old? Kids grow up WAY too fast!

Apparently Bennett likes to "pose" for pictures, too. He made up all of his own poses.

Of course Mylie wanted some pictures taken of her too:

These two are so cute together. Since I had the baby, they really have become two peas in a pod. They've always been close, but now they are almost inseperable. They entertain each other and play together like crazy. (They also fight like crazy as well...and know how to push each others' buttons!) I definitely prefer when they are getting along, which really is the majority of the time.

Bennett's preschool teacher is the cutest and funnest lady. She was dressed as a clown when I dropped him off. And look how the kids were dressed when we picked them up! They also had little bags of popcorn to go with the clown attire. So cute!

{super cute hat}

2010-09-01T21:34:00.002-06:00

I am in love with this hat from Simply J Crochet. The lady that owns this little crochet shop is amazing...especially if you read her bio! And her prices are insanely good (compared to a lot of other etsy sellers!) She is ending her back to school sales in a couple days, so check them out if you are wanting a cute beanie! I got Bennett a matching one and I also bought Coy some of her cute little loafers (that also match this hat) a while back that will hopefully fit when we bless him!

Oh, I love this little cutie!

And I also had to put this picture on just because I think it is cute:

just for you, mom

2010-08-31T22:45:00.002-06:00

My mom's been sick so she can't see the baby for a while. (Seems like there's a lot going around right now!) So here's a picture of baby Coy this morning doing his "tummy time". Can you believe how much he has grown?! Not fair. Oh well, he is still as darling as ever. We sure love this little boy! I have taken about a million pictures of him. I think there's only been one or two days since he was born that I have gone the entire day without taking a picture. I can't help it! I think it's because I know how quickly they change and I don't want to miss a minute. So maybe I will overload you soon with more pictures...if I can ever get around to getting on the computer! I am being crazy enough staying up this late when I know I should be getting what little sleep I can these days!

{some more}

2010-08-24T15:03:00.002-06:00

Here are some more of my favorite pictures of Coy from our "photoshoots" that I hadn't finished last time I posted. I know it's a lot, but I can't help it :) Maybe I will get around to posting a recent picture of him soon. He has already changed a lot in these last 16 days. Why does time have to go by so fast!? I just love him to pieces. He is so sweet and has the happiest face when he is awake. He went to the doctor yesterday and was 8 lbs. 1 oz. and is already an inch and a half taller...growing waaay to fast for me!

Introducing...

2010-08-16T22:49:00.003-06:00

Coy Brian Harkness
Born Sunday August 8, 2010
7 1bs. 8 oz.
19.5 inches

I have taken so many pictures of this little guy. Believe it or not, this is only a few, but I figured I couldn't keep you waiting forever!

I think he is absolutely beautiful. Although we do consider him our "bald" and "chubby" baby compared to our other children! He weighed in at almost a whole pound heavier than Mylie did! And I am getting used to having a baby with so little hair!

Everything went very well. Once I was officially "induced", it only took less than 3 hours until delivery. He was ready to come! I am feeling great--although I don't love the post baby body :) and he is very healthy. I think he is determined not to stay small for long at all!

I thought I should put a picture of him with his eyes open. It's not the best pic, but you might get the idea.

He is so, so fuzzy! He has the hairiest shoulders, back, and cheeks. I just love it!

Bennett loves being a big brother. He is so cute with Coy and talks so cute to him.

Had to put this one in of Bennett because I really LOVE it. He is just getting too old and big. It seems like yesterday, he was our tiny newborn!***And here's some more Coy:

I caught this picture of Coy today. He really already smiles at us at only 8 days old--even when he's awake! It is killing me how fast he is already changing. And of course how could I leave Mylie out. Here she is posing in her swimming suit. She is such a cute big sister...although she is a little more emotional. I think she misses mommy a little and it breaks my heart, but will get things worked out eventually!

{he's here}

2010-08-14T22:55:00.001-06:00

The reason I am having another one

2010-08-07T16:25:00.004-06:00

Because I really can't get enough of these cuties. I put these photos on my photo blog as well, but thought they could go here as well. I never did post this full preview. I thought I might as well do one more post to pass the time. I know I am biased, but I think these kids are darling. I can't wait to see what the next one is like! I'm pretty certain I know what my next post might be...So stay tuned for something (or someone) very tiny and special!

popsicles, burpies, and...huge

2010-07-30T20:19:00.004-06:00

Here's a look at my day today.

Gotta love popsicles in the summer.

And remember the etsy burpies? Here are my own version. Finally, the last thing I wanted to get done for the baby! BRING HIM ON!!!...

...Because I am super duper HUGE! I don't care what anyone says. This is the biggest, most stretched, most miserable/uncomfortable I have ever been with a pregnancy (and the baby is measuring much bigger than my other two were at this point). I went out to eat the other night, and my server asked if I was having twins. Honestly, I take that as a "compliment." Thank you for acknowledging how huge I am.

***

I did have to photoshop myself a little before I showed myself to the world. Gotta love a little skin softening. Heaven knows I need it! If only I could photoshop myself in real life!! I still don't think these pictures do my hugeness justice. Am I embarrassed about showing my bare belly? Not really. All complaints aside, I do think pregnancy is an amazing and beautiful thing.

If you are still reading, here is the GOOD NEWS: the date has been set. I went in to the doc yesterday, and was quite progressed; however, as with my other two, I know that pretty much means nothing for me. It has always taken an induction to start the real labor. Let's just say my days are numbered now to the single digits!

And Russ honey, if you read this, I am excited to be able to hug you again soon, too :)

{something to make you laugh}

2010-07-29T01:39:00.003-06:00

Well, I know it makes me laugh!

As Russell said, who ever would have thought you would have seen Yoda and Boba Fett holding hands.(Mask artwork courtesy of my loving husband, Russ)(P.S. Bennett thinks a "Star War" is a guy in a costume, and Mylie thinks Yoda is a doll. She puts a toy Yoda my mom has to sleep with a blanket in the crib at my mom's house.)

wrapping up sessions

2010-07-27T12:36:00.002-06:00

I've been wrapping up my last photo sessions before my baby gets here. I just have one left to finish up and I will be done for a little while! Oh, and I still plan on posting that session I did a while ago of my own cuties. Yesterday I did one of my favorite sessions in my Grandparents' beautiful yard with my cousin's cute little almost one-year-old. This picture will probably be cut off a little, but head over to my PHOTO BLOG to see the rest, plus others I've done lately.

{gettin' all crafty}

2010-07-20T23:19:00.005-06:00

I finally did it. I made a piece quilt. I have never made a quilt before, and I've seen some cute ones here and there, so I really wanted to do one for my baby, Coy. I don't know if I did it right, I just kind of made it up. So here it is. Hopefully it doesn't fall apart after one wash!

OK, does anyone really need to take this many pictures of one quilt? Sheesh! That's me for you.***

Good thing my August baby will have a nice heavy quilt to keep him warm. (just a little sarcasm)Does anyone else find it extremely, extremely hot outside? I don't know that I've ever felt so hot in my entire life! I now know what a summer pregnancy really feels like. Even though I had Bennett in October and was pregnant through the summer, it was no where NEAR this bad. Oh well, only 3 weeks left!!!

If anything, the quilt will be cute for pictures!!! I am so excited to take pictures of my own newborn. (poor kid...he will be sick of me before we know it!)

I've never made (or sewn) anything for my babies before (except for making bows for Mylie), but I'm finally getting a little domestic with this one. I've also made some burpies (remember the etsy ones? I ended up just deciding to make my own!), and new covering for the mattress and bumpers for the old family cradle my Dad made long ago. I guess it makes a difference when you have a sewing machine (even if it is a cheapy one!)

{diaper bag}

2010-07-13T00:50:00.003-06:00

I've finally decided on my diaper bag after a long, long, search and much deliberating! Hopefully it is made and sent in time for my little baby to arrive. I know it is kind of girly, but I figure I am the one holding the bag. I found it on the etsy shop Hot Mama Handbags.

It was a little pricey, but no where near as bad as a Petunia Picklebottom (which did tempt me a little bit!) But I prefer a soft bag anyway.

I had to get the matching clutch so that I could zip away my valuables.

Check her shop out. Her bags are so darling...Love all the fabrics! I really have a thing for yellow lately.

Another session of cuties!

2010-07-07T22:09:00.002-06:00

Check it out HERE.

waiting for... FiReWorKs!

2010-06-30T20:40:00.004-06:00

I think my most favorite thing of the summer is going to fireworks. It's not so much the actual fireworks, as the waiting for them to start. Last time there was a little...

...kiddo dancin'...

...football throwin'...

...junk food eatin'...

...parent huggin'...

...grandparent lovin'...

...and blanket crashin'!

{belly}

2010-06-28T22:04:00.002-06:00

Here it is. My pregnant belly at about 7 months along. These were taken about 10 days ago and I am sure I have grown since! I am on the countdown now...only about 6 1/2 weeks to go!

I love that Mylie had to jump in the picture as well and pose.

She is so excited for baby brother and I am sure is going to be more help than I need!

so much sass!

2010-06-26T17:25:00.003-06:00

Have you ever seen so much sass in a two year old? And yes she does all of her own posing. I love it! Lucky for me, she loves getting her picture taken! I finally took my kids out for a formal shoot a week ago or so. We'll see if I ever can get around to editing the rest of them! I wanted some new pictures for my newly redecorated kitchen and just to have before my baby gets here!

My trip to Brianhead and Brysen's full preview...

2010-06-17T22:06:00.002-06:00

I have the full preview of my cousins cute little boy on my PHOTO BLOG as well as a bunch of blabbing about my fun girl trip to Brianhead last week...Maybe soon I'll post something here that isn't related to photography. We did go to the zoo yesterday...so fun! And my belly is getting huge in case you were wondering. I might need to post some pictures :) I have passed the 30 weeks mark by a week (so now I am 31, but I think I really might be 32 weeks...long story). I feel more like 40 weeks. Do I really have 8 more weeks? The two children I have love to fight and purposefully bug the other, so when they are yelling and crying I think to myself, I can't wait to add a crying newborn on top of it. OK, so they aren't like that the entire day, but sometimes (like today) it sure feels like it. I decided to take them to the library, credit union, mall, and Sam's club today. That is like self-torture. And who knew sharing a water bottle could be such a problem?

Anyways, I really do love my kids, especially right now when they are slumbering sweetly. And I really AM excited for when I have a cute little baby boy around...even if it will be chaotic. So for now, here is this cute little baby boy:

Oh so cute!

2010-06-14T22:43:00.001-06:00

Have another one for you! Take a peek!

Another preview for you

2010-06-09T21:27:00.001-06:00

Check out Natalie and the rest of her beautiful family on my photo blog!

{fishing}

2010-06-03T21:40:00.003-06:00

{happy memorial day}

2010-05-30T23:00:00.003-06:00

Here are some of my favorite pictures from today. Every year since I was little we have gone to this memorial service on the Sunday before Memorial day.

Before the boys got wild.

These two were pretty naughty, but they sure were cute!

Very hard seeing this in stone.

Mylie with my cute sis-in-law, Aariel.

Cute family

2010-05-27T22:27:00.001-06:00

Check out my cousin's cute family on my photo blog.

Way to go Russ!

2010-05-15T19:59:00.004-06:00

Just a little shout out to my cute hubby. He completed his 6th marathon today and got a PR of 3:53! He did awesome and ran his best race ever...and he's feeling good now, which is a relief! I am so glad he loves to run and is able to accomplish his goals.

Big thumbs up for Daddy!

Love Bennett's face in this one. Pay no attention to my scraggly Mylie. (Uncombed hair, gasp!) She did have a darling hat on, but it got a little hot for it after a while)

Gotta love the pictures you take of yourself. Very flattering on the features.

Love you, Russ. GREAT JOB!!!!

{room decor}

2010-05-11T21:53:00.004-06:00

We got Mylie her "big girl bed" a couple weeks ago. (Big adjustments, but that is a whole other story.) I decided I wanted to update her room a little bit with some new pillows and drapes. You can find the cutest home decor fabric at Warehouse Fabrics Inc. for such great prices. I found her cute bedding surprisingly at JCPenney.com. I wanted white and was having a hard time finding an all white bedding I loved. I think the coverlet was a whopping $20. (But then they get you on the sham and bedskirt, because they cost about the same or more each!) I just love the scalloped edges.

***

I badly need to update the pictures in the frames in my kids' rooms. You'd think being my own photographer it wouldn't be such a chore, but I am always dreaming up the pictures I am going to get around to taking. I will do it before the baby gets here...

I was getting a little crafty. (Must be "nesting").

This is all old decor (below), minus the drapes, that I can't believe I was making or putting together 2 1/2 years ago. Although I know that Pink/blue/brown is way overdone now. Oh well...still cute.

Here are the drapes. I kind of just made them up and I think they turned out pretty cute!

Now the weirdest thing is having what we now call "The Boys' room." Pretty soon I am going to have "boys!" This is all old decor (nothing handmade here) that we got for Bennett. It was fun getting out his old crib stuff again for baby Coy. (By the way, that's the babe's name.) Bennett is so excited to have Coy share his room. He didn't mind one bit that we had to rearrange his room.

Mylie has withdrawals and still wants to sleep in her crib and I gave in on Sunday (I was desperate for her having nap). Big mistake. Now we have to constantly remind her this is "Coy's crib" (as she call's it). Sometimes she gets it.

I just had to add this little drawing Bennett did the other day all on his own. He got a piece of paper and asked for the crayons then came up to show me this. Of the purple figure he said "This is Coy when he is a little bigger." I just love this picture! Don't I have darling kids with awesome hair?

Lovely

2010-05-11T20:55:00.002-06:00

Check out this lovely senior on my photo blog.

She is seeming like my favorite, I know...

2010-05-06T21:30:00.002-06:00

But she just loves to pose!

I was setting up a shoot yesterday and Mylie wanted a turn. Just took a couple shots, but I thought they turned out darling (even if I am a little biased).

I have a couple new previews on my photo blog if you'd like to take a look...and much more coming! It's been a busy couple of weeks!

So Cute! I can't decide...

2010-04-28T12:48:00.002-06:00

I love Etsy (everything handmade, etc). You can find so many cute things. I found these adorable baby burp cloths by PLM DeZigns. They are made out of cloth diapers (so very absorbent) and can be used for changing pads, too. Problem is I can't decide which ones I want to get. I don't want them to be too girly, but I love the flower patterns on so many of them. I think I narrowed it down to these ones. The only problem with the ones on the left is Bennett has Peanut Posh ties made from the same fabrics...so there not as new and fun..but they are the most "masculine." I am tempted to just get all of them, but that would be a bit pricy! Anyways...leave a vote for me if you would. I am so indecisive!

{new photo preview}

2010-04-23T16:10:00.002-06:00

Take a look at Trey and Brielle and their darling family HERE.