The Party...

This year Courtlynn is all about Minnie Mouse, so that's what we did!

I sent out 14 invitations and all but 3 families were able to come! What a turn out!! BUT that meant that Mommy got to make 22 Mickey/Minnie mouse ears for all 22 of those kiddos that RSVPed!!

The ears turned out SUPER cute!

**Don't mind the purple/black fingers, I was tracing 44 ears out!!**

So, Sunday morning we woke Courtlynn up by singing her "Happy Birthday" (which she started crying) and got her ready for church. Ms. Angie bought her a REALLY cute birthday top hot bow that said Happy Birthday on it. She wore that to church with her new dress Mommy and Daddy got her!

 

**Her hair looks kinda funny, I promise I fixed it before we went to church**

That night we had her party up at the Grand Heritage pool. There were so many people there! Here are a few pictures from the party...

 

**Food table (minus the sandwiches and cupcakes) with Mickey/Minnie ears**

 **Waiting for her friends**

 **The Pool**

 **Eating some sandwiches and chips with her friends (and sister)**

**Singing Happy Birthday to her and her "blowing" out her candles (Mommy forgot the lighter at home)**

 **The Present Table**

 **Thanks you Ms. Jamie for my mermaid**

 **Thank you Ms. Lauren for my Minnie Boutique**

 **Thank you Nana for my Minnie Mouse**

**Thank you Ms. Heather and Mr. Jeff for my sprinkler hopscotch**

She recieved many more AWESOME gifts, but I don't want to bore you with all the pics. :)

These were some of my favorite expressions and reactions. Thank you to everyone that came out and celebrated my princess! Until next year....

My Baby Is THREE...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COURTLYNN FAITH!!

It seems like yesterday that Courtlynn came into this world at 4:22 am! I love you little girl and Happy Birthday!

 

 

Some of this, some of that, and HOLY COW IT'S HOT!

Let me just tell ya....

I'm tired of the heat!!!!
I'm tired of setting the thermostat on 79 degrees and it STILL running non-stop!!!!
I'm tired of sweating inside my own house!!!!
I'm tired of not being able to leave the house in fear that I'll sweat away to nothing!! **wait that wouldn't be such a bad thing!!!!
I'm tired of the seat belts being too hot for the kids!!!!
I'm tired of being tired because it's too hot to sleep!!!!

Okay, I'm done whining, but SERIOUSLY, I'm ready for the fall!


I have MIA for a few days and I'll tell ya why...

I will have a THREE year old in THREE days! That means I had 22 Mickey/Minnie ears to home make!! Do you know how long it takes to make Mickey/Minnie ears?!?!?! Luckily, I have an AWESOME mom and she came over on Tuesday to help me bust them out. I still have the bows to put on the Minnie ears, but, other than that, I'm done! I have been shopping for all the supplies I need, Greg is picking up the Mickey/Minnie cookie cutter from the Sis Inlaw as I type, Cupcakes will be made Saturday, and I think we are ready.

Come on Sunday!

After Sunday it's all down hill from there for the rest of the year for us.. here's a break down...

July 29th- Courtlynn's Birthday
September 20th- My Birthday
September 30th- Greg's and My Anniversary
October 3rd- Emma's Birthday
October 11th- Greg's Birthday
October 31- Halloween
November 22nd- Thanksgiving
December 20th- Braxton's Birthday
December 25th- Christmas
December 27th-January 5th ECUADOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAHAHA.. Did you notice how I through that last one in.. That's right, I'm going back to Ecuador!! I cannot wait. My brother was talking to everyone last night that went on the 2 teams about going back after Christmas to follow up with the villages that we went to, check on the college ministry, and New Year's Eve throw a HUGE Christian concert/event! I'm STOKED! When Bryan was talking about it, it was like God was saying, "Get your passport ready, you're going." Greg is so supportive! We got in the car last night to come home and I told him how I felt and he said he'll work from home and God will provide the money! I CAN'T WAIT!!!

So, in other news, GREG AND I HAVE A DATE NIGHT TOMORROW NIGHT!!! Yes, this is HUGE news! We have not had a date night in 6 weeks!! He is taking me to dinner, to see the new Madea movie and then to Yogurt Cup! I can't wait for uninterrupted Mommy and Daddy time! **Shout out to that AWESOME mom I was talking about earlier and my dad for being FREE babysitters!!**

I've been looking for a company/someone to invest $1000-$1500 in the business, shopping round for props and backgrounds, and learning LOTS about my camera. I have 2 sessions booked for the 1st week I'm open at the studio, and God is still providing. We are doing good.

As far as the investigation, we are still waiting on the toxicology reports. It seems like it's been so long ago, yet it seems like yesterday. I know I haven't said much about it here lately and I've been trying to keep busy, but please continue to pray for the Brannon family and myself as we continue to heal from this tragedy.

Love you all and I hope you have a blessed rest of the week!

April

My Name Is April and I'm an Addict...

I'm addicted to CRACK! CRACK POTATOES that is!!

You are going to thank me for this one!!!

I found this recipe on Pinterest a while back and made it for the first time 3-4 months ago. I have been addicted ever since!! It's to the point where I bought the stuff to make it so that I could have it for lunch everyday!!! Here is the recipe..

Crack Potatoes

1- 32oz bag southern style hash browns
2- 16oz sour cream
2 c shredded cheese
2- 3oz real bacon bits
2 pkg Ranch dressing mix

Mix all of that together. Throw in a 9x13 pan. Bake @ 400 for 50 min and Voila!!

GREATNESS!!!!

You're welcome!

PS.. I'm eating some RIGHT NOW!

Rice Box Photography: The Thomasons

Sunday I had the privilege to photograph Mr. Luke, he's 1, and his mommy and daddy. Luke was on the run the ENTIRE time, and it was hard to get a still photo of him. He was a great sport and I got some great shots.. Here is a sneak peak of some of my favorites..

 

If you would like to book a session feel free to message me on Facebook or leave me a comment here.

In other Rice Box Photography news... I got the studio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I should be able to move into it September 1st!! Once I am officially moved in, I'll post the address on here and on Facebook! I'm super excited and thank you to everyone who prayed for me and this business. I am so blessed! I already have 2 shoots scheduled for the first 2 weekends after I move in there! How GREAT is our God!?!?! 

From now until September 1st, I'm doing special pricing. Once I'm in the studio, prices will me going up a little, no worries, so, if you want to make sure you have a studio shoot (there are places around the studio to do outside also, please get in contact with me NOW for the lower pricing! Also, starting September 1, payment of shoot is due at booking (rather than at the shoot) to reserve your time slot. I cannot wait to start this next journey in my business and I hope to see ALOT of you in my studio soon! 

God bless!

Weekend Wrapup 7/21-7/22..

Wow, I was BUSY yesterday and didn't get to the weekend round up!! oops! Well, I might be a little busy this week and might be late on blogging because on THIS Sunday my baby girl, Courtlynn, will be....

THREE!!!!

so, I am going to have alot of planning and making to do. She has never had a BIG turn out to any of her parties, so this year I sent out 14 invites for a party on Sunday evening. Now I have 22 kiddos going to be there and 48 people in total!!! I have 22 Mickey/Minnie ears to make before Sunday!! Good thing I have an AWESOME mom and she is going to come over and help me tonight (Tuesday), but, anyways, I'm getting ahead of myself... Back to the weekend...

Saturday, Greg had to take his mom to the airport early so she could catch her flight to Miami and fly out to Ecuador. She's going to be gone for a week doing missions there. When he got back, I needed to go to Joann's Crafts for some things for some things for Courtlynn's birthday and Hobby Lobby for an order that I need to fill. On the way back,  there were so many garage sale signs. There was one going on close to our house, so I decided to stop. We pulled up and there was a dressing table JUST LIKE MY GRAMMIES!! When she was in her first assisted living, she sold her Ethan Allen dressing table that matched the rest of her bedroom set for soda money!!! Anyways, I have her dresser now that I'm turning into a buffet table and I wanted this dressing table to use as a sewing table. I got out and asked the man how much he wanted for it and he look straight at me and said, "I don't think you can afford it." You have to know the housing development that we were in, he could have been straight up serious, but then he started laughing and told me $1!!!! SOLD! So, now I have a dressing table just like Grammie's. Greg and I thought it would be so funny if, somehow, that WAS her dressing table and it made it's way back to me. I haven't gone through the drawers or anything, but she use to put her initials all over stuff. It would be so cool to open a drawer and see "JLB" or a stick of iced pink lipstick.. Oh, I miss you Grammie!!!

After the garage sale, Sally (Sunday school teacher's wife) came and picked me up to head up to the church. We were having LADIES DAY OUT!!! Woohoo! There were 7 of us going to Grapevine to go shopping, dinner, and the Opry. It was so much fun. I only bought 1 thing, but I can't post a picture of it because it's a surprise to one of my readers, Laura. Her little girl is due soon and I'm going to be doing a newborn shoot for her, so I had to pick something sweet up for her! :) The Opry was fun and it was GREAT to get out on a girls night, but I can't wait till Greg and I have a night!! Maybe next weekend!! 

Sunday was church and then Mama, Daddy, and Bryan came over and Bryan made spaghetti. The adults say around and talked while the kids took naps and then we went swimming for a while. At 7:00 I had a photo shoot with a sweet family (pics to come in separate post). Sunday was a very relaxing day. It was much welcomed after such a busy day on Saturday and being out in the heat all day the day before.

That was our "exciting" weekend.. Hope I didn't bore you too bad. :)

Have a blessed week!

Not What I Was Thinking, But Hey, It Works!

So I had this brilliant idea to let the girls play outside and have kinda an "ice experiment." I brought out my large white tub and filled it with ice and some water and let them play in it.As I was going in to get their bath tub toys, Emma asked if they could get their panties wet. I said no. When I cam back this is what I found..

 

I asked what they were thinking and Emma said, with a straight face, "What? You said don't get our panties wet!!"

Colorado In My Prayers..

As I read the numerous stories on the Aurora, CO shooting early this morning during the movie showing, I feel saddened. It's such a tragedy, but we need to realize that God knew this was going to happen. Whether we understand or not, it was these people's time to go. It is/was in God's hands; in His plan. We can only hope that the ones who's lives were taken were believers. If they were, how cool is it to know that they are worshiping our Lord and Savior RIGHT NOW! Let's pray for the shooter. Let's pray that he finds God, that he gets the help that he needs, and sees the error of his ways.

"Lord, please be with the families that have lost loved ones today, Lord. Lord, let them know that you are holding them; that they can lean on you during this time. Lord, I know many people have questions. They are wondering why, why now, why him/her. Lord, let us remember that you are all knowing and this was their time. It might not be the way we pictured it, but you knew the place and the hour. Lord, please be with the suspects family. Lord, I'm sure they are going through so many emotions right now, Lord, and I'm sure they have questions themselves. Lord, give them hope and strength in you. Lord, be with the suspect. Lord, put him in the hands of people that can help him. Lord, we know that it's going to be a rough road ahead for him and there are going to be consequences to his behavior, but, Lord, please be with him. Put people in his path that can encourage him, show him you, show him that he CAN be forgiven for what he has done. Lord, let him see your love. Lord, go with us as we continue our day and remind us to never take one single day for granted. I ask all these things in your name. Amen."

Chick-fil-a..

This morning I got onto my email and Facebook for a bit. While I was on Facebook, I saw a news story that NBC put out there about Chick-fil-a and it's stance again gay marriage. I was curious to see people's comments. There was one lady who stood out to me, you think maybe a "God thing", and I started up a convo with her on the feed.. 

This is what caught my eye:

"Ignorance is bliss!!! And for those of you who are suppose to be "Christians" how dare you sit their and JUDGE and go along with it!!!!!
I will NEVER eat there and support their ignorance!
And yes I go to church and I know the bible!
But I will not judge someone for their own beliefs!!! Nor will I be in the picket line! Everyone deserves to be happy! And just like my 7 year old son says... Gay means happy mom!"

I had an uneasy feeling about what she had said, but I kept reading and saw that she had posted again..

"Maybe McDonald's should do this for all the unwed parents... Or burger king... On all the pregnant teens... Better yet... How about sonic for all the criminals in this world!
No reason a food place should stick their wanna be Christian selves into this!!!! DO NOT JUDGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

and then again...

"furthermore, NO ONE KNOW's WHAT God's view is on this subject, you Bible verse pickin' bigots ONLY use what YOU want out of that book to justify YOUR hate, NOT God's.. for God can NOT hate ANYTHING it created ... good grief, I have to take a valium now, and go to WORK ... LMAO"

and then again...

"There many mistakes in the bible." 

This really hit me in my heart. Chick-fil-a isn't saying that they won't serve gay people. They didn't say that they wouldn't hire gay people. They said that they were just going to take a stance and support a Biblical marriage (between man and woman). They give money to what they believe in. They give money to Christian groups. Just like if this woman believed in helping cure cancer, she would give money to curing cancer. I decided that I would go ahead and write back to this lady. Here is our conversation back and forth (me in red and her in orange)...

"I have read this garbage and haven't said ANYTHING yet, but Yolanda, you are wrong. There are NO mistakes in His Word. The Bible is 100% true and is proving it day by day. I think the reason you feel so strongly about this is God is trying to open your heart and eyes to Him, but you are resisting. I'm going to pray for you. I hope and pray that you allow God to move in your life and be as blessed as my family and I are. Have a wonderful day."

"April, you're wrong. You should check that again. when we were growing up, you were told that the bible is God's word. It's true and infallible. That changed a few years ago. Ask your pastor. If he sticks to it, I would look in to finding a new church. They should say something like, it's the word of God, written by man, but inspired by God. That's why it has mistakes in it. Because man makes mistakes"

"@Yolanda, I do believe it is God's word written by man. You are totally correct in that statement, but if I was to stand over your shoulder and say, "Write, 'I am Lord'" you would "Write, 'I am Lord'" just as Paul, Moses, etc did There are no mistakes... I am still going to pray for you and I hope you have a blessed day."

"April, I'll pray that God shines a ray of light in to your hardened heart and shows his love for all of his creations. Being gay or lesbian is not a mistake. Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you."

"@Yolanda, God, nor I, hate ANYONE, you are right. We love everyone, but we can disagree with what they are doing and know that it's wrong and hope that they will come to repent of the sin. Yes, that is what we can do. Christians get such a bad image put on them bc people think just because we say they are doing wrong, doesn't mean that we don't love them and want to see them do right. I make mistakes all the time in my walk with the Lord, but that's the point, he forgives you if you have a relationship with him. Just like if you are a parent. You love you child no matter what, but if he/she does something that is wrong, you are going to talk to him/her about it and tell them they are doing wrong. You aren't going to stop loving them. You just ask them to do what's right. That's all we, as Christians, should be doing."

This was truly a God thing that I stumbled upon this woman. You could tell that she was searching for something. I left the conversation with my last statement, but I did go back and see if she had said something else.. Of course she had and it furthered my thought that she was searching.. Please pray, her name is Yolanda Cotton. Please pray that God will soften her heart to His word. That she will come to know Him. She is searching too hard, she only has to open her heart.

This was her last comment..

April, I'm not a Christian, but I also have a relationship with God! I don't have any religious affiliation, but I was a Christian for a long time. I even went to a religious school for a few years. Christians, nor any other religion, have insight or understanding of God that was not given to every other person on earth.
About four years ago, I decides to take my "walk with God" to a higher level. It was put on my heart to research the bible, from cover to cover. I found a lot of discrepancies. I challenged everything I was taught about the bible. If its true, it will remain true. How many mistakes can you overlook or try to explain away. Well, I'm no longer Christian and it's easy to see other Christians with my eyes wide open. I see a bunch of hate and bigotry and I thank God for it

.

In closing I'm going to question, how does she have a relationship with God, but she's not a Christian.. She can't...

Rice Box Photography: My Boy...

I had this vision last weekend when my hubby and I were shopping and I just HAD to do it last night with the way the sun was going down and I finally found "just the right spot" to do it.. Hope you enjoy!

To Eat or Not To Eat.. That Was the Question...

So, I had a heard time with dinner yesterday. Let's just say that if there were food gods, they were against me! I was going to make pork chops, yellow rice, and cheesy spinach bowls. Yummy, right? Well, I went to start the meat and the pork was rancid! AHHH! I called Greg and told him and he said we would just go and grab something for dinner since we had to go into Rockwall anyways.

Greg gets home and we head to Rockwall to Taco Cabana. I order the chicken fajita tacos with queso and chips, the kiddos a quesadilla and chips, and Greg taquitos and chips. All of us with a drink.. Sounds good, right? WRONG.. I head over to the drink machine and it says "Out of Order" over the Coke and Water.. Okay, I'll get DP.. push the button and syrup spews all over the place. Greg thought it was just the DP button so he pushed the Diet Coke and same thing happens to him. The manager comes running out, gets on the phone and starts yelling at the Coke guy that was just there. Apparently when the Coke guy was there, he did something and busted the whole system so there were no drinks in the whole building. Okay, not THAT big of a problem, we'll just have bottled water and wait for our food. We sit down and I look around. We have successfully gotten the last clean table, the trash cans, all 3 of them, are over flowing, there is crap under the salsa bar, it was gross. Hey, we'll stick it out, we have already ordered and paid... 20 MINUTES LATER, still no food. Finally, Greg went up and got our money back and we decided to walk across the parking lot to Steak 'n Shake...

We walk in, starving by now, and are told we will have to wait for a table. I look around and there are AT LEAST 6 tables that are open, but we are having to WAIT! Okay, deep breath! We wait 5-10 min and are seated in one of the already open booths. We are given our menus, asked what we want to drink, and then asked if we were ready to order, all before Greg even had Braxton in the high chair!! Water all the way around and we aren't ready to order!! The water gets to us and it tastes like it has come STRAIGHT from the LAKE! We ask for tea instead and order our food. I get the chicken strips and cheddar fries, the kiddos get the sliders and fries, and Greg gets the triple steak burger with cheddar fries. The tea comes and THAT takes like lake water too. We tell the waitress and she walks off and doesn't do anything. Oh well, we are just hungry! The food gets to us and the ONLY thing that is remotely even warm are my chicken strips. It was like they had fixed everything and then remembered the chicken and just left the other out. Also, there was no cheese on the cheddar fries. We went ahead and let the kids eat what was brought because, by this time, Braxton was screaming and crying at the table. They brought Greg's burger and fries out, but forgot mine so they had to go back and get those, and FINALLY when we are about done with our food, they as us if we would like something else to drink besides the tea. YES!! We guzzled that down and were never asked if we wanted more. We got the kids each a cookie and decided it was time to get out before I had a flat out MELT DOWN! We went to pay and do you want to know what the lady at the register had the nerve to ask us, "HOW WAS EVERYTHING?" I had to turn around and, luckily, Greg was alot more tactful then I would have been and said, "Good." 

A+ for Customer Service!!

On the bright side, I did get to go to Joann's and Hobby Lobby after dinner. I bought some BEAUTIFUL fabric at Joann's that I cannot wait to photography a newborn baby on.. BTW, know someone that's preggo and about to POP? I would love to do their maternity or newborn pics!! 

Oh, and WHY does Hobby Lobby close at 8? and WHY do they start announcing it at 7:30? and WHY do they start turning out the lights at 7:50? Don't they know I've just had a HORRIBLE experience and I need retail therapy?!?!?

So, the lesson of the night is... don't buy a pork loin in January and come straight home and freeze it and expect to eat it 6 months later no matter how good of a price you got it. Lesson 2 is don't eat at the Taco Cabana in Rockwall and lesson 3 is don't eat at the Steak 'n Shake in Rockwall if you expect your food to be right and hot and to have more than 1 drink that doesn't taste like lake water!

The End! 

My Silly, Silly Girl...

Today for our morning craft we decided that we were going to color. I got out the kiddos colors, my colors (come on, I can't use the Ecuador crayons!!), and the coloring books and we went to town!

I started coloring in a color by number book and Emma got interested. Hummm, teachable moment? I think YES! I tore out a picture from the book for her and proceeded to tell her to color all the "ones" "yellow", all the "twos" "orange", and so on. I wasn't really paying attention to her, but when she was done she said, "Look Mommy all the numbers are colored"... THIS is what I saw..

**I forget, sometimes, how literal kids are**

I made sure I told her good job and then I showed her how she was supposed to do it.. Here is a picture with all 3 of our masterpieces....

 

**I was hoping for cooler temps so I thought I would do a "Christmas in July" picture**

***Side Note: it DIDN'T work!!!!***

Fun Night At the Rice Box

So, Tucker and Becca came over last night with their adorable little girls, Cambria and Tavin. As soon as the door opened, Courtlynn said, "That's Tavin, her's in my Sunday School class!" We had no idea they were even in the same class. The kiddos play so well and it gave the adults time to talk. We had a hot dog buffet that I thought was pretty good and some good ole mac and cheese. After dinner the kiddos went outside and played while the grownups had some quiet time.

We finished off the night with the yummy White Chocolate Oreo Brownie Goodness (for the adults) and Popsicles for the kiddos. I would say that last night was a hit and I can't wait to get back together with them!

Recipe: White Chocolate Oreo Brownie Goodness

White Chocolate Oreo Brownie Goodness

Ingredients:

6 oz Hershey's Cookies 'N' Creme Chocolate bars (if you don't know what that is see picture below after ingredients)

1/2 c butter

1/2 suger

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

7 oz can sweetened condensed milk

3/4 c mini chocolate chips

 

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

Over med/low heat, melt butter, sugar, and candy bars. 

When that is melted, whisk in 2 eggs (lightly beaten) and vanilla. 

Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until completely smooth. 

Pour into a GREASED 9 in round pan.

Bake @ 350 for 20 min.

When it is done, take it out and IMMEDIATELY pour the sweetened condensed milk over the entire thing and then sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Let cool. Bada-Bing Bada-Boom, you have dessert!

It was SUPER rich so a nice glass of milk was perfect!

Enjoy!

Let's See How THIS goes...

To start off... I just LOVE pics of kiddos while they are eating.. I don't know why, but I just do, so here is the kiddos with their lunch Monday afternoon.. Emma was sooo excited that she found "Letters in my name" in her Cheese-Its.

 Okay.. now onto the REAL blog post...

I have felt like since the passing of Branson I haven't really been motivated to do anything. The kids behavior has been off the walls, I've been stressed, and all I want to do is sit on the couch/at the table/at my desk and do computer work or watch TV while they are playing in their playroom or watching cartoons. This HAD TO STOP!! They were getting into trouble because they were doing things they weren't supposed to because they were bored!

Well, I sat down yesterday and wrote out a schedule for the day. This schedule involves getting outside (all of us), going for walks, doing crafts, coloring, story time, and just having fun.. LET ME TELL YOU.... it's EXHAUSTING playing with your kiddos all day long :D

So, when they got up from nap yesterday, they were excited to see that I had something planned special for them. We were doing a "Fizzy" Experiment, as Emma called it. It was super fun and kept them entertained for a good 30-45 min!! SCORE! I found the idea on Pinterest and already had all the stuff to do it at home. All you had to have was baking soda, a pan, vinegar, a medicine dropper and food coloring.. You put the food coloring in the bottom of the pan (I did 2 so there would be no fighting). You then take the vinegar and add the food coloring to it (I did 4 different colors because 1 color is just BORING!) They took the medicine dropper with vinegar in it and squirted it on the baking soda.. WOW... FIZZIES!!!

Here are the kiddos doing their "Fizzy" Experiment...

** I love how Braxton was trying to get into the experiment too!!**

So, that was the trial run of how they would do with craft/experiments.. They did great and they loved it! SCORE.. so, today we have started our schedule. It's been so hard for me to stay off of the computer all day, but I've done pretty well. I've been playing it up with them. First we went outside and played together...

**Emma trying to throw and catch the ball**

***Side Note: thank you to our neighbor for throwing our ball back over the fence sometime between last night and this morning!!***

 

 

**He's so yummy!**

We came in and had a snack and then we did our experiment/craft/whatever you want to call it for the day.. This one is fun, but super messy, which I didn't mind.. You take a bar of Ivory soap and microwave it for 1 min. It gets super big and fluffy. Then you put that in a pan (again I did 2 of these so there were no fighting) and add 1 1/2 c water to it.  After that, you start shredding up CHEAP toilet paper and adding it to the mix. You keep kneading it until it's all mixed together. It becomes this cool, great smelling, mold-able, mess! The girls LOVED it. We were supposed to go on a walk after that and the girls didn't want to clean up, they wanted to continue playing. They played with that stuff for an hour!!!! Check out some of the pics...

 **I love Emma's face in the far right next to the bottom one**

**Bottom second from left, they are waiting on the microwave to beep**

That was fun.. we got cleaned up and had lunch.. (yes, I have another lunch picture!!)...

... and then read one of my favorite children's books before heading to nap time!!

That brings me to now.. I have done 4 loads of laundry and a load of dishes.. I'm pooped! Now I have to go and make a dessert for tonight.. We have friends coming over.. I'll post the pics and recipe once it is done... Till later...

A Week In Meals...

I don't know if anyone is interested or even cares, but I'm going to put my menu online so that I don't forget what I'm making and it will hold me accountable to actually make what I say I'm going to make and not just order a pizza. :)

Monday:
- Crack Potato Casserole
- Fried Zucchini

Tuesday (Becca, Tucker and Kiddos Coming Over for Dinner, YEAH!!!):
- Hot Dog Bar
- Chips
- White Chocolate Oreo Cake

Wednesday:
- Baked Pork Chops
- Yellow Rice
- Cheesy Spinach Bowls

Thursday:
- Chicken Manacotti
- Salad
- French Bread

Friday:
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Rice
- Steamed Broccoli

If you ever want any recipes, let me know.. I love swapping recipes.. Have a yummy week!

Weekend Wrap Up

Wow.. It's been a BUSY weekend! Saturday we hit the flood bright and early.. well, early for me.. and went to the bank, Wal-mart, got my glasses fixed and then went and looked at a potential studio (I blogged about it a little on Saturday). It's perfect!!! It's in a little old house that they have turned into commercial property. They have painted the house blue, has two cute little porches, a porch swing, railing, claw-foot bath tub with flowers in it out front, nice size rooms, and the perfect price. Now we are waiting to see what God tells us to do. The owner wanted an answer by today, but it doesn't look like we will have an answer today (who knows, it could still happen). Right now, we are just going to sit and wait for the answer. It might be next month; it might be next year; it might not be at all, but we are going to sit. If that's where I'm supposed to be, it will be there when God says I'm ready.

Here are a couple of picture I took of the studio.. It kinda looks like just an empty room, but I have a vision for it... it's going to be AWESOME.. oh, and I LOVE the floors!

After looking at the studio we headed out to do some shopping for props. I knew what I had in mind and, for the most part, got everything I was looking for. **Look for CUTE pics of Braxton to be popping up :D** We went to Michaels and Target. We stopped for lunch at Cheddars. Did you know that we can eat at Cheddars for $14!!! A family of 5!! That's cheaper the McDonalds!!! Greg and I split the Chicken Tender wrap (it's HUGE) and the kiddos split the appetizer size chicken tenders. Cheddars gives you such big portions it RIDICULOUS!! The only down side to Cheddars, they don't have kids menus. NOTHING for the kiddos to do while they are waiting for their food. Then it hit me... THANK YOU DISNEY JUNIOR!! I had downloaded the Disney Junior Ap on my iPhone the day before and they have FULL LENGTH episodes of Mickey Mouse Club House, Doc McStuffins, Little Eisteins, and Octonauts. SCORE!

Here are my little minions watching Doc McStuffins while waiting on their food...

 

**Doesn't Courtlynn look THRILLED!?!?! She wanted to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!!**

After Cheddars we headed to Hobby Lobby and Sally's Beauty Supply. By this time the kids were OUT, so Mommy and Daddy got to stop by Bahama Bucks and get a little treat that they didn't have to share.. Bwahahahahaha.. **I know, that's totally mean, but I kinda felt like we were on a mini date. No kiddos in the back ground and getting a treat** We headed home, chilled for a while ('cause we were all pooped now), had dinner (I don't even remember what it was), and went to bed!!!

Sunday:

The alarm clock went off at 7:20am, I hit the snooze.... 7:29, snooze (really? Why do iPhone's snooze go by 9 min)... 7:38, snooze.. finally Greg came to my side of the bed and all but rolled me out of it! We went to Sunday School and church service. We went and got some lunch and then headed to my mom and dad's house to lay the kiddos down. It was kinda weird being there; no one else was there. My dad is in Georgia, my brother was on his way to Kansas, and my mom was visiting my grandma. Anyways, we laid them down for nap and Brenda, my mother in law, and I went to a Tupperware party.. Yes, those things are STILL around. I didn't buy anything, but Brenda did buy these cool bowls that will keep our fruit from going bad. It seems like we throw away more fruit then we actually eat! Anyways, by the time we got out of the party it was 5:00. We went and picked up Greg and the kiddos and headed to Walmart (of course). We got some essentials, toliet paper and paper towels, and headed back to the big 'ole city of Lavon. Mama stopped by on her way home and that's about it. I was sooo tired after this weekend. I wanted to go to bed earlier, but I got caught up in Big Brother on my DVR that I wasn't in bed until well after 10 almost 11.

So, that was my weekend.. It was busy and heat was HORRIBLE, but it was fun. I hope you all had a FABULOUS weekend. :)

I'm going to leave you with a picture that I meant to post on Friday. I went in to get Braxton up from nap, and this is how I found him.. See if you can see the problem in this picture!!!

Rice Box Photography: Studio

I FOUND A STUDIO!!!!

Now Greg and I have to pray about it. It's perfect and less than half the cost!!! I would have a studio and office. Let's pray that this is God's plan for us! Thanks guys and gals!

 

I can't get enough of....

MY BABIES!!!

Here are some pictures I took of them today (clothed) and played around with editing.. I really like this "dusk" look.. well, they aren't professional, just took here at the house, but I want to capture every minute of them. 

I hope you enjoy, if not, I will. :)

 

**Ooops, maybe Courtlynn doesn't have a shirt on yet in this picture.. My bad! 2 out of 3 ain't bad :)**

 

Rice Box Photography: The Searching Continues...

We went and looked at a commercial spot yesterday. It was PERFECT in every way, except..... THE PRICE! BOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually, it was a wonderful price for the space, IF you could afford it! <<<<---- Not me!

So, we continue to look. We are going to go to Rockwall today and maybe find a place there. I know what I want, I have a vision, I just have to find it!

Anybody have a rich relative that wants to invest in a new business? No, well, I thought I would try..

Until next time....

Wow, What a Morning...

2:00 am.... Greg is flipping and flopping in the bed and wakes me up... "Go check your blood suger." (we went through this the night before btw!!) Of course, it was low. Nothing a little DP and a poptart won't  fix...

2:15 am.... Back in bed...

3:30 am.... I'm up.. throwing up.. BLAH... **sorry, I know, mental picture**

between 3:30 and 6:30 up 3 times to get sick!

6:45 am.... Courtlynn wakes me up

7:45 am... (this is where it gets REALLY good, blah)... I smell something.. It's hidious! I try looking for the dog, because she's the ONLY one in the house that can make that kinda smell. She's in Braxton's room (side note: it's so cute, she doesn't leave his side here lately. His little guard dog!!).. I look high and low and even in the play cottage for poo.. NOWHERE.. Then, from my sweet little boy, who is still in bed, I hear, "Poo Poo, ewww" I go over to his bed and the smell hits me like a ton of bricks and his hands have dried poo on them.. Okay, I'll skip the rest (it was GREAT!!) and just say that he went straight to the bath. THIS is how my morning is going.. but hey, at least Emma slept until 9:20 and the girls are being good..

Here is Mr. B after I got his hands washed up, right before the diaper change, and shortly before the bath!

 

**Look how happy he looks of himself**

And this is how I found my sweet girls after B's bath.. aren't they so flippin cute!?!?!?! (btw, Corina, if you are reading this, I have Kaylee's pillow and blanket!!)

**See they love each other, every once in a while**

Another side note: I promise my children aren't always naked! Looking back on the last couple of posts, they are half clothed! They like sleeping without shirts on, and sometimes most of the time, I just let them stay like that if we aren't going anywhere.. Hey, don't judge, it saves on laundry! :)

Have a bless day!