Holy Guacamole Batman..

So with the first signs of "true SPring" (it's Texas people - we have our own seasons) my hubby and I thought that it would be good to get all of the leaves in the yard raked up and a few flowers planted (note - we hadn't done this in the 3 years that we have lived here).  Well after doing 20 bags on our own - we decided to call it a day.  Darren contracted (or hoodwinked if you asked me) his part-time employee/friend Adam to come a rake the rest on Wednesday.  After a few hours Adam informed Darren that he had run out of bags (82 - 30 gallon trash bags folks)  I came home to find a HUGE pile of bags in my driveway. So okay -we got the place cleaned up but what the frick are we going to do will all the bags I ask?  Yesterday Darren calls me to say that Adam found a lady that wanted them - ALL of them. She, her husband and a friend came by today with a trailer - and much to my amazement loaded and took the whole thing.  Needless to say - we won't be letting the leaves go by the wayside and literally get snowed under again. 

No snow--this is the kind of "drifts" and "banks" I have to deal with.

The 140+ bags that ended up in my driveway.

Darren and Nat as a frame of reference.

It just keeps getting better and better....

So I have apparently gone a little click happy with all of the "stuff" on my page...Twitter, RSS feeds, links -- but they just make it too darn easy to add things - to the point that I am sure that it is a sensory overload for anyone who visits.  Not to fear - I will scale it down a bit once i have decided what elements I truly like -- so bare with me as I explore my options.  I only do it to better the experience of my visitor (well not really...I'm just a very curios cat - and you know what they say about that...)

Memories...

Natalie (a day old)

Nat the day we came home from the hospital

Nat at age two.

It was 2 years ago yesterday that my sweet baby girl finally got to come home from the hospital.  We were in the PICU at Children's hospital (the old one) in Austin for 17 days.  Nat was born with a heart defect called transposition of the greater arteries (TGA) - we joke that her plumbing was just a little wrong and it had to be fixed.  It was a long two and a half weeks.  She had her first procedure done when she was a day old and then had open heart surgery  at a week old.  This time of year always makes me feel a little somber - remembering all of the chaos and angst, but it also makes me feel incredibly thankful that we have such an amazing GOD watching over us - he truly took care of us then and shows us everyday how powerful he is, in every one of her cute little smiles.

Oh what a night....

So Amy and I went out for a super fun night shoot last night.  Goofing around with different lighting and what not - it was a blast!  We both played model and her hubby Matt was our lighting guy - he even got in on a few of the shots (he was super cool for helping us out  - they are such a great couple)....And it makes me realize that I SO need to practice with dark settings. We both agreed that we need to go out and do it again, but for now - here are a few pics for you.

a creepy old tree

my favorite car

sunset

Amy (she'll probably kill me for posting this)

SPAMALOT = HaHaHa...

My mother-in-law got us (all of the girls) tickets to go see Spamalot.  And I thought it was hilarious.  I would definitely go see it again.  My S-I-L Amy and would just look at each other and crack up over some of the lines they said.  And inspite of being under the weather - it was well worth the trip to Austin.  The cast even worked in an "Eyes of Texas" tribute for Austinites (actually they did it twice - and the second time the whole crowd got into singing it - even as an Aggie - I thought it was great). So if you ever get a chance to go see it take it.

TGIF...

All I can say is Wohoo!!!  This has just been one of those weeks at work that you could really do without.  Not to mention my two year old has been waking up at 2 am for the last three nights and crawling in bed with us - so I'm running on minimal amounts of sleep.  Fortunately I only have one thing on my agenda tomorrow - a quick photo shoot at 9 am that should only last an hour or so.  I am really looking forward to a long afternoon nap - especially if the weather stays all rainy and cold outside.

I have to admit....

My profile photo was ganked from my uber talented Sister-In-Law Amy's blog page.  I did a little tweaking but she is the true talent.  I highly urge any of you who are interested in some new photos to check her out at Amy Blackburn Photography.  Her slogan is "You. With a twist" and that is sooo true.  She's got a way of bringing out the best in you and is super fun when it comes to a session.  She is even kind enough to let me tag along to some sessions to observe. I'd like to think that we'd be friends even if we weren't family.

A Daughter's Journey...

I have been following the blog of Scarlett Lillian lately and what a journey she has been through.  Her father recently passed away after a battle with cancer.  And I am in awe and amazement at the strength that she exudes, the courage she has to share such intimate moments, all in her beautifully talented way.  If you haven't already visited her site take a look - just make sure you have a kleenx ready.

Out Sick - Kind of...

So this is my second day this week that I am out from work due to a sick kiddo.  One might think that this wouldn't be so bad - a day off, daytime TV watching, sleeping in late...however a child with Strep nixes a lot of that.  We were up at 3 am and then again at 5:30 am - so no sleeping late.  Daytime TV is only good if you get to watch something besides Dora, SpongeBob or the Backyardigans.  And as for the "day off" - well I am more tired after a day with a cranky kid and trying to work intermittently from home - than the busiest day at work.

Hopefully the antibiotics will kick in - and the fever will subside and life can get back to normal.

I will say - that I did get to spend a little more time blog surfing - but I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.