Be on the lookout

for BLOGS

Coming soon!!!!
Taylor's Birthday (seriously... I mean it this time)
Maddie's Crawling (woohoo)
Maddie's first tooth (6 months earlier than her sister and what it means for a nursing mama!)
Sick, sicker, and sickest (my poor babies, all 3 of them)
Summer Fun (what has been and what is yet to come)

Now that I've made them public, I'll be more inclined to actually get them done! Hopefully!

Florida... Finally

Okay, I'm warning you, there are a TON of pictures. Enjoy.
Taylor's all set and ready to head out!

These two pictures were honestly taken about 30 seconds apart.

Taylor saying CHEESE.

She had made herself a little tent!

What happens when we stay up way to late in a way to tiny car.

What time we arrived in Florida... AM

The ocean!

Nice leg Chris!!! Anyone notice that Maddie is EATING the sand?

Maddie chillin, trying to stay out of direct sunlight. I love that leg up in the air.

taylor buried daddy

Daddy buried taylor

one of my favorite pictures from the whole trip

We were shopping at a few stores, and maddie was peaking at me through some shelves.

the bridge from Okaloosa Island to Destin

These doors cracked me up! I probably think they're alot funnier than they really are.

The fishing boats would come in and just start hacking up the fish right there on the sidewalk. It was NASTY.

She wouldn't smile, but she'd do this!

Chris likes this one of Maddie.

for those who love the office ~ this is the beach we were at before.

The only pic of all of us facing the same direction... chris wouldn't let me ask someone to take our pic... he thought they'd steal our camera.

I love this pic.

We were on the bridge from destin back to okaloosa island. I guess there's a bit of a sand bar out there. boats were just parking or docking or whatever and the people would get out and walk around the boats. It was weird looking.

on our way home we went to the Air Force museum.

our favorite plane there...


on our way back home, more tan and relaxed... actually burned and hurting... look at my neck... yes I was that red. I blistered up pretty bad. I'm STILL peeling.

Chris's new favorite drink... tastes a bit like dr pepper but not as sweet.

Okay... so on the way back home, taylor was coloring on her magnadoodle. She tells me and chris that she's drawing a bug... okay. Then she says she drawing a dog. Alright... We didn't pay much attention. Til I looked back and saw this... HOLY COW... she DREW a BUG and a DOG!!! my first thoughts were "GENIUS!" "She's gonna be an artist like her daddy and mamie and grandma!" She's funny about drawing. I don't think I've really seen anything quite like this since... But she does draw mickey mouse with one large circle for the head and two smaller once for the ears. It's cute. Oh, and she can write out a T. We've been working on her name.

more on taylor and maddie later. I"m going to do a birthday update for taylor (atlast) and a 9 month update for maddie soon. There will be LOTS more pics. Gotta love it. Anyways... We all LOVE florida and can't wait to go back. I would like to before the end of the year, but with us trying to get a house, it may not work. Depends on if I can get a day job too. We'll see. :) We will definately be going back at some point to Fort Walton Beach. It was AWESOME. the perfect anniversary gift to ourselves.

A few thoughts

from the last few days...

It is just wrong for a child to pass away. It's just wrong. And hard to see. Children are meant to grow old. But some are too precious and special to be left in this world.

It's been bugging me that the world just seems to keep on going when such a special person is gone from it. That went away yesterday while we were driving to the cemetary. Seeing all those people pulled over on the side of the road, stopped for Charlie, made me feel so much better about things. The world did stop for him, even if it was just for a few minutes and only on the way to the cemetary.

You have to laugh to keep from crying. It's not disrespectful, it's a way to cope. It's a way to remember such a wonderful life... My reasons for laughing: Getting ready for the wake, I got Taylor and Maddie ready first. While I was fixing my hair, Taylor got baby powder all over herself and Madison. There are pictures... but I don't know where they are right now. Another reason... At the funeral, taylor was being her usual self and wouldn't be still or quiet. I finally had enough and stood up to walk her out of the chapel. Only thing was, I had a strapless dress on (covered up with a sweater) and the top of my dress was at the bottom of my rib cage. Taylor had squirmed so much in my lap, it had slipped down without me knowing. I walked through the chapel, the overflow, and half the gym before I noticed it. Hopefully, not too many others did.

There is a plan for everyone of us. It is amazing what just a few little acts of kindness and love can accomplish. There have been 4 times in my life that I know I did what I was meant to do then. Meeting the Sandstrom boys and falling in love with them was one of them. The other three are marrying Chris, and having Taylor and Maddie.

Prayer is one of the most powerful tools we have. I don't know how else to put it other than that. And it is AMAZING what can be accomplished when we use it the right way.

Charlie's brothers told their mom and dad that they knew why his body was so cold. They said his soul was what made him warm. It's amazing to me the truth that little kids understand. I wish I understood all of this like they did. But I do have faith in the plan of salvation, and it may not be anywhere near perfect, but it's good enough for me for now.

A rough day

One of the sweetest little boys I've ever known passed away yesterday. Charlie (Alex) Sandstrom was a little boy so full of life and joy. He was always trying to give you something, whether it was his new toy, or some his special "origami." He loved to put smiles on others faces and he usually had one on his. He was always trying to negotiate, even if he wanted what was offered. I can hear his little voice saying "How bout this?"

It is AMAZING to me that a little boy who had been through so much could be so sweet and loving. For those who don't know, I first met Charlie when I was his younger brother Jo's daycare teacher. When I heard that DCS would be splitting up Jo, Charlie, and their older brother Sidney, It broke my heart and I told my parents about it. My wonderful mom and dad took these boys in to keep them together. After years in and out of state custody and in and out of foster homes, they'd found a real home. These little boys were such a joy to my family.

A few years ago, They found their mom and dad. It had a been a long, hard road, especially for three little boys, but they were troopers and waited patiently for their parents. When they all found each other, you couldn't help but notice a change in the boys. They immediately loved their mom and dad. It wasn't easy for their parents either. After years of abuse, both by parents, grandparents and DCS, the boys had their issues. But their new mom and dad have worked with them and loved them with all their hearts. There are no better behaved boys anywhere. There are no cuter little men anywhere.

These boys have touched SO many lives. For me personally, they were my first glimpse of what a parent feels. I'm SO very proud to call them my brothers. I'm grateful my little girls have got such great uncles. I'm grateful I had any part in their lives, and I'm humbled to have had anypart of these little angels.

It is a very sad day here without Charlie, but I know he's with his Heavenly Father. He's in a place where no one can ever hurt him again. He's in a place where he can watch over and protect his brothers.

Our hearts go out to Charlie's parents. Our thoughts, prayers, and tears are with you. Tomorrow, Chris and I will be fasting for Charlie's mom and dad and brothers. I would appreciate it if y'all would keep them in your thoughts and prayers also.

On a Much happier note, We've got a new nephew. Our new nephew Cole Thatcher Neely was born this afternoon weighing 8lbs, 10oz and is 20 inches long. He's a cutie. And we're so glad he's here now. :)

It's been a rough day, going from one extreme to the other emotionally. But it only strengthens my testimony of my Father in Heaven and his love and plan for us. I'm so grateful to have the gospel in my life at times like these. It truly is a great blessing.

****Just a note, Charlie was in an accident on a farm. He wasn't sick. It is a Terrible Tragedy. It's been on both channel 4 and 5 news. He's one of the two children who died in rutherford county on memorial day.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to work I go

That's right... I'm going back to work! At first, I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. After all, the girls are my number 1 priority and if I'm not here to take care of them who will? Oh, yeah... Chris! :) I'm going to try nanny-ing for a little bit. See how that works. If I don't like it, I may try to find a good mother's day out or something like it that I could take the girls to also. But nannying pays almost twice as much as most other jobs I could get right now. So hopefully I don't hate it. I will only be nannying in the evenings and on the weekends, so the girls will be here with Chris. We will be crossing paths on the road though, so they'll be here with Grandma or a babysitter for like 30 minutes. I'm excited to be contributing to our family budget instead of only taking away from it. And I'm excited that we'll be able to get a house faster. I'd do just about anything to get a home! So... Off to work I go.

COMING SOON

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAYLOR-Blog

I just haven't been in the mood to post. And It's hard to fake it. So when I'm feeling all "Yay! My daughter is 2" Then I'll post it. Til then... it maybe a little quiet here on my blog. Maybe it'll come after her Party!

For anyone who'd like to come, i think we'll be having it here on Sunday night at Chris's Parents. If you want more info, let me know. til then...

5 years...

And two kids later, He still is the man of my dreams. I'm so lucky to have found him. And I love being married to him. He always makes me laugh. And I love goofing off with him. I'm having so much fun with him right now in Florida. I don't want to ever go back. I love him so much. He's perfect for me in everyway!

I love you Handsome... Happy Anniversary (a day late.)

My best friend

These are my favorite pair of jeans. They've been with me along time. I think I got them when I first started working at the Picture People (04.)

When you're taking pictures of little kids, you're always on your knees, so the knees began to wear out. In the past 5 years, the knees have just simply unraveled!

These jeans have fit me on my skinny days, they've fit me when I'm 9 months pregnant. I have a bond with these jeans like no other. (Actually i had another pair of jeans similar to these, but chris made an ugly comment about them and I pitched a fit and threw them away. I'll always miss those jeans!) These jeans have been through alot with me.

Here's purple paint from the girls bedroom.

Here's deck stain from when I helped chris and john stain John's deck when i was pregnant with taylor.

I'm not getting rid of my jeans, they could crumple into heaps of thread, and I couldn't get rid of them. I love them. :) So, I decided earlier this year that when it got warm enough, I'd cut off the bottoms. I HATE my short stubby legs, so I usually wear pants, no matter the weather. This is a big deal for me. But I did it.

I cut them. And I don't think they look too bad.

And yes, I'm slightly bow legged! :)

Now, my only problem is deciding what to make out of the bottoms... A purse? A crochet bag? Any ideas beyond that?