Sunday, December 25, 2011

Photo of the Week - Week 41 - Girl Day


Week 41 of 52

Location:  Florence, AZ
Subject:  Mother-Daughter-Sister-Aunt-Daughter-Niece-Cousin Day

Yep, long title.  But it is THEEEE most awesome day.  I miss being so close to my sisters and nieces.  It was great spending the day with them and doing a little photo shoot.  As usual, serious pictures were quickly abandoned.  These are better anyway, they show the true us.  These pictures are courtesy of my big sis.  Enjoy!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Arizona or Bust!

Today is the day.  Seems like it took forever to get here but today finally arrived and now we sit and wait for Rachel to get off work so we can hit the road and head to Arizona.

As always, complications have arisen!  Yesterday I took a break from packing and checking off the list to check e-mails and whatnot.  Oh yeay, there is a HUGE storm covering most of our travel route.  Snow.  Lots and lots of snow.  So now I am nervous about the drive, nervous about other drivers on slippery roads.  Good news is this morning it looks as though it is breaking up and more rain than they expected instead of snow.  Whew!  But that just added to the getting prepared.  Making sure we have blankets and warmers in the car just in case.

And starting Saturday my little guy decides to be sick.  Not just sniffly nose sick, full blown, high fever, nasty throat sick.  The kind of sick where he doesn't really move all day.  My poor baby.  I hate when any of them are sick.  This morning as I woke him up in the wee hours to administer more medication he started to cry.  When I asked him what was wrong he said "I don't feel any better than I did yesterday."  I tried consoling him, telling him getting better takes time but it didn't work.  Tears kept flowing.  Finally he said "I want to go to Arizona!"  His dad was joking with him yesterday that if he didn't get better he would just have to stay home with him.  I guess he took him seriously and was really upset thinking he would have to stay home.

So this evening we will hit the road with a sick child and worries about what lies ahead of us on the interstates.  *sigh*  what fun is a roadtrip that goes perfectly as planned right?  Yeah right!

Wish us well and we will see you all in a few days!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Naked Trees - Week 40 Photo of the Week


Week 40 of 52

Location:  Somewhere along the Natchez Trace in Tennessee
Subject:  Naked Trees

That's all we got around here.  Naked trees.  Or tree skeleton's.  This is definitely not my favorite time of year.  Everything is just, well, blah!  All the leaves are gone, the air is cold, but no snow.  What good is cold if you don't have snow?  Next week we will be in Arizona.  Hopefully by the time we get back there will be snow.  The kids will be so happy.  They are so afraid we won't have any snow this year.  Silly kids, it will be here soon enough and then they will be tired of it and begging for spring.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Photo of the Week - Week 39 - Flowers


Week 39 of 52

Location:  Mecosta, MI
Subject:  Flower

I know, I know, technically this is supposed to be week 40.  But I skipped out last week and I really am just in no mood to make it up to you all.  So we will just say this is week 39 and we shall all be happy.  I declare it and so it shall be!

I really did not have my camera out much these last couple of weeks.  I did a little mini photo shoot with A. and her buddy but there was snow on the ground, it was freezing, and well just in general it was not a good day so I haven't gotten around to having them "approve" any of them so I can post for you all to see.

Today we were all grumbling that it is cold but there is no snow to have fun in to go along with that cold.  So we are back-tracking a little to at least bring you this happy little summer flower all sprinkled with a little summer rain.  I miss the flowers!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Let the List Making Begin!

Are you a list maker?  I am, like a crazy, mad woman, I totally am.  So in light of all the crazy that has now become normal around here, I have lists.  Everywhere. 

Arizona trip is officially two weeks away.  YIKES and YEAY all at the same time.  But that also means more lists.  List of clothes for children to pack, list of don't forgets, list of items that can go in the car, list of items that must stay in the trunk, list of things to get done before we go, list of what we want to do when we get there, list of important people to visit while we are there.  See what I mean - lists!  Ugh!  On a side note, when I began the list making for the AZ trip I almost put "Michigan Trip".  So weird that I am doing things in reverse now.  So totally weird.

And with winter now here (although kids are complaining because we are into December and still do not have mentionable snow) that means work has slowed down a little for Cameron so that means work begins again on our house.  So that means another list.  Two actually.  One for items that need to be finished up and another for work that needs to begin.  Oh wait, three, I also have a list started for materials we need to do all said work.

Lists, lists, lists, story of my life.  I have always been a list maker.  Helps me stay focused on what I need to do and also helps me feel like I accomplished something when I see all those items crossed off.  You know when you have those days when you do a thousand little things but then at the end of the day it feels like you haven't really accomplished much?  Write them down, cross them off, then you can look back and say "Whew, look at all those things I did today!"

It used to drive Cameron nuts that I made lists.  Until he found them beneficial.  Until he decided one guy trip to tell me not to make him a list.  Then came back stating all the stuff that he forgot.  Now Cameron is a list maker too.  Well more like a list dictator.  He dictates and I make the list.  The kids caught the bug too.  When I am cleaning I find little lists all over the place.  A whole family of list making monsters I have created!

Happily my list today is steadily being checked off, but I needed a break, so I came to check up on blog land and see what was happening in the big wide world.  And now I am off to get back to those lists.  Can not wait to see you all in a couple of weeks.