A NEW Camera!

I plan on getting a SLR... someday. For now, I got myself the Sony H9. Huge zoom, it does an awesome job in low light situations, and I just love it! It is an upgrade from my Sonny S85 (which I very much miss! I am still thinking about picking one up for a back-up off of ebay)
ANYWAY, here are some shoots I have taken since I got my new camera! YAY!
(And with this, I am ALMOST caught up!!)

Is this some zoom, or WHAT! SOOOO cool! (A visitor to one of our trees)

My little Missy... (Miss Scarlet, Miss Cora... whichever-they all work!)

My big man!! He is growing sooooo fast!
Something about this picture makes my heart happy... I love my kids!

(Not bad for a SLR-like camera!)

Catchin' up!!

OK-to catch up... and keep it in order (I still hope to do a "Blurb" book someday!)
Please scroll down to the beginning of the last post! Then it'll be "in order"!

I promise to keep up!!
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New Years Eve!!
Unlike Christmas, we had a low key New Years Eve with our friend Anne coming over for dinner!It was fun! I baked a cake, that then got stuck in the pans (I SWEAR I used oil!!) But determined to have dessert on New Year's Eve, we "salvaged" the cake. ("I can't spread the frosting on this cake! It is falling apart!!" I said. "Put the frosting in the microwave" Anne replied. OHHHHH, I thought!
We saw a scrapbooking page...
"Friends don't let friends bake drunk!" OK, so I wasn't drunk, but the cake made it look like I must have been! LOL!



We finally got a picture in front of the tree as a family this year! For some reason, we missed it last year! The big shocker for me, is that we never went to go see Santa and get a picture with him!!! WOW! Major Mom ball dropping there! This is the first year I did take them!! Yikes!

I had to include a few snow pictures! I will try to have more single pictures-but I can't help but share LOTS of photos, especially for those who visit that don't get to see the kids very much!
But this particular snow day-it was SO beautiful! It snowed for HOURS! I had to get a few shots in!

Christmas is always a blast! Wehave our traditions. The kids can't go out into the family room until they come get us. I get eh camera, and head in so I am ready for their entry. USUALLY their Santa gift is out of the packaging and on the hearth. But this year Santa wrapped his presents. They get one present from Santa, and two from us (three total-if it's good enough for Jesus...) and their stockings, of course! They get so much from the Grandparents too, they are hardly deprived! They sit in their places (each has their own spot) and we distribute presents (Gavin helps, seeing as he is the oldest-though Gabriel has helped now too) and we take turns-everyone opens one, but at the same time. The kids anyway. I am too busy taking pictures! After a wonderful morning playing with all the new stiff (there is the stuff from Grandma Sue from the night before too!) We head off to Grandpa Don's and Grandma Dinah's for more family fun! As usual, we are horribly blessed! We always get too much, and have a wonderful time!

Oh MY GOSH!!

(scroll down to the end for "chronological order")

Christmas Eve!
We had a blast! Jerry's parents come over, with about 16 relatives! There was a lot of food, a lot of wine, and a lot of fun! Grandma Sue and Grandpa Jerry came over before everyone else to unwrap presents. After everyone got there and ate, we played games! This family is SERIOUS about their games! I laughed SO hard! The last of the family left after midnight, and we still had to get ready for Christmas morning! I love this tradition we have started! This is the second year that all of Jerry's family has come for Christmas Eve, and I look forward to it next year!!

The last days of school before Christmas,
there were parties in each room. Bad Mommy forgot the camera on Gavin's party day (I was in charge of the game and craft, and got flustered! LOL!)
But Gabriel's party was fun too... They made Reindeer out of bananas and pretzels and chocolate chips (Thanks Angie!) and played Christmas bingo (they yelled out "Jesus" instead of "Bingo"" It was very fun!) Cora got to join Gabriel's class, since I was helping with this party too, and she doesn't have preschool until the afternoon! Fun for all!

Gavin gets the WOW award for Trustworthiness!
We are so proud! With so many boys in his class, it has been a challenge to keep everyone "in line" let's say! It is very tempting. He got the reward because he can be trusted to behave when he goes to other classes-and behaves as Mrs. Ellinger asks of him when she is not with their class (which isn't as easy as it sounds-it would be more fun to wrestle! LOL! ) He was so proud! It was so sweet to see! He takes the WOW award very seriously, and couldn't wait to see if he had won! :) (I couldn't resist the newpaper slide!)

Heritage Christan School Christmas Program:
Gavin was so dang cute this year too!
We are so proud of him! He did a wonderful job!
We just love our little school!
The music teacher did a fantastic job with the kids!
Afterwards we got pictures by the tree on stage (second year of our tradition)
There is that love hate thing with the camera again! Ugh!
Then Alicia's mom (here from California) couldn't help herself, and helped with serving the punch afterwards! Thank you! It was a festive night-many blessings!!

Scrapaganza's Christmas party!
We had a great time. Food, laughter, an ornament exchange (more laughter)...

Had to add this last ice picture... the sun coming though the ice on the trees was stunning!

More ice, more beauty!!

The first ice storm... so beautiful!

I don't care what everyone says-if it is cold, there might as well be snow! I love snow! I get all excited when it starts to snow! I love being "snowed in"! (I am also grateful to have a wonderful neighbor that is willing to help dig us out with is little plow!) I love how excited the kids get when it snows! Here are pictures of Gavin that I took during our first significant snow!

Gabriel (3 day a week preschool) was a crow in the their class chapel performance!
How cute are they!! They did a great job! Mrs. Schadel is SO wonderful!! I included that blurred picture-I am sure that is what it must feel like some days-a blur! Thank you Mrs. Schadel!!! We love you!

Now keep in mind, I for the all of December, was borrowing my friend Alicia's camera (Thanks Alicia!!) and even thought I am UBER grateful to her for her kindness (VERY) I have a love/hate relationship with her camera! Love, because I had a camera that are darn computer would read the USB, hate, because that thing HATES low light, and it is hard not to get a indoor or lower light picture without blur. I was SO spoiled with my SOny S85, that took GREAT pictures in low light!
ANYWAY, the quality of my picture taking doesn't reemurge until I get my new Sony H9! (In Janurary!)

Something funny in the mean time!

HOW has it been so long since I posted???
But until I can get a chance to post the highlights of the last month...
...a little light entertainment! (click the link below)

Three Little Elves!

My class! YAY!

My first class, independent of "club"-and the first of two dates
SOLD OUT-and the other one has just a few spaces left!
If you want something fun and productive to do {after you go shopping}
the day after Thanksgiving (4pm-6pm), come make these layouts with ME! :)
All three for $15 at Scrapaganza!!!
Thanks for looking!

Dressing up and more dressing up!!

We have had a FUN week! It started with "Dress like a book character" day at school (Halloween alternative)! TOO fun! Then there was "Boo at the Zoo". They decided not to wear their Halloween costumes, but instead grabbed costumes from the dress-up bin! Too funny!
We also went to "Scarecrow Shenanigans" at the family museum (forgot the camera that day!!) and they decorated cookies, ate popcorn, rode the hay-rack ride, and ran around playing in the museum-they had a little bit of a haunted area. Cora did NOT like that part!
Then there was trick or treating... I got some WONDERFUL pictures. Too bad someone stole my camera out of my car that night. Ugh. So here are a couple from our good friend Alicia, who ironically had blurry pictures that night. {sigh} I will have to get the kids into costume one more time for another group shot in their actual Halloween garb!

Enjoy!

The spendor of fall!

This is our third annual photo shoot at Scott County park... here are the pictures I took- raw, no software added-what you see is what you get. But I think they came out great!!

In addition are a few tree shots from across the road. These trees always put on quite a show each year!

Thanks for looking!

Great Grandma visits!

Grandpa Jerry's Mom, Mona, came for a long visit this last month! The kids got a chance to see her, and I am sure they were very entertaining! I am sure there is a story or two that she will go home with. :)
We'll miss you Grandma Mona! I hope you enjoy the pictures!
Now if we could only keep Grandpa Jerry lookin' at the camera!

And ya think kids are hard to photograph!!

It is always great to have family visit from out of town!

You'll be missed!

I am bummed I missed the going away dinner-there were like 23 crazy Smith's (or relatives of) at Azteca!! YIKES!
Hope you tipped well! :)

Gavin's class leads Chapel

I just can't tell ya just how very much I love our school!
It has heart. I just does.
God is present there, and we are very blessed.
Gavin's class did a little skit, and collected the offering.
Gavin did great at his parts, a grasshopper and
he "made it snow". :)
Just sweet!

Happy Birthday Cora!!

We just had a little get together at our friends home, and then at Grandma Sue's house.
I just can't believe you are five Cora! I want to say that you have grown so much... you have grown, but your still our little peanut!
I think Cora had a great time with family and friends!
Thanks Grandma Dinah, and Grandpa Don, too, for those awesome presents you sent!
And to Aunt Jill too!

Pump It Up

I mentioned our visit my last post, and wanted to share these fun pic's!
The kids had a BLAST! Gavin has a couple days off because the teachers have a conference, so we took advantage of Pump It Up's "free jump" time for 2-6 year olds! BOY, did they have fun!! ANd so did I! It was the BEST work out! I went on it all! We all had such a fun time playing! Our friend Jack Ellison was with us too!!

OH MY GOODNESS!!

Has it been a month?? Welll I better give some highlights!!
We had a pre-school field trip To Effie's Flower Farm... they made apple cider and got to taste it... the kids got to pet a chicken and a duck, they had homemade cookies, and they all got a fresh cut flower! The kids had fun making the cider and of course eating cookies! What a cute pack of 4 year olds!

The kids, Jerry and I went to my Dads house... the kids always enjoy a visit to Grandpa Don's and Grandma Dinah's!! I am not sure who likes the Mac -n- Cheese more, Gavin, or Grandpa!!

We went to Pump It Up today! It just opened in Eldridge, and they have a free jump time from 10am-11:30am for 2-6 year olds. The kids had a BLAST, and I will admit it, I did too!! BOY was I tired! LOL!

We are so busy at the store (Scrapaganza) New classes, new projects, and some EXCITING announcements coming soon! If I wasn't sworn to secrecy, I would blab!! LOL!

I'll try my darnedest to update sooner!!