7 & 5

How are they already 7 and 5?!?!?!

Just the 3 of us

Someone is 5!

I was lucky enough to snap a few photos of her just after her birthday party!

Good Morning Moon

Folsom Lake

I had a family session with some awesome friends out at Folsom Lake and I brought the kiddos along.  The lake is at it's lowest in a very long time so it makes for a LOT of beaches all around.  So gorgeous there at dusk.

Annual Park Bike Ride

Before we had kids Mike and I were at this park daily walking the dog.  Then along came Cole and I was still here daily with Cole and the dog.  Once Siena came along I had to stop coming because Cole refused to sit in a stroller.  So even though I am still at this park daily (actually twice a day during the week to drop Cole off at school) this was one of the first times we took both kids with bikes.

Cole lapped us at lightening speed and rode 11 laps ( 5 1/2 miles) while Mike and I walked with Siena while she completed 2 laps or 1 mile.

Here she is taking a "break"




waiting for Cole to arrive

Around the house

Cole loves to work in his workbooks.  This kid loves school and I am so thankful there has not been 1 day that he hasn't wanted to go to school!

Little peanut is a bit addicted to Curious George.....

2014

Well here we are again.  Another year and another realization that I am light years behind on my own personal blog, photos and photobooks.  I feel guilty about this.  In fact it kind of makes me sick to my stomach when I think about the last book i made was in 2008.  :-(

2013 exhausted me.  Mostly the second half of it.  Of course we are though the bulk of the stress and are just tying up the loose ends of a MAJOR remodel and I know 2014 (at least the second half) will be much easier on us.

A few goals I have for this year are designed to help me document our life better and not be so stressed out over everything else.


1.  blog at least once a week on the family blog
2. dedicate a day to just work on my personal stuff
3.  blog from my phone more (i kind of feel instagram is like doing this but I'd like to have it all one place too)
4.  focus on myself/family first and clients second.  This means making time in the day to actually exercise.
5.  create office hours and stick to them.  They might be odd hours but that's what going to have to work so I can take care of my family
6. take photos of the kids every single day.  It is not that hard to keep a camera with me.  My kids don't dress like they are in a magazine.  They are kids who get dirty and I just have to accept that some of those daily photos will have bed head, boogers, and dirty fingernails.
7.  Manage my business time better so I can stay caught up (no facebook and pinterest during work hours unless it's for work display)
8.  eat out less, cook more.  I have an amazing new kitchen.  I need to use it.
9.  stop extending myself past what I can do.

Today I wrote out 5 daily schedules starting from 6am to 10pm and holy crap when you actually write it all out I began to realize I have no idea how I manage 3 different jobs (full time photography, very part time veterinary hospital management, and of course my number 1 job as a wife and mom running this house.   I think the schedules will help keep me on track as far and not going crazy and they will change monthly based on sports, school, etc.....

10.  try stress over things.  people understand if you just explain the situation.  Sometimes it just seems like excuses but shit happens.
11.  have more fun with the kids.  do more activities.  take them more places.
12.  NEVER live in a remodel again.  holy cow that has been one of the most stressful and time consuming things we have ever done


I may add to this list as I think of more things but this is it for now.

Siena goes horseback riding

Siena's first time riding a horse without Grandpa walking Dulce!









Cole is hunting bad guys while Siena rides

Bear Cowl

When I have some free time I have been crocheting Siena fun hats.  This is a bear cowl (minus the ears).  She's not too fond of it.

Testing the front porch light

Pretty sure the new porch will have amazing light!

Earthquake of 2013

(i'd give photo credit if I knew where it came from - got it off facebook)


Yes it's true.  We had an earthquake.  2 actually.  And Mike didn't feel either one.  I've felt two quakes since living here and many more in my lifetime and Mike has still not felt one.  This earthquake was a 5.7 and centered in the Greenville area (near Susanville and the cabin).  Fun little shaky shake!


From facebook:

"Woke up Cole this morning and told him we had 2 earthquakes last night. His response was "did anything fall off the walls?" I told him no and he said "oh, that's good" and went on his way. There were adults whining on tv over a few cereal boxes that fell of the shelf! ;-)"

Foothill Root Farms

Just this year a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) has started in Meadow Vista.  It has been started my a guy Mike went to high school with and his wife on the Simpson Ranch.  We opted not to buy in this year, assuming we were going to have our massive garden.  And that's not happening.  Boo. 

Luckily on Thursdays they are selling produce at the farm from 3-7!  If I get there early enough then at least we can get some fresh produce! This time around we got butter lettuce, carrots, cilantro, and turnips.  The gorgeous fresh eggs came from my boses chickens.  YUMMY!

There's an awesome old covered bridge on the ranch too!

Cole's first book

Cole wrote and designed his frist book!

"All about T-rex's"

It reads from right to left instead of like a normal book.  :-)  The only help he had was with spelling, if he asked.

Snake.   T-Rex is eating Triceratops

T-Rex is Big

Dinosaurs are cool

The Dinosaur

T-Rex is cool

Cole is running from T-Rex

T-Rex

Jeep is cool

T-Rex is awesome

T-Rex like to eat

Allosaurus is cool

T-Rex is eating me

T-Rex is dead

Triceratops is dead  (see the giant asteroid falling from the sky!)

Oviraptor

T-Rex killed King Cobra

King Cobra is dead

The end

Cole's first game pitching

Cole pitched the third inning of his game tonight against the Sandgnats!  It was so fun watching him and he really loved being able to do it.  He onlyhit one kid which was amazing considering he's in kindergarten and I would say he pitched at least 40 balls.  Maybe more.  Way to go Cole!

The Permit!!!!

Finally.  After 3 LONG weeks (ok ok, I know it takes people so much longer than 3 weeks but it felt like an eternity to us) we have our permit for construction on the house!!!  We are supposed to be starting right around May 1st with the laying of the foundation.  It's getting closer!!!

Folsom Zoo Field Trip

Siena's preschool had a little field trip to the Folsom Zoo. It was so fun to spend the morning with peanut. She had a little check list of animals she had to find at the zoo. We took a train ride around the park before heading home.