like a fish to water...

that she is! today was ava's first official swim lesson! i tried to teach her last summer, but all i could get her to do was float, so this summer i knew i had to get her into a class, that she needed someone else, not me, to teach her this essential skill {living where everywhere we seem to visit has a pool, lake, or pond, this was a priority!} so, off we went.....

missy ava looking oh-so-stylish in her liberty for londong swimsuit and upside down sunglasses...she can pull anything off!

the beginning of the lesson...ava with her darling class and her teacher miss julie.

{she is the youngest....but the biggest! she is so tall!}

i love how excited she is here....and she stayed that excited and had so much fun throughout the lesson!

blowing bubbles in her green flippers...

the wild thing coming out...the lessons were about 10 minutes too long {they are only 30 minutes}. she really started having a hard time focusing and paying attention that last ten minutes...the "wait your turn" is so hard for her...but so good for her.
we are going to have to work this week on follwing directions {especially in the pool!}

she has so much fun and did so well. this was really her first ever "lesson" of any sort. i loved watching her interact with the kids and the teacher... i know this is so good for her in so many other ways than learning to swim.

i am so proud of her, she really did well!

xo,

a

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i heart yellow...

yep, i do!

over at i heart faces this week the challenge is "yellow." i immediatly thought of this photo of ava from the night we went to take bluebonnet pictures....i think it stood out to me because it was unexpected. i expected to come away with pretty pictures of my littles in a field of blue and green, but my favorites were her and her yellow flowers....even with the crazy wind that night, we had so much fun dancing around in a field of blue, green & yes, yellow.

xx,

a

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today...

went by quickly.

got up. got the kids ready. took them to nonna's for their every-other-monday visit! {my "day off" i like to call it}. came back home. spent the afternoon with a friend, her friend and a newborn baby {well, three weeks old...but still very new!} trying to get the little one to sleep so we could get some newborn shots. ate lunch with friends. picked up a little around the house. picked up kids from nonna's...ava was crying uncontrollably when i got there, hollis was sitting on the floor playing sweetly {so low maintenance}. she was ready to come home. nonna said they had a fun day, but she had fallen a few moments before i got there and that is what led to this outpouring of emotion. i knew she was tired, ready to get home, back to her own space. got home. ava fell asleep on the couch {WHat?! my child never does this}. fed hollis. uploaded pictures praying i got something good....the baby wasn't cooperating...never went to sleep...trying agian another day. ava woke up steaming hot...now she has a fever. i had a feeling that was coming. snuggled with ava. made spaghetti for dinner. ate. snuggled some more. played princess paper dolls and tried to entice hollis to crawl with the remote control...he is almost.there! got ava ready for bed. read her the princess mermaid story. tucked her in. bo was still home so i went to the grocery store because, well, the cupboards seemed bare and we were missing our favorites. got home. put away groceries. bo got hollis to sleep while i was out. edited a few photos from today...got a few & it was good practice...trying agin thursday...fingers crossed that baby is sleepy!!! and now i sit eating popsicles and about to get ready for bed......

that was my day today....

then i read this....it made me emotional....and made me rejoiced for my two. i am thankful for this life i live and for the people i am lucky enough to share it with.

xx,

a

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days...

wow! the days keep passing by so quickly...it feels like yesterday we were playing in major snow and now here we are swimming! seriously, the days pass way too fast and the kids are changing and growing way too fast and i am desperatly trying to chisel these stages of their lives in my memory...they are both so much fun! hollis will be crawling any day now and is constantly on the move. ava is just growing up so much and turning into this amazing big sister and incredible little person! she starts swim lessons this week! i'm super excited to get her swimming on her own this summer!

i have been having a lot of fun with this new photography venture i'm on! i spent an evening last week with my friend vickie and her gorgeous daughter carly at their old family farm property. such an amazing place to take photos...a photographers paradise for sure...or playground! anyway this is one of her that i love, love, love...it just might be my favorite!

a

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workshop workbook giveaway {AMAZING!}

Skye Hardwick is giving away one copy of her increcible workshop workbook! i bought it a while back and l.o.v.e. it! you should definitely enter if you have any interest in photography, you will learn more than you can imagine!
if you already are a lucky owner of her amazing workshop workbook, you can still enter with the chance to win a PINK jill e bag!!!! {you KNOW how i love a good bag!} so run over there and enter to win something fabulous!

leaving you with a beautimous photo of missy ava...{bouquet by christina o. designs}

seriously, RUN over there and enter!

xo,

a

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happiness...

it is amazing how happy such a tiny little person can make you...multiply it by two and you're so full of happiness you could explode!

love my babies...

xo,

mama

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blogland frustration...

so there is something happening in blogland that i don't like so much {makes me feel like the picture below...grouch-ie}. this post is pretty much going to be a longwinded rant about this little pet peeve i have. before i get into it, let me just state that i am a firm believer of

"if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all"

so...here goes...

so it seems that every week there is some blogger whining about some comment that "anonymous" left. either asking a question, making a statement, or whatever. then the blogger proceeds to either answer the question {very defensively}, and also point out several times throughout said post that this person remained anonymous, was rude, blah, blah, blah.

so, what is my problem with this...i don't like people being rude, why would i get annoyed????

i guess i just really feel that when you start a blog about your personal life, about personal things and events that are going on in your life, you open your life up to criticism, and judgy-judgy people. {yes, you also open your life up to support, amazing new friendships, and connection to family far away...wonderful, wonderful things!}. i knew when i started blogging and chose to go public that anyone and everyone could peek into moments of my life and my family's life. i knew that criticism might be around the corner...i am just so annoyed with all of this drama in blogland! because after these posts, you know all the comments are bashing anonymous or the topic, it is just annoying and feels so middle school. i have actually quit reading a few of my favorite blogs because it seemed that every other blog post was about this, just left me with a very negative feeling. i know i do not have a big blog following and haven't experienced any of these types of comments, but good grief, if i did, i would hope i would just roll it off and know that if the person didn't care enough to leave their name in the comment then they must not be that important....you know?!

it is so sad how judgmental of a world we live in...so many things we should support each other through and instead many judge. sad, sad.

so yes, tonight i am irritated and edgy and maybe on another night this wouldn't bother me...but tonight, after reading two very negative blogs about this subject, i just had to get my feelings out there {and didn't want to leave all this in a blog comment!} ...so now i have written a negative blog and no, it hasn't helped...sorry if you feel all "blah" now....

can't we all just get along?!

on a happier note...casey james from american idol lives just down the street from me! i found this out because of the american idol limo and row of police cars outside his house this afternoon! he is my favorite and can't believe he has been right under my nose this whole time living in my neighborhood!

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random pics from our days lately

little man looking snazzy in all his slobbery teething glory!

grams & ava at the zoo on mother's day
hollis riding cozy at the zoo on mother's day

ava lovin' on mr. elephante'

john deere girl

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introducing...

i am so excited to announce the creation of a dream i have had for a long time now! i have finally decided to start my own photography business!

kim, my beautiful friend and creator of madilu designs worked up my gorgeous logo and she really made something that means something to me! she is incredible and so easy to work with. who knew through my first workshop i would make so many beautiful and talented forever friends!

i created a seperate blog for my photography journey, i'd love for you to follow me there or even on facebook!

xo,

a

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my town...

for several years i have driven by this little antique and collectibles store on cherry lane and loved it. classic cars are constantly being sold there and you always see something new...it is forever changing and i love it! {the bright blue doesn't hurt either...or the old police car with the fake man in it! too cool!} hoping to do a formal shoot of the kids there on a sunny day sometime soon, but stopped tonight as we were driving by just for fun. {fun for me, not ava...she was already tired from a long day at the zoo and playing at nonna's....ready to get home!}

love this old car!

i hope all you amazing mamas out there had a beautiful day. i know i did. i am so thankful for those two babies that have made me a mother, they are more than i could have ever dreamed...

xo,

a

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vis·ta [ vístə ]
scenic view: a scenic or panoramic view
view seen through narrow opening: a view seen through a long narrow opening, e.g. between rows of trees or buildings
mental picture: a mental picture covering a wide range of objects or a long succession of events in the past or future
Synonyms: view, panorama, outlook, scene, landscape, seascape

to my new vista cruiser {doesn't that make you think of that 70's show?!}
oh how i can't wait for the fun we are going to have together!!!

xo,

a

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lazy blogger....

so i totally ripped off this awesome collage from jen's blog! {hope that's okay}...i would normally just link ya'll over to her blog to see the collage of our stockyards day....but i love our little family picture too much & had to have it on my blog, too! {seriously, both kids smiling, the husband looking mighty handsome in his denim work get-up, & a picture of myself i don't think it too eww..that's a good day for us!} you can still see what she thought about her stockyards experience over here though!

{click to enlarge}

we had so much fun spending the afternoon walking around the stockyards with jen and jon when they were down for a visit. {besides a little mama frustration with a certain two year old that was determined to do everything during lunch BUT eat...looking back, me thinks she was wanting some extra attention and being naghty was how she decided to go about getting it} ate at riscky's, swung through billy bobs, and enjoyed a "cattle drive"! ava had a blast riding EVERY automated pony ride available...some of them twice. then we headed down to granbury for some rest and relaxation!
i miss you.
xo,
a

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simple man

i love this song. every time i hear it i think of my husband. he is pretty simple {in a totally wonderful way}. the perfect mix of soulful melody and beautiful words, describe him, like somebody spoke these same words to him when he was a boy. i think it is rare to find a man like mine.

now i sing this song to our son when i am rocking him to sleep. i would love for him to grow up and be just like his daddy.

baby be a simple man.

xo,

mama

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