Thankful Thursday

I love this time of year, things are almost warm, shorts and flip-flops emerge from hibernating, the birds wake me up at 515 every morning!! (Okay so maybe I don't exactly LoVe that part of it, but at least there are birds out my window right?)

I'm so grateful for my mom, for her teaching me to be optimistic and cheerful. That there is good all around us, even if you have to really, really look hard, its always there... what a powerful tool, an optimistic outlook. I know I can do better at maintaining mine, but for the most part, I'm there-- with my half-full glass! I'm thankful my mom taught me, by example, to always look on the bright side, or even to look FOR the bright side =)

Christal had this quote posted today, and it goes along with what I've been thinking... so I stole it from her blog... thanks Critty Lee=)
"If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul."
~ Rabbi Harold Kushner ~

Love it! Lets all find the good shall we?

Check this out!

SO I'm starting a new business venture: I am an Independant Personal Publishing Consultant for Heritage Makers. We are an online publishing studio, of sorts. We make storybooks--personalized, professionally bound, hard cover books; plus much much more. Gallery wrapped canvas prints, decks of playing cards, posters, invitations, and more.This stuff is seriously so cool, you can do a million different things with it...

Think about your most treasured photo's--wedding, new baby, ancestors maybe. Now think about the stories those pictures tell: wouldn't you LOVE to have the story with the picture, in a timeless book to be read and cherished???

You can look at my website, or go directly to Heritage Makers. Browse around the products, and the Template Gallery. (This is one of my favorite features--lots of ready-made books, all you need to do is drop your own pictures in! You can also use it to come up with some ideas)

So yeah, check it out. I would love to help you preserve your memories!!!

Or better yet--lets have a party! I can do live, in person parties at your house, or host an online party with you. Either way, you get fReE StUfF--who doesn't love free stuff!

And last but certainly not least, I am looking for motivated people to join my team, so you can help those around you create their own living storiebooks!! (and make some moola too ;) )

PS Check out my website to see what Oprah has said about us!!

...Wedding books...

... Family books...

...baby & children books...

...playing cards, single page prints, spiral bound cook books, invitations, family folds, birth announcements, Christmas cards, postcards, etc...

Easter at the Lopez's

First--a warning--there are about 2 bazillion photos, but I couldn't pick which ones to erase, so just deal with it. Good thing my kids are 'easy on the eyes'!!! LOL They might not be ultra-photogenic but DANG they're cute!!

The pictures don't show too well--but the green in Myah's dress was the exact same shade as the boys shirts--they looked really great together! I was a proud mom, I'm not gonna lie =) I love Easter Sunday, to see all the cute new dresses & shirts the kids wear, its so fun!

She is just so cute, I can hardly stand it!!












Dyin' the eggs!! They sat there for a good hour & a half, just engrossed in the eggs--yes the boys even used the pink dye!

Ever the goof--some things never change! (but I'm glad, I wouldn't know what to do with a quiet, somber Drake!)

Concentration...

I think she had more dye on her fingers and clothes and the floor than on her eggs, but she loved it!

I left the kitchen (what was I thinking right? 3 kids, 8 cups of dye, 30 eggs, what could possibly go wrong?) I walked in on this--coulda been a whole lot worse, but it gives me a toothache just to think about munching on a hard-boiled egg WITH the shell on!! She didn't seem to mind tho. Weird.

These were on Easter morning, Graham found the silver egg--with 39 cents in it, all pennies, he thought he scored! Love the face! That silly Easter Bunny brought confetti filled eggs--good thing messes clean up eh? I think next year we'll make sure to find those ones OUTside!! You should've heard the kids giggling, sneaking up on Nick with confetti--it was awesome! Love those moments, the mess is so much easier to clean up after witnessing things like that!! (oh and I have a new Dyson vacuum--every dang thing is easier to clean up! I love my vacuum =))

Cousins, at Grandma & Grandpas house, getting ready for another Easter Egg Hunt...

They had a ball! The boys were so sweet to Myah, they let her get all the easy eggs. The cousins were good to let all my (younger) kids go first, it was really nice of them. They're good kids, all of 'em!

The Easter baskets had new Lego sets in them, so of course G & D (and Nick too) had to find time at the end of a long, tiring, sugar filled day to construct their new sets... I love it! They were sooo tired by the time they got to bed, they crashed hardcore!!!
Can't you just hear the "Cheeeeeeese" ah ha ha ha, she makes me laugh!!!

...this boy and his Lego's...

2 Special Days

We went to Colorado for my little brother Kacee's baptism, and for my new little sister TJ's baby blessing. It was so neat to be there for such important events!

This is almost all of us, we were only missing 1 brother & 1 sister. And a few hubbies, but those are over-rated right? Just teasin', I really wish MINE could've been there, but oh well.

Such a pretty little thing!


Kacee & TJ

All in white!
Kacee & Dad, right after being baptized. I'm so proud of Kacee and the choices he's making, he is a good boy. I'm grateful my boys have a great uncle to look up to! Glad I got to be there for these 2 special, sacred moments!

Let the good times roll!

All 3 of my kids were SO excited to go to Papa Rods house, and all 3 DID NOT want to leave. I'm so glad they love to be there, that they get to have such a fun relationship with their grandparents (all sets of 'em actually). It really was a great trip, we crammed a whole lotta fun into the short time we had there!
Drake loved holding baby TJ (Tamlen Jan), he was pretty enthralled with her. She is a cutey! Holey long & skinny baby tho!! She was 7lbs 14oz, and 22" long!!! Guess its in the genes =)

This might just put the pressure on ME for another baby... Graham Drake & Myah simply loved TJ! Myah didn't have any jealousy issues, I was kinda surprised. She's a little Mama's girl normally...

Myah, Em & TJ

There is just something about a baby that people love to kiss!!! And smell. I love the way new babies smell, mmmm...

Great table manners eh?? I left Em watching Myah, and Emily documented Myah's exquisite etiquette!

Myah & Kasia, eating treats from Papa. It took Myah all of 7 minutes to figure out that Papa had treats, where they were hiding, and what it took to get them (a smooch on the cheek & a please papa!) It also took my dad 7 minutes to figure out there is NOTHING wrong with spoiling (or should I say bribing?!) your grandkids with candy!!

Kasia is Myah's aunt! Lucky girls get to play like cousins =)

This is how they got more 'tandy'! My dad is such a pushover!!!

Myah & Carson on the tramp,

Carson Jaclyn Emily Myah Kenzie Tiana & Drake--always fun to be had at Papa's!!

Myah looks so Dorsey (my moms fam) in this pic, I love it!!

She would even share her candy, but just with Papa!! My dad loved it, it was pretty cute!

cute cousins

Myah & Kenz, such cute cute little girls!! Now that we're home Myah sits here and looks at all the pics saying "Denzie. Awson. Ashy. Papa." so excited to see pictures of 'em.

Ashlee & Kenzie

Carson & Myah, they played so sweetly together! Carson even shared his tractors =)

Posers...

Cade let me & Em borrow a pair of his boots, Ashlee & Trina had their own, we had a hayday thinkin' we were the shiz!! Our philosophy was when in Sanford, do as the Sanfordites!

Jumpin' in Trucky for a Scotty burger--only in Sanford! Talk about memories =)

Sistas...

Boots... love it!!!

Young at heart right? I love hanging out with my sisters, we always have a blast together. Jumping, posing, cooking, staying up 'til 230 talking and laughing, everything is so fun, just being together.