Segway Tour- Florida Style!

Happy 60th Birthday Andy!

Tim has such a great family!  They have always been so kind and supportive to us.  His parents have made us feel important in their family, and for that I am so thankful!  Tim's dad had the big "Six Oh" this week.  Woo Woo!  Happy Birthday!  

I'm posting the slideshow I put together for him so that the family that lives away can enjoy. 

We Love You!

Check out the slideshow HERE!

Missing In Action

So.  I guess it's been a while since I attended to my blogging duties.  Hmm.  Where has this five months gone?  It's gone crazy, that's where!!  I've decided that fall for photographers is the busiest time of the year.  Yay!  Love it, but it's busy.  Then Lily's birthday, then Christmas, Then Alec's birthday, then kitchen remodel.

Then "Kitchen Remodel" snowballs into "redo kitchen, tile floor & hallway, paint entire upstairs (almost), remove old florescent light, add can lights, make coat closet bigger, sell old dining table & china cabinet, buy new dining table, get new carpet, switch Lily into Megan's bedroom & move bunkbeds."

I think it may have been easier to just move into a new house!

I'm so excited!  I feel like I have a whole new house.  Whew.  I don't want to do anymore projects... for at least a month.  Ha!  It seems like there's always something.

Anyway, I'll try to catch up sometime.  Hopefully!

Over and out.

Happy Halloween 2010

I made their poodle skirts!  I can say that because they turned out cute.  You can't really mess up this skirt too much, though.  

Happy 3rd Birthday Megan!

Just look at that face.  She is a character, that's for sure!  She makes me laugh!

We decided to have just a little get together with a couple people and have a pizza lunch party!

Cheesers!  

Dora presents, oh yeah!  Dora is the greatest... according to Meg!

Everyday when Alec & Lily go to school, Megan wants to watch Dora and eat a Dora fruit snack.  Spoiled Rotten!

Later that evening, we went to the haunted park with Dan, Heidi (a.k.a. LaFawnduh), Jonah & Allix.  

Super fun spooky times!

Megan, we sure love you!  You make me so happy!

Happy Anniversary- New York Style!

Tim & I decided it was time to take a trip sans children!  The last vacation without kids was four years ago when we went to Hawaii.  I LOVED Hawaii!  

So Tim & I thought.  Hmm.  Where would we want to go without kids.  

NEW YORK!!

Can I just tell you that it felt so stereotypical?  You hear it's busy and tons of people, and that's exactly how it is!  People EVERYWHERE!  I can't imagine Tokyo.  (That's on my list for someday...)  It's 11:00 p.m. and Time Square is so bright from all the hundred towering flashing signs, that you don't even realize it's getting late.  Apparently neither do the other thousands of people wandering around (just right around me).  People are still standing in line to buy dinner, kids are still running around the fountains, it made me laugh.

We went to the top of the Rockefeller Center at night, and I took that first photo above of the Empire State Building.  It was fun to see that the top of the building was so bright that it looked like spotlights were shining up!

Tim was The Man.  I told him I wanted to see West Side Story on Broadway.  He found out that show had a lottery for select tickets two and a half hours before the show started.  If your name was drawn, you could buy two tickets for $26.50 each instead of $121 each.  Alright!!  So we went at the appropriate time and put our name in the bag.  Tim was funny.  I think he was using "The Secret" where you visualize what you want, and it comes.  When it was almost time for the drawing, he had his ID and cash out ready to go.  He just knew that his name was going to be called, so he wanted to be ready.  I laughed, but then, sure enough, his name was drawn!  Ya Baby!  

We got FRONT ROW seats!  (Okay, the stage was a tiny bit high, so I couldn't quite see the floor of the back of the stage, which is why they do the lottery, I'm sure.  I didn't technically SEE Tony die at the end (Spoiler!!) but I saw him fall and heard everything.  Ha Ha!)  But we were so close we could see the spit flying as they talked, and could see lots of undies on the girls.  Tim said with the dresses they were wearing, he was sure that EVERYONE could see their undies!  It was so great!

We also saw the fabulous Phantom of the Opera, but didn't get the hundred buck off deal.  Bummer. 

 It was as expected.  Absolutely stunning!

We took the Staten Island Ferry and saw Our Lady Liberty.

And saw the other Ladies Liberty!  M&M Fashion!  That made me laugh!

The M&M Store put so many other stores to shame!  

We went to the Manhattan LDS Temple.  It is just tucked into this corner on a busy street.  I thought it interesting that there was a guard at the desk when you first walk in.  Then you walk through more doors to give your temple recommend.  It was a beautiful, but small temple!

Walked around Central Park.  Went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Walked half way across the Brooklyn Bridge (we didn't actually want to go into Brooklyn, hence the only half way) (pictures on my other blog...).

Ate Delicious Food!  Mickey Mantle's was great.  I told Tim I got my sports fix for a very long time!  We also loved a restaurant called "Becco."  Italian food to die for!  I think my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

I know this was in August, and I'm finally now just posting this, but it was such a fun getaway!  Right up until we missed our flight by one minute.  We had been riding the subway the entire time on our trip, and it had been great.  Then the time we have to leave for our flight, the subway station is closed.  So we have to walk to a different one.  That one is delayed.  We miss our flight.  Stupid.  Stupid!  An extra night in a not so nice location.  Humph.  At least we have the Greatest Grandmas & Grandpas who were so nice about an extra night with the grandkids!  Thank you, Thank you for letting us get away!

I put a few more artsy photos on my Shot By Celeste blog.  

Check them out!

School Smarts by Alec & Lily

"Third grade is a lot of work.  It seems like just yesterday I was in first grade.."  You and me both, buddy!  This was the conversation Alec & I had the other day while walking to school.  He is growing up way too fast!  His homework made me laugh, though.  At least I know where I stand, which is after money and a pocketknife.

Then there's my Lily.  She absolutely LOVES Kindergarten!!  

She draws pictures for her teacher that are just the sweetest things.  

She is also learning a lot.

"When butterflies come out of their chrysalis, they fly to Disneyland."

And then there's the health & nutrition she is learning.  

"Fruits and vegetables are good for your body, huh mom.  They will help me play soccer better, too.
 So... can I have a pickle??"

Yes, School Started... I know it was three weeks ago!

Well, I'm not sure when life is going to slow down, so I'm ignoring my "To Do List" and am blogging!  School only started three weeks ago, but here are the squinty pictures.

Alec is in 3rd Grade now.  He seems so big & old!

Lily's big day finally came!  KINDERGARTEN!!

She has been excited for school since Alec started Kindergarten.  Really.  

It has been a LONG time coming!  She is the cutest little thing!

And look at her learning to ride her bike without training wheels!  

Woo Woo!

Megan can't be left out of the fun! She is amazing to watch on her wiggle car!

Simon Says Lick

Lily:  Simon Says Lick!
(Licking...)

Lily:  Simon Says Stop!

Lily:  Simon Says Wag your tail!
(lots of giggling...)

Lily:  Simon Says Love!

Lily:  Cooper always does what I say when I say Simon Says.

Simon Says with the dog?  That's a new one!  Lily makes me laugh.

I love summer.  I love watching my kids play together.  They are so creative and funny, it makes me happy.  They play so well together (for the most part), too, that I have to count my blessings!  I can see why Alec loves to play with Lily, when in church last Sunday, Lily quickly took a paper, folded it into a perfect paper airplane, and then said to me, "I wish I had scissors so I could cut a place for the parachuters to jump out."  What a cool sister!

And Megan is just crazy.  She always is singing.  Her favorite songs right now are the ABC song, I Am A Child of God, and "American Flag."  Yes, she made up that last one.  It has great lyrics.  "American Flag, American Flag, American Flag, American Flag..."  I love it!  She is funny.

Megan:  Barbie in time out.  Her being a stinker.
I wonder where she's heard that one before??

Then there's Alec.

Alec:  When I grow up I want to be a doctor, or a pharmacist, or the cashier at Sam's Club or Walmart, because they get lots of money.
Me:  You know that the cashiers at Sam's Club or Walmart don't get to keep all that money that we give them, right?
Alec:  They don't?

Ha Ha Ha!

Addiction Confession

I love pictures.

There. It's out in the open. I know, I know. It's a surprise to most of you. I can't help it! I go somewhere, and I just have to take a picture. We go boating, and I have to take pictures! I have hundreds of tubing and skiing and beach pictures, but I just can't help myself! I find myself whipping out that camera hoping that I catch them crashing. It's my favorite. Wa ha ha! I love it when you can still see hands or feet sticking out of the water.

So it is with great pride that I present two of the latest crash pictures.

Danny, I have some awesome pictures of you flipping in the air, but I don't want to post those. I only want this awesome inevitable crash. The look of fear down at the water; no hands holding onto the rope; it is a priceless picture. His face says it all!

This picture is of Tim. I have to say that it is one of my very favorites! You can see his face; his hand reaching out for the rope; that wicked spray. YES!! I can't help it. You know I love you, babe.

Sleepless In Seattle 2010

Thanks to Coca-Cola & Zingers, we were able to drive through the night and arrive safely in Seattle the next morning. Now, why would I want to drive all night, you may ask? Because any drive is much, much, much better if that sweet little two-year-old Megan is asleep!!

So we met almost all of Tim's family (Mark & Amy & crew missed out- bummer) and had a mostly great time (mostly, meaning that it was a normal day with that sweet two-year-old... some good times & some temper tantrum times...)!! It was a little crazy with so many people, but wonderful to be together.

Here is our big group shot. Yes, I put my camera on a tripod and used the self-timer. Run, Celeste, run! We had a great outdoorsy spot picked out, and then it just kept raining. So this is the front of Rebecca's house. It worked beautifully! Thank you Alan & Rebecca for putting in so much for this reunion- including the mass chaos at your house! (Family: I'm going to try to photoshop in Mark & Amy & crew- so I'll send a picture to you soon if it works out. Cheating, I know!)

We had fun at Pike's Place Market, the Seattle Aquarium, the Pacific Science Center and the Space Needle. (I put most of the pictures in the slide show, because I wanted to include so many...)

I think the best part was just being able to hang out and be crazy!

These cousins are so funny to watch play.

Well, more Coke & chocolate got us home.

All in all, it was great! It was so nice to see everyone!

We sure love you all!

Sleepless In Seattle Slideshow

5th of July Boating

The crazy 4th of July weekend tradition continues!

Skiing and tubing so you can be super sore the next day! Woo Hoo!

Tim gets the best sprays!

This was the only way Megan would go tubing.

Those girls love their daddy!

Alec went out by himself. How did he get so big?

The water got so choppy, that tubing was a little crazy.

If you could hear me in this picture, I was saying "AHHHHHHHHH!!!"

And this is why my neck is sore this morning.

I am getting old. But I'm still laughing!

Boating Slideshow