Go VOTE!!

So I submitted my kids pictures into a modeling opportunity for a local photographer that is looking for some children to use for an Autumn spread she is doing.

they have been chosen as finalists!!!

YEAH!

But you have to vote, for them to get the shoot..

We would REALLY love this opportunity, so please
PLEASE GO VOTE NOW!!! And tell your friends to vote too..

click on the link below and follow the instructions

http://wynonarobison.typepad.com/photography/2007/08/finalists-model.html


VOTE 1d and 3c
VOTE 1d and 3c
VOTE 1d and 3c

Ali and Megan, the cutest ragamuffin kids I know!

First Day 1

Ali's first day of third grade!

She Was beside herself all morning. woke up around 5am!

I had to MAKE her eat breakfast.

Once we arrived at the school she was all of the sudden Ms Shyness. She hung on my side and didn't do much more than smile shyly at her Friends as they walked up. I offered her 5 $ to go hug her best Friend from last year, but since she hadn't seen her all summer she could only muster the courage to tap her on the shoulder, grin, and wave.

I was worried about her a bit, It brought back all the memories of myself being painfully shy growing up. That caused me a lot of Friends and heart ache.

I do NOT want the girls to be that way.... I wish for them courage, and confidence..

I was relieved when I picked her up.She' was NON stop excited jumping around talking and squealing about how much she LOVES school!

This little guy was still in my belly this time last year.. poor Megan wants to go to school too.

Summit and my Poor Baby!

I had my Graduation from Summit yesterday.

It was a really beautiful experience. I can honestly say that I know my purpose in life, and that I have the tools now to stay accountable for my part in the things that go on in my life. I Know that I can unconditionally love and inspire everyone in my life. I trust. I trust myself, and those around me to love me. I've learned how to give, and to receive openly , so that my life and the lives of others are blessed with the unconditional love that I know exists. I feel like I have really broken down walls, and barriers that have held me back from what I deserve. I choose not to be angry, and scared anymore. Life is beautiful, and no matter what comes and goes, I get to take my part in it, and love others for theirs.
I can't tell you how amazing it is to know that I am a beautiful, Enthusiastic, Loving, inspiring woman...... Its been hidden behind fear of judgement, and insecurities for 25 years now. I get to change that!

okay so enough about that...
so I WAS at my graduation last night when I realized that Taylor and the kids hadn't come in with all of the guest.... I looked out at my Friend Jamie and she mouthed that he wasn't there. she assured silently that it was okay.
when we were finished with our stuff I went to Jamie and she explained that he had left her a message that Matt had gotten a small burn and that he was concerned about it. I thought that was silly that he hadn't come because of something so little.
Because Taylor had the Van, Jamie drove me home. We had no other information from him so I assumed that he was home... When we pulled into the driveway I noticed that the van wasn't there.. I started to worry.
I entered the house and noticed that it looked like it had been ransacked.. the TV in the kitchen was still on as well as all the lights..
I had to wait another 15-20 minutes before he finally called from Primary Children's..... I Was SO worried!
He explained that He [Taylor] and the girls had been doing a project with the iron, and Mattie had pulled the cord, and the Iron had fallen on top of him.
MY POOR BABY!


If you have children, you can imagine how heart wrenching it was to sit at home knowing that my baby was in the ER and not being able to get to him. I waited and paced for another hour before they were finally home. I immediately grabbed him from Taylor and hugged and loved him as gently as I could.. His leg has a pretty painful 2 inch long 1 inch wide burn on it. That one is blistered and nasty looking.. Then he has an inch wide spot on his arm that is only a 1st degree burn.. that one will just go away on its own.. My Heart aches for my little guy.......


He's doing pretty well... We're staying on top of the Motrin, and we have to wash and re dress it twice a day.. He's been playing around today just fine considering. Thank goodness! Taylor learned a lesson that's for sure!

Here he is last night at midnight when they got home.... You can see the little spot on his forhead.......the one on his arm is on the inside so you can't see it...

Other news
Ali starts school tomorrow.. She's been running around giddy all day, picking out her outfit, and getting her supplies in order. Megan is distraught that she has to wait another week. I'm trying to distract her.
Its exciting. I love school!

More tomorrow.. and if you haven't looked recently, I added more pictures to my Flickr check them out..

Just won't do

When we did the whole room switcheroo,We moved Matt into the pink Fairy room that was Ali's. Taylor had some issues with putting our baby boy to bed in a pink room, but I assured him Mattie wouldn't even notice..

I guess I was wrong...

This is what Mattie thinks of pretty purple fairies!!

Dear Blog Readers

I know there aren't many of you , but I Do like to know who you are.. So If you are reading this, please let me know about it..
I like even the simplest of comments..
"yeah"
"cute"
"hi"
"you're wonderful"..........
Love Jess

Mama's helper

Ali Loves Mattie,

Mattie loves Ali,

and Mama couldn't be happier..

Ali has been SO helpful lately.

She's ALWAYS loved picking him up so I started to use that to my favor.

Mattie is voluntarily going to her too, which is not like our little boy at all..

He's very selective that kid.

She picks him up whenever he starts to fuss.(which is good AND bad.....especially because she thinks she needs to bring him straight to me every time he cries!) She's got some pretty big muscles to tote his 21 pounds of baby chub around too.

I watched as he reached his little arms out to her tonight and it made my heart melt..

Its a party tonight!

This is what we're doing tonight.......

Thats right people, its a High school Musical Party tonight!!

The Girls are back........

YEAH!!!!!!!!

Meg's gone through 3 different outfits. including this beautiful princess number (a.k.a. Old worn out slip).

Ali's been doing cartwheels all day, and Picking up Mattie every chance she gets.

And Mama's happy

Tagged

if you want to play - fill out your survey and post it on your blog or you can email it. Either way - you're tagged!
1. When was the last time you ran? From what?
2. Do your jeans have rips, tears and holes in them? No
3. Do you get the full 8 hours of sleep a night? I try. Can't wait for school to start so bedtime can go back to 8 o'clock. I Don't do well without sleep.. I can't function.
4. If you had someone "stop by" without you knowing what would your house look like? COVERED in toys, and crumbs left by the kids. and I wouldn't be surprised if Taylor's dirty socks were lying in the middle of the living room floor either!
5. Do you eat raw cookie dough? Of course! but I don't eat too much. I'm obsessed with fear of raw eggs and salmonella.
6. Have you ever kicked a vending machine? No. I convinced some nice young man nearby to do it for me!
7.How do you eat an Oreo? whole..
8. Have you ever stayed online for a very long time waiting for someone? I wait for Megan to email me all day.. that counts...
9. Could you live without a computer? Could live YES, but would I WANT to?
10. Do you wear shoes in the house? I don't like wearing shoes. Unless the floor is dirty. I can't stand walking on crumbs.. I'll throw on a pair of flip flops until the floor is swept up.
11. At what age did you find out Santa wasn't real? I'm guessing 4th-5th grade.. What a let down!! I'll let my Kids believe it as long as they want to.
12. How many phones, (house and cell phones) are in your house?2 portable phones, One cell phone with no minutes....
13. Who would you call first if you won the lottery? All the bill collectors that call me on a daily basis.
14. Last time you saw your best friend? Ang was just hear an hour ago. I Haven't seen Meg for weeks, and I last Saw Angie N when I took her maternity photos..
15. What jewelry are you wearing right now? just my wedding ring and the two rings I've worn on my left hand since I was in High school.
16. What is the first thing you do when you get on-line? check out my favorite blogs.
17. Do you watch 'Grey's Anatomy'? Yes. LOVED the first season... Waiting for it to catch me again..
18. How do most people spell your name? The same way its spelled...
19. When was the last time you left your house? about 5 hours ago, to go to wallmart for fabric with Ang. She's going to make some nightgowns like Megans
20. Do you return your shopping cart? Depends if anyone is watching me and if the cart will cause damage to another car.
21. What noise do you hear right now? The Stupid TV show Taylor is watching, and the Fan that is doing very little to cool it down in here.....
22. Who is the youngest in your family? Mattie boy...... baby boy...My mom thinks the last grandchild...
23. Who does the dishes at your house? Taylor and I are pretty equal on that chore.
24. If all of your friends were going on a road trip, who would be most likely to over pack? Me.. I like to be prepared when I need to be. I'm not really a clothes hound so it wouldn't be shoes or anything like that.. Megan would probably have lots of cool outfits.... Ang would have the basics..... STEPH, now STEPH would have her entire closet!!!!
25.Do your siblings ever pay for stuff for you? occasionally. Steph's a good little sister.
26. Do you know anyone with the same name as you? I work with a few Jessica's but other than that, I just know a couple of little girls in the ward named Jessica.. I know that the traffic girl on X96 has the same name as me..
27. When was the last time you cleaned your toilets? Last week.
28. Do you watch movies with your parents? No not really.. occasionally I'll sit and watch a movie at my parents house..
29. Do you get your hair cut every month? Every six months or so.
30. What was the last thing you purchased? Antibiotics for my lovely hacking cough... fun times!

11 months old!

One more month and he's been with us an entire YEAR! (been with me a bit longer)
He's ALL over the place,
climbing,
pulling,
standing,
grabbing,
eating,
rolling,
pinching,
laughing,
and losing bits of his babyness every time I look at him.
He's thinned out even more this past month.
I look at him and see a spitting image of his Daddy.

He loves ......

• to play in the little playhouse. He crawls in, stands up, and shuts the door. Over and over again.
  
  



• CARS!.. He vroom vrooms them around the room pushing them along the floor. Somehow he just knew that's how they worked!


• His plastic dinosaur with the motorized mouth. He LOVES sticking his finger in its mouth as it opens and shuts.

• Pasta and Chicken. He loves the pasta pick me ups from Gerber. oh and I can't forget mashed potatoes...

• Dogs! especially tails. (poor Weston and Annabelle)






• Climbing the stairs (and giving Me a heart attack)
  

rubbing his tummy , his legs, and the top of his head. ( I love when he does that)

• His Binkey (all 12 of them!)

Water. No Bottles for this boy, its either breast milk or water in a sippy cup baby! (he decided that one by the way)
• Giving great big slobbery kisses (which we love getting just as much)
• He isnt interested in waving, although he has proven that he can.
  (come on, he barely holds his own sippy cup , do you really think he's going to waste energy on a wave?)

He is SO smart. I sit and watch him play and explore in amazement
as I watch his mind working things out. He's patent to try new ways of doing things too. the girls werent' like that. Its interesting to watch. He's a genius in his mommy's eyes......

We've got one month to prepare for his birthday Bash! Can't wait!

Where have I been?

Its been a Looooong week. I’ve been in a training seminar most of last week, and have been at work everyday so far this week.
To boot, I’ve got Bronchitis, and have totally and completely lost my voice. I’ve been told that’s its quite sexy , so I’m thinking I’ll start charging people to talk to me. A little extra money doesn’t hurt!
Speaking of extra money.
I handed out flyers last night for my photography. Before 7am this morning I had a session scheduled for Friday. (funny thing is, is that it wasn't even one of the people that took a flyer... It was a float pool nurse at work!, she was leaving her shift this morning and as she was leaving stopped at the desk and asked "which Jessica is it that does photography?" I said "that's me!" She'd seen my pictures! and wants her babies picture taken)
Anyway
From this seminar I went to, I experienced an amazing breakthrough in self confidence. I was able to stand up on a chair with a microphone and announce to a room full of more than 100 people last night that I am a talented photographer and would love to provide my service to anyone in need of pictures.
I had made 20 flyers and within ½ hour they were all out of my hands.
The experience of the training was just amazing. I had been resistant to it for two years and had finally decided that I had nothing to lose. Boy if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t have wasted the last two years resisting. But then again, one of the things I have come to realize is that there are no accidents. I was meant to attend this very training this time, because I connected with so many people and was able to experience specific situations and feelings. I experienced things that in turn helped me to break down many of the walls that I’ve built in my life.
Trust
Confidence
Acceptance
Judgments
Emotions……….
It feels amazing. And I’m so glad I got to do it.
I’m continue the training next week, and from what I hear it’s even more amazing.
Now don’t any of you go getting your panties in a twist I get the feeling some of you may be a bit skeptical. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it, and Don’t think you have an opinion of it unless you know exactly what you’re using to judge it. (Which you wouldn’t be able to, unless you’ve been through the training). That said. Be happy for me. It’s working.
Onto other things.
The girls have been gone since last Thursday. I am counting down the hours until Friday morning, when they come home.
This is the last of the “summer split up” YEAH!!!
Mattie is sick too. Poor Baby boy…

Baby sitting

I just love how babies sit.

I love how their fat squishy little bodies seem to keep them balanced .

when Mattie is tired, frustrated or mad he sits and rubs his legs back and forth , back and forth.

I love this picture of his little ankles crossed, and Him rubbing his legs.

Friday

Swimming today. We took Brooke, Ali's Friend with us and my Friend Tricia came with her daughter and twin boys. I'm so bummed that I didn't have my camera because they were so stinkin cute! I made the kids pose for me when we got home. I know I'm awful, but Its more fun to see pictures even if they are after all the fun.....
We all had a blast. I think in all we spent a little over 3 hours in the water! By the time we left the kids were all pretty water logged.

You're LOVEN that nice big brown spot on our lawn as much as I am, aren't you?Can you see how tired my poor little one is?

Ali, and Brooke.

Friends since Birth. They were born just 4 days apart.

They're Baaaack

Yep they're back!

And exactly where they left off!
Before they'd even stepped into the house Ali asked when we were going over to my parents.. She's so excited to tell Papa about Yellowstone. My dad has the whole park [Yellowstone] memorized. Being a wildlife photographer, it was a favorite of his for many years. Health issues have kept him from going for the past 5 years or so. I'm sure he misses it.

The girls have been super hyper and loud. I think they forgot what it was like to live in a house with a baby. We'll have to work on that one.
I’m just delighted though because they LOVE their new room. We worked so hard on it, so I am really glad they like it. Taylor is so disappointed that he didn’t get to see them open the door and see it for the first time. They were supposed to be home last night, but I guess this summers trend with Ex is bringing them home the next morning.. I'm not going to fight it because it’s just not worth it. Taylor felt so sad when we called him after they got home. He said he just wanted to jump in his car and drive home to be with us.. I would feel the same way if I were him, but we have tomorrow off so we’re going to spend the whole day playing and spending time together.

We went to the library to try and pass some time, because all they wanted to do was leave for grandma and papa's. We had 4 hours to go. The sign on the activity room said "activity 2-4" Ali was excited and said "perfect!, when we're done it will be time to go to Grandmas!" It was only 12:30. We managed to hang out until it started at 2,but when they walked out of the room with their craft complete at 2:10 I knew we were going to have a problem. We brought back some books and movies. Ali has had one eye on the clock and the other on whatever else is going on. In another hour or so we'll be heading over to my parents. It is going to be a nice day. It’s so good to have them home...

*Update*

After dinner the kids wanted to play in the water.....

It's much cooler today than it has been, and the kids got a bit Coldy(yes, I meant to say coldy, I say it all the time)

So we all jumped into the tub again......

yep, ALL of us!