A few fun photos

Thought I would throw some more photos on here real quick.


Iris has really taken in interest in the piano. I have been trying to play it with her quite a bit and when she gets a little older I'm going to try and actually teach her how to play.


Since her hair is finally getting longer (probably needs to be cut, but I just can't bring myself to) I decided to try some pig tails. She looked so grown up. What a cutie!


And this is what her hair looked like when we took them out. Still a cutie.


She has had this thing with shoes lately. We have a big basket by our front door that all the shoes go in. She loves to take them out and spread them throughout the house. She will also bring me a pair and wants me to put them on and then keeps bringing me different shoes to put on. She drug Evan's big shoes into the office, so I put her in them and took a picture. She could barely stand up.


We love Tina!! I'm still not too sure how much Tina loves Iris. She is really good with her and tolerates her pretty well. Iris just wants to hug and squeeze and pet her all the time. She just squeals with delight every time she sees Tina.

Space Invaders

So I was out in my garden this morning and came upon what was the ugliest and most vicious looking bug I had ever seen. So naturally I caught it and kept it to show to Evan.



I asked him what it was when he got home and he tells me it's a potato bug. I didn't believe him. What we used to call potato bugs are what are also known as roly-polies. And that was NOT a roly-poly. He told me that his mom used to tell him that if he didn't clean out his ears that potato bugs like that would grow out of them. I'm sure he had pretty clean ears. I got on good ol' Google and typed in potato bug and the first thing that pops up is a picture of the bug in my jar. So I am now admitting that Evan was right and that he does know what a potato bug is.

It's still the ugliest bug I've ever seen.

I also wanted to put a picture of a few of the tomatoes that came from my garden. I got a good recipe for salsa from Meghan so I am going to give it a try.

This might take a while...

I thought this was very interesting when I saw it on Corrine's blog. I wanted to give it a try.The idea is to bold all the statements you have ever done out of all 200 of them! Here we go...

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper ( are you kidding??)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch(yesterday actually)
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe.
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in a historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Ran a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunch box
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a camp fire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

It's amazing how many I have done and going through, how many I have on my wish list of things to do. Maybe someday.

A Smattering of Photos

Here are a few of the pictures I've been promising. There's some of the spinach and a few of the strawberries that came out of my garden. There are some pictures from the Grand Tetons and Old Faithful. There are quite a few of Iris. She is becoming quite the little lady. When we were staying at Matt and Janessa's she found the floaties and proceeded to blow on them like she was blowing them up and then wanted to put them on. So I helped her and she walked around with these floaties on. She thinks she is pretty funny and cracks herself up all the time. She is always laughing. She loves talking on the cell phone except when there is actually someone on the other end, then she freezes up and just stares at it. She loves to feed herself and gets mad when I try and help. She loves to help me in the garden. We put two sandboxes in there so she can play while I'm in there, but she really likes to play in the mud and then throw all the sand out of the sandbox. She's pretty good at picking tomatoes too.

It has been a very busy summer and it is finally starting to wind down. We have two more weddings this month and then it really slows down. Just in time for the holiday family pictures to pick up. We do have another wedding fair in October and then in November Evan is going to Phoenix to photograph a wedding down there. And we have one in December too. So still busy, just not as bad. Which is a good thing considering our new addition due in November.

Well I hope you all enjoy these pictures. I will try and get more on soon.

Home again, home again...

We made it!! We are now back home!! It seems like months have gone by but really only about 3 weeks. We still are without a shower, but luckily we have neighbors that are willing to let us use theirs. We just need to put tile up and then the shower's done. It is so nice to be back home again. Iris is loving it. She hasn't played with her toys for so long that it's like they are all new. Thanks again to Justin and especially to Matt and Janessa for letting us stay with them. We are really lucky to have such great friends.