practicing

Since FB isn't working right now I just wanted to upload this photo to my blog.

My good friend Erin took family pictures for us about a month or so ago and gave me all

the raw images that she didn't touch up (I love that girl)

So i decided I wanted to practice my photoshop skills. I LOVE how this one came out

and here is the original.

I just touched up the grass so you couldn't see I made the boys stand on sprinkler boxes and

then turned the photo Black and white and added the color retouch

Original

And here I lost 5 pounds :-)

My good friend Erin Adams took our family pictures a couple weeks ago and I love how they came out!

And these aren't even the best ones!! I have to keep those to myself, you know christmas cards

and presents and all :-)

Go check her out on FB, and if your in the SouthWest area of AZ give her a call

Erin Adams Photography

Recent Crochet Items

Owl hat for my baby sister- I got the pattern from Daisy Cottage Designs

So cute and very easy to do.

I didn't make the eyes as big (only did 2 rounds instead of 3)

The ears as long (6 rounds instead of 8) and

around the beak I did a single crochet around the entire beak once I finished with her beak pattern

and added about 3 extra pieces of yard to each braid.

Such a sweet and easy little pumpkin hat! I go this pattern from FavCrafts.com

You have to sign up to get free patterns but so far totally worth it.

This one is a simple HDC in BL making a rectangle- sew the edged together

then a SC around the top and then after the first row Sc2tog till you have about 6-8 stitches in your circle. and sc going up about 1 -1 1/2 inches high.

For the vine chained about 20 the 2sc in same stitch going across.

This hat was so easy took me about and hour. Think I am going to have to make some bigger ones for my boys to wear this Halloween!

Mel's Baby Shower

My baby sister Mel is about to have a baby. It is so strange to say that- even stranger to think that by the end of the month she will be a mom. This past weekend Devin, Kayla (Mel's friend since pee wee soccer) and I threw her a baby shower.
She is decorating the baby's room in owls so the theme was owls naturally.

Our wonderful friend Molly designed the invites if you need invites check her stuff out. This girl has some mad skills!

We ate, played games and opened gifts. Mel put togeather this booklet of games for everyone to have (that way you only pass out one paper) She came up with the most original baby shower games ever.

First one was match the celebrity baby name to its parent, then guess how many weeks she was. She had like 8 pics of belly shots from through out her pregnancy and people had to guess how far along she was in the pics, of course there was gift bingo, then pick out of her and Justin which one was almost named Brittney, who has dropped on their head, who won a baby beauty pagent and who walked at the same time as their sister (Justin, Mel, Justin and Mel)

It was so much fun to see my family and some old friends. And get to spend some time with my sisters. Since we all live so far from eachother it is hard to get togeather.

Owl Tree

Part of the food and the name banner

Diaper Cake

Owl for Landons room with name

Water Bottles

Zobrist Girls (the Alan Z Family)

Zobrist Cousins and Aunts

Grandma's

Sister Shot

Fish is a Fish

At the beginning of the summer Noah saw a fishing pole at a garage sale. He just had to have it. The pole was a $1 so I couldn't really refuse to much. The only problem; neither Collin or I fish. Collins hates fish, the smell the look the taste- so no fishing for him. I LOVE fish, sushi all that I'll take it. Plus cleaning out a fish doesn't really disgust me like it does him (Thanks dad!) But i don't have a fishing pole, or have ever really been fishing.
So when Fernando and Lauren came in to town Noah talked Fernando into taking him fishing. Now in Noah's mind if he was going to go fishing with Fernando they had to have matching shirts. So Lauren picked them up Bass Pro Shirts and Monday morning off they went!



Helping get the poles fixed and ready





Showing Noah what to do





His first cast





Just being a goober!



Lauren and I stayed while they got started and then later joined them again a little late with Nicklaus.



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Walking to a new spot

Then Fernando caught a fish! Noah was so excited! Both boys got to touch it and see how slimy the fish felt,

but only Noah was brave enough to give the fish a kiss

(side story) when I was his age my Hurst family went fishing and when they got back- they talked me into kissing the fish because he would turn into a handsome prince- bunch of liars I grew up with!)

About 10 min later Noah decided that we should put the fish back (due to Aunt Lauren talking about me eating it for lunch- THANKS LAUREN!)
And of course the fish had already moved on to little fishy heaven so Noah for about 15 min said he never wanted to go fishing again.
Now he can't wait to go again and told Fernando that when we see him at Christmas time he had better take him fishing again!

The boys do Yoga

So i have been doing yoga and Pilate's for a couple years now off and on. I love it- some times I get to busy and don't do it as much. Since joining the gym I am able to take a class called Body Flow- its a mixture of Ti chi, yoga and Pilate's. 2nd best class ever. 1st belongs to Sh'Bam. (tell you about it later)

Anyways- Sunday my Hurst family came over and I was having my cousin help me out with the crow pose

(Yes Michelle and Gert can do this and look this good) I can hold for a few secs and not look this good.
Anyways the next morning I was trying to get my pose on- and Noah and Nick joined in

The downward dog is their favorite (I'm sure because it contains the name dog in it)

They call this Puppy Down

And Puppy Up

Romano Family Reunion

The weekend following Little Grams Birthday celebration my 3 boys and I tracked up to Prescott for Collins dad's family reunion. This was a correlation of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and some 4th cousins. Everyone brought different pictures and stories to share. Collin's aunt Carol brought some  500 yr old wedding sheets that she inherited from her mother. Attached to the sheets she had a paper where her mother told the story her father told her when he inherited them from his parents.

Collin and the boys drove up Friday late morning, and since I had to work I didn't get there until Friday evening. All weekend was spent eating and talking in the true Italian style. It was so much fun to meet all the family members and see how we are all related.
And the genealogy they had there dated back into the 1700's! We had so much fun and I can't wait until we get together again in a couple of years.

Gram's 102nd Birthday Party

The last couple of weeks have flown by- we have been so busy with work, and trips and family and church. It seems like I hardly have time to sit down!

On June 23rd, Collin's Great Grandmother aka Little Gram (this woman is about 80pounds when wet- and 4'5 tall) turn 102. We had a multi day celebration starting June17th-21st
Friday June 17th- Collins family arrive and we have a big family dinner for just the Alan Nelson Family
Sat and Sunday- Day 1 & 2 of open house birthday celebration for Little Gram. We ate, we swam we went shooting and just had a great time together
Mon- we really didn't do anything but clean up
Tues Little Grams actual birthday day we had a nice quiet dinner for her at my house.

I guess when you turn 102 you can party as much as you like!

**Pictures coming- I forgot to take some with my camera so I have to collect them from my FIL Jeff

St Anthony vs the Holy Ghost

This is St. Anthony of Padua

Also known as the Saint of Lost or Stolen things.

On Thurs. him and the Holy Ghost went head to head.

I get a call from Wendy (MIL) as I was heading to work- wondering if I had seen her keys...

I hadn't and she said okay I guess Noah and I will keep looking.

When I got home she told me how Noah had found them.

After looking in the kitchen, the living room, the car, the boys room- Wendy starting walking around the house praying to St. Anthony. "St. Anthony, St Anthony- some thing's lost must be found" (or something to that effect)

And Noah said "No Grandma! We need to pray to the Holy Ghost. He will help us and tell us where the keys are"

Noah then prayed and asked the Holy Ghost to help them find Grandma's keys, when he was done he looked at her and said "I know where they are", and walked over to the ottoman, (where Wendy says she already looked) moved it and found the keys.

Wendy needless to say as amazed the Noah knew to pray and ask for help- and that the Holy Ghost was able to help Noah.

I am so thankful to have Noah in my life. He is such an inspiration to me. I am thankful for his wonderful primary teachers the May family; Noah came home the Sunday before church and had not stopping about the Holy Ghost and how if you get your foot stuck in train tracks, pray for the Holy Ghost to help you.

I also am thankful that he know to pray ANYTIME he needs help and not just if his foot is stuck :-)

5 Weeks Till Summer!

 Go check out Fit Mama Wannabe's event 5 Weeks to Summer .

 Once a week she is doing a giveaway- and picking random winners from the previous weeks posters.

(Yes, WINNERS- could have multiple people winning each week!)

To enter all you have to do is get moving! Go out do something for at least 30min-

then come back and post on her FB wall that you did!

Such a fun way to help get all of our lazy butts up and moving!

So go check out her page and get moving!!

Cookie Dough Thief

So last Friday my friend Jennie Raye gave our family a tub of cookie dough. Her husband Logan loves cookie dough, but when he went to Costco he bought the wrong kind...claiming that all cookie dough is the same. And found out he was wrong. So I said I would take it, my boys love cookies and then I would also have an easy snack to make for my nursery. Well Nicklaus saw me making cookies Sunday morning with said cookie dough; so this morning I was putting some laundry in and he walks up to me holding the container and started asking for cookies. I told him no, we can make cookies later and put the dough away. I go to get dressed and I see him running away as I walk back into the room. Lo and behold this is what I found him doing...

No wonder he is such a chunker!

Happy Easter the final chapter

HAPPY EASTER SUNDAY

We woke up and the boys were so excited to find their baskets and new motorbikes

from the Easter bunny.

Noah kept doing his Superhero pose, because he now has a Superhero bike :-)

 They took a race around the yard

while Nick dragged his bag around with him



After church we went to Grandma Wendy's house for a

and Easter egg hunt and dinner

 

Best quote from the whole day was Noah

"Mom, I'm proud of myself for going to church today"

I'm proud of you too Noah!