free art.

so emmas room is getting an over haul.

i can't wait to show you.

she has never loved the way we

did it when we first moved in.

and i didn't really like it either.

so, we sat down together and came up with

a more "pre teen" design.

she pretty much did it herself.

we are both thrilled.

but more importnantly she is over the moon.

so we needed some art for the walls.

and this is what we came up with.

there are so many more cute ones.

this is just a sampling.

they had so much fun.

i told them they always had to be nice to each other

because they would be hanging on emmas walls

for a long time!

R.I.P. tweetie.

this morning on my walk eliza and i found this little bird.

it was so sad, laying in the middle of the road.

eliza begged me to take it home, so we did.

we nursed that little guy all day,

giving him drinks of water, and elizas ever present company.

we even called the nature preserve, they were closed.

so finally tonight, at 7 o'clock tweetie gave it up.

finally.

it was a long day.

fly away little bird.

no seriously, go.

i'm not heartless but geesh....

he really was a fighter,

just not a flyer.

ok. i'll stop.

ok. lets pull it together.

heres' whats been up....

the week after school got out

we headed down to sunny st. george.

we love it down there, especially with the shupes!

this is how josh and grant spent the trip.

good thing there's cell phone service in zions!

on one of these many calls we received life changing news,

josh has a new job!!!!

we are so happy and he is beyond thrilled.

he has been on a contract working for HP

and they picked him up permanantly.

this is a huge blessing for our family.

beautiful emma.

sam and josh spent loads of time

here together.

that is, when josh was not emailing,

calling, and taking care of "new job" stuff.

thats ok though, i was more than happy.

sweet eliza.

nice form griffy.

why do i have an 80's prom curl

going down the side of my face?

i did a fun engagement session with these two.

they pulled me out of retirement for this one.

and last but certainly not least,

elizas dance recital.

i swear i was just blogging about this.

she was an elf, in "the elf and the shoemaker"

it was so darling,

clytie adams really puts on a great performance.

ok. eternal post, sorry.

we have also been getting into the groove

of having everyonw home.

it has been pretty smooth.

we filled out our "summer to do" list

and we have some fun things planned.

the kids have been working on some goals of

their own, and hopefully they can achieve those.

griff is in heaven having everyone home.

he will be a very sad baby come august.

so we're soaking it in.

hope your summer is going great!

why i'm lame...in bullet points.

* i have no excuse not to blog.

* exciting things have happened and

i still haven't blogged.

* sometimes(although i hate to admit this)

i'm actually bored and i still haven't blogged.

* i'm in a funky funk.

stay tuned, it can only go up from here.

read this book.

It is 1968. Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability, and Homan, an African American deaf man, are locked away in an institution, the School for the Incurable and Feebleminded, and have been left to languish, forgotten. Deeply in love, they escape, and find refuge in the farmhouse of Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow. But the couple is not alone-Lynnie has just given birth to a baby girl. When the authorities catch up to them that same night, Homan escapes into the darkness, and Lynnie is caught. But before she is forced back into the institution, she whispers two words to Martha: "Hide her." And so begins the 40-year epic journey of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia-lives divided by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, yet drawn together by a secret pact and extraordinary love.

grab a tissue.I

we're back!!!!

can you guess where we were?

more later.

best friends come in all ages, shapes, and sizes.

i'm out for the week.

i'll catch ya on friday.

or saturday.

or sunday.

so, he left for e.f.y. today....

how did we get here?

have a great week E.

you know its been a long, busy day

when your baby falls asleep

like this.....

happy birthday...

to my now 14 year old boy.

time sure does fly

when you're raising one

of the best kids i know.

i may be biased.

i love you ethan.

happy day.