11 and 12

Running a little behind, mostly from lack of motivation.  I'm just getting my camera out for the first time since I was at the Ranch with my folks.  But what a great reason to get the camera out!  Today is my little one's First Birthday!!  It really has flown by- more so than with Riley.  Scarlett is my sweet little accessory.  She just hangs on for the ride and is usually so pleasant and care free (except when she's teething- oofta!).

Here are her never posted 11 month pictures.

And now for the Birthday pictures!  12 months old!!!  Can you believe it?!

Side of Ranch, Please

My parents moved to their little 80 acre ranch 4 years ago and it's been so fun to visit and get to play cowgirl!  They've added chickens to their repertoire of farm animals!!  Now instead of just going out and petting the horses and cows, I can go out and feed the chickens.  I've mentally named them against my dad's warning not to since the one breed of chickens will soon end up on the dinner table- but I can't help it.  There's one little chicken, Herald who is a total underdog.  Does anyone else just love the little underdogs like I do?  I have a special place in my heart for 'em.  Anyway, Herold is a runt chicken who was born with splayed legs.  Mom and dad fixed him by tying his legs together so he had to learn to keep them underneath him and it worked.  Now Herold can walk but he's still much smaller than the other chickens and oh, by the way he is just about bald.  It doesn't help as I'm trying not to think of these chickens being my dinner, but this chicken already looks like he is oven ready without any feathers.  Riley loves going out in the chicken house and we get plenty of entertainment just watching them cluck and scratch.

Some of the scenery here is just gorgeous.  Small town, farm country, refreshing.  Here's my 5 minute photo shoot with the kids on Easter Sunday.  I'd like to get out and take a little more time, but with how fast they move and how quickly moods change, I don't see that happening this year.

I'll have to post Scarlett in a separate post since the computer's acting up.

I Heart Faces: peoples choice

Uggh.  I wasn't sure which picture to pick.  This is torture for me!!  I've already changed my mind 3 times.  I had one that I LOVE but I think what I love about it so much is the ambiance and the scenery so since the  I HEART FACES challenge is for "best face in March" I changed it to a picture with Riley posing in his playset outside.  Then Scarlett's little goofy smile got the best of me... but then while I was editing some more tonight, I found this one just elicited so much emotion in me so we're going with this.  It's been a rough week full of tears because of those darn new teeth making their grand appearance.  This shot is pretty much what it's been like.  She wants to be ok, but that tear can't help but sneak out and plant itself right on my baby girl's cheek.  I've just got to walk away before I change my mind again! 

Sorry for being so indecisive.  I can't help it.  It's what happens when you label the challenge "best face of March." 

Go check out the other amazing entries this week!!   They're not being judged so throw in your own entry- just for kicks!!  And it is people's choice so go on over and vote for me!  It'd make my day!  ;)

Edu.macation

One day Riley surprised me with this little gem so I had to get it on video!  Kids are so stinkin cute!!

Before/After

I've made a decision.  Actions are fun to play with but I've decided that I am not going to spend money (upwards of $150 per bundle of actions) each time a new set of actions comes out.  Sure- I like the result and it's time saving but when it comes down to it, I don't know how they are getting to the end result and therefore I'm becoming more and more dependent on another person's editing skills and falling deeper and deeper into the trap where I'll have to continue forkin over money every time I get bored of the current action sets I have and wish for a new one.  I've decided instead of the hundreds of dollars I'd spend on actions, I'm going to buy a couple of good Photoshop how-to books and learn all the tricks and how to get the effects I want myself.  I also want to learn to efficiently make my own actions.  I've made a couple and so far have learned that the simpler ones work better.  The more complex I get, the more jumbled it is when I try it out.

Anyway, I figured with this revelation I'd post a before and after.  This is sins actions (well- i used my own "my tweaks" action) and since my editing style is always evolving, this is my current look- and I do feel like I can claim it myself instead of giving credit to the gal who makes and sells actions.

Who knows...  maybe someday I'll be able to sell my actions for hundreds of dollars.  A girl can dream- right?

10 months!

What a fun age!!  My little Scarlett is such a joy with her giggles and smiles.  Although it is the stage where diaper changing is near impossible...  Who has time for that anyway- there's things to put in mouths and places to explore! 

She's become quite independent and crawls all over the place.  She still comes back to mommy for loves when she's ready though!  <3

 

She still thinks her brother is pretty much the coolest person to walk the planet.

 Gosh- I love those sweet smiles!

A place to call home

The Wilson's have been busy.    It's funny how we've always chosen a good, move-in ready home and we're usually drawn to well kept homes.  Well, desperate times call for desperate measures and since I did not want to take up permanent residence in the TLF's (Temporary Living Facilities- on base about the size of a 1BR small apartment), we had to find something pronto.  I fell in love with the neighborhood, since it's just three houses away from bay access and has another great park so close. 

(This is our beach park just down from the house...  Riley's finding hermit crabs- which btw he's now horrified of...  we're working on it.)

 The house....  has potential.  First off, let me disclose to you that this time we decided to rent.  The crashing housing market left a pretty sour taste in our mouths from Phoenix and since we are only staying for such short stints, we thought it best to rent.  The previous renters did not care much about how this home was kept so we've been putting our time and effort into making it nicer.  It's rewarding, until we remember that it's not ours anyway but none-the-less, we feel better about where we live.

We raked the leaves and collected 32 bags worth of leaves.  That's a lot of covered ground that wasn't getting sun and therefore wasn't growing grass.  Hopefully that will fix the grass problem- or lack there of.

 We painted almost all the walls, repaired lots of little fixes here and there and I think it's finally starting to feel like home.  

I have been pretty down on this place.  It's been a difficult move for us as John and I left a life that we loved so dearly behind...  So I decided that I am going to stop pouting and start embracing the beauty that this place has to offer.  I bought an annual state park pass and have been out exploring in both the parks and the nearby towns.  There's an adorable little town called Seaside that is nestled on the Gulf shore and has a very quaint feel.  I'm sure that will be a place I frequent.  Last weekend, John and I got the bikes out and hitched up the ol' bike trailer.  The kids got a ride in the trailer while John and I took a leisurely ride on a scenic bike trail with an ocean view.  We stopped along the way to enjoy a smoothie and some delectable freshly baked goodies from the local shops and continued on to Seaside.  We stopped there for some beach time, then meandered back home.  It was perfect. 

As you may have noticed, I've also been playing with the stamps that I can put on pictures.  It's just something fun that I have figured out how to do through tutorials.  A lot of people pay for that, but I just think I'm too wishy washy to like a logo for a long time which I would feel necessary if I paid for it.  

So to conclude, things are just fine here.  We're moved in.  The weather is getting so nice.  God is good.  As much as I try, I really can't complain.