Family Portraits and "It hasn't been 2 months!"

Not my family's portraits, but my first attempt at taking a serious family picture for someone. I would love to do this for a living, but for now, I am just grateful that there are a few people who trust me enough to let me practice on them and theirs! What do you think?

and for some reason it says that I haven't posted for 2 months. I know it has been that long. . . so here is to a more recent post listing!

they can be so sweet to eachother!
I really like this picture except for how dark alaina's face is. any suggestions?

and my personal fav. trying to fiddle with it. so far this is all i have.

one of my favorite things to do when I visit any town is go to the nearest temple. We almost always stop in St. George for temple pictures whenever we go to Utah, but this last time we zipped right on by it. So I absolutely had to go to one of the many in Salt Lake area. Here are so me of my favorite pictures from that trip!

Recent Baking Endeavors

Happy Birthday Matt!

He is a Thomas the Train Fanatic. And he loved the cake! Yippee!

Chuck's Birthday was before Matt's, He got this cake

which has quickly become a family favorite.

Amanda has even requested it for her wedding cake!

Once we cut into it any semblance of pretty was gone. But who cares when it tastes so good!
Jake's girlfriend says it is a heart attack and diabetes waiting to happen, but what the heck!
My sister's birthday cupcakes. I know they are not exactly correct when compared to their live counterpart. Colors are flipped. But these were fun to make for Haylee-Bug!

Trick or Treat? .... TREATS!

So I made these for the ladies I visit teach. So easy! Coffee Filters, stamps, ribbon, and spider rings from Wal-Mart, black plates, a tooth pick and some paper!

I made these cookies to go inside.

Happy Halloween!

Best part is this idea can be used for ANY holiday!

Thankful Thursday

I know it is just barely still Thursday. . . but don't let that keep you from sharing!

ok. . . gotta say that I LOVE my morning drives to preschool with Alaina! Especially when one of her favorite songs is playing on the radio, at which point we turn the volume way up and we belt it out like only a mother-daughter duo can! Her favorites you ask?: Teardrops on My Guitar, So What, Shake It and Hot 'n Cold.

Monday Musings

Blind Wife plus Deaf Husband

equals

Great Marriage

sign I saw on a local church marquis. What do you think? At first I was taken aback at the message I saw up there. usually I really like seeing what words of whitty wisdom they feel like sharing with passers-by. But this morning this particular message rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe because I have a deaf husband (or at least one who feigns a hearing impediment) and I wouldn't exactly say that this particular characteristic contributes to our 'great marriage'. And the message seemed to convey a sense of separateness and indifferance, even disdain:

Picture a wife. . .discontent with the husband who used to be built like an upright triangular athlete - broad robust in all the right places, thin and svelt in the right ones too. . . turning a blind eye to now upside down triangular less than prime fighting machine she used to know - now broad round the middle. Picture a husband who used to love the sound of her voice, now aggravated at the constant bickering and pestering. So one turns a blind eye, the other a deaf ear, and they find this helps keep them happy, even sane. Not a very uplifting message for a church marquis.

So then I tried to spin it positive (since surely their intent was to uplift and provide some humor at the same time, not instill that this-will-have-to-do tone I got from it all)

Now picture a wife who moves forward in life blind, holding to her faith, not knowing what comes next. Since she can't see the future she relies on her senses, specifically her sensitivity to the promptings of the Spirit. And picture a husband who, let's face it, doesn't always 'hear' those whisperings quite as often or well as the woman. With is 'deafness', perhaps he relies on the senses which work best still, reason, problem solving, those things that allow him to 'see' what the future might be, unlike his faith driven wife. Together, the blind and the deaf, work together, their seeming impairments actually blessing the life of the other, making their marriage great, and making themselves complete.

What do you think? What was your first impression of the message when you read it?

Thankful Thursdays

K. . . gonna try to start a new thing here in an attempt to get more comments on my blog. That is the fun of all this anyway don't you think. Don't you ever find yourself logging on just to see how many people have stopped by, hoping beyond all hope that they took a few minutes to actually read and then leave a note, a mindless or thoughtful response? I do! So I am inviting all ya all to leave a comment for Thankful Thursdays wherein you leave a comment expressing your gratitude for ONE (COUNT IT ONE)certain someONE, someTHING, someTIME, or somePlace. Can be something that you have been grateful for for a long-time, or a short-time or a right-now-in-the-moment-time folowed by a brief or lengthy explanation.

Every Thursday come on by. I must admit that I am also in a bit of an "I-need-to-be-more-grateful-time" myself and this is one mechanism I am employing to help me in this endeavor.

So for me on this fine Thursday I am thankful for BOGO at Payless. I just got a pair of boots for $2.50, and a pair of cute slide on's for Alaina for $4.50. How can you beat that? And with how annoyingly fast little kid's feet grow you need shoes to be dirt cheap. Yippee!

Husband Tag

Rules : Each person answers questions about their sweethearts
At the end of the Post, the person then tages 4 people and post their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment letting them know they have been tagged.

*What is your husbands name? Charles Michael Riddle
*How long have you been married? A little over 7 years
*How long did you date? maybe 3 months before we got engaged. Is that terrible? I can't remember!
*How old is he? 33
*Who eats sweets? both, but me way more by far
*Who said I love you first? Chuck said, "I think I am falling. Falling in love with you that is." ahhh haaa.
*Who is taller? He is, but if I married someone shorter than me, I would have married a pygmee!
*Who can sing best? me, but that is not saying much
*Who is smarter? Math and Science - Chuck, well he is smarter than me in almost every case except for the right-brained subjects, in which case I take the cake.
*Who does laundry? Both of us. . . he usually steps in when the basket is overflowing and he has no more underwear. That doesn't happen all the time, but often enough.
*Who pays bills? I get that honor
*Who sleeps on the right side? he does (unless stacy is in bed too, then he sleeps on the floor!. . . ha ha)
*Who mows the lawn? He does. . . I have done it a few times.
*Who cooks dinner? 9 times out of 10, he does. In fact that is what he is doing right now.
*Who drives? Most of the time he does.
*Who is first to admit they are wrong? Chuck is never wrong. Well I think he was wrong once. I put it on the calendar, but now I can't find it. I think he was trying to destroy the evidence.
*Who kissed who first? Well, I had to ask him if he ever was going to kiss me. Then he did.
*Who asked who out first? He asked me. We went to Magic Mountain for our first date!
*Who wears the pants? He actually prefers the skirt. . . just kidding. We each have one leg in the pants. Sometimes they rip down the middle, but most of the time we try to juggle it and move forward together!

4 People to Tag

Denise (my mom)
Renee
Jodi
Jenny

Bear With Me

You blink an eye and if you aren't careful you wake up 3 months later. At least that is what has happened to me this time around. But I will try to keep my memoirs to a minimum lest they lull you to sleep only to awaken in January!

Grammy's Garden and Green Beans

Second only to the train was Grammy's Garden. As soon as we got to the house the kids wanted to get in the back yard and pick some of the green beans. Faye is famous in our family for her green beans. And when the world starts falling apart I will be taking up residence in her neighborhood, helping her grow her beautiful garden, in exchange for all the green beans I could want. Corn almost ready to pick
And Faye's most Favorite Ficture in her garden. . . just ask her. Who can grow a better CJ5? Proven to maximize the fertility of the soil. Just as Floyd!
And our personal favorite! Green Beans!
Visit the Guymon Gazette for Faye's own beautiful narrative of the almost magical (at least in the Riddle's opinion) process of canning them.

All Aboard!

We took a trip to Utah at the end of August. Matt was so excited to finally make it to the railroad where Grandpa worked. After the long 10 1/2 hour trip from Yuma, we didn't even stop at Grammy's to drop our stuff off. It was straight to the train! Matt could hardly restrain his excitement, the wonder of it all dancing across his face. Did people actually get to do this in real life? Yep. And his grandpa is one of them. Matt's hero for sure!Alaina was a little nervous, a lot eager to get that control in her hand. She loved to blow an actual train whistle! The power of a lever!
Matt was a bit timid, but then when he realized what the lever did, he didn't want to stop! Choo Choo!
And the man of the hour was Grandpa. Worked the railroad for years, one of the best Utah or anywhere else has known.

Did you know that in the yards, where they drop off and pick up cars, most engines are remote controlled? And he is the man that drives them around while he walks along the track! Cool!!

My Little Monkey

Damon at three months Is that not a striking resemblance. Gotta love the cheeks. He is such a sweet baby boy. I love watching him fall asleep. I love listening to him talk. And I can't get enough of his sweet baby laugh. He loves it when I snort like a pig. Monkey noises don't do the trick though. Even though my monkey impression is Wicked!

Tagged!

7 Things I Can Do:

1. Drive my husband totally nuts
2. Speak Spanish. . . once upon a time I used to dream in Spanish
3. Kick your trash at Wii Hula Hoop. Anybody have a grass skirt?
4. Run 4 miles without stopping
5. Pinch you with my toes
6. Roll my tongue both directions
7. Still do a cartwheel!

7 Things I Cannot Do:

1. Touch my nose with my tongue
2. Leave candycorn untouched
3. Crochet
4. More than one real pushup in a row
5. Take a shower in the morning without stepping on the scale first
6. Text. . . at least not like the crazy fast kids out there. . .they can do it without even looking at the phone
7. Let a ringing phone go unanswered. I am practicing this skill however, as I realize how invasive it can be. . . plus it contributes to the propetuation of my dual personalities. We all know how it works. One moment our horns are out, the steam is streaming from our ears -- then the phone rings and while our children look on in wonder they are confused at the puzzle before them. . . demon mother with an angel's voice. . . as we answer the phone. What? don't tell me you have never done this.

7 Things That Attracted Me To Chuck:

1. His geniune concern for the welfare of those he knew and loved
2. His mom (I have the BEST mother-in-law in the world)
3. His ability to calm me. . .a voice of reason
4. He is a gentleman. . . well not the "open the door for the lady" kind of gentleman, but well his own version of one. (I mean I had to ask him to kiss me).
5. His squinty eyed, deep from the belly laugh. (His son has the same laugh)
6. His independence
7. His sincere desire to do and be his best all of the time.

7 Things I Say Most Often:

1. What the heck?!
2. Oh my GOSH!!
3. Come on!
4. Hey (insert your name)! long pause. . . I Love You! over and over again. Game I play with the kids
5. Whatever. (Usually after a long debate with my children over some matter or another. I give up trying to convince them I know a little something about something, and just succumb to their adamant protests that they are in fact correct).
6. I'm workin' on it!
7. And the last one is one I can't repeat. . . I promised the kids that I would work on not saying it anymore. (Shame shame).

7 People I Admire:

1. Amy M- she is the one of most self motivated, productive, uplifting people I know
2. My mom
3. My dad
4. Emily A.
5. Andrea R
6. The really skinny, healthy, happy mom of three who picks her kids up from preschool the same time I pick Alaina up. (granted this admiration is of the "bite my lip-she makes me sick- but oh how I wish I was like that-variety).
7. Carlye D

7 Favorite Foods:

1. Spaghetti
2. Corn
3. Applesauce
4. Mint Oreos
5. Mexican
6. Jr. Mints
7. Cereal

7 People to Tag:

1. Mom
2. Andrea
3. Kaycie
4. Stacy
5. Denise
6. Jodi
7. Deanne

Gotta Love Him

So after reading the previous post "Not Chihuahau Poo", it is hard for even myself to admit that Matt is still irresistably lovable. How do you refrain from loving that toothy, dimple-dorned grin? Impossible! Motherhood is seriously the most intense rollercoaster EVER!

And look what he can do with a couple sturdy plastic cars! Alaina has a pair of rollerblades she loves to wear around the house. Matt is always trying to convince her to share. Finally he'd had enough and made his own!

Not Chihuahua Poo

This is what a little boy looks like after he has been caught doing something utterly unbelievable. Can't you see the look of "uh oh" in his eyes. He better think "uh oh".

I don't have dogs for this EXACT reason!

Sorry for the graphic pictures. But he deserves to have this moment immortalized. And until he succumbs to my urgent requests to get the toilet thing down, I will hound him about this relentlessly. Why are boys so hard to potty train. Too busy I guess. We have even tried bribing him with trains, train tracks, and tunnels. (Given his ardent love of all things locomotive I was sure we had the answer, but alas I was wrong. And the horrible possibility of stumbling upon more "chihuahua poo" is likely).

A Chance of Lifetime. . . And I didn't take it! TWICE!!

Count them. . . One
Two
Three

Should have joined them right? How often does the universe align in such a sign of magnanimous divine love? Well for this fool of a woman who didn't take her first chance. . . . the answer was twice!

But apparently I don't learn from history. . . I let it repeat itself. Complete with three sleeping babies and one wide awake mommy. Can't even remember what I did instead of napping. But I know this much: If I had napped, I would have remembered!

Dare I ask for a third chance?

Camping 101

In August we went camping for the first time as a family. We had a beautiful view of a toll road behind us and the campground's trash dumpsters out the front door. But the dirt, the rocks and the stars were what mattered. Damon at little more than a month was a dream. . . went to sleep right on time, slept through the whole night nestled in blankets on the tent floor. Matthew, at almost three was, well EXCITED. After the novelty of flashlights, campfires, tents and sleeping bags wore off he finally nodded off to sleep as well. Alaina was intrigued by the short jaunt from the tent to the toilet, and insisted on traipsing out in her nightie, up the starlit road to the bathroom. Once that adventure was mastered she nodded off quickly. Mom and Dad slept comfortably on a inflation-challenged mattress. More like a night on the sea, what with every roll bringing a sudden and jarring change in altitude for us lighter bodies! But by morning we found ourselves firmly grounded, rocks embedded on our backsides to boot! The morning after kids still excited, and actually getting along. Not that we were exactly roughing it in the wilderness, but I guess this sort of thing really does inspire bonding, no super glue involved! Since this trip I have at least 2 requests a week for another camping soiree soon!

For Your Amusing Perusing!

Matt and Alaina at Temple Square (photoshop help)

Matt @ La Jolla Beach

Damon @ La Jolla while perched in the Baby Bjorn on my tummy

Damon @ home on the couch

Jake @ the church on the north side of the river

Jake and Ivet at the same place

Alaina Damon and Matt @ SLC Temple (some photoshop work done on this one)

Amanda and Josh's Wedding Announcements (photoshop as well, obviously)

Amanda and Josh