Living the Dream

New 365 blog!

2011-01-19T05:54:00.000-07:00

I have created a new project 365 blog so go check it out here!!

Proof!

2011-01-10T14:52:00.001-07:00

Andrew now has proof so when he says "I used to walk to school in the snow, uphill, both ways." He'll be telling the truth and be able to prove it with these pictures....

He will also be able to say he had a loving Mommy who gave him snow boots and made sure he didn't go barefoot. :)

I Heart The Snow.

2011-01-09T16:53:00.000-07:00

It started snowing this morning and is still coming down as I type this. We have about six inches already and the heavy snow is supposed to come tonight. Fingers crossed there is a snow day tomorrow!

We ventured out this morning before it got too bad to have some fun...

December Daily : Days 25-31

2011-01-04T12:06:00.001-07:00

Phew!! I have spent all morning getting caught up on my December Daily album and I am so glad I did it! Here are the remaining pages....

December Daily : Days 19-24

2011-01-04T10:14:00.002-07:00

Can you believe it's 2011???

2011-01-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

Neither can Andrew!!!

LOL!! I was going through our Christmas pictures this morning and ran across this one of him when he saw his presents from Santa. Priceless. We had to wake him up from a deep sleep so his eyes have bags under them and his hair is Crazy! This kid has the best expressions. :)

Hope everyone is having a great start to 2011. I myself felt a cold coming on yesterday and am fighting it off this morning. Not how I wanted to start 2011 but this too shall pass. I am determined to lose weight again this year. Shock, right? This year I have a couple goals/deadlines that are giving me extra incentive to move more and eat less.

December Daily 2010: Day 17

2010-12-18T04:05:00.001-07:00

December Daily 2010 - Days 15& 16

2010-12-17T13:48:00.001-07:00

As you can tell I'm playing catch up today!!

December Daily 2010 - Days 13 & 14

2010-12-17T13:13:00.001-07:00

I haven't completed the page for Day 13 because I planned writing a letter to Andrew and I haven't typed it up yet.

Here is Day 14...

December Daily 2010 - Days 9, 10, 11, 12

2010-12-17T06:15:00.000-07:00

December Daily 2010- Days 6,7 & 8

2010-12-09T05:35:00.000-07:00

Nichole Van Giveaway!

2010-12-08T16:53:00.000-07:00

There is a photographer in Utah, who is just plain right amazing. She teaches classses on photography and I am dying to go to one of her classes or get her workshop in a box. You can view her work at: http://workshops.nicholev.com/.

Wish me luck!!

December Daily 2010 - Day 4 & 5

2010-12-07T06:47:00.001-07:00

December Daily 2010 - Day 2 & 3

2010-12-07T06:20:00.000-07:00

December Daily 2010 - December 1

2010-12-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it's December already! It's time for December Daily and I really had a hard time figuring out if I was going to do this again this year. Sometimes life gets too busy and it's hard to say no to certain things and this was one I just couldn't say no to. I love to look back at our albums from December too much to not do this again this year. It's a lot of work but it's SO worth it.

I'm doing all digital again this year or I know it would get done! Here is from December 1:

First Snow of Fall 2010

2010-11-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

I was getting ready to post the first snow of 2010 but really we've had snow up through May of this year but we did have the first snow after five months... typically we get snow in October. In fact last year we had it in the beginning on October. So the snow this year was highly anticipated and enjoyed BIG time!!

Caught a little off guard we didn't have snow pants for Andrew or matching gloves and his shoes are from two seasons ago.. he swears they still fit. Ya, right buddy! He was just afraid I was going to tell him he couldn't play outside. We are supposed to get another stronger storm this evening and it's fore casted to snow off and on all day on Thursday. So, off to Target we go today to get some snow gear. :) FUN!!

He stayed out as late as he could...

Happy Halloween!!

2010-11-01T12:00:00.000-06:00

Check out the cutest pirate you've ever seen... He LOVED his costume this year and played the part perfectly.

More 6 year pics of my boy

2010-10-25T06:01:00.000-06:00

You can view all the pictures on yes you guessed it my Tami Wilson Photography blog. :-) But here is a sneak peek...

Little Lovebirds...

2010-10-19T07:41:00.000-06:00

Here is just one picture from my Poison Oak/Ivy session.... check out the rest of these two cuties on my Tami Wilson Photography blog.

Muffins with Moms

2010-10-10T06:23:00.000-06:00

Andrew's school invited all moms to come to school with their kids and check out what goes on in the classroom. They had a similar event for Dads a few weeks ago. It's always fun to visit the classroom and see what really goes on during the day.

The kids presented the moms with a little piece of artwork and a sentence they wrote all by themselves. According to Andrew, I am special to him because I take him to the mountains. Of course in class when they went around the room sharing their paper and telling everyone why their mom is special to them he decided to change it and say it's because I make him donuts. What? I've never made donuts... hmmm maybe he is trying reverse psychology here.

I am so proud of him for all that he has learned in class. He sounded out the sentence and wrote it all by himself. He has a wonderful teacher who can really relate to the kids and makes learning so much fun for her students.

Office Makeover (before and after pictures)

2010-10-08T15:17:00.000-06:00

Okay, I was going to wait to share my before and after pictures after I ordered pictures for all my frames but that is not going to happen anytime soon so I thought I would go ahead and share.

This room has served several different purposes. We moved in and it was an office that was never used so we turned into a playroom for Andrew. Then when we decided to redo the basement and move all of the toys downstairs it became my scrapbook room/office/digital darkroom. It had wayyyyyyyyyyyy too much stuff in it and I needed an uncluttered space to edit pictures. Clutter drives me crazy and it was just chaotic in here. So, I moved my scrapbook room upstairs to one of the spare rooms and it is back to being my office/digital darkroom. Phew!!

For our 10 year anniversary Blake painted it "brown bag" and spruced up my shelves so I could actually use them. Then I went on a Hobby Lobby shopping spree and got lots of frames and fun accents. You'll also notice an old Polaroid camera. I LOVE THIS CAMERA!!! My dad bought for me in a little antique store up in the mountains when they came to visit in September. I'm on the hunt for more....

So, ready for the transformation??

So... what do you think?????????

Six year pics

2010-10-04T07:11:00.000-06:00

I'm being lazy and am sending you to my photography blog to check out Andrew's six year pictures we took this weekend. Click here to see them..

How did it happen?

2010-10-03T07:04:00.000-06:00

How did he get this old overnight? We took his 6 year pictures yesterday and I swear he woke up and was a foot taller and his face looked completely different. He is trying to make me cry. I'm sure of it.

Splish Splash...

2010-09-26T15:35:00.002-06:00

Andrew still loves taking baths! It seems lately I haven't pulled out my camera and just photographed Andrew in the moment. So, last night while he was taking a bath I grabbed my camera and had a little fun. He was playing hide and seek from me and doing other naughty things I won't say on this blog. Let's just say.. he is such a boy and takes after his Daddy so much it's not even funny. Well it is funny... but you know what I mean!

Grateful 9.20.10

2010-09-20T18:29:00.001-06:00

So grateful he still likes to hold my hand.

Grateful 9.19.10

2010-09-20T06:45:00.000-06:00

Grateful for beautiful sunsets and pretty views.

Grateful 9.18.10

2010-09-19T09:52:00.001-06:00

Grateful for pretty accessories in my new office!

Grateful 9.17.10

2010-09-18T06:36:00.000-06:00

So very grateful Andrew has a loving and involved Daddy.

Ten Years!!

2010-09-17T08:54:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe it's been ten years already. I know it's a cliche to say this but I can't imagine my life with out him. He is my best friend and my rock. He keeps me centered when I go off track and he always has my best interest at heart. It's comforting to know you always have someone to lean on and to feel safe with.

Not to mention I think he is one of the funniest people I know and makes me laugh all the time. Andrew gets this from him. What a wonderful quality to pass on to your child.

I love you honey bunny! ;-) Thank you for a wonderful ten years of marriage and 16 years together. We have grown into adults together and have been through so many milestones. I want you to know, I am so happy with our life together.

xoxo

Grateful for 10 years of marriage.

Best Denver Family Photographer!!

2010-09-16T06:24:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited!! Tami Wilson Photography was voted Best Denver Family Photographer in the Nickelodeon's parents picks awards. Thank you to all who voted for me!

We Won! Check it Out!

365 days of gratitude

2010-09-15T16:50:00.000-06:00

I know, I know. I'm already very busy and have a to do list a mile long right now and not to mention Project 365 (taking a picture every day) I'm doing. Do I really need to add another item on my daily to do list? The answer is yes and so should YOU! The point of this project is to take a moment out of your day (even the bad ones! Those are actually even more important.) to find something to be grateful for. I will be taking a picture of what I'm grateful for with my iPhone. I want this to be easy and no fuss. So, my year of gratitude starts today and I will be sharing my pics on this blog.

How did I hear about this? I love the blog The Creative Mama and came across their post today about a photographer who.... well I'll just post what was on the Creative Mama about the photographer, it's much easier! But be sure to go to the Creative Mama and look at their advice and tips on this project.

Australian photographer Hailey Bartholomew began a personal project in 2008, to help her to be “grateful, daily” for her blessings. During a tough period in her life, she was advised to simply stop for one moment every day and write down something she was grateful for. Being a photographer, she naturally recorded those moments with a Polaroid camera and thus began her journey.

What are you grateful for today? Here is my photo for today..

Grateful for a husband who paints for me.

We miss you already Gaga & Papa!

2010-09-12T18:58:00.000-06:00

I'm short on time but I just wanted to pop in and say we had a wonderful visit with Papa & Gaga this past week. I have lots of pictures to go through but these two caught my eye right away and I had to post them.

Andrew cried the night before they left but Gaga made it all better by making chocolate gravy and biscuits the morning they left. We had it two times while they were here!! Yep, that is my treadmill calling me... I'll be back with more pics soon. :-)

Pajama day!!

2010-09-03T14:47:00.000-06:00

Today is pajama day at Andrew's school. The letter of the week is "G" and they have been reading Goodnight Moon and the teachers thought it would be fun for all the kids to come dressed in their pj's on Friday to read the book and a few others. Andrew was so excited to wear his new pajamas and told everyone he met his shirt said Rascal.

Can't wait to see how his day was when I pick him up in 45 minutes. Okay 42 minutes and 30 seconds.. but whose counting? Anyone else looking forward to the long weekend? ME!! ME!!

Here is our little rascal looking cute in his pj's...

July & August Monthly Family Picture

2010-08-29T06:59:00.000-06:00

I am still here! Just been very busy with my photography business and not much time for our personal little blog here.

We did take our month family picture for August and I wanted to share. I also realized I hadn't shared July since we were in Maui and well.. I just haven't been good about updating the blog since we've been back.

So, here are our family pics. These were taken in the backyard with the 10 second timer. In the second picture we are giving Andrew a wet wheelie. :-)

Momma's Soapbox giveaway!!

2010-08-19T06:05:00.000-06:00

Head on over to Momma's Soapbox!

She is giving away a $40 CSN gift certificate. It can be used at Le Crueset or just go to http://www.csnstores.com/and you can view over 200 different websites you can choose from! Fun!

First day of Kindergarten!

2010-08-17T06:53:00.000-06:00

We made it through the first day!

Much like we thought, Andrew was more than ready to start Kindergarten. All the kids lined up outside and got their name tags and then walked into their new school. Andrew never looked back.... thank goodness or he would have seen a bunch of upset parents. :-)

My two wishes on the way home were "I hope he has fun and please oh please don't get in trouble!" LOL

When we picked him up he was all smiles and said he had a great first day. On the walk home he said "Now I can go home and watch a show!" Unfortunately for him we had swim lessons in an hour and he didn't have much time to rest.

After swim, we told him to choose his favorite restaurant for dinner to celebrate his first day of school. He chose Noodles n Co and Coldstone. I love that he threw ice cream in there.

Here are some pics from his first day...

My comic relief!

2010-08-16T10:20:00.000-06:00

TURN OFF THE MUSIC BELOW before hitting play! Just a friendly reminder. :-)

This is my comic relief after a emotional morning of dropping Andrew off at Kindergarten (pics of that to follow.)

First, I am going to apologize now for saying "Oh my god" I don't usually say that and don't like it but this wave was HUGE and it just came out. Sorry if I offend anyone!

Secondly, the video does not even begin to show how BIG the wave was. It was HUGE and very strong as you'll see it was knocking people over and throwing some to shore.. a few times. Amazingly enough, Andrew happened to be just far enough in the ocean that he wasn't a victim to this. His Auntie on the other hand, she wasn't so lucky. But, it makes for a fun video!! As you'll hear I was laughing so hard I couldn't even finish my sentences. I think I was crying I was laughing so hard after I hit stop on the camera. Love you sista

Back to School pictures

2010-08-15T10:10:00.000-06:00

Andrew and I went to his school last night and took some back to school pictures. I've posted them on my photography blog... go check them out here!

sneak peek...

Happy 90th Birthday Popo!!

2010-08-14T14:24:00.001-06:00

One of the sweetest men I've ever known.. my Popo. He turns 90 years old today! Unfortunately, I won't be there to celebrate but he is definitely on my mind today. Andrew and I will have to try calling him later and hopefully we'll catch him at home. (ETA:  My mom called me from the party and Andrew and I got to talk to Popo and wish him well. Thank you Mom!!) Andrew just loves him. They are hilarious to listen to when they are talking to each other because they both talk over each other.. yep, we call Andrew little Walt (that is Popo's name) sometimes. Andrew is friendly just like him, never met a stranger and loves. to. talk. alot! It's awesome.

I remember visiting Popo during the summers as a little girl. I loved going up to his mountain property and exploring.   We also loved to redecorate his house... there was one room in the back he let us do whatever we wanted to in. We'd make forts and tents and play so many games in that room.

To me he has always been a warm and loving grandfather. He's seen so much in his 90 years.. some wonderful and some not so wonderful.  He lost his first wife at a young age and then his second wife many years later. He is a war hero and sadly losted many friends during the war. With all the loss he has had he's also been blessed with 3 daughters, 6 grand children, and 11 great grand children!

Popo - I love you very much and wish I could be there to give you a big hug!

Here I am with Popo at his 57th birthday..

Here we are quite a few years later... ;-)
.

Andrew and Popo last summer.

Meet Mrs. Camps

2010-08-14T08:52:00.000-06:00

We had a meet and greet last night at Andrew's new school and got to meet his Kindergarten teacher! We were impressed with her already as she called us earlier in the week to sign up for a certain time to visit the class room for a quick presentation. She was very nice, direct and to the point and organized! My kind of gal. :)

Another thing we noticed was a lot of her students from last year came running in the classroom to give her a hug. So sweet.

Yes, we are very excited for Andrew to start and I'm hoping I make it through the first day without embarrassing myself in front of all the other parents with an "ugly cry" look on my face. I'm tearing up as I write this post.... I'm hosed. Thankfully Blake will be there with me to ~~support~~ make fun of me.

Have a great weekend!

Teacher's Back to School Gift

2010-08-13T13:40:00.004-06:00

ur baby is starting Kindergarten on Monday! Time to get working on a gift for his teacher.

I just love these clear little pails from Michaels. There are so many things you can use them for and very easy to alter. Last year I decorated these pails for Halloween and put a carmel apple in them for Andrew's preschool teachers. As of right now there is a healthy red apple in it but I may swap it out for a yummy carmel one over the weekend.

I used my papers and the apple stamp from Stampin Up. I got these a couple years ago and it's now retired and I have used this paper so much.... so glad I ordered two packages! I'm sure you could probably still find it on ebay or something though.

So, what are you doing or what did you do for a teacher's gift???

Flash back!

2010-08-12T18:44:00.000-06:00

I had a newborn session on Tuesday with a little girl who was 9 lbs 6 ounces and she had a ton of hair. It completely brought me back to when Andrew was that small. He was 9 lbs 14 oz and also had a ton of dark brown hair. I remember it just like yesterday. Only it was nearly 6 years ago. 6 YEARS??? really?

Here is the sweet little baby I was lucky to photograph... check out my Tami Wilson Photography blog for all the pics.

America's Next Top Model

2010-08-07T19:34:00.001-06:00

I have hundreds of photos to go through for Hawaii and I can not wait to edit them all but I'm going to have to do a little at a time and as of next week I will be swamped with client editing. I have a newborn session and a senior session with two girls! Yeah me! At least, I now know what I'll be doing while Andrew is in Kindergarten all day. ;-)

Anywho.... the reason for my post. Before we left Maui I took each of the kids a mini photo session and I can't wait to get through all of those images. I just had to edit these pics of my sweet little niece. Isn't she gorgeous? I'll be posting pictures of her equally stunning sister soon. I just couldn't wait to get these out there!

Sis. Two words. "Your hosed!" LOL And, I mean that in the nicest way possible. ;-)

Please vote for Tami Wilson Photography (again) !

2010-08-06T13:46:00.000-06:00

A local TV station holds an annual contest called the "A-list" which profiles local businesses and allows consumers to vote for and recommend their favorites. Please vote for Tami Wilson Photography for Best Portrait Photography!!!

Please vote for me by clicking on this.....

Thank you so much!! I really appreciate your support!

Home (Unbelievably) Sweet Home

2010-08-05T18:24:00.000-06:00

We are home (finally)!! I say finally because it took us about 36 hours to get from Maui to Colorado. To make a super super long story short. We got to the airport around 7 pm in Maui and quickly found out our incoming airplane had a busted windshield and it would be a minumum of a 3 hour delay. Making our new departure time 1:30 a.m. WHAT??? We were warned of a cancellation so we quickly rebooked to leave out the next day at 1 p.m. Sounds simple, right? WRONG! By the time we rebooked and got all that taken care of it was midnight and no hotels near the airport were available. Then we had to rent a car because the taxi was ridiculous. So, we go to our hotel (beach front motel - NASTY) at 1:00 a.m. Got about 4-5 hours of sleep and headed back to the airport. I was originally going to drop off Steph and the kids and Andrew and I were to fly out that evening. Oh, did I mention we were doing a red eye from Maui to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Minneapolis, Minneapolis to Denver ? Crazy, right? Well I was able to get on an earlier flight but I still had to make the ridiculous trek to Minneapolis. Wrong way!!

So, I'll skip the 3 1/2 hour lay over in LA and late departure out of there that made us RUN through the Minneapolis airport to catch our Denver flight - yes our name was being called through the airport making us aware we would not make the flight if we did not check -in in the next 10 minutes. Oh, right. I said I'd skip that part.

So, after a total of 6 hours of sleep in 48 hours we finally arrived back home. Only to find out Andrew's booster seat had been lost because they made me gate check it in Maui. Once the lost luggage counter in Baggage Claim finally opened (yes we had to wait) we got a loaner and we were on our way. Oh and did I mention my flip flop broke when we got to Denver? Apparently it was done traveling too! ;-) I seriously couldn't make this stuff up. Yes, it really happened. I was thankful the flip flop waited until Denver to give out. I could just see myself running barefoot through the Minneapolis airport. Ya, that 's not tacky.

I apologize, I was supposed to give a short story but it appears I've given the long... well there are lots of little stories in between but I guess this is the short long version.

Bottom line. We are home. I slept 12 hours last night and Andrew slept 16. I finally woke him up at 11 so he would sleep tonight. :)

Lots and lots of photos to come. Off to finish the LAST load of Laundry. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Because I can't post without a picture... here is one of the kids at the aquarium in Maui before all the chaos happened.

Haleakala National Park - On top of the world!

2010-07-31T12:37:00.000-06:00

A couple days ago we took off to the other side of Maui and ventured into the mountains. We were blown away with how beautiful the drive to the Haleakala crater was. Driving through the clouds up to 10,000 feet was absolutely amazing. The views along the way of the entire island were so pretty. There are many times when I take pictures and I know the moment got captured perfectly and then other times the pictures just do not do it justice. Unfortunately this time..... they just do not do it justice. Somethings have to been seen in person to be truly enjoyed

So, if anyone ever goes to Maui make sure you drive up through the Haleakala National Park. You will NOT be disappointed! This is my 8th or 9th (I can't remember) trip to Maui over the past 10 years and it's the first time I've been up in the mountains. It's so easy to get wrapped up with staying close the beach and ocean but there is so much more to be seen on this beautiful island.

Texting at 10,000 feet. :-)

We saw a beautiful rainbow on our way out of the park. Again.. picture does not do it justice. :)

Ps. We have three days left in Maui..... where or where did the month go?

Mr. Faux Hawk

2010-07-28T20:36:00.000-06:00

Just a quick hello from Maui. I had to share a few pictures of Andrew sporting the faux hawk Katie has been giving him the past few days.

It's hard to believe we have less than a week left. We are having an amazing trip and I know we'll never forget spending a month on this beautiful island and with family. We will definitely go through withdrawls when we get home and will miss everyone like crazy.

Aloha!

2010-07-21T14:29:00.000-06:00

We are having a wonderful time on vacation! It's hard to believe we only have 12 days left (only... LOL!) Time is flying by like it does when you are having a great time but we are definitely taking the time to enjoy the little things and soak up the beauty of this island. Below are lots of pictures from the luau we all went to the first week when the whole gang was here.

A few days ago we took a boat ride to the island of Lanai and saw a pod of over 300 spinner dolphins. The dolphins were having their babies so we got to see the newborn dolphins the size of footballs. That was pretty amazing! We also swam with a few green sea turtles. The kids absolutely LOVED that part. We took pics with our underwater camera and still need to get them developed.. fingers crossed some of the pics came out!

We still have several to do items on our list... we'll see how much we accomplish. Right now we are loving the pool and the beach. Speaking of.... we are off to the pool. Aloha!

Happy 4th of July!!

2010-07-04T07:40:00.000-06:00

We had a BBQ last night and feasted on these babies... Yummy!

Have a wonderful 4th of July holiday!

The Biggest Loser - July 1 results

2010-07-02T09:32:00.000-06:00

Congratulations Roger!! It's been difficult the past few weeks. I've tried to lose more weight but the battle has been maintaining. I'm thankful I've at least done that. We'll see how Maui goes!! I will not gain weight... I will not gain weight... I will not gain weight. :-)

Here are the full results. See you all at our next weigh in on August 15th.

Happy Fourth of July!

2010-07-02T06:48:00.000-06:00

Wishing everyone a safe and fun Fourth of July! Hope you all have a great time with family and friends.

Here are the pictures from our sunset photo session the other night. Introducing my superhero american kid. (superhero mask and batman glove.) :-)

Wisdom Wednesday

2010-06-30T06:32:00.000-06:00

Andrew and I went out last night for our "sunset photo session" that is on our summer to do list. We were out until after 8 p.m. I love this out of focus sun flared image I captured. It just makes me smile when I look at it. :)

Have a great Wednesday!

Monthly Family Picture - JUNE

2010-06-29T07:10:00.000-06:00

Just in the nick of time we took our monthly family picture for June. I was going to set up the camera and take a picture in the grass but when I saw all three of us on the computer screen during our webcam chat with Nana and Papa I knew that had to be the family picture for June. The quality is horrible but I love how it captures us as a family and the cool technology we are using. :-)

Getting excited!!!

2010-06-27T07:13:00.000-06:00

Do you like the new blog header??? The countdown continues here. Only 8 more night nights until we leave for Maui!! :-) Yes instead of counting days, we are counting night nights.

Water Balloon Fight | Summer To Do List

2010-06-26T10:04:00.000-06:00

Well we were able to mark another item off our Summer To Do List! Although I think we still need to have a HUGE water balloon fight still. Hmmm... maybe in Maui with all the cousins together? Only 9 days left.... unbelievable.

Daddy's boy

2010-06-25T06:26:00.005-06:00

These photos were taken first thing on Father's Day morning. When Blake is home Andrew can't help but go in our room and wake him up. Father's Day was no exception. Just look how happy he is!

These two....

2010-06-24T14:09:00.002-06:00

are killing me. Could they get any cuter? Head on over to my photography blog to check out more pics.

Father's Day Hike

2010-06-23T06:38:00.004-06:00

We went on a hike this past Sunday for Father's Day. It is definitely the best hike we've been on to date. It was at about 11,000 ft and had amazing views. The weather was perfect in the mid 60's and the sun was shining. We hiked for about 4 hours and were exhausted by the time we got home! I left my bazooka (as Blake so lovingly calls it) home and took our little point and shoot.

We hiked about 400 feet down the side of a mountain...

We even stopped for a self timer family picture. Too bad it focused on the tree behind us!! :)

Now this is love.... Blake carried Andrew for a little while on his shoulders while hiking UP a hill.

We found a perfect rock out on a lake to eat lunch at.

It really was a great day and I'm looking forward to going hiking again and seeing more of this beautiful state!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T06:12:00.003-06:00

Happy Father's Day to my husband, Dad, Dad-in-law and Brother-in-law!! And Happy Father's Day to all the Daddy's out there. :)

Here is where it all began for my hubby...
My all time favorites....

Happy Father's Day honey. You are an amazing father to our son and completely and utterly involved in his life. You are a wonderful role model and I hope he grows up to be just like you.

Like peas and carrots...

2010-06-19T07:03:00.003-06:00

I'm not sure if I should be scared but how cute are these two together? They are such good little playmates and have so much fun together. I don't know what it is about this picture but they look so grown up. In a blink of an eye they are going to be teenagers...I just know it!

and they are off...

Just had to include this picture of Miss Kenleigh. One of the main reasons for a little get together last night.... we want to get more pics of her in hopes of winning round four of the Millers Baby & Child Contest. Kenleigh is our lucky charm and won last year and round three this last month. Fingers crossed she wins again!

Slippin' and Slidin'

2010-06-18T06:10:00.004-06:00

Yep, it's official. It's summer. The slip n slide it out!

Biggest Loser Round Two Results - June 15th

2010-06-16T10:03:00.002-06:00

Yippee!!! Here are the rest of the results! Hang in there everyone.. looking forward to seeing the results on July 1st!

Cleitus is a Daddy!

2010-06-16T06:15:00.004-06:00

Isn't he cute? I'm really really cute and really really tiny. I don't know how Blake saw him hiding behind this rock in our backyard yesterday but we have another baby bunny at our house. It HAS to be Cleitus' baby. :-) If you don't know or remember who Cleitus is read about him here. Andrew has decided to name the baby "Tom." So welcome Tom! We hope you hang out at our dog free house and stay awhile.

Bedtime Stories

2010-06-14T07:39:00.002-06:00

How do you make bedtime stories fun? Read your book in the dark with a flash light. Andrew's never been so excited to go so sleep! :-)

Hello from Seattle, Colorado?

2010-06-13T07:11:00.004-06:00

All day yesterday it rained and it hasn't stopped... it's still raining as I type this. It's dreary and cold (mid 40's), gloomy, foggy, wet and I am loving it! Don't get me wrong I love the sunshine but it's nice to pretend you are living in Seattle for a couple days.

So one of our to do's on our summer list was to play in the rain. Perfect! :)

We had a birthday party yesterday and Andrew got a balloon from the party. Why do children find balloons so magical? I mean they rate right up there with a lollipop. If a kid is in a bad mood all you have to say is.. "Here have a balloon!" I bet you'd see a smile come across their face.

Apparently he was a bit thirsty...

I couldn't help but get a few shots of our rain soaked flowers.

While you were sleeping...

2010-06-12T15:05:00.003-06:00

I always check on Andrew before I go to bed and last night when I went to check on him I found a little surprise....

He put his spiderman costume on over his pajamas after I put him to bed! I had the best laugh and like I've said before I love finding him like this and getting a glimpse into his little world. He had the costume on and then we changed into his pajamas so the costume was laying on the floor. Guess he just couldn't bear to part with it during the night. He loves his two sizes too small spidey costume with the runs and holes and all!

Just an ordinary summer day

2010-06-12T06:18:00.008-06:00

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day, it was in the 70's and a little cloudy here and there so the sun wasn't too intense. Andrew and I made the most of it and spent a lot of time in the backyard.

We marked off another item on our Summer to do List - Sidewalk painting. I have to say the paint is SO much fun! It was 3D too and looked really crazy with those glasses on.

After we painted Andrew wanted to play hide and seek. I decided I'd take pictures of him looking for me and me finding him. I loved it! When I was hiding behind the trees and taking pictures of him he'd say "I hear a camera!! I'm getting close to you!"

Here are some pics from our day in the backyard...

Then about an hour after coming inside we had a HUGE storm blow through. First came the tornado warning, then black clouds, wind, a downpour, hail, fog, sunshine and then this absolutely beautiful rainbow in our backyard. I could not get over how bright it was and it looked like you could see the end of it. We won't be playing in the backyard much today. It's supposed to rain the next few days with a high of 52. LOL! 52 in June? It's a nice change though. :)

Summer To Do List Album - pages 3 & 4

2010-06-11T07:29:00.005-06:00

I decided to go with a few simple design and let the pictures be the focus. Here are pages 3 & 4! I feel so on top of things and organized. Not sure how long this will last! :)

Is anyone else doing a summer album?

Summer To Do List - Page 1 & 2

2010-06-10T08:08:00.005-06:00

Our summer to do list is complete! I had Andrew sit down with me at the computer and we created the list together.

I created a digital one because I want it to be part of my album that I will create at the end of the summer.

I still need to create a cover and title page. Not sure if I will do a simple cover or a full photo wrap. I'm thinking it needs to be a photo because I'm sure by the end of the summer I will have several favorites. Maybe a collage for the cover! Hmmm...

Anywho.. Here are Page 1 and Page 2....

Widsom Wednesday | Live in the Moment

2010-06-09T07:10:00.005-06:00

Today's wisdom is inspired by Andrew. Like many things in my life are! Who knew a 5 year old had so much to teach a person? This summer I'm all about living in the moment and enjoying the little things. I want the summer to last and for us to have a wonderful time.

I saw this digital scrapbook template below and knew exactly what I wanted to use it for!

Summer List

2010-06-08T05:33:00.005-06:00

I have seen several people blog about creating a summer to do list with their kids. I have yet to sit down with Andrew and do it but we will later today. I've had a few ideas swimming around in my head and we've already done three of them! Not bad for the first week of vacation. :)

Here is the first one... Playing in the sprinklers. I'll be sharing our list and more items from it here. I'm also thinking about creating a summer list digital book! If I don't do digital it just doesn't get done anymore. :)

En Garde!

2010-06-06T17:13:00.002-06:00

Andrew has been attached to his Medieval Times shield and sword the past few days. Actually he took them to bed with him last night "to fight off the bad guys." So, we put them under the bed and he said he wouldn't play with them. So a couple hours later I check on him and he has the shield strapped to his arm fast asleep. I just sat and watched him for several minutes with a big smile on my face. I love him. I love his imagination and I love finding him this way. I didn't grab my camera because sometimes I think I just need to enjoy the moment and not worry about capturing it. So, I resisted the urge.

Then this morning he asked to go outside and I went out to check on him because he was talking to someone (or so I thought.) I found him fighting his own shadow a.k.a the bad guys. This time I gave in and grabbed my camera. So glad I gave into the urge this time. :)

Top of the World - Rocky Mountain National Forest

2010-06-05T06:55:00.004-06:00

One of the great things about Colorado is the awesome mountains you find here and the views are spectacular! We took a drive up through Estes Park onto Trail Ridge Road which is basically a big loop through the Rocky Mountain National Forest. It was a LONG drive about soooooooooooooo worth it. The road takes you up to over 12,000 feet and you really feel like you are on top of the world.

There was still lots of snow up that high and the mix of snow and new growth was beautiful.

We even got to see the house the Shining was filmed at! You seriously can't look at this house and not thing in the back of your head "Herrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre's Johnny!" Oh and I also found out portions of Dumb & Dumber were filmed here. LOL

Sometimes you just get tired of taking pictures out the window and have to get a little creative....

At the peak we decided we'd get out and walk a bit. That lasted for about 3 minutes. It was super windy and only 39 outside... we were in shorts. No way!

Check out the snow bank below. Some were 15 feet tall!

On the tail end of the loop we came across lots of wildlife. Here is a hurd of Elk and we also saw a hurd of Moose. They are HUGE! Unfortunately, they were so far off the road the pictures I took of them just didn't cut it.

Well, that a wrap! We had a wonderful (long) day up in the mountains. It was the perfect birthday!

Please nominate Tami Wilson Photography!

2010-06-03T16:41:00.002-06:00

Every year a nickelodeon website Parents Connect.com has a "Parents Choice" awards for certain local businesses. I've signed up for the best Denver Family Photographer and really need your help in nominating me so I make it into the next round. There are 14 more days to nominate people and you can vote one time each day. The top five photographers with the most nominations go on to the final voting round in July .

You do have to sign up for the website but you can check a box to ensure you do not receive any emails from them. It's a really quick sign up though.

Just follow this link to parentsconnect.com it will bring up a page with my photography information and click on the "Nominate Me" to the right of my name and you will be prompted to create an account. Again... only takes a couple minutes! Once you sign up you'll be brought back to the page and you'll have to click "Nominate Me" again to make your nomination count.

You can do this everyday if you like but any nomination is appreciated!!

Thank you!

Last day of School

2010-06-03T08:54:00.002-06:00

Can you believe the difference??? Look how different his face looks. He looks like a toddler to me on the left and a little boy on the right. Oh where or where is my baby???

I have so much to catch up as we've been super busy the last part of May with school functions and I have lots of pictures to share.

Here are a few pictures from his last day of preschool. I cried when we left even though I knew we'd be back the following day for the graduation ceremony but it was the last day in his classroom with his wonderful teachers. We also got a BIG surprise on the last day when Miss Marilyn subbed for Miss Tracey. Miss Marilyn had to leave in the middle of the school year to have surgery. Andrew was so excited to see her and kept telling her how much he missed her.

I'm excited for the future but a bit sad to let go of this wonderful school. Andrew has grown so much since September and has been surrounded by loving and nurturing teachers. Can't they just follow us along to Kindergarten?

Winner Winner Turkey Dinner!

2010-06-02T19:19:00.002-06:00

Woo hoo... Tami Wilson Photography (me) entered the Millers Lab Baby & Child contest again this year and guess who won for the second year in a row??? Sweet little Kenleigh! So excited! It won round three of the competition and will compete in the finals in July.

Wisdom Wednesday

2010-06-02T08:39:00.002-06:00

The Biggest Loser is..... {final results}

2010-05-29T07:51:00.011-06:00

CONGRATULATIONS MARIANNE!! You kicked some serious butt and I am so happy for you! Below are the final results....

Round one begins June 1st ...... no rest for the weary and for those who want to look and feel great this summer!! :)

Hello summer vacation.

2010-05-28T19:16:00.003-06:00

Summer vacation has officially begun here in the Wilson household! The weather is very much like summer and has been 90 degrees!! HAWT!!!!!

Andrew made a fashion statement yesterday with his muscle man shirt, plaid shorts and snow boots. The hottest day of the year so far and this kid decided to put on his snow boots!

I just love this picture of him... it's a little piece of childhood captured forever.

Wisdom Wednesday

2010-05-26T06:41:00.002-06:00

Another notebook doodle quote... love her site!

This quote especially hit home for me this week. It can be applied to so many different things in my life right now. Motherhood, weight loss and my photography business.

Is motherhood easy? ... no way. Is it the most rewarding and worthwhile thing I'll ever do? Absolutely!

Weightloss - ugh... never easy but definitely worthwhile and I feel better and better each day.

My photography business - I'm learning it's not enough to know how to take great pictures and have a passion for photography to have a successful business. I've been working very hard on the business side. It's definitely not easy but I'm learning so much and am still loving what I do and I know it'll be worthwhile!!

Must Watch Video

2010-05-24T13:15:00.004-06:00

You HAVE to watch this video. I was going to save it for Wisdom Wednesday but just had to share it now. (Make sure and turn my music off down below so you can hear this video)

This man is absolutely amazing and what an inspiration he is to so many people. It definitely puts things into perspective. :)

Weekend Wrap Up

2010-05-24T07:09:00.006-06:00

Blake was working all weekend so that left Andrew and I together all weekend long. Hmm... what to do? I had promised him if he was better at listening that we'd have a slumber party. His eyes got as big as saucers and he started jumping up and down with excitement. Then he looks at me and says "What's a slumber party?" I'm guessing his excitement came from the word party. ;-)

So Saturday night we pushed the sofa's together in the basement and dragged out our sleeping bags and watched movies and ate popcorn and candy. Then around 9:30 Andrew looks at me and says, "I just want to sleep in your bed." This kid has been egging to sleep in our bed for awhile now so I caved. Plus, it's SO much more comfortable than the couch.

Finally at 10:30 my little Chatty Kathy (no clue where he gets that from!) fell asleep. I really don't know how parents sleep with their kids because his head was lodged in my back all night long. I'd move him back to his side and I swear he had a GPS because he would find me within a matter of minutes.

All of that aside it was so much fun and the best part? Right before he nodded off to sleep, it was quiet as a mouse and he says "Mommy, I just love you." *sigh*

He woke up the next morning whispering "Mommy... Mommy then MOMMY!" His next sentence was, "I think I want to sleep in your bed again tonight." Me, "Sorry buddy but this is just a special thing and we can't do it every night." Andrew, "Okay... well maybe when I get older I can sleep in your bed." I'll remind you, you said that when you are 16 son. :)

Then on Sunday we spent the day with friends and I snapped a few pics of this sweet little girl...

That was a weekend! How was your weekend? What did you do?

Biggest Loser Week Twenty

2010-05-22T18:03:00.003-06:00

FINALLY!! I had gained last week and it was a great feeling to take it right back off plus two more pounds. Woo-hoo! I know our first round is coming to an end next week but I still have a ways to go and am looking forward to round 2 of our little challenge. By now, I would have completely given up! (Oh and yes it was a bit weird to type in Tami up there instead of just "ME." )

Here are the full results...

Wisdom Wednesday

2010-05-19T06:04:00.003-06:00

You ever try and make someone smile who is having a bad day or do something nice to brighten their day? Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but what is the harm in trying? So, the next time you are having a spectacular day and you see someone isn't try rubbing off on them. :-)

(I found this cute design up top from a designer on etsy called Whimsy Studios. She has some really cute stuff. )

Have a great Wednesday!

Ready for summer.

2010-05-18T06:09:00.002-06:00

We've been having beautiful weather the past few days. Friday is supposed to 80 degrees!! Wow! Andrew and I played with the squirt guns yesterday afternoon while Blake retreated into the house to stay dry. Little did we know he went in to fill up pitchers of water to throw at us from the patio. We were soaked. :-)

I'm trying to be better about being in pictures and so I handed the camera to Blake and he caught this one of Andrew and I. I love it. It just screams summer to me. Only two more weeks of school left and we are on vacation. Woo-hoo!!!

May Family Picture

2010-05-16T12:50:00.003-06:00

It's May 16th and we already did our family picture! Woo-hoo! The first photo up top is pretty traditional because everyone once and a while you need one of those. But we also had to have a little fun because 10-20 years from now which photos are we going to love more? The ones that show our personality and show us having a good time.

Andrew really wanted to wear his superman shirt and why not? He LOVES superheros. So, I let him but added a little polo underneath to dress it up a bit. He loved it even more. I think this boy is destined to love fashion. Well, Daddy did get best dressed in school. :-)

Here is our take on saying "cheese"... (which as a photographer I NEVER say)

Then laughing about being goofy. Apparently I thought it was hilarious because look at the HUGE smile on my face. Calm down girl. ;-)

So, have you taken your monthly photo yet? Come on you know you want to!

Biggest Loser - Week Nineteen

2010-05-15T08:30:00.003-06:00

Congratulations Mike! You just "barely" beat your wife this week. ;-)

The full results are below. As you'll notice I completely fell off the wagon this week but I'm back on it now baby. Oh ya, watch out for me next Friday! LOL Only 7 week and 2 days until Maui. YIKES!!

Wisdom Wednesday

2010-05-12T07:55:00.003-06:00

So I know my last post was "Lucky Mommy" and I came across the about quote. According to this it isn't luck, you get what you give. Sounds a lot like karma. Sometimes I believe this and other times I'm just not sure. Maybe in the end it all evens out. What do you think?

Ps. We woke up to 4 inches of snow this morning and it's not done. I wasn't too happy about the snow but leave it to my 5 year old to see the bright side. He woke up and was beyond excited and I said I wasn't happy about it. His response? "I'm excited cuz we get to go play in the snow and throw snowballs!" It's all about perspective. :)

Have a great Wednesday!

Lucky Mommy

2010-05-09T18:53:00.013-06:00

I couldn't have asked for a better Mother's Day. Here is a play by play of how my relaxing day took shape.

First up... a tasty breakfast made by my hubby. (If you've never had fried potato pancakes you are missing out BIG time!)
We took off to the nursery to get plants for a salsa garden. SO excited about this!! Tomotoes, cilantro, peppers... yum!

Went to lunch and then went to the Home Depot for some plants for the front porch. Again... so excited!! I've been waiting for Mother's Day to plant (there is snow in the forecast for Wed.. really? Come on Mother Nature!!)

Coerced Andrew into taking some pics with me...

He loves that he can do the taco tongue and I can't.

Blake had to go to work and we played board games. I caught him with the camera when he got Yahtzee! Is there anyway you can not be excited when you get Yahtzee?

That's it! My Mother's Day all summed up. Yep, I'm one lucky mommy. Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-08T19:24:00.001-06:00

Yep, that is the moment my life was forever changed. The second I became a Mommy. You know how sometimes your mind takes mental snapshots and there are images you will take with you always. This is one of them. I'll never forget looking at him for the very first time and being amazed that I (with the help of Blake :-) created this!! He was so beautiful and perfect. After a scary delivery, we were so thankful he was okay. So many emotions all wrapped up into one.

At this time I had no idea what this little guy had in store for me and I still don't. One thing for sure is that each day with him is an adventure and he makes my life so much fun.

I love you sooooooooooooooooooo much Chew Chew. Thank you for bringing more joy than I could have ever imagined to my life.

Okay, I'm about to go retro here.... I couldn't resist throwing in a few photos of my Mommy as well. Thank you Mom for always being there when I need to talk and for giving me your love and support. No matter how I old I get I will always need you. Also, thank you for all the sacrifices you made while I was growing up and for putting us girls first. Looking back now I realize how much you did for us and I just want to say.... thank you. My childhood was filled with wonderful, silly, fun family moments. Thank you for that. :-) LOVE YOU TONS and wish I could be with you on Mother's Day!!! I bet you are making chocolate gravy and biscuits... hmmm....

What are you doing for Mother's Day?

Not much on the agenda here. Andrew and Blake are making me a nice big breakfast in the morning and then we don't have any plans but to hang out. Perfect.

Biggest Loser Week Eighteen

2010-05-08T06:14:00.003-06:00

Congratulations Steph! You did it again!

Full results below...

Muffins with Moms

2010-05-06T20:11:00.012-06:00

Today was a Muffins with Moms event at Andrew's preschool. It was so cute! Each class got up on stage and sang a song. Andrew's class sang a "Mommy"song to the tune of "You are my Sunshine." Definitely got a little teary eyed. :-)

After the song, they came and sat with us and had some yummy muffins.

Then he gave me this special gift...

Then I won something!! They had these pretty petunias on the tables and they said "Look under your chair, if it has a pink sticker on it then you get to take one of the flowers home." I looked under my chair, nothing. Then Andrew looked under his chair and started yelling like a crazy person (not sure where he gets that from.) Yippee!!

Looking forward to a wonderful Mother's Day weekend with my little man. :)

Wisdom Wednesday

2010-05-05T20:07:00.003-06:00

Ever been faced with a challenge and wonder "How am I ever going to handle this?" You just do. You take it one day at a time, sometimes an hour or minute at a time and you just do. You deal with it. You figure it out. You find the strength within yourself that you never knew existed and you handle it and you are a stronger person for it and somehow at the end you are thankful for the experience because you came out a better person. Not to mention it makes you a more compassionate and empathic person. Been there done that kinda thing.

Hope you had a great Wednesday!

Jedi Knight in Training

2010-05-05T06:33:00.007-06:00

It's no secret Andrew loves Star Wars and is obsessed with fighting with his light sabers. The neighbors gave him a black cloak to wear and now he is obsessed with being the bad guy. His face in that picture up there cracks me up.

He then took off out to the front to fight his shadow. It was pretty hilarious to watch. I love his imagination!

Becky Higgins BIG photography giveaway

2010-05-04T07:15:00.002-06:00

I'm not sure if anyone else besides family actually reads my blog but I thought I'd share with family and also invite any Denver area readers to enter the photography contest I am a part of with scrapbooker Becky Higgins. She gathered 150 photographers together and is highlighting 5 photographers a day every day in May. What a great idea! I am a huge fan of Becky's and she is the reason I started my Project 365 and taking a photo each year to document our lives.

Anywho...... if you would like to enter please follow this link. Leave a comment and your entered. It's that easy. I'll be choosing a winner at the end of the week.

If you family and your reading this.... just want to keep you in the loop. ;-)

Biggest Loser - Week Seventeen

2010-05-03T10:59:00.002-06:00

Congratulations Blake! (Loni you came in a close second.) Only four weeks left on this first round! Can you believe it's already May?

April Family Picture

2010-05-01T14:49:00.004-06:00

You may remember I declared we would be taking a family photo each and every month, since they are usually so few and far between. Well, we just barely made the cut off for the April family photo.

Here is Blake's idea for our family photo.... Yes, it's official. We are complete dorks. But at least we are dorks together. Last time I used my remote but this time we used the 10 second timer on the camera. There is just something about the excitement of the timer that makes the photos all that much more fun.

Serious faces...

Crazy faces...

Wisdom Wednesday & LOTS of photos

2010-04-28T09:41:00.014-06:00

"Enjoy yourself. These are the good ole days your going to miss in the years ahead."

Thank you Andrew for making me stop and appreciate the little things in life. My life has become so much richer having you in it. Looking at the world through your eyes has opened up an entire new world for me and I will be forever grateful to you. Here all along I thought I was going to be the teacher in our relationship yet you have taught me more than I could have ever imagined in the past five years.

Your love of life is contagious and others are truly touched by your kind spirit and carefree living. I know you are destined to do wonderful things in this world and I'm so blessed to be able to watch your future unfold.

I love you Chew Chew!!

More Shell Beach pics...

2010-04-26T09:23:00.003-06:00

Give the extra time I've had on my hands I decided to edit more beach pictures. Check on my photography blog here for more pics. (Yes I'm being lazy and not posting them in two spots.)

Tornado Season is official here.

2010-04-24T18:19:00.007-06:00

We had a tornado warning this past Thursday. It was a dreary rainy morning but by the time I picked Andrew up from school is was gorgeous outside and we were planning to go to the park after the gym. I got to the gym and about 30 minutes later the alarms went off and they said there was a tornado warning and it wasn't going to be lifted for 45 minutes. So,I headed to the child center to check Andrew out and soon found out that wasn't going to happen . They wouldn't release the children until the warning was over. So, off to the locker room floor we sat. About 10 minutes later the child care supervisor came in and asked every to duck their heads down and cover them with their heads. WHAT????????????????????? Then she whispered to me "It's over us right now." WHAT IS OVER US?? So, I'm thinking the tornado is touching down and throwing our cars all over the place. Oh boy. Really? I thought Denver NEVER got tornado's and here we are 9 months after the big one that touched down a mile from our house.

Well we were finally released and to my surprise (thank goodness) it was just a really strong storm with lots and lots of hail.

Here are some pics I took with my iPhone. The sky was extremely dark and the hail looked like a blanket of snow.

Andrew handled himself really well. When I asked him if he was scared he shrugged his shoulders and said, "uhh... a little bit." He's such a boy.

Oh and just for the record it rained all evening and we woke up to snow in the morning and white out conditions. I'm happy to report it has finally stopped raining and the sun is shining.

Only in Colorado can you have a tornado, thunderstorms, a blizzard and sun shine in a 48 hour period.