i'm domestic and i know it

my house looks like this:

when i insist on doing this:

i decided it was time to stop whining about how there's no way i could ever do canning. so i did.

this pic makes canning look cool:

bribing a smile

smiling was a struggle.

bella was just getting itchy blisters from having hand-foot-mouth disease.

so we begged, bribed and bartered and we got a few smiles. who wouldn't smile for ice cream? even if your feet are burning from the inside out?

I'm awkward.

My sweet neighbor Tina let me take their pictures on Saturday and it was a really good learning experience.

I learned I'm really awkward. Ok, I already knew I was awkward, but I learned a bit about helping others NOT feel awkward, even if I do.

This cool green chair was on site for another photographer's shoot - one who is far less awkward than I. So she helped me.

I do NOT know how to position people! Where does this arm go? My legs are weird, Uh, how should I stand? This is awkward. 

I decided I need to observe how other photographers do it, cuz I just can't figure it out. The chair-photographer positioned the kids and I would NOT have thought of that. Wow. So simple right? Yeah, you go try it.

Tina was kind to take a few of Bell and I. Man I love this girl.

 major poser.

A good threat to tickle always gets a smile.

Gotta have some big eyes

A good headlock kiss. LOL.

The Boys

These are her boys.

My youngest cousins, her favorite toys.

They follow each other everywhere. Well, mostly Bella tells them to follow her. "Come on, boy," she demands.

She can't distinguish between the twins, Levi and Simon, and it doesn't help that Harrison looks like his brothers!

This is why they are "the boys".

 

The other night, at bedtime, Bella tried justifying a late night by saying, "Only one boy, just one", while holding up one finger.

I wish I could take one of these boys home with us! Well, all three ideally, but at least one!

We've had such a blast up here and I'm sure Bella will have a hard time adjusting back to only-child life when we return.

Thanks to "the boys" for being so fun and for making Bella such a happy girl!

Great Grandpa Thomsen

We're here in Idaho having a wonderful, spontaneous visit with our family! My grandparents warned us a week ahead, then picked us up in their camper adn we were on our way to see family in Idaho!

Bella has been having a blast with my cousins, aka "The Boys". She doesn't even call them by their names...it's "Hey boy." and "Come here boy."

  It's safe to say she adores her Great Grandparents and family here.

I'm kinda glad the broken transmission will keep us here longer!