Just Do It 365

two hundred twenty three

2009-08-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

Today the kids and I flew to NY to see family. I met my nephew Jackson today for the very first time! What an absolute doll he is! He is such a busy little guy, always on the go and oh so happy! Steve and AJ, you have such a lovely family! He wasn't ready to play and snuggle with Aunt Jody yet, but hopefully over the next week he will be ready to let me love on him!

two hundred twenty two

2009-08-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

Happy 11th Birthday Zachary! We had a low key day today, as Troy started school today and we had quite a bit of celebrating on Saturday! Zak wanted to go to CiCi's Pizza for his birthday dinner so that is what we did! That is where we gave Zak his birthday present from us. We decided Zak was ready to get money! He wants lots of stuff, but it is expensive stuff! So money it was to put toward his wish list! He got a $100.00 bill and I absolutely love his reaction to his gift! I love you so much buddy and hope you have a fabulous year as an 11 year old!

two hundred twenty one

2009-08-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

Fishing.

two hundred twenty

2009-08-08T08:18:00.000-07:00

I must be crazy!! We had Zak's Birthday sleepover today! Crazy I tell you! We had a Wii tournament with a winners bracket and everything! I must brag a little on myself and say I did make it pass the first round with a bunch of 10 and 11 year old video gaming maniacs! Zak is not a big cake fan so I made him a giant chocolate chip cookie cake with chocolate frosting in the middle and if I must say it was delicious!

two hundred nineteen

2009-08-07T08:13:00.000-07:00

I got a new lens, woo hoo! Check out that clarity! Move over Troy, I'm in love!

Happy Birthday Cole! We miss you and love you!

two hundred eighteen

2009-08-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

No photo :(

two hundred seventeen

2009-08-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

My handsome boy :)

two hundred sixteen

2009-08-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

Love a girl who can play basketball in pink heels! You go girl!

two hundred fifteen

2009-08-03T08:06:00.000-07:00

No photo :(

two hundred fourteen

2009-08-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

We went school shopping this afternoon! Unbelievable that we spent $602.00! These are just the basic supplies for our three to go to school! A few new clothes, one pair of shoes for each, new lunchboxes and the items on each of their schools lists!

two hundred thirteen

2009-08-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

Gracie with Maliya! Gracie is such a little mother hen! She loves holding, feeding and playing with Maliya!

Happy Birthday Jordan! We love you and miss you!

two hundred twelve

2009-07-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

No photo :(

two hundred eleven

2009-07-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

It's may be just a light rain, but it is rain none the less! We are so dry here in Texas and so desperate for rain.

two hundred ten

2009-07-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

No photo :(

two hundred nine

2009-07-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

Our first of many trips to the orthodontist. The boys are beginning phase one of their orthodontist treatment. They both have the same problem and require the same treatment, Zak's is just more extreme than Cooper's and will take a little longer to treat! My poor kiddos even get their picture taken at the ortho!

two hundred eight

2009-07-27T07:39:00.000-07:00

No photo:(

two hundred seven

2009-07-26T07:35:00.000-07:00

My daredevil Cooper!

one hundred six

2009-07-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

No photo:(

two hundred five

2009-07-24T07:34:00.000-07:00

No photo :(

two hundred four

2009-07-23T07:31:00.000-07:00

Mojo is growing into a sweet snuggling kitty cat with a lot of spunk on the side!

two hundred three

2009-07-22T07:29:00.000-07:00

No photo :( But wanted to say Happy Birthday to my baby brother! I miss you and love you!

two hundred two

2009-07-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

Love this girl! Could she be any sweeter?

two hundred one

2009-07-20T07:22:00.000-07:00

As much as I want my kiddos to stay small, life is getting easier at home as they get older! Look at that, they are using the oven! Way to go guys! Yes they are just making themselves pizzas, but they are doing it by themselves!

two hundred

2009-07-19T07:19:00.000-07:00

Coop on his scooter.

one hundred ninety nine

2009-07-18T07:13:00.000-07:00

We went to the river today with some friends. This is my girlfriends little guy. OK, not so little! Tony is the biggest 11month old baby I know! Just look at his chubbalicious tummy! He is such a sweet lovable mamma's boy!

one hundred ninety eight

2009-07-17T07:11:00.000-07:00

No photo :(

one hundred ninety seven

2009-07-16T06:51:00.000-07:00

We met Kristi and her husband Jake and friends at Longhorn Cafe tonight to say goodbye to Kristi for a bit. She is deploying to Iraq in just a few weeks and this was our last chance to see her as she is going home for leave before she deploys. Kristi has become a great friend to Troy and I and we will miss her very much! Keep her family and especially her mom in your prayers as her husband, son and daughter are all overseas serving our nation! Keep safe Kristi, we love you!

one hundred ninety six

2009-07-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

New prop! I found this chair at the goodwill and I love it!

one hundred ninety five

2009-07-14T06:47:00.000-07:00

mmm... watermelon! One of Gracie's favorites!

one hundred ninety four

2009-07-13T06:43:00.000-07:00

Oh how Coop loves a good sleepover! He loves pulling out the couch sleeper and watching movies late into the night after everyone else has gone to bed with his friends!

one hundred ninetythree

2009-07-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

So glad to be home and out of the van!

one hundred ninetytwo

2009-07-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

Gracie after eating her doughnut at the hotel before another long day in the car!

one hundred ninetyone

2009-07-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

Long, long day in the car! From Minneapolis, MN to Norman, OK. Here is the sunset in Oklahoma, shot in our van moving south on I-35.

one hundred ninety

2009-07-09T13:54:00.000-07:00

We left Cass Lake and Mike & Kari and their family early this morning. We were so happy to be able to spend time with great friends that we miss and love dearly. Thank you so much Mike and Kari! we had a fabulous time and can't wait to see you all again soon we hope! We drove to Minneapolis and spent the day at the Mall of America! The kids had a great time at Lego Land and the amusement park!

one hundred eightynine

2009-07-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

We went to some friends of Mike and Kari's tonight for dinner and a little four wheeling! D&T are absolute gems and we can understand why Mike and Kari love them! All the kiddos loved riding the four wheelers, but Coop was a natural! After getting comfortable he showed a very aggressive driving style and we could see the need for speed in his eye! Yikes!

one hundred eightyeight

2009-07-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

Can someone please say Wipe Out! Whoops, there I go! Mike was dragging Troy and I around the lake on this tube and being nice. Troy and I were being smart a$$es by resting our heads on our hands like we were bored, so Mike kicked it up a bit til he threw me off! Troy being the loving husband he is let go and fell off too just to make sure I was OK! Sweet, sweet man, just another reason I love him. So much fun we did it again!

one hundred eightyseven

2009-07-06T13:17:00.000-07:00

What a blessed evening Kari and I had tonight! Troy and Mike took all the kids out on the boat to fish, leaving Kari and I a little time to do some laundry and of course sneak up to the resort restaurant and have a couple adult beverages along with quite a few laughs! What good Dads! Troy took this shot of Zak actually taking his catch off the hook himself, which really is a miracle in it self as Zak usually will not even attempt to touch a fish! Thank God for gloves!

one hundred eightysix

2009-07-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

Another day laying in the sun, playing in the water and having fun! The day ended with a lovely sunset and a movie at the beach! It was about 9:45 when the movie started as it was just getting dark enough to see it on the screen! I personally did not sit and watch the movie as it gets cold in Minnesota when the sun goes down and the mosquito's are like vampires, only worse! So Troy and Mike sat with the kids, minus Gracie for the movie! Such good Dad's!

one hundred eightyfive

2009-07-04T20:02:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!
Here are the Stony Point Resort Red, White, and Blue Ballers! The kids were in the 4th of July parade held at the campground! They took second place and were awarded a gift certificate to the camp store and restaurant! After the parade we went out on the boat and spent the day at an island swimming and skiing and tubing! We watched fireworks from the beach. Gracie is so afraid of the fireworks :( She covers her ears and cries. So she went back to the house with Auntie Kari and read stories in bed! I think Kari enjoyed here snuggle time with Gracie as much as Gracie enjoyed her Auntie Kari!

one hundred eightyfour

2009-07-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

Gracie catching a fish in the canal! Doesn't she looked thrilled! Actually she was very excited about it, but she was just to exhausted to show it! We spent another day swimming and playing down at the lake in the sun!

one hundred eightythree

2009-07-02T22:05:00.000-07:00

Our first full day at Cass Lake! We are so happy to be out of the car and finally here visiting friends that we miss so dearly! We spent the day on the lake, tubing, swimming, boat riding, and just having fun! So I love this photo! Look at the pure joy on my boy's faces! Zak's really cracks me up though, so I have cropped in a little tighter so you can see the grin that just makes me smile from ear to ear!

one hundred eightytwo

2009-07-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

Good morning Sunshine's! My babies sharing a bed!

one hundred eightyone

2009-06-30T21:58:00.000-07:00

After 14 hours in the "ManVan" we stopped in Cameron, Missouri and found this hotel with a water slide! The kids unleashed all their pent up energy playing in the pool, we ate pizza, and off to bed for another long day in the car tomorrow!

one hundred eighty

2009-06-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

The "ManVan" the night before our big road trip! We are ready to go, I think...

one hundred seventynine

2009-06-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

As I went outside this evening to do one last look before going to bed, I found this little fellow in our frog fountain!

one hundred seventyeight

2009-06-27T21:49:00.000-07:00

Me, playing with a wide angle lens, but not getting the distortion I'm looking for! Need to work on this! I want to get shots of the kids like the dogs with super big heads! Special, I know!

one hundred seventyseven

2009-06-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

Zak oh so very carefully and precisely pouring icing on his cinnamon bread!

one hundred seventysix

2009-06-25T21:40:00.000-07:00

Another exhausting day at Six Flags! The good thing is that we went with lots of friends and had a great day together! We got there around 10:30AM and left around 10:30PM after the fireworks! We have never stayed past 5 or 6 and now I know why! Holy smokes, all our dogs were barking, if you know what I mean and we were all so very tired! We all slept in til 11:00AM the next morning!

one hundred seventyfive

2009-06-24T21:39:00.000-07:00

No photo again! I stink :(

one hundred seventyfour

2009-06-23T21:36:00.000-07:00

Gracie in all her cuteness calls her lone freckle her "pickle" Gosh, once again smiling here!

one hundred seventythree

2009-06-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

oh my goodness, no photo again...

one hundred seventytwo

2009-06-21T21:34:00.000-07:00

No picture :(

one hundred seventyone

2009-06-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome Home Joey!
Our good friend is finally home after spending a year in Korea. His wife had a big welcome home party for him at their home today and this is how my boys welcomed Joey home! But don't worry Joey got even, as Coop jumped in on him he hit his chin on Joey's head, of course he hit the steel plate in his head and now Coop has six fractured teeth and a chipped tooth! Fun times!

one hundred seventy

2009-06-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

Happy 44th Birthday Troy Boy! I love you!

We had a very relaxed and easy going day with no life or body altering experiences occurring like last year when Troy got his first mid life crisis tattoo. We just went out for dinner at an all you can eat crab place! Troy was in heaven!

one hundred sixtynine

2009-06-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

I love this photo! On the day before my dear husbands 44th Birthday, he still plays like a boy! Our kiddos absolutely adore their father when he is being playful and I absolutely adore him when he plays with our kiddos! We were spending the day on the river! So much fun with tree swings, tubes and Texas style snorkeling!

one hundred sixtyeight

2009-06-17T13:31:00.000-07:00

Found this baseball size moth in our doorway this morning!

one hundred sixtyseven

2009-06-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

New bikes for the boys!

The boys earned new bikes with their hard work this past school year. They both were on the A or A/B Honor roll and both recieved commended test scores on their TAKS tests! Way to go guys! I am so very proud of you!

one hundred sixtysix

2009-06-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

Gracie's portrait of her parents! Not to bad for a three year old!

one hundred sixtyfive

2009-06-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

My sweet little girl! I was in my closet folding clothes while Gracie was taking a bath and she says to me, "Look at me mama, I'm Santa Claus. Ho Ho Ho!" She certainly brings a smile to my face so many times everyday!

one hundred sixtyfour

2009-06-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

No picture :( Geesh, I stink at this!

one hundred sixtythree

2009-06-12T13:05:00.000-07:00

We went down to the river to swim this afternoon with friends! This is a new area for us and maybe a new favorite! Just check out this tree swing! The tree is humongous and the kids had a great time flying from it! Go Coop go!

one hundred sixtytwo

2009-06-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

Just another day in paradise... uh er um I mean just another hot, sweaty, fun filled, exhausting day at Six Flags! This is one of the kids favorite rides, not only do you get soaked riding it, but you can also get soaked standing on the bridge at the bottom of the drop off!

one hundred sixtyone

2009-06-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

No photo :(

one hundred sixty

2009-06-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

My kiddos playing with a friends kiddos at a spring fed swimming hole! Love it here! The water is so clear and cool! Just what we need on hot summer days!

one hundred fiftynine

2009-06-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

A new favorite in our house. A strawberry blueberry smoothie. Here's the recipe: 1 cup strawberry yogurt, some strawberries and blueberries (fresh or frozen), some cranberry juice(or your juice of choice), and some ice. Mmmmmm...

one hundred fiftyeight

2009-06-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

Troy and I spent the day with friends on the bike. We rode to Luckenbach, Texas. What a nice ride and a relaxing afternoon listening to good country music and sharing stories with friends!

one hundred fiftyseven

2009-06-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Guys! So proud of you both! Coop was promoted to senior blue belt and Zak was promoted to blue belt!

one hundred fiftysix

2009-06-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the first day of summer vacation at Six Flags!

one hundred fiftyfive

2009-06-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

Last day of school! Praise the Lord, Hallelujah, that is the last school bus ride for the year!

one hundred fiftyfour

2009-06-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

Such sassy girls! Melissa, you and I are in so much trouble!

one hundred fiftythree

2009-06-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Cooper! Your Mom is so proud of you! You are growing into such a special young man! Today you were awarded for citizenship, A/B honor roll for the year and being commended on your Math TAKS test! Can't believe you are on the last few days of your third grade year! Way to go buddy! I love you!

onehundred fiftytwo

2009-06-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

So here's my sad story with a happy ending :o) A few weeks ago one of the kids unzipped my camera bag. Unbeknown to me I picked my bag up and my 24mm lens fell out and hit the driveway, gasp! A piece of the plastic broke and I thought for sure the focus was now messed up! I felt horrible and sick to my stomach about it as I try so very hard to take good care of my gear. Well I played around with it and it seemed to be not as sharp as it used to be :o( So I took it to a local camera guy who is Canon certified and he told my it looked alright! So here is a shot of Troy out in the parking lot of the camera shop and yes it is still tack sharp! Can you see Troy's pores? (no, well you can in the 100% crop) Anyway I guess my psyche just needed to be told it was ok! Silly I know, but what can you do?

one hundred fiftyone

2009-05-31T18:16:00.000-07:00

Gosh, May is killing me! I was doing so good, and now three days in the month of May where I didn't take a picture! Wish me better luck in June!

one hundred fifty

2009-05-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

We went to a fun house today with a group from Zak's school! The kids had an absolute blast! Zak's favorite was the go-carts, although now I'm frightened about him turning sixteen as he got quite a wild look in his eyes! He seems to take after his father in the driving area so I know you understand my concern ;o)

one hundred fortynine

2009-05-29T17:52:00.000-07:00

It's belt testing time again! Coop tested for his senior blue belt and Zak tested for his blue belt! Both the boys did super well and will find out next Saturday if they passed!

one hundred fortyeight

2009-05-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

Gracie's tatoo sleeve!

one hundred fortyseven

2009-05-27T08:07:00.000-07:00

This girl just loves to play in the water! This afternoon and every afternoon it seems, she asked Troy, "You blow up my pool daddy?"

one hundred fortysix

2009-05-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

No picture today :(

one hundred fortyfive

2009-05-25T07:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day!

Thank you to all the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for this great country!

Zak fishing.

Troy and Coop putting together the BBQ.

Gracie and her friend Natalia.

We spent the day with some new friends at a park in Bandera! What a great and relaxing day!

one hundred fortyfour

2009-05-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

Fly Coop, Fly!

one hundred fortythree

2009-05-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

Best friends.

Coop's best friend will be moving out of our neighborhood at the end of the school year :o( Coop and Zo are both very sad about this, but his mother and I are going to try to get the boys together once a month as they are only moving 30 minutes away. Not the same as playing together everyday, but what can you do?

one hundred fortytwo

2009-05-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

Giving bubble blowing a try, not quite there yet...

one hundred fortyone

2009-05-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

I know how you feel Mojo.

one hundred forty

2009-05-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

Gracie has a few really cute things that she says, that put a smile on my face everytime. One of them is when she says, "Mommm, what the heck?" She says this when we have run out of her favorite foods or when her brothers are fussing at her :o)

one hundred thirtynine

2009-05-19T20:59:00.000-07:00

Our first trip of the year to Aunt Nicki's pool!

one hundred thirtyeight

2009-05-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

Gracie is just so funny. When my mom is here visiting Gracie is always taking her reading glasses and wearing them everywhere! I thought this was a cute shot of them with their diamond studded reading glasses!

one hundred thirtyseven

2009-05-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

Today we decided to get out and see one of the missions we have not seen yet. This is San Jose Mission and the grounds are really lovely. It was a good trip till Coop was yelled at for climbing! The boy just can't resist being a boy :o)

one hundred thirtysix

2009-05-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

Part two to the sword seminar. Yea now we have two foam swords at home!

one hundred thirtyfive

2009-05-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

We were at the airport waiting to pick up my Mom when Zak showed me his loose tooth. I believe this the 2nd to last tooth that needs to go! My baby is growing up! Pretty soon no more baby teeth.

one hundred thirtyfour

2009-05-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

My completed photo project! Loved how they turned out! A gift for my Mom, hope she likes them as much as I do!

one hundred thirty three

2009-05-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

I took the kids out for a little picture taking for a project I have in mind. I just love this photo of Coop! He is such a handsome little man :o) And I just have to say how much I appreciate them cooperating with my photo obsession!

one hundred thirtytwo

2009-05-12T07:29:00.000-07:00

My sweet Zachary, I get lost in his beautiful eyes! Zachary has Troy's eyes and I just love them.

one hundred thirtyone

2009-05-11T12:44:00.000-07:00

Gracie had a very, very rough day today! This photo about sums it up!

one hundred thirty

2009-05-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!

one hundred twentynine

2009-05-09T12:35:00.000-07:00

Cooper is never satisfied when it comes to game playing :o( I had just played two games of speed monopoly and two games of crazy eights with him. Never enough, he could play all day! I so wish my Grandpa E. was still alive because he and Coop would have enjoyed each other soooo much. He loved to play cards all day too! I remember as a little girl and playing cards with him, he always knew what cards I had and what my strategy was. He was such a card counter!

one hundred twentyeight

2009-05-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

No picture today :o(

one hundred twentyseven

2009-05-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

I found this field of blue salvia and I couldn't wait to photograph Gracie in it! I love it when she is a willing model! I have posted a few other of my favorites over on my photography blog Jody Marie Photography if you want to check them out.

one hundred twentysix

2009-05-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

It's a hot one! Already in the high 90's here, pushing 100! Notice a different pool? Yes, we killed another one, hopefully this one is a little more durable for my monsters! :o)

one hundred twentyfive

2009-05-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

Gracie is so proud of herself! She can swing all by herself! I think all the baby in her is gone :o( She is growing so fast and I just can't believe how fast it goes! Slow down girl, your mama needs a baby in the house!

one hundred twentyfour

2009-05-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

Good news , Gracie is feeling better today, so we made our way to the dentist to get our teeth cleaned! Gracie did awesome, she actually let them clean her teeth today! Yea!! Cooper, not so good, he had three cavities. Although two were on baby teeth that are about to fall out, so he only had to have one fixed. And Zak had no cavities! I asked for another referral to an orthodontist to get a second opinion for Zak. We started to see an ortho about a year and half ago and she has wanted to wait til Zak was 11 or so. So we will go to the other ortho and see what they recommend. Coop is also going to the ortho as the dentist believes Coop's mouth is more mature than Zak's. Who knows!