Song in my Heart

Well.... big news to share!

2009-09-04T13:11:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! (Meaning all 3 people the might accasionally read my blog, since I hardly ever blog these days....:P )

I have some really really big, (or at the moment really really little, but getting bigger) news to share with you!

CLAY AND I ARE HAVING A BABY!!!!!

Here, I'll give you amoment to absorb the enormity of what I just told you.

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It took us a few moments to absorb it too. We are very surprised, but also very very happy about it.

So anyway.

Now you know! :D YAY!

Question......by Owen

2009-03-06T09:44:00.000-08:00

Asked yesterday morning as we're getting ready to take Sam to school.....

Owen: "Mommy? Why do you smell so delightful?"

*grin* I don't think anyone's ever told me I smell delightful. Maybe it's my new deodorant. :)

Compliment...kind of....

2009-02-20T18:08:00.000-08:00

Tonight while making dinner in the kitchen...

Me: Owen, can you go put this away in mommy's bathroom?
Owen: What is it?
Me: It's deodorant. (It hadn't been put away from our latest shopping trip.)
Owen: What's it for?
Me: It's to help Mommy smell good instead of stinky.
Owen: (As he walks off to put it away.) Well you DO smell good even though you are stinky.
Me: Umm, thanks Owen.
Clayton: You think. *chuckle*

Hey, I knew what he meant. And it was sweet.

Dancing at Liverpool Station

2009-02-13T08:34:00.001-08:00

And now for another episode of "Christmas Carols....by Owen..."

2008-12-23T21:45:00.000-08:00

A new one!

Joy To The World, the Lord is come.
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare Him room
And having a major sing
and having a major sing
and having, and having a major sing!

A New Christmas Song.....by Owen

2008-12-23T08:58:00.001-08:00

Owen's been writing new lyrics to the 12 days of Christmas this morning.

There are 10 Leopards Leaping
and a Garbage in a Pear Tree.......

Love how his mind works!

Interesting Conversation....life with boys

2008-12-22T14:37:00.000-08:00

Owen: *poot*

Sam: (running from Owen in abject horror) "AAHHHHHGGGHH!!!"

Me to Sam: "Did he just fart in your face??"

Sam: "YEAH!! He DID!!!"

Owen: (quietly with a happy nod of his head) "My new attack."

Ooooh, Disco! Merry Christmas!

2008-12-20T12:33:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Merry Christmas from our family (and Kristina!) to yours! Oh, and check out my real life dance moves. Yeah, I got the rad moves. :)

2008-12-20T12:17:00.000-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

My poor children....

2008-12-08T12:44:00.000-08:00

I have been so incredibly BUSY the last few months. Busier than I should be. Too busy to get the laundry done. Too busy to get the dishes done. (Well, at least before they start to smell not so nice...)

I've hardly had time to spend on the important relationships in my life. I keep apologizing to my friends for not calling, and not being able to spend time with them. My dear, dear husband has told me as we drift off to sleep that he missed me that day. More than once. And my kids.....my poor children. I feel so bad that I've been so non-present and distracted. Basically I've been so busy that I literally can't think straight. My thoughts are all sporadic and jumbled.

Have you ever felt like your life is speeding by you at the speed of light and you are missing it? Like the routines and tasks and jobs fill up your days so much that you miss the moments? I have been feeling this way for a while. It's frustrating, and I keep fighting the feeling that I am failing everyone around me.

It's difficult to know what I should be doing sometimes. I feel that if I stop working to go hang out with my family for a bit, that I'm falling farther behind on my business deadlines. If I focus on work, I'm neglecting my children and my husband. Add in trying to maintain friendships, extended family relationships, and ministries at church and I feel like my time is spread sooo thin that no matter what I choose, I am failing somewhere else.

Sadly, I often err on the side of neglecting my family. I think this is because I know they love me the most and will forgive me. But I don't want things to be this way. It's a very crushing way to feel. I want to BE with them. I want to BE there FOR them.

Here's an example....

Yet another day that I was busy working, not just scrambling to "catch up" but desperately trying not to fall even further behind. It was a lovely fall day outside and Owen came into the office and asked me if I would play with him. So I suggested that we go outside and he could ride his scooter while I watched. (He loves that.) But first I just had to finish the thing I was working on. So we'd go in a few minutes....

Fast forward a few minutes. He comes in again..
"Mommy, are you ready? Can we go outside now?"
"Just one more minute. Let me finish this real quick and then we'll go..."
"Okay, I'll go get my helmet on.."

Fast forward a few more minutes....

"Mommy are you ready now?"
"Just...one...more...minute....and then we'll go...."

When I FINALLY finished what I was working on, I went to look for Owen and found him asleep. In my bed. With his helmet on.

He was waiting for me to play with him like I had promised. And I never came. :(

I am soooo looking forward to Christmas vacation. The only thing I have scheduled during that time is Christmas caroling. And I want my boys to come with me for that. :) I'm looking forward to playing with them, and talking to them, and listening to them. I'm looking forward to spending time with Clayton without being distracted about all the things I still need to get done.

I'm looking forward to life slowing down a bit.

Sorry about the epic pity party post. I'm not REALLY having a pity party. I've just been thinking about this for a while and pressing forward through it. And I'm glad I'm almost done!

A cool link for you.....

2008-12-08T08:03:00.001-08:00

I came across this post on a blog that I follow that I thought was really cool and wanted to share... http://www.jasminestarblog.com/index.cfm?postID=450 . The blog author was holding a competition for her viewers to write a story in six words. Make sure you read the comments. There are some REALLY good entries. Thought provoking.

Mine is not among the thought provoking ones, haha. "Dang. I'm not going to win."

You'll be thinking in six word sentences for the next few days, at least. :)

My favorite two weeks of the year.....

2008-11-24T13:01:00.000-08:00

I LOVE THE FALL.

Fall colors make me giddy. They cause me to interrupt myself mid-sentence in the car to squeal out, "Oooh, pretty colors!" I deeply appreciate the colors God created in His great nature-painting palette. Sooo beautiful.

We are in the middle of my two favorite weeks of the year and this year its a doozy! Oh yeah, baby.

Anyway, this morning was a double whammy, because not only do I have my beautiful autumn-colored trees everywhere, but there was fog added in on top of it. Nature beauty smorgasborg. (I'm sure I butchered the spelling of that, but I don't really care. 'Cause the trees are still pretty.)

So I went out with my camera this morning. My subject was suddenly overcome with PCSS (Painfully Camera Shy Syndrome), but you still get an idea of just how beautiful Bakersfield is at the moment. (Wow, I never thought I would call Bakersfield beautiful. I can't believe I just said that!)

I hope all this color sticks around a while, because I sure am enjoying the heck out of it. :)

Singing I feel happy! Oh, so happy!

2008-11-05T10:49:00.000-08:00

Somebody stop me! There are sooo many other things I need to be working on right now. But I can't help myself! I'm just so excited that I finally had a chance to go out and do nice pictures of my own boys! And they were in a cooperative mood! And the air was clear. And the sky was blue! And there were cool clouds! And I finally found the angel wings I've been wanting to use for two years now!

I had so much fun with them. Really, I can even say.

**Click to see bigger and clearer! :)

Okay, back to REAL work now. :)

Heavenly....

2008-11-04T22:36:00.000-08:00

Not much time to post, but sooo much to update you all on, (with LOTS of different images to share).

I just wanted to share one really sweet photo I managed to capture of my boys this afternoon. This is the first one I happend to grab and edit. LOTS more to come!

So without further ado.....here are my little angels.

**Click on the image to see it bigger and clearer.

Some funnies...

2008-08-27T13:42:00.001-07:00

I like to laugh.

Obviously.

Well, duh. Who doesn't?

But anyway.....I came across this:
http://countrydoctorswife.blogspot.com/2008/08/cdw-choreorganizers.html
and about lost it! Sooooooo funny.

Well, at least to me, it is. This is the bane of my daily existence...cleaning up pee from on, around and under the toilet in the kid's bathroom. Ugh. I wonder if these cards would work for me? :) haha

Oh, and then I came across this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO_BnsrWMnI

Totally unrelated, but still funny. And the guy is a pretty good athlete, too. I couldn't do the stuff he does, and he does it dressed up like a girl!

Anyway, just thought I'd share. 'Cause I'm nice like that. :)

P.S. Blog post about the boy's first day of school will be coming shortly...

Dancing around the World

2008-08-22T08:55:00.001-07:00

This guy dances like me!

2008-08-21T11:03:00.001-07:00

***Edited to add: Check above post for actual video. Grr. Technology stumps me sometimes. :)

Found this video on another blog and it made me smile. I would LOVE to do something like this! All the different people he came into contact with...what an opportunity!

Oh, and I meant it, this is how I dance! :)

His name is MattHarding. Here's his page so you can find out the story behind the video.

Make sure to read the About Matt section. He thinks like I do. Random. haha!

Sweet Freckles....

2008-04-03T01:11:00.000-07:00

I can't forget my little Sam. He is so big now, but still so little. And he can be so angelic at times.

I love the kid to pieces.

Look, he's recently developed a very light sprinkling of freckles....

How sweet are they?!...

I told him that freckles are angel kisses. His response is "Well, those angels sure have been lovin' on me!"

Sam and Owen taking a break while riding scooters...

Owen's Birthday

2008-04-03T00:24:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know his birthday was weeks ago, but, hey-I've been busy with Easter and all sorts of other stuff. (Like cleaning off my hard drive after I tried to download images off my CF card and my computer told me "NO". Yikes! That's been a big project and I'm still not done because I have to make sure everything is backed up and burned to CD before I remove it from my computer.) So anyways.....you get the idea.

So here's a random schmandom smorgasboard of birthday week festivities....

The yearly "hold-out-how-many-fingers-old-you-are" shot.

I had about two seconds to get this 'cause he wanted to be off riding his new scooter.

*Click on images to see them bigger*

He likes to do little "stunts" on his new scooter. Like putting his toes up on the front bar. Pretty smooth...

The super-fun birthday party at Pump It Up....

http://http//www.pumpitupparty.com/

The obstacle course is really fun to try to race your kids on. :) Even when you get owned. Not that I would know anything about that...haha

They had this AWESOME hallway.

Owen got to sit in a little throne.

"Hey Owen, look at Mommy real quick, so I can get a birthday picture!".....

"Owen, up here, honey! Look up here!"

"Hey now..."

Me: "Owen, pleeease? Look up here for just a second..."
Him:"Cheeessse..." (with a mouthful of pizza.)

Me: "Okay, I guess that will have to do."

Owen's best friend Ian wanted to sit with him. :) How sweet.

FYI: This Nerf dart tag set is SO FUN. We've spent many hours as a family having dart wars since his birthday. The kids like to set up ambushes and attack us parents. Good times, good times.

ANOTHER FYI: The set comes with safety glasses for a reason. Wear 'em. (SORRY MJ! Hope your eye is okay! I really was aiming for your stomach.)

Hey! There's the birthday boy! He's actually looking AT me! And smiling! And he doesn't have a mouthful of food! YES!

Oh, serious moment over....

Oh, wait a second....Could it be???

Photo magic....Isn't he a handsome little guy?

And now he's 5. And getting ready to go off to kindergarden. *Sniff* How can he be 5 already??!

Why I love Photoshop....

2008-04-02T23:35:00.001-07:00

Photoshop is the most amazing program. Really. I'm not kidding. The people who created it are geniuses.

Look what it can do with a simple photo! This is from a senior session I did last week. Bakersfield alleyway. Pretty bricks and wildflowers, but also ugly garbage (and who knows what else) on the ground.

But with Photoshop....poof! Voila! The trash is magically gone and, oh!, where did those pretty leaves come from?! (They came from the ground in the before picture. I just cloned them and then added some color. Cool, huh?)

*click on the image to see it bigger*

The cloning isn't my greatest, but still, what an improvement! And look at all that beautiful rich color I was able to coax out! Scrumptious!

Anyway...THAT is why I *heart* photoshop. :)

Oh, and I still intend to post recent photos of the boys real soon....just have some business sessions I have to process first...
Good things come to those who wait. Where I am involved, good things come to those who wait....and wait.... ;)

Owen the Dancing Machine.....

2008-03-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

This is somewhat of a flashback post....I took these in December, but with all the excitement of Christmas, I totally forgot about them until I came across them while organizing my photo files this week....

Owen is a maniac. A sweet, sweet dancing maniac. He LOVES dancing. And he has a style that's all his own.

It's TOTALLY fun to watch him (especially since he needs no partner or audience). It's even more fun to watch him when he's dancing in front of lots of people. Like, say.....at his preschool Christmas program....where he's the only one dancing....and having a blast!

Here's Owen....He's the one in the white shirt and striped tie..(in case you couldn't see the clear marking indicating which kid is mine, haha).

All seems pretty normal.... The kids are singing some sweet little Christmas song...

Oh, but wait....

The music is starting to groove with Owen...and he with the music.... See his foot tapping?

Ooh, that's some good music...he feels like doing a spin move...

How can you guys not be dancing? This is GREAT music!

Yeah, get down! Put your hands in the air like you just don't care!

Oh, but wait.....

Wait for it......

Trust me, it's worth waiting for.....

The move to top all moves....

WooHoo!!!!!!

I think that move deserves a closer look!

You've got mad dancing skills, little buddy...

Oh, but he's not done yet...

His class gets to sing another song.

Starting to feel it again....that dancing mojo....

Ah, why not just give and dance?!

Oh yeah, rock it little guy!

Okay kids, lets all sit down for this last one....

Heh heh heh....he wants to dance again.... (See the glint in his eye as he rubs his hands together?)

Oh! He's breaking loose!

Add in a little kick for good measure....!

This kid's ON FIRE! WOOHOO!!!

I guess some parents would be embarassed, but not me. I am so happy that he had fun. And that I got to watch it. My little dancing machine.

Oh and once more, just for fun....

More recent photos to come real soon....... :)

I'm a finalist in a photo contest!!! AWESOME!

2008-02-15T17:03:00.000-08:00

Hi all! A few weeks ago one of my favorite photographers announced a photo contest and asked for photos that represent "what the word L-O-V-E means to you". So I entered with the photo of my grandparents hands (scroll down, it's in my last post.) It's a very special photo to me and one that I am so thankful to have. Anyway, I shared a little bit of the story about my grandparents and how they've been married for over 70 years and this last year my G.G. had to be put in a care home for alzheimers patients. Though he still visits her often, she rarely remembers who anyone is and it's heartbreaking for him (for all of us, really). Well, on the day the photo was taken, we were there visiting Pop at his apartment and my mom brought G.G. over for us all to be together. She had no clue who I was, but aside from that, she was having a "good" day and remembered Pop. She agreed to hold hands with him and that's when I took this picture. It was so nice to see Pop happy for a little while. I know he misses her desperately and my heart hurts for him when I think about it.

Anyway, I love this photo. His big strong hands and her frail hands. And how he's gently cradling them.

Well, I was chosen from all the entries as a finalist. And you, yes, YOU, can help me win by going here: http://www.merakohblog.com/2008/02/15/l-o-v-e-photo-contest-finalists-time-to-vote-for-the-winner/#comments

and voting for me. But don't feel pressured to vote for me if you like another photo better. There are some really touching ones. But if you do like my photo...if it touches your heart....then please vote for me by leaving a comment in favor of photo #4. I'd be thrilled to win the Adobe Lightroom that is the grand prize.

Anyway....thanks for reading and voting!

xoxo, Cyndi

I'm so far behind, I'm not even going to try to catch up...

2007-12-16T22:02:00.001-08:00

So instead I'll just post a few of my favorite recent (and not so recent) photos from the last few months.... =)

Yesterday I was stuck in the car for a while on the road, so I took advantage of it and played with my camera. Soooo.....here's me!

(Yeah, I know it's a bit too close, but I had my 50mm lens on and you can only hold it so far from yourself. Haha.)

Did you notice my awesome new scarf? It's one of my new favorite things! My friend Mihaela made it for me. And I LOVE it! And I love her for being so sweet and thoughtful. And I'm going to wear it everyday for the rest of winter. And I like starting sentences with "and." Here's a close-up of the yummy scarf texture and colors...

Check out my new hair! It's actually not really that red. The warm sunset light just makes it look that way.

And here is my other new most favorite thing. Or things.
I am smitten with this pair of shoes. Fifteen bucks at Payless and your feet couldn't be cuter!

And just for fun....no shoes. Notice my "finger toes". They're funny looking, but they're mine and I love them.

(I did say I was bored in the car, didn't I?)

And these are from this summer. I got them all ready to blog and them never got around to it.

This is my G.G. and Pop. They've been married a bazilion years. (Over 70 years, which is pretty close to a bazillion in marriage years.) G.G. has alzheimers and her memory is pretty much gone. But on this day, she remembered Pop and held his hand.

She is living in a private care home now. He misses her. =(

Everyone knows I have a love for feet. I like the story told by them. Most people don't realize that I feel the same way about hands. They speak volumes.

G.G and Pop's hands....

If I could tell you the things these hands have done...
G.G used to deal cards in Casinos and play boogie music on the piano with these hands...
Pop has rescued people from drowning and raced motorcycles with these hands...

I'll always treasure this picture.

Here is my Pop. He is a real-life hero and the hardest working man I have ever known. It's in his blood. (Both the heroism and the work.) As long as I've been alive, Pop has always been up before the sun and outside working in the yard or on some carpentry project or fixing something. I love this man deeply. I wish I could have every story he's ever told me on recording. He would let me tag along with him on his fishing trips even though I'm sure I just scared the fish away. He taught me how to drive stick using his own car. (Though I have since forgotten.) He loves freely and doesn't hold back his opinions and I just adore the man.

I love every wrinkle on his face and every bushy hair in his eyebrows and mustache. And the soft smile in his eyes. He's a big burly guy. The strongest man I know, but he's really a big softie, too.

And here's my G.G. It was nice to see a bit of her old self for a few minutes. She has always been so funny and lively. She's one of those spunky mischevious-type grandmas. She's always been the one who lights up a room or livens a party. I miss her...

I'm sure she had no clue who it was that was taking her picture. But she was still being friendly to me. And she remembered Pop for a few minutes which meant the world to him. And so my day was happy because of that.

I probably should have posted these in a seperate blog post, but I didn't want to put it off and chance overlooking them again.

Little Bandolero

2007-11-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

He ain't mine, but he sure is cute!!!

Xander.... I can't get enough of him.

Cutest. Baby. Ever.

Leaving...on a jet plane....

2007-10-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! We're leaving today after months and months of waiting and preparation! YAY!!!!!

See you when I get back! I love you!!!
(Even the random strangers reading this that I don't know. Yeah, I love you, too!)

YES!!! I AM A MOM!!!

2007-10-04T09:39:00.001-07:00

I saw this on GMA yesterday while getting the kids ready for school. Laughed my butt off. (Well, I wish I had actually literally laughed my butt off, wouldn't that be nice?, but alas, it is still there...) =)

Enjoy....

Family Vacation!!! And some Beach Pictures!

2007-10-01T09:06:00.001-07:00

So this past weekend, we went out of town to Carlsbad. We (mostly me) wanted to take Sam to Legoland for his birthday before I leave on my trip. I wanted to spend some quality time with my family in case I die or something. (You never know, the plane could crash, or I could die of some strange intestinal parasite. It could happen. heh) Clayton humored me because he knows this is the longest I will have been away from my kids.

Here's a picture of Sam jumping on the bed at the hotel! Wheeeee!

And some of Sam and Owen playing in the pretty courtyard outside our little hotel patio.

We had such a nice time. Legoland was really fun. (It's really good if you have younger kids.. Just make sure you have an even ratio of adults to kids if they're under 48 inches.) I didn't take my camera into the park because it looked like rain and I also wanted to be "in the moment" instead of trying to "capture" the moment. There were moments when I wished I had, but that's okay.

So after we were done at Legoland (they close at 5pm), we headed over to the beach for a little bit to let the boys chase seagulls and find shells and get they're pants all wet and sandy. =) And for me to play with my new lens. ***aaahhhhh!*** (Picture angels singing and beams of light shining down from the clouds, haha) Yes, I am the proud owner of a nice zoom lens now, courtesy of my husband. Thanks babe!

So anyway, I haven't quite got the hang of it yet (It's way heavy compared to my little 50mm), but I was fairly happy with what I got.

Have I mentioned that I *heart* photoshop? I do. LOVE in all capital letters. LOVE LOVE LOVE. =) Check out all the cool color it can bring out in a photo! Sweet!

This one has so much technically wrong with it, but I love it anyway. (I like how Clayton is standing in the distance like "C'mon already!". )

****WARNING!!! SILHOUETTE OVERLOAD AHEAD!!!****

Just about the time all the awesome orangey light had arrived, my kids got tired of my camera. So I had to borrow a stranger's kid. Haha! (Don't worry, I asked permission, first.) She went where I asked her to and stayed where I needed her to and lookie what I got! I love it!

Watch. This. Now.

2007-08-31T22:01:00.000-07:00

It's VBS time!! It's VBS time!!!

2007-08-02T14:08:00.000-07:00

Vacation Bible School week at our church is probably my most favorite week of the whole year. A lot of people (read that to mean adults) think of VBS and all the work that goes into and groan. It is A LOT of work. A lot of preparation, a lot of decorating, a lot of recruiting (thank You, Lord, for not giving that job to me), and it requires a lot of energy. (Listen to me. I sound like I was the one doing all that work, which I totally wasn't. Props to Monica and Kelly at church who are A-MA-ZING.)

This is Monica. And her hubby and her completely adorable and utterly adored grandson.

And here's Monica and Kelly hanging out in a storage room with "Jesus".

Hey, lookie! It's me and my kiddos a la biblical garb. =)

Then you add in a couple hundred kids and it becomes magic!

Each day all the kids received "fresh fish" with that day's memory verse on it.

Sam had sooo much fun. He was totally into it.

This is Sam's friend "A". I'd totally be okay if he ends up marrying her. Hehe.
I LOVE VBS. Love, love, love. I love seeing all the kids and how excited they are to be there. I love the cheers they come up with for their groups. I love watching them make their crafts. I love watching them learn. And interact with each other and with their leaders. I love interacting with them, myself. I love watching them learn how to give to help others.

Sam's little boat that he made in the Toymaker's Tent.

Fresh Fish! Get your fresh fish!!!
This is "A's" little sister "G." I'd totally be okay if Owen ended up marrying her. (I think he would be happy about it, too.)

I was so touched during the praise and worship portion of VBS. It's beyond beautiful to see all these little kids singing about how good God is and loving on Jesus. (They get even more into it as the week progresses. It's great!) And I really love getting to watch them pray to ask Jesus in their lives. Really, that's the main purpose for VBS. What a gift.

This little girl had just finished praying to ask Jesus in her heart.

I was so lucky to be able to run around and take pictures. This year we did a "Galilee by the Sea" theme where we basically turned the whole church into a Seaside Galilee during the times of Jesus. There was a marketplace with different "shops" like a fisherman's tent, and a sandalmakers' tent, and the carpenter's tent. All the workers dresses in biblical type costumes and took on their characters. We also had a "synagogue" where the kids learned bible stories and about jewish culture and traditions.

Sam listened intently. Hey! It's "Rabbi" Jason!

Owen did not listen so intently. Crazy kid. =)

The kids came dressed up, too. Which was really fun.

My little shepherd boys. Don't they just need a little staff to complete the ensemble?

This is "T." He is "Rabbi" Jason and Kelly's youngest. This kid just melts me. He is sooo sweet.In this photo he was praying over his snack.

Delivering fresh fish!
Here's "A" again. Isn't she cute?
And here is Marlo and our littlest Galilean, "J". Isn't this a sweet moment? I really look up to Marlo. She has a quiet and gentle spirit. And she's an amazing mom. (Which is kind of obvious from this picture.)

I have sooo many more pictures that I LOVE, but unfortunatly I didn't have a chance to ask all the parents for permission to put their kid's photos up on the net, so I can't post them.

It was such a great week. I can't wait till next summer. =D

Oh, I am soo smitten with her...

2007-07-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

This is Mandy. She's my niece. She's a girl. (Obviously.) And she's my new muse.

My sister let her come stay with her Auntie Cyndi for the week.

I was in heaven.

I'm surrounded by boys every day. Boys I love dearly and totally have fun with. But, still, they are boys. And I'm a girl. Sometimes I long for girly things. That's where Mandy comes in.

She's so feminine. She has this little soft, voice. She loves having her hair in pretty ponytails and braids. And playing house. And looking at shoes. (Owen likes shoes, too, haha.) And she LOVES her Auntie. She's oh so sweet. And she loves to sit quietly and snuggle in my lap. And she loves the color pink. And she likes pretty things. Like butterflies and flowers.

And, she's breathtaking. How beautiful and precious is this little face?

I had so much fun with her. I seriously loved every moment. She's such a good little girl.
We played in the backyard and she held her own with the boys (while still being soft and sweet.) And we went to the park and played in the creek. Tell me this isn't the cutest little face ever! I dare you. You can't. It's impossible. It IS the cutest little face ever.

Here she is being silly for Auntie.

She's a little fish, too and she had so much fun in the water.Oh, and since we all know I think feet are beyond adorable, check out her little feet.
Aren't they so cute? I took her home on Friday and I miss her terribly already. I wonder if my sister would let me borrow her one week a month? I wish. =)

Mother's Day 2007

2007-05-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

Me and my boys... (photo by Clayton)

This Saturday we had our own little family Mother's Day. I'm not really one of those moms who wants to get away and go to a spa somewhere for Mother's Day. I just want to spend the day doing stuff with my kids that makes us happy as a family. And for me, this Mother's Day was perfect.

First off, the weather was GORGEOUS. It was really hot (mid 90s) all last week, but cooled down just in time for Saturday.

My boys love to go to the park so we picked up some lunch and went and ate it at the park and then they played, and played, and played. We brought their bike and scooter and they had so much fun riding around the playground.

Here's my Sam in all his gappy cuteness.

Here they are looking for four-leafed clovers.

The typical, "Boys give each other a hug, so Mommy can take your picture together," shot.

See the duck in the background? We got to see lots of fluffy ducklings, too! =)

I told the boys to smoosh their cheeks together so I could get a close-up of them. This is what they thought I meant. Haha! Go with the flow, mom. They crack me up.

After the park, we all went to a paint-your-own-pottery place and the boys painted a flower pot for Clayton's mom. There was pretty light in there, so I had Clayton snap a few shots of me with the boys.

They are both very serious about their work.

When we were done at the pottery place we walked over to the movie theater to see Meet the Robinsons in 3-D. (The movie was really, really cute. It kept Owen entertained for over an hour an a half, so that says a lot.) This is them outside the theater. Notice how they both wrapped their leg through the fence.

Sam making his "Tough Guy" face. He's a funny kid.

Oh noooo! A picture with flash! Aaaahhhh! Haha. I'm trying not to be such a natural-light snob. (That, and it was too dark in the theater to catch Owen in his 3-D glasses without it.) Oh, and no, I didn't take this during the movie. This was pre-movie, before everyone else arrived.

This has nothing to do with Mother's Day, but it was cool, so I'm throwing it in. It's a display at the theater for the new Fantastic Four movie with the Silver Surfer. I like pretty much any movie based on a super-hero or comic, so I'm looking forward to it. =)

I hope you all had a Mother's Day that was wonderful!

If you have a spare minute and want to giggle...

2007-05-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

I saw this on another blog and thought I would try it. --Have I mentioned that I love reading people's blogs?--

Go to google and put in your first name, and then the word "needs".

I'm sure you'll find out you need more than you thought. Haha.

Cyndi needs...

...another coffee mug

...to gain more weight (HA! YEAH RIGHT.)

...to sing her own songs

...to sing you a lullabye or something

...Cyndi needs to look up Captain Lou Albano for career advice

Steve Irwin was so cool.

2007-05-10T00:57:00.001-07:00

I was a huge Steve Irwin fan. (I even have the Crocodile Hunter board game!)

Anyway, I saw this video on a blog and had to share it. Sit back and have a good laugh! =)

Worship--God does inhabit the praises of His people

2007-05-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

This morning at church was wonderful. While we (the worship team) were practicing this morning before the first service, I found myself longing for us as a team to spend some time praying and worshipping together.

That sounds funny because we're the worship team, so let me explain. Of course we worship together all the time. Every time we practice. Every time we lead the church in praise, we truly are worshipping together. But during those times it's usually more structured. We are leading, so even though we are worshipping, we are also paying attention to where the rest of the musicians and singers are going with the music and the lyrics and making sure we're all together. But this morning I found myself longing for us to just spend some time with the Lord as a team, without the rest of the church. I was hoping we would do something like that in Pastor Anthony's office. (We usually meet in there after leading the first service. We fellowship together, sometimes praying, sometimes just talking and laughing.) By the time I got back there, the whole team was already there and Anthony was sharing out of His bible and encouraging us in our faith as a team and it was really cool. (I hadn't said anything about what I was feeling during practice.)

So the first service ends. I spend a few minutes greeting some new friends who got there early for the second service and then rushed back to the prayer room to pray with the team before going out for second service. The door was closed and when I opened it, the most beautiful sound filled my ears. Our team was in there, in that tiny room, singing and worshipping God. It was private and personal and beautiful. Some had their hands raised, some were on their knees. They were all just loving God with no one else there to see. That was exactly what I was longing for. For us to just worship Him. Not because we were leading anyone else, but just because we love Him. So I joyfully joined in. It was so wonderful. God was there. I know it's not about feelings, but I could just feel God there. My spirit recognized His. Ah, I love His presence.

I think He was the One who placed that longing in my heart. And He placed it in the rest of the team, too. Isn't that awesome? I love it when we're of the same heart.

So anyway, after a few minutes, it was time to go out and start the second service.

IT WAS AMAZING.

I can't even describe it. We started a song called "You Are God Alone" and before we even joined, we could hear the whole church singing and worshipping. That right there is my heart's desire. To see God's people worshipping Him together. It was so beautiful (I know I keep using that word, but, hey, it fits) that I didn't want to spoil it by joining in on my mic. I was so blessed by it. Funny that hearing my Lord be blessed blesses me, too.

So that was my morning and my heart is still so full of praise. God is with me. I am so glad for that.

Wow. God is so amazing. Seriously.

2007-05-06T14:33:00.000-07:00

I am just so overwhelmed by the greatness of my God. He is so much bigger than I can imagine. So much wiser than I could ever understand. So much more beautiful than my eyes or heart could ever fully realize. His love is so deep. He is so true. He is so faithful. His power knows no limits. Nor does His mercy. His grace is so precious. He's compassionate. He amazes me. The more I think I know about Him, the more He tells me there is to know. He is deeper than I could ever fathom. He is righteous. And just. And kind. He is so far beyond my thinking. He is God.

He is holy. Think about that word. He is holy. And He made a way for me to be with Him. He is the lover of my soul. The One who loves my soul and the One my soul loves. He is God. The One who made all things. And He loves us. Loves us so much. My brain can't even fully wrap around that. He is above all things, yet He draws so near. All I have to do is call on Him and He's right there.

My heart is overtaken by Him. I want to sing His praises and make known His love. I can't help but worship Him. How could I not?

Ah, I have so much more I want to share. Really, I am so in love with Jesus. He is so wonderful. I'm so thankful. So grateful for His grace. For what He did. For who He is. For His love for me.

Our Anniversary...

2007-04-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Clay and my 8th anniversary. Wow. That sounds like such a long time, but it doesn't feel like it's been eight years. It feels more like three or four. But 8 it is and I am so thankful for it. I've learned a lot about life, a lot about love, a lot about myself, a lot about being a parent, and a lot about being a wife in these last 8 years. And Clayton has been here for all of it. He's grown with me, mellowed with me, had fun with me, cried with me, relaxed with me, encouraged me, and loved me through all my ups and downs. And I love him all the more for it.

So this weekend we went out of town sans children (thank you Gran and Grandad!) for an adventure. Clayton had tried to plan out a romantic weekend, but I vetoed that idea for a more spontainous getaway. I was needing to get out of Bakersfield and just be somewhere pretty. (Bakersfield is not the most visually appealing town unless it's one of the 9 days or so a year where the air is clean and the sky is actually blue and you can actually see the mountains all around. Then it's quite pretty. But alas, those days are few and far between.) And I didn't want a schedule that we needed to stick to or a place we had to go to or anything like that. I just wanted to go wherever we felt like going at that precise moment in time. So we did!

After dropping the kids off, we headed out of town via Highway 33 towards Ojai. Man, that is a pretty drive this time of year. Everything was green and there were wildflowers everywhere. I wanted to get some pictures, but the road was very windy and my sweetheart drives very fast. Haha. Anyways, I had never been on Highway 33, but the last time Clayton was on it, he had his now infamous motorcycle wreck and I have never had the nerve to go see where it happened. So he showed me the approximate area. Let me just say, "Thank You God for protecting Clayton." He was very high up and crashed near a VEEEERY steep embankment/cliff. So that was interesting to see.

We ended up driving through to Ventura. It was so nice to just drive with no real destination. Seriously. We stopped and ate at a nice local restaurant called Winchesters. Mmm. It was good. And then we went and drove around until we found a hotel we wanted to stay in. (The Mariott in Oxnard is quite nice if you're ever in the area. It's very clean.)

The next morning after some shopping at Fryes Electronic Story a.k.a techno geek heaven, and some furniture store shopping (we desperately need a new dining table and chairs) we headed over to Solvang, the Dutch capital of the United States! It's a nifty little tourist driven town where all the buildings have a dutch look to them and there are windmills and TONS of cute little shops for everything from quilting to kite-flying, and lots and lots of bakeries. We hadn't booked a room in advance and unfortunately most of the hotels had no vacancies. Except this one...... The Viking Inn.....

Don't ever stay here. Just trust me. Ha ha. Yeah. Moving on....

I was trying REALLY hard not to be obnoxious with my camera and hence didn't get any good shots of Solvang with the exception of an AWESOME antique store near the town's center. This place was A-MA-ZING. Seriously.

I love old things. They had all the cool old pocketwatches. Check out the price on pocketwatch with the painting on it....Yikes!

And there was gorgeous old jewelry just a dripping and glimmering everywhere....

There were even jewels dripping off of lamps and chandeliers.....

Lots and lots of jewels..... Yes, I am such a girl. =)

There was so much stuff in there I could have spent hours and hours. They had this really neat cabinet thingy that had two violins in it and you put a coin in and I think it makes the violins play. I say I think because I was plumb afraid to touch it because if was one of only 4 in the whole world and was priced at $174,000. I'm way to clumsy to stay in close proximity to something that expensive for very long, so no photo.

This is the window outside the antique shop. Isn't it pretty?

Basically, we had a great time. And I'm happy that we've made it eight years.

Thanks for reading if you've made it this far! =)

I have a big decision to make....

2007-04-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

Today I was presented with an opportunity to do something that I've been longing to do for a long time now. I didn't think it would even be a possibility for at least a few years, so I honestly hadn't even considered doing it anytime soon.

This afternoon a friend was talking to me about this topic and I told her I would love to do that....someday. She asked why not now? I told her that certain things that I thought were really unlikely would have to happen first. Not five minutes later the biggest of the things I had mentioned to her happened. And all of a sudden it seems like doors that I thought would be tightly shut have swung wide open.

Ack! I have a big decision to make and a deadline to make it in. I need God's guidance in a serious way. If I do this thing, I want it to be God's will and not just mine. ('Cause mine says yes automatically.) If it's just my will, then I don't want to do it. And if it is His will, He will make a way. This I know.

So I'm going to seek Him out these next few days and listen for His voice.

I know I've been really unspecific on purpose (which for me is not normal), but if you think of me, will you pray that I would hear clearly what God is saying to me? I struggle with that sometimes. I need clarity.

Odd, but totally sweet conversation...

2007-03-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, picture this. Owen is on the potty. I'm wiping his bum (nice, huh? haha) and he's having this conversation with me.

Owen: I'm such a good boy. For pooping in the potty.
Me: Yes, you are such a good boy, Owen.
Owen: And Sam is my REAL brudder. (brother)
Me: Yes, Sam is your real brother. (Hey, I was busy.)
Owen: And when he's mean to me, I just hug him a lot and he will be my best friend.

Isn't that sweet?

Rough times....

2007-03-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

Can I ask anyone who might read this blog to lift up my little sister and her husband in prayer? I don't want to go details, but these last few weeks have been so, so hard on them.

So if you can, would you please pray for them? That God would comfort them. That they would have peace and somehow hold onto hope.

Thanks.

Four Years Ago....

2007-03-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

Four years ago this little beam of sunshine came into my life.

He gives me such joy. He fills my heart up with happy. I love him so much. From day one, he has been the most mellow, carefree, easygoing child. A true gift. And I am thankful. So thankful.

He is the snuggliest, funniest, sweetest little guy. Happy birthday Owen. I love you forever.