Who am I?

EMS

2011-08-12T17:54:00.000-04:00

I was reminded today that the work we do, volunteer or paid, is a difficult job. I have been a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician for 12.5 years. I have seen quite a lot. Most of the time it is a drunk college student, grandma fell down, or a minor fender bender. On occasion we are apart of someone's first day, someone's worst day, or someone's last day. Some times it is all three. Today one of my best friends was part of someone's worst and last day. I know that the images that she saw today may be etched in her mind forever. I pray that as time goes on they will fade. She has enough bad images already etched that I fear too many more will be too much to handle. We do this job, obviously not for the money, but because we love what we do. Hug your family member today because life can change so quickly. Thank your medics, fire, and police because they do this job for you.

Moving on... Sort of

2011-08-10T14:21:00.001-04:00

When this blog was started, I was in a completely different place. This blog was centered on my online Scrapbook Store. Now, that store is no more and I have began my adventure into the world of photography. Scrapping has helped me to realize my true passion. The past 3 years I have focused more on my photography. While I didn't start photography to make it into a business, it kind of took root and grew on its own. So, I have decided to change this blog. The blog will continue under a new address... http://toyaearleyphotography.blogspot.com/ Feel free to visit me there.

G Family

2011-07-23T22:07:00.004-04:00

I had the honor of spending time with this amazing family. They have 5 terrific boys and 1 sweet little princess. It was so much fun following this group around. I was amazed at how full of smiles everyone was including the littlest one. Here are a few.

Mini shoot with Baby D and Dad

2011-07-17T11:17:00.000-04:00

You will remember Baby D a few weeks ago. He was super sweet. Well, he decided to come back and bring his daddy for a few more shots. Here is a small view of our time together.

He even brought mom along for a family shot!

Baby Ben

2011-07-17T11:00:00.002-04:00

I was happy to see some old friends back in town. The best part is they brought this little guy with them. Meet baby Ben. We had a mini session. He was such a good boy but he had no interest in going to sleep.

The newest edition

2011-07-11T01:45:00.010-04:00

Our family has long awaited the newest edition. Meet my new niece baby M. We spent the weekend with her. I was in photography heaven. She was the perfect model. I'm sure this poor little girl thinks my face is a Canon camera. Here are a few sneak peeks of the little miracle. I'm so proud of her, here is the flickr slide show.

Summer Time

2011-07-04T00:45:00.003-04:00

This weekend has been quite busy. The kids have kept us moving. I haven't taken as many pictures because I tried to join in on some of the fun. Here are a couple of pictures I was able to catch. Happy 4th of July!!!!

Mama's Boys

2011-06-18T21:42:00.002-04:00

This morning I hung out with my friend to get some shots of her boys. It was so much fun. I so love these little guys. Here are a few shots of our fun time.

Sweet baby boy

2011-06-13T00:08:00.002-04:00

I had the pleasure of spending time with this little angel and his awesome mommy. Her birth story cracked me up. All I can say is "drugs are your friend"! Here are a few shots of sweet baby D.

My girl

2011-05-30T23:42:00.001-04:00

I have three children who I am legally responsible for but I happen to have several more "adult children" who have joined my family over the years. I have learned that family is more than blood or adoption paperwork. Family is who ever you choose to be. On Saturday I had the honor of helping one of those adult children get in her wedding dress so she can marry her marine. If Saturday is a glimpse into what it will be like to dress Taylor or Jasmine for their big day, I'm done for. Kellie was so incredibly beautiful. Every time I saw her smile or laugh, my heart just melted. My girl was happy because on Saturday she married the marine of her dreams. I worked quietly behind the scenes to make her day perfect. I worked quietly because I didn't want to cry my eyes out. The highlight of that day was when she turned to me and told me how she felt about our relationship. I couldn't love her more if she were my birth child. My girl was getting married and going back to California. My girl married her Marine and the tears I am crying right now are tears of joy.

Playing catch up

2011-05-10T22:56:00.003-04:00

This has been such a busy couple of weeks. Between shoots I have been taking care of my poor broken child (sprained ankle with lots of drama), my mom had surgery, and substitute teaching. Yep, I'm tired. I shot two seniors and a little dancer.

My first of the three is Ms Keely. She was so much fun. She is so beautiful, I was hard pressed to find a shot I didn't like. She will be an awesome teacher one day.

My second is Ms D. I have photographed her before. I have known this sweetheart since she was born. I was cracking up the entire session. Ms D is hilarious. She is a dancer and was simply beautiful in each outfit.

Last but certainly not least is Ms Karmen. We talked so much that the time just flew by. I hope she gets back into photography. She loves nature. She gave me a hard time about not liking "nature" photography. I have a feeling she has a great eye for it. We laughed quite a lot.

Beautiful Graduate

2011-04-23T09:33:00.000-04:00

Wow, I didn't realize how long it has been since I've been able to blog. Last week I got the opportunity to photograph a soon to be graduate from Virginia Tech. Meet Kiera! She will get her Masters in Biological Systems Engineering in a couple of weeks. I'm so proud of her. Not only is she beautiful but intelligent too. Here are a few shots of Kiera.

Baby K

2011-04-01T17:56:00.000-04:00

Today was fun because I spent the day with baby K. She is simply a doll baby. She didn't seem to mind the tutu at all. In fact, I think she liked it.

I love toddlers when they are not mine. But THIS toddler...

2011-03-22T19:44:00.001-04:00

I want to steal this one. Judah is simply a doll. He came over for a second shoot and was the first to play with my new fire truck. I think he liked it. His smile just steals your heart. He is great for impromptu hugs.

Camera Necklace

2011-03-21T00:28:00.000-04:00

For my birthday I hinted around to everyone what to get me. I wanted the Pamela Topping Camera Love Necklace. Some how my husband missed all of the obvious signs and bought the wrong one. Needless to say I smiled sweetly and said thank you because his heart was in the right place. I did get the right one the following week. Well, now Pamela Topping is giving one away. I want the pink one pretty bad. So, here is a link to her site so you can get in on the give away. The only thing you have to do if you win is give it directly to me. ; )

Hanging out with Henry

2011-03-19T00:45:00.002-04:00

I was fortunate to spend more time with Henry today. He is so stinking cute. Here are a few more shots of cuddly baby Henry. He almost makes me want another baby, almost...

Surgery

2011-03-18T01:00:00.003-04:00

me in bed after surgery a photo by toyjsu on Flickr.

So I am now 11 days post-op. This picture was taken the morning after surgery. I was a bit drugged up and tired. I got a phone call that a delivery was about to be made. I wasn't sure who would have sent me an Edible arrangement. When it arrived, i was shocked to tears. My best friend in Texas sent me a Mickey Mouse treat. It was so yummy I almost forgot to call her right away. I had a little help finishing it off.

Having surgery is hard. I can't do as much as I usually do. I'm not exactly complaining about skipping out on cooking and cleaning. There are just so many things I need to do. I can't use my camera as much, drive, comb my own hair, etc. I can't get my shirt off without help. Now that is tough. I actually slept in it one night because I didn't want to wake the snoring hubby. Every day is better than the day before. What I have been is spoiled. Everyone around me has spoiled me so much and I sincerely appreciate it. I have had meals delivered, children cared for, Sarah picking me up to go places... I am Blessed and I know it.

Baby Henry

2011-03-15T23:17:00.004-04:00

Meet Mr. Henry! Isn't he adorable? He is cuddled up on his daddy's rescue gear. I do believe it is a peek into his future. This is as sleep as he got. He was such a good boy. He spent most of the time just hanging out wide awake. I just wanted to hold him the entire shoot. You just gotta love these toes.

The cutest little cherub

2011-03-06T00:09:00.001-05:00

025.jpg a photo by toyjsu on Flickr.

Meet my newest little friend. He is so cute. I wanted to take him home but I don't think his siblings would have let me get far. I had the best time hanging out with him. He was my last shoot before my surgery Monday. This means I have a lot of processing to do while I heal. I promise to get some more picures of this little angel on here as soon as I can. Just to add a teaser, there was a cake smash.

Cousins but more like brothers

2011-02-27T20:37:00.004-05:00

I write a lot about my nephew. He is just as much mine as my own children. He has started calling me Tee Tee Mama! Jamie (RJ) thinks Jaden is the best. He follows him around trying to do what ever Jaden is doing. I think Jaden loves the attention. Jamie waits anxiously for the bus to come home in the afternoon. As soon as that bus rounds the corner the clapping and screaming is almost deafening. His playmate/best friend/brother/cousin is home. When Jamie comes over Jaden is equally excited to have him to play with/ boss around. I hope it is always this way. Everyone needs a brother!

By the way Jamie decided we all needed to have a concert. Here are his cute fat fingers on the piano.

Ebony Affair

2011-02-21T10:38:00.003-05:00

On Saturday night I had the honor of attending and photographing the 14th Annual Virginia Tech Ebony Affair. They honored men and women who have helped to make our community better. Everyone clearly had a great time. Here are some of the pictures from the night.

The highlight of the night was when the event coordinator got a surprise proposal on stage.

The night was full of surprises and fun!

New Site ... New Path

2011-02-17T22:07:00.002-05:00

I finally stepped out and built a quick web site. I am keeping this blog for now. I am a bit nervous about where this photography road is going to take me. I have the faith that God has paved this road for me. I just have to stay on the path.

Here is my site: www.toyaearleyphotography.com

Little Miracle

2011-02-06T21:39:00.004-05:00

I had the honor of meeting a beautiful little boy today who is truly a miracle. His name is Alex. He was born January 11 weighing 1 lb 14.6 oz. He is quite the little fighter. Alex was born 12 week early. He has grown so much in a few short weeks. I was able to capture a few shots for his parents to show him one day. Here is my new favorite person, Alex.

Sisters are the best

2011-02-05T17:51:00.000-05:00

I love it when I meet sisters who have the same age difference as my sister and I. Sweet baby K came back for another photo shoot and this time she brought her beautiful sister with her. I have known D since she was born. It is so obvious how much she loves her new sister. Here are a few sneak peeks for their parents.

I Heart Faces

2011-01-24T14:39:00.001-05:00

I am not one who enters photo challenges but I could not pass this one up. The challenge is to post a picture showing innocent wonder. Well I had the perfect picture to show that. It is the one of my nephew I took back in the fall. We were playing in the leaves and he was so excited about each leaf that fell. It was so fun watching him experience Fall in his own way. I really heart this face. You should stop by i heart faces and check out some other great innocent wonder shots.

Angel Baby

2011-01-14T16:05:00.007-05:00

Meet baby girl Fleenor

She is such an angel baby. I absolutely loved playing with her. I think I could sit and hold
K all day long. She loves cuddling. She was not so interested in sleeping for this photo shoot. I have known her daddy for over 12 years. It was an honor to have the opportunity to photograph her. I thought I would give K's awesome mom and dad a sneak peek of the shoot.

Engagement Photos take 2

2011-01-07T22:23:00.007-05:00

This is our second shot at doing engagement pictures. We tried on New Year's Day but it was raining ALL DAY. Today was our only time to try again before Gabe had to fly back to California. I am happy with the results. I am so incredibly proud of Kellie and Gabe. Kellie has become like a daughter to me. When I look into her eyes I see the happiness Gabe has put there. I know he will love her and cherish her the way she deserves to be. This wedding will be like watching my own child walk down the aisle. I am honored they allowed me to take part in this journey with them.

Oh this is definitely the Gabe I know and love! She was ready to kill him for this shot.

I thought it was appropriate for us to finish in the place they met and fell in love, Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad.

Engagement Time is here

2011-01-03T13:57:00.004-05:00

Tis the season to say "YES"! This wonderful couple will have a beautiful spring wedding. I can't wait to attend. I also can't wait to finish this shoot on Friday and do her twin's shoot soon. Congratulations! I'm so proud of you both.

Sledding fun

2010-12-30T21:40:00.004-05:00

I was able to convince my hubby to join us for a little sledding fun. This Christmas was a white one for us and the kids were thrilled. When all was said and done, we went home wet, hot, tired, but with a smile. Here are a few shots from the day after Christmas.

Christmas fun by the Head Elf

2010-12-12T10:03:00.005-05:00

"Mommy if you are the head elf, do you have pointy ears?" - Jasmine Earley

I have been a volunteer EMS provider for almost 12 years. We have an annual Christmas party/brunch for the children, grandchildren, young siblings of the members. For the last 9 years I have either been a part of or organized this event. I am known to the children of the crew members as "The Head Elf". I enjoy all that this job entails except the clean up after it is all over. The look of joy on the face of every child kind of makes up for the mess I'm left to deal with. I know that most of those kid wait all year long the the chance to sit on Santa's lap and get a present. I have watched most of those kids grow up before my very eyes. We have the most awesome Santa ever. He actually starts growing his beard in July. He has the perfect figure for the job. The best part is his eyes really do twinkle because he loves making the kids happy. Mrs. Claus is just as perfect. She comes in and reads to the kids before Santa's arrival. While she is reading, the reindeer are prancing on the roof over the kids' heads. There are always a few gasps as the kids try really hard to keep from jumping up and down. When Mrs. Claus gets to the end of her story, the kids hear the man of the hour's Ho Ho Ho. There is nothing better than seeing the faces when he walks in that room. He commands their attention by his very presence and they give it willingly. I do believe there are a few parents in that room who still want to believe in Santa too. Here are a few of the pictures from yesterday...
I couldn't have asked for 2 better helpers by my side. These are 2 of my 3 best friends. They are super awesome and I am blessed because they are in my life. Catie is known to break out in song at any moment. While she prefers Abba, she loves belting out Christmas carols in the toy store. This also means I must join in and dance too. Sarah tries to get control of us but even she knows that is a lost cause. I really, really love Christmas!

Newborns

2010-12-11T00:17:00.002-05:00

Mom and Dad

2010-11-28T15:05:00.002-05:00

So these are my parents. They wanted me to take a few shots of them so they can have new pictures on facebook. They are quite a couple. They have been together since they were kids. Now many years later after raising two girls, one perfect one and the other is Brandi, they are enjoying the empty nest. Obviously they must still like each other. Dad wouldn't stop kissing her. EWWW! They are my parents and I guess I won't trade them... this month.

Awesome photo shoot

2010-11-25T18:09:00.002-05:00

I spent almost a week in Texas hanging with and photographing my best friend and her family. It was so much fun. These are some of my favorite pictures from one of the shoots. They are such a cute family. Next time I'm gonna get Yaya (grandma) in the shot.

Christmas Time is Near

2010-11-18T17:44:00.002-05:00

I absolutely had to show my picture of my nephew. It is one of the few where he wasn't throwing the ornaments around. I love this crazy kid!

Family Fun

2010-11-15T19:22:00.005-05:00

On Saturday I spent the day with 2 fun families.

The W family were super awesome.

In the afternoon I spent time photographing the fun Wilcox Family.Who could resist this smile?

Cute C kids

2010-11-11T22:07:00.003-05:00

This morning I had a great time hanging out with 2 of my favorite little friends. We played in their backyard in the leaves. I couldn't help but want to catch these smiles.

hanging out with my son

2010-11-07T23:53:00.003-05:00

The extra hour gave me a bit of free time before church. I was able to do a little photog tutorial reading. Jaden is the best when it comes to letting my take his picture. I think deep down inside there brews the beginnings of a photographer. We spent about 10 minutes braving the cold. Unfortunately the hard freeze took away the nicer looking spots in my yard so we had to settle for a sliver of bush. I just wanted a few head shots. By the time I was done that boy had talked me into action shots, shots with or without the glasses, etc. I look at his picture and realize just how much he has grown up since we brought him home. He is losing the baby look and teeth. How did time pass so quickly?

Fall Fun

2010-11-03T19:28:00.004-04:00

So today my nephew, Jamie, and I went out to the park for some photo time. Here are the results.

You can check out the link to my flickr for more.

Piece of my heart

2010-11-02T23:04:00.003-04:00

This is my beautiful nephew. He has several nick names and he answers to them all. I never knew I could love a child so much who wasn't my own. This child has stolen a piece of my heart and I'm gonna let him keep it.

My little Pocahontas

2010-10-29T15:23:00.004-04:00

So Taylor decided to be Pocahontas for Halloween. She didn't bother to tell me. She at least told her teacher who let me know. I rushed out and bought material with fringes. I spent an hour and a half trying to come up with a costume out of the material. It was all worth it to see her face this morning and to hear her talk about how much she loved it. Unfortunately it was pretty cold this morning so she had to wear extra clothes to school under it. I got her to hold still long enough to snap a quick picture. Please excuse the hair I ran out of time when straightening. The hair gives her a whole cave girl meets Pocahontas look.

At the top of Peaks of Otter

2010-10-25T17:41:00.001-04:00

At the top of Peaks of Otter
Originally uploaded by toyjsu

Is this what it feels like to be on top of the world?

Goats

2010-10-24T22:22:00.008-04:00

We got in too late last night to blog. We started the morning off interesting. I was awakened by my son informing me there were goats walking down the sidewalk outside his room. This was not exactly the way I'm use to waking up. Through sleepy eyes I notice my son is NOT wearing his glasses and I'm sure he was mistaking a goat for a really big dog. At his insistence, I went downstairs to check it out. Sure enough, there were 2 goats walking down the street. As my mind is trying to process what I'm seeing, I see my neighbor trying to lasso one. At this point I'm pretty sure I'm still asleep. I step out my front door to see several of my neighbors looking as confused as I was. The parents of these two kids were located by the police and taken home.

We grabbed a lunch and headed out for a hike at the Peaks of Otter and a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was the perfect day to hike. The temperature was in the 70's and the fall leaves were gorgeous. I have to admit it felt like we were never gonna get to the top. When we finally got there it was so worth it. It was like being on top of the world. Every where we looked was amazing. We could see the mountains for miles and miles. The kids did great. There were some pretty steep and dangerous areas. I tried to keep my fears of their sudden death stuffed in. Oh the innocence of children...I was able to take pictures that I'm sure to cherish forever.

Found good spots

2010-10-09T18:49:00.007-04:00

I have admired so many photographers blogs. They seem to find these great out door spots for taking pictures. Oh how I wished I had spots like those. I finally realized that I do have those spots in my own neighborhood. My friend, Magda, wanted to get to know her camera a little bit more so we went for a picture walk.On the way we ran into her daughter Klaudia who was only too happy to stop and pose for a few shots. Even her little brother got in on the fun by running to grab his camera.

When we got to the bottom of the hill Dominik decided he didn't want to be in the shots. Jaden, on the other hand, is always ready to be in front of the camera. I learned that Jaden is interested in cameras. He was snapping away.

Football

2010-10-06T21:18:00.007-04:00

It is that time of the year. The air is getting cooler and the leaves are starting to fall. It is football season. While most of the people in my town are gearing up for Hokie ball, my house is gearing up for Pee Wee flag football. My 6 year old is playing flag for the first time. We have such a small town that there are only 4 teams so they just play each other over and over again. When you live in a small town you will know kids from other teams. You get the pleasure to yell for them all. So, while everyone else is tailgating for Virginia Tech, I'm screaming my head off for my little player.

The Hood

2010-08-23T21:11:00.003-04:00

I'm so bombed I don't have a picture for this post. My neighborhood is awesome. We view quite a few neighbors like family. (Aunt Cheri, Aunt Melissa, Uncle Bob...) The last few nights have solidified that feeling. I bought a volleyball net. Once that net went up, it was like an alarm sounded for the neighborhood children. They came running from all directions. I stood back and watched as my children bonded with kids who will become life long friends. The moms and dads who ran around my yard reliving their childhoods were all smiles. It was nothing for a toddler to wrap their arms around the leg of someone other than their parents and be perfectly comfortable with that. This is where I wanted my kids to grow up. This is how I want my kids to grow up. When they are 35 years old I want them to look back on summers like this and know they were loved by many.

Auntie's Angel

2010-08-12T08:52:00.002-04:00

Auntie's Angel
Originally uploaded by toyjsu

I forgot how much fun it can be to keep up with a toddler. This little boy cracks me up. Yesterday we went for a little walk to see the ducks. He was in awe of them. I am teaching him to sign. "NO" is one of his favorite signs. Go figure...

Taking pictures

2010-07-25T09:23:00.006-04:00

Photography is relaxing. I enjoy learning as much about it as possible. Some parts prove to be frustrating. The fact that my children move to freaking fast is the frustrating part. I have to keep adjusting to keep up with them. A few days ago Sarah, one of my best friends, and I took my kids to Giles to take some rural shots. It was a good learning experience in many ways. How can I do a photo shoot with other peoples' children if I can't do one with my own kids? Other peoples' children LISTEN BETTER. The thing I like about photography is you are your own artist. Your art form belongs to you and no one else. Here is an example of my art from this past week:

Have a great week!

Washed clean

2010-07-15T00:31:00.004-04:00

We haven't had rain in quite a while. After a really good rain I went out to take a peek at the flowers and shrubbery. When I watched the remaining rain drops on the flowers and leaves, I noticed how clean everything looked. I was reminded of how as Christians we are washed with the blood of Jesus and made like new. The water dripping off the leaves is like the sin being washed away. Thank you God for the rain.

Cocooned on a cloud

2010-07-13T09:51:00.001-04:00

Cocooned on a cloud
Originally uploaded by toyjsu

Wouldn't life be just perfect if you could sleep like this? Here is another picture of baby William. Isn't he a doll?

A week of pictures

2010-07-10T14:32:00.006-04:00

Happy Birthday America:

The kids and I drove 17+ hours from Virginia to Texas. Yep, I'm crazy. The kids actually were really well behaved in the van. It was after they got out that they lost their minds. So as you saw from previous post we had great family time with 3 of my siblings, grandmother, and cousins. Dear hubby joined us via plane and we made our way to Atlanta, Georgia for the second part of our road trip. In Atlanta we met up with one of my best friends and her family. Zamorah (3) and I are old buddies. I had the pleasure to be at the hospital for Amyrah's birth (2). Kendrah (10 months) and I got to know each other during this trip. Her new name is juicy. Oh my goodness this child is teething.I have to say Amyrah was quite entertaining. I have never met such a smart 2 year old. She had me cracking up the entire time. We all got together with Melissa's in-laws and watched the fireworks. We had a premium location since her brother-in-law is a firefighter.

A child is born: William Burkett O'shea was born July 2, 2010. Yesterday I got the chance to do a newborn photo shoot with him. It was so much fun.

The Fuqua Grandparents

2010-07-01T00:59:00.003-04:00

I could not have asked for better grandparents. Big mama and Papa were absolutely awesome. They not only helped raise me but several of my other cousins as well. Papa has gone now but he is still quite visible. The love he shared with my Big mama is seen in the eyes of all of their offspring. Here is a small group who were able to gather and spend time with her. They did a great job.

Love knows no distance or drama

2010-06-30T00:13:00.004-04:00

Today I spent time with siblings I rarely see or talk to. It was good to see them. They have changed so much since our last encounter. As the big sister the one thing I want to teach them is love knows no distance or drama. No matter how far apart we are I will always love them. I will always be their big sister.

Why

2010-05-26T15:58:00.003-04:00

So three years ago shots rang out in my little town that caused the entire US to stop. The Virginia Tech massacre was horrific not only to our town but to our country. I spent that cold day tending to a few wounded and transporting the bodies of those who didn't make it. I remember waking up the next day thinking it was all just a bad dream. This morning I woke to a normal day but knowing that yesterdays events could have created another nightmare. Yesterday a 13 year old boy went to school with 2 loaded hand guns and enough ammunition to destroy those we love. Fortunately the Angels were watching out for that school and the guns were found. While so many are looking for ways to complain and criticize how the school handled things, I am just happy to go about my day not lifting a body bag. The children of our country are begging for help and someone needs to pay attention. Instead of attacking others we should take the time to talk to our children so perhaps we can stop this from happening again. Today our kids are safe but what about tomorrow?

Being a good EMT

2010-05-22T23:25:00.002-04:00

So tonight I am spending quality time at the station. I am tired as crazy. When I agreed to fill in for someone else I didn't realize it was PROM NIGHT. OMG! Please let the little highschoolers behave. The last thing I wanna do is pick up some drunk, crying highschool girl. I get enough of the college kids up chucking the happy juice.

I had such high expectations of how this weekend was gonna go. The garden was finally gonna get done, the deck would get stained, the costume for Taylor's colonial day would get sewn, my bed room would be immaculate along with my bathroom and garage. That was interrupted by kids, rescue, and a thunderstorm. At the end of the day I have the garden 1/3 completed, deck stained, kids warn out from playing, and a 7 year old little boy with a sore arm from my IV but a normal blood sugar. I guess I was able to get some good things accomplished. Perhaps today wasn't a waste after all.

Fun time had by all

2010-05-06T00:40:00.002-04:00

So, my visit to DC was great. The kids were happy to skip 2 days of school. On Tuesday hubby dropped us off on the Mall. We toured the Museum of Natural History. The kids were thrilled to explore the rooms featuring animals that they had never seen before. Jasmine was wondering why the museum killed so many animals just to stuff them and put them on display. Wow! I totally didn't have an answer for that. We headed over to the museum the kids had been waiting all day for, Air and Space. This is such a hands on place. They love touching and watching what happens when they pull, push, and turn things. This is the one place no one will tell them NOT to touch. So, after a very expensive lunch at McDonalds, it was time for a potty break. Jaden decided he didn't need to go. While waiting patiently for the girls, Jaden decided he might try to go after all. Jasmine quickly finished up and stood with me. Minutes tick by and neither Jaden nor Taylor have emerged from their stalls. I peek in on them and they are clearly not wanting to be disturbed. The restroom was empty until 2 high school aged girls come in. Now, those of you who have heard of me speak of Jaden's bathroom issues know that they last place I want that boy going is in a public toilet. He can literally peel the wallpaper off with his smells. The girls go in their stalls and close the door. A short time later a loud explosion echoes across the nearly empty bathroom. There is a pause and you hear a voice ask, "wow, was that you"? "Huh? No!" insert sounds of shock and giggles here. I am stuffing the laugh back in as more unnatural noises are coming from Jaden's stall. A little while later a little voice says, "Okay mommy, a lot of poop came out of my butt". I congratulate him on his bodily functions while we wash up and leave before anyone can pin that smell on us.

Hubby joined us about an hour later and we toured the the National American History Museum. Now this place was cool. All of the First Lady's dresses were on display. I also saw stuff like the first vacuum cleaner and James Brown's cape. My favorite part was explaining all of the Black entertainment history to my children. Pretty soon it was time to head to the book signing.

We were there around 4:45 and it was getting pretty crowded. By 5:50 they were up to group 8 with 50 people in each group. Oh yeah, I was in group one because I went to the store at 10 am. Woo hoo, it paid off. PW showed up on time after removing paper towel from her pits she made her appearance. There was loud cheering and applause. She looked just like in her blog. I'm not sure what I expected her to look like. I don't usually gush over celebrities but I was pretty darn excited to meet her. She doesn't sing on the radio, she isn't on the front of any of my magazines, and she isn't a movie star, she is a regular person just like me who has a real family and enjoys cooking and photography. Ree decided to share her life and cooking with the world and that makes her cool in my book.

Tomorrow/Today

2010-05-03T23:54:00.002-04:00

So today the kids and I spent time hanging out in DC. The hubby has some meeting up here. Like a good mother, they were required to do some school work before venturing out of the hotel. We didn't have a car so we walked around. There are some great shopping places right across the parking lot. After Jeff's meetings were over we headed out to more shopping, dinner, and sightseeing. We have spent quite a bit of time in this area but that doesn't stop the excitement of seeing the White House and all the monuments. Tomorrow we will get dropped off on the Mall and museum hop while Jeff has more meetings. His meetings should be over by noonish. The real fun will begin. I am going to a book signing. Ree Dummond, AKA The Pioneer Woman, will be signing her cookbook. I am pretty excited to get to go. I started following her blog about 6 months ago and I love the photography and the recipes. I haven't found one I don't like yet. I will post pictures tomorrow. Now I am heading to bed because those kids are gonna wear me out in the morning.

I know... I know...

2010-04-29T23:34:00.003-04:00

So it has been quite a while since I have blogged. Life has been a bit crazy in the mad house. Occasionally I answer the phone, "house of chaos, how may I help you?" Since my last post, I have been to Disney World again. I did another photo shoot of an adorable little buddy, Austin. I made it through another anniversary of April 16 Virginia Tech massacre. I am less than a week away from my girls' cruise. I am going to see Pioneer Woman at a book signing on Tuesday. So, let's get started on catch up.

1. Disney- This trip will definitely go down in the history books as a memorable trip. Brandi couldn't go so this meant Jeff and I got to take 3 kids and a toddler to Disney World. My mother went along for the fun. We could not have done this trip without her. The trip started off well. We arrived at our resort on Saturday morning only to find they didn't have a record of us booking even though I confirmed less than a week before. Jeff whipped out the confirmation and we were quickly handed room keys. We checked in extra early so mom, the kids, and I headed out to Walmart while Jeff slept. The vacation was off to a good start until Monday afternoon. While enjoying The Lion King show at Animal Kingdom a smell began to attack us that caused me to go blind for a short period of time. I'm pretty sure I lost nose hairs. It seemed to be coming, not from the baby but, from my 6 year old son. Of course he denied such things. So I did what any good mom would do. I blamed it on the people in front of us and secretly wondered what the heck they had been eating. After a short while I could no longer believe my precious little boy. I told him it smelled strangely as if he had pooped himself. THIS, he owned up to. Yep folks, that's right, my 6 year old son had pooped himself in Animal Kingdom. Perhaps he wanted to smell like the other animals on the safari. After looking for the hole to swallow me, I dragged my foul smelling offspring to the nearest bathroom. Once I calmed myself, I realized just how crowded that bathroom was. I turned to my son and instead of spanking him within an inch of his life (like my head said to do), I asked him if this happened because he was trying to pass gas. He hung his head in shame and admitted he had in deed done this. I accepted a swim diaper from my mom that she happened to have in the baby's diaper bag. (yea for my mother's need to over pack). While standing with my son while he "finished" the deed, I found myself gagging and wondering just what did I feed that boy and making a mental note to NEVER feed him that again. It suddenly occurred to me that the full bathroom was now very empty. My own mother had abandoned me to breathe in the toxic fumes coming from my youngest child. Once all done and cleaned up, he apologized for lying and pooping his pants. I accepted his apology and we finished the day with a smile. The next day, however, my 7 year old decided she didn't need to tell me she needed to potty. Instead she just did it in the back seat of my mini van and hid the evidence under a chair in the hotel room. Yeah, that went over like a ton of bricks when those clothes were found. What is wrong with my children and their bodily functions when they get to Disney World? My mother, meanwhile, was getting eaten alive slowly by something in her room. By the end of the trip we were pretty sure it was bed bugs. Nope, it turned out to be fleas. Someone before us broke the rules and brought in a dog. NOT COOL PEOPLE! There are rules against dogs in hotels for a reason and this is it. On the way home my sweet little nephew was happily eating KFC when he gagged and projectile vomited all over himself, the car seat, the floor, and the door. Yep, time to seriously detail the mini van. We pull over at the next gas station in South Carolina. While my mother and Jeff ran around searching for towels and soap to clean up the mess, I took the gross little toddler out of the car to clean him off. He was soaked all the way to his diaper. I stood him up outside the van to strip him. I immediately got attacked by sand fleas. I am swatting sand fleas and stripping sweet Jamie when he decided this was the perfect time to show me his new trick. He can make himself pee. He gave me the cutest smile and tilted his pelvis forward and began to spray the ground. I am half laughing and half yelling at him to stop it while trying to swat the attack of the killer fleas and clean up vomit and hold on to the wizzing naked 16 month old. My mother and Jeff come around the corner to see me desperately holding on to said naked child when he decided to now splash in the puddle he has created. OMG I would pay money to have a video of that moment. My mother is laughing and Jeff is mortified that Jamie is dancing naked in urine. Yep, down in history...

2.Will have to wait until tomorrow. I'm going to bed.

Second unofficial clients

2010-02-28T14:54:00.006-05:00

So yesterday I spent a little time with some of my neighbor/friends' kids. She was wanting some "school like" shots of her kids. Sorry but I 'm just opposed to that kind of shot. I was only able to convince the 6 year old to stay in front of the camera for a few minutes. The 7 year old, however, it destined to be a model. She loved the camera and was quite patient. I gave her the chance to add in her own poses too.

Can we be done yet?

2010-02-14T00:36:00.004-05:00

The rest of the pictures are on my flickr page.
On Friday Brandi and I set up the basement to do a little photo shoot. I planned all day what the kids would wear. I spent the morning searching for cute props and new shirts. After the well behaved children put on exactly what I laid out, it was time to take pictures. Hahahahaha, yeah right. It took about an hour just to get them dressed. I learned I have a ham in the family. Jaden is so full of himself I thought the boy would explode. He wanted every other turn to be his. For the next shoot I am bringing duck tape or that child. He was EVERYWHERE. Jasmine was cooperative. Taylor just wanted it to be over. RJ (Booga) was so busy running I was just tired looking at him. I was able to get a few shots.

Not Me Monday

2010-02-08T20:28:00.007-05:00

This Not Me Monday is more a YES I DID Weekend. I was completely sick of the yucky white junk that kept falling from the sky. I was also at the end of my rope with 3 kids who were climbing the walls. We all needed a little space from each other and since Mother Nature was not going to cooperate this weekend. I was gonna take care of it myself. There was another snow storm heading our way and I was not shoveling again. Heck, I was still sore from the last storm. Dear sweet husband came home to a tight faced wife who had spent the day separating kids and cleaning up messes. The conversation went a little like this:
Toya: I'm leaving
Jeff: Ummm, where are you going?
Toya: I'm going to Disney
Jeff: What about the kids?
Toya: They are going to Granny's. You are welcome to join me if you want to but I'm leaving.
Jeff: Where are you gonna stay?
Toya: Don't know. I'm sure I can work it out.
Jeff: Ummm, I guess I will ahh, go

I had already called my mother and informed her that I needed a mental health weekend. She agreed to spend quality time with her grand kids. Yep, the woman is a saint. I pretty much had a little over 24 hours to make this happen. Jeff had over 110,000 Hilton's Honor points. Who the heck has that many points saved up? Lucky for me Jeff did. We were able to get 2 FREE nights at the Hilton in Downtown Disney. With in 24 hours we were packed and in the car heading down the road to freedom. We drove all night. I woke up as we were arriving in Disney World. We arrived too early to officially checked in so we spent time hanging out in Downtown Disney. The weather was just beautiful. It was cloudy but near 80 degrees. We walked hand in hand giggling like newlyweds. When the time came to check into the hotel, we were pleasantly surprised to find we had been upgraded to concierge level. When we got to our room we discovered what that meant.
I had an awesome view of Downtown Disney. In the distance I could see Disney Studios, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom. At night I could see the fireworks. Okay, that was pretty cool. We went to to Universal City Walk to have dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp. Yep, that was good. On our way to dinner I got a call from Jerry. He is the uncle of my "adopted" daughters Kellie and Leslie. Jerry was such a great host while we were in town. He allowed us to be his guests in the parks. Yep, free park tickets! He did not have to be so generous and we appreciated him so much. On Saturday Jeff and I met up with Jerry and had a great time in Epcot. We hopped the monorail and headed on over to Magic Kingdom. As night fell I immediately regretted my decision to not take my tripod. Since the park was not a full as when we usually visit, this would have been the perfect time to take some cool slow shutter speed shots. I had to practice being really, really still. This is what I got.

We had a great weekend. It was wonderful not having to dress someone else. I didn't have to beg, plead, or look after anyone other than myself. If we wanted to do something, we just did it. Well the carefree life is over now. I am back to the land of reality. Unfortunately my reality included shovels, snow, and more school closings. My mind is already planning my next great escape.

Birthday

2010-01-25T23:42:00.002-05:00

Today I am 35. I feel great. I could be in so many other places but I am blessed to be here. I am happy and healthy as are my kids and husband. I really can't complain about anything. Unfortunately lots of people can't say the same. Birthdays make me reflect on my life and I have come to the conclusion that I am full. There are so many things I wish I would have done. But, if I could go back and change anything, I might not have this husband or this family. So, the last 35 years have been great because I am here.

Yesterday we celebrated my birthday with family and friends by going out to lunch after church. My wonderful husband surprised me with a cake with my picture on it. I was really surprised. He went to a lot of trouble to make this all happen. When he went to pick up the cake, the picture he gave them to scan wasn't scanned at all. They put the actual picture on the cake. After much debate, the bakery accepted responsibility for the error and worked enough magic to have the cake done right. Jeff was able to get the cake to Ruby Tuesday's without me knowing a thing. He totally rocks as a husband. I love his surprises.

Filming

2010-01-20T16:03:00.007-05:00

So today was fun and different. I got to be an actress. I have been teaching first aid and cpr for almost 9 years. So, when I was asked to participate in a training video, I agreed. Sarah, Peyton, and I went down to the rec center this morning to shoot the video. Now Peyton has a cute crush on Sarah and he doesn't hide it. I would guess he even did a few extra push ups just for the shoot. No the problem with this is Sarah is over 30 and sweet Peyton is barely 19. When asked which of us would be the rescuer, I gladly handed that responsibility over to Sarah. She kicked me. I'm not sure why. LOL Here are a few pictures from that shoot. I like to call this Sarah's first kiss. This is what happened after Sarah's first kiss. hahahahahaha

This is Sarah's revenge.

We had a great time!

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T08:49:00.003-05:00

We are starting a new decade today. So much happened last year that was good and not so good. When I take inventory of everything all I can say is, we are all still here and my kids are healthy and happy. Okay, enough with the emotions. The game plan for this year involves road trip with Sarah, birthday trip to NYC, Disney with family, girls trip with Melissa, trip to TX, vacation at the beach... This year someone will find a cure for cancer and autism. This year will be a great year. I won't tell you what my resolutions will be cause I know I will break them. Lets just say I made some and I will do my best. Now, put on your happy face and step into the New Year right. Smile at strangers more, recognize it was God who did it and not you, recognize it was your poor choices and not God punishing you, hug more, fuss less, remember tomorrow might not come for you or them so be slower to anger, and don't forget to treat yourself right because you matter too. Have a Happy New Year!

Photography

2009-12-28T19:42:00.003-05:00

Since I was a young girl I have had an interest in photography. Knowing that my family just didn't have the money for such an interest I didn't even bother to tell anyone. After adopting Jasmine into our family, I gained an extended family I never dreamed would be so wonderful. They introduced me to the world of scrapbooks, which led to taking more pictures, which led to my pursuit of my interest from years ago. I have been blessed with a wonderful husband who has supported my many interests over the years. He is coming along for this ride too. He bought me my first (and only) digital slr camera. I love my Canon. After taking a class recently to get to know my camera more it left me hungry for more. I still have so many questions and I am slowly finding the answers to some of them thanks to the world wide web. I have met (in my head they are all totally my friends cause they let me into their family by way of a blog) Mckmama . She is awesome. She is a well known and loved blogger. She happens to have a section on her blog about photography. Woo hoo, I was on cloud 9. Finally I found someone to explain the cool tricks I see people do online. I was wondering why the eyes in everyone's pictures look so clear and brilliant. She totally let me know that I'm not just a sucky photographer. I too can have clear and brilliant eyes in my pictures if I have photoshop. It just so happens that I do. The next question I had was about how people put pictures together in a layout. Guess what I found out last night? Mckmama knows how and she was willing to teach me how for free. So, I grabbed some shots of my nephew that I posted earlier this month and tried out the instructions. It may seem like a small thing but by golly it was one of those small things that bug me. So I can mark that one off my list of things to figure out. Now I'm gonna hop on over to The Pioneer Woman's blog and read her photography lessons.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T23:02:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas Everyone! We actually went to bed before midnight last night. This is an unusual thing for us. Christmas Eve is usually a very late night for Jeff and I. We always spend that night charging, building, wrapping, and setting up santa's stash. Well this was the first year we didn't have anything to put together. No one needed or received a bike/scooter. The kids all got exactly what they needed/begged for. I spent the day in the kitchen and got rave reviews from my hubby and children on the dinner. Daddy spent the day playing wii with the kids. The kids are all tucked in bed now probably wishing they could do it all over again tomorrow. I am tucked in my recliner under two blankets wishing I could smell. Daddy is still playing wii. Good night. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas.

I'm Santa's Head Elf

2009-12-17T00:07:00.008-05:00

For the last 8 years I have put together the children's party for our rescue squad. I look forward to it all year. Swalker, Catie, and I head up to Roanoke for a day of shopping. My favorite thing is the look on the cashier's face when we walk up to her register with buggy full of toys and gift cards. It has become a tradition to guess the amount. A huge brunch is prepared the morning of the party by Ricky.

The kids show up giddy with the excitement of seeing Santa. They get started on crafts and activities.

Mrs. Claus always makes an appearance first to read a story. Twas the Night Before Christmas, of course...

While she is reading, the kids hear the sounds of hoofs on the roof. As she gets to the end of the story a loud "Ho, Ho, Ho" comes from the hallway. The squeals of happiness are deafening. Santa walks in the room and some children run to him while others run away. The kids quickly get silent so they can hear from the big man. There is the occasional child who just can't help but ask Santa to be the first to get his gift. Santa is only too happy to grant the wish. Each child goes home with a special gift that was hand picked with their name on it. How does Santa know what they wanted? He really IS magic!

It is a great time for family. My camera can't catch all of the smiles and happiness. It really is the best time of the year. I look forward to this day all year. The fact that I am dead tired at the end of the day doesn't matter at all when I have mental pictures of these faces.

Thanks to Sarah for letting me steal 3 pictures from her smugmug account. She is my co-unofficial photographer.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Christmas pictures

2009-12-08T21:22:00.007-05:00

I love everything about Christmas. From the mess of pulling out the decorations to the busy shopping centers. I love figuring out what will be the best presents for the kids. This year it has been fun watching Booga examine the ornaments on the Christmas tree. He has been pretty good about not pulling every ornament off. He isn't like his cousins who thought all ornaments within reach should be promptly removed. I've even seen him trying to put back the ones he'd removed. I was able to catch a few shots of him near the tree.

Yesterday I was able to convince the hardest child to take pictures of to actually sit still under the tree. The other two were only too happy to pose for the camera. I was able to get one shot where Taylor wasn't holding Booga in a choke hold. He wasn't interested in posing for the camera. He wanted to play with the camera.

A friend allowed me to take some family pictures of them. It was quite the experience.

I had tons of fun with this great family. This photography thing is kinda fun.
Merry Christmas

The day Jesus went to fourth grade

2009-12-03T22:08:00.005-05:00

This is baby Jesus. He belongs in my nativity above the fireplace. So imagine my surprise Tuesday morning when I noticed he was missing. All of the kids were on their way to school and I had just finished a quiet breakfast. As I was taking inventory of the many tasks around the house that needed to be completed by 3:40 when the big yellow bus dropped off my precious angels, my eyes rested on an empty spot on the mantel. Hmmmm, where oh where has my Jesus gone? Well it didn't take long to figure out who the culprit was. For those of you who know my oldest child you know of her love for babies (real or ceramic). I did a quick survey of the room knowing I wouldn't find my Jesus. I decided Sarah would be the perfect person to share this little ditty with. She was quick to remind me that Taylor shouldn't have taken Jesus to public school because He wasn't allowed there. After having a chuckle with Sarah, I called the school. I informed Kelly, the secretary, that I needed her help because my Jesus was missing and I believed he was in fourth grade. This was immediately followed by gasping for air while stifling a laugh. I let her know I was aware he wasn't allowed in public school and I needed him found asap. She said she would go search for my Jesus and would send him home with a note. I told her this would not be necessary because I was coming for my Jesus. I got dressed and headed to the school. On the way I wondered if any miracles had happened at school since 9 am because Jesus was in the house. Once arriving at the school Kelly let me know she searched high and low but was unable to locate my Jesus in the culprits backpack. Unfortunately the culprit was in the middle of a class presentation and could not be questioned about it. Due to the fragility, I wanted Him found before something awful happened. School nurse Janet wonders if Taylor was just trying to start her discipleship early. I left the school with reassurance He would be searched for as soon as possible. When 3:40 arrived, my little culprit got off the big yellow bus only to be met by serious mommy. "Taylor, where is baby Jesus?" A smirk comes across her face. She quickly disappears and reappears with Him safely in her tiny little hand. While she never told me where He was for 7 hours, I knew I had to explain something very important. She needed to know that Jesus needs to live in her heart not her pocket.

Faces I Love

2009-11-05T09:33:00.001-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Halloween and Happy November

2009-11-04T22:37:00.004-05:00

Is this not the cutest bear you've ever seen? My kids wouldn't hold still long enough to take pictures. Taylor was Supergirl. Jasmine was a cat. Jaden was a ninja. We started off the day getting ready for the Maple Ridge annual Halloween Parade and party. I got the ambulance and met the neighborhood kids at my house. They all paraded up the street behind the ambulance while I flashed the lights and fired up the sirens. A party followed the parade. After the kids were all fed they went home to prepare for the major attack on the neighborhood for candy. I rushed off to church to help set up for "trunk or treat". Oh my goodness there were a lot of kids there. The town of Blacksburg is serious about their candy hunting rituals. We ran out of candy 3 times. When the clock struck 6 I was due back at home to help my own goblins rush out of the door for tricks and treats. It was daddy's turn to supervise our gremlins. He even got into the act and dressed up.
Yep, my husband can still wear his Marine uniform. Oh how I love a man in uniform. The kids finished their candy seeking and literally passed out after consuming as many pieces as they could stuff in their little mouths. It has only been a few days but they have managed to officially break every rule about the candy and daddy has stripped their little butts of all of it. I am now going through the bag picking out my favorites before I give it away. This halloween thing is paying off.

You gotta love these eyes

2009-10-27T21:09:00.003-04:00

This is my nephew Richard. This poor child has so many names he will be very confused when he is old enough to talk. He was born Richard James. His mother calls him RJ. He also answers by the names Jamie and Booga. To be honest, he prefers Booga. Next month he will be one. It is so hard to believe a year has gone by. He is the most loving baby you will ever find. He loves to give me kisses. Today he called me Tee Tee. It was awesome. It is an aunt's version of "mama". I love my role as Tee Tee. I look into those big eyes and I can't help loving him.

The problem with lying

2009-10-16T23:45:00.003-04:00

So I'm thinking this parenting thing is kind of messed up. They should have come with an instruction manual. Our current challenge is lying. Jasmine isn't very good at it. Oh don't get me wrong, she tries really hard. Today I walked in on her with a big glob of lotion in her hair. After several ridiculous excuses she decided to convince me that that same glob had been there since 7:30 this morning. I had two problems with this: 1. It was 4:30 pm and 2. I had combed her hair and found no lotion at 8:15 am. When I pointed out the holes in her story she decided the lotion just jumped in her hair and she has no idea how. Why don't they just tell the truth and get it over with? I remember encouraging her to talk only 5 short years ago. I need a time machine to go back and slap myself.

Today's adventures with Sarah included searching for the perfect picture for photography class. We grabbed our favorite responder and found an excluded spot to get motion shots. After 30 cold minutes outside, we were able to obtain some fun shots.
I then moved on to find a cute kid to take pictures of. My neighbor's little girl was only too happy to volunteer for the job. She is soooo darn cute. As soon as I got started I realized I was creating a monster. She loves the camera. It was so fun watching her play in the leaves. When we were done with the leaves I had to see just how fast she could go on her scooter. As you can see she moves pretty fast.

I am so suppose to be in bed right now. Jeff and I are going to my Rescue Chief's wedding tomorrow and I can't wait to try out some of the knowledge from class. I will post pictures tomorrow night.

So far in October...

2009-10-13T22:04:00.011-04:00

We are only a couple of weeks into October and I'm still trying to figure out where summer went. Blacksburg weather is behaving its usual ADD way. It can't figure out if it should be hot or cold. We have been able to have some great mommy/daddy time. We went to the football game this past Saturday. Yep, VA Tech beat the pants off Boston College.

I started taking a photography class last week with Sarah It has been an eye opener. We had homework so Sarah and I went out to find things to take pictures of. Here are some of the things I found:
Yep, this kind of homework will be more fun than the homework I had 12 years ago.

I've only done a "Not Me Monday" once. I wish I would have done one yesterday. If I had, I wouldn't have written about my 9 year old who bites her nails. While showing my 9 year old how to open a clementine orange, I explained that nails come in handy and maybe she shouldn't bite hers. I did NOT find her later using her sharp toe nails to open another orange. I did not then hurt myself laughing at her and find it quite impressive that she came up with that option.

Jasmine started cheerleading. My biggest regret is that I didn't take video of her first practice. OMG that child has NO coordination. Her little legs look like a new colt with big tennis shoes on. Now picture those same legs trying to jump and kick. Yep, I'm a horrible mom because I almost wet my pants watching my child and encouraging her to keep going while holding in my laughter until I almost cried. She will never know my smiles were hiding amusement. Oh who am I kidding, I will so tell her when she is old enough to handle my humor.

I must go now and dash the hopes and dreams of the other two.

20090903_9999_118

2009-09-06T15:05:00.001-04:00

20090903_9999_118
Originally uploaded by toyjsu

The girls and I spent some time at the horticulture garden on campus. We had a great time playing in the flowers and watching the fish. I kept holding my breath everytime Taylor leaned close to the pond to see the koi. I fully expected us to drive home with one of them soaked. But, everyone stayed dry.

Stay at home mom, yeah right!

2009-08-31T23:14:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure who decided to coin the phrase Stay at home mom. They clearly didn't know what they were talking about. I'm rarely at home. After getting them off to school I rushed out to get some grocery shopping done, order Jasmine's birthday cake, drop off groceries at home, teach a cpr class, grab lunch, pick up written prescription from the doctor's office, pick up Pampered Chef order, drop Sarah's order off at her house, and rush home to put away some laundry, get kids off the bus, help with homework, make dinner, and go to rescue related meeting. I started my morning at 6:45a and I finally stopped moving at 11p. I honestly believe my husband thinks I do nothing all day long. He has no idea! Being a mommy is hard work. I don't get a vacation or a decent break. Even on my business trips I'm still being a mommy but from a distance. Tomorrow will be here only too soon. I will get up and run around some more because I love my family and they would have a hard time surviving if I didn't do all I do. So, moms you are doing a great job no matter how unappreciated you may feel.

What really happened

2009-08-26T22:47:00.004-04:00

I started out the morning as usual, hoping the children would wake up wanting to do everything to please me. Well that didn't happen. lol After suppressing my desire to scream so much that I'm sure my head did pop off a little, they all got on the school bus with butts still attached. I got the pleasure of hanging out with little Patrick today. Patrick is 15 months old and full of curiosity. We explored ALL of my cabinets, Jaden's room, and the new play set. He made sure every one of my doors worked appropriately. He was just as excited about eating grapes for the first time as I was that he didn't have an allergic reaction to them. While heading out to the swings we listened to the rescue radio as Miss Sarah suddenly called for a policeman to respond to Main and Ellett for a pedestrian on bike vs. vehicle. Since her voice was 5 octives higher than normal I figured she must have either seen it or been involved in it. Not to mention she was sooo excited she couldn't even remember who she was on the radio. Patrick found enjoyment as I paced back in forth in front of the swing waiting for more voices on the radio to tell me everyone was ok. I finally got enough info to make me feel better. It turns out Sarah is a magnet for special people on bikes who don't have brakes. Love ya Sarah but you can't take out members of our community with the responder. It just doesn't look good.

Not Me Monday

2009-08-24T23:49:00.003-04:00

So my friend Sarah fell in love with a blog where people talked about what they "did not" do. She loved it so much that she has started a similar blog and convinced me that I need to join in the craze. So here I go.

I started out last week with great anticipation of the kids starting school and getting my house back. I did not dance in my front yard when the bus drove away while my mother took pictures of me. I did not have to convince my Polish neighbor that it was too early to start drinking alcohol to celebrate the kids going to school. I had such great hope and long list of things I was going to accomplish that first day. Well, I did not completely lose that list and spend the morning comforting my friend who just sent her first child off to school for the first time while realizing I too was a little sad about my last child starting school too. I did not squeeze in a quick birthday lunch with the hubby and rush off to do grocery shopping including finding him a present. So the college students are back and the parking lot of Walmart was deceiving. The aisles were packed full of rude parents and their clueless freshmen. I did not dream of running over them with my buggy full of after school snacks. I did not giggle while listening to parents explain to these same clueless freshmen how to do things my 5 year old already knows how to do like shake the orange juice container before they pour it. I did not whisper morons under my breath while walking by more clueless students who's mommy was explaining that buying the extra large box of goldfish was not a good idea just because that what mom buys for home. I mean really, are they that stupid but they made it into Tech. I did not then tell everyone I know about how pampered and clueless the new freshmen I ran into appear to be. After fighting the crowds in Walmart and reminding myself to have the doctor prescribe me xanax before I ever go back in that store again, I rushed home to put away the groceries and sit in silence for 10 minutes before the bus arrived home. I did not welcome them with open arms and admit openly that I really did miss them.

CKC Charlotte

2009-08-13T20:50:00.002-04:00

So it has been 3 years since my last CKC. I'M BACK!!! I have escaped the nut house and am on the loose with Sarah. We arrived this evening and having been enjoying the freedom of no rescue pager, children, or dishes. I will go to bed tonight without telling someone 100 times to get back in bed. I will sleep tonight without the soft roar of snoring beside me. The best part is I don't have to change any diapers. We have a class bright and early so it isn't a sleep in vacation. I'm ok with that cause I get to use paper and scissors and I don't have to share.

Where did the summer go

2009-07-23T23:34:00.003-04:00

So I realized today how quickly the summer has gone. In only a few short weeks I will be packing lunches and shooing kids out the door. I remember my summers being much longer. We got out before June and went back after Labor Day. There were so many activities I wanted to do this summer and now I have less time to do them. Oh, well there is always next summer. lol

Today one of the restaurants in our area honored first responders. We were given free meals. I took the kids and met up with my partner in crime, Swalker Paramedic, and a few police officers. My kids aren't ever gonna be able to do anything wrong in this town when every police officer knows their mommy. They will immediately be hauled home. lol I almost feel sorry for them. It is nice to live in a small town where everyone feels like family. The kids had a great time surrounded by cool people in uniforms. There was even a clown there who painted faces.
They were willing to let me wash their face after I took these pictures. So, thank you Texas Roadhouse for the honor and the free steak. It was very yummy.

What now?

2009-07-01T23:26:00.002-04:00

So a few months ago I decided the store was more than I could deal with right now in this economy. My focus was so scattered any way. So the question comes, what now? I am finding myself scrapping more and stressing less about advertising, shipping, researching... Having a store was awesome while it lasted. It allowed me to do fun things and buy awesome stuff. I can happily say I was able to go to CHA. It was a blast. I have a nice amount of scrapbook paper left over to use and share with my friends. It was an experience I'm glad to have had. Now I turn my focus to the husband, kids, and rescue work.

The play set
After many years of begging, pleading and whining, the husband finally bought the kids a play set. We spent the entire weekend putting it together. Every ache and pain later was worth the squeals of laughter that float through the air. I have gotten more "thank you mommy" and "I love you mommy", than I ever have before. The neighbor kids are peeking out and waiting for my kids to emerge so they can come over for a little outdoor fun. Jasmine decided it should be titled, The Earley Monkey Gym. I think I like that. It fits!

Playing Catch Up

2009-02-26T20:50:00.004-05:00

Ok so it has been a while. I have had some time to scrap but not as much as I want. So much has happened in the last few months. On Christmas Eve I got a new niece. Her name is Chloe Lynn. She is just beautiful. I can't wait to meet her next week.

My adorable nephew is still living here. As much as I love him he has helped me get over wanting another baby. I didn't realize how much I'm over the middle of the night feedings, diaper changes, and projectile vomiting. This cute little bundle looks like he needs an exocist after a feeding. I didn't realize such a small baby could spew vomit so far across the room. The diapers clear half the house. But his smile will melt you into a big puddle of goo. Jamie is 3 months old now. He is at that age when he thinks the ceiling fan is the funniest thing in the world. You can't find a more proud aunt than me. I even have his laugh as my ringer. He gave me one of the first chuckles. I found the tickle spots. He has become my favorite photography subject. My kids are still cute but they move to fast. Jamie isn't mobile yet so he has to suffer through my snaps.

We have had so many days out of school but no real snow. How am I suppose to get these snow layouts out of my head I we don't get snow? We keep getting the dusting/sleet/single digit temp without the real stuff. My feeling is give me snow or give me heat.

They held still

2008-12-03T14:30:00.002-05:00

We haven't done a kid photo for a long time. The last one was like pulling teeth. While I enjoy my snap shots of my kids, I have wanted a professional photo done. With the new nephew in tow we headed to the mall photo studio. It was painless. Ok, almost painless. We had to convince Jasmine that the 5 missing teeth could not be in the photo. If it were not for molars that child would live off of soup and mashed potatoes. She agreed to a closed smile. I think we have finally reached a point of paying someone else to take their pictures.

Thanks to Lee Ellen

2008-11-03T21:47:00.003-05:00

The featured layouts on the site are compliments of Lee Ellen. Lee Ellen is a very talented artist. I will be adding more layouts over the next few weeks. If you would like to have your layouts posted on the site let me know.

Mommy broke tradition and it wasn't good

2008-10-27T19:47:00.003-04:00

I broke the family tradition and I made a little girl very unhappy. Every year we go to the pumpkin patch, do the hay ride, and buy a pumpkin. It makes for great scrapbook shots. Yep, I think about the layouts with each shot I take. Well this year the school sent home flyers about a new pumpkin patch not far from our home. It was a great flyer enticing me with petting area, snack counter, hay rides, and pumpkins. I am all about buying from the small business. I just didn't know how small. We drove out looking for this place only to find a folding table set up with syran wrapped goodies for the snack counter. The petting area had a goat, a sheep, 3 chickens, and a rabbit. I did get good shots of the kids feeding the animals. We got on the wagon and went out to the patch. Once the wagon stopped we looked around to find a large field with about 5 pumpkins. Now I know we waited until the last weekend to get a pumpkin but this was nuts. The pumpkins were either blue in color or rottening. It was pitiful. We settled on a tiny pumpkin that was actually orange and not soft to the touch. My oldest looked like someone ripped her off and I agree with her. We got back in our car and rushed out to the other patch only to find it closing. That is when the tears started. Taylor was crushed. She had been looking forward to this trip for an entire year and the disappointment was more than she could take. We ended up at Walmart and let them pick the two biggest pumpkins Wally World had. By the end of the night we had smiling children but it was touch and go there for a bit.

The Beach

2008-10-01T23:46:00.004-04:00

We are off to a busy start to the school. This is the first year we are getting homework. I now remember why I'm glad I'm not in school. I am doing the typical mommy run everywhere. While balancing my position as training officer on our Volunteer Rescue Squad, running the online scrapbook store, and teaching cpr; I am running kids to piano practice, art club, doctor appointment, and school functions. When is winter break???

As always the end of September is convention time. The Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads hold the annual convention in Virginia Beach. It's great because I can take the entire family along while I take classes. This time around proved frustrating from the beginning. We arrived late at the hotel, pulled sleeping children out of the car, and tucked them into the bed. I pulled the covers back on our bed only to find stray hair all over the sheets. EEWWWWWWW!!!! I quickly pulled my clothes back on because this required a face to face with the front desk. The next day did not get any better when I discovered the poor cleaning in the bathroom. I had a long chat with the lady who is in charge. Now usually my husband does school work and beach time with the kids while I'm in rescue classes. Mother Nature did not like the idea of beach time. A Nor'easter came through for the first 2 days with extremely high winds, horizontal rain, and cold temperatures. Did I mention everyone in the family had a cold? My youngest, nicknamed Ebola, shared germs with us. For an extra special touch, he got pink eye the second day in. He was fine all day long but hacked up a lung all night long. Between his hacking and husband's snoring I almost chose to sleep on the balcony with the Nor'easter. The weekend did get better. We got to spend time with the wonderful family who took care of my daughter before we were chosen to be her forever family. That visit is always the highlight of our trip. We didn't just gain a daughter, we gained an entire extended family. The kids were able to check out the aquarium with daddy. We all were able to spend time chasing the waves. As usual, daddy had more fun than the kids. Next year we will need to be in another hotel even if I have to pay the difference. No more yuck place.

Wow where did the time go

2008-09-02T22:59:00.005-04:00

Where did the time go? The summer seemed to rush by. The kids are all in school. Yes, I did do a small happy dance today. The funny thing is I look around and I wasn't the only parent smiling as the bus drove away. I actually saw a mother skip to her car. As much as we love our children, a little separation is good for everybody.

A few new products arrived today. I fell in love with the 12" flourish by Glitz Designs.

I can't wait to try it out. I was also curious about Tim Holtz retractable craft knife. I was drawn to the convenience of it being retractable.

Coming Soon

2008-07-30T15:09:00.002-04:00

After waiting for several months Clip it up is finally able to ship the ribbon organizer. If you have been waiting for this organizer as long as I have shoot me an email. I expect to have this organizer in stock next week.

This is what summer is all about

2008-07-22T17:44:00.003-04:00

Fill the pool and layout the slip 'n slide. Let the fun begin! Here are my three angels having a ball in the backyard. I'm sure my water bill went up like crazy but who cares! Did you see those faces?

My Favorite new things

2008-07-06T15:48:00.006-04:00

My friend in the big brown truck stopped by this week and dropped off new products. I have to say I absolutely love the page kits by Autumn Leaves. Cuteworld boy and Cuteworld girl are adorable.

The Amy Butler creativity bag, Dancing Mums, is my favorite tote. Apparently it is your favorite too because I had to add more to my inventory. The selection of masculine products has increased in the scrapbook world and I am adding more to inventory too. Gas Hogs is such a cute stamp set. Who doesn't want to use these on their next project?

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July holiday.

Coming Soon

2008-06-30T23:33:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite parts about owning a scrapbook store is being able to buy new things. I look forward to the UPS truck coming up the street. I know I look like a kid on Christmas when my best friend in the brown suit comes with presents. Well, my buddy should be visiting later this week. Here are some of the things he will be bringing.

The Blue Ridge Crafter's Retreat

2008-06-22T09:34:00.003-04:00

I had the opportunity to go visit a great retreat. The owner, Julie Wheaton, invited me and a friend to come up for the day to relax and enjoy some time scrappin' and chat'n. This is a great place to go when you are looking for a chance to get away from life and dive into your craft. You can do an all day retreat or entire weekend. She is currently running a 2 for 1 special on all retreats during 2008. We drove up on yesterday afternoon. There was already a wonderful group of ladies who were celebrating a birthday there. This was a fun group. My friend Sarah and I were given a tour of the retreat. She has three bedrooms that sleep 10. The bedrooms looked comfortable and inviting. There was plenty of space for you to stretch out throughout the house and read, nap, or watch a little tv if you wish. Down in the craft room each person has their own table to spread out on. There are a couple of stations set up for you to use with die cutting machines and more stamps than you can dream about. The best part of the experience was the great homemade meal Julie provided. If you are looking for a nice place to get away from it all, I recommend The Blue Ridge Crafter's Retreat. She books up fast and I can see why. I can't wait to go back for an all day trip.

Hey, get back there

2008-06-19T00:16:00.003-04:00

I don't have a picture to go with this experience but I wish I did. Today after my husband left for a business trip my 5 year old wanted me to teach her to ride her bike without training wheels. No, this story doesn't end up with a trip to the ER. Yep, I'm surprised it doesn't either! Jasmine is more outgoing than Taylor. She is more willing to try this whole no training wheels thing. The handle is attached to the back to help me hold her up. We got started. Taylor and Jaden are watching us run up and down the empty street. Pretty soon I could tell we both needed a break from this. Taylor stood up and announced she wanted to try. Now you have to know Taylor to know this is a rare thing. She came over and got on Jasmine's bike. I went up and down the street a couple of times to build her confidence. One the third try I let go of the handle. She was going great. I decided to jog next to her and let her know how great she was doing all by her self. She looked over at me, slammed on her brakes and yelled, "Hey mommy get back there". I nearly hurt myself laughing. She didn't care that she was doing well by herself she just needed me to be behind her where I belong. By the end of the experience Taylor is riding 80% by herself and Jasmine is pouting. Tomorrow I will take pictures.

Happy Friday the 13th

2008-06-13T07:38:00.000-04:00

So this is suppose to be an unlucky number. Let's change that. For the next 48 hours (until 6/15/08) you will receive 13% off your order. So now is the time to get those orders in for your summer vacation layouts.

New Arrivals

2008-04-30T20:46:00.000-04:00

We have some new arrivals in the store. I was really excited when I saw the new Amy Butler creativity bag. It is so cute.

The wooden stick was getting really old. I'm glad to see that Basic Grey came out with the rub-on roller stylus tool.
We are taking my scrap space apart to paint and move things around. I am unable to scrap. AHHHHHHHHH! I need my space back soon. This is really driving me nuts.

Finally spring

2008-04-23T19:24:00.000-04:00

I am so happy to finally have consistent warm days. Today I started on my garden. This year the goal is to have a small raised garden. So, Jaden and I went out to Lowes to buy some wood, L brackets nails, and dirt to put the frame together. Ok, this project is costing more than I anticipated. Wood is REALLY EXPENSIVE. I was shocked when my bill came to over $50. If you add how much it cost me in gas to go to Lowes... Jaden is only too happy to help me with the dirt. He is going to have to wait to get dirty. I still have to put this contraption together. This is a chick thing. I don't want daddy's help. If I waited for him the garden wouldn't happen until next summer. Jeff's schedule doesn't allow for much free time. I hope to have this thing put together by the weekend.

Right now I am sitting at a neighbors house watching her kids for her. Two of my kids decided to join me. It is amazing the damage two 4 year boys and two 5 year old girls can do in such a short period of time. Fortunately I had the good sense to grab Disney's Enchanted on the way out of the door. Oh the power of Disney. They are silent or I just can't hear them over this ipod. I finally have a few minutes to blog and flip through my CK mag.

Happy Spring everyone. Go outside and enjoy the flowers!

Scrap Time

2008-02-29T13:26:00.000-05:00

If you live in the New River Valley and you want to get together to scrap, come on out on MARCH 8 from 6:30 PM - 9:30. There is no charge. You will have space to spread out. Bring a snack to share. I will have the Cricut Expression, Wishblade, and Sizzix out for you to use. The crop will be held in the club house in Maple Ridge Subdivision. Send me an email to sign up thescrappersescape@yahoo.com. Come on out and get ideas from each other. Feel free to bring a friend.

New Store arrivals

2008-02-26T15:02:00.000-05:00

This week the store will have some new arrivals. Here are a few examples:The Pinch of Paisley was brought to my attention and I love the design.

CROP, CROP, CROP

2008-02-18T22:30:00.000-05:00

I realized something today. I seriously need some time to get out of the house and crop. I have found a great spot where we can stretch out and crop. If you live in Blacksburg, Christiansburg, or anywhere in the New River Valley and you want to get out of your space and stretch out somewhere else, shoot me an email. I am thinking about a Friday night sometime soon. If I get a good response, I will reserve the club house for us. So, come on ladies time for some "me" time.

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T10:46:00.000-05:00

Ok, I am a bad blogger. I know! I am finding that balancing children, housework, husband (4th child), and work is really difficult.

I have to share my valentine treat. My sweet hubby tried to surprise me with a spa treatment. Unfortunately there was a problem with my surprise appointment and the spa called and left a message on our home phone yesterday. I am a stay at home mom so that was a huge mistake. You have to understand that Jeff is big on surprises. He is a serious planner and when something goes wrong he is not happy. The spa felt really bad and will give me a discount on the spa treatment. He still gets lots of credit for the surprise. He is super husband.

I have found some time to work on a few layouts.

Snow Day

2008-01-18T15:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was fun! It has been a while since we've gotten more than 2 inches of snow. We got 6" of snow. The kids were soooooooooooooo excited. I could hardly get the snow suits on fast enough. The new puppy wasn't as excited about this strange white stuff that covered her favorite place to potty. We finally had to put her outside and close the door until she went potty. After a while she began to enjoy the snow with the kids. The funny thing was the snow was almost as tall as Princess.