Take a breath.....

Today will be a reminder to me of how precious life is. I was fortunate enough to be asked to come and take pictures for a woman named Christy. Her story touch me in so many ways. She is a mother of a two year old son named Ryan, and wife to a very nice man, David. I was asked to come for an emergent situation. Christy was pregnant with her second child when they found a tumor in her cervix. They had to terminate her pregnancy due to the hormones causing the tumor to grow at an out of control speed. She was far enough along to know that she lost her little boy. I was called to take photos a couple weeks ago was because Christy was no longer gonna beat the cancer that now ravaged her body. I went to take pics of her and her little boy, her husband and her, as well as the rest of the loving family that was there. I was also asked to take photos to be displayed at her funeral. Talk about a eye opener. This beautiful 32 year old woman, younger than I, was not gonna be with us much longer. She was in good spirits. Her son had no idea that these were his final days with his mommy. I think that got me the most. I have realized in all the frustrating moments, I am blessed with life. I get another day with my husband and kids. I thank God for that. I took a cd of more than 700 photos to heron Tuesday. Karsyn came with me and they were all so welcoming to her. She was having a good day so we went in to say hello. I have prayed for her daily since I met her. Her sweet Mom as well. I say to all of you who read this. Life is short. Love every minute of it. Count your blessings. Be positive.  No that when things seem so bad, at least they can seem bad. Your are here to feel the bad and the good. Make every moment count. Take a breath.

Today we lost Christy.

To Christy and her family, I will never forget you.

R.I.P. Christy

Can I get a woot woot!!!

Oh Yeah!! I am potty trained!!! I have been sporting my big boy underwear for over a week now!! I finally decided diapers are for babies and I should "give them to Carter"! Mommy is so darn proud of me!!! She thinks there is nothing better looking than my tush in some Mickey Mouse whitey tighties!!!

Blueberry poop!!!

Ok, I am once again so far behind on posting! I decided I will do one a day over the next week to catch up!!!
Things have been great! The kids turned 3, they are back in their little school 2 days a week (woo-hoo!), and we have had a lot of fun outings!! Luke is still NOT potty trained, though this next blog has nothing to do with him!!
We have what we call a blueberry poop in the Hamilton household!! Our kids absolutely love dried blueberries!! ( I bet you get where this is going!!) Thanks to Costco, we buy big bags of them. I like it b/c it is a healthy snack that the kids consider it a treat! The only downside is that about 24 hrs after they seem to produce a one-of-a-kind poop! I mean that sucker is greenish-blue! No lie!!! Well, the other day......

KARYSN, yes Karsyn, woke up from her nap and stayed in her room to play. Which is not uncommon for our kids to have some wake up time before they come out of their rooms. We love to listen to all the funny things they say on the monitor during that time. Well, finally this day, Karsyn decided to come get Daddy and bring her to her room to play. Well, to his surprise Karsyn had decided to use her blueberry poop to play art!!! She apparently pooped and decided to clean it up herself/or play in it. Not sure since we were not in the room! All I know is that BLUE poop was everywhere!!  The new carpet was spotted everywhere!! I just new it wasn't coming out!! Lucky for me it all did! As I am cleaning, Karsyn keeps saying, "mommy, it is okay. We will poop in the potty next time. Don't worry." It was cute I must say. And hard not to giggle at this event, in which I would of expected from Luke, came from our little princess wearing her clip on earrings. I guess in all that she also played dress up. Oh wait, She says mommy you forgot some.........

                                        
                                                        Yes, she painted the dresser too!!!!

It's been crazy!!

Ok, so I had a good stretch of not posting, so I am back!! Well, where do I start. I am mostly motivated to post because the kids 3rd Birthday is coming up and I need to get some stuff posted before I post thier Birthday stuff!! Also, I can't sleep and it  is 6am!! Yuk!
I have been Busy!! I went back to Memphis, which was awesome!! I went home to Oklahoma for a little girls get together with some high school friends, which was amazing!! I am STILL trying to potty train Luke!! Ugh! I signed Karsyn up for dance. We took the kids to see their first movie, Toy Story 3, which was great! And if some of you don't know I have been doing a lot of photography and editing lately, which takes up a lot of time! I usually start editing photos when the kids go down and stay up till about 2 am. Oh, and I built a website! All, this while planning the kids fun filled Birthday weekend! Really, Jen even helped me do thi invites while we in Memphis! Thanks Jen!! Shout out!! Haha.
Life is great! Here are a few photos to leave you with!!

Here is a shot of us after the move, still smiling!!!

Luke was quite the popcorn hog!! As Many of you know , Luke doesn't like sweets at all but he loves popcorn!!! Grandpa and Grandma got Luke a Buzz Lightyear outfit which he would not take off!! 

Karsyn getting her purse and her candy arranged.

Getting ready for the movie, Luke was making sure Buzz and Woody (who go everywhere with us, including to bed) where in their seat!!

Ok, SoI have to skip a few posts that I need to do because we had such a fun day outside that I wanted to share. I will get back to fourth soon!!

Today after we had dinner I promised the kids the could go back outside for some good ol white trash fun!! Naked, no diapers, no shoes and our white trash pool! Let me just tell you it reminds you with kids, it is not the money you spend but the time you spend with them. I love these two more than I ever thought possible. They are the sweetest, most funny and entertaining kids I could of asked for!! Thank you God for this blessing! Being a mom is the greatest thing in the world!

I will say we also ended this with an outside scrub down bath! Soap and a hose and we were ready to go!! Sorry no pics of that b/c I was the scrubber!!! Enjoy, and I hope this made you smile!!! Love to all!!!

Potty training Luke!!!

Today starts our official potty training for Luke!! It is time. He is great about telling us when he needs to go when we are out but not so much at home. So here we go.... "come on Luke, time to go potty!" So I round him up, take him to the bathroom where he prefers the big toilet with the elmo seat attached, sit him on, mostly against his will, and he says "pee pee, where are you?" Going well until.......I turn around to hear Karsyn, who by the way has been fully potty trained for months now, say "I can go pee pee too." Problem is she has her pants down standing over the little potty, facing it, while peeing!! Well this would be fine..... IF SHE WAS A BOY!!!!!! Pee is going everywhere, Luke is screaming to get down, and I failed at this attempt with Luke.  To be continued!

Ok, so much to catch up on!!! Well, we had a trip to the beach, fourth of July, and many other things that I need to blog about!! I will start with our trip to the beach. Steve's lille sister graduated from H.S. in San Antonio so we decided to leave from there and go down to South Padre Island for a few days!! We had a great time. Luke, of course, loved the beach! Why would the kid who loves to eat dirt not enjoy the sand just as much? LOL! Karsyn on the other hand wanted nothing to do with the sand! She spent most of her time under the tent where the ground was covered in towels. She was also very happy to leave and go back to the pool. The weather was great, not to hot, not to cool. I will say the water was still a bit chilly, but I am not one for spending lots of time in the ocean anyhow!!


Another first on this trip was trying to get the twins to sleep together on an air bed. Well, once they quit giggling and messing with each other we would finally get them to sleep. I will say, it took many times of us saying "no more talking you two!! "Then I would wake in the night to some thumping under the bed and low and behold I look down to find Karsyn with half her body on the bed and the other half under the bed!! Later in the night she was reversed. Legs and most of her body under the bed and head left on the air bed! Same with Luke, he would roll off the side through out the night!! Need less to say, it was not the best sleep I have ever had!!! But we made it, everyone is alive. (which tends to be my goal. Lol)


Here are a few pics from the trip. I will say one of my complaints with blogspot is not being able to post a slide show. So sorry I won't be able to show many!! Note: the ones where you see Karsyn standing in the sand, she had on shoes and I was bribing her with a sucker!! Not 2 min after we finally got her to stand the water brushed over her feet and sucker or no sucker she was done with that!!!! Enjoy!!!

            I just Love this!! Should edit to lighten up some but oh well!!!

       Steady..steady... Karsyn's feet must never touch the ground!!!

            Anyone who knows Luke , knows he loves music! So this made his day!!!                       

                                            

                                                      Sweet boy!!!!!!

               The beach divas!!!! Both these two prefer the pool!!!      

                                                CHEESE!!!!!!!!!

       He found a dinosaur and is taking a closer look!!!

 

One shot one the ground!!!!! Torture!!!!!

Oh, so here I am back to write about my trip to Memphis!! (a long time later...sorry!) Well, the trip was great!! Seeing my buddy Tyler is such reminder of all that we are all blessed with in life! This little guy had so much energy!! I remember thinking, he has more energy then I do and he is hooked up to chemo. Unbelievable! I landed on a Tuesday and we were able to catch a quick lunch before being admitted to the hospital for the next four nights. St Judes is somewhere everyone Should visit. The hospital is like no other. Set up to make it the best experience any child or parent should have when going through such a tough time. There is always something scheduled for the kids to do. One day we went down to see the therapy dogs which is neat considering these kids spend so much time in a closed up room. The are play areas, libraries, and so many other thing incorporated into the hospital. I truly feel, that if you are ever asked to make a donation to this organization, your dollar is spent in the most incredible place. There are a lot of kids that are not taking it as well as Tyler is. Just walking down to get Jen and I our morning coffee, I would see so many sick kids in wheel chairs holding the barf bins. It brings tears to your eyes just seeing anyone having to go through that. I was so thankful that Tyler has been doing so well. I don't think I could take seeing our little man that way. I much prefer the "spiderman Tyler" that we got to see everyday! He is a fighter. And he is proof that prayer is such a strong thing. I miss him everyday. Karsyn and Luke still talk about Tyler everyday. Tyler will grow up and probably never remember my trip out to see him in Memphis, but it is one I will cherish and never forget for the rest of my life. Tyler is 3 and has taught me so much. Life is great, no matter what you are going through or what you have been through. True friends are a blessing. Jennifer is one of the strongest people I know. I don't think she even knows how strong she is. She is a wonderful mom who Tyler adores. Who else can make the most perfect hot chocolate milk!? I look forward to my next trip out, and I look forward to the day Tyler comes back home to play with us again!!!

Here some of the pictures!!

coming up.....

Just wanted to also say that I had a wonderful trip out to St Jude's in Memphis to visit Tyler and Jennifer. A trip so great I want to take a liitle time while the kids are down to write about it!! So stay tuned.....

(I will try to get it up by tomorrow!!!)

Let the fun begin!!!!

So summer for us has officially begun!! I always think it should be marked by ones first trip to the pool!! So Memorial Day it was for us! I flew back in town on Saturday, spent Sunday with Oma and the kids, and then Monday Steve and I headed to the pool with the kids!! We had a great time though I think my pasty skin could have used a little more sun before we went! The kids did great! Karsyn was not at all afraid of the water whereas our little daredevil Luke was a little clingy in the deep end! I like it that way because usually he is the one with NO inhibitions. We had only planned to stay for about an hour so we could get back home for naps, but they were having so much fun we stay for a few!! Thanks Jen Jen for having us over!!!






and here is a pic of Jen, Nonna, and the triplets!!!

Ok, so bigger post tonight. We also took a trip down to San Antonio with he kids and met up with some of our friends and their kids. We had such a good time hanging out on the riverwalk (which Luke calls the beach) and going to the zoo!!


This Is Karsyn and Sophia feeding the ducks in the river. I think we put more cheetos in those ducks than my kids have eaten in their life! Who knew when I bought the bag that it was gonna be a form of entertainment!! We did this over an hour while the dads pulled up to the local resteraunt for some beverages!!!



This is our attempt at the end of the day to get a group photo. What was I thinking because getting down with a 33 pounder in my hands was no easy task for this spry chicken! What you don't see in this picture is that we had to climb to get up to these lions!!


Luke, of course, was on a mission to climb every wall he could find!! If you would let him he would swim with the crocs!!


This was Karsyn's first experience with Dippin Dots! How could Dad say No?!! Of course she loved them!! I think eating this was the highlight of her day!! I must say, I love to see her so happy!!!


And what would a trip be with out bubbles!! Great idea Aimee!!! We had so much fun!! I admit, I thought this was not gonna be the best experience going to the riverwalk with two toddlers but we had a blast!!! With time, things only get better!!!

Ok, I am back!! I know, it has been a little while as some of you have scolded me about!!! SORRY!
Things are great. We have been keeping busy with just life! We have been doing some work on the house, attending graduations, working, playing (hard), and enjoying our life! The kids are so fun right now. Karsyn is a ball of personality and Luke is our little computer/ ipod fanatic! yes, at a little over 2 1/2, he in in love with the computer! You would not believe how he can navigate and double click!! I will try to get a video of it and post soon!!! Karsyn has discovered what princesses and purses are!!! She is soooo girly! IT is fun to see a little girl dress up and make pretend phone calls to Cinderella. Here are a few pics from the last couple of weeks!!!
Karsyn and her many Jewels!!

Breakfast at Grammy's house with cousin Kennedy and Caleb!!



My Sweet Luke!!

My sister Graduated!!! Yeah!!!!

Boogers, boogers, and more boogers!!

We have had a rather rough last week or so. The Hamilton house hold has been a little under the weather. I don''t remember the last time we we ALL sick. We are over the hump though and on our way to feeling better! I am so sick of snot! Everytime I turn around There is snot somewhere. On a face, on the laundry I just folded, on the arms and face of my children, the list goes on and on!! Boogers... please be gone!!!!

We have a trip to San Antonio this week so I will get some trip pictures posted soon. Also, I hope to get a video posted of Luke that is rather cute if I do say so myself!!!

Just thought I would post a few new pics. Karsyn and Luke love to play outside. This is an afternoon after we got home from school. Karsyn will pose somewhat and Luke, you just have to get the lucky shot! (If there is such a thing!)

Easter Fun!!!

Karsyn in the petting zoo with the bunny!!


Luke was very concerned about the chics in the cage and kept asking them if they were okay. Very cute!!


Auntr Trisha and the gang with the Easter Bunny!!



Luke at the DJ table because there were computers! His favorite!!!


Karsyn had a great time putting sprinkles in the tea and then licking the tea off the spoon!

We had a great Easter weekend!! We were very blessed to have had Oma and Aunt Trisha come up to keep me and the kids occupied while Steve was out of town. Lucky for us he retuned in time to enjoy Easter brunch with all of us. Here are some pics from the weekend!

The kids had so much fun looking for Easter eggs, well, mostly Karsyn!!

A trip to Chuck E Cheese!!

This was the first time they made it up in the big kid Jungle gym and down the slide!!!


This is what Luke does( a BOY!!) when you tell him he has to eat before he goes and plays. He sticks as many pieces in his mouth and says "all done"!



Ok, horrible mom!! Luke when running up to a table and wanted a drink so I said "no Luke, this is our table and gave him his drink. Only to take a picture of him drinking from the wrong table and someone else's drink!! Ugg!!! So gross!!!

So Cute!!!! I love my daddy!!!

Tomorrow is a new day....

I would bet not many people played Connect Four on the bathroom floor around 7am! Well, Luke man and I sure did!!! It is amazing all the things that can go on before you scurry out the door around 9am for school. Connect Four, 4 diaper changes, Breakfast, Mickey Mouse, chasing kids to change their clothes, making lunches, packing diaper bag, brushing teeth, ohh... and you better get ready yourself!! Believe me when I tell you that list is even longer! Things are always lively!!

Ok, so here it goes----AGAIN. I am trying to get in to this whole blogging thing. I think I am coming to a time in the kids life that maybe I can take the time to do it. That is if I can fight off Luke for MY computer. The kids are 2 1/2 now. I know, crazy !!! That being said I think my blog will not just be about the kids, but about the up and down moments in our life as well. I feel maybe I will come to let it all out, I hope, and that might bring me to blog more. (good or bad!!) So that being said, I hope whatever is written in here I won't offend anyone.

As noted earlier, Luke is my gadget man. He is has been caught many times digging in purses or swiping phones off of tables as we walk by. I must say, he is very good at working them. We no longer let Luke play with the Ipod and cell phones at home. It became an obsession!!! He does watch Youtube for a treat. Steve introduced him to the Chips theme song and he LOVES it. ( yes the old police on motorcyles movie!! ugg.)

Karsyn, my funniest child, well, she is just dang funny!! She has a million facial expressions that she can throw out at any given moment. She is a social butterfly. I think she gets that from her daddy! She has become helpful around the house most of the time. Running to get me some wipes while I fend off the wild legs of Luke as the poop gets dangerously close the my hand!