2009 Photo Book

I've given up on the dream of scrapbooking. I have all of the supplies, and plenty of pictures but run short on time! Also I tend to be indecisive and change things 100 time and STILL not like the finished product.

I also tend to leave pictures hanging out in my computer. Not like the commercials, they do make it to the computer (you have to free up memory on the memory card for more pictures!) but they never make it to print. Let's not even start with picking out and buying photo albums that have slots the right way and match!

So here's what I've decided to do. One photo book per year from Shutterfly. I got my first one in the mail yesterday and I LOVE it! (Only one tiny mistake to drive me crazy for the rest of my life. I can live with that.) So here's 2009.. just 6 more years to catch up!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Angry Ear

Mallori and I were up all night Monday night because her ear was hurting. Nothing goes wrong during the day! If you have kids you know what I’m talking about. Their fever spikes at midnight. They start coughing like crazy at 5pm on a Friday. Their ears start hurting right at bed time… you get the picture.

So Tuesday, I go ahead and take her to the doctor. I know, I know. We are a little skittish now about anything to do with ears around our family! But in my defense, every time Mallori has gotten an ear infection it’s been like this. A small cough, few sneezes, no fever, then up ALL NIGHT long and no additional symptoms.

She was playing Bubblegum Bubblegum until her doctor came in. She heard him at the door and jumped in my lap and acted like she couldn’t hold her head up and started moaning. He even said “Not short on the dramatics are we?” Every knows Mallori! He told her that sure enough “This ear is angry. Let’s check the other one. Nope, it’s happy!”

She’s got an antibiotic and ear drops and is fine all day yesterday and all night last night. Fast forward to this morning. She’s mad at me for making her go to school, screams while I brush her hair, and tells her daddy that I refuse to give her medicine to her! At my mom’s she tries to get Nana to let her stay home from school too. Not happening, Sweetie!

I get a text around 10:30 from Holly that Mallori is in the nurses office because her ear hurts. The little sneak! She always tells the nurse whose house she is at and who to call. Holly lets me know that she’s going to get Mallori. Sure enough, about an hour later, she texts back to say that Mallori is fine. She’s wanting to get up and play.

She’d just found a one-way ticket out of school for the day. Guess what though Miss Mallori? It only works once and tomorrow is a brand new day!

What are we going to do when she’s 13!?!?!

I ♥ Faces - We Are Family

So I couldn't help myself this week! It's family week at Iheartfaces.blogspot.com and I had to enter one of our family pictures!! This is my favorite because it shows all of our personalities.

You can tell that I've ran from setting the camera timer and perched myself on the pole to look relaxed when really I was out of breath and my shoes were killing me.

Mallori is definitely showing her attitude! But with a smile on her face for once. She knows the rules.. if you don't take a good picture, we do this all day!

Jace is just relaxed, hanging out and working his new found model pose with his hands in his pockets. He was very excited that Tyler chose to dress like him with the cowboy boots and cowboy hat!!

Tyler is just wondering when it's all going to be over with and probably wondering why he ever bought me the camera in the first place!!

I think my favorite thing about the whole shoot was that everyone cooperated! I think it had to do with my relaxed take on what the kids could wear/have on them. I just picked out the shirts (and Tyler's tie). I have several pictures where Jace has his gun and Mallori has her sunglasses perched on her head.

Remember to go check out the other entries! They are always great!

Our Weekend in Bullets

• Friday
• Fried chicken at Nana's... YUMMY!
• Tyler's first night to work nights. Kids sleep in our room.

• Saturday
• Install free new (to us) dryer!! Thanks Gramma!
• Take kids grocery shopping at Wal-Mart
• Eat lunch at Casa Ole. Waitress says "Your kids are very outspoken!" Wonder if she really means loud and obnoxious...
• Tell Mallori "Quit chewing on your tooth! Take it out of your mouth!"
• Leave Jace with Pawpaw and go to baby shower
• Pick up a filthy Jace from Pawpaw's and watch the kids throw Styrofoam into the wood burning heater
• Watch Super Mario Brothers the TV show
• Get beat at Mario Brothers Uno by Jace (twice!)
• Make kids eat hamburger helper for supper even though they "don't like it"
• Again, two kids sleeping on the floor in my room and a bed all to myself!

• Sunday
• Almost late to Sunday School
• See that water sprinklers have created old faithful in the front yard
• Kids are good during church. Jace earns video game privileges back
• Lunch at Tuffys!
• Sunday afternoon nap
• Jace 5 year old portrait session
• Run gas can to Tyler at the end of our road
• Take Tyler (and gas can) to the gas station
• Back home to get ready for Mission Friends
• Jace starts feeling bad at Mission Friends
• Kids beg to spend night at Nana's
• Have supper at Nana's again (brisket, green beans, and broccoli)
• Home all alone

And here's Monday! It seems like the weekends go by faster and faster. Add to that list laundry at any time I could fit it in!

Not for long...

Don't worry, Jace. It won't be long until you can hold your thumb up... not long at all.

2009 Year End Review

January

• Jace turned 4
• We took a day trip to the lake
• The kids learned the art of a "camp-in"
  

February

• The great flu epidemic: we pass the flu around for 2 whole weeks.
• Amy turned 25.

March

• Tyler leaves for Wyoming.
• The kids rediscovered bubbles and baseball and Uno.
  
• Jace and I made cookies for Tyler that we never sent.
• I finally take Jace's picture to complete our Christmas 2008 portraits.
  

April

• I learn how to amuse a little boy without his daddy.
• The kids fly kites and jump in mud puddles.
• Mallori looses her first tooth at our house and then looses the tooth before she can put it under her pillow!
  
• Easter comes with church, egg dying, and hunting them.
  
• The cops stop me while I'm taking Easter portraits of the kids downtown.

May

• One of my best friends from high school, Hillary gets married.
• Jace demonstrates that he is ready for Tyler to come home by painting his fingernails with a pink marker and skipping around the house singing "I'm a pretty lady."
  
• I go to Wyoming.
• Tyler comes home!!!
• I start my Project 365 blog.
• Mallori finishes kindergarten.
  
• Nana gets her swimming pool.
• The kids turn into fish!
• Jace gets stung by a scorpion at our house.
  

June

• Tyler and I forget about and then celebrate our 6 year anniversary at the farm.
• We get Jenkies, our new puppy.
• We get Zonks, our new kitty.
• Jace finally saves up enough money to get his $120 dollar dinosaur.
• We put our house up for sale.
• We celebrate Father's Day.
• We go on our first "camping" trip as a family and Tyler wimps out and retreats to the air conditioning!
  
• The kids make and paint Jenkies a dog hosue.
• The kids participate in VBS.
  
• We go on vacation to the Aquarium and Children's museum in Houston and then to the beach.
• Tyler's ear problems begin
• We loose our kitty.
  

July

• We celebrate the 4th of July.
• Mawmaw Joyce has her 80th birthday.
• The Old's family has a reunion.
  
• I fall in love with Tomato Basil Wheat Thins.

August

• Mallori and Jace start karate.
• Jace starts pre-school.
• Mallori starts 1st grade.
• Tyler starts a new job with Aflac.

September

• Mallori and Tyler start soccer.
  
• I get Jace's costume for Halloween.
• We make 2 trips to the farm for fishing (for fish and shoes), branding and herding cows and fun!
  
• Mallori participates in the paw pack at football games.
• We go to the park.
  
• Flat Stanley is sent to Pawpaw James in California.

October

• Soccer wraps up.
• Mallori turns 7!!
• The Bolenbaucher's have family renuion.
• Mallori passes her first karate belt test.
• Tyler has his wisdom teeth removed.
• We attend the Evadale homecoming parade.
• We carve and decorate pumpkins.
• Jace goes to dinosaur day at the Energy Museum and trick or treating all in one day.

November

• Pawpaw James comes down for a week.
• Hunting season is in full swing and many deer are spotted from the back door and one one deer killed at the farm.
• Tyler turns 27.
• Mallori dresses as Junie B Jones for book character day at school.
• Jace has a Thanksgiving feast at his school.
• Mallori and Jace help Tyler get ready to fry turkeys.
• Thanksgiving is celebrated at Gramma's and Nana's.
  
• We take family pictures for our Christmas cards.

December

• Christmas decorations are up.
• Jace and I have our candle lit dinner of macaroni and cheese.
• Mallori and Jace make snowball soap for Gramma.
• Jace sees Santa 4 different times.
• We even get to meet his reindeer once.
• I have my work Christmas party
• We celebrate Christmas 5 different times (and that's just with family!)
• Tyler started a new job!
  

2009 was definitely a year I will remember. While I've tried to list the good that happened, it's all to easy to focus on the bad. I find myself doing that all too often. Hopefully, 2010 will be better than 2009 with just as much good, but not as much stress and bad events. We know there will be some, even know what some of the things we will face will be. However, I want to continue to try and focus on the positive. I think 2009 was a rough year for most of us and if we would be honest, not one we would like to go through again!

Here's to a wonderful 2010 for everyone!!