Monday, October 31, 2011

"Where I Come From" - Great Grandparents



Meet my Great Grandma, Ruby.
 She is 99 years old. Isn't she beautiful? I hope I age this beautifully.  
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Grandma Kelly is the only Great Grandparent I was ever able to get to know.  I remember playing cards and baking cookies with her when she came to Houston to visit her daughter (my grandma), Rosalind.  Best batch of cookies I've ever made, and I make lots of cookies. I seriously remember that, I would keep eating them looking at the recipe thinking, "What did we do differently? How did these turn out so much better than normal?"  
I think I finally figured it out.  Everything Great Grandma touches turns to gold. Even a batch of cookies. It's so hard to explain in words.  It's more than just someone you want to be like.  It's someone you want to be around.  A magnet, that draws you in. It's someone that makes you a better person just by meeting them.  I always felt like she really looked at me when I spoke, and although I hardly ever spent time with her growing up, I know she loves me.  There's no doubting it. She is one of my heroes. If I ever have a July girl, I'd love to name her Ruby.



5 Generation Picture.  Rachel and Maggie are her only two great-great grandchildren! For now that is. 
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Grandma Kelly with my Grandparents, her daughter and son-in-law...
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She even attended my wedding. I can't even tell you how much this meant to me.  It brings tears my eyes even now.  Thank You Grandma, I know it was a long trip. 
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okay, here come some more tears... happy ones... 
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After writing my "Just the Two of Us" post, it hit me.  I decided that every month I will be doing a family history post or as I'll be calling them, "Where I Come From" posts.  I am VERY excited about this.  I want my children to not only see their history, but read and see the history of their parents, grandparents, and great grandparents.  This just makes me GIDDY! Because if there's anything in this world that lifts me up and keeps me fighting, it's my family.  
It's Where I Come From. 


Since unfortunately I don't know much about my Great Grandma other than that she was one heck of a tough Missouri farm-girl, I asked my Grandma to write a little bit about Great Grandma for me... here's what she wrote: 

Ruby Jewell (Cornelison) Kelly was born in Webster County, Missouri, on July 11,1912. She was 1 of 19 children born to Davner Jackson and Florence (Bralley) Cornelison. Ruby married Louis Arthur Kelly in 1934. They had 7 children:Roger, of Key west, Florida;Rosalind Loretta Barrow of Sugar Land,Texas; Linda Metcalf of cedar Fort, Utah; Martin of Wellington,Utah; Ann McAvoy of Lehi, Utah;Stephen of Fillmore, Utah; and Larry Kelly,deceased, who lived in Washington, state, I think.
   After a very busy and varied life of work, adventure, and raising their family, Louis and Ruby served a mission in England in 1978 and 1979. after 58 years of marriage, Louis passed away in Springfield, Missouri on July 22.1992. Ruby is still leading an active life and loves to garden. She is very proud of all her children 6 now, and grandchildren and 74 great grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren. She often receives visits from her children and grandchildren, which brightens her life.

My inspiration for this "Where I Come From" post came from a few recent outings Rachel and Maggie had with their Great Grandparents... 

Grandma and Grandpa Barrow had lunch with us at the park.  Rachel had a chocolate milk meltdown... haha, this picture makes me laugh so hard!  
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Grandma took off Rachel's shirt and handed her a new drink.  All better now. haha.
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Me and my Grandma and Grandpa Barrow. I love you guys so much! Thanks for the outing.  We had a great time!  As always.  And if your wondering where that six pack of IBC root beer from your fridge went... It was TYLER! haha... okay okay, It was me. ;)
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Next outing was with Nana-Nana!  Where did we go?  You guessed it, the park! haha.  Can never go wrong with the park.  Here's our little gold-digger Maggie.  Sheesh, I opened my wallet this morning and I'm missing my debit card.  -true story.   
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And of course Miss Rachel had to test her boundaries and run off the park area and climb to the very top of the waterfall.  Almost gave me a heart-attack
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They had a super cool slide! 
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Mags enjoying the swing! WhEEEEEEE!
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Rachel had a blast playing with her cousins... or second cousins, whatever it is.  
hahahaha.... someone help Rachel! 
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There we go, Nana-Nana to the rescue!
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Can you tell she loves her cousins?  hehe. 
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Thanks for being such amazing Great Grandparents (and Grandparents)! We love you. 
xoxoxo

Footie Pajamas

It's time to pull out the warm jammies again! Switching out to warm clothes is such a pain! I have to pull out every tub of clothes from 12 months to 5T and figure out what the girls can fit into.  Yes, you heard me, 5T! Rachel actually fits into a 5T sweater. Of course it was baggy, but I like baggy especially when it comes to winter sweaters. But despite the hassle of crawling through storage and going through clothes, they sure look cute in their footie pajamas! 

Can't believe how big these girls are getting! They are really starting to play well together.  How fun to have a sister!   
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Thursday, October 27, 2011

P-P-Peppers! and P-P-Peacocks!

Before the weather turned cold, we figured it was high time to pick all the peppers in the garden.  Pretty much the ONLY thing that survived the summer.  Good thing too, because I LOVE peppers. And as it turns out, so do my girlies.  
And, was that P-P-Peacocks you heard?  Yes! The Payne's have peacocks! They are beautiful, and the best pet ever! You don't have to feed them, they don't bite, they keep the snakes away, and I think it's fun that they hang out on the front porch sometimes. Yep it's decided, I will have peacocks one day.   
  


Payne girls feeding the Peacocks, or "Peacops" as Rachel says it.  haha, Maggie is really speaking her mind here...  (and in case you're wondering, Peacocks get their long pretty feathers in the spring! I'm excited to take pictures of them all puffed up.  So gorgeous.)
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"Come here Peacops!"
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Picking P-P-Peppers!
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yummmmm...
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whoah, these peppers are heavy! There were A LOT of them.  And they are now all chopped up and in the freezer.  That thought just gave me warm fuzzies... I told you I love peppers! 
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haha, oh Rachel, I love you. 
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Monday, October 17, 2011

"my photography"

Okay, that just sounds weird... "my photography".  Why does that sound so weird? Well shoot, it is MY photography!   

Anyway, I think I've turned a corner in "my photography"... yes, it has become more than just a hobby, but it's now a lucrative hobby.  I was so nervous about this... seriously, I lost quite a bit of sleep, but I've decided that my pictures are worth something!  And that it is far too much work to do it for free all the time.
Really though, I take so much joy out of photography. It makes me realize all the "little things" in life.  All the simple joys that so often I forget.  I also believe that blogging and photography has helped me be a better mother and wife.  Something about it makes you look back and smile and look forward in excitement. It especially helps me when my husband is away.  

That being said, I am still very hard on myself.  I don't think that you can ever master photography.  There is always something to learn.  Which is what I love about it! However, it's hard to look at my pictures without thinking, "I have a long way to go" or while looking at other peoples pictures thinking, "My pictures are never going to that good". But instead of saying those things, tonight I'm going to look at the progress I've made and share a few recent pictures.

All of these photos are from two baby shoots I've done recently.  Ahhh baby shoots! So much FUN! Looking back I couldn't tell you why I was so darn nervous!  You really can't go wrong when working with a perfect subject.  And that is exactly what these two are... perfect. 


I could stare at these toes forever.  So sweet. I love all the crinkles.
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Little Baylin had to be sucking on something! She always found a way to get that arm in her mouth! Either way, I thought it was pretty cute. 
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okay Jess, don't get baby hungry now... remember you already have two! 
What a little angel, don't you think?
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The colors in this one make me happy.
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I love it when they wrap their tiny hand around your finger...
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And here's little Bruce... what a manly name right?  I love it. 
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I wonder what he's dreamin about... I'd say IBC root beer or Heaven, maybe both! haha.
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I LOVE this one.  I know it's probably not a likely top pick for most people, but I remember just sitting in Rachel's room while I was pregnant with her trying to imagine what it would like to actually see a baby in that crib.  This picture is a dream come true to me.
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The only smile of the shoot... And I caught it! I was so excited.
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The Bingham Family... All three of them!
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So there you have it! What do you think?  I'd love to hear some feedback. Actually that's not true, if you don't like these pictures go ahead and keep it to yourself. haha.

Friday, October 14, 2011

poop

Yeah, you heard me. I said poop.

Tyler called me tonight, like he normally does before he goes to bed.  He asked me what the girls and I did today. So I told him... We went to the grocery store, did some garage saling, took naps, went to the park after nap-time and on the way home I got some McDonald's for the girls.  {don't judge! You know I'm going to be keeping it real here on this blog... I don't care who you are, those chicken nuggets are good. We even ate outside to avoid the clean-up. haha} Anyway, then he asked, "What are you doing now? What's that noise?"  
Well, I'll tell you honey- I'm scrubbing poop out of the tub.
(He laughed through this entire conversation and told me I had to write it down.  Here's hoping it's that hilarious in print.)

I took Miss Maggie out of the tub first.  As I set her down to go get a diaper I hear a disgusting swishy sounding splat on the floor.  Without hesitation, I push Maggie out of the way and wipe up the poop before she has a chance to play in it.  {If you can't already tell, I've dealt with this before} Maggie is highly offended that I won't let her play in her poop and starts wailing on the floor.
     
Then I hear a shreek from the bathroom.  And the shreek kept saying, "Ewwww Mommy, I pooped! Get it off me!" 

Oh dear, seriously?  Did you girls plan this?

I walk in.  Sure enough there's Rachel with poop all down her legs and a giant terd on the bathtub floor.

*I am frustrated at this point. The Mommy frustrated voice begins.*

  "Rachel, the potty is right there! What were you thinking? You never poop in the bathtub! That is a big NO-NO! Repeat after me, I will never poop in the bathtub! (she repeats after me)"


Then I grab her and lay her on the floor, getting poop all over the bathroom rug on the way down. {jeez, you'd think I've dealt with this before} 

As I'm getting Rachel cleaned up, Maggie tottles in, sees the poop and immediately makes a v-line for the poop. What is it with this girl and poop? She certainly doesn't get this excited about mud.  I knock her down. Again.  She gets offended and cries. Again.  I finally get a diaper on Rachel and kick both of them out the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. 

As I'm tending to the giant terd in the bathtub, Rachel comes in the other door through my bedroom with little offended Maggie tailing her. Rachel exclaims, "Mommy I need a hug!" I shout back, "NO, you NEED to poop in the potty!" {yes, my 2 year old isn't potty trained yet.  Once again, don't judge}
Ah, I finally flush the giant terd down the toilet and wipe up the remains with little Maggie clinging to my leg.

Breathe. Don't forget to breathe.This is one of those moments where I'm thinking... "Where's my dang husband when I need him?" haha. Oh well, the tub needed a good scrubbing anyway. 

Funny part is- This sort of thing really isn't all that uncommon.  It's life. 
I said I went to the grocery store today- if only I could explain all the things that happened in-between. Sometimes people will ask me, "So what have you been up these days?"  I reply, "Oh you know taking care of these girls." Whether they say it or not a "that's all?" look follows.  

If only they knew what happened in-between.


(aren't you glad that I didn't include pictures in this one? hehe)    

Monday, October 10, 2011

Caramel and Fallen State

Hmmm... what have we here? oooo, is this what I think it is? yes, I think it is. 
okay, okay, keep scrolling...
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These

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Plus These...
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Equal THIS-  
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Thank you Eve for partaking, it is truly a beautiful thing...
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Rachel the caramel apple perfectionist... must add a few more sprinkles...
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ahhh, there! Perfect. A little bottom heavy, but hey- beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  And Rachel couldn't have been more proud. 
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Maggie's hunter eyes- love those hunter eyes... 
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Family Home Evening is great! 
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Maggie finally going in for the kill... and savoring every sticky, gooey, gummy bite!
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These FHE themes are getting a bit ridiculous. I don't know, what do you think? Do you think the forbidden fruit was a caramel apple? hehe. 

"Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."
2 Nephi 2:25



Friday, October 7, 2011

the bathroom stool

I caught Maggie up on the bathroom stool the other day.  I didn't know she could get up there, but she can now! And it's her new favorite spot.     

"Hello little girl, what are you doing?"
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"Oh, I see.  You're up on the stool. My goodness, look how tall you are! But, little girl, do you know how to get down?"
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"hmmm... I didn't think so."(insert poor crying Maggie on the floor picture here... {really you're disappointed that I didn't include that picture?  What kind of Mother do you think I am? haha.}
"It's alright little girl, we'll just have to work on that one together."

Thursday, October 6, 2011

I'm Glad that I Live in this Beautiful World...

Heavenly Father created for me. 

What a lovely conference weekend we had!  I love getting a break from church and just staying home in my basketball shorts and large t-shirt to watch Conference.  It was a much needed break.  And some excellent talks! {as always} I thought I'd share three of my favorite quotes from the weekend... 

A WOWza moment- you know the high five, do a cartwheel kind of a moment-
"So how do you raise a girl? Love her mother."
~Elaine S. Dalton

Something I've been needing for months, I loved every word of this talk... 
In my life I have learned that sometimes I do not receive an answer to a prayer because the Lord knows I am not ready. When He does answer, it is often “here a little and there a little” because that is all that I can bear or all I am willing to do.Too often we pray to have patience, but we want it right now! As a young man, President David O. McKay prayed for a witness of the truthfulness of the gospel. Many years later, while he was serving his mission in Scotland, that witness finally came. Later he wrote, “It was an assurance to me that sincere prayer is answered ‘sometime, somewhere.’”
~Elder Robert D. Hales

Oh my, a tear-jerker.  I can't tell you how many times I've looked up at the stars and tried to comprehend my worth.  So many times I feel invisible or insignificant.... but that is just "old scratch" in my ear.  This talk was incredible.  It took everything in me not to copy/paste the entire thing... I have a feeling I'll be reading it many more times... Uchtdorf has always been my favorite- such a rockstar! 
And while we may look at the vast expanse of the universe and say, “What is man in comparison to the glory of creation?” God Himself said we are the reason He created the universe! His work and glory—the purpose for this magnificent universe—is to save and exalt mankind. In other words, the vast expanse of eternity, the glories and mysteries of infinite space and time are all built for the benefit of ordinary mortals like you and me. Our Heavenly Father created the universe that we might reach our potential as His sons and daughters.
~President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

For FHE we went on a walk and found beautiful things that Heavenly Father made for us.  This is what we came up with...(these pictures keep bugging me- I think I forgot to check my ISO setting, they just seem grainy... oh well!)


   A feather!
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Outside is our favorite place to be!
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just a field... I liked it...
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Maggie found a rock... Good job Maggie!!!
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This is a good one.  I love how Maggie's onesie isn't buttoned up.  She always gets away so fast, so sometimes I don't even bother...
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our accumulation of things... {a pine cone, a rock, a feather, a sticker (that one was stretching it a bit too far for me!), an acorn, and a flower} 
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I just can't help it! One more, one more!
Having young children is not easy. Many days are just difficult. A young mother got on a bus with seven children. The bus driver asked, “Are these all yours, lady? Or is it a picnic?” “They’re all mine,” she replied. “And it’s no picnic!” ~Elder Neil L. Andersen
Okay Okay! I'm done. sheesh!