This happened...

Oh yes, we did! Old Time Photos in Downtown Hot Springs...Tourists for the day.

We were playing with the VanBebbers yesterday and decided to stop by and get the kids pictures taken. Oh these pictures make me laugh! David Franklin likes dressing up and playing cowboy so much I knew he'd love it and he did! Even when we got home he said "Mom, lets pretend I still have my cowboy clothes on and gun, ok?"

 

Kate and Gabe Vanbebber, ages 4 and 6. David Franklin and Nora Bass ages, 4 and 1.5.

A day in the life

 

This is our life or at least most of our afternoons during the week.   I also got motivated to use my real camera instead of my phone and even attempted to take it off Auto! I am inspired to do it more often because I love the lighting in some of these pictures because of it!  These are my real life photos, these are my children and what they really look like most of the time, barefoot, dirty toes and faces, with a toy in hand and totally immersed in play, often David Franklin has his shirt off and is in half a costume or boots and they are totally happy in their backyard with their dog together.   Pause time PLEASE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another first

Baby pig tails! She was walking around saying "Piggies" and very proud of her new do. There are no rubber bands yet, she still doesn't like those but we are improving!

A milestone in the life of a boy

And a Daddy and a Grandpa.... David Franklin got his first baseball glove, bat and ball.

He starts Tee Ball for the first time this Spring. Little League is somewhat a right of passage for young boys and seems to be a staple of American boyhood. I can't believe he's old enough already. This is going to be fun!

 

Good morning from Nora!

My big, happy girl! She's getting an opinion about her clothes and took her leggings off and found these and said "jeans mama!" It's already starting!

Let's play house!

The kids got a new playhouse for the backyard! It's actually more of a summer cottage in size, and they love it! It has a little kitchen, and a working doorbell.
It's been put together for one day and they've already started locking each other out and staking their claim....true siblings they are indeed! :)

 

Case and point.  Sharing is a bit of a struggle, ha!

My Grands Ellen

My Grands Ellen has gone to be with The Lord on Saturday evening. Although we know she was ready and there was nothing left unsaid, we will miss her a great deal. She and I had a true bond that we both felt and neither of us understood how or why it was so strong. Even recently, she said we've always been so close, how did we get to be so close? I can't explain it either but I know I've always felt a strong attachment to her and almost a magnetic pull to be in her presence. She is someone who I admire and look up to because she was always so happy and positive. Not in a phony way however, and when she was down she would say so and she would get mad at times too but even right after those moments she laughed and it faded away.

She was the most unique, loving, confident, sincere, FUN, tender hearted, loyal and protective, giving, animated, person I've ever known. She said things like Oh la la, and that's the Cat's Meow and had a flair for the glamourous, and the dramatic.  Ours was one of the deepest and most meaningful relationships I've ever had in my lifetime. In most ways we are very different, but I'd love to be just like her one day.

Grands' true loves were:
-Her family and children
-friends
-nic-nacks
-jewelry
-animals she had a pet dove, cats, and volunteered at the animal shelter
-animal print (strangely enough) she loves anything zebra, leopard, etc.
-faux fur
-make- up and big hair
-long, bright manicures
-sunflowers
-accessories and bling or glitz
-derky's
-flirting
-romatic comedies and dramadies on TV.  Loved the Real Housewives and the Bachelor!
-parties and Chardonnay
-suit case surprises
-broccoli salad and toll house cookies
-love and life and adventure
(there are many more but those are what pops into mind)

She asked me if I had any good high heels and I said I had some and told her about a black pair I have. Those didn't make enough of a statement for her apparently, because she told me to go buy the tallest leopard print ones I could find and wear them to her service. I went to the mall the next day and I'm all set! I think she'd approve. Nora has some leopard shoes she will be wearing too, although hers are flats :) We love you Grands!