impromptu party

So on Monday we had a little "impromptu birthday party" for Payton and her friend that was visiting from out of town, and I was pretty proud with what I was able to come up with if I do say so myself! Besides her friends gift, I managed to do everything from the simple decorations to the treat bags with stuff I had around the house. Add some princess dresses, and suddenly it's a princess party and everyone is happy. It was so much fun, and you know what...for how simple and totally "no frills" it was...the girls had so much fun and had no idea that it was whipped together in no time. Oh, I love having little kids. Not only do I love just how easy to please they can be, but I love the parties and all the things like this simple little afternoon that come with being young. Payton and I had talked about having a birthday party for her at the end of this month with friends, but I'm hoping this will be enough...we'll see!



I have had such good intentions of blogging more regularly and surprise, that hasn't been happening has it? I have lots of ideas and things I want to blog about, but my darn clock just ticks too quickly! I swear...if only I could have 4 or 5 more hours in the day. Wouldn't that be the best?



Anyways, if you haven't been checking, I do have a few more photos on my 365 blog. I am loving taking a photo everyday. It's still not a habit, but we'll get there. Be back soon!



T:)

just wanted to share...

...a few shots from my first high school senior session. This girl is such a beauty!



I have been meaning to blog, but we have a sick little baby at home this week. Two infected ears, coughing, runny nose, fever...she has it all. Gotta love this time of year. I'll be back next week!



T:)

project 365

So you may or may not have noticed my little "Project 365" button in my sidebar over there. I have decided to jump on the photo-a-day bandwagon for 2010. This was something that I wanted to do last year but didn't start in time, and me, being as OCD as I am, I didn't want to start part-way through the year. So I waited. And now it is 2010 and I am ready to take pictures.



For those of you who have no idea what "Project 365" is, it is a concept that was created by Becky Higgins to take a photo every day of the year. You can go here to see the kit that she has offered (this year she is calling it "Project Life") and just to learn more about it general. So how am I going to approach my Project 365? I am going to keep it simple. No kit. No scrapbooking the pictures (just yet). I am simply going to do my best at taking a photo every single day, and post it over on my cute little Project 365 blog. I'll wait until closer to the end of the year to decide on just what I want to DO with all of my photos...hmmmm. Maybe a Shutterfly or iPhoto book? Maybe at some point I'll get Becky's kit? Maybe photo collages of each month? Not quite sure yet. But I'm not worried. For me, the main focus will be on capturing all of the moments that are my family. What we do, where we go, our surroundings, what we eat, our home, ourselves...just all the little things that make us US. I am not going be beat myself up if I miss a day here and there. I'll simply just keep taking the pictures that tell our story. That is what it is all about. Our story.



So please take a look at my Project 365 blog. There are 2 whole pictures for your viewing pleasure! Haha! I'm sure I'll have no rhyme nor reason as to how/when I post my photos as well...sometimes I may be posting everyday, and sometimes I'll probably post in batches. Like I said, just keeping it simple and going with the flow.



Can't wait to see what this year holds for us.



Tal:)

(Oh, and I have a new sneak peek up over on my photography blog!)

happy happy new year

First things first. Happy New Year to everyone out there. Can you believe it is 2010? This past decade has flown by. I spent New Year's Eve 2000 on a boat in Tokyo eating sushi and it was awesome. I had no idea that 10 years later I would be married with 3 kids and just enjoying life as a stay-at-home mama. It was what I always wanted, and to see that things all worked out the way I always dreamed is pretty darn cool.



I had a quiet new year's at home at home and it was perfect. After we got the kiddos to bed Graham played his Tony Hawk PS3 game that I got him for Christmas and I just browsed through all of our family photos from 2009 (see collage above). I was totally caught up in the memories and everything that we did, learned and accomplished this past year. I am super sentimental and emotional and I found myself saying the same old things to myself...I want my kids to stop growing! Time is going by too fast! But you know what? It was a good year and I'm excited for a new one. I love new beginnings and a fresh start, so bring it on.



I have some goals in mind for this new year, but nothing set in stone yet. I plan on finding a few quiet moments this weekend to sit down and really think about what changes I need to make, what things I want to accomplish and what I need to improve on. The list is just too long of all the ways I could improve myself, so I'll have to narrow it down to just a few! But I am excited.



I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was so so good. I just love the magic of Christmas with little kids...they definately brought a spirit with them this year that was irreplaceable. I just love my little family.



I'm excited to get back on the blogging bandwagon for 2010...I'll see you soon!



T:)

merry christmas to you!

Wishing you all a Wonderful and Merry Christmas! Hope that it's spent with friends, family and all those you love. I am excited to have some much needed family time and a whole lotta fun.



See you in the new year!



xo Tal

five

She's 5. Five years old.



How did that happen? Where has the time gone? Have I really been a mom for that long? Holy cow.



Yes, Payton officially turned 5 yesterday. We had a busy, busy day. First we went to school. I stayed and helped in her class for the morning and brought cupcakes for my birthday girl. It was so fun to see how excited Payton was to finally be 5, to be the birthday girl in her class and to have her mama there with her. I love these special times with my girls...the one-on-one, no interruptions from other kids times. After school we went home for the afternoon where she got to open a couple presents, then it was out for dinner with the family. The best part for her was standing on her chair while the waiters and waitresses sang to her...she loved it! Then we went to see "The Princess and the Frog" at the movie theatre...it was a jam-packed day and Payton was just in heaven. It was so nice to spoil her for a day and just have everything be about her. (a little hard for Gabby, though...I ended up going downstairs and pulling a little present from her Christmas stash so she could have something to open, too. It's hard to understand what "July" means when you're 3 and just wanting it to be your birthday, too!)



So, Happy Birthday Payton Isabella! We love you so much and just couldn't live without you!!!




Love, Mommy, Daddy, Gabbs & KK
xoxo

i could just eat this face...

...i really could.



Oh, how this little bug just melts our hearts. She is definitely the queen of our house and loved by all.



We all fight for her attention. Even daddy. We do whatever it takes to make her laugh and smile. Although, it doesn't take very much 'cause she's just so darn happy all the time. Honestly. Right before this picture she fell on her head and Payton had her laughing minutes later. She is the best.



Everyone who sees her always mentions how happy she is and that they've never seen her cry. It's true. She only cries when something is wrong or when she's sleepy. She's just our happy happy little girl. If I could guarantee that our next baby would be as good as Kherington, I'd have another one in a second. HA. Daddy thinks differently, though. He seems to think that 3 daughters, a wife and a female dog are enough girls for him to deal with.



I suppose most days that is true. (wink)



T:)

a couple ideas...

Need some simple Christmas ideas? "Simple" is all I seem to be capable of lately, so if you're anything like me then here you go.



First, these little Christmas gift tags. I downloaded this kit from House of 3, printed the tags off, cut them out, inked the edges, then stapled on a little bag topper. (that I created myself using House of 3 brushes.)






And second, these simple Christmas postcards using this kit from House of 3 as well. I love it! So simple and cute, and since the House of 3 graphics are so amazing, it looks alot more impressive than it really was to make. Love that!






I'm just enjoying my Monday afternoon. All 3 girls are playing nicely, the house is (pretty) clean and I'm just getting ready for my week ahead. I wish I could say that I don't have that much going on, but that is not the case! My plan is to just take it one day at a time. I'd loooove to get all my Christmas shopping done this week, but we'll see if that actually happens.



I can't believe that 2009 is coming to an end. I need to go through all of my pictures from this year and reflect on everything that we've done as a little family. It is hard for me to imagine not having Kherington...she just fits in with us so perfectly, I can't believe she's only been with us for a few months. I love checking on her at night and seeing her sleeping with her little bum up in the air. It is just so dang cute. (my mom always told me I used to sleep that way, too.) She is precious.



And Payton has become such a big girl in this past year. She is getting tall and skinny and no longer has that "chubbiness" that little kids have that I just love so much. But she is becoming such a sweet girl and such a wonderful little helper to me. She is very sensitive and kind and has developed a conscience (yay!). She's feels bad if she knows she's done something wrong, or hurt someone's feelings...she always apologizes so sincerely. :)



And Gabby. Oh, what to say about my little Gabby? She is the epitomy of "naughty and nice". One minute she'll be downright nasty and then next minute she'll say, "Thank you, mommy. You're the best mommy in the whole wide world." which makes me completely forget how nasty she was just seconds before. I love bedtime when Gray and I take turns singing and tickling her back...she just loves to be loved. And we love to love her.



Last night I spent who knows how long reading Stephanie's blog, and I am always moved to tears as I read about her life, her struggles, her accident. Seeing what she has overcome just makes me so grateful for all that I have in my life, for the little things that make me who I am. If you've never read her blog, go now. I promise you'll be changed for good.



And now, if my kids will let me, I think it is time for a nap. And tonight, the Christmas baking begins.



Tal xo

a sneak peek...

...of my beautiful sister-in-law! See more images here.



Tal xo

'tis the season

Being that it's now December, I thought I'd do a little Christmas scrapbook share. This layout was actually supposed to be in this months issue of Creating Keepsakes. I did it back in July in the middle of going back and forth between home and Montana...they wanted me to change the font I used for the "tis the season" title and I just wasn't able to re-do the layout and get it back to them in time, so I missed out. But oh, well! I can still share it here! Man, oh man I need to do some scrapbooking. I miss it. But for now I need to focus on all things Christmas...and the first thing on my list is getting my tree up. I usually do it in November so I am feeling behind.



Before I run, just wanted to mention that I went to the SYTYCD Canada Concert last night with Kim and A and it was sooooo much fun! (besides the freezing cold walk from the parking lot...brrr!) We were surrounded by screaming teenagers, it was hilairious, and the dancers were so CUTE in real life. Loved, loved, loved it. Thanks for the fun night girls!



Okay, decorating, here I come!



T:)

little fingers and little toes

Little Miss KK at 8 months old. Love those little fingers and toes. I could just eat 'em. (I know, I know...you've heard me say that before!) Every month I do a little photo shoot of Kherington and it is scaring me how she's now closer to 9 months old! AAaahhh! Last night I put "real" piggy-tails in her hair, she was able to sit up all by herself on the bathroom counter just like her big sisters to get her hair done. Oh, man. Her first little year of life is just going by too quickly!











Okay, I am on the run. Payton and Gabby danced at their Christmas dance show this morning (more on that soon!), I just finished tidying the house and now it's time to set up and decorate for a Christmas dinner and program at the church tonight. AAAaahhh! Cannot wait till this weekend is over.



:)

where has november gone??

Am I the only one who feels like this month is going by at such a super fast speed? It is crazy. Crazy! I can't believe it's almost December. Every year I have good intentions of getting my shopping done early and all that kind of stuff, and then it mostly never happens. Haha! Please tell me I'm not alone here. The fact is, this year, we have just been so busy. I'm really noticing my lack of time just with Payton being in school everyday. It's been a big adjustment. I still haven't fully accepted that I have school-age children and whether I like it or not, they have to get to school! I miss just doing our own things on our own time. Oh, well...life goes on, right?

So anyways, I'm getting really excited for Christmas. Hopefully we'll get our decorations out within the next week...then we'll really be able to get in the mood! For now, I'm just trying to get through this week. With school, dancing, helping my mom sew costumes, meetings, parent/teacher conferences, planning our Relief Society Christmas dinner, playdates, Christmas performances, etc...it's been a busy one! I am anxiously looking forward to Sunday when all that stuff is over...and on Monday my 2 besties and I are going to see the SYTYCD dancers here in Edmonton. Yayyyy!!!

Lots to look forward to over the next few weeks.

Oh, and did I mention that Kherington is crawling, sitting all by herself, eating baby cookies and has 2 baby teeth?? She is getting so old. (sniff)

Tal:)

fall...sort of.

Back in October Gray and I took the kids out one Saturday morning to take some fall pictures...only fall was pretty much over! We had a hard time finding any pretty leaves after the weird, short fall we had. (Remember? The constant rain and then snow and then it was freezing and then warm again? Oh, and I think there was some crazy wind in there, too.) So we made do with the brown background and took some pictures anyways. It was fun...despite the lack of fall colors it was a beautiful day!

















I actually forgot about these pictures until a few days ago when I was playing around on my computer, so it was a fun surprise! I don't think any mom out there can ever have enough pictures of her kids, so these ones have been making me happy.



:)



And, is it just total craziness to anyone else out there that November is half over? What the heck. I am like, TOTALLY not ready for Christmas at all. I've heard people say they're almost done their Christmas shopping...again, what the heck. I've barely even started or even thought about it for that matter! I think I need to make a serious to-do list and start focusing on the upcoming holidays...aaahhh!





Anyways, that's all. My to-do list for this moment is to go upstairs and watch SYTYCD. Yay!!



Tal:)

Giveaway Time!

I'm doing a little giveaway over at my photography blog, so if you're local (or somewhat local!) you might want to check that out!

Thank you so much for all of the positive feedback on my photography stuff. I am excited to get going, and just excited to be doing something new and fun. Life is good!

And on another note, I made some super-cute beaded necklaces for my girls this weekend. I was totally inspired by these necklaces on Becky's blog, and these cute ones on Maggie's blog, that I just HAD to have some for my girls.

I don't know about any of you, the bead section in Michael's is the one aisle that I always look, but never buy. For me, it just comes down to "how many hobbies can 1 person have?" I'm just the kind of person that when I get going on something I become totally obsessed, so it's for this reason that I've always avoided beads. Because I know that they are just too fun and too cute and once I start I won't be able to stop! Haha! So anyways, I bought just enough to make a couple necklaces for my girls and that was it. We had fun making them, and they look so darn cute!!

I actually ended up getting my beads at Claire's...Michael's didn't have what I was looking for, so I bought these cheap, colorful bracelets for only $4 each, took 'em apart, and used the beads for their necklaces. It ended up being cheaper than if I would have bought just the beads on their own.

Okay, so there you go. A giveaway and beaded cuteness. Happy Monday!!

Talia:)

talia audenart photography

This is something that I've been keeping on the "down-low" for quite some time now. And I thought that it was finally time to share.




Introducing Talia Audenart Photography.




I know, I know. Me? A photographer? When did this happen? To be honest, it's been happening for quite awhile. As scrapbookers, I think we all have a natural love and appreciation for photography and for capturing those perfect little moments and perfect little people in our lives. Over the past year, my love and desire to learn more about photography has grown more and more every day. I have been studying. Learning. Practicing. Dreaming. Envisioning. And you know what? I am loving it. Nothing makes me happier than freezing that perfect laugh, or capturing a special moment between loved ones. It's just plain awesome. As I've been challenging myself and experimenting more with my photography skills recently, friends and family have been asking me to take pictures for them, too...so here we are!




I am excited and nervous. I have no idea if anyone out there will want me to take their pictures, but it all comes down to the fact that I am having fun, I am feeling inspired, and I'm excited to be doing something new that allows me to connect and share with others.



So I hope you will take a look around and join me on my new little adventure.



Thank you.

Tal xo