Special Friends

Guy and Fibi, I want to first say thank you for always being so kind and generous and available! Anytime I have ever needed anything you have always been there, from watching my kids last minute, to wonderful converstaions over dinner, you guys are one of a kind. Never making us feel like we put you out, always opening your doors with a smile and a great heart! Most of all for loving my kids the way you do! Thank you, Thank you! I know you already know how special your family is to us, but I want you to really know we mean it when we say we love you guys!! This shoot was so fun and I think YaYa is so precious! I love all the images, I could not pick my favorite one of the day! Every other expression she make is so cute how could I choose!

I will be praying for you and your family as you travel far and wide! Please know you will be missed. I know how happy your family is to see you guys, enjoy it and we will have a delicious dinner together when you are all 3 home safe!! Love you!!

A little emotional!

I guess with my friends sending their kids off to full time school, I am really seeing how fleeting this time is with my babies. I am finding myself really just sitting and soaking them up, watching them play...really paying attention to how Bowen phrases things so I can hurry and write it in his baby book so I won't for get it! Not to mention I have been reading the book Cold Tangerines that my girlfriend Tandy let me read. I really have been trying to enjoy the present, the gift of today and my kids in this very moment!

I really am always waiting to be somewhere else in life, bigger house, 20lbs lighter. Sometimes I think I will have this big moment where I am an amazing photographer and I get some recognition..there fore my life will be better, different, more exciting! Why... why do I get hung up in the thoughts of events that may never happen? Why don't I look at my little house with toys flowing out of every room and think it is perfect? I am always thinking of the next house and how much room we will need... I am ready for fall....why (besides the relief of the blazing heat) When the fall hits, that means my babies are a year older.

So I am really trying to find the beauty in what I sometimes feel is mundane. I am soaking up my boys, and genuinely loving my husband for the man he is now, not the man he will be in a few years. I am crying over how simple it is to be content and savor this precious time, fill it with love and laughs. I somehow have complicated life waiting on my arrival.... when my arrival is in his crib asleep, and my arrival is in his big boy bed with his big boy undies on cause he does not need a diaper anymore (he thinks), my arrival just walked in the door. I am here...and THIS is my BIG MOMENT!!

Family Fun Day

So, It has been a while since I blogged, but we have been busy, busy busy at the Estes House...doing what...well I am not sure??? But I have felt busy none the less. This past weekend we dedicated it all to our family. Paul turned off his cell phone (an act of GOD) and we enjoyed our kids and each other ALL day!! Our day started out with a big breakfast, everyone at the table and lots of laughs!! After breakfast we watched part of the movie Monsters Inc. one of Bo's favorites. Then we packed up and hit the comet trail.

I got this little radio flyer tricycle just a few days ago, my mother in law has one at her house and Bowen loves it and whizzes around like a pro, so we told him we would go ride his "kykle" as he calls it! Well as soon as we hit the trail he was off!!!!

Judd is not quite ready yet for his own bike, but he enjoyed the ride as well!

I love this one, and I love his little hulk t-shirt too. My sweet angel face!

My Boys...aah, if I could package them and eat them I would, and as one of my girlfriends say sop them up with a biscuit!!

Bowen loved the other bikes on the trail, he would scream, " here come a kykle, move ower" He was in awe, it was cute!!

After our bike ride, we went and had lunch at Subway..it was delicious! Then we headed home and the boys took a nap while Paul and I did some yard work! All in all is was a special day for me, it is not very often that I get to enjoy my entire family together for a whole day! It was a treat!

Fessler Family Friends

Here are my friends the Fesslers! I am so glad I was able to preserve this moment in their lives! I am so thankful for their hearts, just to spend some one on one time with the two (well 3 ) of them was nice!

Michael and Whitney, I am praying for you both and wish you all the sweetest memories and moments any parent could ask for! I cannot wait to take Will on the green......:) Many Blessings!

Here is a sneak peek of our maternity adventures through Dallas!

Community Makeover

So, this weekend at our church was the community makeover! Wow, what an awesome time it has been. It was so amazing to see so many people come out to help the community! Our church decided not to have church at our building, but to BE the church in the community. There were several hundred projects all around the county with thousands of people involved! We re painted, landscaped, picked up trash, fixed roofs...and that is just the beginning! It was all wrapped up with a HUGE worship service in the Sam's parking lot!!! 4,ooo people all singing in one voice lifting up praise to The Most High!!! AMAZING....I am speechless!

How great is our GOD!!

I was asked to document some of the action and here are only a few of them!

Our church partnered with several other churches to make all of this happen and we are so thankful that there were so many others who were willing to get out there and help! These women and men were from Oasis Church, they were so funny and came to serve with such great hearts! I enjoyed getting to talk with them and get to know them a little! Here they are in action helping fix up Hiram High School!!

Here they are getting ready to paint the parking stripes again!



The race was on...and you see who won!! I loved this image, even the children were in on it, watching the "church" at work, there was lots of fun times too!!

I am honored to be part of such a great church, I proudly represent West Ridge, and I am honored to be a part of such a great community! I was blown away at how friendly everyone was, how willing to help and work so hard in excruciating heat, and yet still be smiling and have a great attitude! Most of all I am blessed to be a part of God's family! To work alongside some of these wonderful people, worship the same living God, and break down denominations, and be ONE family! It was a beautiful thing, I hope we continue to do this year after year, day after day, it was truly amazing! I am glad I was able to be a part of the whole thing!

Storytime at the Library!

So the other day my girlfriend Jill asked me if I wanted to take the boys with her and Ella to story time at the library! I was excited. I told Bowen we were going to hang out with Ella, he was so excited and did everything I asked him to do so we could make it there on time...turns out Ella is much more into baby Judd!! I think it is funny, Ella sees Judd and says enthusiastically in a very high voice "Baby DA"( at least that is what it sounds like to me! It is sweet!

To my surprise, Judson was just as entertained during the story telling, it was nice!


Here is Bowen, he told me he wanted to go sit up on the rug like a big boy and listen, so he did! We sang songs, did the hokey poky, it was cute!

Here is sweet Ella, I love this face, she saw my camera and just like a good girl said "cheese", I think she is getting used to having people take her photo.

And here is Ella kissing her man... her and Bowen had a little scuff on the slide, so she needed some lovin!! She took it!!

It was really nice spending some time with Jill, it has been a while, and I always enjoy her company! The kids were worn out and slept the whole way home.

My very own Guitar Hero

So here are my babies, I took them out for their own photo shoot! It was lots of fun and I like what I got!!




Dancing in the streets, he is such a ham!

I had to get one of my Future Rock Star!!!