So I have been thinking...

Thinking of many things and seeking opinion as well. I do enjoy blogging, but call me paranoid if you must, I'm afraid to go public with my kiddies pictures and information online. I think it stems mostly from all the strange people I come in contact with in my profession as well as my easy access phone number, web site, etc. I did have a weirdo crank calling me and texting me in the past. He turned out to be a scrawny little creep I'd worked with on a photo shoot. It thoroughly freaked me out and to this day the thought of him not only makes my skin crawl, but also angers me, because he frightened me. So I was considering starting a separate public blog. But I don't find my life as interesting without my kids. Just a ponder I suppose...

And another thought.. Due to our recent "life up in the air" situation regarding Mike's career, I have been drumming up ideas for additional income I can make from home, just in case I end up a part time single parent. There are two that seem plausible.

Idea #1 Dog Groomer-Okay, despite the so called recession, our greedy nation has not stopped purchasing puppies nor have they stopped getting their dogs groomed. I have this grandiose idea of learning the trade and converting my garage into a puppy parlor... mmm yeah, I know! Then there is the realistic thought of just working at it part-time while the kids are in school. The need for groomers seems to be great, but of course everyone wants experience. Ideally I would be a hairdresser but that takes lotsa money and over a year of school, blech! I have neither the time nor the money, so doggies it is.. But the question here is... how much do I really love doggies.... and their messes???????

Idea #2 Wig Designer- Hey at least they don't complain. I am fully capable but need some minor guidance. I have an industry friend that is a wig master and he came up with the idea of an online wig rental store. It's all very complicated but very doable. I could do hair in my home and ruin a corner of my house with hairspray.

I GOT IT!!! I could be a Dog Wig Designer!!! I dunno... just thinking I guess...

A Child of God

So I'm a bit behind on the blogging. Raegan was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints on May 17th. What a wonderful weekend we had. Mike's family gathered together for Rae's special occasion. It was the first time all nieces/nephews/grandchildren/cousins were all together from the Crabtree side of things. Zach and Rae were the official weekend photographers, so we have numerous cousin pics and I am actually in a few shots for once.Zachary, Tyler, Raegan, Siena, Grandma Suzan, Seth and Joel (and my dirty kitchen)(above) Tyler, Zach and Joel (below) Auntie Mary and SienaIt really was a special weekend. What a wonderful experience is was not only to see the power of the priesthood in our family but to actually have family members there to support Raegan in her decision to be baptized. I truly believe Heavenly Father knows what a wonderful spirit daughter she is.

"13" a lucky number

Yesterday, May 13th was our 13th wedding anniversary. Yup that was two 13s this year. I would have to say that 13 is a lucky number in my book.

The first time I saw Mike was in a video store he was working at. When I saw him, my heart leapt, it had never leapt this way before, and I knew! I just knew! I wasn't sure what I knew, but I knew. I will never forget the next few thoughts going through my head, "Wow he is really cute. But he's not my type!" We exchanged a few words, and had a flirtatious moment and I was ever so briefly floating on air, THEN my big scary, long hair, loser boyfriend walked up, and I tumbled back to reality. As I walked out of the video store with "my type" I had an "AH HA" moment! "My type" was all wrong for me. That cute dude with the smile in the video store... He was "the one", even though I didn't know what "the one" meant, he was it... I immediatly called my best friend Nicole and said "Wow, I just met the most amazing guy!" She was shocked! She said, "I've never heard you talk about a guy like this before!" Yep something was different about this guy.

I would be lying if I told you it has been perfect bliss. But, it has been passionate, it has been heart break, it has been work, it has been heavenly, it has been comfortable, it has been exciting, it has been scary, it has been fun, it has been amazing and it has been worth every moment. I am so grateful to share this life with a man such as my husband. You will never meet a more devoted father. He takes care of me and our children in ways I can never fully understand or thank him enough for. Neither of us are perfect, but we are perfect for each other!

Oh Boy Oh Boy

Raegan had a busy month, so Zach wanted me to post these cool pics of him and his best friends Christian Shamo and Jacson Tenney. They're sporting their favorite football team colors in their hair. Actually Jacson's second favorite, we couldnt get the silver spray to work for Cowboy colors so he went with Colt colors. Of course Zach has Bronco colors, I am to clarify this.

"You Get the Best of Both Worlds"

After considering birthday party ideas, such as Chuck E Cheese, the sprinkler park and even the thought of a bouncy water thing, Raegan discovered Libby Lu! OH NO! Libby Lu is a little girls make over store in the mall, where one can go in as a regular girl and come out a rock star. Just like Hannah Montana! Well of course it is pricey and out of the question for a birthday party. So we agreed on a Rock Star make-over party at home. I mean come on, mom's got the goods here, right? You would think I was chopped liver, my kids are so un-impressed with my resume. My bid for this birthday party was harder to sell than a national commercial. So finally, out came the colored hair spray, makeup, blow up guitars, microphones, a large mirror, some sparkle and tons of glitter (thanks to my most excellent girl-friend and makeup sister Phyllis). 16 little girls got their makeup and hair done, did a freeze dance game, taught me some cool dances and had some cake and ice cream.Forget the presence of those so called famous makeup artists. I think the big mirror we had out was the biggest hit. It brought back memories of the hours my sisters and I spent in front of the mirror practicing our lip sync routines.

"Eight is Great!"

So Raegan had her 8th birthday. One of the priveliges of turning eight we granted was piercing her ears. She was counting the days, and when she realized her birthday was on Sunday this year, waiting until Monday after school was probably the longest day of her young life.

Happy to be here!

Gettin Nervous.

Ouch! That didnt feel so good!

But it was totally worth it!

Beautiful Asian Flower Ballerina

For months Raegan attends dance class once a week. This year it was ballet, as I mentioned before. The recital this year was Alice in Wonderland. Rae was in the garden scene as an asian flower. She missed the first two shows due to a stomach virus bout... eew. But was feeling fine enough to perform in two shows on Saturday, luckily we had tickets to one of those "sold out" shows. Dance Etc. is where she dances. It is a little pink studio founded by Amy Arnaz, wife of Desi Arnaz Jr. of I Love Lucy Fame. We think they consider themselves local celebrities. One time when Mike and I were having a sandwich at a local deli, Desi was talking SO LOUD about HIMSELF it was giggle-able. Visit my friend Jessica Benson's site (in links column) she has a beautiful shot of Raegan there. Not to mention all of her amazing photography!