Friday, November 27, 2015

Apples For Teachers ~ Thanksgiving 2015

Oh how we are so grateful, thankful, and blessed to have such amazing teachers this year!
I was so excited about our "thankful" gift finds.
I bought hallow, dark and milk chocolate turkeys from the Fresh Market. 
"Thankful" pumpkins from Kirklands.
"Give Thanks" and forest friends stamps!
Coppola wine!
Beautiful "Thankful" wine goblets from Pier 1.
I love the chalkboard sign on the back of each goblet.  Had I had more time, I would have written "Mrs." on one, and "Thomsen" on the other.  Oh well.
"Gobble Gobble till you wobble cocktail napkins."
"He carved the turkey.  I did everything else!"
I have really enjoy the WHITE BARN that we just got in the Valley View Mall.  I found these turkey candle holders.
AND a "thankful" candle!!!
A solar dancing turkey!
How darling his he? He dancings when placed in the sunlight.
Bath and Body autumn and fall scents.
I'm just especially thankful THIS year for the teachers we have. They have expressed how much these gifts brighten their day and make them feel valued! 

Ty Spoils Cami!

Ty has "loved" Cami since he was four. The crush has not only not stopped, but is has also increased. He remembers her birthdate, her middle name, Valentine's Day, etc. I DO NOT REMIND HIM! Truth be told, I don't remember Cami's special dates or names, etc unless the church bulletin reminds me. Cami, if you are reading, please don't be offended.  I don't own a calendar and sometimes I barely remember my own birthdate. LOL!. On Cami's birthday, Ty had an orthodontist appointment. I was just going to meet Nick and Gretchen, at Sams Club, to give them the gift that Ty picked out for her, but Gretchen decided it would be better if Tyson gave it to her directly.  O-K-A-Y, ok! But the day was hectic and filled with things we don't normally have on our agenda, so I was a lot nervous about how to fit it all in.  

The school bus arrives at 2:40 pm. The kids immediately hopped in the van and we headed to Dr. Wheelock's office for a 3:15 pm appointment. We had just enough time to run in and buy Cami a cupcake from bubble cake, before the Ty's appointment.
During our drive to Dr. Wheelock's office, Ty tells me that Cami wants a Beta fish. A BETA fish? "We've already shopped for Cami". I exclaimed, but Ty didn't care. And trust me...shopping with Ty for Cami was agonizing.  NOTHING was good enough for Cami.  Ty even got angry when shopping and cried because many times I had to say "NO" because of the cost. Even though Ty was paying, for the gift, with his OWN money, I had to put a cap on it. "Okay, okay, after the orthodontist appointment, we will go to PetSmart" (yes, half way across town) and "I will run in and grab a beta fish." We pull up to Petsmart and I said, "Stay in the car with the twins and I'll run in!" He exclaims, "NO! I'm picking it out!!!!" REALLLLLLY?!!?!! Is this necessary?  Haha.  MORE MEN should takes lessons from my 10 year old.  In to Petsmart I go with not one, but three kids at 4:45 pm. We grabbed all of the necessary supplies and a gorgeous blue beta fish AND head to Cami's house.  
We arrive at 5:03 pm.  Lilah has ballet at 6:00 pm.  AAAAHHHHH! Ty rings the doorbell, we shower Cami with love/gifts, and then off we went to get Lilah ready for ballet.  
What else did Ty-ty get Cami?  Like I said above, it was painful to shop for Cami, with Ty.  He first started online and then quickly asked if he could borrow $280.  He had picked out a $580 necklace.  He has $300 cash and was willing to spend it all. I told him NO!  I told him, if he spends that amount now and winds up marrying her then it will be hard to top that for each occasion. LOL!  His first find, online, was a "C" necklace with diamonds. He decided settled upon this...
 
A "C" with "diamonds, a set of large gold diamond earrings, and another set of smaller gold diamond earrings for her second hole.
He also designed his OWN little note for her!!!
Clearly, our family is a FAN of Cami.  So, jumping through hoops for her was worth it.  It was just a very busy day and I was so worried I wasn't going to be able to fit it all in.  God prevailed! Everything got done!

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Cami Turns 13!!!!

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It's hard to believe I met this sweet girl when she was 5 years old and now I am taking photos of her 13th birthday!!!! Cami is my pastor's daughter and Ty's crush (since he was 4). Lilah thinks Cami is both her big sister and her BFF. It's adorable. Cami goes along with it and it's one of the biggest reasons I love her. She's never too good or too cool for the little girls who admire her.  I had the pleasure of taking photos of her and her besties. Gretchen, Cami's mom and my dear friend, and Lilah came along as my helpers. Lilah was the prop girl and Gretchen was amazing at helping me place them in the proper spots. She would fix their hair and be frank about someone not "cooperating".  Hehe. Clearly, they were willing to cooperate, they just couldn't tell they were not in sync with the others. Aaron and Lisa Fernandez gave me permission to use their yard and we also utilized Green Hill Park. The weather was GORGEOUS, but the sun was working against me. I think we managed to capture some special moments. I pray this is a memory that far surpasses any gift I could have given her. We sure do love her and certainly wouldn't mind if, ONE day, she became a part of our family. :) Happy Birthday Cami! You are a sweet, kind, gentle, loving, sincere, classy, fashionable, young woman who has a big heart and serves her King rightly, not to mention an amazing role model for our little princess!!!!! We love you!!!!
So... I am NOT a professional photographer, but I was able capture many photos that are definitely worth putting in a frame! It beats shelling out $450.00 for a photo shoot. LOL! To see everything that I captured today, please double click on the picasa web album below.  YOU MUST be on a landline computer in order to have access to view it.