Progress...

I felt lately the blog was a little "Z" heavy so I added a couple cute pics of his sweet big brothers. I just love those little faces.

I would love to say that Z is walking all over the place and that it is finally his preferred method of transportation, but I can't say that because he still only walks when he wants to. He's my latest walker by far, and I was a little worried that he might not be able to walk for some strange reason other than sheer stubborness. Apparently he is fine and yes, he is very stubborn and opinionated. C'est la vie I guess!

My Sister the Overachiever

My sister works full-time, mothers two beautiful and very active little girls, is a new mommy to a super cute puppy, is a fantastic photographer, and blogs like a champion. Recently, she asked me to design a logo for her new site.

So here's the logo and I have to say it's one of my favorite projects lately. Feel free to pop over to her site and check it out.

St. Patrick's Day

Meant to post this a couple weeks ago...We made rainbow cupcakes for St. Patrick's Day. Didn't find any gold, but the kids set traps for leprechauns all day and one sneaky little green man visited our house while we weren't home and used our bathrooms. He didn't even flush - green food coloring never seemed so exciting....but then again, I do have boys and I need not say more.

Happy Easter

Spring....Please Come Soon!

Walking...update

Zach has taken exactly zero steps since the video last Friday. I had hoped to have a little walker for Easter egg hunts this weekend.

Easter Lesson Handout

WALKING!

Zach waited until Luke and I were at a movie for mommy/son date night to really start walking. I am SO glad Jon captured it on his phone...excuse the quality. Go baby Z!

Men and their Remotes

I don't know how it is at your house, but with all the testosterone in our house, battles sometimes ensue regarding the remotes and ultimate control of the man toys (stereo, tv, dvd, dvr, etc...) Zach has now officially joined the war.

15 Months

Can't believe it's been 15 months. Love this little cutie pie. His smile brightens our whole house, and his velocoraptor sound better go away soon! Love you Baby Z!

My Little Artist

Isn't my little artist a cutie patootie? Harry always has a notebook and marker in hand and is especially happy if I let him use a sharpie. (SOO scary, I know. And he is only allowed to use it at the table.) He certainly knows his pens and is starting to get a little particular with his notebooks. Thank goodness Grandmas and Grandpas on both sides are willing to share with him. I think he has drained G'ma Kathy of her yellow notebooks lately!

I'll have to take some pictures of his artwork and share them. Stay tuned.

Standing...Almost 15 Months

Z is getting so close to walking, but he just doesn't seem to care. He likes to stand, especially if someone is paying attention. Today my dad came over and as he was leaving, he was trying to get Z to walk to him. He took three steps so my dad called me in to the living room to watch. Z wouldn't perform for me, but as Grandpa started to leave and we were all saying our goodbyes, Z stood up and took three more steps toward Grandpa and the front door. Grandpa then walked back over to Z and tried to encourage more walking. He wouldn't have anything to do with it, until I threatened again that Grandpa needed to go "bye bye." He stood up again and took a couple steps, then dropped to a crawl and hustled over to try to sneak out the door with Grandpa!

We are all having so much fun watching this sweet little man's personality explode, and he is full of himself. He reminds me of a little monkey with his goofy sounds and his crazy climbing skills. He is up on the bar or the kitchen table before I know it and can get on all the couches and chairs in the house. One of his favorite places is Grandma's wooden coffee table - he'll watch a little tv up there and climb down to play with toys or his big brothers. We just can't get enough of Baby Z and although it is a little late for him to walk, I'm ok with his mischevious crawling and climbing at this point. Walking might present a whole new world of problems for us!

the other two shots...

Get Lucky Today!

Babies...

I've been working on getting my photography portfolio in order and have had the opportunity to take do shoots with some awesome babies and families. I will update my photo site with more soon, but here's a little sneak peek of three beautiful newborn baby boys and a gorgeous five-month-old girl...

More to Share...

My sister sent me a site that had cute mom cards, and I had to design some of my own. Friends, I apologize for the use of your names, and you will realize none of the contact information is correct. I hope you don't mind me using you for samples...I just couldn't come up with creative names on my own and these styles actually ended up respresenting these friends' personalities!

I'm going to include these if I ever really get my "KatTails Design" website up for custom cards, annoucements, invites, etc...and I am thinking $20 for a set of 48...they are 2 x 3.5 (business card size) and one could give these to friends, babysitters, car-pool-ies, etc...just thought it was a unique way to set the cool moms apart from the lamers. Kidding, but really, a penny for your thoughts? (click on the image for a better view.)

Neglect Not...

In an effort to share my stuff I've been desiging etc... here's a little handout from a YW lesson I taught earlier this year. A good thought for the day, you ALL have gifts, don't forget it!

happy birthday puppy!

February 28th was our little girl's birthday...can't believe she's a year old already. She is a fun dog and we're glad we have her, alhtough she is in a little bit of a phase right now and I am not only learning patience with my kids, but add the dog to the mix. I'm calling it spring fever, with the hope that she'll mellow out soon. Happy Birthday Tiera!

Done

Hi my name is Zachary, my mom is a photographer and I am officially sick of her taking my picture.

DailyDropCap

on't you love this capital D? I found this site today in my Communication Arts magazine. Jessical Hische does one of these each day and I just dig it. Design and photography are being such fun passions for me...I love the feeling of creating. I should share some recent designs and fun stuff I've been doing. Maybe I will.

Love Blooms

Jon gave me these gorgeous lillies for valentines and they have just been getting better everyday!

Pack N Play

I want to thank the inventor of the Pack-n-Play. We painted my sister-in-law's nursery last week and Z took a little nap in his play pen. As you can see, he woke up happy!

LOVE.

Luke's Valentines

My friend, Rachel told me about this cute idea for Luke's class valentines. Thanks Rach, what would I do without creative friends?!

Girly Things

My friend Amy is having a baby girl after two boys and she had her shower on Saturday. I couldn't just give her diapers in a box, and my mom taught me presentation is 90 percent, so here's what I took to the shower.

The cute pink base is actually a Baby Laundry cuddle size blanket - the backgrounds too. (Stay tuned for a post coming soon about that fabulous company.) And I do have to say how impressed I am with Amy's sisters/family and the amazing shower they threw her. It was picture perfect. And the bedding her sister made her....stunning. So glad I could be a part of it.

Someone Likes the Stairs!

Growing Up Too Fast

I snapped a couple pics of Lukie after church yesterday and when I imported them today, I was shocked at how grown up he looks. He's getting a little "too cool" for mom and her camera happy attitude. I love this kid. He's growing up way too fast.

Blast From the Past

We were up at the in-laws and the boys wanted to look through the old albums, so I snapped a couple shots of my favorites. The first one is Jon and his little brother Rob, who looks a lot like a certain little happy baby who lives at our house.

I probably should have dropped these into photoshop and cleaned them up a little, but I love the old grainy feel and let's face it, I'm not that good at finishing my blogging projects. Hope you enjoy!

Get in Shape...Back Online

Feeling LOTS better, down six total lbs. going to workout everyday for the rest of the week. Planning a temple date with the hubby, and working on everything all at once! What other way is there!?

Funny.

I was just looking back on some posts and comments and I had a funny thought about the comments from my check list post. Some of you acted as though I actually DO those things everyday and insinuated my awesomeness. It just made me giggle a little because what I actually accomplish everyday is oh so short of that check list! Oh I wish that I were that efficient - the fact of the matter is I probably check off a few items on that list everyday and for sure we play hide and seek everyday!

I have so many things I need to update on this blog and because of my lack of organization, I am posting them here for a list I will remember to look at!

Luke's Birthday pictures
Christmas - hello!
Games and holiday fun fun fun
Cute newborn baby pictures I took
My favorite baby blankets of all time
Disneyland day 2 - wasn't that OCTOBER?!
and more...I'm sure I am forgetting a lot.

Yuck.

I just had a cyst under my arm "lanced" and it is supposed to start feeling better any minute. It was gross and I will spare you all the gorey details. However, I am using it as my excuse for being out of the blogging world lately. Life will shortly return to normal and I will eventually post something and then be behind again!


Also, to those few of you who knew I had this stupid thing going on, it's gone now and I am fine. I am especially spoiled to have an excellent physician for a father-in-law and a mom who was willing to drop everything and come babysit me Friday during my semi-septic state. Jon took off work and came with me to the doctor today. Through texts, (since the kids were in the car with him) he comforted my uneasy nerves about the little procedure. It's done and I am very happy to close this teeny tiny little chapter in the book of Kat.

On a MUCH happier note, I am getting some things in place to launch the new KatTails Photography site and my KatTails Design cards and stationery biz. It's definitely a process and as much as I wish I could get it all up and running overnight, it will take a little time. I found a fabulous place for printing photos and cards and I am in love with some of the papers I get to use for baby announcements, wedding invitations, birthday cards, valentine greetings, you name it. I'm so excited!

Happy Monday. It's a new week. Starting now.

Happy Birthday Luke!

Seven years ago, our lives changed. We became parents to one of the sweetest, most thoughtful little boys ever. He's always been a little unconventional - flipping breech in my 39th week of pregnancy, causing me to start down the road of c-sections. He had some of the funniest tricks I've ever seen with a baby, like his rolled tongue smile and his silly kissy face. He still has such a silly sense of humor.

Although he does drive me bonkers sometimes, I wouldn't trade anything for my sweet little man. For tradition sake, here are seven things I love about my little Lukester:

1. His seven-year-old toothless smile is SO contagious and genuine. Nothing makes him flash it more than getting to see his cousins.

2. I love his deep blue denim eyes. All three of my boys got their dad's blue eyes and I love it. Luke's are the bluest right now, and it's possible to get lost in them!

3. I love how thoughtful Luke can be. Lately, it's been all about him more, but when he is thinking of others, I don't think there is anyone sweeter.

4. He is a GREAT big brother. He shares his cool toys with Harry and always makes Z giggle. Each morning Z gets his little Luke fix and it makes us all happy.

5. Luke is super smart. He loves to read and he remembers EVERYTHING, which reminds me a lot of his cousin Dax. He loves learning random facts...ask him what pi is sometime.

6. I know I'm going to jinx myself for this one, but I love that Luke is FINALLY a good sleeper.

7. Finally, I love Luke's thirst for the Gospel. He is always asking questions about what is right and why we believe the way we do. He loves family home evening, reading scriptures, and always remembers to pray for his Uncle Steve on his mission. He'll be a great missionary someday - too soon for me I'm sure!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUKE! We love you SO much!

Daily Checklist

I couldn't sleep last night, and my brain wouldn't shut down, so I mentally compiled my daily checklist. It varies a little day to day, but I think this is a good sample of a day for me. I thought it might be funny to look back on in ten years and see what I tried to accomplish each day (in no particular order)...Maybe by then I will have mastered one of these!

Laundry - wash, fold AND put away- so much for mondays being my laundry day - it takes me all week!
Play hide and seek with Harry - yep everyday.
Dishes
Tidy kitchen (wednesday is the scour the kitchen day)
Tidy bathrooms (tuesdays are my usual cleaning day.)
Read with Luke
Help Luke with homework
Check email and FB - and a few blogs
Update my blog (3x week)
Read scriptures
Look at/think about next YW lesson/make handouts
Touch base with mom, amy, and a few friends
Workout
Play tug-o-war with the dog
Vaccuum one room
Kiss my kids
Celebrate life

Is my day similar to yours?

Get In Shape Update 1

Did pretty well...could have done better. Down two pounds, feeling a little less crazy with the house and life in general, had a fun FHE and helped Harry with his talk for Primary Sunday. He did a great job and was too cute. Luke gave the opening prayer and I realized his voice is GREAT over the mic. He'll be a good little speaker.

Things are good. Better this week...

The Middle Child

Whenever I do a little shoot with Baby Z, Harry always wants a picture taken. I should post a series of the shots of Harry from the many various times I've set up my "natural light studio" in the kitchen! I do love this sweet little face.

wow.

So I just have to vent for one second and I rarely do that here on my blog. But I posted a funny useless fact on FB today and a "friend" of mine spent THREE comments' worth to show that my "fact" was wrong. Is it just me or does that bug anyone else?

I just LOVE the people who always have to be right. Obviously I don't care if the fact was myth or not, I just thought it was funny. Shame on me.

Thank you, I feel much better now.

Mr. One Year Old

Hoops

Luke is playing city league basketball in the Kindergarten/1st grade division and is having a blast. Thanks to my dad for coming to both games so far, my sanity is still intact. The other two boys are a little restless, and that's a gross understatement. As for the skill level of these little critters, I just have to remind myself it's not an idicator of any future atheltic abilities. Fun is definitely the main objective.

There was a little camp for the kids over Christmas break and coaches and players from the Utah Flash coached the kiddos. As we were walking out, Luke told me, "My coach this year is Mark Madsen and my team is the Utah Flash." I cracked up that he thought Mark MadDog Madsen, former Stanford and LA Lakers star and coach of the Flash was his little city league coach!

Here are a few shots I took the first day. My ISO was bumped up to 2000 at least, since the florescent lighting there was so incredibly awesome.

Quote of the Day - Harrison Age 4

"Mom, Ivy and I are the King and Queen of Ancient Egypt. Um and oh yeah, we have mummy dogs."

GET IN SHAPE 2010

Every new year, and countless times throughout the year, I start a new fitness routine, diet, detox - you name it. I also have recurring goals regarding the temple, journal/blog, scripture study, and family home evening. Then there's the part of me that feels extreme guilt for not growing my mind intellectually as I feel like each baby I have zaps a fraction of my once-bright mind. . I start lots of books each year and try to learn something new once in awhile. And don't even get me started on my housekeeping routines. It's simply time to change all this.

For the last couple months, I have been feeling the need to REALLY get in shape. And as athletically minded as I am, I don't just mean physically. Yes, it is important to be healthy and I believe our spirits need strong bodies to accomplish all the things required of us. Of course I want to be back in a size 6-8 and not be so self conscious at my uncle's pool or on my sister's boat in the summertime. But being physcially in shape is just a part of it. I'm feeling just as flabby and soft spiritually and intellectually. Those areas really need a workout in my life - and I include the house, although I'm not really sure what it fits under, it needs to be part of my "new routine."

So for 2010, my motto is "GET IN SHAPE." As with everything in my life, it's a work in progress. Last night Jon and I sat down and wrote goals for each part. The plan is to review those goals together every week and check up on each other. We committed to each other to do something each day to improve in each area - even if that just means for the intellectual side, that we look up a new word that day, or spiritually that we read a couple verses of the Book of Mormon together, or physically, twenty minutes on the eliptical, a little weights, or even a few extra trips up and down the stairs.

The hardest part for me is it's never a quick fix. It's a process and I need to accept that it will take some time to change old habits and to see results. Each area takes a little more focus, a little more effort and at the end of the year, I think it will all be a lot better. It's going to be a great year, and it really is the year for me and my little family to GET IN SHAPE.

I don't really have a ton to say - I am rediculously behind in this blog and haven't updated the photography blog forever, but I just felt the need to touch base with the old bloggity blog. We had a fantastic holiday break with both sides of the family, lots of games, fun, family and yummy food. I definitely did my part in the national weight gain that occurs every December and I have many plans and great intentions all starting next week.

I have been sick basically since the marathon birthday week that happens in our family right before Christmas. I wore myself down before Harry's party and paid the price for the last few weeks and completely missed all the wonderful holiday smells with the coldish-sinus junk that seems to go around all winter. I did finally get on an antibiotic this week and am starting to realize my sense of smell has almost returned. In a lot of ways, as a mom, I kinda miss not being able to smell. O well.

I have all kinds of resolutions and plans for 2010, so stay tuned for '09 updates, blog changes, a new photog/cards website, and a regular fitness report.(My theme for 2010 is "GET IN SHAPE - physically, intellectually, spiritually, etc...") I need to be accountable to someone...maybe the blog will work! I have a TON going on this week, so my new year really begins on the 10th. See you then!

HAPPY 2010!

Hope everyone had a marvelous holiday season. Welcome 2010 - what do you have in store for us this year?!