still here

wreath
Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

still alive
mostly surviving the holidays

----------->
all of the 1st grade kids were asked to make a 'tradition' wreath.
parker's wreath is covered in stars; glitter, pipe cleaner, wood, foam, everything.
we used stars because every year our family makes a new star to top our tree.
it is one of the few traditions we have at this point in life.
the orange and red star in the center of the wreath now rests atop our christmas tree.

district reading fair

reading fair morning
Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

my hard working boy won 2nd place in his division at the district reading fair.
only the first place winners move on.
honestly, i am happy to stay home and celebrate his success rather than spend another day on the road.

(he is with the school's librarian, mrs. lampley.)

miles' first haircut

haircut
Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

life can be so freaking traumatic.

first haircuts are a huge deal in my world.
they mean that my baby is no longer a baby, but has moved into the realm of child, kid, big boy, etc.
i tend to put off first haircuts for a ridiculous amount of time so that i can continue in my state of denial.
for parker, his bangs were in his eyes long before i cut his hair.
for miles, he sported a mullet for a rather long time, but no more.
sunday night i proceeded to chop his mullet off.
he was not happy and neither was i.
but he no longer looks like a redneck.

long time no see

halloween
Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

i still can't quite conquer time management.
i met my family up in starkville for a state football game.
parker finished up his soccer season and just in time to miss the cold (maybe it's just cool for most of you) weather.
i organized a fall/halloween party for parker's first grade class. i am still not quite sure how i managed to snag the title of room mother, but the kids are so sweet to both me and miles that i just couldn't resist.
our family participated in a church fall carnival and then went trick-or-treating on saturday night.
parker has been working on a reading fair project for a couple of weeks and turned it in this morning.
to catch up on all the going ons of our family go check out my flickr.

this means that i am finally able to catch up on yard work and maybe get ahead of the mound of laundry that just never disappears.

i am beginning to wonder about my parenting skills...

fat lip
Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

last friday, we were taking a stroll through the neighborhood.
parker wanted to run to the stop sign and i said sure since it wasn't too far ahead.
in the process of getting there, parker lost a shoe, slipped, and tore up his face.
his eye turned light purple, puffed up, and was surrounded by a huge scrap/scab.
a mere week later, miles decided to run down the hallway at church.
he tripped, fell, and chomped his tooth through his lip.
it bleed for a while and got really swollen and he drooled the rest of the day.

i am hoping that the next 10 days are much less eventful.

sometimes we stay up too late

????
Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

and too late is getting earlier and earlier.

i have been at my parents house for a week and it has been a nice break from my life.
over the weekend i got to hang out with my siblings and celebrate my niece's first birthday.
i have been recovering from a cold the last couple of days (thanks dad), but even that has been a nice change from my everyday life.
i have been reminded that life is too busy and that i simply must make time between soccer games, cub scout activities, and school projects to run away and visit family.

yellowstone national park

yellowstone 5
Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

we made it to yellowstone.
i was not excited about the 2.5 hour drive there and then back, especially since we were driving into salt lake city the very next day; but i am very glad we made it out.
we started at the geysers and skipped old faithful in order to catch the grand geyser.
little did we know that we would have to wait until the very end of its window until it spewed hot water and steam above the trees.
next we stopped by some paint pots.
the edges of both the geysers and paint pots were lovely with all the little detail and made me wish for stones that mimiced that beauty.
after that we hiked down to see a waterfall with its amazing green water and it was at this point that i finally realized why i could appreciate the mountains: the canyons offer amazing perspective.
i hope to revisit the canyons when the boys are old enough to climb and hike further.
we were able to see an osprey's nest through binoculars.
we then ended the day filling our plates at the cafeteria and trying to listen to the radio on the way back to jackson hole, wy.

geyser, paint pot, stream

yellowstone 7
Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

i want some rocks that look just like this....

more on yellowstone later.

cowboy birthday

cowboy birthday
Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

late afternoon (post naps) we had a cowboy themed birthday party;
each family had color coordinated bandanas, cowboy hats, and sheriff badges.
parker started out as a cowboy, but slowly adapted his acessories to fit a gangster.
he had me roll up his bandana, wrap it around his forehead, and pin the sheriff's badge to the front.
we played minute to win it and ate cowboy and horse cupcakes we decorated the day before.
we finished the party with the most horrendous rush dance and karaoke.

what will i be when i grow up?

281/366
Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

or what would i focus on for a career if i did not make jewelry?

that's a hard one.
first off, we would have to start with the assumption that i neither have children or make jewelry.
i decided well before i got pregnant that i would stay at home with my boys as soon as i had them.
continuing along that train of thought, i would have to choose some type of research, most likely social psychology, or maybe something related to disease and history or epidemiology.

i have b.s. in psychology and while in school i did some research in the field of social psychology.
i really enjoyed it and have always been a people watcher.

i also have a mild obsession with plagues.
(i know, morbid.)
i read plenty of books on the subject and never tire of it.
i would love to be out in the field tracking outbreaks and helping communities better prepare for prevention and containment.
i think i could also handle teaching courses on the topic.

but with two boys at home, even if i did not make jewelry, i will still be fixing meals, buying clothes, cheering at sporting events, and helping with homework.

check out what everyone else would be doing here:

victoria/experimetal
tomi/metal riot
Ann/hartleystudio
Brooke Medlin
Maria/fluxplay
Inbar Bareket
Beth Cyr

across the states and back again

mountain
Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

last thursday we flew off to salt lake city, ut and then drove to jackson hole, wy to visit with ryan's family.
let me first say that i am not a fan of mountains and prefer the green that surrounds me in the southeast.
during this trip out west, i did learn to appreciate the mountains (mostly because of the canyons.)
parker could not have cared less where we were or what events had been planned; he simply wanted to play with his cousins.
(he even drew wesley and grahm pictures before we left the house.)
the first evening, we rode a tram up the side of a mountain, collected some rocks, and enjoyed dinner made by monte and jenny.
i'll fill you in on the rest of the trip throughout the week.

but you can check out the pics from the entire trip here

father's day

fathers day
Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

was nice for all my boys.

it started off with sleeping in (at least for some.)
then a breakfast of bacon and french toast.
(of course, i ended up covered in bacon grease and a few burns.)
then came the cheesy matching ties and sour patch kids.
after church, the boys all got naps and the two little ones accompanied me on a walk so ryan could sleep even longer.
next, a dinner of steak, fries, and homemade mac n cheese.
finally, a rerun of chuck (because we are slightly behind.)

now, we are all off to jackson hole, wy for the week.
i plan on taking billions of pictures and hopefully won't be so lax in posting them.

pink....

Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

i am not a girlie girlie.
i do not always mesh with women who are actually girlie girls.
i do not wear pink.
i rarely create with pink.

but isn't this callie just the sweetest, cutest thing you have ever seen?

it's not fair!!

Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

parker has recently taken to complaining 'it's not fair' when he doesn't get his way.
the action taken might actually be fair, but parker still proceeds with his complaint.
i've too decided it's not fair.
i've been thinking about how parents get to be proud of their children, but when do their children stop to think about how proud they should be of their parents?
this weekend we all (the siblings that is) gathered at district conference to celebrate the almost end of my dad's year as district governor.
it was so nice to see how much everyone appreciated both him and my mother.
so, right now, i will say that i am proud of my parents....
they have always been good people and usually put others' needs before their own.
they have served their family and friends for years.
now, they have extended their sphere of influence and have encouraged others to serve and be as charitable as the example they show.
so YAY for surviving the grand poohbahness and YAY for encouraging everyone else to be as good as you both are.

this boy

Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

is the reason i make it day in and day out.

he has had to survive postpartum depression once and now he is doing it again.
he is remaining the sweetest kid in the process.
he often comes up to me and says 'you know what i am going to do to make you happy...' and then proceeds to give me a kiss, give me some snuggles or huggles (hugs & snuggles), or draw me a picture.
he is the most generous child and shares with friends and especially his little brother.
he sings, giggles, and tickles miles when no one else can make him happy.
he reads WAY better than most kids his age and knows everything about dinosaurs and sharks.
he keeps me going and will save the world some day.

lately

western bloom
Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

i have been trying to squeeze in studio time when i can.
this is becoming increasingly difficult as miles gets more and more mobile.
people act like this is a good thing.
what are they thinking?!?!?
it simply means that he can get into more things more often and i get to run around like a spaz during most of the day.

two days later

snowman #1
Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

and there is still snow on the ground in a few places.
boo!!
i stayed in the south so i wouldn't have to deal with the cold and snow.
but, i have to admit that it was fun making snowmen for the first time with parker.

on being an aunt

MINE, Aunt Stacey!
Originally uploaded by sadie&nathan

(i have been meaning to write this post since the new year and i am finally making the time.)

i love my boys.
i prefer boys to girls in almost all situations.
but can i just say that being an aunt to sweet callie is the best.
i can buy her all the cutesy fru-fru things that i want.
i can indulge her and not feel guilty or deal with the reprecussions.
i can love and hug on her all i want and not worry about sharing with a sibling (at least not yet.)
it is definitely a win-win situation.

the only problem is she lives too far away to spoil on a daily basis.

maybe refreshed

parker lounging
Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

overall, our family trip was fabulous!
we enjoyed some time with nathan and sadie and then with monte and his whole family.
we managed to squeeze in some time in D.C., king's dominion, inner harbor, and THE greenbriar as well as its bunker.
today we prepared the house and yard for possible hurricane fallout, but it seems like we will be missing most of the bad weather.
and since we are so on top of it and all of the house chores are done, i may have some time to this week to really get cranking on some new designs and finishing up some old favs.

check my flickr for more pics from the trip

still on vacation...

face your manga
Originally uploaded by wildflowerdesigns

the rest of the week has been fun, but i just don't have adequate access to upload new pics to my flickr account.
sunday was a semi relaxed day hanging out with nathan and sadie and painting just a little.
monday and tuesday both included a drive and roller coaster rides at king's dominion. i do have to agree with many other people that the park is a great one to visit. it had enough rides for me to enjoy and more than enough for parker to enjoy. hopefully by the time our next trip rolls around parker will have grown a few inches so he can ride even more.
and, i personally have problems with heights (not so much as other people), but did manage to ride 'the drop.' (but only once since i couldn't stop shaking for at least half an hour.)
wednesday we stopped by port discovery which was fun. it had plenty for parker to do and is something that we would probably visit regularly if we lived in the area.
thursday and friday have been full of lego star wars and the greenbriar.