darth vader

it's not halloween but that doesn't mean we don't dress up...daily. just the other day jace went from a cowboy to a pirate to a soccer player to darth vader all in one morning. (and can i add that i can't wait to add princess dresses and other girly things to our costume box!)

we found this little treasure at walmart in their 90% off basket a week after halloween. not sure how it was still there. it was one among about 6 costumes - 1 infant monkey, a few toddler ninja and 1 size 4-6 darth vader. i think that it is the best $1.20 i have ever spent!


jace claims he is going to wear it every day and every night except to church. and he's done a pretty good job so far.

i love this kid so much...


and so does his sister.


he is such a great big brother and only occasionally torments his little sister. most of the time he is trying to get her to laugh. she watches his every move and squeals with delight when he is around. she always wants to play with his toys and do what he's doing.


it's too bad they have to grow up.


p.s. we are loving this 70 degree weather in november!

1000 words

if a picture is worth a 1000 words, this picture says it all. this is what jace's summer was. laughter, friends, and pure joy.

jared's cousin and her boys were here for the summer and we couldn't have had more fun with them. the 3 amigos (all nine months apart) played long and hard. they went on wild adventures together. they bonded. it was a sad day when they left for their new home. jace has been counting down the days 'til we see them again ever since.

jedi training

for jace's birthday this year we did a little jedi training. our star wars obsessed little boy had been planning it for months. each boy had their own jedi robe and light saber. they went through an obstacle course, nerf-gunned some storm troopers and destroyed the death star pinata. they ended the night with cupcakes and yoda soda.

as for presents (from family and friends): star wars legos, star wars sticker book, star wars shirt, star wars darth vader, you get the point. he loves star wars.

he did get a non-star wars bike which he was excited about also. it's green - his favorite color. he continues to be our cautious little guy and will not go very fast on it. it takes awhile for us to go anywhere on his bike but he loves having one.

photography

i just read a blog post by mandi tremayne at mcp actions that has perfectly put into words what i have been feeling for awhile.

i love photography. i love to take beautiful pictures of my kids. i love to learn and grow and develop my talent. i'm completely flattered when someone likes my pictures. but i'm not a "professional photographer" nor do i think i'm good enough to be one.

this is my hobby. something that i really enjoy doing. something i can easily do while being a mom. something that i want to be better at. but not something i want to make into a business.

"the journey of learning, the fun of taking our camera everywhere we go, snapping those one in a million shots of our kids, and the newfound love for things we used to ignore like a beautiful sky or the gorgeous lighting that sunset offers, is more than enough."

i have been struggling with the whole "going pro" issue. people telling me i should charge, lots of other "photographers" are doing it (some better than me, some not), to help pay for my hobby. i meant it as a hobby and i want to keep it that way. for me, making it into a business would add a lot of stress and take away the enjoyment of creating.

i realized that i have stopped taking pictures. my camera sat in my closet the past few months except to take pictures for other people. there wasn't much joy in photography for me anymore. too many expectations and too much pressure. and not enough pictures of my family.

so, after reading this and deciding that i'm okay with being a "hobbyist photographer" i pulled my camera out this afternoon and took a ton of pictures of my kids. no expectations. no pressure. pure enjoyment. and i took some really good pictures and a few bad pictures. and i loved it!

i especially love what she said about spending money on photography (just like any other hobby, ahem, golf):

"I feel like I can buy things for myself, here and there- a new lens, actions, and so forth, because it’s my hobby, and it’s something I care deeply about. Like any hobby, you can put money into something without strings attached that you must recoup what you’ve spent. Why? The fun I’ve had learning, plus the learning I know I still have to go, makes the journey completely worth it."

and now i think i am finally at peace. i can truly enjoy photography and i can continue to learn and get better and not make a single penny if i don't want to. it's my hobby and i love it!

*p.s. this is written purely from my own feelings about me. it does not reflect how i feel about other photographers. i know plenty of photographers trying to make it into a business and i say go for it! good luck! and i truly hope you succeed. it's just not for me.

i definitely qualify for the worst blogger ever award! i have lots to blog about but, you know, life happens. maybe i will get to it this week. until then, a few pictures from halloween (which was windy, rainy and cold).

a pink poodle and a pirate

once there was a snowman...

...and 4 hours later he melted and was gone.

six month old beauty

mallory kate

age 6 months

height: 26 3/4 in. (% 85th)

weight: 16 lb. 9 oz. (% 63rd)

eyes: dark blue

hair: strawberry blonde

personality: sweet, happy, social

milestones: rolling over, sitting without support, crawling, eating from a spoon, drinking from a sippy cup, sleeping through the night (usually)

loves: smiling at people or at nothing at all, laughing at her brother, books, jumping in the jumper thing, crawling, baths, chewing on anything she get to her mouth - especially paper or plastic

dislikes: when her brother tries to sit on her and being alone

cougar kickoff

cougar kickoff this year was especially exciting because it was katie's first kickoff as a byu cheerleader!

the kids had a great time. mally's favorite part was aunt katie's pom-poms. jace's favorite part was the track that he ran around and around and around and around on. (his last time around he fell right before the finish line from pure exhaustion and then he asked if he could go again!)

*can you tell which side of her head she sleeps on. the pigtails are only good until after her nap.

birthday + family

friday was my birthday. i wouldn't normally write about my birthday but it was a really great one...

*jared took the afternoon off work so i could go have lunch with my mom and spend the afternoon shopping with her at the gateway. (probably my favorite birthday present - so nice to get away for the afternoon).

*we had a party that night with lots of family that we don't get to see very often. it was kind of a happy birthday to me, happy birthday to tae, and a farewell to a wonderful summer of family fun.

cara and nate (jared's cousin and her husband) were in salt lake on their way to baltimore
amber left the next day for hawaii and her family will be leaving for good on monday
chris (jared's mom) was headed home the next morning
jason and tae were here for the day, driving from portland to alabama
grandma copley left wednesday to go back to alabama
devin, katie, jon, aubrey, carrie, dan and hunter all start school in the next two weeks

a few pictures that amber took of the party:

family photos

jared's cousin, amber, took some family photos for us on monday. we got some good ones even though it was a challenge to get mallory and jace to both look at the camera and it was impossible to get them to smile at the same time. here are a couple. thanks amber!

"you are the promise i knew god would keep,
you are the gift that makes my life complete.
and you'll never know how much i love you,
but i'll keep on telling you my whole life through.
now i believe in miracles and you're the reason why."

- reba mcentire

pigtails

today, mallory is sporting some pigtails. we think they are pretty cute.

camping

pictures from our first camping trip of the summer - jared's company camp out. it was mid-june. perfect during the day and freezing at night. mally and i were not brave enough to stay for the cold nights so we came home to sleep in our nice warm beds.

we had a lot of fun. all of our food was cooked for us. there were lots of friends for jace to play with. we hiked to stewart falls and played a little volleyball.

we are now preparing for two back-to-back camping trips coming up. we bought this bed for mally in hopes that she will sleep well so we can all enjoy the trip. can't wait to see all our family!

because...

because i haven't blogged in a very long time
because i am putting off cleaning my house
because i finally loaded my pictures onto my computer
and because i think my kids are cute

jace - 3 yrs 9 mos


mally - 4 1/2 mos

random

1. i love to order my diapers and other baby necessities from diapers.com. their prices are comparable to in-store prices, the shipping is fast (1-2 days) and free (if you order $49) and customer service is amazing. they always have sales and coupons which usually makes them cheaper and it is one less thing i have to go to the store for.

so i have a coupon code that will get you $10 off your 1st order and $5 off your second on top of any sales or discounts they are currently giving. it is JM.M0411.

2. we are hosting a love and logic parenting class in our home this summer. what we have used with jace has worked really well. not only is he a more well behaved, happy little boy but we are more patient and in control because we know how to act in each situation.

it will be held on thursday evenings from 7:30 to 9:30 starting on june 10th. the cost is $69 per couple. if you are interested in joining us or want more info just send me an email at jm.mclaughlin@gmail.com.

3. we have four coupon codes for one free month of netflix. the free month has to start by june 15th. if you use one just leave a comment saying which code you used.

M739624367495
M779604367765
M799634367195
M779634367135

4. jared's golfing buddy recently found out he has cancer. so they are having a benefit golf tournament for him. all proceeds will be donated to the family to help with medical costs. it will be held on saturday, june 12th. go here for more information.

5. my sister has started an online discount scrapbook supply store called minn's madness. she has some great stuff at very low prices and offers free shipping on any orders over $15. check it out here.

6. read 10 books this summer and get a free book from borders. go here for more info.

7. my little brother gets home from his mission in mongolia this morning!!!

dear summer,

where are you? we've put away winter clothes. we've got out the swimming suits. now all we need is the sun. we want to play in the pool. please, hurry.

love,
jace and mally

saturday we got to see our good friends. they left us over a year ago for alabama. thanks for fitting us into your busy schedule while you were in town. it was so good to see you!

hiking

we went on a little hike last saturday after eating a yummy french toast breakfast at kneaders. the trail we wanted to go on was covered in snow so we picked a different one down lower. we had a good time. it was also our 6 year anniversary so we went out later that night kid free!