Sneak Peak | Joy and Matt's Fiesta

The Newlyweds

The Groom's Cake

The "Fiesta" Cake. Does this say party or what!?

Lots of fun for the kids too!

There's your sneak peak of my friend's reception this past weekend at Tomatillos in San Antonio. It was so much fun!

Memorable FHE | Eph 6

You have to love teaching Eph 6 to your kids... I mean it starts out, ¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. You can't go wrong with that! And then it gets better, especially if you are a three and a half year old boy with an imagination like my little Lyndon.

Yes, it was a very memorable FHE that continued on this morning. He loved having the 'armor' taped on, and I loved having an alternative to spiderman games. I really don't like how he acts when he's been watching spiderman, so I had to put an end to that (not that there is anything really wrong with spiderman, it's how Lyndon chooses to act when he's too 'into' him) and we have been searching for a new 'super hero' to replace him. One that promotes kindness, thank you very much!

Last weeks FHE was on Samuel the Lamanite, which he was kind of luke warm about. Later on he remembered Daniel and we had fun acting that out (I'm the king who tells him not to pray and then he runs off to his room to pray and I then have to throw him in the lion's den, it's pretty cute.) Anyway, this was an even bigger hit!
So before lunch I thought I would quiz him, see how much he actually retained about what each piece meant. Four out of six, not bad, I'll take it.
He's not a perfect angel by any means (let's just say I have my hands full) but I AM very proud of him.

Look, I even caught him helping vacuum yesterday, he does pretty well on the floors (he is very pleased when he takes care of his job!)
My kids teach me so much. Every challenge we face I am sent to my knees or the scriptures or both, and it makes me a better person!

Here are the links I used so you can 'put on the armor of God' with your kids!

Most of the armor is from here.

CTR Shield here.

Cooler helmet here.

Have you checked your spine lately?

I just thought I'd give a little update on my dear husband's career these days. He is now working for a clinic just down the road, Plano Injury Rehab. He is one of two treating docs there and is liking it a lot. Many of you have inquired about chiropractic care with him before but he did not take insurance.... now he does! So stop on by anytime, the office is really nice and they offer soooo much more than just adjustments!

Here he is at a screening he did at a local grocery store. He was there for 4 hrs on a Saturday and it went really well. He's got such a great personality who wouldn't want to talk to him!
Me and the kids were there for a bit. They had this coke display I set Madelyn on and it actually helped draw peoples attention! They stopped to see the cute kids and stayed to listen to the cute chiropractor!!!

Here is my try at making this look like an 'old' coke ad. Needs work, maybe darker shadows?

Winner

Contest closed Thursday but due to illness I am just getting around to posting the winner.

TONI, you are the winner! I will email you so we can setup your session.

Of course I think everyone who reads my blog is a winner, (and Lynn, sorry, you had a 50/50 shot and I appreciate you entering!) better luck next time. As soon as I figure this facebook thing out I think I will have a contest to do with that and then once I finally get a 'real' website up I'll probably do one with that too. So, y'all come back, you don't want to miss it!

Splish~Splash

I love tub pics and I thought I was never going to get any of just Madelyn because Lyndon comes running, clothes flying, anytime he hears the tub or shower going! To be honest I am not sure where he was this time, but I am sure happy I got these precious shots.

The girl loves her bubble bath!

C o N t E s T u P d A t E . . . . . .
I have received lots of comments about TWITTER.... if you don't tweet no worries I will make that one optional, so go ahead and enter!

But, just so you know, twitter is not another facebook. It is kind of like a group IM (you remember IMing from back in the day right) Anyway, 'tweets' are just a fun way of getting out little announcements to anyone who wants to follow you.

I have a MAC so I use the program twitterific which displays my 'tweets' in a small box on the side of my screen. I can reply to others right there or send out my own tweet right from my desktop. You can also use your cell phone so it's like group texting.

I haven't been doing it very long but so far I think it's pretty cool. Why not give it a try if you feel adventurous!

Not Me! Monday

This is suppose to be therapeutic right! All right then, in that case, I did not totally unload all my stress and frustration on my husband on our way home from church yesterday (he did not partly deserve it,) but being the sweet man he is, had I actually acted like a beast he would have forgiven me after my pathetic peace offering of some delicious fresh cut watermelon.

Looking back it occurs to me that I did not drink two fridge packs of Dr. Pepper this past week, remember I am married to a chiropractor so I would never drink anything but pure alkaline water!

Now this last one would have been great to get a picture of, but Lyndon had a friend over last week, they mostly played in the sprinkler, and I did not let them pee in the yard because they both had to go at the same time. And I did not get a little chuckle watching the two of them side by side seeing who could reach the fence because I would never condone such behavior much less find humor in it!!!

Here are some pics that have nothing to do with not me! Monday

because picture-less posts are bor-ring.

Little Lyndon and I went out bargain shopping because he desperately needed new church clothes. I was impressed, we got the whole outfit for

a little over $10 thanks to Old Navy and the local thrift store.

He is very pleased as well. In fact whenever we are home I am not surprised anymore to find him either in his spiderman pj's or his 'new' church clothes!

Yes, I could eat him up!

Now, for some news some of you have been waiting for...

We actually do not have a winner for the photo shoot.

No one has completed all five steps,

So I have decided to open it up again until Thursday.

Anyone in the Dallas area can enter for a FREE session (5 digital negatives included on cd) with me.

Here again are the 5 steps to enter:

1. just leaving a comment (nothing special, let me know you are interested so I can start tracking your progress)
   
2. blog about it (then leave a comment that you blogged about it, w/ the url to your blog)
3. follow me on twitter & tweet about it
   
4. put my button on your sidebar
   
5. email 3 friends about this (CC me into your email, destinyphotography@gmail.com)

Sound the Alarm

We're FIRED-UP for fun

We went to the Plano Fire Station to end our week of fun, and it was great.

I highly recommend taking the tour for anyone with little kids.

Lyndon wanted to know how everything worked and looking at these pics you can see on his face he thought this was for real.

Fire fighter Steve was so nice and let Lyndon see and touch everything!

Maddie just sat and looked pretty, though she really didn't ever look at the camera for me.

The helmet probably weighs as much as he does!

Side Note: Speaking of alarms, the contest for a free photo session is down to the wire now, just a fee hours. I saw some of you have done some of the steps but as far as I know no one has completed them all!

I will announce the winner Monday (I try to refrain from blogging on Sundays.)

2 more days

I hope you guys are excited about the giveaway.

Make sure you have completed all five steps for entering in the contest below, please!

Contest| $200 Giveaway

Contest begins right now. ((((drum-roll))))

A winner (selected via Random.org) will get an on-location (Dallas area) portrait session with ME! (includes a free disc with 5 images.)  

This giveaway, worth $200, could be yours.
Why? Because I love you all!

Maybe you are expecting and want to capture the joyous moment your bundle arrives...

Maybe you're over due for a family picture (because you were waiting for someone who can do it the fun relaxed way!)

Whatever you have in mind I'm sure it will be lots of fun! 

Now, for the nitty gritty...

Entries earned by: 

1. just leaving a comment
   
2. blog about it (then leave a comment that you blogged about it, w/ the url to your blog)
3. follow me on twitter & tweet about it
   
4. put my button on your sidebar
   
5. email 3 friends about this (CC me into your email, destinyphotography@gmail.com)

Contest ends Saturday, June 13th.  GOOD LUCK!

Not Me!

This week (or any other week) I did not shamelessly photoshop 'play-group-wounds' from my son's face before posting them to my blog!  I never allow any harm to come to my kids anyway so why would I need to?

FYI: This is what my pics look like SOOC, 

kind of like posting a pic of yourself {not me, may I remind you} without make-up!

And, I also did not take Lyndon to Krispy Kream as free entertainment, because I am married to a chiropractor and we eat healthy food ALL the time.  But if you ask Lyndon I am sure he will tell you it was worth it :) 

Who knew there was a national doughnut day anyway?!?  Thank you tightwad momma.

This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

THANKS FOR READING!

New Hair Do

I love little Lyndon's expression in these.  

He was so serious the whole time it was his turn...

Then when it was time to do Daddy's he loved it!

And of course I had to get them out back for their 'close-ups.' 

They're so silly...

HAPPY SATURDAY :)

Prayer | Rising Above

Prayer helps us transcend the stormy times. It gives us a glimpse of that blue sky that we cannot see from our earthly vantage point, and it reveals to us another vista—a glorious spiritual horizon filled with hope and the assurance of the bright blessings the Lord has promised to those who love and follow Him.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Prayer and the Blue Horizon,” Liahona, Jun 2009, 2–5

We have been hitting a bit of 'turbulence' as we are trying to make changes to meet some of our goals.  These changes have been put into motion a great deal by prayer.  You know the old saying, "be careful what you pray for."  

(Plus, I am never good in situations where I am not in control.)  SO I went looking for inspiration to calm my anxious nerves.  The first place I went was lds.org and this month's Home Teaching message from the Ensign.  It helped me a great deal, so I sat my family down for an impromptu lesson about Prayer and the Blue Horizon by President Uchtdorf.

I started by handing Lyndon a toy airplane and explained what happened to make it fly.  Then I read from the message about "Lift" and "Prayer" and how Pres. Uchtdorf parallels them so beautifully.  

In order to get an airplane off the ground, you must create lift. In aerodynamics, lift happens when air passes over the wings of an airplane in such a way that the pressure underneath the wing is greater than the pressure above the wing. When the upward lift exceeds the downward pull of gravity, the plane rises from the ground and achieves flight.

In a similar way, we can create lift in our spiritual life. When the force that is pushing us heavenward is greater than the temptations and distress that drag us downward, we can ascend and soar into the realm of the Spirit.

Then I placed these cards on a shelf above Lyndon and asked him if he could see them, he said no and I suggested Gordon lift him up so he could.

Then I read on about "A New Vista" where he says,

Daily simple, sincere, and mighty prayers lift our lives to a higher spiritual altitude. In our prayers we praise God, give thanks to Him, confess weaknesses, petition needs, and express deep devotion to our Heavenly Father. As we make this spiritual effort in the name of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, we are endowed with increased inspiration, revelation, and righteousness, which bring the brightness of heaven into our lives.

We needed that brightness to clear up some of our confusion and I am so thankful for this message.

Crazy for Beech-Nut

I love the Beech-nut label offer.  I collected my 48 proofs of purchase and I'll 

...get four coupons for $1.00 off any 10 Beech-Nut^®items.

New Neon Swimsuits

I won't be able to miss these two at the pool