Much Needed Lovin'

This week has been quite a week. Things at work are really getting under my skin and causing me to be in a bad mood. To top it off the scabs from my tonsillectomy (that I had 2 weeks ago) still haven't fallen off so my throat is still slightly bothering me. Today, though, I received some lovin' from a very special little girl in my life, which made my week 100% better. The little girl is my 3-year-old "niece", Autumn. She used to pretty much despise me and never wanted anything to do with me. *Heartbreak* Back in June she became an older sister and now she loves to be around me. When I visit her and her family she sits with me on the couch and we talk and color. When Autumn and her mom drive through Lusk Autumn used to say, "Aunt Wook lives here and she has two snakes." Now she says, "Aunt Wook lives here, she has two snakes, and I love her." Yay!! :) I love feeling her arms wrapped around my neck when she gives me hugs. I love to see the excitement on her face when she sees me. I love the way she gives me big kisses. I have a few "nieces" and a "nephew" and anytime any of them give me lovin' it makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside and it totally brightens my day/week/year! There's just something about children's hugs, kisses, and smiles...

My "niece", Autumn

"Love is the greatest refreshment in life." ~ Pablo Picasso

Candy Pwease

Easter weekend I got to see my friend's little boy, J.T., whom I haven't seen since Halloween (he was Mr. Clean). He will be two in May and he is so adorable. I was taking his picture a lot while I was over at his Aunt Sunny's (my best friend) house and he loved it. He even said "cheese" for me before every picture. He is such a little "ham", much like Pacen was when he was that age. I miss having a "ham" around to photograph. Pacen outgrew that phase a long time ago and I'm sure J.T. will too, but until then I will photograph the little guy like crazy every time I see him. He is very photogenic too. I wish his cousin, Autumn, was as understanding of "Aunt Wook" and her camera as J.T. is. :)

One of my favorite pictures I got of J.T. also involves one of my favorite foods. Chocolate! I brought a small bag of chocolate to Autumn as an Easter treat and he saw it and said, "Candy pwease." How adorable! I love the way little kids talk! His mom gave him a piece of chocolate and the next thing we knew his little face was covered! So funny! Later I was holding him and he looked at me and his Aunt Sunny and again said, "Candy pwease." At first we weren't sure if we should give him another piece and then we decided there was no way we could say no to such a polite and adorable request. This time the chocolate ended up all over his face and all over my neck/chest. Just look at the picture. Would you ever be able to say no to those big green eyes staring up at you and the little voice saying, "Candy pwease."?! I don't think so!



"Even when freshly washed and relieved of all obvious confections, children tend to be sticky." ~ Fran Lebowitz

Cuteness and Innocence

A few weeks ago I got to see a fairly new baby. Her name is Rhia and she was born a few months ago. Unfortunately, this was the first time I'd gotten to see her. I only live an hour away and it took me darn near 3 months to find time to go see this precious little girl! What is wrong with me?! Anyway, the day I drove over to see her, a blizzard hit. I thought about turning around because the roads were bad, but I just couldn't do it. I had waited long enough to see Rhia and I was going to make it to Douglas "come hell or high water" (or a blizzard, in this case)! So I continued trudging along through 4" deep slush and limited visibility (dealing with a few CRAZY drivers) and it was definitely worth it! Rhia is so cute! Okay, so most babies are cute, but she is CUTE!

I love babies.
I love their fresh baby smell (I'm not too fond of the dirty diaper smell though).
I love the cooing sounds they make.
I love how they get excited and start kicking like crazy.
I love how they drool on everything.
I love how peaceful they look when they are sleeping.
I love their innocence.
I also love to give them back to their parents when I'm done ogling them!







"A babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, a messenger of peace and love, a resting place for innocence on earth, a link between angels and men." ~ Martin Fraquhar Tupper

Vacation

Wow...it's been a while! I've been super busy!

A month ago I went to Cody, Wyoming with Kurtis (he attended the Cody Hotline School for Lineman) and I got to spend a week shopping and hanging out with a couple of my friends and their kids (wives & children of two other linemen who attended). It was a much needed vacation! I didn't get to spend as much time with Kurtis as I would've liked (the time we did spend together was fabulous though), but I still had a lot of fun with Sunny (one of my best friends), her daughter, Autumn, Tiffany (another good friend), and her son, Colton. Autumn and Colt are so adorable! Luckily I brought my camera along and I got a few good shots of the kids (it was hard considering they are both "on the run").

It was pretty chilly the whole time we were there but we managed to get out on the town every day (mostly shopping and a little partying). We attempted swimming one day (the nicest day of the week) and it was a bust (for the kids). Too cold. The kids lasted around 5-10 minutes and then their moms decided since it was too cold it was nap time. Colt informed me that I had to get out of the pool so I could take a nap. After a little convincing he finally decided it was okay that I skip nap time and swim a little longer. Here's Autumn in her swimming gear...

Here are a few more pics of the kids...I love this expression! So cute!Autumn never wants to smile for me when I have the camera out . I did manage to get one shot of her smiling and, as my luck goes, it came out blurry...so here is one where she is almost smiling. :)
The final night we were there Kurtis and I went out and enjoyed a nice dinner and then decided to take a road trip. We headed towards the mountains (in search of Elk) and drove 30-40 miles until we finally saw herd after herd of Elk. As Kurtis was checking out all the Elk I was checking out the majestic scenery. Here is what much of the conversation entailed when we got to that point of the trip:

Me: "Babe! Look at that waterfall! It's so pretty!"

Kurtis: "Yeah, nice. WHOA! Look at that Bull! He's HUGE!"

Me: "Wow...he IS big. Look at the way the snow is blowing off the mountain...it's so awesome!"

Kurtis: "Uh, huh. I can't wait for hunting season!"

Okay, those may not be exact words, but it's pretty close! At one point we saw a sign warning us of Grizzly Bears and I got way excited and declared that it would be so cool if we saw one! Well, lo and behold, a few miles down the road Kurtis starts freaking out because 100 yards or so from the road is a Grizzly! It stood up, looked at us, and then ran away! It was so cool! We also saw some Big Horn Sheep.

So, there is one terrible thing about the road trip...I, being the airhead that I am, left my camera in the hotel room! The one time I didn't take it along! I was SO mad at myself! Kurtis had even asked me if I wanted to go back and get it (after dinner) and I said, "No. It's clear across town. Don't worry about it." He said, "Are you sure?" I said, "Yeah. Not a big deal." ARRRRRGGGGGGGG! I'm such an idiot! I did manage to get some pictures of the mountains on my cell...not the best quality, but they pretty much give you the picture of what we saw.
"No man needs a vacation so much as the man who has just had one." ~ Elbert Hubbard