The Hauth's of Rock

A Year in Pictures (Personal Edition)

2012-01-30T15:50:00.001-07:00

This is our year in pictures... well mostly my year since Trevon doesn't take pictures all that often. Some photos you may have seen, but most you haven't. It's a visual list of places we've gone, people we've seen, things we've done and basically a snip-it of every blog post I always meant to write but never actually did.

Our Week in Review

2012-01-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

Molly is crawling! She was doing an army crawl on her elbows for most the month of December, but yesterday she got on her hands and knees. Now she can follow me around the living room and scream at me. mad skills.

Ava is STUDENT OF THE MONTH! for the whole first grade! big deal. seriously. She is going to get a certificate at the next PTA meeting and gets a special reading time with the principal. We are very proud.

Violet... is 3. Hades has sent us their finest 3 year old to wreak havoc in our house. She has a knack for making me grind my teeth and want to pull my hair out. It's a good thing she is cute and requires snuggles to recover from her timeouts.

That's all I have time for this week. It's been a busy/slightly painful one.

Better late than never, right?!

2011-12-13T22:33:00.000-07:00

Today I went to post pictures of Molly's photoshoot this weekend. She had a BIG weekend. Lots of new things accomplished for the baby.

1. A new tooth. Bring on the Cheerios!

2. Crawling. Yep, she is mobile. It is not on her hands and knees yet, it is more like an army crawl on her elbows (which have rug burn now).

3. Sitting up. She isn't very stable, but she likes to be able to see everything from her tushie.

As I wrote the post out I realized I never posted anything past the hospital really of Molly. So here are a few from the hospital (yes, I did a photo shoot in my bed using the sheets and the window as a reflector). So without further hesitation here is brand new Molly. Maybe in another 5 months I will get around to posting the pictures I did of her milestones from this week. eeshk.

Peekaboo with Molly

2011-12-04T20:25:00.001-07:00

This is a little video of Molly doing cute baby stuff! (Peekaboo with Trevon).

Neesh

2011-12-03T09:55:00.001-07:00

We have a new niece around these parts. She's lovely. Here is a sneak peek at Miss Valerie! I heart her.

Congratulations to Maria and Brandon on their sweet little addition!

Tell all your friends...

2011-10-17T09:19:00.002-06:00

This year, for the very first time, I will be offering Holiday Mini Sessions! I will be doing it for one Saturday because my shoot schedule this winter is a little crazy. (Crazy in the best way possible though).

I am only opening a limited number of slots so my appointments will fill up fast! Feel free to share this page with everyone you have ever met, m'kay?!

What we have been up to...

2011-10-11T23:07:00.001-06:00

This post will be quick because there is a lot of work to be done around these parts this week. (Three or four regular sessions and two weddings to edit! YIKES!)

So here is a quick little thing.

1. We are staying in Dallas... indefinitely. Yep. These times they are a changin'...

2. We adopted a dog. His name is Radar. We love him. A LOT!

He and Violet are two little peas in a trouble-making-pod during the day.

3. Molly helps me edit photos. She is already an expert. This is us working today.

More pictures and in depth updates to come. hopefully. soon.

Rainy Days

2011-09-18T19:08:00.000-06:00

Yesterday evening was probably one of the worst nights we have had in a long time. It was just one hit after another. I won't go into details, but it started with Violet pooping in the backyard and ended with the fire department coming... (to look for a carbon monoxide leak). Needless to say, we were stuck outside for a while, hungry, and wanting to eat the dinner that was half cooked inside.

Anyways, tonight was much better. When the rain started, we sent the kids out to play. It's a rare storm in texas that does not have lightning with it so we had to take advantage. I forgot how much fun it was to play in the rain. We used to do it all of the time when we were little; we will definitely be doing it more often with our kids.

This Child... wants to be a Cholo.

2011-08-29T20:39:00.000-06:00

This child and her hair. This child and the REMOVAL of her hair... all on her lonesome. again. I really have no words for what happened in our house tonight. Seriously, never a dull moment with three little girls.

Let's play a little game. It's kind of like a "One of these things is not like the other one". In your head, try and remember what Ava looked like a few hours ago... hey, a few days ago. Now I am going to show you a few pictures and see if you can see what is missing! Ready?

Do you have it?

....

Did you guess eyebrows?! Because you would be correct. Tonight, Ava shaved off her own eyebrows in the shower. I am totally gobsmacked. I think it was because I was mentally planning out our outfits for family pictures soon. So that means something had to go wrong.

I definitely prefer shaved eyebrows to stitches (which actually HAS happened right before pictures). Anyways. Suggestions? I can't put makeup on her, she will sweat it off at school. Bangs, maybe? crap. I am still in shock over this one. oh. well. Enjoy this last picture. She looks truly pathetic in it.

Hey Bat-ter Bat-er!

2011-08-28T17:47:00.002-06:00

So this evening the kids came in SCREAMING like bats out of hell (forgive the intentional pun) that there was a BAT ON THE PORCH! Ava was adamant that there was a bat outside.

But, she has also been adamant that there was a baby turtle, his mom, and his dad having a race in the backyard and she was there to witness it. (Each time she tells the story another turtle is added, but I was there... and it was a frog, only one frog). My point is, Ava is 6. very. very. 6. And she can tell some WHOPPERS!

So here we were sitting down after dinner and she starts in with "OH EM GEE DAD! THERE IS A BAT! A REAL LIVE BAT!" Of course, I am a turtle skeptic but I tell Trevon he should probably go check. Just in case. We are out in the boonies these days... So out he goes to survey the situation.

He comes back, "Yep, it's a bat." Then he sits down on the sofa and watches MASH. So then it's.

ME:"Did you at least tell them not to touch it? You do know bats are the number one carriers of rabies, right?!"

Trevon: "Actually it's skunks. And, yeah, I told them not to touch it, but it is really cute so I kinda wanna touch it, too."

So standing corrected in my bat-seeing-non-knowing-of-rabies-carrying-animals state, I went to take pictures.

Here is our newest backyard buddy. I think he (or she) needs a name.

*UPDATED TO ADD A FEW MORE PICTURES BECAUSE IT WIGGLED!*

Trevon may have helped it wiggle a bit...

Say Something Nice...

2011-08-22T12:47:00.001-06:00

Today is Ava's first day of school. She is officially a first grader! I can't believe how fast we got here. I swear she just came home from the hospital yesterday.

This year she started at the 3rd elementary school in two years and it is starting to wear on her. She has been nervous for a week about making new friends and fitting in. I always give her the same advice... "say something nice, say please and thank you, and smile... you will always make friends that way." Then I try and get her pumped up and excited and yell (channeling Finding Nemo) "FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!" She basically tells me to cram it because I am crazy/embarrassing. *sigh* I knew that day had to come, but I thought it would be later in life.

I left her teary eyed with her teacher today... I didn't really want to leave and she didn't want me to go either. But, she is six now and I can't sit with her all day once a week like I did in kindergarden. (To be fair, I volunteered in her classroom I wasn't just a crazy mom who couldn't cut the cord). I tried to convince her this morning that since her teacher had red hair like Gigi, it would all be okay, because Gigi is nice to her so her teacher would be nice to her. Ava did not believe my logic. The kid is too smart.

She did calm down for a while this morning when I took pictures of her. I guess me bossing her around in front of the camera is so familiar it can get her out of her little funk.

And best of all... in honor of my steadfast advice to "Say Something Nice" here is a little video from Improv Everywhere. They placed a megaphone on a lectern in the middle of New York City with a sign on it that said "Say Something Nice". I love it.

delinquent

2011-07-28T10:48:00.001-06:00

So I have been more than a "little delinquent" on this blog lately. We have been busy... really, really busy. And, I have been tired... really, really tired. Three weeks ago, we had a new baby girl! By, we, I mean "I" had a new baby girl. Trevon was there for moral support and hand holding but I did all the pushing.

Molly Quinn was born at 1:15pm on Thursday, July 7th. She was also our biggest baby weighing in at 9 lbs 3 oz... Before you ask, yeah, that hurt. A LOT. She is very sweet and cuddly, only a little cranky. Violet and Ava are smitten with her. I spend half my day fending off Violet's "lovin's" (she doesn't quite understand how to be gentle yet). The other half of my day is spent telling Ava that I am Molly's mommy and she does not need that pacifier, extra blanket, stuffed animal, donut, pretend bottle, to be taken out of her bouncer and burped by her cousins. (Ava is VERY helpful).

Here is Proud Daddy Trevon... no relation to Proud Mary. (just kidding).

We started having photo shoots of Molly pretty much the minute she was in the door. She is just so much fun to take pictures of.

In between baby having and adjusting to three kids, we are also looking for a new place to live in Austin. We are planning to make the move down the middle of next month. The hunt for a house has been overwhelming to say the least. We are persevering and planning a second trip down to hunt again.

Wish us luck, send us prayer, good karma, well wishes, whatever; we will take whatever you've got right now. WE NEED IT!

Maternity Shoot...

2011-06-04T08:41:00.000-06:00

So we have had quite the move. The transition has been... challenging. (That is my attempt to be diplomatic). I owe one giant post dedicated just to what happened when we got here, but it will have to wait. I have more important things on my mind... Like what the heck to name this new baby girl!

It is making me a little crazier every day. (Crazier is the operative word, because we all know I'm already loopy). At this point we should be down to 2 or maybe even 3 names we like/love, but not us. Not with this kid. I have been steadily adding a name each week we get closer. Seriously, what sane person does that? Every time I have talked to my mother in law on the phone this week she has said something along the lines of "Let's go get a little outfit for... WHAT'S THIS GIRL CALLED?!" and then I shrug, and add a name to the list.

So as of this morning, here is the list in no particular order... and it will probably be different next week. I won't even get into the list for middle names. It is far worse.

Allison
Penelope
Quinn
Molly
Norah
Samantha

Let's put it to a vote; I'm desperate. You can voice your opinion on what the heck this kid's name will be. (Although, truth be known it will most likely be ignored because it's my baby and that's that.)

Because every post needs pictures, here are a few from my maternity "shoot". Get it, "shoot"? I'm pun-ny. Uncle Paul took us to shoot soda cans while we were in Rahma, NM last month. I, of course, tapped into my inner redneck and enjoyed every minute of it. Turns out my "inner redneck" is not so inner and more like hovering right under the surface 99% of the time.

Also, Trevon is a really good shot. I kept teasing him that he can join the militia and defend our homestead should the time come.

Rambo the Dog...

2011-05-19T10:01:00.002-06:00

*Taken from my photography blog*

Let me preface this whole post with two facts...

1. I am not a pet photographer.

2. My brother is a butt-head.

My first official "client" with my studio set up was Rambo, my brother's Puggle (it is some weird Pug and Beagle hybrid). Rambo is sweet, but not smart, and he kind of looks like Steve Buscemi. I have never done pet photography before so this was a real adventure! I am very pleased with how they turned out. I might consider adding pet photography to my arsenal one day... just not any time soon.

Now to explain the second fact, my little brother is a butt-head. Don't worry, it is also a term of endearment between us. Yes, we are weird... we know that already. My poor husband really did not know what he was getting into when he married into this family. The fact that we lovingly call each other butt-head and fart-face even as adults is pretty special. By special, I mean totally not special in the we're amazing kind of way. Oh well, our family is strange, whose isn't, right?

Anyways, the whole point of taking my brother's dog child's picture. Yes, further proof we are strange, I just called Rambo the dog child... because he is. That is his canine baby. My brother and his long time girlfriend both graduated this past weekend. (YAY THEM!) As a special surprise I wanted to photograph and frame pictures of them together. Since my brother is in fact lovingly a butt-head, but also a real butt-head when it comes to pictures... there were none to be had. That was when my genius idea of taking pictures of their baby came into play.

The first is for his girlfriend, because she is sweet and we would never call her butt-head or fart-face. She deserved a nice picture.

These, I framed side by side for butt-head. This is what happens when you have an older sister who thinks she is clever and funny.

The end. Good times right?

Our Week of Mayhem

2011-04-24T14:07:00.000-06:00

This weekend Trevon did this...

(So did his sister, Kirsten)...

We were so excited to have our Texas family come out and support Trevon. It was nice to have a little cheering section!

And the Utah family we made for ourselves came out, too. (Violet was SUPER pumped in this picture!)

Now... after two and a half years in Utah, we are packing up our whole life and moving back across the country to Texas. I am so ready to be back in Dallas with familiar faces and places, family and friends, but most of all... MEXICAN FOOD. Sorry family, when it comes to the pregnant lady cravings, you come second to Chuy's enchiladas and La Hacienda's Queso. We will only be in Dallas for the summer and then, because we love to move and make changes we go to AUSTIN! More on that to come...

This used to be our dining area/kitchen...

Stop Motion Project

2011-04-11T14:52:00.000-06:00

This weekend Trevon and I made a stop motion video for this History of Creativity final project... Basically I hijacked his project and told him what we were doing. I finally had a valid excuse to spend hours making this video I have been obsessing over for months since I saw the Levis commercial. There was definitely a learning curve with this process...

Here is what I would do differently...

More exact posing and camera position
Pick a day when it is NOT snowing so we can have more variety.
Consistent exposures throughout.
Maybe use a flash in certain portions, I could have done this the day of, but we were going for speed and simplicity.
More people to help! It was just Trevon and me working on this thing, with a few extra hands it could have been better... I think.

The bullet points of the process...

The process of taking pictures lasted about 5 hours with a few breaks in there for the pregnant photographer with heartburn.
It consisted of me taking the pictures and then stepping backwards and Trevon stepping forwards. I did make an effort to keep him in the same place in the frame for most of it...
There are approximately 900 individual photos for the 2 minutes and 40 seconds of the video.
We shot it in the order we wanted the video to be played in for the most part, so editing was very minimal.
The pictures are at a rate between 5-10 frames per seconds, I would have liked it faster, but we were limited by the software we had available.

So, before you watch, keep in mind I am not a videographer, and I am a definite amateur at putting video/stop motion movies together.

Happy 50th Birthday Jeanette!

2011-03-14T15:30:00.000-06:00

This is the result of 10 extra minutes and a birthday happening on the same day... it is a rare occurrence, but the video makes me giggle, so I am glad we did it.

Jelly Bean

2011-02-18T10:40:00.000-07:00

This is the newest little jelly bean. She will join our family in about 19 weeks. She doesn't have a name yet, and probably won't until she is born. She has 10 little fingers and 10 little toes... and she is kicking the crap out of me from the inside.

Over on the Photo Blog

2011-02-07T15:40:00.001-07:00

Hey there... there is a new post that is over on my photo blog. Some times I double these up and use the same post on each, but it is more business than baby related, so I am not going to put it on here. If you are curious you can head on over and check it out.

http://coleenhauth.blogspot.com/2011/02/i-will-buy-you-some-adidas.html

The Force.

2011-02-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

You have probably seen this, unless you are not on Facebook, or you live under a rock of some sort and refuse to click video links... Either way, as the wife of a Star Wars lover I could not in good consciousness NOT share this.

For your viewing pleasure...

Good, right?!

Potty Training and Piggy Tails

2011-01-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

It is a very, very big day in our house! BIG, HUGE, GINORMOUS! And, according to Violet "wun-ner-ful"... which in Violet-ease means WONDERFUL!

We have not one, but count them, TWO potty trained children. AND, AND, AND! Can you feel the excitement here?! Violet has enough hair for Piggy Tails.

Like. I. said. BIG DAY!

well shoot...

2011-01-12T07:39:00.000-07:00

I lost our christmas cards this year. lost. them. I have no idea where they could have gone. I had them stuffed and ready to go, but then they disappeared, not kidding. Therefore, none of you got a Christmas card. It's nothing personal, I just suck at mailing things out. They generally get lost for 6 months and then I send it.

Then with all of the hullabaloo of family coming, present making, wrapping, work, life, cosmic forces working against me, I never even posted the card up here in a respectable amount of time. So now, for your viewing pleasure...

The lost Christmas Card of 2010...

The very late Halloween Post

2010-11-22T13:29:00.000-07:00

What can I say, I'm behind. We're having one of those weeks... and the working full time again is making me tired. It really is a lot physically. I forgot about that part.

Anyways. We started out Halloween week by going to a really cute little pumpkin patch up in Riverton. Once we got there, the girls bolted from the car and started racing up and down the rows of pumpkins.

The pumpkin patch had a corn maze and a collection of vintage tractors. I love tractors. The kids could not have cared less.

The Friday before Halloween Ava's school had a Halloween parade that all of the students did in the morning. That night was the ward party, we went trunk or treating. The kids had a BLAST; Trevon and I traded candy with the other moms so we could get the good stuff. (It's all about the Almond Joys on Halloween).

My beautiful Ava as Snow white.

Little Violet with her "Ezra"... they love each other.

Ava and her newest bestie Ellianna!

disgusting... gross... unthinkable... ugh!

2010-10-18T12:47:00.002-06:00

The morning started out like any other Monday in our house.

Ava and Violet generally wake up at the butt-crack of dawn then head down to the kitchen to fix themselves a bowl of cereal. My girls are independent in only a few areas of their little lives, but this is by far my favorite. It means that we get 20 more minutes of sleep in the morning. 20 amazingly, peaceful, and splendid extra minutes in my day. I frequently congratulate myself on the genius move of putting the cereal and bowls within reach of the kids, and also teaching Ava how to perform the task. GENIUS, I tell you!

What this 20 minutes also means, is that there is 20 minutes in the girls' day to do what they please. They don't really get into trouble, but they do occasionally spill, break, lose things in those minutes. Up until this morning I didn't care. It was all collateral damage in our quest for sleep.

On to the disgusting, gross, unthinkable, ugh!

Ava and Violet wake up and have their respectable bowls of Lucky Charms. I get up and get us all ready for the day. Pick out our clothes, brush hair, brush teeth, wash face, put in contacts... At 8:10 am we are all ready to go! I was standing in my bedroom talking to Trevon about whatever it is that felt important enough to wake him up to talk about when Ava comes in, real non-chalant.

Ava: Oh Mom, by the way... your contacts fell in the toilet this morning.

Me: Uhhhh.....

Ava: It happened while I was going pee.

Me: *Gobsmacked silence*

TREVON LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY

Me: Ava, was there still pee in the toilet when my contacts fell in?

(keep in mind the contacts are IN MY EYES at this point)

Ava: Yep. There was pee in there.

Me: *More stunned silence*

Ava: But, I went ahead and reached in and got them out. *proud look of accomplishment*

Me: Did you at least wash your hands really good afterwards?

Ava: Yep. I washed your contacts, too. YOU ARE WELCOME, MOM!

I am pretty sure I will have pink eye by dinner time. The End.

(picture snapped by Trevon)

2010-10-16T23:51:00.002-06:00

So Coleen's amazingness is finally rubbing off on me. She has finally taken me under her wing and we have embarked on a journey for me to become her second shooter. Anyone who knows Coleen knows that she is pretty awesome at everything she does so I was a little reluctant to share a hobby with her. Honestly my hobbies usually have consisted of some adrenaline rush so this is a nice change of pace with safer results and much more satisfaction. I am glad she was patient with my million questions as we did our little photo shoot with our amazingly cute models. (who believe it or not can be impossible to get to focus sometimes) Below you will find the first fruits of my labors. It was a lot of fun and now I can see how Coleen enjoys all this so much. One thing is for certain our children will have well documented childhoods.

"Ava taking a mental snapshot of Daddy's first day as a photographer"

Beauty and the Beast

2010-10-07T21:05:00.000-06:00

It has been a while since I have done a post on this blog... I figured it was time to do SOMETHING. Unfortunately I don't have a whole lot of news or super interested, funny things to say. Just some cute pictures of Violet (Ava was not in the mood to pose yesterday). So, enjoy the crazy baby... and Ava's back, because that's all she would give.

We bought Beauty and the Beast on Tuesday when it came out... It plays on repeat downstairs. Violet has commandeered the playroom TV to watch High School Musical 2 over and over and over. The baby loves the Summer song.

Violet saw the camera come out and she wanted in the action... I was just so grateful she would sit still I kept clicking away...

I couldn't get her to sit up for a while...

I love the little belly button peeking out under her cardi. So cute.

and then she was done with pictures... oh well...

Have I mentioned that Violet picks her own clothes now? Oh yeah, and she likes the bright stuff especially when paired with Hello Kitty Wellies!

Next post, I will get Ava to turn around for the picture. Well... I'm gonna try really really hard to get Ava to turn around.

Violent & Mayhem

2010-09-15T23:40:00.003-06:00

Violent and Mayhem, our kids... We should have named them something other than Ava Jane and Violet... Walker and Texas Ranger. (Did you catch that Ricky Bobby reference? No? Well my mom did, and that counts for something).

Every spring and fall I try to have pictures taken or shoot my own pro photos of our girls. Every year, some catastrophe happens days or minutes before to ruin the photo or not happen at all.

Case in point... When Trevon and I got married, Ava plummeted face first into a La-Z-Boy recliner and had a ginormous bruise across her forehead (Poor-head is what she calls it) and down her nose 2 days before the ceremony. Flash forward six months, Ava is jumping on a cot a day care that is only 4 inches from the ground, she catches on the edge and busts her lip up 1 week before Christmas pictures. She looked like Cindy Loo-Who from Whoville, oddly cute, but not photogenic. Six months later, one crazy fall on a date with Grandma and she has 8 stitches in her face. MOST RECENTLY... Ava gave herself a haircut. Rather, Ava gave herself a MULLET.

I wasn't kidding when I said "catastrophe"... my kids have a gift.

A few weeks ago I decided spur of the moment "We were doing pictures TO-DAY". It did not give them enough time to damage themselves, their clothes, or require medical attention of any kind. GENIUS I TELL YOU! Don't think just go!

The problem with that is, the baby, little Violet, needs to be prepped. "We are doing pictures. Are you going to smile for Mommy? I will give you treats if you are really, really good?" I feel like this must be something akin to psychiatrists having the craziest kids. Well this photographer has the worst posing, sitting, smiling at the camera kids. Ava can be bribed. Violet... well... you'll see.

Ava my beautiful girl, she hams it up like no other when there are skittles on the line...

ME: Violet, Baby, please look at the camera? I'll give you some CANDY! HER: no.

Please?! No.

So... we went somewhere else. Maybe it was the cows in the field. They can be distracting, you know.

Ava... *sigh of gratitude* perfect.

Violet?! no.

VIOLET! Sit next to Ava, take a picture with her?! no.

"Mom, yook-a-my bootie"... no.

One pose together... kind looks like prom (actually it is to restrain the baby)...

This is the one we settled on sending out... good enough (until next time).

Salt City 50 Show

2010-09-13T11:22:00.001-06:00

(Posted from ColeenHauth.Blogspot.com)

So my "post a day" plan totally went out the window this weekend. After the wedding I shot on Saturday I caught the Plague... okay. not the plague, it was more like a really mean flu. Either way, I was down for the count. Today is my first functioning day.

Friday night was SC50's showing of the top 25 photos in Utah. Trevon was really pumped to go. The whole way out he kept saying, "You're legit! You're totally legit now." I just kept repeating McHammer in my head... Too Legit to Quit, heeeey hey!

Once we got there I started to feel a little overwhelmed. I don't know why. Alright, I do know why. The photographs being shown were A-Freaking-Mazing. The people who took them were artists, not just photographers. It was a very strange sort of reality to be there with these amazing people and their work. I had that same feeling when I used to sneak into rated R movies in high school. It's the "BWAAAHAHA I JUST GOT AWAY WITH THAT" feeling. My first reaction to that feeling is run, before someone notices I'm there and I get in trouble (I get in trouble a lot, even as an adult). I almost hesitated in posting this up here. Almost. Trevon's first reaction is take a picture as proof.

Here's our proof...

Getting me to stand for a picture went something like this...

Trevon: Stand next to the dang picture and smile.

Me: No. Heck No.

Trevon: I've got the camera, I'm in charge.

Me: That's my line.

Trevon: Will you just shut up and stand there?!

Me: *indignant sign* No. Can we be done now?

Then we had dinner. The End.

Cadillac Ranch & Sunflowers

2010-09-08T20:13:00.002-06:00

I'm still here. A whole heap of photos to get edited this week and next! You'll see; they're awesome. I thought I would take a few minutes to throw up one more post from our road trip home from Texas. (I promise it will be the last... until I go back in two weeks to shoot a wedding. HA!)

I know I have mentioned it before, but I'll say it again... I love a good road trip. I like to stop at all of the tourist traps and buy posts cards and magnets. This year we stopped at the Cadillac Ranch... Twice. Originally it was supposed to be a 3 week art installation in the 70's, but it was so great, the farmer just left it up! Then the state purchased the land so it can stay there as long as the Cadillacs hold up. It was really amazing to see it in person. I was bummed that we did not buy any spray paint when we passed through Amarillo. For those of you who are planning on making this drive, exit around Hope & Helium on the Northwest side of Amarillo (right after Wildorado, yep it's the name of the town)... It is set really far from the road since they moved it because of road construction.

I liked watching people's method of painting. A lot more climbing than I would have guessed. (And I like her Perry the Platypus hat).

I also tried my hand at an infrared shot. I think I like it. After being in Utah a while surrounded by mountains it is always a little shocking once we get to Texas. The sky is so BIG! My mom rode with the girls and me on the way down. She was nice enough not to complain when I wanted to pull over and take pictures of a nearly empty field. (I make Trevon pull over pretty often, too, but he has to because I'm the wife, and I whine.)

Right outside of Cortez, CO... I think it was called Dove Creek, the farmers grow sunflowers. GIANT SUNFLOWERS! Bigger than your face. It made we want to start quoting all kinds of movies about flowers, fields, farms... Which lead to me doing lines from Wizard of Oz and You've Got Mail. I know, wrong flower on both accounts, but if you had been there you would understand.

And I want to mention, Dove Creek has a store called The Beanery (my name growing up wasBeaner)... so I think it is my town. I mean, half the shops are named after me.

Oh, and one picture of the family. Just for good measure.

We interrupt this regular broadcast...

2010-09-02T13:14:00.004-06:00

So, some of you may be privy to the knowledge that BOTH Trevon and I were laid off within a few days of each other. We were working for two totally different companies, doing totally different jobs. Amazing right? Laid off in the same 7 day period. NOT. COOL.

I went down first... you can call me clay pigeon numero uno. ha-ha. Of course, I panicked! What else is a girl supposed to do? I'd never been laid off or fired from anything in my life. Then Trevon (I sure do love him) my husband and the voice of reason consoled me. "Everything will be fine". "I still have a job". (HINDSIGHT!) "You have been wanting to take your photography to the next level". "We will make it work"... and on and on and on... because let's face it, I'm a wee bit dramatic when things don't go according to plan.

*Let me just state for the record* I am not mad about being laid off, warning would have been nice, but I understand the decision that was made and completely respect it.

A week later... Trevon went down. Clay pigeon numero dos. It was my turn to console. "We'll be fine". "They're all 'tards there anyways". (yeah, I said it...) "We will just roll with it... it's what we do!" Sometimes I like to pretend I can just go with the flow, but Trev knows better.

We both started applying for jobs like mad men (women). Neither of us was very partial to what we did as long as it was a steady income.

By some stroke of luck, I found an opening for a freelance photographer at a place called Bella Baby Photography. I applied, knowing that I was a long shot. My photographer's resume isn't all that extensive. I don't suck, but on paper I'm not exactly a rockstar.

Guess what. I GOT THE JOB ANYWAYS! Because as it turns out, I'm totally a rockstar!

So starting in October I will go to hospitals and take pictures of brand new babies! I am stoked, it's an amazing job with flexible hours. I will still do my freelance stuff, they don't make you give up your business whatsoever. I can go to work and Trevon can stay home with the girls when he is not at school and concentrate on his senior year! Get that 4.0 we all know he is capable of.

What this also means is... I have to get shots. like a lot of them. aaaand get tested for TB. I don't remember the last set of vaccines I got. I know I had the whooping cough vaccine while I was in the hospital with Violet. So, I'm nervous about that... terrified about that. eeshk. BUT I GOT A JOB and things are looking up around here. BE HAPPY WITH ME!

When in Rome... okay. Texas...

2010-08-31T14:17:00.006-06:00

While we were in Texas, the Hauth's/Wales/Bishops all went to lunch together at a new to us place called Chuy's. They just opened up a new branch in Plano right next to Tinseltown.

Okay, let me just say, we are seriously deprived of good mexican food here in Utah. It's big drawback for us. One of the main reasons we are always thinking about moving back to Texas. (Is that bad? We want to move because of food?)

More to the point... I loved Chuy's (so did Trev). I was sold the minute we walked in the door.

In every Chuy's there is a SHRINE TO ELVIS. Love me tender, baby!

Fish on the ceiling and stars on the floor.

A whole room of hubcaps. It reminds me of "Clarissa Explains it All". Do you remember that show? No, just me? It was my fave. She had a hubcap collection.

Oh Yeah, and the food freaking ROCKS! I have no pictures of it... I didn't even take time to breath when I ate it.

We got to spend time with the family, too.

Violet getting lovin's from Grandma.

This is Marcus, Jill and Jeff's boy. He makes me baby hungry. (Not in the Modest Proposal kind of way...) But in the "I'm ready for a third, fourth, fifth, tenth" kind of way.

I think Bryan is savoring his enchilada, or going to his happy place... it was loud, Bryan is not.

Two thumbs up for Chuy's! We'll be going back there for sure (although I will always be loyal to La Hacienda.)

Dallas Farmer's Market

2010-08-27T00:40:00.002-06:00

While we were in Texas for the few short days, we made SURE to hit the Dallas Farmer's Market. It is one of my most favorite places in the city. I love the food, the sampling, the people... I will even tolerate 100 degree heat for a trip to the Farmer's Market.

I don't know why I thought the peaches sign was funny at that particular moment. I think I may have been dehydrated... ok, I still think it is a little funny.

Violet loves and good beefsteak tomato with salt and pepper. They are divine from this particular stand (Tow-Maters).

Ava needed a little break... poor kid isn't cut out for the Texas heat anymore.

When at the Dallas Farmer's Market it is AB-SO-LUTE-LY REQUIRED to stop and get a cup of Paul's Roasted Corn... This is Paul and his corn. It is life changing. I never recovered after the first cup; I've been off corn from the can ever since.

Once you have had your roasted corn, it may be necessary to head into the pavilions, which are now AIR CONDITIONED! by these bad boys...

Oh my. This man's cookies. First I coveted his hat from afar, then it was his table cloth (vintage 60's floral)... now it's his cookies. Go find him in the pavilion. It's Love & Cookies.

He stopped us with a magic trick, then kept us there with Balsamic Vinegar. It didn't have any bitterness... it was almost like syrup. Too bad we were done with our spending that day. (I always get Round Rock Honey. Oh Em Gee.)

So... all in all, a very successful trip to the Farmer's market. Can't get enough. I highly recommend it.

Salt City 50

2010-08-26T00:57:00.002-06:00

So, if you are friends or a fan on Facebook, you may have seen that one of my photos was selected for Utah's 25 best photographs. I am pretty excited! Okay, I am BEYOND excited. I am giddy to the point that Trevon is going to make me sleep in the bath tub because I won't shut up. The point is we needed some good news in our house, and this was definitely it.

This is the photo that made it happen:

Unfortunately since this photo was taken the house has been vandalized even more, I am sure it is minutes from being condemned. I know. Punk teenagers and their stupid neon spray paint.

Trevon and I are planning a big date night to go up to the exhibition on September 10th. The photos are being shown in conjunction with the Broadway and Opera night under the stars at the Galivan Center.

We are ready to get cultured. (Don't laugh, I mean it!)

Centennial Post!

2010-08-24T01:23:00.004-06:00

This happens to be our 100th post on this blog. It's pretty funny to look back and see the ways our little family has changed in the past few years.

I thought of doing an homage to this particular branch of the Hauth clan, but that seemed like A LOT of work. So instead I will just follow through with a post that was promised weeks ago.

The girls' birthday party!!

The party was Mickey Mouse themed. Violet luuuuurves Mickey (it was her third word, right after Mom and Dad). It was so hot out the frosting started melting and sliding off the cupcakes. It was a sticky mess, but the kids could not have cared less.

We had a bounce house again this year. It was even more fun because the kids were a little older and able to appreciate the AWESOME-NESS of it!

We had a pinata again this year, too! Unfortunately the grown ups did not get a chance to take a whack at it. Ava was really proficient with a bat. I was impressed.

Violet even found a minute to be nice to Paul. (We should all be nicer to Paul, but he is so much fun to tease). Just kidding, we love Paul and Jannet in this house!

Here are some pictures... just for good measure.

Someone got their hand into a cupcake without their mommy noticing...

He really, really, really enjoyed it.

Ava, rockin' the mullet. "SHAKE AND BAKE"

Oh the DMV

2010-08-16T09:49:00.000-06:00

Waiting in the slowest, most boring line known the man kind. (none of those feet are mine. Obviously.)

It's good to be back.

2010-08-11T13:48:00.000-06:00

Cadillac Ranch

2010-08-11T13:46:00.001-06:00

We've made it to Texas. Our first stop in the state was the Cadillac Ranch. It was well worth the 30 minutes added. We met a very nice man from Paris who spoke no English but we got him to take a picture of us anyways. I will post more later.

Mandatory pit stop

2010-08-11T09:56:00.001-06:00

Leaving Albuquerque. But the customary firework/mayhem inducing stop was in order.

Albuquerque...

2010-08-10T21:16:00.000-06:00

We're checked in. Navajo tacos have been consumed. Ava has tried charming an elevator full of grown men. (Yeah, we're in trouble with her).

In Moab now...

2010-08-10T11:48:00.000-06:00

We're making okay time, but we have had to stop every hour for Avanator (world's smallest bladder).

On the road again...

2010-08-10T10:05:00.000-06:00

Green River. Next stop Moab.

oh MAAAN!

2010-08-04T19:22:00.002-06:00

The girls had their birthday party last night... there will be more to come. For now, I leave you this video. Violet really likes to blow out the birthday candles!

Violent Two's

2010-07-30T14:48:00.006-06:00

Yesterday was little Violet's 2nd birthday (or Violent as she is known by most).

She is a comedian, brute, tank, cuddle baby, lovey girl, and dare devil. Violet loves Ava more than anyone. When Ava goes to kindergarten in a few weeks, we are going to have a very sad little baby on our hands for the 4 hours she is away.

She is very curious and gets herself stuck in lots of places when she tries to get a better look... like the outside of the stair railing (you know the 3 inches that sticks out past the banister). Under the entertainment center... and between heavy objects.

She likes to "do hair"... it's painful when she decides she wants to do mine. The Easter Bunny brought her a My Little Pony to try and deflect some her creative energy from my head.

We are all really excited to see what she is going to do next. There is really no telling...

The last pineapple tidbit...

2010-07-25T17:41:00.003-06:00

So this is the last little tid bit of new things going on in our house. I am now an official contributor to Sew Mama Sew! I have been reading the blog for about a year and have learned a ton from it. About a month ago they sent out a "casting call" for pattern reviewers. I emailed and they picked me *glowing*.

Anyways, I got my pattern, posted my review and it is there for you ALL to see!

Intro: http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=9130 (there is a shout out to Aunt Jannett in there)
Review: http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=9128

If you ain't first, you're last... SHAKE AND BAKE!

2010-07-18T23:02:00.004-06:00

Thanks for being patient while I got my act together this week. I have been struggling with a lot of unnecessary crap. (you can read about some of it here). I am chalking it up to being better than I was before. Really, who would target me if I wasn't some sort of threat, right? Well, even if that isn't the case it still makes me feel a little better.

Now! On to the gooooood stuff! After many months of hemming and hawing over what to do about the Indie Pindie site; I decided not to renew the domain... try to streamline my life a little. Make the side business a little smoother. Since I made that decision I have been working on a brand new website! Yep, blood, sweat, and tears went into it's creation... okay maybe not all of that, but I DEFINITELY felt like crying at some points. I am happy to say I survived the complicated and pain the arse process of building the site, buying the domain, finding a decent hosting service, and launching it.

For your viewing P-L-E-A-S-U-R-E....

www.ColeenHauthPhotography.com

I will still post updates to the blog I set up as well. And, if you have ever done pictures with me you may see yourself on the website!

There is one more thing I want to show all of you... but it has to wait a few more days. It isn't as exciting as the website, well probably not you. I am pretty pumped about it though.

Here's a picture, because no post is complete without one.

Rebel Yell...

2010-07-14T20:22:00.005-06:00

Okay, I know I promised a post to update you on what's going on in our household. It's still coming... but I feel like I could not deprive you of our oldest child's self expression.

She cut her own hair. I cried.

So it goes like this.

I got a phone call from one of our friends asking if Ava wanted to go splash around with them at Bridal Veil Falls this afternoon. Knowing that Ava was upstairs, not napping as she should have been, I said Yes. She had been really good this weekend (as good as a 4 year old can be) and I thought she could use some time away from Mommy. (We do spend almost every waking moment together).

So I got some play clothes together and went upstairs to get her up from her nap and ready to go play. I open the door and there she is sitting in the middle of the playroom pulling her bangs. (trying to make them longer I guess).

Me: AVA!!!!!! WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR HAIR?!!!

Ava: *Shocked Silence*

Me: What. Happened. to your. Hair?

Ava: *whimpers a little* It fell out...

Me: WHY ARE YOU LYING? AVA! WHERE ARE THE SCISSORS?! WHERE DID YOU GET THEM FROM?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?! Where. Are. The. Scissors?

Ava: I stole them from your sewing table.

Me: When?

Ava: When I was supposed to be napping... *crocodile tears*

So then I got her ready to go out with her friend and out of the house. It was really for her own safety.

Now the reason this really sucks, the child is in a WEDDING in 4 weeks. A week after that, she starts kindergarten. My poor baby is going to start school with super short hair. *sigh* It doesn't sound like it is the end of the world, but at 2:30 this afternoon it really felt like it.

oh well. Now for the photographic evidence that will be presented on her wedding day.

more to come...

2010-07-06T23:26:00.005-06:00

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July! We sure did... I have to write up a REAL post very soon. There are lots of exciting things going on here. shortly very shortly, I will let you be a part of it! (I promise)... no it is not a baby, so get that out of your head right this minute.

Jesus and the Lone Star State

2010-06-29T22:04:00.005-06:00

Here is a little scene from Ava's primary class:

Teacher: Okay Class, how do you know Jesus loves you?

Ava jumps up out of her seat very enthusiastically...

Ava: BECAUSE HE MADE TEXAS!

The End.

*Swelling with Mommy pride... and a little Texas pride*

Kimono Dress

2010-06-26T21:27:00.003-06:00

... I made myself something pretty... I even wore it out of the house. and got compliments on it.

Next up... the girls' 4th of July dresses. I made up a pattern, get pumped. If the bodice ever fits together correctly it will be awesome.

Indie Pindie - No More

2010-06-26T21:20:00.004-06:00

Well. The day has come, my Indie Pindie Photo website is coming down.

I AM NOT QUITTING PHOTOGRAPHY.

I'm just moving. You know how fond of moving I am... we do it so often.

Anyways, the website is in production. I am about 80% of the way done with it. For the time being you can follow my other blog (it's new) here... It'll tell you all about the move.

Herding Cats

2010-06-23T01:09:00.010-06:00

OR, Ava's Dance Recital! Okay, so the video we got (which will not upload) is not from the actual recital. On that night I was running around backstage trying to help the girls and company. It was a little frustrating; I wish they were better organized so that us moms could have sat and watched our kids perform. I mean, we shell out quite a chunk of change to see the girl get up on stage and spin her little heart out, but I would have liked to sit and watch it. *stepping off the soap box now*

Which brings me to my next point. AVA GOT ON THE STAGE! It was the miracle to end all miracles. We achieved it through a few angles... 1. She could not let her friends down. 2. Her bestie Katelyn was doing it, so she did not want to be left out. 3. She got to wear Mommy's makeup. Even the mascara. Let's just say, this girl thinks she is INVINCIBLE when she has on a little blush and eyeshadow. When she hits 13, we are in so much freaking trouble.

The following photos are from the recital in the prep room... the video we took at Summerfest is being obstinate. One day when it decides to be my friend. I will put it up.

takesies backsies

2010-06-17T12:10:00.002-06:00

I take it back... this will fix the funk.

Now who wants to give me $1500 for a pet deposit?? jk.

mean reds...

2010-06-17T11:46:00.003-06:00

We're in a funk. ok. not we. I am in a funk. Do you ever have those days, weeks, months? I have been in it for the past month or so. No idea why, just am. Maybe it was the not so stellar birthday, or boredom, or maybe it's because I have a screaming baby in my lap 80% of the time.

Any solutions out there? I feel like a road trip might fix it. Where to go? Suggestions?

so recap... 1. Solutions for the funk from you. 2. Suggestions on where to drive (not Texas, Mom. I will be back in August). okay. that is all.

Hold me closer Tony Danza

2010-05-28T23:22:00.002-06:00

Only you Friends fans will understand this post title. Have I mentioned that I am listening to the Queen radio station on Pandora. 'Splains a lot doesn't it?

Ava's very first dance recital is coming up next Friday. She is already a little nervous about it. I don't know the best approach with her on this front yet. We have tried bribery, bullying (yes, I will openly admit I tried to bully my kid into trying something new), shaming (another I will admit; it goes something like "Look, Mel is only 2 and she is getting up on stage. You're a big girl, you shouldn't be scared!"), and prep time. I keep telling her all about the dance recital and how she has a partner so she will HAVE to go on stage because she can't let Alyssa down.

So far we are 0 for 2 on getting Ava to try new things in front of people. I will keep you informed on how Friday goes. There's a good chance we sunk a couple hundred dollars in dance fees and costumes for Ava and Violet to have new dress up clothes.

Anyways, for you grandmas who are not in town and probably won't make it to the recital here are a few pictures and videos from Monday morning dance classes!

Maaamaaaa!

2010-05-28T22:35:00.006-06:00

(the title is from the Queen song - Bohemian Rhapsody, you know it... maaaammaaa ooooh oh oh oooooh!!!) Anyways, this is my very belated Mother's day post.

On the Saturday before Mother's Day Nate and Heather were gracious enough to invite us along on a picnic at South Fork in the canyon. We had so much fun with them! They did not let us bring anything since it was Mother's day. Normally I disobey anytime someone tells me No, but I abstained since technically we were crashing Jannet's Mother's Day. (Now you know where my girls get it from, I can't publicly blame it on Trevon... I've put the truth out there). We had really yummy chicken salad sandwiches and Heather's amazing cookies. A-MAZING! The woman can give Paula Deen a run for her money. I wake up at night thinking about her chocolate chip cookies. And I don't even like cookies all that much.

Jannet had her first adventure in the Canyon after the spine surgery. I am always happy to have her and Paul as company, they're the best! Paul reminds me of Uncle Pat quite a bit, they have the same sense of humor. Jannet was a delight (she always is, even when she says she's cranky). I am so thankful for my Utah mom.

Violet's new favorite person is Nate, because he does not say, "No". She tried for hours, and I do mean HOURS to jump face first into the freezing river. Trevon took her on a few walks beside it and held on to her chubby hand the whole time, because the minute he let go she was going to lunge. Finally Nate came to the rescue and dangled her by her ankles (okay, not by her ankles, even though it would have been funny) to let her dunk her hands in the river. She went back to him over and over and over until we finally left the canyon. The baby is water obsessed.

Now on to pictures. I don't have time to edit these a whole bunch... so you are just going to have to like them they way they are.

Uncle Paul taking a nap...

Violet working on Nate for another trip to the river

She succeeded.

Paul and Jannet, aren't they cute?

My girls. *AAAWWWE*

A Merrill family production

Ava taking a turn in the river, because she has to do it if her baby sister does it.

Violet is our resident seagull, notice her mouthful of Heather's sandwich...

THANKS AGAIN NATE AND HEATHER FOR A GREAT MOTHER'S DAY!

Bear Lake

2010-04-29T16:44:00.006-06:00

We went to Bear Lake this past weekend for a little bit of family time. It was going to be the last weekend we had Trevon to ourselves until September. His insane work weeks started on monday. He leaves the house between 8:30 and 9:00 am and then we don't see him again until 9:00 pm. It definitely isn't easy for any of us, but I was more prepared for it this season than last. Plus, the girls and I have friends now, so when he isn't here we party!

Anyways, more to the point. BEAR LAKE! We went with our good friends, the Wills.

They have the CUTEST little boy, Fin. I luuuurve him. So do Ava and Violet, who can't say Fin, she calls him FUN! It seems like a good fit. We went swimming, ate junk food, played cards, and just vegged out all weekend. I am very glad we went.

The whole way up Ava was very concerned about the bear population in bear lake. "Mom, are the bears going to get in? Are we going to get eaten? Are the bears nice?"--We didn't actually see any bears, but we did see quite a few deer just hanging out.

The day we went swimming, Violet was a MANIAC. She would climb out of the pool to run around the other side and jump in where we could not reach her. Talk about working up a sweat of terror. Any time we were holding her in the pool she would push off of us and try to get away... in the deep end.

Now for pictures! It felt very appropriate to have them in polaroid form. Garden City was a teeny town frozen in time. There really isn't much out there; we did all shopping at the KOA. But, they are famous for their raspberries so of course we had to get some RASPBERRY SALSA! okay... pictures!

We stayed in the buildings down on the left.

Hey There cowboy...

Oh... you already have a lady friend...

Hello Wyoming!

Wyoming... you are weird. But, we like you anyways.

Deer Valley... on the way home.

law of averages...

2010-04-29T10:51:00.004-06:00

Okay, so I have been averaging 1 post a month for the past year. pathetic. This is an effort to bump it up to TWO a month! I know, I set my sights high. So. now on to the informative post! alright... maybe it won't be informative, but it's more than you normally get out of me.

I realize that I never posted anything from Easter, so here are a few pictures of the festivities.

I love Violet's face! It was her first taste of Cadbury Egg.

Ava rockin' her new Beatles shirt. She looks so good!

MY LITTLE POOOOONY!!!!

SIDE WALK CHALK!

Violet getting her first sight of the Easter Egg Hunt!

The first egg found.

Violet enjoying her spoils of the day. Ava was so good, she helped Violet find the same amount of eggs as her. I love Ava for that. She is just so dang sweet to Violet.

Ava pounding a Cadbury egg. The face is priceless. I see many boyfriends in the future getting a glimpse of this picture. Not my doing, but Trevon is taking notes.

okay. I feel accomplished today! Don't you? next on the Agenda... (or blog) BEAR LAKE WEEKEND!

Get by with a little help from my friends...

2010-04-05T22:50:00.000-06:00

It has been a good long while since we have put new pictures of the girls on here. I am "okay" at getting them up on Facebook, but seriously... I have been a slacker on this thing. So, this is a little series I shot at the playground the other day.

Violet wanted to get up the slide so desperately, but she did not want to go up the stairs because she is my child and that would be waaaaay to easy!

She saw all of the big kids going up the slide...

The she gave it a shot... such determination.

Almost there...

... so sad...

Violet left to contemplate her future slide endeavors...

AAAAND SHE'S BACK! Look at her grip the pacifier in her teeth... she's fierce.

Ava Jane noticed Violet's struggle and came to her rescue with Benson...

Ava's bestie, Katelyn, brought up the rear.

Almost had another close call, but Katelyn was there for the save...

Violet enjoying the spoils of sweet success!!

Things are good

2010-03-08T22:58:00.001-07:00

I know it has been a while since I have posted anything but I felt it was time. Life is still treating us very well. Coleen is still working hard and her photography is going so well, she is so dedicated it is awesome to see her develop her talents so quickly. She got a new camera this week and we are excited to see all that she can do with it. I am amazed at all that she can do in a day while handling our kids. Ava still acts like she is 30 years old, attitude and all. It is really hard to believe she is only 4. Her ballet class is going well and she practices the fun parts at home, it is one of the cutest things ever. She still amazes me at how well she is able to get along with Violet. She is showing great maturity in sharing and we have very little conflicts, we feel so very blessed. Violet is getting more and more crazy, and her head seems to attract the floor or any other object that might cause pain. She is so active and so fearless Coleen and I have a heart attack every time she is on the move. Her speech is coming along and it is fun to watch her vocabulary grow. We are loving the space of our new home and feel like this is the place we need to be for now. I hope this was a worth while update, I am sure the next one will include pictures and videos.

Short Update

2010-02-04T11:24:00.001-07:00

The move had gone really well! We are all loving the new place. Instead of an office/sewing room in this place the girls got their very own playroom. We keep all of the toys upstairs and at the end of the day, I can just shut the door on the mess. My sanity has already improved! Although, Violet likes to bring her busy ball popper everywhere, especially down the stairs where it makes EXTRA noise! This is the living room, the "office" portion and then the regular stuff. I have done a little redecorating, too. I ended up selling a bunch of the old stuff on Craigslist to buy new things! Do you like the angle of these? Me too, I have a fish eye on loan for a wedding/bridals I am doing this week at the state capital.

Also, I won a little prize on one of the blogs I subscribe to! So exciting, you can check out Kojo Designs here. It definitely made my day. The last few are just pictures of the kids... How to tell if your 4 year old is sick of taking pictures...

Then Violet copied...

Okay, that's it. I have to get ready to head up to SLC for a photo shoot!

Lots of changes Max... Lots of changes

2010-01-12T00:11:00.000-07:00

Oh my, where to begin... I guess this is what happens when you don't update the blog for a month... (or two).

Thanksgiving was f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c! We did nothing. It was great doing nothing all day long. Then, at the end of the day, we went out to eat for our turkey dinner. Yes, we were those people that everyone loooves to hate. The ones who go out to dinner on holidays instead of staying in and cooking a proper meal. psh. overrated. We went to Cracker Barrel. We had a smorgasbord of sides and chicken fried steak! No turkey for this family on Thanksgiving. And that wraps up November! (It's a glamorous life... don't be jealous).

December was GREAT! We celebrated Christmas Eve with our Neighbors, Trevor and Colette... we have name twins in the world. My mom swears we are the evil twins of the group through. (She might be right.) We also went as a big group to Temple Square to see all of the lights. It was AAAAMAZING! Here are a few pictures from that excursion.

Christmas was so fun this year now that Violet was aware of the presents and the mayhem to be had on Christmas morning. Ava prayed for big girl makeup and a Crayola Crayon Maker... She only got half of that one. What kind of 4 year old needs a little under eye coverage?? Violet cleaned up and got a new baby stroller, Santa was well aware of the ongoing battle in our home over the 1 stroller that was claimed by Ava. So now Violet has her own but in pink. She likes to put all of her favorite toys in it (1 ball, a few chewed crayons, and the penguin) then push it out to the kitchen and dump it over. good fun. Here are a few from Christmas!

This is the girls skype-ing with Gigi while the open their presents.

OOOOH! Good story! So, we start dividing up the presents from grandparents so we can all skype while we open them. Trevon picks up a present from one unnamed Grandma and we notice that there is something metal sticking out the bottom of the package. Behold... GRANDMA'S SCISSORS!! She accidentally wrapped them in Violet's present :) and I got a new nicer pair of scissors out of the deal. bwaaahahaha!

These are the lockets I made the girls for Christmas. Aren't they pretty?
Our Christmas family picture!

Trevon got me a gag gift for Christmas... a used bowling ball from the BYU Bowling Alley. That boy is fuuuuulllllll of JOKES.

Now onto the changes...
WE'RE MOVING! Yes, we're moving again. Don't worry though, we are planning to stay at this place a little longer than just a few months or our friends will disown us for asking for the help again (this is move #3 in about a year). Trevon and I decided that it is time to NOT be apartment managers anymore. I have not sat down to an uninterrupted meal with the family in months or gone a whole day with out some emergency or another. The Westwood basically owns me and my life. All in all, we decided that the benefits of cheap rent no longer out weigh either of our sanity. We're really excited about the place we are moving, it has a crap load more space and a big fat kitchen! I will post pictures as soon as there are pictures to be had. promise. eventually... okay, maybe not. I never even got the pictures up of this place and we have been here since May.

(did anyone catch the title of this post... it's from dirty dancing... which I watched a few times last week, since it was such a craptastic one. Patrick Swayze fixes everything <3)

Photo time in Texas

2009-11-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

Okay... post number 2 of the Texas trip, incredibly late, but we have been battling some freak flu virus around here that would NOT go away. We ended up taking Ava to the doctor on Monday (last week) because she was getting progressively worse as the day went on. When we finally got in they took her temperature and I kid you not... the girl was running a 105.1 degree fever!! The nurse said it was a new high record in the office. Then on Tuesday she complained of body aches, so we laid her down for a nap and when she came back out she had a rash from her eye brows down to the bottoms of her feet. !!!! I know. I was down for a total of 5 days. Because having a sick kid and a healthy 1 year old is not punishment enough, I got the plague right along with Ava. During "death week" as I now affectionately call it, Violet colored on the walls, colored on our bed sheets and colored on herself without me noticing in the course of a few short hours... the beauty of being sick.

Any ways... the point of the post... while I was down south, I did make some time to take pictures of family. Here is a little sneak peek at what I did.

The Costa Family

Madysen Hauth

The Hauth Grandkids

Kaden is just so sad in this one, but I am a mean mom, and it made me laugh when I saw it...

I know... no soul. meh.

(Violet and Jeremy had to be separated... they're mean to each other)

And what a journey it was...

2009-10-20T01:34:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I have been a little slackerish in the update department. Yes, slackerish... I swear it's a word in Utah. Just kidding... So, I am going to post a bit about our trip to Texas!

We were gone from home a total of 10 days, which is a really really really long time with a 4 and 1 year old, let me just clarify that now. I am not saying it was a bad trip by any means, but seriously, we will never do that again. At least not with small children who enjoy the comforts of home!

My mom flew in from Texas to come drive with me and the girls back. Oh yeah, did I mention that Trevon was not with me for 7 of the 10 days? Yet ANOTHER thing that we will not be doing again...

The drive was really not that bad, at least the first day wasn't... the second day felt like it would never end. We hit a storm outside of Amarillo that stretched all the way to Wichita. Because of it, we missed the Cadillac Ranch, so I was extra bummed. A few pictures from the road...

(storm)

(Not the storm)

(I just really like Grain Silos...)

So, we made it in safe and sound, obviously. Saturday was Charlotte & Chase's wedding (Hooray for the Baxters). Which was awesome, I got to see a bunch of coworkers that I had not seen in almost a year.

Apart from the wedding, the rest of the time was just spent with family. Trevon made the trip out at the end of the week for THE STATE FAIR!!

Oh how we missed the state fair. Being there made me miss Texas just a little. We had gone to the Utah fair 2 weeks before, and it could not compare... there was no Big Tex or even a car show. And definitely not the creepiest parade on the planet (Texas has the scariest/slummiest looking clowns I have ever seen.)

This year we ate:

Country Fried Bacon

Texas Tornado Taters

Fletcher's Corn Dogs - Original & Jalapeno Cheddar

Chicken and Cheddar Stuffed Jalapenos

Fried Peaches and Cream (oh, it was good. probably one of my all time favorites)

and to end the day... Fried Moon Pies

We were in line for the butter, but once we got there after all that I had eaten, I was almost positive that we would have puked after Grape/Cherry/Original fried butter. There really was just no way around it.

Pictures from the fair!...

Ava being read the right act about running away in a public place... it worked, for the most part.

Buying our way into fried food heaven.

This is Violet trying to chew herself free of the "Please return my kid in one piece bracelet"

Everyone enjoying some shared Turkey Legs

Violet, taking a break from life in the stroller.

Howdy, bienvenidos a la Tejas State fair! (Tex speaks spanish now)

FRIED PEACHES AND CREAM!

We were soooo close, but we opted for something else at that booth... the vomit thing just couldn't go away.

I had never seen the awards they give out to the booths until this year... cute huh?!

okay... this is all I can do today. I think I will try to post more tomorrow.. maybe. as long as the apartment complex stays half way sane for a few hours (it's asking a lot of this place).

Hauth Invasion

2009-09-06T00:50:00.000-06:00

So, Trevon and I got sealed on our anniversary last month. It was so nice, exactly what I hoped/expected/shot for. I don't have pictures of it yet, the lovely Betty Tolman is editing them, so soon I will post. But, with the sealing come the Hauth family, who we had not seen (with the exception of Jeanette) for almost 9 months! Ava was so pumped to have all of her cousins here. They got along much better now that they are a little older. Violet and Jeremy are two little peas in a pod. Even though they never really got to know each other, their behavior, and sounds, and even the shapes of their little bald heads are soooo much alike. Anyways, these are a few (okay way more than a few) pictures from the visit.

The Spongiest Birthday Ever

2009-09-01T08:37:00.000-06:00

Next up in the "Catch Up" blog series...

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!

The girls had a wonderful and fabulously Sponge Bob birthday party. Ava is way into it right now, almost as much as she is into musicals, but alas, they do not make Mamma Mia party favors. It's hard being 4 some times... can't always get what you want.

Trevon was able to acquire a most amazing hot pink bounce house from work. The girls went C-R-A-Z-Y in it... Beth and I took a little spin, too while they played with their bubble wands.

That picture happens to be one of my favorite, just because you can see how hard Ava is straining to get some height off that jump. She did really well, I couldn't even keep her in the frame.

Violet chased bubbles. She could not figure out why in the world she couldn't pick them up off the grass once they landed. It didn't frustrate her, she just kept on trying.

Why, you may ask, is Violet in her diaper at her own birthday party?? Well... those were taken after this!

Then there was the pinata. This year Ava had no qualms about smashing the crap out of it. *Flash back to last year's party "Mom, ARE THEY GOING TO HIT THE HORSE?!!!" Then her look of horror* And, since the girls were not going to be able to break Sponge Bob by themselves, all of the grown ups got to take a swing or two.

And a few more pictures of our guests, because we like them :)

Whip It

2009-08-29T15:51:00.000-06:00

Is anyone else freaking pumped about this movie?!

No?

Oh well... your loss. 'Cause I'm excited.

All about Ava Jane

2009-08-27T13:26:00.000-06:00

So as promised, this is the first of the promised posts... All about Ava!

Ava Jane is now 4 years old, and is quite the helper/big girl/painter/bike rider/singer/dancer and everything else a 4 year should be.

Favorite Color: Pink and Purple (of course)

Favorite Movies: Aladdin, Mamma Mia, Sound of Music (which she sings really well!)

Favorite Activities: Playing Dress Up, coloring, playing at the playground, shopping (she requests trips to the mall and Ikea)

Favorite TV Show: Sponge Bob Square Pants

Best Friend: This week she would say her cousins, but most of the time it is Caitlin across the hall or Grace, who is our good friends' niece

Favorite Snack: Popcorn

Favorite Foods: Pasta, Cheeseburgers, Pizza

So that is pretty much Ava! She is so cute and getting to be such a big girl. We only have one more year until she starts kindergarden. How crazy is that?

Every day Ava walks around the house singing and starts off her day with a good amount of cartoons and coloring. She loves to help with her little sister. In fact, that is our biggest fight... It goes like this...

me: Ava, don't give you sister toothpaste

her: Mom, it's okay, I cleaned off the tube

me: Ava, I am her mom and I said No

her: But mom, I said yes...

me: AVA! I AM THE MOM!

her: It's okay mom, I said yes

Me: Ava, who is the mom?

Her: You are...

Me: And you are?

Her: The kid

Me: ok. good.

Her: BUT MOM, I SAID YES! And I am the BIG SISTER!

it's better than her wanting to kill her sister. haha!

She has learned how to sew recently, too. She get a fabric square (which she calls fav-rick) and yarn needle since they are really big and some hot pink yarn to practice with. I can't wait until she is old enough that I can teach her how to use my machine or pass down the one I am using now :).

Ava is so stinkin' smart. I know, everyone thinks their kids are smart, but seriously. My kid is unbelievable. It is like talking to a little grown up. A lot of the time I forget that she is only 4 and has 4 year old reasoning skills because of the way she talks. I am going to be in some real trouble when she hits 13.

And, just for good measure a video of Ava. This is from Easter when she was only 2 :) you can see how smart she was even then.

I.O.U. Blogger

2009-08-25T00:28:00.000-06:00

So, this is the list of entries that I still owe this blog. Hopefully by writing this list I will be more accountable for it... (hopefully...)

~~1. Ava's special entry just about her~~
~~2. The Birthday Party~~
3. Updated Apartment
4. Anniversary (happy 2 years to us)
5. Our sealing, yep that's right we are getting sealed in about 10 hours, and I am still up making little flowers for my girl's hair. obsessive compulsive much??

You're Turning Violet, Violet!

2009-07-29T09:27:00.000-06:00

Does it feel colder where you are? It should, because hell froze... two entries in one week!

I tried to get this post up today, but due to a mystery illness, I spent most the day sick as a dog. anyways... on to the good stuff.

Happy First Birthday to the baby of our family!!!

Isn't it exciting?! Okay, maybe not for you, but it definitely is for us! Violet has survived the first year, which is no small feat. She is nuts. And, since yesterday marked the day of her birth, the post is going to be all about VIOLET! (Survey Style)

Name: Violet Noelle Hauth

Age: 1 Year Old

Favorite Color: None, but she does prefer to eat the orange crayons when she can.

Favorite Activity: Climbing, Destroying, Pulling Ava's Hair, Eating Paper/Crayons, Running (yep, running and jumping on her first birthday... we are sooooo in trouble). Escaping!

(This is Violet when she wiggled out of her car seat...
about the time we decided to put her in a forward facing seat)

Best Friend: Ava! When we are at the store and Ava is out of her line of sight Violet calls for her "Aya, Aya, AAAAAAYAAA!"

Favorite TV Show: Yo Gabba Gabba, she sits still for like 5 whole seconds to watch, then goes back demolishing, torturing, climbing, doing whatever it was she should not have been doing before.

Violet has 12 teeth now! and she is a biter. She will act like she is about to hug or lean on you and then she will go for the kill. It is really funny, like a little pit bull.

What else about Violet?? Well, to start out she is a sippy stealer! Ava is constantly losing her sippy cups to the baby. Evidence below... That day Ava lost a total of 3 sippies and her camel back.

Violet has her very own method of opening presents. She rips off paper pretty well then stands on them. She is a fan of boxes!

This year we decided to get Violet bouncy balls for her birthday of all different sizes. She got a really big ball, a super bounce ball, aaaaand the Busy Ball Popper, which plays music and launches balls into the air. Ava got one for her first birthday and I think my mom and I played with it as much as she did. It is amazingly fun!

These just make me laugh, because you can see how crazy this little girl actually is...

Birthday, Visitors, and Visitors

2009-07-27T16:43:00.001-06:00

I forgot to post pictures of Trevon's birthday!!! Silly me. I was very very sneaky and got him the snowboard of his dreams :) Yes, I am a little braggy *toot toot* (that was me tooting my own horn). But, I paid very close attention while he was researching them and eavesdropped while he talked to the guy at Board of Provo. I went back the next day and he (the guy at BOP) helped me get the perfect board.

I even stashed it at our friends Beth & Brenan's who happen to live around the corner, Brenan gave his thumbs up at my choice for him so I knew I scored. I took pictures of the unveiling... we waited until midnight on his birthday because I could not contain myself any longer!

See his surprised face?!

Checking out the AWESOME graphics, they appear when the board hits the snow (we used an ice cube).

All of the art was done by "Pam Neithercott's 3rd Period Art Class". very very cool.

A few pictures of Trevon opening his present from Beth & Brenan. Yes, it is a gift wrapped banana. Who would not want a gift wrapped banana??

Deepa came to visit, too! I mentioned this a few posts ago and never got the pictures up. She was only here for 8 hours on her way to Australia. Deepa is livin' the dream. I was very happy that she chose to spend time with us midst her jet setting :). Here are a few pictures at Temple Square. We went to Park City, too, but did not get any pictures there Violet was attached to the hip.

Okay, that is all I can knock out tonight. Trevon and I have to go clean and paint an apartment. oooh the life of an apartment manager. It pretty much sucks. But, the benefits totally outweigh the bad days.

Johnny Five!

2009-07-25T16:43:00.000-06:00

We're still alive.

I will have an update soon... maybe... Things are just beyond hectic right now.

Do you ever a day where you felt stressed and busy all day, but don't feel like you got anything done? I've had that week... Where does my time go?

update. soon. hopefully.

4th of July happenings

2009-07-10T21:10:00.000-06:00

So, it's only a week late, but we had an AWESOME Fourth! Trevon had to work, which kind of sucked, but the girls and I got up early and went to the parade. I don't have pictures of it... I know. that is kinda crappy, buuuut we were only there for 30 minutes before Ava decided she was done with the parade.

After the parade we hung out at home for a little while then headed up to the Peaks a.k.a. Seven Peaks a.k.a. Trevon's home for the summer. It was super fun though! James and Sarah (our Utah Besties) came up with the girls and me. Violet is really funny in the pool... which is only a foot and a half deep and we have one of those little yellow floaties with the seat in it so she can touch the bottom. We spent the entire afternoon chasing her around this pool, literally, she ran the whole time and then would try to dive head first out of the floatie after Ava. The wee one has NO FEAR.

Ava went down her very first water slide. It was hilarious, too. I coaxed her up there because there was a 4 foot mushroom (like the kind from Super Mario) the has water rolling off the top. So, we get up there and she plays in it for a little while (keep in mind this is only an 8 ft slide) and then she says "Okay I'm ready" so we go over to the slide and immediately she starts screaming "I CHAAAAANGED MY MIIIIIND!!" But, since we were already sitting and she was in my lap, we took off anyways (mean mom alert) I said "THIS IS THE ONLY WAY DOWN!" and off we went... Apparently when there is an adult and a child in the equation you can really pick up some speed on those little kiddie slides because we shot off the bottom like nobody's business, then sank like rocks. Ava screamed "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!" the whole way down and tried to climb up over my head and back up the slide. Too bad I have hulk like strength... okay not really, but she stayed in my lap. When all was said and done, she LOVED it, but decided that she was done with the slides for the day... pretty funny.

After the water park we came home and Trevon brought home pizza for us. Then, after dinner we got a call from James and Sarah to come hang out with them and their family. By the way, we lurve their family! Sarah's sister, Becky, has a little girl about the same age as Ava so when we go over they entertain each other and we just sort of referee when they have an argument (which is bound to happen at least 3 times a day with girls). A little tid bit that makes me love Utah even more... FIREWORKS ARE LEGAL ON THE FOURTH!! The pyro in me could not have been happier, and Trevon is always down for blowing something up. The next few pictures are us playing with the fireworks and sparklers, and my shutterspeed :).

Violet, cruising around the porch and wearing her glow sticks so we can't lose her!

James & Trevon chowing down.

Sarah! She is having a boy in November (I'm pumped for her!!)

Okay, this post took me a total of 3 days to finally get published. I am going to try for another one tomorrow since Deepa came to visit last week!!

1000 Words or Less

2009-06-20T23:49:00.001-06:00

A picture is worth a thousand words right? Well, I don't feel much like writing... I definitely had one of the most embarrassing days of my life today. So, I am just going to stick to pictures.

We love to play at the playground here at the complex.
Ava built a fort out of her books, so messy, but she had a good time...

Violet does not abide by normal baby standards, seen below, she will just tackle anything that is in her way. Blurry, but still funny.

We painted our kitchen. This is attempt numero uno... it was no bueno, I felt like we were living inside a "Post It" note...

This is the pretty box I made to hold the chocolate truffles I made from scratch!!
These are the truffles...

I just love a good crying picture because I am a mean mom.
The juice of "Losers"
This stuff is soooo good, it tastes like you are drinking a Dreamsicle... mmm...
Our new rug!! As soon as our little mini make over is done on the apartment I will post pictures. IT IS COMING OUT SO CUTE!
Notice what Violet did in the background... she pushed a diaper box up to the TV and was attempting to destroy anything she could get her hands on.

For when you don't want to be sure about the safety of your kids' toys...

Pomp and Circumstance

2009-06-15T20:00:00.000-06:00

So, this post is a long time coming. I am taking nearly a MONTH to get anything up. Insanity here in the "Hauth House - Utah Branch". Ha-ha. Get it? Utah branch, because there are 5 in Texas?! Yep, I am that tired today. Anyways... On to the Pomp and Circumstance!

Ava had a little graduation last month for her preschool class. We even got her a new dress for it. *Side Note* Target has the BEST girl dresses, not toddler, but girl. I was searching for this particular dress in a girl XL for me, because I luuurved. Lurve is a word in this house, FYI. And, so is Lub. Okay! I swear I can stay on point... Ava's graduation was so cute. They sang songs, and had a presentation of diplomas. Our girl, ever the show boat at home, chickened out about halfway through and came to sit with us. Trevon was the good daddy and got her back up in the front for the last song. Here are a few pictures. Can you believe how big this kid is getting?!

My favorite picture is the first, especially the little girl who can shake a maraca and pick her nose at the same time... that is multitasking!

In other big huge accomplishment news. Violet is walking! She has been standing on her own for almost 3 months, then the other night she just started walking. Stood up and took 4 or 5 steps across the kitchen. She jumps too. She is definitely NOT part kitty, because she never lands on her feet. It is however, one of the funniest things I have ever seen. She crouches down and then springs up 3 or 4 inches in the air and then lands on her butt. I am determined to get it on video. Anyways. That is all I have time for tonight. We were lucky to get pictures uploaded today, not gonna lie.

The Poo Story...

2009-06-03T12:27:00.000-06:00

So, it all started one Friday afternoon... Trevon had left for work 15 minutes earlier. Chaos begins...

Ava came into the kitchen kind of doing the "potty dance" (oh, hindsight) and I said "Ava, do you need to go potty?"

Ava said, "No, I just want a snack..."

"ARE YOU SURE YOU DO NOT NEED TO GO POTTY?"

"I'm Sure. I just want a snack."

So, I relented, gave her a snack and sat her in her chair at the table. Not even 5 minutes later she is yelling "Mom, I spilled water on my shorts."

I came back into the kitchen, and it was NOT water, she had definitely peed her pants. So I went into the speech about lying to mommy, not going to the bathroom when she knows she has to go, etc... So I put her in the bathroom and told her to get ready for a bath. I am only slightly annoyed at this point.

Meanwhile I was trying to wrangle Violet and clean the pee off my kitchen chairs and floor... that's when I hear it... the sink running in Ava's bathroom. And I start to think, "What the heck is she doing back there? She should be getting ready for a bath..." So I put Violet in the living room and went to check on Ava.

When I got back there she was washing her legs off with water, then I see it... "Ava!! What are you doing?!"

She says, "I am just washing the mud off my legs..."

"AVA, that's doesn't look like mud... THAT'S POOP!!! Where's the poop?! Where did you poop?!!!"

"I pooped in the potty..."

"Ugh, obviously you DID NOT poop in the potty. If you had pooped in the potty there wouldn't be any on your ANKLES!!!!"

I put Ava in our shower and told her to start rinsing off all of the poop. I was not about to put her in the bathtub and then have to scrub the poop off all of the toys afterward. YUCK.

Once I got her sorted out and in the shower, I went back to the kitchen where the first pee mess started. After which, I was planning to go work on the poopie foot prints that were in the bathroom and down the hall. That's when I hear a brand new sound... *Mental flash* WHERE'S VIOLET?!

Giggling in Ava's bathroom... DAMN IT! (Yeah, if you were here, you would be cussing, too).

Ava did not flush after the poop. I just want to mention here that Ava poops like a freaking man! It is so disgusting. With that said... Violet was elbow deep in the toilet holding 2 turds, squishing them in her chubby baby hands and laughing. YEAH NOT KIDDING! (Insert breakdown here).

Right about then I was really regretting my choice to be a stay at home mom it was so horrible. POOP EVERYWHERE! I rinsed Violet off in the sink and the doused her in the shower with Ava, got Ava some soap, and changed Violet's clothes.

The minute Violet was in her clean onsie, I smelled it... she had pooped, too. My life is full of poo... and so are my kids. So I got her in a clean diaper ... then the vomit started. oh yes... this was the never ending day of GROSS!!!

While I was holding Violet she threw up all over herself and in my hair. So to end my story, we were all in the shower together rinsing foulness off.

So that is the poop story for everyone to see. It's funny now, but let me tell you, at the time I was seriously debating going back to work just to make sure I wouldn't have to go through that ever again.

Scant Post

2009-05-16T22:33:00.000-06:00

Okay, it has been a whole month since I have done an update... and it will probably be another month before I do a real one. Things are busy busy around here, so I will give you the short hand of a looooong list.

1. Indie Pindie Photo is kickin' some butt out here, which is part of the reason I have no time to update. I can barely keep up with updating that site... it usually happens in the wee hours of the morning.

2. I am still working from home for AggData, which is also going pretty well. We are sooooo thankful for that job these days.

3. Trevon started working full time at 7 Peaks, opening day is this coming Saturday... so I won't being seeing much of him for the next few months! He expects to work 50 - 60 hours a week. ugh.

4. I got a job as the apartment manager here! "I'm kind of a big deal". jk. But, it is a good gig, I get to set my own hours and I only work 2 hours a day Monday through Friday. BUUUUUT, but, but... we have to move to the "Manager's Apartment". Just when I was ready to reveal this one on here (we are finally set up completely). Oh well... ce la vie. And, since we have this sweet new job, it looks like we are going to be in Utah a bit longer than we thought. So the "We'll be back in a year" is pretty much out the window.

5. the girls are C-R-A-Z-Y! My sanity is slowing ebbing away. I felt like I needed to do SOMETHING useful today so I decided to put an item in our new apartment... just one. Which happens to be further proof that I'm losing my mind. Not this post, but the next, I will put into writing "The Poop Story"... my kids. yikes. I bet you are on the edge of your seat waiting for that one. Don't worry, it's good. You will be so greatful to have the kids you have after that one.

Okay, that's all I've got. Best part is I have made a few good friends out here, so life doesn't suck nearly as much (or really at all). Oh, Oh OH!! AND! We have babysitters here now! HOOOORAY! I cannot explain the excitement behind that "HOORAY", seriously... it's nice to date my husband.

Hurricane Gigi

2009-04-16T22:59:00.000-06:00

So my mom has come and gone already :o/ We were glad to have her here even if it was only for a week. I didn't realize how much I missed Texas until she called us and started talking about going out for Mexican food the night she got home. *le sigh* I really really really miss good Mexican food. Red Iguana is okay, but it is definitely no La Hacienda, heck it's not even as good as Angelina's. But, back to the point of the blog! My mom was here and Ava was a monster, she is a totally different kid when Gigi is around. When we got home from taking Gigi to the airport Ava sulked and would spontaneously burst into tears. Finally I asked Ava why she was crying (she cries a lot, even for a 3 year old). And Ava said "I'm just sad. I really miss my Gigi... *sob* *sob*" Violet took it better, although she yelled at me quite a bit today because she was not being held the whole time!

And now the important part... PICTURES!

We dyed the most F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S Easter eggs. It is probably my most favorite part of any holiday (apart from fireworks) because it is something creative and crafty that the whole family participates in. I love the shiny bits that we rubbed on... even though it made it near impossible the get the shell off it in large pieces when it was time to make Deviled Easter Eggs (they are Trevon's specialty, actually Grandma Joyce's, but he does a good job trying) :o)

In Texas I never noticed beautiful blooming trees, maybe we just didn't get them to this extent. But now I have hundreds of "tree" pictures. It makes my think of Elizabethtown (the movie) and Orlando Bloom's character visits The Survivor Tree. If you haven't seen that movie I recommend it solely based on the soundtrack and the last scene. I want to go on that road trip with one of those maps.
And, but of course, Gigi and the girls! She was a little freaked out that I took her to a temple but it is too pretty to pass up. She had to see Temple Square.
This is probably my most favorite picture of my Mom and me EVER, even though Violet could not be bothered to look at the camera and Ava was being a "toot".
Gigi came baring gifts of sugar!!! Because I am more granola than I thought I would ever be, she feels the need to give them candy. Violet enjoyed the marsh mellow bunny very much; a bath was quick to follow. Did you know that Peep type candy turns into cement after being wet and then let to dry?? Yeah, me either!

On Easter we took a little trip to Bridal Veil Falls. It was great, Ava luuurved it. Of course. And, she got to pee outside, which is always an adventure. This picture made me laugh because Ava struts. I have not seen many 3 year olds who do, but I have caught it on film... Look at her go! Can you hear the BeeGees in the background?

Festival of Colors...

2009-04-03T13:29:00.001-06:00

We have had a busy few weeks. So here is the update....

1. TREVON GOT A JOB FOR FALL!!! He will be working for the BYU intramural sports department. Which is awesome since 7 Peaks only goes through labor day.

2. Ava and Violet are nuts and ruling the roost. I have tried to reclaim the house as my domain, I am in charge of our days... buuuut who am I kidding?! I should know better. Ava is doing really well in preschool, they have made it most of the way through the alphabet and she can even write her own name now! Violet is all over the place, she crawls so fast! She has 6 teeth and can say 2 words "Mama"and "DAD!" she screams "Dad" I don't know if she is capable of not yelling that one. If she is, I haven't heard it.

3. Photography is going well. I am getting lots of hits on the website. There isn't a huge update on that!

4. We went to the FESTIVAL OF COLORS. Did you know that there is a HUGE Hari Krishna temple in Spanish Fork? Yeah, me either. It was nuts!!! Below are a few pictures from the festival.

Maria and Sarah came into town, too. It was really nice to see some familiar faces from Texas!

Okay... so maybe it wasn't that busy. I am really just avoiding the mountain of housework :( ugh.

Put it to a vote

2009-03-26T01:32:00.001-06:00

Which one do you like better? As usual I am indecisive... go figure. Anyways, leave a comment or shoot me a little email with your choice. I am focusing on the font type right now, I will tackle the color of it next.

It's here, it's here!!

2009-03-22T23:37:00.000-06:00

check it out... My photo blog of sorts. Yes, I converted to Word Press, they have a much better interface for a professional photographer. I don't know if this is where the my site will stay, but for the time being, IT'S HOME!

Indie Pindie Photo is my newest project :)

The What Nots of Our Week

2009-03-17T21:32:00.001-06:00

Not a whole lot to say, just pictures to share today.

Utah lake... isn't it nice?
Ava won "Cutest PJ's" award at the Pajama-Rama event for Trevon's class!

Violet playing Peek-a-Boo!
Grandma came in for a SURPRISE VISIT!! Ava was sooooo pumped to have Grandma here.
Guess who's crawling?!
Ava plays peek-a-boo, too.

Engagement Photos

2009-03-17T00:52:00.001-06:00

DSC_0174 copy, originally uploaded by Coleen Hauth.

So I have been making that jump from "ok amature" to proffessional photographer. I have done a couple shoots this week, and have 3 more coming up in the very near future. I am really stoked about it, these guys have already refferred me to friends. I am also looking at taking a few classes to help make the leap to pro a little faster. I feel like I am tetering on that edge and I am not sure what else I need to go that final bit of the way to be an AMAZING portrait photographer. Maybe it is years of experience?? I guess I will find out in the coming weeks, months, hopefull years... Look for an official website to be setup in the coming months. I am enjoying photography, but it has been difficult to put sewing in the back seat... I miss my retreat to the back bedroom every day for some "creative outlet time".

blarg!!!

2009-03-04T01:15:00.000-07:00

I am up at an unholy hour with a 7 month old who is getting 4 teeth... all at once. ugh.

Pajama Rama

2009-02-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

FREE FAMILY EVENT

COME IN YOUR PAJAMAS FOR THE PAJAMA-RAMA

Come celebrate National Sleep Awareness week at Pajama-Rama. We will have games, crafts, healthy snacks, story tellers, education by doTERRA, and a silent auction. All proceeds from the auction go towards KIDS ON THE MOVE

a non-profit organization.

March 5, from 6-8 at "Kids on the Move" 475 W 260 N Orem UT, 84057

Obama's Day

2009-02-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

So on Monday, we went to Temple Square in Salt Lake for some "Quality Family Time"... Ava was SOOOOO excited to go see it. Once we got there she took one look at the temple and said, "I SAW THE TEMPLE!! Let's go to the mall now..."

I also made Violet a pair of Robeez knock offs :) they are pretty cute. The shoes were definitely harder than the curtains and bean bag chairs... but, I think I have the pattern down now. Tell me what you think... I am toying around with the idea of starting up an Etsy shop, but I am not sure if anything would really sell since there is SOOOOO much on there.

and that is all I have for today... it's been pretty uneventful around here this week.

Animal Style!

2009-02-12T21:27:00.001-07:00

I am so pumped about this! I think if we were to get an In-N-Out this close I would pee my pants. OMOMOMG!

Is it wrong that I am as excited about an In N Out coming closer to us as I was when Trev got a job yesterday? Oh yeah, TREVON GOT A FREAKING JOB!!! Because he is awesome and someone finally noticed.

He will be the new Guest Services Manager at Seven Peaks! We're going to go swimming every day this summer, so that is going to be pretty awesome.

Our New Digs...

2009-02-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

A few pictures of our new apartment... this is technically the only room that I think is complete besides the kitchen which is a mess, so no pictures of it today! I am working on the rest of the house (slowly but surely). This week I want to finish organizing and hanging pictures in the girls' room.

I made the drapes this weekend. I think they came out pretty good... especially since this was my first go at it.

We had some snow today so I took Ava outside to jump around in it like a crazy person... she was pretty cute.

Violet being charming and adorable... of course :)