Even though the lighting is so terrible, I just love this picture. Seriously- how cute is this kid??! I know I’m a bit biased, but come ON. He is so stinkin awesome!

Some stuff over the last few months (I’m so behind on this kind of thing which upsets me) that he says that I want to remember:

• Qcu me (excuse me)
• glirl (no boy in this house can say the word girl correctly)
• don’t worry, mommy. I commin.
• whacha doin mommy?
• "whot?"
• mommy, you’re a genius!
• thank you, mommy, thank you!
• maybe Santa will bring me that for christmas.
• my shoes not all tied.
• my _____, my beautiful_____ (insert whatever is broken or hurt: ie toy, eyes, nose, etc.)
• i beautiful can’t.
• while having a fit, if i tell him he can’t do something he wants to if he continues with the fit ‘oh, okay mommy, i can _______"
• i can stop the nawnsense.
• awwww….he’s so cuuuuute.
• pooka planet (also sometimes hooka planet)
• i stay them/it on. (talking about his shoes or coat or hat)
• don’t call me like that!
• sings the "fish heads" song with me. Eat them up, yum!

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In other news, for those of you waiting for your pictures, I am hoping to have them up by Friday night or Saturday morning. Working hard, there’s just a lot of them. Shooting three communions this weekend. Keep a good thought for nice weather!

Feeling better (not all the way, but some) for those of you who asked. Apparently, I’m stuck with this Fifths crap for 3-4 more weeks until it works its way out of my system. Not contaigous at all, just achy, swollen and arthritic. Fun. Especially on photoshoots. I just try to ignore it as much as possible.

I think I have to face the fact that I am not scrapbooking anymore. I honestly don’t have the urge, it’s just work to me at this point. Which is really so sad. I’ve been doing it for so long now that I feel guilty not doing it! But the photography thing has just totally taken over everything. Not just the business end of it, but taking my own pictures too.I feel like I’m pouring all of my creativity into that. Not that photography is a bad thing (especially for my clients) to be passionate about- and I am- I just don’t have the inclination to scrap. So what the hell do I do with all my stuff? Do I sell it? Do I pack it away and see if the urge ever comes back? (John is voting for the latter option). I even think I might dismantle the scrapbook room (*gasp*) and turn into a guestroom with a bed and everything. Maybe I’ll make into the "photography room" instead with tons of pictures all over. Any suggestions?

In lieu of scrapbooking, I have found something to step in in it’s place, so I’m still using the zillions of pictures I take and still keeping up with documenting their lives. It’s a photobook and I’m in the middle of working on 2007’s now. I will show you when it’s all done and published. I’m having a great time doing it and I love the way it looks so far. And one of the best parts of the photobook…I don’t have to print every picture I take (cause I’m not scrapping them). I can just blow up my favorites and put them around the house. Now, if I can just get to that….

Happy April Fools day! Well, the boys FINALLY did the old twin switcheroo today! At long last. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. Apparently, they were kinda talked into it by their friends and their assistant teachers. The assistant teachers even went and got approval from the principal of the school- you know how much they hate getting in any kind of trouble! At lunch, the two of them switched shirts (clever, huh?) and switched classes. I think their teachers figured it out right away, but they did play along for a little while anyway. The boys had a great time with it. All the kids in the classes knew about it and loved the joke. The principal told them that they were going to be in the school paper this month with it. According to Patrick, it was all Tara’s idea so she should be in the paper too! Jack said he totally took it easy in Patrick’s class, and Patrick said he had to do soooooo much work in Jack’s class. If nothing else, it’s great that they got to see things from the other side for a little bit.

I think next year, I’m going to send them to the other’s class first thing in the morning on April fools day. Of course, they’ll make me get some kind of written approval from the principal so they have no chance of getting in trouble.

Meanwhile, they got in big trouble tonight for torturing Timmy.

Our town’s annual St. Patrick’s Parade was this past Saturday. It was as late in March as I think it ever has been. It’s usually held the Saturday immediately following St. Patrick’s Day, but with Easter coming so early this year it kinda threw off the schedule.

Anyway, we headed over to Grandma & Grandpa’s for our $500,000 sky box parade viewing seats. Timmy lost interest pretty early on (Daddy in his firetruck, Grandpa Jack, Uncle Joe & Aunt Gail in the bagpipe band, and the horses all passed in the beginning of the parade) and went inside for some TV time with Hakka (aka Grandpa Ken). The big boys watched for a pretty long time, lost interest after seeing most of their friends in the parade, went inside for some TV, but made a second appearance once I told them Jack’s teacher from 2nd grade was there with her baby. So they stuck it out til the end so we could see and cheer for "Uncle Jerry". He’s like Santa at the end of the Thanksgiving parade- closing out the parade with style. Maybe some hope that spring is actually coming yet! See the buds on the tree? Woohoo!

John rode in his firetruck. Do you remember the whole fiasco about him and his (f******) newspaper that he HAD TO HAVE everyday after back surgery? You know, the one he was going to walk 10 blocks round trip every morning to go and get after having a hole drilled in his spine? The same paper that he cannot LIVE without every day? Well…check this out. So totally busted!