Life Lately - Via Instagram

I am in love with Instagram.

Here's (some) of what life's been like lately - 

(according to my iPhone)

My Rock Star Jordan graduated from high school and started college.

(yep, I am now the momma of an adult!  what?)

My Cutie Caden is excelling in 9th grade - 

and making us laugh - every. day.

And boy did we ever love watching him play football!

(for the last time - his momma hopes!  Time to break out the bribes...)

I am a lucky Young Womens President -

with 24 new lovely ladies in my life.

I sure love these girls and our adventures together!

My dream of getting paid to travel and take photographs - 

came true!  I am loving my new job.  Isn't it amazing the things

you can create for yourself?  

San Diego in the early morning hours.  

Just another day at the office.

The whole crew (plus one) on the train to the big city!

One of the many holiday traditions we love.

Christmas came and went, and we soaked up the time together!

We said good-bye to 2011, and welcomed 2012 with open arms.

It's going to be an AMAZING year for the Tanners.

The girls with Frosty.  

(glad he finally showed up - we've been waiting!)

These two girlies make my heart sing with joy.

Love notes.  My favorite!

Being a mom is the best.

Hiking (love) in Sedona (love) all expenses paid (love)

Did I mention? - I love my job!

What is better than hiking in Sedona?

(Answer:  Hiking in Sedona with Superman!)

So there you have it.

A quick glimpse into my busy, beautiful life via Instagram.

What do your adventures look like lately?

Life Lately.

(My beauties at Seal Beach where we spent our summer holidays)

Life.  Mine has been nuts.  Exciting and exhausting all at the same time.  It is amazing to me how much I have grown in the past 6 months.  (Not physically... I am in the best shape of my life!)  Grown as a person, a career woman, a daughter, a mother, as a wife, as a spirit, as a photographer, as a friend.  If someone would have told me a year ago what my life would be like today, I wouldn't have believed it.  So much has changed.  New chapters have begun.  Milestones have been celebrated.  It's been a rocky road.  There have been hardships.  But with those hard times there are incredibly GOOD times.  And hidden blessings around every turn.  Its a beautiful thing that God knows us better than we know ourselves, and will always give us exactly what we need.  I am a blessed human being.  I am grateful for all He gives me, good and bad.  Life is an adventure.  I am living mine to the fullest.

Jordan's Senior Prom.

 

Jordan had his Senior Prom a few weeks ago.  Him and his friends asked if I would be the photographer for their group.  I am always excited when he asks me.  I love it!  I marvel all the time, about how much he has grown.  He is almost done with high school.  He is almost a grown man.  I am so happy and incredibly blessed with the man he is becoming.  It makes me a little sad, sometimes about how fast time went by.  It seems like in a blink of an eye, he went from my little boy to a Senior in High School.  Cherish every moment.  Every. Single. One.  My heart is so proud!

To see more of his Prom Shoot, Click Here! 

Happy New Year!

It's the new year already?  How did that happen?  Is your life flying by, as fast as mine seems to be?  Its just a roller-coaster ride and I am holding on tight and enjoying the ride!

Since getting home from my trip to Mississippi (yes, I still need to blog about that) I dove right back into work, family, and my calling as Young Women President.  Therefore, my blog has been a bit neglected, but something has to give, right?

In a perfect world, I would have time to blog about:  Me, Chad and the kids sitting 8th row at the Jazz game, our delicious Thanksgiving holiday - specifically my pumpkin pie and Chad's amazing turkey, Caden shooting his first Elk, Jordan's broken toe, saying good-bye to our cousin Logan who is a missionary now, our failed winter family photo shoot in the cold/rain/snow, Christmas countdowns all over the house made by my darling children, Jordan singing another solo with his guitar in the assembly at WHS - he rocked!, losing 10 pounds and buying my first pair of skinny jeans, spending time in the temple with my darling young women and my two boys!, a December full of parties and festivities spent with people we love, the biggest pizza you have ever seen, a beautiful and wonderful and delicious and quiet Christmas eve with my favorite people, a magical Christmas morning filled with wide eyes and surprises and yes, some happy tears.... , and our amazing trip to California where we spent our winter holidays.


As I reflect on this past year, I am filled with gratitude for all the blessings that fill up my life to overflowing.  We are filling every year with some pretty amazing memories and traditions.  After all, that's what its all about, right?  Living your life.  I am so truly blessed and I am thankful for every single bit of it.  I am so proud of what we have accomplished this past year!  I get so excited as I write my goals for the new year, and think of all the amazing possibilities that are waiting for us.  Happy New Year!!

  (our Happy New Year card that will be mailed out today!)

A Mummy with Integrity.

 (Some of my Young Women at the Temple)

This past summer, I was called to be the Young Women President in my ward.  I have loved it so much!  I can't believe how busy it is...  and how much fun we have had...  and how much I have learned...  and how much I have grown... already in these short 3 months!  I feel so lucky to be around such amazing teenage girls, who are facing so much temptation and adversity in their lives.  They are such strong, beautiful girls!

Recently we had a "VALUE" Trick-or-treat activity.  We went around to all the leaders homes and had short lessons on all the different Young Women values.  At my house, I taught about Integrity.  Every value has a color associated with it, as well.  Integrity's color is purple.  So, for my treat, I wanted to include something HALLOWEEN and something PURPLE.  Here is what I did:  Purple Mummy's!

 

(I got the idea from one of my favorite blogs!)

I know you don't usually see mummy's that are purple...  And they kind of turned out looking like Arabian bandits instead of mummy's...  Ha Ha!  But, I thought they turned out kinda freaky, and kinda cute!  The girls LOVED them and so did my own kids.  My daughters were thrilled to have a scary drink in their lunch boxes the next day!  (There is a purple Gatorade under the mummy wrappings).  And thank goodness for my superman Chad who helped me wrap all of these! 

I also gave the girls a little scroll, tied up with a purple spider.  It went along with my message about integrity.  Having integrity - (being honest and having strong moral principles) is probably the greatest character trait we can have, don't you think?

Inside my scroll:

TELL THE TRUTH!  

And avoid getting caught in a web of lies.

I am striving to be a mummy with integrity!  And I am striving to raise children who have integrity and honor, who are honest, trustworthy, fair, and who have strong moral values.  Hope you are having a Happy Halloween week! 

Are you ready for some football?

Don't you LOVE fall?

Caden does!

Wanna know why?  Yep.  Football.

Its his life, his love, his heart and soul.

Something I can't quite understand...

but nevertheless, we support him and his dreams 

to one day play for the University of Florida and then onto the NFL

so here we are again -  

another season of football!

I have to admit, I have a love/hate relationship with it.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE how much he LOVES it!

I love that he puts in hours and hours and hours practicing.

I love that he trains his body so hard that every night he comes home sore and bruised.

(He gets ripped too, you should see his six pack!  Me=jealous.)

I love seeing him in his uniform (so dang cute!) and I love watching him play!

I am one proud mama.

The hate part - worrying he might get hurt.

Yes - Me=protective mama! 

Here he is - #2.

And yes ~ he is as tall as his coach!

CRAZY.

He has had some really hard hits and amazing blocks!

He plays wide receiver.  He has had some great catches!

And some great runs!

Wide receiver!

Caden Tanner 

#2

Weber Warriors
Wide Receiver

My (not so) little Man!

Are you ready for some football?

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The Dog Days of Summer.

Oh Summer. 

Glorious Summer.
I love you so.
Why do you come and go so fast?

We had SO MUCH FUN this summer.

My top ten twelve summer 2010 memories are:

1.  Birthday parties! Some of which included:  a cool party at Chick-fil-a, a sweet kickball game at the park and a jam session in the backyard.  The Tanner kids are all a year older.

2.  A major house remodel.  WE ARE LOVING OUR NEW LOOK!

3.  Camping - Amazing Flaming Gorge, Gorgeous Idaho and the Beautiful Uintahs.

4.  Fireworks with Friends.  ITS THE BEST.

5.  Spending ALL DAY at Boondocks - just me, Chad and the kids.  And laughing.  A LOT.

6.  Picking raspberries.  And eating them.  YUM.

7.  SWIMMING!  And lots of it.

8.  A weekend get-away to Las Vegas for our 18th wedding anniversary!  WHAT? 

9.  More swimming.

10.  A new adventure... Young Women's President!  WHAT? 

11.  Watching Jordan live his dream of front row Jack Johnson on his 17th birthday.

12.  Boating and playing at the Lake.

And here some pics of my sweet summer memories:

(Jordan wake boarding at Flaming Gorge)

(Shaye was finally talked into driving her own car on the race track at Boondocks!)

(Non-stop laughing at Boondocks - oh ya - and Cade had a mullet for about a week.  It was sweet.)

(Miss Gabrielle perfecting her high dive jump.)

(Me and Superman on our 18th Wedding Anniversary in Las Vegas)

(Our awesome house remodel - credit goes to Superman - isn't he amazing?)

(Jordan a.k.a. Jacks #1 fan, and Minden, FRONT ROW at the Jack Johnson concert on Jordan's 17th Birthday.  And yes, Jack wished him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY from the stage.  Needless to say, it was a very happy birthday and according to him - the best one yet.)

(Me and my cutie sis Cindee - enjoying Jack Johnson a little farther back.  Love my sisters.  LOVE.)

(One proud mama, with her A.MAZING Boy at the Jack Johnson show.  Man I love this kid.)

(Swimming.  Swimming.  And more Swimming.)

(Shaye and Luke - cousins - enjoying a soda and swimming at the Lake.)

(Caden skiing at the Lake.  LOVE this kid too.  What a smile!)

(Savana and Gabi - cousins and BEST FRIENDS - holding on for dear life.)

(Hot summer nights, jam sessions and songs around the fire, and don't forget the perfect s'more.)

Farewell Dog Days of Summer.
I will miss you.

Good Times, Bad Times.

Its that time again.  The summer is drawing to an end.

My kids all celebrated birthdays this spring and summer.  

Each one is a year older.

Time is ticking on, and some days it doesn't just tick...  

it whizzes by as fast as a roller coaster, and your standing there thinking,

"what just happened"?

Good times - Bad times.

School starts in a few days, and so starts a new routine.

No more late nights and lazy mornings.

Up at 6:30 to work-out, make breakfast and lunches, and have family prayer.

Then off my children go, into the world.

Good times - Bad times.

I finally made some time to get some new photos of them.

My kids hear the words "photo shoot" and turn into difficult little subjects!

You would think I am putting them in a torture chamber, 

instead of pointing a camera at them.

Good times - Bad times.

Good thing they are so dang cute, and that I am good at my job...

Good times - Bad times - 

I will take it all because that's just life 

and I love mine!

A week at the Lake.

Remember when I used to have time to blog?

Ya, me too.

I guess I have just been too busy soaking up and enjoying the last of my summer!

Here are a few pics from our week at Washington Lake with Chad's awesome family.  

Gotta love the great outdoors!

(classic self-photo of me and Superman)

We spent our time fishing, canoeing, kayaking, reading, resting,

eating, hanging by the fire, hiking, cliff diving, rock climbing, swimming,

and enjoying the time together away from all the distractions of life!

(Shaye with her first catch of the day!)

(Caden giving his mother a heart-attack)

(Jordan, Cade and Kail getting ready to cliff jump)

The boys had a lot of fun cliff diving up at Wall lake 

and they even talked Gabi into jumping from the lower rocks!

  (a brave little girl!)

(our home away from home)

Our friends let us use their trailer for our trip - yes, we have amazing friends - 

and it was so nice to have somewhere comfortable to hang out!  

The Uintas are my absolute favorite place to camp in the state of Utah.  

It is so amazingly beautiful!  

(the Tanner kiddos, enjoying the great outdoors and making some memories)

I just love making memories like these, don't you?

Happy Summer.