A Dream

Yesterday Shane, Liam and I went to visit a local Alpaca ranch. We spent 2 1/2 hours with these wonderful creatures and I feel in love. If only I had the money right now to buy a herd I would. They are sweet animals that have the softest fiber you have ever felt in your life. Its like a silky cashmere. John the owner was great and answered all my questions. He invited me and the boys back anytime and gave me permission to photograph his alpaca's anytime.

This is something I really want to do and I will. Eventually.

Our favorites were Carlos and Norman they were was so sweet and not shy at all. They were fascinated with my perfume and gum. Alpaca's love to smell new things. They were all so gentle with my boys. They loved to smell Liam and Liam loved to touch their soft fur. Shane made a great helper and helped one of the girls there to water the alpaca's and spray them with the hose which they love. He also helped her take hay to the horses they had there.

Stargazer Alpaca Ranch has over 80 Alpaca's at the moment with a few cria's (baby alpaca) due this fall. They have a web cam on their website that you can watch when a baby is born. Their website is www.alpaca.net. Mostly they have huacaya alpaca's (pronounced: wah-KI-ya), they also have a few suri alpaca's (pronounced: SOO-ree). I really love the suri alpaca's they look like they have dreadlocks.

I am learning so much and hope that someday I too will be able to have a herd of my own.

Someday.

Here is to dreaming and hoping and wishing.

~Christina

The boys go Horseback riding

We have enrolled the boys in horseback riding lessons. Here is a slide show just because I can.





The horse's name is Six. He was a very gentle therapy horse. The boys loved him. Shane kept asking if he was his horse now. Lisa the trainer said the boys did very well, and Jared was a natural and doing things that she hadn't even told him. We are looking forward to our next lessons.

Chuck E Cheese & My 100th blog!

A while a go we went to Chuck E Cheese with the boys and their cousins. Of course the boys loved it and were really sad when they ran out of coins. Liam was so tired he threw the biggest temper tantrum I have ever seen out of him. It was so great that I thought I would document it for posterity. They got super cheap prizes but what do you expect? They had a blast putting their tokens into machines and playing games.

I made a slide show. Here is the link (Be Patient as it loads, it doesn't take too long)

Go to Slide show

This is also my 100th blog post. I am happy to say. Hooray for me. I hope that I have a few readers that enjoy these small glimpses into the crazy days of the Picker family.

Love ya!
Christina



P.S. Leave a comment, let me know you stopped by, will ya? Thanks.

Sometimes you take what you can get.

Liam is 19 months old and I took him over to a friends house to take pictures of him. She has some amazing things in her yard, very architectural. He however wanted nothing to do with Mom and her camera. So I ended up with this shot. It has our car in the background but his expression is all him. So I took it. Perhaps I’ll try another day.

Perhaps there is a reason I still don't have any photos of my own boys hanging on the walls of my home. :0)

~Christina

Once was old, now is new

I acquired these chairs and they had character for sure. Rustic, worn, timeless. . .

But they were missing something. So I bought some spray paint. :o)

BLUE

and YELLOW

Now I just need a couple cute kids to sit in them. :o) The paint will be dry in 24 hours. I could probably bribe the boys with a lollipop. We'll see.

Now I need to go and make a tutu.

I know.

I wont make the boys model it.

Do you know any cute little girls? Can I borrow her? I promise to give her back. Or perhaps we could trade. I am always open. :o) Just Kidding. Kinda.

~Christy

Time for a puppy break

These adorable little ones are Mr. Darcy's. We got to visit with them last Sunday. It was a great distraction from the norm. Puppies at 4 weeks old are the most adorable thing in the world and will make anyone smile. The little girl in the blue color is the pick of the litter. Her coat shines a beautiful black and her head is just like her daddy's. Best of all she is a love, she has such the personality. She was playful and snugly and wonderful all around.

Would someone get this thing off my ear? Please.

Well that was great. Now back to work.

~Christina

101 Goals in 1001 Days!

I was surfing through some photographers blogs recently and came across this idea. So I am making a list. Some are just fun simple things and some will take a lot more imagination and work. This means to keep on top of things I will have to accomplish 1 goal every 10 days. I think I am up for the challenge, would you help? If I asked nice and put a cherry on top? I have until March 9, 2013. It seems like a long time doesn’t it?





1. Write out and post the rest of the 101 Goals list. Completed June 23, 2010

To be continued soon. . .

So here it is, I am sure you have all been waiting with much anticipation for the rest of my list. I even have it categorized.


101 Goals in 1001 Days

Because I am important
1. Be more forgiving especially to myself
2. Finish reading Le Miserables
3. Go to College
4. Jog 1 full mile
5. go ice skating
6. laugh more than I cry
7. abstain from all processed sugar for one week
8. Fit back into my County Seat Jeans (Pre-Babies)
9. Read 2 Non Fiction Books all the way through
10. don't sign into Face book for one whole week
11. Use my Passport :o)
12. Scuba Dive in the ocean


Because I want to learn how to
13. Learn to ride a horse
14. Take voice lessons
15. learn to Ski
16. Learn to knit
17. Sew a summer dress for me
18. Make sourdough from scratch
19. Learn how to be a better gardener in Colorado
20. plant a butterfly garden
21. build my own frames


Because I love my family
22. Make a twin size quilt for each of the boys beds
23. Build up our food storage to at least a 3 month supply
24. Take a family camping trip to Rocky Mountain National Park
25. talk to my grandmother at least once a month
26. Organize a Family Reunion
27. Help my son to better his handwriting
28. Teach my boys how to sew, the older ones anyway
29. Become involved in 4H with the boys
30. enroll the boys in a Martial Arts class
31. Have Family Portraits taken
32. Read to my boys 15 minutes a day
33. Play more with my boys, down on the floor if I have too
34. Listen more and Yell less


Because I love my friends
35. Host a fancy dinner party
36. Keep in touch with my best of friends better than just Facebook
37. Start a craft group that meets monthly
38. Fly to CA just for a girls weekend with my friends I miss so much

To regain structure and order in my life
39. Organize the Craft/Studio Room
40. Clean out and organize my closet
41. Organize and sort through all the boys clothes
42. See Mount Rushmore with the family
43. Organize the Pantry
44. Organize my favorite recipes into a cookbook of some sort

Because I love my husband
45. Take dance lessons with Aaron
46. Go to a Broadway show
47. Ride in a Hot air balloon
48. Kiss in the rain
49. Save $1000
50. Get out of Debt by following a budget
51. Go on a Honey Moon with my Husband
52. Go for a weekend Hiking trip with just Aaron
53. Make a duvet cover and matching pillow covers for my bed.

Because I want one someday
54. Build something beautiful out of wood
55. Buy a breeding pair of Alpacas
56. Order Canvas's of the boys to hang on the walls
57. Have a home made Christmas, no store bought gifts
58. Buy a Macro Lens
59. Make a Family History Photo wall
60. Get my passport


Because I want a better relationship with my Father in Heaven
61. Devote 30 minutes every morning for 30 days straight to Prayer & Meditation
62. Read New Testament
63. Read Old Testament
64. Read Doctrine & Covenants & Pearl of Great Price
65. Read The Book of Mormon
66. Develop a habit of writing in journal again
67. Work more on my Family History
68. Make it to the Temple once a month for a Year

Because I want to be a great Mom
69. Make a Summer Schedule for the boys and I to follow
70. Complete 1 full year in each of the boys scrapbooks
71. Can peaches
72. Make home made Salsa
73. Finish my Teddy Bear cross stitch I started when pregnant with Liam

Because I want to be a great photographer
74. Reach 1000 Face book fans for ChristyLynn Photography
75. Start a Photo Project
76. Finish Photo Project
77. Make a photo package list with prices
78. Paint my own backdrop
79. Design & print business fliers
80. Take a great photo of Lightning
81. Create a photo using a pin hole camera
82. enter a photo into a real photo contest
83. create a dynamic online presence with ChristyLynn Photography
84. make chalkboard speech bubbles
85. Finish NYIP Photography course
86. Redesign Website
87. Do a newborn photo shoot
88. Go to a Photographer's Seminar
89. Learn more about Studio Lighting
90. Book a Photo Shoot in a different state than Colorado
91. Take an official class on Photo shop
92. Create and have printed a sample photo Album
93. Have 10 clients give me positive feedback on work I have done for them
94. Photograph the Sunrise
95. Buy another camera Body


To Give back more than I take
96. Donate 12 inches of my hair to Locks of Love
97. Volunteer more at the boys school
98. Serve in Church more effectively
99. Smile more at strangers especially those having a bad day
100. Donate $100 to a Charity (Any recommendations?)


So there it is. I was thinking that after I made this list that I wouldn't share it online because it seemed so personal to me. But then I started to think. Hopefully my list will inspire others to do the same and this way I can be held accountable for my list.

Wish me Luck as I continue on this journey.

~Christina