Gracie Girl!!!!

Just had to post a quick pic of our Gracie!!! :) She just turned "one" on May 19th! We took several pictures of her, but these two were my favorites, so I had to show them off! :) My mom got her the big bear for her birthday and Gracie loves it! The little pink thing in front of her is her favorite little blankie - she takes it with her everywhere! :) She is such a sweetie and we love her lots!!!! HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY, GRACIE GIRL!!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!! :)

My Boys!!!!

Hey there, my blogger friends!!! :) I just had to post some pictures that I took of my guys! The four of Jacob are from his b-day (April 23) and the four of Jackson are from his birthday (Feb. 6). I usually take in-door pics for their birthdays, but this year I went outside!!! :) Jackson's were taken at the zoo (and you all know that I love it there)!!!! It is one of my favorite places!!! And Jacob's were taken at Schiller Park (which is another of my favorite places to be)!!!! :) I have the best time taking their pictures (I can't say the same for them, though)! LOL!!! But, at least, they smile and don't give me too hard of a time!!! :)

Today was the 4th grade graduation as well. We took several pictures of 4th graders who were graduating and we also did the slide show! The slide show was adorable! The only real problem was that it wasn't really dark enough in the gymnasium - so if you were in the back - it was definately hard to see. Plus, the pictures looked a bit dark on the big screen as well. It just couldn't be helped. But.........the kids were all up front by the screen (where they could see good) and they loved it!!!! They were all clapping to our songs and laughing at the pictures (I got some real funny ones)! Anyway, it was so cute and we were so happy to be a part of it! And..........getting to take their graduation pictures was fun, too!!! :) Mark made an awesome little frame that printed with their picture! The frame was the school color (royal blue) and had the date and year on it and said something about graduation on it! I tell ya, having a programmer around is pretty handy!!! :) We are totally getting back into the photography thing! They have already asked us about taking pics again for Secret Santa this year!!! They want us to plan on it!!! :) Taking pics is truly my passion!!! I had such a fun time going to the school and getting pics of all the kids!!! Hopefully, more opportunities will come my way!!!! I didn't get a chance to do a Top Ten this week, but I would like prayer for my photography business. I would like to have more "gigs" to do!!! :) I know if given the chance, I could take some cool and unique pics that people would love! So, that is definately a top ten on my prayer list!!! :) I'm not looking to "get rich" or anything, I just want to get my name out there (and be more busy doing pics which I love)! :)

Well, I am gonna sign off b/c it is pretty late now! Oh, real quick tho, I just have to ask - has anyone watched that show "Reba?" I watched it sometimes when it was on, but now I am watching reruns and..............it is hilarious!!!!!!! :) Check it out sometime if you haven't ever saw it!!!!

Enjoy the pics and talk to ya'll later!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

Just had to post a pic of my Jackson!!! :) This is his 2nd year playing baseball and he is enjoying it (and I must say his mom and dad are, too)! :) His team is the "Reds." I told Miss Carleta to post a pic of Dallas and I would post one, too! So..........Carleta's turn now!!! :) We gotta show off our guys!!!! Oh, I guess I should tell ya that Jack is #2!!!! :) I thought this second pic was so cute showing the teams shake hands!!! I just want to "freeze" these moments in time! It goes by far too quickly!

Anyway, I had to blog a more "positive" blog after my last post! Enjoy!!!!!!! :)

Ten Things To Know About Me!

Hey fellow bloggers!!! I hope everyone is doing well and having a good week! We are doing good, just seem to be busy along with everyone else! :) Last week was sooooo good, except for Friday (and one little incident can ruin everything - how sad is that)? And, actually, Friday was good as well, but I had one "minor" challenge to deal with. As I mentioned in my previous blog, we got the yearbooks back. A really good friend of mine helped me sort them all out - BIG JOB - and I took them to the school on Friday to put in the teachers mailboxes. Well, not to "toot my own horn," but I got some really nice comments. The teachers and staff really liked them. This is all volunteer work so it means a lot to hear nice comments. Plus, for one, we worked really hard all year to make it nice and secondly, pictures are my thing. I would only give my best to anything involving pictures. If my name is gonna be on something with pictures, that I did, it better be good!!! LOL!!! :) Well............I got nothing but wonderful comments until "one" parent came in to get her daughter!!! I had already spoken to this woman the night before b/c Mark and I "did" make one mistake! Some of the yearbooks were supposed to be "personalized" on the front (meaning put the child's name on the front of the yearbook). Well, we "accidentally" left about sixteen names off of the personalization list! OOPS!!!!! So..............sixteen kids didn't get their books personalized! So.........we called each family this happened to and explained what happened and apologized! Most everyone understood and was okay with it (we also gave them back the "extra" money that was paid to have it personalized - it cost two dollars more to have it personalized, so those sixteen people each got two dollars back). What more can we do, right?! And, believe me, I felt bad!!! I took this job so seriously and "still" made mistakes!!!! But that is life!!! Mistakes happen!!! We are not perfect!!! And making the yearbook isn't like a "real" job where you have "checkers" to make sure everything is right! I mean, Mark and I both checked EVERYTHING and voila - still mistakes!!!! There is just no way around it! So..........this one parent is VERY UNHAPPY!!!!! She comes in and gets her daughter and is waiting at the table for me. I come smiling and ask what she needs. She proceeds to go on and on about what she doesn't like - which is crazy - and I just listen. I finally apologize one last time, but she is relentless! I must stop here and ask, "What is wrong w/people??" IT IS AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YEARBOOK!!!!!!! It shouldn't be this big a deal!!!!!!! Personally speaking, and this is gonna sound sooooooo conceited, but..........this was a fabulous yearbook for an elementary school!!!!! Especially when it was done by complete volunteers who, I must add, got it in color for the first time instead of continuing to stay black and white!!!!! I am just still angry at how this awful person could treat me like that!!! I have left out some things that she said (too mean to repeat), but after she left, I cried!!!! And I don't usually go and cry at my kid's school!!!! I am a happy parent! :)But.......... there is a good ending to this story! The principal heard what happened and talked to me about it! Supposedly, this "parent" is a problem maker!! They have trouble with her! The school secretary gave me a hug and talked to me about it also! It just made me feel good b/c I have worked REAL HARD to do a good job on the yearbook. At least the school staff saw that and stand by me!!! I seriously hate to sound so harsh, but this parent was so dag on mean, I guess I am still not over it! I can't believe she said what she said to me in front of her daughter!!!! And what if other kids had walked by??!! I wasn't going to have a conversation like that in the school lobby!!!! I just don't think that was appropriate! My mom and Mark said I handled it professionally! I must agree (except for the crying part)! LOL!!! Anyway, aside from the "lunatic" parent, I got many nice compliments!!! It got me to thinking tho, how one comment can seem to "erase" all the others! I had nothing but postivie feedback all that day concerning the yearbooks. Then, BAM, one negative comment and it was as if the "positive" things were completely forgotten! Why do we do that??!! If ten people tell you that you look great, why do we focus on the "one" person who says we don't???!!! Just something to think about! :) I had to mentally stop and remind myself that everyone loved the yearbook!!! One person not liking it shouldn't speak for everyone! Out of 20 people - 19 gave rave reviews!!!!! Wow!!!! :) I feel like, in the end, I learned something!!!! Don't listen to the negative 'cause they are only here to bring you down!!! Surround yourself with the people who are positive b/c they are the "correct" ones! Negativity gets you nowhere and being around negativity brings you down as well!!! Am I making any sense?! :) Anyway, it was a very hurtful experience. I feel way better, but I am still trying to "forget" what happened! I am also, I must say, proud of myself for not arguing with the parent. The only thing I said to her was, "I'm sorry!" And I only said it once 'cause I had already said it on the phone two times and I wasn't gonna keep indulging her and acting like I did something wrong! I also told her she was welcome to take over the yearbook this coming year if she wanted! LOL!!! :) But, of course, she didn't want to do that! LOL!!!! She just wants it done right!!! Don't you love it?! :) Oh well. Please say a prayer for me to let this go once and for all!!! I am really almost past it now, but I felt the need to write it down and therefore, blog!!!! :) I hope ya'll don't mind!!!! :)

So, on to my top ten!!!!

1)I LOVE pictures!!! I have them all over my home! I take way too many pictures, but I LOOOOOVE them!!!
2)I love photography!!!! I would love to have my own studio someday! :)
3) I love going to the zoo! It is peaceful there (even on a busy day)! But have you ever gone on a slow day?! Wow!!!! It is like no other!
4)I am married and have two boys! I would talk about my kids!!!!! :)
5)I stay at home, but consider it a full-time job!
6)I have babysat for many years and think I was pretty good at it! I love kids!!! :)
7)I am devoted to the people in my life!
8)I try to have a sense of humor! It can get you through the hard times!
9)I try to live a Christ-like life!
10)No matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to get organized (or stay organized)! :)

So, there you have it!!! LOL! The good, the bad, and the ugly!!!!!!!! :)
Thanks for listening!!!!!!! :)

Having fun in the sun!!!!

Having fun with friends!!! :)

Gage, Jacob, Jackson, Ethan, and Richard is pulling!

Our newest family member "Potter!"

Jackson and Jacob in front of our new pine tree!

More fun with friends! :)

Jackson, Michael, Samer, Jacob, Ratah, Sabrine and Cole

Playing in the sprinkler with friends! :)

Jackson, Sabrine (bending over), Alya, Samer and Jacob

The school carnival! :)

Gramsey, Jacob and Jackson

They had their faces painted (Gramsey, too)!

Hey bloggers! I have been having the BEST week!!!! It has been sooooo nice outside and I am thoroughly enjoying it!!! The kids have played in the sprinkler the past two evenings and tons of neighborhood kids came and joined them! Mark and I sit on the porch and watch them play (and sometimes join in as well as we are "big" kids ourselves)! :) We have adopted a new kitty who found his way to our home. We have no idea where he came from, but he is the sweetest thing! Right now he is living on our porch and sleeps in our gigantic bush out front. We made him his own bed, but at this point, he prefers the bush! LOL! He is very loving and has quickly become a part of our family. We named him "Potter." We got it from the Harry Potter books and movies. If anyone is familiar with these books, you will remember that Harry had to live under the stairs with his aunt and uncle. Well, our "Potter" has to live in the bush, so therefore, he is now known as Potter (Harry just didn't quite sit well in the vote)! LOL! :) Anyway, he always comes out of his bush to greet us and lays on the porch and seems to enjoy all the craziness! :) We are going to try and introduce he and our indoor cat "Stubby" to see how they do. They have met once, but didn't like one another at all. I have asked around and it is just luck of the draw if two cats will take to one another or, at least, co-habitate even if they don't really like each other. I just don't want Stubby to start spraying. That would be the worst case scenerio. I have also asked around the neighborhood and no one seems to know anything about Potter. So, it seems, for now, that Potter is ours! :) Awwww! One more addition to the Archer household! LOL! :) Also, this past weekend we planted "5" trees all in our front and side yard. We live on a corner lot so we planted "3" trees on the side and two in front. It is about time after living here for "TEN" years!!!! Can you believe this July will be 10 yrs. that we have lived here!!!! Time flies!!! I was pregnant with Jackson when we moved in. Wow! And now Jackson is nine. And, thinking back, I do believe a certain "Emjaye" helped us move in!!! :) Boy, do I owe Emjaye or what?! Thank you, Emjaye, for being a life-long, honest-to-goodness, true, caring and loving friend!!!! It means a lot to me! :) Now.........back to the trees!!! LOLOLOL!!!! We got four maples, two of which are red maples. And we got one pine tree also. Man, it took my dad and Mark several hours to plant them all, but boy, do they look good! :) Thank you, dad and Mark, for all of your hard work! It means a lot as well! On top of all of that, we got the school yearbooks back!!!! WooHoo!!!! Exciting!!!!!!! They look real good and I am anxious to show them off! I have already showed three moms from the neighborhood! They were making fun of me and saying that I would be likely to go to each classroom and watch the teachers pass them out! :))) One mom said I should wear a hat to take off and say I am taking donations!!! LOL!!! Too funny!!! The sad thing is..........they are soooooo right!!!!! I wouldn't put it past me!!!!! I want to see everyone's expression when they see it for the first time!!!! :) And last, but not least, we have four baby robin birds living in one of our light posts!!! It is on the side of the porch and up high and out of reach from predators (and safe from bad weather)! They just hatched this week and we got to see the mommy bird feed the babies!!!! Talk about the wonders of the world!!!! It was very, very cool watching the babies open their mouths to be fed!!!! And it was equally as cool to watch the mommy bird sit on the fence with a "worm" - food for her babies!!!! :)

So, it has been a good week, overall, and we are enjoying the nice weather! Now.......if only school could end..........it would be perfect!!! We have a couple more weeks to go and then, swimming time!!!! :) The pool opens over Memorial Day weekend and the kids can not wait to go!!! :)

Well, my show is on so I gotta sign off! I, too, like some others, am addicted to "my shows!" I will miss them over summer break! :)

Oh, I forgot about the Tuesday Top Ten!!!! I could only think of one!!! I must be crazy 'cause there has got to be more than one!!!! But this "one" keeps coming back to me!!!! :)

Cissa's Top Daredevil Pick...............................................is.........................

GET A TATTOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)))

If I wasn't so afraid of it hurting, I would totally get a tattoo!!!! :) But.........I'm a chicken........so it will most likely never happen!!!! :)

Okay, gotta go watch my show! More later!!!

Arizona Pictures!!!! :)

Jackson and Jacob in Arizona taking a hike in the mountains! :)

Mommy with her boys! :)

The Grand Canyon!!!!!

Another view of the Grand Canyon!

The Archer "Cousin Reunion"!!! :)
Justin, Levi, Taylor, Jackson, Jacob and Jade

Jackson having fun at the Grand Canyon!

Mommy is having fun, too!

Daddy can't be left out!

America's Next Top Model Contest!
Contestants are: Mark............

Jacob having fun at the Grand Canyon!

And Heather is contestant #2

We are taking votes for the WINNER!!!!!

Jackson at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon!

Horse Back Riding @ the Apache Stables
(right outside the Grand Canyon National Park)
Yep, that is Cissa right up front in the red shirt!!! :)
Jackson is third from the back.

Mark and Heather! Awwwwwww!
Can you believe this pic was taken at a "rest stop" on the way

back to Phoenix from the Grand Canyon!

The cousins back at Grandma and Pa's House!
The best part of the trip was having all of the cousins together!!! :)
Taylor, Jackson, Justin, Jacob, Jade and Levi

Hey there, fellow bloggers!!! I am soooo excited to finally be showing my Arizona pictures!!!! Looking at them has helped to remind us of some of the fun parts of the trip!!! I must say that some of my favorite pics are of the cousins all together!!!! :) I love group pictures of the kids like this and we rarely get an opportunity for it to happen (with everyone living so far from one another)! But, we got some good cousin pics on this trip and for me..........they are priceless!!!!!! :) I hope you enjoy them, too!!! :)

Btw, I took about a total of 600 pictures!!!! It was definately hard to decide which ones to post! Let me know what you think! :)

Looking at these pictures made us feel good about the trip! There certainly were some difficult times, but there were also lots of fun times, too!!!! I feel in my heart that this trip was something we needed to do. It was a special treat for Grandma and Pa and I know they loved it!!! :) And I am soooo thankful that Julie (my sister-in-law) could come with her kids, Jade and Levi!!!! It would not have been the same without them! She is a dr. and is soooo busy and I'm sure she could have said no about coming. But.........she didn't.............she came. And her husband couldn't come 'cause he had to work. So............she came by herself! To me, that says a lot about her!!!!! It certainly meant a lot to us!!!! Mark has a good family and I am proud to be a part of it! I only wish we all lived closer! It would be cool for Jackson and Jacob to see their cousins regularly! Oh well! In the meantime, we have these awesome pics to remind us of the fun times we do have together!!! :)

Oh, and let us know who the winner of "America's Next Top Model" is!!!!! :) I may lose points b/c I have used that "pose" in a previous blog!!! LOL! I did it again on purpose (it is my "signature" pose now)! LOL!!!! :)

Anyway, enjoy the pics! I have more pics to come! Some will be from Jack's b-day and some from Jake's b-day! And...........we are supposed to get the yearbooks back this Friday!!!! WooHoo!!!! I am excited!!!! :)

Keep me in your prayers this week. I have a drs. appt. on Wednesday (with a new dr.). I am feeling better, but I want a full check-up and tests done. I am 36 yrs. old and it is time for a full physical. My cheeks have been totally red this week (probably from my rosacea). I think I may need some cream for that. Anyway, thank you for the prayers!!!!!

And on a last note: what a beautiful day we had today!!!! I just wanted to say a special thank you to God for giving us these sunny days!!! Everything looks different when the sun is shining!!!! Isn't that amazing?! And if it rains tomorrow, that is okay, b/c it makes me appreciate the good days even more!!! Life lessons - we learn something new almost daily!!!! :) My favorite saying is: LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where Has Cissa Been?!

Hi there, my fellow bloggers!!! :) I must apologize for my recent absence! It has just been such a busy time of year! For starters, Jackson has had baseball going on. And I will be the first to tell ya how much I enjoy him playing, but man, how LOOOOONG the practices last (plus he had his first game Monday evening). And, in truth, the practices aren't "always" that long, but even a couple of hrs. crunches your evening time. By the time you get home and have dinner and baths, it is pretty much bedtime. And, oh, let me tell ya about bedtime!!! LOL! :) The end of the school year is always the hardest b/c the sun is out till the wee hrs. of the night! And you see, my kids DO NOT want to come in and get ready for bed and I can't blame them! Neither do I!!!! It is soooo hard b/c they are having so much fun outside - and by seven or so it has also cooled down enough for the "perfect" take a walk weather!!!! :) Let's just say we are ready for summer to be here. Then, if we stay up late, it is okay b/c we can sleep in!!!!! :) Which reminds me - Jack also had the 3rd grade Ohio Achievement Test on Monday and Tuesday. It really ended up not being so bad! (How did it go for you Amy)? Good, I hope! I am just glad it is over with!! :) And Jack seemed fine about it as well, so that is good! I also took some pictures of my aunt, uncle and cousin while they were visiting from New Mexico. I think they turned out pretty good, so if you are interested in seeing them, let me know, I will give ya the pass word (the pics are on my web page). Plus, speaking of pictures, I have been at Jack's school taking yes, MORE PICS!!!!! The yearbook is finished and we should get it back next Friday!!! WooHoo!!! I can't wait to see it!!! But, now, I am finishing up pictures for the 4th grade graduation slide show!!! It will be on May 24th. I always feel like I don't have enough (and then I end up with too many)! LOL!!! :) Better safe than sorry is my motto especially regarding pics!!! :) Oh, and I took Jacob's birthday pics myself at Schiller Park (this park is not too far from Grange in German Village). They turned out pretty cute as well. I will have to post some for you all to see! :) Anyway, it has been busy around here, but is starting to settle down! I am also starting to "diet" and I have been walking for exercise this week! I am definately NOT a good dieter - I have no idea what to eat! I seriously need some ideas!!! Please send any advice my way!!! I desperately need some recipes that would be good for me!!! :) And to end, I must admit, that after returning from my vacation, I think I might have been in a slight "depression" when I got back! For at least two weeks since coming home, I did not feel right! I had migraines, dizziness and lightheadedness. I don't know for sure, but in retrospect, I think I was slightly depressed! Although, the trip was fun, it was extremely stressful! It just wasn't a "kid" place to be! I am sooo glad we went and know that it was the "right" thing to do (b/c Mark's parents have always wanted us to come), but it was simply stressful. I loved seeing Mark's family and his sister and her kids and grandma and pa, but I can't quite describe what was so hard! It was partly the heat (90 and no air conditioner) which can make a person cranky! But there were so many good things during the trip, too! It is sad b/c until recently, those good things had been put on a back burner, since I wasn't doing well. All that was remembered was stress!!! Oh well, maybe it was just me!!! :) But.........bottom line is............I feel better now, so that is good! And, I am finally thinking of the "fun" things that we did on our vacation! So..........now that I am feeling better, I will be blogging once again!!!! :) I'm back, baby!!!!!! :) I would like to say "Welcome" to our newest blog member "SGE" - we are soooo happy to have another blog to read! :)
If anyone is interested, my web page is: Portraitsofalifetime.com
If you want to see any events, let me know, and I will give ya the password! :)
I am looking to slowly get back into my photography! It brings me such great joy and I absolutely love it!!!! So.........if anyone knows anybody in need of some "different" types of pictures, let me know! I especially love taking "park" pictures at this time of year!!! You can get such awesome pictures!!!!
Okay, okay, I will sign off for now! I am rambling at this point! I'm just glad to be back!!!!!
Welcome Home Cissa!!!!!!! :)