Life & Times of Tassi & Brandon

Donuts with Dad

2011-09-13T17:26:00.000-04:00

Camden's morning preschool has an event coming up called "Donuts with Dad". They asked for a photo with their dad. I took a few shots yesterday. I think they turned out very cute.

2011-09-01T18:04:00.000-04:00

Camden had her first day of her afternoon special education preschool. She will begin her mainstream/church affiliated preschool Sept. 6th. Camden is going to be one busy preschooler Mon-Thurs 9AM-3:30PM.

We went to her meet the teacher today at the Baptist school. The teachers both seem really nice. It is a class full of girls with very few boys. I have a lot of anxiety going into this school year. It was hard standing in the classroom today looking at all these kids who were speaking well, writing their names, coloring in the lines, and playing with one another. Then there was my sweet Camden doing her own thing as happy as can be. I hope the teachers can meet the real Camden and be able to understand her. I hope the kids can be accepting even though she is not completely at their level.

I hope this year Camden and I will be able to grow and learn a lot. I am so thankful for the programs that are provided for her.

Camden is ready for this new adventure. (Insert Eye of the Tiger Lyrics)

Brooklyn's First Day of School

2011-08-25T22:40:00.003-04:00

My Brooklyn is headed off to 2nd grade. It is crazy to think that I have very vivid memories of being this age and now I have a child this age. Am I really turning into my parents. I did not realize I was getting old. Oh wait I will realize I am getting old after I get up from writing this post. Here are the classic back to school photos. I will sneak in a few of Camden and Dallin. Camden will start preschool next week and could not be more excited. I love my kids!

Holy Moly She Is 7!

2011-08-19T21:59:00.002-04:00

I absolutely adore this girl. I could not have asked for a better first child. She is extremely patient and loving. We had a fun time at Paint Your Pot to celebrate her birthday. She invited a few friends from church, school, and Gillian (cousin). Her cake choice was cheesecake however was changed to strawberry cake for the sake of the other kids. She is growing up so fast.
Her Favorite List:
Color: Rainbow
Food: Mac and Cheese and fruit
Dessert: Cheesecake
Thing: Play with Mom ( I did not make her say that)
Activity: Jumping on the Trampoline
Person: Family and Friends

D Boy

2011-08-18T21:16:00.000-04:00

Seriously could this kid be any more delicious. He drives me insane and melts my heart all at once. He is into everything, he gives hugs, teases his sisters, gives kisses, can't sit still, and is mostly happy the whole day. His big thing right now is jet, gun, lazer, motor sound effects and gives good knuckle bumps.

Last Day of 2010-2011 School Year

2011-08-17T21:05:00.004-04:00

I have been meaning to post some photos from their last day of school. I thought I would do it before school started up. Here is what my girls looked liked at the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year. They have grown within the last year. I can't wait to see the leaps they make this year.

New Hairstyle?

2011-06-19T19:54:00.004-04:00

It is time again for a new do. Actually well overdue. You may have remembered this cut I received a few months ago. Well my hair is not shoulder length and needs a change. Here are the new hairdos I am thinking about. Which one is your favorite?
The first one is if I want to keep my hair short for a little while longer. Which would not be bad for the summer. The other cut is if I want to grow it long again. Long all over layers are easy to grow out.

My Own Secret Garden

2011-06-10T10:11:00.003-04:00

Image seen on Design Sponge

I want my own secret garden. I think I could get a small scale version of this in my own yard. Are you ready for this Brandon?

Memorial Weekend Camping Trip

2011-06-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

Brandon and I have both done a lot of camping separate from one another and certainly have not done it with our kids. This past memorial weekend was a real adventure for us. We attempted a camping trip about 2 and half hours away with our friends the Cranes. We had a lot of fun and the kids enjoyed it very much.

This cave was a battle sight against those for the British government and those against the British.

Lots of dirty feet, hands, and faces.

Mother's Day

2011-06-08T10:33:00.000-04:00

My mothers day was incredibly fun and thoughtful. Brandon had read "Fancy Nancy Ooh La La Its a Beauty Day" to the girls a few weeks prior to Mother's Day. He helped the girls plan this whole beauty spa for me Sunday morning. The girls were so cute and were very much in character.

There are different recipes for beauty products.

I think this one was bananas, cinnamon, and cocoa powder.

Camden was really good with the foot massage.

Easter

2011-06-07T10:26:00.000-04:00

I love Easter. I love what it represents. It brings much hope and peace to me for the future. We were invited by some church friends to a picnic and what they call egg rolling competition. Brandon liked to call it egg jousting.

Easter Sunday we were fortunate enough to spend with family. My kids love heading over to Elon to be with cousins.

Tornadoes

2011-06-06T10:22:00.001-04:00

I am sure many of you have heard or were affected by the tornadoes that have hit the south this season. We will definitely be taking the tornado warnings more serious. Thankfully our neighborhood was not hit because we were out on our screened porch jump roping while friends in the area were huddled in their bathrooms. Here are some photos that we took while driving by a town on our way home from our spring break.

Spring Break

2011-06-05T10:13:00.003-04:00

Our typical spring breaks tend to be last minute planning which then leads to laziness. This year a few months prior a groupon popped up for a two night stay at a beach resort 50% off. Both us and our friends decided to buy in and had a wonderful time despite the condition of the hotel. Sadly I had no pictures of us on the beach. Having six kids on the beach is difficult with bathroom breaks, napping, and timeouts. Here are few photos from our visit to the local aquarium.

This is C

2011-03-10T10:38:00.002-05:00

This is our C girl. She is a blast to have around. She loves the outdoors and this red soccer ball. She is not a huge fan of me carrying around my camera.

Bad Luck

2011-02-13T12:03:00.005-05:00

The above photo is from the past owners.

We have been trying to get our house painted for awhile. We have talked with a couple of painters. The painting quotes were too high, or the head painter came back to low ball his boss with his own quote, and the other painter won't return my calls. We have found a house with the paint we like. We have decided we definitely want to change the paint color. Painting cost a lot of money so why not change the house to something you love. The only thing it is really tricky finding the right color. I was so close to getting the colors I needed to paint our house. However bad luck and the painter that painted this other house will no longer return my calls. I have left messages with his wife/answering service for weeks. I then stumbled across this website that is very similar to the look we want. What do you think?

Photo from Cococozy

What is your favorite exterior paint colors?

Remeber Outdoor Dining Table?

2011-02-10T07:21:00.000-05:00

Here are my final two ideas. Which do you like better?
The color lines are the color I am thinking about painting the wicker/faux bamboo. The floral will be on the front side of the cushions and the geometric pattern on the back of the cushions. Then the area rug is the stripes. Not sure if that will be the final choice for the rug.

The cushions would be the floral and the geometric pattern is the rug.

Haircuts by Tatum

2011-02-09T09:33:00.004-05:00

My sister Tatum graduated from beauty school this past summer. She is very talented at what she does. She cuts hair at her home in Mesa. Everyone in the Valley let me know if you want her contact info. Her prices are awesome. I only wish she lived near me. We decided to fly her out so our family and friends could take part in her incredible talent. I only have photos from my hair and my niece Jordan.
Isn't she beautiful? Jordan decided to donate her hair to Locks of Love. This girl has got a ton of hair.

Before

Before

After

Every time I have made a drastic change to my hair I end up regretting it. I have now realized I have never had someone cut my hair short the way it should be cut. Tatum did an awesome job and I am still loving it. Thanks Tatum!

I Love Decorating Blogs

2011-02-07T16:02:00.000-05:00

My latest thing the last few months has been perusing the decorating blogs. There are some really talented online decorators out there. So of course I have been drooling over room makeovers. It got me thinking ways I can update my house and add a more complete home. I know I am silly but it is really easy to redecorate your house with photoshop. Now I just need to save the money to be able to put my ideas into action. Here are some of my ideas.

The Master Bedroom

My couch will be in our room.

Newest art piece to add to our bedroom.

The Living Room. I am not sure what to do with my windows but I do want two panels on both sides.

Oh Boy!

2011-02-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

I love this little guy. He has so much energy. Anything he can get into he will. If he can't get into something he will find a way. He loves snuggles from his mom, dad, and occasionally from his sisters. He is not quite walking but is taking a few steps here and there. We love him.

He loves looking out the window for dad or sisters to return home.

He is always on the go when awake.

Amazon Mom

2011-02-05T09:19:00.002-05:00

Brandon, here. And apparently I am a mom. An Amazon Mom, that is.

Let me back up to January 2008. I was looking at a $79 bill from Amazon and could not identify what the order was. Asking Tassi, she admitted she did some Christmas shopping on Amazon the previous month. Upon checkout she selected on "Free Shipping by signing up for Amazon Prime" option. Prime is a program at Amazon where many items are free 2-day shipping. Only the program costs $79 a year.

I teased Tassi quite a bit for inadvertently falling into an e-commerce "upsell" trick. I'm sure I asked if she is sponsoring a Nigerian prince estranged from his family. I was also a little mad at Amazon for charging $79 for shipping this item and calling it "free shipping."

But then I did the math. We'd have to ship 20 to 25 things to pay for itself. I checked the previous year's number of orders. 30 shipments. OK, status quo would pay for itself. Nice. We kept Amazon Prime.

Then, about a year ago, I discovered Amazon's Subscribe and Save program. Sign up for automated delivery of products at monthly intervals. Dallin was a few months old and Camden was still in diapers. Either we continue to periodically run to the grocery or drug store at 11 PM when we realize we just used the last diaper, or use Amazon Subscribe and Save to schedule delivery. Seemed an obvious choice.

Not only is Subscribe and Save convenient, it saves loads of money. On average 20-25% of what you pay retail. Nice! How this works is Amazon has a "general" discount just because it is an item being sold on Amazon. Then the "save" part of "Subscribe and Save" kicks in the form of 15% off the Amazon price. Again, nice!

And it has worked out pretty great. In fact, we have since extended Subscribe and Save to many products. In fact, nearly all household goods, barring food, are shipped to us through Amazon Subscribe and Save. This includes: Tide, Charmin, Brawny, Windex, Chlorox wipes, Reynolds wrap, Hefty bags, Ziplock bags, Huggies diapers and wipes, and more and more.

All delivered to our door. We are on a hill. Our UPS guy must hate us. And shipping is free to us because it is under the Prime program.

So, how am I a mom?

Well, this last summer, I got an email from Amazon as part of the Prime program, asking if I wanted to be an Amazon Mom. Amazon has been trying to get the word out on Prime. For instance, college students get Prime for free. Smart for Amazon, while freshmen are getting addicted to their first credit card, get them addicted to free shipping. So, it seems Amazon is targeting moms. And this is how it works:

• 30% off select diapers and wipes: As an Amazon Mom, you receive an additional 15% discount on top of the standard 15% discount on Subscribe & Save when you sign up for Subscribe & Save delivery. Subscribe & Save shipping is always free, and you can change your delivery schedule or cancel at any time. No fees, no risks, no obligations.
• FREE 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime: When you join Amazon Mom, you will receive FREE Two-Day Shipping with Amazon Prime for the first 3 months of your membership. For each $25 you spend within a single order in the Baby store, we’ll grant you an additional month of Amazon Prime shipping benefits. You can earn up to one year from the date you joined Amazon Mom.

Awesome. I was already subscribed to diapers that happened to come to $26 a month. So, I get to pocket $79 a year AND earn 30% of diapers and wipes instead of 15%.

Seemed an obvious choice. And seems like the easiest way for this dad to become a mom. An Amazon Mom, that is.

Camden turns 4!

2011-02-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Camden's past year as been huge. She has progressed so much since her third birthday. She is now speaking a lot more with us and even random people in public. She is fully potty trained with the occasional accident at home. She is loving her preschool and we are too. She is much more loving towards us and friends. Camden has never had kids that she called friends. I don't think she had grasped that concept before. She now talks to me all the time about her little friends from school and church. This year she was asking for a Minnie Mouse birthday party. I am way too cheap to pay for the party kits so we just made do with what we had. She really wanted to wear her costume for the party.
I wanted a picture with the birthday girl. I am usually the one behind the camera.

Camden has had an obsession with Minnie ever since our trip to Disney World. It has escalated the last year the more she can express herself.

She was so excited for her pink and purple frosted chocolate cupcakes.

We also served Minnie Mouse pancakes.

Each friend received her very own Minnie Mouse skirt.

Camden had so much fun with all her friends.

Kids Room Update

2011-02-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

I painted the frame a different color. It looks so much better. This dark sea blue is so much better. I love the results.
Before

After

Christmas

2011-02-03T11:34:00.004-05:00

Christmas was so much this year. I guess it usually is a lot of fun. However this Christmas was extremely fun for a budget minded gal. I love a good budget. I truly believe that a good budget will set you free. This year for Christmas we created a realistic gift giving budget which included extended family. We stuck to it very well. The end result was more thoughtful gifts were given to one another rather than just going crazy because we thought a kid would like something.

Last year we all got cool shirts that said Wright on the front with every name from Brandon's mom's side of the family. This year we got another cool shirt with the motto from the Wright Market Place stores that were owned in Mesa. I am hoping this is a new tradition. I love a good t-shirt with a story.

Brandon chillin' in his new Christmas PJs from his momma.

Brooklyn had a blast this year. She walked around Target with Brandon picking out many gifts for Camden. I think she was more excited to see Camden's reaction than what she got.

Camden's pants look like this most of the day. The 5t shirt fit fine however the pants just could not seem to stay on that little bum.

Dallin had fun with all the paper.

This is one gift Brooklyn was excited to give to Camden. She was even willing to get rid of toys for this bean bag.

I have to say the Kitchen was a selfish choice. I wanted a nice little kitchen that would fit in their dormer and coordinate with the decor. They do love it and play with it often.

This year North Carolina received snow on Christmas night and into the next day. It was exciting. I love Christmas.

My Baby Boy Is One

2011-01-27T20:21:00.004-05:00

How did this past year go by so fast. I can't even imagine life without our Baby D. He has been very delightful his first year. The girls absolutely adore him.

I posted this video back when we announced we were having a boy.

Tait & Bethany, Tobi & Ron

2011-01-27T20:12:00.002-05:00

After our summer family reunion with the Smiths we stayed in Prescott with my brother Tait, wife Bethany, and their kids. We were able to meet my sister Tobi's fiance, Ron, for the first time. We had lots of fun enjoying the cabin and time with family. I took some family photos for Tait and Bethany and engagement photos for Tobi and Ron.