Yay for Me!

After almost 10 yrs of marriage Paxton and I are taking our first vacation together since our honeymoon. We have only had a handful of nights without kids since Shaylee has been born and have decided it's time. We are going on a week long Mexican Riviera cruise in FIVE weeks. Just in time for the big 30 birthday! Even though it snowed over spring break, I am keeping warm imagining myself laying in sunshine on a beach in Cabo. Woo Hoo!

Beautiful

You know those moments when you look at one of you kids and heart swells up and you get tears in your eyes for no apparent reason. Your heart flutters and you think, "I am the luckiest mom in the whole world." Taking pictures of Shaylee in her baptism dress was like that for me. It is hard to believe my baby is so big. I am so very proud of her sweet heart, her natural creativity, and her inherent kindness. I am so very lucky to have such an amazing daughter.

Compliments

Bryce had to write a compliment about himself for school. His was "I'm so glad I can run ten times faster than a slug." Shaylee, keeping her brother humble, said, "No he can't, he can only run five times faster."

Skills

The Easter bunny brought us the new Super Mario Bros. game and I have been surprised at the strong emotions it has brought back to me. I think since we got the wii I have played it all of fifteen minutes until we got this game. In the last few days my kids have seen an entirely new side of me. We played the Wii for an hour and a half yesterday and the kids were amazed at my mad skills. When we got our first Nintendo, my whole family of seven was staying in a one bedroom apparment while my dad was in training and we were waiting to move to Cairo. With so little to do and being the oldest I became the Mario master at age 8. By the time I was nine I could beat the whole game three times over and complete the whole first level while playing only with my toes! It is amazing how quickly it all has come back to me!Bryce went to school today bragging that his mom could beat all the other moms at Super Mario Bros. Shaylee would cheer for me and give me a big hi-five when we beat a new level. It was the most fun I have had in a long time. Twenty years later and I still got game (and a bruised thumb)!

Happy Easter!

Too Much of a Good Thing

So, I'm guilty again. I guess I have a tendancy to over do things a bit. I love photography but I've over worked myself this last week. I don't know why but taking pictures physically wears me out. Maybe it is because I guess so intense about it. I don't know... Anyway, I got to do my first engagement and bridal pictures this last week. It was a blast. Note to self: Bridal pics are hard on a very windy cold day. My poor bride had chattering teeth and her dress was out of control unless she was sitting on it. Then my sweet little 8 yr old helper kept kicking up grass that immdiately flew up and stuck all over the dress. I guess this is the kind of behind-the-scene stuff you never think of when you look at a bridal picture.

I LOVED doing the engagement pictures. I think they are my new favorite. It is so fun to hang out with a couple that are so absolutely in love! Their giddiness is contagious. It makes me think of how happy I was when I was getting married and how much more of I love Paxton now. (We are coming up on ten years at the end of the summer!!! Woo Hoo for us!)

Anyway, after I was all happily burned out from pictures and making an engagement announcement I was going to meet Paxton on Friday night and someone rear-ended me when I stopped at a rail road crossing. I think all the shaking I did in the next two hours finished me off. The kids and I were all OK but it shook me up pretty good. So, instead of a night I the town I came home and slept for ten hours straight.
We'll hope for better luck this week.

Out takes

In my two and a half months as a photographer I have collected a few of my favorite "not-the-pictures-you-hang-on-your-wall" pictures. Not that anyone in these pictures is necessarily funny looking (except my brother Ryan) but it is amazing the priceless images a camera can catch. These are untouched up, unedited and the real deal. (The first three pictures go together.)

Guess Who Won


Thinking Too Hard


Strike a Pose


Where's My Money (I'll Break Your Kneecaps)

Is My Cooking Really That Bad

Demonic

Mom has the Camera Out-Again!

I said I'm DONE!

Who You Lookin' At?

I'm Not Tired

One-Million Dollars...

I AM smiling

Huh?

Raspberry


If looks could kill