Photo Challenge

Although I don't have any photo sessions scheduled, I have a few in the works and have plenty to do in the meantime to keep me busy. One thing that has been keeping me busy is registering my business to make it official in the state of Louisiana. I got confirmation yesterday that it's a GO! So, JenniferJ Photography LLC is now an official business!! Another couple things keeping me busy is creating a website and donating to a few upcoming auctions to local organizations. In between all of that (and working "full time") I'm doing a weekly photo challenge through a photographer I admire in Colorado. I thought a photo a week wouldn't be enough to keep me busy but I have enough other photography related things going right now to keep me more than busy when I'm not teaching. Here are the photos for the first 3 weeks. I pride myself in submitting these photos pretty much being SOOC (straight out of camera) with minimal editing. The more I can get an image right in camera, the better photographer I become.

 

Proud to Do 1-2 Things

Some days, or in this case, some weeks, I should be more proud of the one or two things I got accomplished for the day rather than the 100 that are still left unchecked on my never ending "To Do" list. We recently added another 4 legged addition to our family. Just like any other new family member, especially when it's a young one, there's an adjustment period....for everyone.
The boys and I got back Friday night and I hit the ground running on Monday. And when I say running, I mean sprinting. I am back to work every day now. So, between that job and being a mom and doing the business aspect of my photography business, life is rather chaotic. Let me give you an example: Monday E was in rare form (or more like his norm these days). So most of the morning, while I was rushing around trying to unpack and get things ready for work, he was throwing major temper tantrums. Monday night Rob had to work late on a project. So after dinner I took 2 mins to go to the bathroom. When I came out, E had somehow managed to get a full bag of candy off the counter and had dumped it out for the dogs (and him) to have a free for all. After scrambling to clean that up I realized Drake (our newest addition, a 2 yr old lab puppy) had pulled out one of E's soiled diapers from the garbage and was shredding it all over the living room. While I cleaned that mess up Fetcha (our little mutt) peed on the carpet. Needless to say, I was more than ready for bedtime by the time it rolled around. Yesterday morning is another example. It was pouring down rain so I was letting the dogs out in shifts to go to the bathroom before putting them in their crates. I was minutes away from leaving for work and specifically told E to stay in the house. Yeah, fat chance of that happening. While I was walking Drake around the backyard, E opened the back door, letting Fetcha out. She took off running while I frantically called for her. I got Drake in the house and ran out front to get Fetcha. Of course, E had to open the front door, letting Drake out. Normally he listens/minds well when called but yesterday he decided to be stubborn. He took off running one way while Fetcha kept going the opposite direction. I ran inside to change back out of my work pants and into clothes that could get muddy. Luckily that gave the dogs just enough time to get together at the pond. I chased them down, getting mud up to my shins and finally wrangled Drake back to the house, with Fetcha following behind. Needless to say, I was running late by this point and was pretty frazzled by the time I got to work. Just to show you that this has been a trend for the week I'll give you my last example from this morning. I was trying to finish breakfast before taking P to school. All of a sudden I heard E's hurt cry coming from the back of the house. I ran to P's room where I found E lying under a full 10 gall tub of shoes/clothes. Somehow his big brother was responsible but I don't think I got the full truth on what really happened. While I was dealing with that, Drake put his front paws up on the table and finished my bowl of cereal. No big deal, right? (Other than the gross factor). Well we were out of milk and my favorite cereal so I started the morning rather hungry. Just as we were running out the door (late of course) E blew out his diaper so I had to run back in, praying that P would not be late for the 2nd time this week. So, some days I just have to rejoice that everyone is alive and the boys are fed instead of worrying about dusting, mopping, doing laundry, etc. Tis the joys of being a mom...and dog owner! :)

Coming To An End

Our West Coast vacation is quickly coming to an end. The first week here was spent getting over a variety of illnesses but since then we've had fun. I'm not a "sit around" kind of vacationer (although I did read 4 books this vacation!) so I spent it doing stuff I love....spending time with family and friends, learning stuff, exploring and taking pictures. I've become interested in sewing lately so my mom taught me how to sew PJ bottoms for the boys. I completed one set and am in the process of finishing the other one. I also crocheted something for a friend's birthday. I was as giddy as a school girl one day because I got to spend it at home (Reno), visiting friends~ meeting new babies,  seeing new houses and catching up. I worked on my photography business, although not as much as I needed to. Another thing I didn't do as often as I should have was exercised but at least I got a few walks in. I got to take P to his friend's birthday party, where he was happy to play in the snow. I, too, got to spend time with friends, which is always fun! I did a little shopping, am going to do a little pampering and did a lot of relaxing. It's been a good trip! Here is the last set of pictures from our time here (None have been edited).....

2014 Review

Compared to 2012 and 2013, our 2014 was super mellow. We didn't pack up a house and move. We didn't add any more kids to the mix. We did lose our beloved Ruby and add a mutt (Fetcha) and a yellow lab (Drake). Other than a couple trips out West to see family/friends and a road trip to Northern LA, we didn't go on any big vacations. We just lived an every day life, nothing to write home about. Rob worked a lot and Jen took on a part time job in the Fall, teaching 3rd and 6th graders about life skills. Jen's photography business started taking off in the Fall and 2014 became the best year for her business as of yet! P played T-ball for the first time. Like his Mama, he enjoyed the social aspect of it more than the athleticism and competition. His team was undefeated, though, so that made his Daddy happy. P also started Kindergarten in August. He loves it and has already learned so much! Jen volunteers in his class and at the school whenever possible, which P loves. E went from a baby to a toddler this year. He had a rough start to the year by dealing with walking pneumonia. But, after changing pediatricians, he got better and has just had the usual ear infections and colds ever since. He went from crawling to walking to running in a matter of weeks and now he rarely slows down. He learns new words every day and has become quite an independent toddler (For more on him, scroll down to the next blog). I'm sure I could add more about our 2014 but that's been our year in a nutshell. Just like most families we've had the good, the bad and the ugly. But, just like most families, we've been thankful for the good and have made it past the bad. We are blessed beyond measure, something we don't take for granted. Now we close the door on another year and look forward to what 2015 has in store for us.....Happy New Year!!

Happy 2nd Birthday!

2 days ago we celebrated our lil guy's 2nd birthday. It amazes me that he's 2 because he still seems like my baby. In the past year he's gone from crawling to walking to running. He's gone from babbling to one word to almost 50 words (and 2 word sentences)! He's gone from a mellow baby to an intense, strong willed toddler. He's become independent, liking to do everything on his own. He doesn't seem to care that he doesn't get all the fancy stuff his Bubba gets. He doesn't seem to care that he doesn't get the over-the-top birthday parties that his Bubba gets either. We celebrated this birthday as a family (minus his Daddy), celebrating things he likes....trains, candy, playing with his Bubba outside and eating spaghetti! Here are a few pics from his special day:

Go With It

I love all things Christmas. But I've also learned the value of going with the flow as a parent. This past week every single one of us has been sick. First P with croup and then E got a double ear infection. I got a sinus infection and both of my parents were down in bed with the nasty bug as well. Not to mention my SIL and Rob got sick once they got home. Needless to say, we didn't get to go see a lot of Christmas lights or go to the Christmas Eve church service that is so important to me. We ate Christmas dinner in shifts and I spent an hour at Urgent Care with E Christmas afternoon. But we did have fun with Shooby the Elf, watched Christmas movies, got lots of cuddle time and relaxation. Here are a few images that captured the fun we have had so far.

Tis the Season

I don't know what I dread more about trips out west.....the plane ride with E or the sickness that follows every time we visit. The first leg of the flight was a long one and was, of course, packed. There was a high school wrestling team in front of us that E became fascinated with.....until one of the boys accused E of spitting on the back of his head. I personally think the boy was being drama but I also know what my 2 year old is capable of. The 2nd flight was a lot shorter and went better....except for the poor older lady sitting next to us who couldn't find "lager" on her Word Search puzzle (It took all my self control not to point it out to her after 40mins of her looking for the word!). Both boys started coughing so the lady discretely pulled her scarf over her mouth. She must've tuned out the coughing because, after awhile, the scarf slipped off her mouth.....until E ripped a loud, smelly fart and proceeded to yell, "Mom! I poop!". Needless to say, the scarf stayed around her mouth the rest of the flight.
The boys and I landed Thursday night and P wasted no time in getting sick. By the time he went to bed it was obvious he had croup. I was okay with that....until yesterday afternoon when E woke up from his nap with a high fever.....and I "woke up" (which is technically hard to do when you never really go to sleep in the first place) sick this morning. I'm praying that we get this behind us quick so we can enjoy the rest of our time out here. Our lives were so busy before we left that I looked forward to a relaxing 3 weeks with friends and family but this is even more relaxing than I planned.
I doubt I'll be writing again anytime soon so I hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas!