Friday, February 27, 2015

A Day in the Life

A lot of photographers say that they regret not taking pictures of their own family with their "big camera". I can't say I have the same regret as I take PLENTY of pics with my phone and camera. My regret, however, is not taking the time to edit and print them. Poor E doesn't have many pictures of himself up in our house. When we walk down the hall and he says, "Bubba....Bubba....Bubba" as he points to each pictures I get a stab of "Mommy Guilt". My goal is to update our pictures soon so he can know he's just as important as his big brother. In the meantime this blog is dedicated to him.....
A Day in the Life of E:
 
 
"We Will Rock You" wasn't coming up fast enough for him

Enjoying breakfast out of his favorite train bowl
 

Rainy day trains

Bubba stayed home sick and E was in heaven

Gotta love spaghetti for dinner

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

King of Tantrums

I begged and cried to God more times than I could count for another baby after P was a year old. He answered my prayers and, although, I thank Him every day for that blessing I also pray that He would mellow out my blessing just a tad. E is a spit fire (much like his daddy....HA!!) and his favorite thing to say is, "I do it!". He also likes to throw at least one tantrum a day. Sometimes they're exhausting. Other times they're funny. I've taken to photographing them out of pure comedic relief. Then someone suggested I print a book, titling the tantrum pictures, to document the Terrible Twos. Although these were only taken with my phone, I do plan on busting out my camera to do that very thing....document and publish a book to look back on later in life. Here are a few of his tantrums this week....

"To Eat or Scream? That is the Question"

"Mom Won't Let Me Play in the Dog's Water Bowl" or "Mom Doesn't Love Me Enough to Share Her Girl Scout Cookies With Me" (Choose which one you like best because they were a combined tantrum)

"Carpool Blues"

"I Don't Want the Dishwasher Loaded That Way"

"Staying in the Bath Tub is Hard Work"

"Do I Want to Use My Potty or Get a Pull Up On?"


Baby A

I don't profess to be a newborn photographer. I have no specialized training and quite honestly I've been scared to do a newborn session. But when a client texted me, asking if I could do a last minute photo shoot and explained the family's situation, I told her I'd gladly do it if she understood that this was my first baby to photograph under the age of 6mos. The baby girl stayed awake for all but 10 mins of the photo shoot but she was absolutely perfect. I loved every minute of the photo shoot and it made me conquer my fears. Newborn photography is fun and something I'd be willing to learn more about. I had a hard time choosing just a few that I liked but here are just a few of my favorites.....




Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Playing Catch Up

Trying to play catch up with you. Since the last time I checked in here, we have taken Rob's boat out for her maiden voyage, gone out on 2 (yes 2) dates!! (One to a restaurant and one to our church Valentine dinner), installed 80% of our backyard fence, got my car into the shop after being in an accident, celebrated my last full day of work and went to NOLA on Fat Tuesday. Most of the catch up will be done with pictures but let me fill you in on yesterday. For those of you that are not from the LA area, yesterday was perhaps the biggest day of the year for this state.....Fat Tuesday! It's also $2 Tuesdays for the Aquarium of the Americas and the Audubon Zoo. So, my friend and I decided to take advantage of the school holiday and take the kids to NOLA to visit the aquarium. When we got remotely close to the aquarium we were blocked to go any further because of the parades. It was below freezing and with the wind chill factors, it was in the 20s. We bundled the kids up, gave them several warnings to stay close and off we went (with me and Ginny praying the whole time). We got the aquarium only to find it closed. Apparently the whole state shuts down for Fat Tuesday, which we obviously didn't know. So we traipsed back to the car, freezing the whole way. I am proud to say that, despite all the Mardi Gras hoopla, innocent eyes still stayed innocent. Rob even said that we must've prayed our way through NOLA because it's a miracle that we didn't see any obscene things. I felt really bad that the kids missed out on the aquarium and that it was so cold but it was a nice day spent away from BR. To fill you in on the past two weeks, here you go......





 
 

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Well, Hello

Hi Stranger! I hope life has been treating you well. For me, it's been hectic but good, full of blessings. I should've started this blog 2 hours ago when I was first woken up because I doubt I'll get too far into it before one of my littles wakes up, wanting breakfast. The big question....where to start? On my soapbox about measles vaccinations or immigrants who drive without a license? About my boys and the great bond they share, despite their age difference? My day job? My booming photography business and my dreams for it? This past weekend which started out not so good but turned great? Decisions, decisions. I'll start with my favorite subjects....my boys...and see how far I get into everything else.
Ah, my sweet, fun loving boys who have such a strong brotherly bond. When P was a year old we tried and tried to have a second child so P could be close in age with his younger sibling. But thankfully God had other plans for us. There's a 3 1/2 year age difference but I wouldn't change for anything! E idolizes his older, compassionate, intelligent brother and P loves playing with his younger brother, creating "journeys" and "adventures", teaching him how to play chase with the dogs and touch worms, how to sing "We Will Rock You" at the top of their lungs, how to play B-ball, how to find joy in things. Not to mention he's a HUGE help to me, especially in the mornings when I'm scrambling to get everything done for the day. They have a bond like no other and I pray that it lasts throughout their lives.
On an individual basis, they are very different but I've come to appreciate those differences instead of using them to compare one against the other. P is my cuddle bug, jumping at the chance to sleep in my bed when Rob is gone. He wakes up happy almost every morning and is quick with a smile and a hug. He's excelling in school, becoming an avid reader. He is a sponge, soaking up everything. Although he doesn't excel at sports, he gives it %110 and that's all I could ask for! He went to a ice skating birthday party this past weekend. The rink provided crates for people who needed extra support. P initially used them, but by the end of the party he was skating without support, only falling once. I was so proud of his tenaciousness. Every night he practices basketball, creating games with his buddy or Rob or E. He loves playing...and commentating the game.
E is about as opposite as his big brother. The first thing he wants to do when he wakes up is eat and he's a grouch until he does. He's becoming more of a cuddler thanks to his daycare provider, Ginny, "GG". She rocks him every chance she gets and I think that's helped. He's not as developed with his words as his older brother was but he has no problem letting you know what he wants. He's quick to anger but his smile lights up the room and his belly laughs are the best. He loves sports and all things his big brother says is cool. He loves having "jobs" (ie. helping unload the dishwasher, take clothes to the laundry room, get Fetcha in her crate) and routine. Every morning he loves grabbing his "backpack" (his lunchbox), knowing he's going to GG's house to play with her dog, Buddy, while I go off to work. It throws him off when I only work a half day and we don't go get his Bubba from school right afterwards.
Both are so different but so vital to our family dynamics. We are blessed. I would love to write about all the other subjects but I have to get ready for work. I'm currently teaching 4 sixth grade classes so my days are busy. But I wouldn't change it for anything. I love my job, the flexibility it gives me and the extra income it provides us. So until the next time I have a chance to get back to the computer for a few minutes.....