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.....

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......

 

 

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.....

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!!