Belated First Father's Day Photoshoot!

Back in June I did a First Father’s Day photo session and I completely forgot to share the pictures.  This is the little boy that was in his mama’s belly in this post and in his mama’s arms in this post.  This photo-loving family loves highly edited photos – over exposed, funky colors, sharp lines, etc. -  so I tried to provide them with some overly edited photos as well as some true colored, true exposure photos. 

The Dad decided he wanted to go to the Botanical Gardens Water Playground for the fun shoot and that is exactly what we did!  They got soaking wet instantly and from there naked baby came out!  I love chubby naked babies and generally babies love being naked, so it works out great!  There were some wonderful expressions, cute moments, playful moments, and totally “them” moments.  Oh and this entire shoot was candid.  The dad refused to pose.  Keep that in mind when you are looking at these photos!  It was actually really fun!

Love a daddy's strong hand holding his baby!

Oh he loves his daddy!



Getting Wet!



The ears.  He has his daddy's ears!



I didn't edit this photo at all.  I love the light coming in and daddy's expression.



Upsiden down kisses!!



Playing on the fort!  Loving the lighting here too!



Relaxing in the hamock



What up, Dad?



Daddy hands and Daddy kisses!



Oh the ears!  I love those ears!

Much love.

Occupying My Mind

I’m emotional.  Anyone who knows me, knows this fact about me.  I wear my emotions on my sleeve.  Complete strangers can tell how I am feeling.  Poker will never be the game for me.  Shucks!  This being said, I need to occupy my mind during heavily emotional periods of my life like this one because if I don’t I just sleep and cry far too much. 

 

(Check out this post for the reason I'm emotional.)

When I was in graduate school, I tutored to make a few extra dollars and for the most part I enjoyed it immensely.  I realized which subjects I can tutor well and which ones I should stay away from.  Shocker, note the sarcasm, Economics, Statistics, Finance, and Standardized Test prep were the subjects I enjoyed and was most effective at teaching.  Since I received some enjoyment and it keeps me relevant in the subject matter, I have decided to take on select students.  I am being picky and will not overextend myself.  If it is too much on me, I will cut back or stop all together, but I am hopeful that it will be good for me! 

I’ve also decided to really focus on photography.  I love it!  I thoroughly enjoy capturing moments in time, researching techniques and practicing.  I am taking senior portraits on the beach this weekend and I am jazzed!  I found a location that has a variety of backdrops and I practiced with Jared this weekend.  Granted he was skim boarding the entire time, but I was still able to figure out how to best capture the ocean, the sky, the sand, the rocks, etc.  If this session goes well, my confidence will be boosted.  Fingers crossed.

 

My ultimate career goal is to be self-employed and the time to take that plunge is now.  There will not be a better time.  "Better Times" are figments of our psyche.  The steps must be taken now and I am jumping in full force!  I want to be happy in my career, provide some financial support and still maintain the flexibility for my family and friends.  I value family time immensely and I refuse to let my job take that time away from me.  The journey may not be easy, but it will be worth it.

 

My father is self-employed and growing up my mother was a stay at home mom and handled the books for the business.  Having my mom and dad at school events was amazing!  I love that my dad could change his work hours to be there for his kids and I love that my mom was always there to get us ready in the morning and fetch us from the bus in the afternoon.  Having my parents so close during my childhood has instilled a love and admiration for them in me that in indescribable.  I want that for my children. Plain and Simple.

 

Are you self-employed?  What were the challenges that you faced along the way?  Was it worth it in the end?  Are you happier?

Much love.

 

My Heart is Broken.

I have dreaded writing this post with every ounce of my being, but the time has come to face the facts and lay it all out.  Little J-man, well he’s not so little anymore, he’s growing into quite the preteen, is moving to Iowa with his mom for the next year (at a minimum).  Iowa is not close. I’m already planning trips to see him and packages to send him.
 

My heart is broken. 

I know I am being selfish, but I don’t want to let him go.  I love him like my own and we have such a neat relationship that I want to continue to build upon.  Ryan and I have really made our house and home and little J-man was a HUGE part of that.
 

His energy, his “rocks for brains” moments, his silly questions, his friends running in and out, his homemade bows and arrows, his dirty socks, his morning routines, his skinny jeans, his high pitched singing, his skinny little legs in boxers, his love of popcorn and bacon, his love, his personality, his insane confidence…he would beat a bobcat in an attack, just so you all know!

…all make our house a home and our family sweeter.

I’m really going to miss that little sweetie.  He really is a sweet boy with an innocence that I adore! Obviously, his father, my husband, is going to miss him dearly as well and my heart breaks for him.  I’ve had the honor of watching them grow together over the past two years.  Jared brings out the silly side of Ryan and the disciplinarian when necessary.  They love to golf together and Jared has become quite the little golfer this year.  It’s impressive.  Jared knows what to say to his dad to make him happy, compliments his cooking, talks golf, loves to watch the food network with him…you know “man stuff.”  He’s much more intuitive than the average 11 year old and really cares about how his mom and dad feel.  There is a part of me that wishes he was less intuitive and voiced his opinion, about who he wants to be with a little more, but he is still young and his intuitiveness makes him who he is.
   

He loves his mom and wants to go with her in some ways, but also wants to stay with us for other reasons.  To be in the situation he is as such a young age is something I never wish for anyone, let alone any child.  I simply cannot imagine choosing between my mom and dad.  To this day, I couldn’t do them.  I love my parents so completely and for different reasons.  There is no way I could ever choose.  Please keep the little guy in your prayers.
    

The other day at work when I was informing my boss that Jared will be leaving and I might be a mess for a few days, he said “You’re too young to go through this.”  My response was, “He’s too young to go through this.”  Every child should have both parents in a close proximity if they aren’t married or civil.  No child should have to be in different schools all throughout his life, constantly making new friends, and balancing parental emotions and styles, adjusting to completely different environments.  He is though and I pray that he becomes stronger and really build a solid confidence in the boy he is.  I’ve learned more about myself through the tough decisions I’ve had to make and situations I’ve had to endure than the easy ones, so who knows, maybe he will conquer these moments in life and prosper! 

Much love

Wow. Sorry for being MIA. I am ALIVE!

Life over the past month or so has been extremely hectic.  Good hectic, but hectic nonetheless. I went on a vacation to the OBX with my entire family!  Twenty plus people in an eight bedroom house.  It was amazing and much needed!  The Fourth of July brought lots of family time and a surprise visit from my brother in law!  A last minute work trip to Chicago that was successful, but was stressful because of the time constraint.  While life was happening, my garden kept growing!!  Thank heavens mother nature lent me a helping hand with lots of sunshine and an abundance of rain!!

Cherry Plum Hybrid Tomato

Cherry Plum Hybrid Tomatoes that are growing and will taste yummy soon.

They are perfect! 

Jalapeno - I have a ton of these bad boys!

 

These monsters are supposed to be super sweet!

I picked one because I had to.

Elephant Ears!

Elephant Ears and my garden in the background



Parsley!

Some crazy pepper plant that was mislabeled.

My pickings for the day!

They are so yummy!

 Much love.

My Little Beach Lover

Living near the beach is quite a blessing when you love to be outside and have a little man who adores the ocean!  We are definitely making the most of it this summer.  While the water can still be a little chilly to swim in, it's perfect for skim boarding.  This past weekend we were taunted by a tropical storm, but we were able to get in a good two hours of fun in the sun on Sunday!  Little man loves his skim board and he is getting better with each trip to the beach!  

 

Check out those little boy muscles!  He is extremely lean and fit.  He is also hitting that age where he aware of what he looks like and wants to be "buffer."  Don't worry, he will not be lifting weights or taking protein for years and years.  He needs to grow before that happens.  It happening is inevitable for the most part, but when it happens is still in our control thank heavens!

 

 

I am totally digging the action shots!

Ok, so I went a little crazy with the editing and the photo taking, but when it's the middle of the day, hazy, and perfect picture taking weather, you have to take advantage of it.  I can guarantee you that the average beach pictures will be heavy with shadows and I hate that.  When in Rome! 

 

Side note:  I am horrible at skim boarding.  I wish I was a fearless child. 

 

Much love.

First School Dance for Little Man!

On Friday, June 7, 2013, J-man had his very first dance…err social.  It was just for the 5^th graders and it was only from 6-8pm, but boy o boy you would have thought it was prom!  J-man and his best friend, Caleb were so excited about this dance, and rightly so.  The start of dances is a rite of passage for youngins.  I remember my first dance, the butterflies I had and the high hopes of dancing with my little crush.  But, I will admit, I was far less cool than this little dude.  J-man has a confidence and sense of style that I lacked until much older.  Heck, who am I kidding?  I’ve never been cool and never will be and that perfectly fine by me because I’m happy and quite content with the woman I’ve become, but I digress. 

Back to cute, super cool, little 5th graders...

 

He was a little nervous that's for sure, but he was super cool about it.  He asked me how to slow dance because he didn't know where to put his hands.  Hehe!  I love him!  Hubby and I showed him how to slow dance...the PG version of course. He's used to watching me dance, so the poor kiddo was probably really intimidated when he heard "dance."  The sense of relief on his face when he saw hubby and I demonstrate was adorable!  My dad told me he probably thought he was super cool because he learned to dance from a pro.  In his mind I'm a pro.  In reality, I am far from a professional dancer.

I adore the pictures above!  Thank heavens he humored me and let me take tons of pictures!  This was a super memorable moment!

Mr. Cool Guy is over the pictures, but I'm not!

Fake Smile.  He really was giddy though!

Ok, I'm done torturing the kiddo. It was getting close to 5:45 i.e. the time he was supposed to walk to his best friend's house.  We all headed down, saw the boys in all their handsome, super cool guyness, and told them to have a blast. 

 

Hubby and I went on a little dinner date and then we headed to the school to pick up the boys!  They sprinted out to us covered in sweat with huge smiles and tons of stories!!  It was priceless!  Both boys asked their little ladies to dance!  Jared asked Lena!  Caleb asked Maria!  Brave little buggers!  The both screamed in really hyper pre-puberty voices that it was the most fun they have ever had!  Snap!  I'd call that a successful first dance! 

 

To cap the night off, they had a sleepover! 

 

Much love.

Lipstick

Lipstick makes a statement.

Some people wear it to stand out.

Some people wear it to feel confident or pretty.

Some people wear because their mama’s wear it.

Some people wear it to conform.

It comes in fire engine red

And Hot Pink.

Its softer pinks and beiges are subtle, but pretty.

The options are endless.

In the end it all comes down to what we think looks good on our lips.

My mom is a red lady!

My gramma is a pearl pink lady!

I am a gloss, shimmer, natural lady….

But I’ve been known to break out the red from time to time!

Why a lipstick themed post?  Well, over Memorial Day weekend I visited my Gramma at her nursing home and she was in a sour mood.  She told me she was a “sack of potatoes these days.”  If you know my gramma, you know that is a bad sign.  If you know me, you know fresh air and or music are the cures for a sad soul.  Since it was super windy that day, I promised her I’d take her outside the next day.  I showed up Sunday morning with my Mom, Husband, stepson and puppy.  The first thing out of her mouth was “Get me my lipstick!”  Oh yea, Gramma’s back!!  She’s wheelchair bound and hurting in so many areas, but that lipstick makes her feel alive!  My mom held her compact while I put on her lipstick and then Gramma rubbed her lips together and smiled with approval!  Gosh I love her!

Lipstick on and she was ready to go for a walk in the sunshine!  Little Lira bee-booped up to her and ended up sitting on her lap after running around for a bit.  Pets can be quite soothing; I think Lira would be a great hospital dog.  She loves to be lazy and never refuses a scratch!



Pearl Pink Lipstick Lady!



Going for a walk with her daughter, granddaughter, grandson (inlaw), great grandson, great grandpuppy!

 

Great Grandson and Great Grandpuppy running!



Lira enjoying a relaxing ride with gramma!

P.S. What's your lipstick of choice?

Much love.