The Santa at our mall is not the same this year...but good thing his bear is real because Max about tried to yank it off! Santa was going "oh boy" and I said "sorry about the beard grab." He said "it's Ok, it happens 7 days a week!" Well here's to the annual visit to the man in the red suit..I am glad it was fairly uneventful, Macy just decided that she liked him better not on his lap!
You know that feeling when your palms sweat inexplicably and you giggle like a middle school girl?! It's the feeling of a crush of course! I thought I might share with you internet friends some things I have been crushing on lately...
1. A 2012 Black Chevy Suburban....I know my Dad is in heaven dying over the fact that I like a Chevy (he only ever owned Fords) but hey Dad, AT LEAST it's made in America! Definitely don't tell my swagger wagon but I would totally cheat with a Suburban if I had the chance!
2. Speaking of Chevys...do any of you watch Hawaii 5 -0? I definitely love the action and the sweet Camaro they run around in...but I totally have another Crush on the Steve McGarrett character! I dare say he might even be bad-er than Jack Bauer. Alex o'Laughlin definitely knows how to flex it and aim a gun...I don't care if it's all fake. You can totally hear my middle school girl giggle when I watch!!
3. I have a crush on black sparkle Toms. I am crossing my fingers they are in Santa's bag for me! I mean and really, Toms is a shoe habbit a girl can feel good about supporting because somewhere else in the world a person in need of shoes will get a pair also!
4. I have a total secret crush on crazy big hair and maybe it's because my hair is fairly plain & manageable...Here are some rad examples.
Promise Tangeman -she also has a million other reasons I can crush on her like, awesome personal style, loves Jesus, hangs out with Jasmine Star and is an amazing artist!
Chelsea from Teen Mom 2 - I also commend her choice to choose life in a hard situation but do not commend her choice in men (bye bye Adam)!
Taylor who used to assist Rachel Zoe(who I also love). Her hair wasn't so much big as it was awesomely messed up at all times in all the right ways!
Enough of my hair crushes....
5. I have a crush on New York City...I got there for a short visit last week and had my maiden voyage to the Brooklyn Bridge. Eventhough it's getting painted right now, I still got a great feel for it's beautiful architecture!
Here's just a straight out of camera shot from last week.
6. Another crush is the Canon 70 - 200mm 2.8 lens. Self explanatory crush there...
7. I heart Lady Antebellum too....total crush on their music! I sing it at the top of my lungs like I have any business doing that!
8. I have a TOTAL crush on the Domincan Republic and would love to be reintroduced anytime now! Santa...if you're listening...
9. I have a total crush on this guy... (sorry for the small pic)
Love you honey!
10. And I totally have a crush on these 3 cuties too...alhtough I fail to have a good picture of them together!
What are some of your crushes friends?!
Just wanted to share a cute pic of Max from bedtime tonight! He is ready to be santa's elf!
It's always nice when a friend from days past contacts me to photograph them. I have great memories of Carrie from her college days at UD! Well a few years later down the road, she is married to the very wonderful Phil and they are expecting a little one in March. It's a little earlier than I generally would do maternity shots but they wanted them in time to send a long with their Christmas cards, which I totally understand. It's hard when you are far from family and friends, they miss getting to see your belly grow! I do have to say, Carrie is a cute little pregnant girl and I am sure that their baby boy will be just as adorable! We were also thankful for another random 60 degree day in December for this shoot. Enjoy!
One of my very favs from the session...
My other favorite of the day!
Hello Everyone, welcome to the first Husband blog take over! First let me introduce myself, my name is Matt. Some may say I'm not your average dude. By day, you'll see me looking quite rough (border-line homeless) as I work in various construction sites laboring the hours away as an electrician's apprentice. By night, you'll find me busy dreaming, creating and working behind my iMac finishing up my latest graphic design project. I'm lover of all things adventure, from surfing, mounting biking, skateboarding, or shooting weapons at targets. I also enjoy well crafted art, as well as having a soft spot for creative design and great photography.
I consider myself to be very blessed! The Lord has blessed me with 3 beautiful children and an amazing wife! Emily is a super talented mother, business owner, teacher and photographer! And most of the time she is actually quite entertaining. If you stalk this blog and haven't met Emily, you should schedule a shoot! You'll meet an amazing woman and I'll guarantee she will make you smile and laugh. You will probably end up with some pretty rad photographs as well.
Now on to the confessions!
1- I am home with the kiddos today. Emily was off to New York City early this morning to continue her photo education at a very famous photographers workshop, @Jeremycowart. It was no easy task but I survived. The kids were a blast and I loved playing all day! Below is shot of the 3 amigos and yes, they stayed in their pajamas all day.
2- Moving is always fun in the beginning and then you end up not ever wanting to move again because tt's a lot of work. We were super amazed at how much stuff we managed to cram in our old townhouse. We are doing fairly well at getting it unpacked.
3- We are starting to fall in love with Middletown! It maybe a little premature to admit that, but we like this small town vibe. Everyone we meet is really kind and the area is not as congested as up north. I enjoy seeing the stars on my way home at night and still having the luxury of having all our necessities close by. My only complaint is that some folks drive a little too slow for my liking.
4- It's still pretty mild outside, which feels strange for this time of year. Christmas is right around the corner, which means the cold weather is on its way. I really enjoy the four seasons living in the mid- Atlantic region. This time of year is not only the season for giving, it's also a season for beard growing! And I can only dream of accomplishing one of these works of art someday.... Now only if I could get the Mrs. to allow it. Haha!
5- This is for all you men out there. I stumbled upon this great site that's good for showing off the stuff you never knew you wanted! Check out uncrate!
6- Okay time to feel the pain! The clip below will either make you feel bad for this poor unfortunate dude or make you wet your pants with laughter! Either way it's worth watching.
7- Never have I ever been..... skiing or snowboarding! CRAZY! I know! I have always wanted to go but never have ended up taking the trip. I've pretty great at sledding and I've been on one cheap snowboards (the ones you slip your feet into) thats was pulled by a go-cart! So I really have no clue of how difficult this is, but I'd love to try! Enjoy the clip!
8- We bought a new Dyson vacuum a couple weeks ago. They are a lot of money, we have been through many in the last few years and we just couldn't pass up the killer black friday deal at home depot. I've always been intrigued by the Dyson tech and I really ejoyed their attractive ad campaign. I love some modern design! So clean and simple... Anyways, definately worth the money. We got the small compact ball model (DC24), that little machine is a beast! My only complaint is that it has a shorter cord that what I'm used to, but that wouldn't stop me from buying it. It's been sucking up tons of dirt around our new pad!
9- Ladies, are you in need of some clothing ideas for your man this Christmas season. Check out CXXVI Clothing Co. They have great style and taste with a very classic feel. I'd say they put out some very hadsome threads. They're def worth checking out.
10- I've come to the conclusion that coming up with these confessions every week can be very challenging.
Thanks for reading my first confessions. It's been fun! I hope all you enjoy the Holidays. I'm sure Emily will have a post regaurding her trip to NYC. So stay tuned!
In the words of Bugs Bunny "Thats all Folks!"
Here's to a gorgeous fall wedding at Deerfield for a great couple. Vinnie and Diane are so much fun to be around and they have a great story! She would spy him out the windows and think "he sure is cute" and apparently the same thing was going on next door when he would look out the window at her. Diane and Vinnie started out as neighbors, but both kept debating how awkward it would be to date a neighbor. What if things went badly and you have to see him/her all the time? Still, they would each find excuses to need to see or talk to each other. Eventually they got over their fears and here we are at their wedding day. They are now husband and wife, after a gorgeous celebration! I have to say, I had a blast shooting this wedding, you can just tell by looking at them how genuine their love is and how much they each love life. Here's to Vinnie & Diane's big day!
And just incase anyone is wondering if I altered the eyes - Diane's eyes really are THAT blue & I did not edit them! And in case you were wondering, hair and makeup by Trilogy Salon & Dayspa. They do fantastic work!
And on another note, sorry for my blog delinquency. Moving and being sick have not been a good combination for productivity! I will say I have a full calendar coming up and look forward to posting more sessions soon! Have a great weekend!
Well friends I don't even really know where to start today! It is winding down finally...just ate my dinner at 7:30 if that tells you anything about this day.
1. Thanksgiving is usually full of feasting and relaxing but ours was full of icky sickies and moving! Kids were all sick (will chat more about this in 2) and we were moving on Black Friday. Moving is certainly a type of upheaval to say the least. Eventhough you take your family and all your cherished posessions with you - you realize you will have no idea where half your stuff is for weeks :) We had WONDERFUL friends that helped us so much on Friday to get to our new house, we can't praise them enough! By Friday night everyone had a place to sleep and we had enough of the kitchen together that we knew we would eat :)
2. I have been at the pediatrician 4 out of the last 5 Mondays. Every Monday since Halloween with the exception of one, I have had a sick kid(s) at the doc if that tells you anything!
3. Today at the Doc, Mr. Dean decided to use his lightning fast feet to run from me in the waiting room, out the door of the practice and into the elevator! He was ready to go down & "push da buddon mommy." Oh you laugh...it happened TWICE! He got away from the nurses station too while we were doing weights and measures. People, I cannot make this stuff up! On moving day he opened a car door while the car was in motion while my mom was watching him..oh yes, doors the were locked, he unlocked them first & then opened the door. Remember, he has lightning speed with all things naughty!
4. Remember how I was talking about getting rid of the pacifiers? Well, we tried a sneaky trick and told the kids they got lost on the way to new house. They only asked for them the first naptime....success!
5. Moving will also show you if you are a good housekeeper or not...I learned that I STINK at dusting. We found dust bunnies bigger than Macy and Dean under a few things...gross...I apparently need to revive my inner domestic goddess and get right on that!
6. Max was 6 months old yesterday. I cannot believe it, but he's just as sweet as he can be. I will be working on a photoshoot this week for him - he deserves it! He does at least now have his very own room :)
7. Christmas decorations just make me happy...except that I have been sweating while putting them up. What's up with the Ca-RAZY weather?! It was like 70 today! Here's what we've got going on at our house...we are so excited to have an actual mantel for our stockings!
8. Yesterday during naptime Matt & I decided to put up some christmas lights on our front bushes to surprise the kids. Matt purchased a timer with remote so you can just click the lights on from inside the house - some say lazy, I say genius! Anyhow, we wanted to pull up to the house & click on the lights at night to surprise the kids. We made the fatal mistake of going to look at the rest of the neighborhood's lights first. Apparently we live in the same type of neighborhood from Christmas with the Kranks because there were some amazing light displays. I am talking large Frosties, Mr. & Mrs. Claus, Mickey & Minnie, Santa in a hot air balloon things.....so when we pulled in our driveway and our little white lights went on, the twins said "oh." LOL, Christmas light FAIL! We know better for next time, show them our boring little light show first and then move on to the rest of the 'hood!
9. I feel like a college kid instead of the instructor...class is winding down and I am ready for winter break! We have our final portfolio's due next week and they had their final projects due today. I have to say, the students came up with some great ideas, very pleased with their creativity today!
10. If you see more gray hair on my head...you know why, I am leading a very full and busy life. One step at a time until the next confessions....
Whew...another CRAZY Monday! Where do I begin?!
1. Well yesterday afternoon I had a date with some lovely ladies to see Breaking Dawn: Part 1. It was good I guess, but I read the book so long ago I had forgotten so much of the subtext. I had to keep leaning over to my friends to ask about secret powers, etc. I definitely recommend doing a re-read before you go if it's been a while! About the wedding dress too - it was so anticipated, I personally loved the back & hated the front!
2. When I got home from the movie I picked up baby boy Max and realized immediately that he was wheezing. He hadn't been feeling well nad had started with a cough. I knew it was serious and it being a Sunday night, we had to head to the local er. Sure enough, he was wheezing and tested postive for RSV. The poor kid could hardly sleep for coughing but we still saw his sweet smile here and there. Took another trip to the doc today to follow up, got another breathing treatment and were sent home..Lets just say its been a long 24 hours but good news is Max just played in his jumpy and is now having a bottle, so I think we are on the up & up! We have another friend tonight who's little baby girl is suffering from the same thing with more severity so please keep them in your prayers as well!
3. To the people that will help us move this friday, please don't judge me for the cobwebs we uncover, the organization (or lack there of) in my house, another dirt we discover or how many pairs of shoes I own. I am working on simplifying, I promise. I confess that I am not super mom, when things get hectic, cleaning can be the first thing to go. You should see the pile of laundry that is waiting for me to finish this post!
4. There will be a Black Friday SALE to all my clients from this year...details will come via your online galleries on Friday!!!!
5. It is indeed Thanksgiving week..so much to be thankful for! Even just living in a place where we have access to clean water and medical care, that's so much more than a lot of the world. Here are some things to ponder...
Happy Thanksgiving week Friends!
Ever had a day that felt like 3 days in one?! Well that was yesterday! I won't bore you with details but lets just say it started with a baby cry at 6am and ended with me in the doctor's office at 8pm for evening hours with Dean. Life is an adventure!
1. I am stuck in the middle of One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, can't decide if I already got the point or if I need to keep going. It is very flowery writing which sometimes loses me and other times transports me right to the time and place she is speaking of. I also have not had much time to read which probably doesn't help. For those that have read it, should I keep going??
2. If you want to bring me happiness in a cup, just deliver a Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte from Starbucks, it's my favorite right now :) It's warm, sweet, and yummy - all good things!
3. Did you know that credit cards were not prevalent in the US until the 1980's? They are such a part of our everyday lives, that it's hard to imagine them not around. I am not necessarily saying this is a good thing for us to have them. In fact, that's when our debt crisis really started and American families carrying debt became "normal." We are doing our very best as a family to stay out of debt, we are by no means experts but are learning to live within our means. If you want to learn more about great financial strategies, head to Dave Ramsey. He also has a great talk radio show if you want to check it out :) Yes...I like talk radio.
4. My house is a disaster, besides the usual mess, we are dealing with the moving mess. Any tips from you all out there on moving? I feel like it's a monumental task especially with small kids, but we are so thankful for what lies ahead. (We still need a renter so if you know anyone or are looking, please contact me!)
5. Parenting is flat out hard. I am pretty sure no one ever knows what they are getting into when they begin a family. I feel like I ride a daily roller coaster with the kids with emotions, behavior, etc. Not all the books in the world prepare you for when your a 2 year-old is....
These are just a few things that have happened in the last week! It's exhausting but there are also other things like....
6. We are looking forward to a fun family weekend to pause and enjoy life in the middle of the chaos. Thomas the Train is coming to Lancaster, PA and Grandma is taking us all this weekend! I might be as excited as the kids :) Looking forward to just enjoying family time in the middle of this busy season for us!
7. Breaking Dawn (Part of the Twilight series) comes out this weekend! Going to see it with some girls on Sunday, excited to see how they bring the book to life! Hope they don't check ID's at the door & kick out the old girls :)
8. I turn 30 in less than 3 months...my weight loss goals are slower than I liked but am taking it one day at a time. At least I did make it to the Y to run yesterday during the chaos of the day, lets hope I get there at least a couple more times this week! We shall see!
I was reminded this week of the old saying, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!" So one bite at a time we will "eat our elephant!" Have a great week friends!
People always say "I don't know how you do it." Neither do I most of the time...
1. Here's a glimpse into just one small moment of my day, trying to take the kids to the YMCA. I get a workout on the way to my workout. Imagine having to get two 2yr-olds and a 23 lb 5 month-old into the gym. You have two choices, to pull out the 50 lb double stroller and hook the extra seat to it to make it a triple (this takes at least 5 minutes & then where the heck do you leave that beast during your workout) OR to put the 5 month-old in the snap-n-go while letting the 2yr-olds walk. It sounds simple enough but not if your toddlers like to run away like Dean. I go with option two today and end up carrying Macy while pushing Max and convincing Dean to "help" me push Max, all while weaving through cars. Dean runs when he sees something so I run after him and leave Max in the middle of the parking lot. I round Dean back up & get back to Max.
We finally make it to the door, Dean pushes the button for the automatic door to open and we make it to the check-in desk. I have to let go of Dean's hand and afer a second the guy behind me says "you have a jailbreak!" I look back to see Dean jetting back to the front door to play with the buttons again! I run to get him with Macy still in arms and completely leave Max unattended. I get Dean & we go back to the desk, get all our cards swiped and continue on to the kids classrooms. Drop off involves crying and cajoling but I am determined for a workout! Mind you this is all BEFORE I go run on the treadmill for half an hour. And remember, this crazy process has to be repeated on the way back out the door - all under the comments of old ladies "you have your hands full" or those looks from people like "do you know where babies come from?" Yes friends...this is just a small moment of my usual day and I was just thankful it was sunny (imagine that scenario with rain, excessive wind, etc), crazy right?!
2. Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1 on November 19th - do you have your tickets yet? I do :) And before you ask, yes, I am an almost 30 year old woman! Don't hate, I am going with friends too!
3. In the same vain, I am kind of excited to listen to Justin Bieber's new Christmas Album, Under the Mistletoe. Hey who doesn't need new Christmas music to jam to?! I realize this puts me into cougar/creeper status but at least I am up front about it! It takes me back to high school when I jammed to 98 Degrees Christmas album on repeat!
4. Not a fan of political propoganda on tv... next year is not going to be fun with a presidential election!
5. Our other BIG NEWS is that we are MOVING!!! Our little townhouse has served us well for just over 5 years but it just can't contain our growing family. Moving out of our first home is a little bittersweet. We absolutely love this place, the location, the neighbors, but it's just too small for our brood! Max has been bunking with us and is ready for his own room! We will be moving to Middletown, it's a whole new town for us but thankfully is still not too far from family and friends or all my wonderful clients. Pictures of the new house will follow at some point in the next month. (We are going to rent the townhouse out, so if you or someone you know is interesting in renting in Bear, DE come January 1st, please shoot me an email! I would love to tell you about the house).
Well those were some long confessions so I will cut myself off for now, have a great week friends!
I met Kim through MOPS, Mother's of Preschoolers, a great way for moms of young ones to connect! We were in the same group last year and got to know each other. She learned that I was a photographer and connected with my work online. She and her family even came out to support when I had work in the Art Loop in Wilmington, which was a great! It's wonderful to have friends that support your work! We were excited to get together for a fall session. When the weather was done playing tricks on us, we enjoyed a beautiful afternoon shoot with her sweet family!
Baby J was in his sweet, exploratory, just-learning-to-walk phase! Loved it!
The sweet couple that started it all & we were actually did our shoot in the same location that they got married!
Happy Friday friends!
Snow on pumpkins isn't really a normal occurance for us here in the Mid-Atlantic. It was a little freaky and left most of us wondering about what type of winter is to come. We had to wipe the ice and snow off our pumpkins over the weekend in order to carve them! Just wanted to share with you a photo post about the last few days around our house, enjoy!
*Side note - some of these are definitely not technically perfect, but they are more about moments. It kind of bummed me out that I didn't have time to get great shots on the fly - but that's life....sometimes the moments are more important than the technicalities!*
Dean admiring the "spooky spookies" - aka ghosts
Halloween 2011 - Enter Woody & Jessie (Poor Max ws sick and we didn't try to wrestle him into the horse costume after all, he happily wore a cute Halloween shirt and slept in his car seat :)
His costume was a little big and the boot thingies only lasted 60 seconds before removal for being too big and in his way of running around!
Can't believe they are both looking & smiling?! What?! That never happens...
They are saying "stick 'em up" in this one!
Can you even tell this sweet girl is sick?
I usually don't go for these type of treatments on photos because I am pretty much a purist but I feel like it's the perfect fit for this photo! "Yee-haw cowboy" as Dean would say while riding his stick horse (which was actually my stick horse as a kid:)
Hope you all had a great Halloween!
Happy Halloween to everyone! It's already been a busy day around here! How about you? Well here's my thoughts on some Halloween happenings....
1. Breaking news if you haven't heard, Kim Kardashian is filing for divorce this morning from Kris Humphries. Only 72 days into marriage, I am sure that there are a lot of us that might have had a tough first year of marriage but didn't go that route! Sad for them and it's still proving that money can't buy people happiness!
2. We went to a celebrity themed Halloween party over the weekend. The hubs & I went as individual costumes, he as Steve Jobs and I as Lindsay Lohan, the mugshot version (hence the face in the pic). In this pic we are with the clear winners of the "couple costume" category - they made a fabulous Russell Brand & Katy Perry!
3. We carved our pumpkins with the kids yesterday. I had one of those little pumpkin carving kits which promises "you can make awesome pumpkin like a pro with these cheap little tools" - so not the case! I let Dean choose what I carved so he chose the "spoooky spookies" also known as ghosts :) Matt did the face on the right!
4. I am officially a huge new fan of Pinterest. I totally tried to avoid joining for the last 5 months as the invite sat in my inbox for fear of addiction. It is super easy to get addicted to this online inspiration board! Makes me want to go search for inspirations. If you are on Pinterest, follow me & I will return the favor!
5. Dean has been saying "twick or tweat" to anyone who will listen today in order to get "tandy!" He & Macy will be Woody & Jesse with Max being Bullseye the horse tonight :) Will attempt to post pics!
6. Have you tried the snickers peanut butter squares yet?! I love them, of course I need to hold off on eating too many. What's your favorite candy? Aka, what will you steal from your kids bags of candy after bedtime tonight?!
7. My mom was a sewer and always made my costumes and we used to beg her to "be like normal people and buy our costume at the store." I feel like a bit of a mom failure right now for buying my kids costumes from the store this year but hey, I have three kids under the age of 3! I did wait for the costumes to go half price and I had a coupon on top of that, so I was at least thrifty. One of my most memorable costumes my mom made was a "tube of toothpaste" -sorry don't have a photo to post. What's one of your most memorable costumes?
8. Kids have been sick with colds so we are off to the doctor for a Halloween visit. It's been long enough that I am worried about ear infections. I think that there should be a mom class on how to use one of those ear light thingies to look in your kids ear to diagnose an ear infection :) It's one of those illnesses that can have all different symptoms or no symptoms and still make your kid miserable!
9. I think I need to cut myself off from facebook more. It's just so easy to hop on and see what's going on "out there" but it's way to easy to waste time or to be overly affected by things people post. It could have nothing to do with me but I might start thinking about it or mull it over...I have plenty of things I need to mull over myself and probably don't need to insert myself in other's business. Am I weird? Thoughts?
10. We are in the middle of lots of life decisions. I will share as I see fit but definitely think of us in your prayers (and no I am not pregnant, thankyouverymuch!) :)
Happy Halloween and have a great Monday!
It's a gutsy thing to plan an outdoor wedding in the fall, but it worked out in this bride's favor. The forecast called for major wind but was ohterwise gorgeous. This bride and groom bonded over their love of the beach, so it was a natural perfect spot to hold their ceremony. All the details were great and I had a wonderful time with Rob & Laura on their big day, I will let the images speak for themselves!
Fun details..
Getting Ready...
A pretty bride on her way to her ceremony...
Great beach setting...
Rob has two beautiful teenage daughters that joined Laura for this photo!
A beautiful new family, including Rob's daughters & Laura's son.
First dance as husband & wife!
Best wishes to Rob & Laura!
First of all, none of you yelled at me for not posting pictures last week! Oh well, it's my fault and not yours :) It's fun to point fingers though isn't it?! Life throws curve balls at us all the time so things don't always go according to plan. Here's what I confess...
1. I have yet to EVER use my Canon 5D for video! Shame on me...I know...but I am just not a video girl.
2. I am currently working on a photojournalism lesson/assignment for my class this week - I was checking out amazing work on the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) website. Check it out if you have a few minutes and want to be inspired or saddened as the case may be. Some amazing work is produced and some very sad stories are all told through the lenses of these photojournalists.
3. I am currently loving listening to Lady Antebellum, can't get enough of them!
4. I enjoyed a free Dunkin' Iced Coffee today, French Vanilla cream & sugar. How do you like yours?
5. I need super nanny. All the books in the world aren't cutting it with my twin two-year olds! I need Jo Jo! I think that everything sounds better in British accent anyway!
6. Someone dropped the cutest bucket-o-fun on our doorstep over the weekend. It's a cute little pumpkin bucket saying "you've been booed." So thanks to whoever "booed" us & we will attempt to return the favor.
7. My daughter is 2 year 3 months and VERY attatched to her pacifier. Dean actually never really wanted one until we had Max, now he is attached to having it in his bed at night as well. Suggestions for getting rid of it?
8. They say that the way Michangelo created a sculpture was he found a great peice of marble and "saw" the figure trying to get out. He would carve the marble into the figure he imagined living within the rock. Why am I telling you this? I keep working out looking at my current self, praying that something beautiful and statuesque will surely appear eventually!
9. I seriously get more magazines right now than I have time to read! I get Parentlng, Real Simple, Us Weekly (freebie that somehow keeps coming?!), and Woman's Day (another freebie). I miss my old interior design mags like Domino and Cottage Living - the economy killed them, among other things.
10. I have taken a new liking to talk radio. Seriously, send my AARP membership now :) I love listening to Dave Ramsey especially, so inspiring! He gives such encouraging advice on how to use our money for our good.
Hope you all had a great Monday! I will attempt to post photo work this week, hold me to it!
1. I almost forgot about iced coffee Monday! I am hoping to get it on my way to class :)
2. Looking forward to viewing my students projects today about the fall season!
3. My dog barks WITHOUT FAIL as soon as I get all 3 kids sleeping...makes me want to kill him. Seriously...he's barking right now and I just got all 3 down. (But I just checked, not his fault, stray kids running all through people's yards!)
4. Made it to the gym today which is no small feat with 3 kids in tow! I would just like to say to all of you in your cute, matching gym outfits - please don't be jealous of my gym shorts and my husbands XL t-shirt that didn't even match!
5. Photographed a beautiful beach wedding this past Saturday, can't wait to share some images with you soon! Again, hope to be posting more of my fall sessions this week! Hold me to it friends :)
I am really boring today... a regular mom who is tired, has a constant mess to clean up after her kids, a bit of a headache and is tired of her toddlers not listening to a word she says! Pray for my sanity :) Have a great Monday!
"Putting your best foot forward" is an old saying that really means that you show off the best part of yourself. Most photo blogs are all about that, we pick the "best of the best" to show the readers. We certainly don't usually show the out of focus, under exposed, or oddly composed images. Last week I showed you a few new favorite shots of my kids and I often talk about how hard it is for me to get good photos of them! If you think child photography is "easy" because kids are "cute." That is actually far from the truth and honestly, I still don't have a photo that I love with all 3 of my kids in it! Here's an attempt to get a photo of all three...
Hopefully you are laughing by now and realize just how hard it can be to get multiple kiddos in one shot! To get them all looking the same direction, smiling, not drooling, running away, or hurting each other feels like a near impossibility!
Here's another attempt where I felt a lot like Dean...would rather bang my head on the ground!
So to get this...
This is my ABSOLUTE new fav of Max!!
You have to also take a stack of these...
Hope I made you smile today! Happy Tuesday!
Good Morning...
1. Max slept from 9pm to 5:30am, this is huge people! Lets hope it's starting a trend :) Having consecutive hours of sleep makes a mommy much happier.
2. When I walked in the twins room this morning I found both twins and all their blankies/stuffed animals together in Macy' crib :) Dean cannot be contained!
3. I have exactly three loads on laundry washed and dried.....waiting for me to fold it!
4. This weekend kept me busy with a yard sale, photo shoots, etc so my house is looking a little rough this morning, might need to do something about that today!
5. I found the FUNNIEST new show. If you are a young parent, you need to check out NBC's "Up All Night." I was laughing so hard I almost cried. It's the tale of new parents and all the things that go along with having a newborn around; things like living in a "sweatpants purgatory" or realizing that your fancy convertible just won't cut it with a carseat. I think it might be on Wednesdays but I caught it on demand, it's great for a laugh!
6. There are all sorts of online Columbus Day sales going on with free shipping, better hide my laptop from myself today...or maybe start my christmas shopping?! It's only 2 months & 2 weeks away! AHHHHH....
7. Is anyone else tired of the plethora of emails in your inbox each morning?! I do love me a good groupon but I sweat I have to automatically delete at least 10 emails each morning of stuff I don't even look at.
8. We are in the research phase of selling our house... I have had two different realtors not return my calls after talking to them. It's such a bummer because it makes me wonder what kind of agent they would be?! Might have to move on to another!
9. I am not a fan of cutting the kids finger nails but it's something that needs to be done often or they get claws...I mean think about it, that's 60 finger/toe nails I have to trim :)
10. I will have more exciting things to post this week like photo shoots so make sure you check back in later this week!
Have a super week!
"You have your hands full" is the most common comment I get out in public. Some people are sweet about it, reminding them of their days as parents of little ones. Others are a little more brash like "You know where babies come from, right?!" I will be the first to admit that many days can be exhausting and down right tough...but I know these moments are fleeting.
A common misconception is that I am a photographer so I must have tons of great pictures of my own kids, right?! Wrong! I am busier being their mom than taking the time to photograph them. I forced a last minute photo session this past weekend with our kids to try to get some pictures of these growing little people! We bribed them with lolly pops and lunch at friendlys to get these images....I am not going to lie, I got choked up while editing. I can't believe how the twins are becoming real little people with opinions and personalities, everything from Dean telling me I need to drive the "other way to dama's [grandma's] house" and "I no like 'dis" about whatever dinner I made....
I will have some more of these to post but these are just a few I had time to post tonight!
This is how a lot of trouble starts...
And then there's sweet baby Max who is an angel 99% of the time!
1. Max is now a rolling machine and gets annoyed that he can't roll back! He's still just a one-directional roller and it frustrates him. I alos get the job of rolling him back :) Playing in his activity gym!
2. I sometimes wonder if I have bitten off more than I can chew, but that never really seems like an option. My photography business has been booming in great ways, it's a full fall season! In the next couple weeks I have more family and couple sessions, as well as a beautiful beach wedding! I am looking forward to all of it! With this being said though, I am booking for sessions on a limited basis in November. Please still feel free to contact me with your inquiries!
3. Dean has gotten very vocal with his opinion, he has now told me "I no like 'dis" about my music, my tv shows, food I feed him and you name it! OH two-year olds :)
4. The twins love pumpkins and picked out their own this past weekend. They also like to point them out everywhere we go!
5. It's free iced coffee Monday at Dunkin Donuts, if you didn't find the card in your mail last week it's totally worth picking through your recycle bin!
6. Today is the birthday of Luke, one of the twins best little buds, so HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY LUKE! Dean knows it's his birthday & keeps walking around singing "Happy Luke" - super cute!
7. It's going to be a community yard sale in our 'hood this weekend, it's been good motivation to get some "stuff" cleaned out of my house! I think I will set up shop on yard sale day!
8. Speaking of yard sales, I scored an awesome tumbling set for toddlers this weekend at a yard sale! M & D have been LOVING it! It's been everything from a jungle gym to their stage for concerts. I just snapped Macy standing on the block singing into a toy screw :) And notice Dean's tongue...nice
9. Yesterday was a let down for Philly fans, the Eagles and the Phillies had great early leads and then still managed to lose! Sad day..
10. We went to target this morning and it was one of those adventures that I managed to spend $100 on what seemed like nothing...diapers, a few groceries, new toothbrushes... guess that's life!
That's all for now friends! Happy Monday!