Sunday, November 30, 2008

November sch-november...

Who says you can't take a good portrait outside during the last week of November in Indiana? Whatcha talkin' bout Willis?! (Sidenote: It did snow the next day.)



This is Chris and Sarah.
Wow. Wow. Wow.

They are one hot couple, eh?! (insert elbow nudge here...)

Monday, November 24, 2008

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Wanna arm wrestle about it?!







Yesterday.

I watched my niece, McKenzie (Kenzie as I call her...).
We had a pretty good day. Every time I watch her, Tasha (her mom) knows that when she picks her up, I will have done Kenzie's hair. I can't help myself. So, we played, napped, ate, and played some more. Oliver loved having another playmate, other than his brother, who tends to get on his nerves.

Watching her made me realize a few things...

There are many ways to parent your children.

I am a relatively stern parent. I am a spanker when spanking is necessary. I use time-out when time-out is necessary. I am not a one solution parent. I think that different situations require different approaches. Kenzie's parents do things differently than I do. (Which is awesome and I will talk about that in a sec.) But, I was afraid that my approach to parenting was creating an abrasive relationship between my niece and I. I do not want that! So, I tried some new things yesterday, incorporating tactics of discipline along with the conversation method that her mom uses. I had great success. Which brings me to my next point...

Ladies, we need to work together, as mothers, wives, and friends.

There is quite a bit of competition in the mothering world. "Well, my child was walking at 3 weeks old and could speak 5 languages and count backwards from 37 by 18 months old." La-de-dah. And often times, we think that our way is obviously the best way. Duh. Or we wouldn't be doing it that way, am I right?! And we are hesitant to introduce other mother's methods into our own routine. I know that I am guilty of this. And I realized it more than ever yesterday.

When Tasha and Kenzie were leaving yesterday, Kenzie was refusing to step out of the door and just kept telling Tasha "No!". Tasha is a kind, sweet, and nurturing mother. And she was patient with Kenzie, knowing that she would eventually step onto the porch and say goodbye without a total meltdown. She was right. Well, as they were leaving the porch, Oliver started imitating Kenzie and saying "No!" and I looked at him and said, "YOU will not act like THAT!" I realized that I was insinuating that Kenzie was acting some way that was inferior to how I ALLOW my children to act. It was ridiculous. I didn't even realize what I had done at that moment. I probably made Tasha feel like junk and I was setting up a situation that taught my son that we were "above" something or someone. Which is a crock. I know that Oliver has thrown WAY bigger fits when leaving his grandparents houses and my remedy to that problem (spanking or pulling the "oh yes you will!" card) usually only made it worse. So, I learned something from Tasha, patience, kindness, and to tone it down. Thanks BigTDoubleD.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Monday, November 17, 2008

and with that...

I cried.

Because of this.

(Edit: This is a copy of the email that I received from Justin.
"I don't know how I came across this, but someone actually has a blog called http://www.bearnaby.blogspot.com Isn't that weird. I checked it out and it's kind of neat. Anyway, just thought it was cool that someone else thought of that word!
Lubs"
He is tricky.)

Sunday, November 16, 2008

You could win these!






Do you like either of those items above? If so, great! One of those could be yours! I am giving them both away.

How do I enter you ask?

Simple.

You need to visit this blog Nada Louise and leave a comment.
She is a pretty neat lady and don't we all want to know neat people.
I will choose a winner on Friday November 21.

Feel free to tell your blogger buddies about this handy dandy giveaway...
Peace out.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Jimmy-leg Hernandez.






What up?!
How are ya guys doing? Are you ready for MORE photos!
This is Cathy and her kids (and step-kids-ish).
Cathy rocks. I have known her for about 10 years. She was my boss at Finishing Touch Salon (not to be confused with Golden Touch "Massage" Parlor...).
She is hilarious. And sometimes, not so much.
She stole my underwear out from under the tanning bed door. That was a riot. Not.
She asked me if I was "stupid" when I told her I was pregnant with Liam. (Oliver was only 6 months old.) I hormonally bust into tears right there in the shop.
But she is always there when I need her. And that woman knows how to give a wicked awesome haircut.
She has some fun kiddos too. They were sportin' some fake smiles in the beginning of the shoot. But after I made some fart jokes and threatened to smack those fake smiles off they were cracking up. I don't get it. I thought I was intimidating. They just thought that I was an idiot apparently. Either way, it worked, so I am happy. Thanks for a fun time guys.

(How about the title of the post?! Now that is random greatness right there folks.)

Friday, November 14, 2008

Still hard at it...









Oh yes.

I am still pluggin' away on the Wrede Re-union photos.
Getting rather close to finished.
Then I still have another family portrait session to edit.

I am behind.
And I just want to sew Christmas presents. Yikes.

(Sidenote: I am working on another blog, if you had noticed, doubt it. Anyway, handmade items for my Handmade Holidays 2008! Bay-bee! I will be posting things and tutorials on how to make these things. Sounds enticing, eh? Oh, you know you're curious. Just a little.)

3 reasons to say thanks today.

1. To know Christ.

It was late one night in my painting studio. I was painting but mostly just crying. I can't remember what the problem was even about. My friend, Evie, was in the studio with me... And she just started talking with me. Asking me questions. Being a friend and loving me even though I was a wreck. Then she just asked me "why don't you just surrender?" And it finally happened for me. The Holy Spirit really opened my eyes and that night, I accepted Christ as my savior. Evie gave me a book, The Purpose Driven Life, and I started reading it. I never said anything to Justin. He noticed the book and after a few days, he wanted to read it also. And that is how it began.

2. To have a husband that I know that God hand picked for me.

Justin and I have been together for 10 years. Wow. That is crazy. Anyway, we have grown stronger everyday that we have been together. He knows me, everything about me. The way that my nostrils are different sizes and the way I like my hair played with. He is amazing and I cannot imagine a day without him. I am so thankful for a husband that loves and serves the same God that I do.

3. To be blessed with my 2 strapping young fellas.

I was watching ER last night. I couldn't fight the stinkin' tears. A mother lost her son, suddenly. It can happen. It does happen. And I pray that it doesn't happen to me. I am grateful for the way Liam pulls my shirt up when he is sleepy and rubs my belly and lays his head on my belly. I am grateful for the way Oliver says "my momma" when he wakes up as he is rubbing his eyes. I am grateful for the way I can't contain my smile as I watch the boys play together. There are more moments than I could ever write in a blog... it is endless and I am so thankful.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Happy Birthday Adler!

















Last Sunday, I photographed Alder's first birthday party.
I gotta tell ya, I love photographing kids!
They are just themselves, whatever their mood may be.
I respect that.
This little handsome fella is so easy to photograph though!

So, here are a landslide of photographs, because I can never cut down which ones that I want to add...