Babies, Babies, Babies!

Out of the last five sessions, FOUR of them have been babies! I thought I would share a few of my favorite images from them. The pictures sure make my arms ache..........I can't wait to hold one of my own. For now, this makes me feel so happy.

I love being a photographer!!! I can believe how much it has changed my life. I could go on and on about it, but I will just post the images! =)



I did this session with Christie as a photography lesson. This is one of my favorite images!!! I love his expression, and his little hands. He was a dream to work with, but not very sleepy! =)



This was the session I posted about with the birds chirping while I worked! Isn't he adorable!


I always wish client would have me come to the hospital. These pictures make me want to cry, they bring back so many tender memories of my newborns. I gave a good friend a gift certificate for a baby shower gift, and I am so happy she wanted me to come to the hospital. This little boy is about 18 hours old. Simply sweet.




My session Saturday was this little ball of fire, and his new baby sister. She was just 2.5 weeks old. Very fun session!




(Don't you want to hold a baby now? !!!! )

Cherry blossoms and bees

Lincoln called me from Oregon tonight, and asked me how my day was. I said, "Wonderful!"

I don't think it was an extraordinary day, but wonderful anyway. I started my day off at Christie's water aerobics class, a trip to the steam room, and 15 whole minutes to get ready for the day. Then I drug Christie and her kids to Kohl's in search of a dress they didn't have. We ate lunch at McDonald's, and the kids played for a long time. We came home, Natalia napped, and I took pictures of our cherry blossoms. Wyatt and I sat on our deck for a long time. The weather is absolutely gorgeous. I watered my new herb garden, and noticed that the basil didn't make it! I will have to replace it, because I use basil quite a bit.



I was thinking about our blissful time on the deck, and remembered that it wasn't so blissful getting out there. Wyatt is so afraid of bees. Two years ago he was stung on his cheek. He talks about it as though it happened yesterday. He refers to spring as "bee season." We have about 20 of the biggest bees flying around our side fence at all times. I have told him that "these" bees do not sting, but he is still very afraid. I believe they are carpenter bees...but I don't know for sure.

Christie brought her kids over for dinner, and so I could watch them for an hour. She needed a little time to get ready for a get together at her home. We all had a good time dancing in the kitchen. =)

Storytime, then bedtime, and then blogtime.

A good day!

Buggle gum

Natalia is driving me nuts. If she is out of my sight she is into something. Here is a list of what she got into yesterday.

*Hot pink glitter from Halloween. Wyatt came and told me she was trying to put sparkles on his nose. When I got to her, it was all over the carpet.
*Wyatt said "Natalia has something that she shouldn't have. It looks kind of like lotion." It was Balmex. (Diaper rash cream) Her hands were covered in it, and she was happily rubbing them together. It took quite a bit of Dawn to get it all off.
*I walked down the stairs to find a lick-a-maid dumped all over my leather couch. She didn't just leave it there, she licked it. The powder was blue, and the wet spots were big green smears. Horrible.
*Her new thing is filling up a cup with water, and dumping it in the potty. The floor gets most of the water. I found her doing this twice today. Cyrus was the latest victim.
*She walked in the room with a big block of cheese. As soon as I saw her and said NO, she took a big bite.
*I took pictures of the kids with huge suckers last summer. I didn't want them to actually EAT the whole sucker, so I put them on the very top shelf of the cabinet. I have since forgotten about them, but Natalia did not. She has been plotting for 9 months. She must have been waiting to grow a few inches or something. I seriously don't know HOW she got it down, but she did.
*This happened on Sunday......I was doing my hair, and I heard her say "Looka me!" I shouldn't have looked. She was jumping on my bed, with no clothes on, WITH A BINKY IN HER MOUTH! It was Wyatt's old binky. I had it hidden away in my jewelry box. I told her there was no way we were doing that again, and had to chase her to get it.
*She keeps unbuckling the top part of seatbelt while I am driving.
*She gets my lip glosses and puts it on. The other day I caught her "painting" her toes with my favorite MAC lip gloss!
*Another one not from today. She announces to the world that she has to go poop while we are in a restaurant or at church. Then she sits on the potty for two seconds, and says "it doesn't work", and hops off. As soon as we get back to our table she says that she has to go again. She never does.
*Unrolled three spools of ribbon.
*Got a spoon and helped herself to some peanut butter.
*Got all the hair clips and bows and dumped them out. They are now all over the place, and I keep finding them in strange places or in her mouth.
*I was wiping the table and left the room to grab the phone. She came after me with the cleaner I was using and said "Looka me!", pointed it at me and pulled the trigger.
*She gets a two dollar bill from Great Grandma James every Christmas. She found hers and ripped one of them in half!!! (Don't tell Grandma Mom!)

I think that is it. I am sure there was more, but I can't remember ALL of them. I will mention that I love her to pieces, and not just when she is asleep! =)

She is such a sweet girl. I opened a package of cookies, handed one to her, and then reached back in the bag to get a cookie for Tori. I watched Natalia pass her cookie to Tori, and then wait for hers. She does things like this all the time. She is always worried about others. (I had to add something good to this post!)

(She asks for buggle gum all the time. Which is why I never by it, if I said no....she would just go find it herself. =)

Getting to know me..

For hours and hours I could...
Sleep (anywhere)
Dance
Clean my house with my ipod on

I feel best about myself...
When my house is clean, and a beautiful meal in on the table.
I took my kids some where fun during the day.

I absolutely cannot stand...
The stomach flu....when the entire family has it.
Maple syrup

I am afraid of...
Moths
Big dogs
Something terrible happening during the night when Lincoln is out of town.

I love to splurge by...
one word....JEANS =)
Camera equipment
good makeup

I save by...
Shopping at the end of the season for next years clothes.
Not buying a new house.

I am trying to work on...
my kids.
Not losing my mind while raising my kids.
Organizing my kids playroom, and my photography business space.

In high school...
I was more worried about fashion than grades. (I did get good grades, most of the time!)
I danced 5th hour, ran track after school, went to Ballet class in Brigham, and then drove 30 minutes for 2 hours of dance at Tuellerettes. (I loved it!)


In college...
I was still more worried about fashion.
I took more dance classes than anything else.

I feel I'm a good mom when...
I let my kids get messy! (Paint, mud, glitter glue, suckers, sand, and the foam machine)
Healthy meals
Read to them

I regret...
Not doing pointe in high school.
Not calling my friends that live far away more often.
Not raising my photography prices sooner.

I could never have too many...
eye shadows
lip glosses
camera lenses



What about you?

50 mm

We forgot to color our Easter eggs. The three of us were drinking hot chocolate at 8:00 on Saturday night, when I remembered all those eggs sitting the fridge. Lincoln and I decided we would color them in the morning....and the Easter Bunny could hide only the plastic eggs this year. =)

Lincoln got all the egg dye ready. I was so impressed, but wondered why he only made three different colors. I got Natalia a princess egg kit, and Wyatt a Star Wars egg kit. I bought the kits 3 weeks ago, and Lincoln didn't know they were in the cupboard. He made the egg dye with the food coloring, so we had red, blue, and green. A little boring compared to hot pink, bright orange, sky blue, and lime green...but colored eggs just the same.

On Tuesday I went to water aerobics. I am sore now. I am so out of shape! I haven't been to the gym in so long it is like starting over. Christie was the teacher. She is so good, and loud! =) (If you have a Lifetime membership you need to take her class!)

I bought myself some ridiculously expensive jeans!! There are a present to me, because if I were still pregnant right now I wouldn't be able to fit in them. When I am bummed, I will just go put on those jeans. =) I hope they will be too small in a few more months!! They are so cute.

Anyway.
Monday, Christie and I went to Chick fil'a for a photography lesson. Sounds funny I know. We sat in the play area with our cameras, while the kids played. We practiced on her little one, because she doesn't run away yet. There was a mean little boy that punched Wyatt in the face and stomach. I hugged Wyatt, and told him to avoid the boy. Christie climbed up in the tunnels and got right in his face! She was very stern with him, and told him that these were nice kids and to play with them instead of hurt them. I love her! I wish I was brave like that! I was so worried about the boys' Mom yelling at me, that I didn't do anything. I need to stick up for my kid. I am thankful I could witness someone doing it, so next time I will!



On the way to my photography "class", I grabbed my small camera bag but it was UNZIPPED! My camera came toppling out, and headed to the floor. I caught it between my shins, but the lens hit the edge of a stair and it broke into two pieces. (CONFESSION: I wanted to upgrade that lens, but with it still in working order I couldn't do it. I was not so sad when it broke.) I HAVE to have a 50 mm lens for a session on Saturday, so I ordered a new one! WOOHOO! It came today, so I didn't get much done around the house. I took some cool pictures though! =)




(Not angry....just acting for me!) I LOVE this one...I see this face very often!

Thursday already??

(Click on the pictures...they look better large.)

Wyatt asked what tomorrow was and I said "Wednesday.......no.........it's Thursday....no, no.....tomorrow is Friday!" I can't believe I was that far off.

On Monday we were "kicked out" of the house at 9 am. Lincoln had a call and needed the house quiet. The kids and I walked to the lake. We found lots of turtles, and watched the geese fly over the water. I took tons of pictures. I have been in a photography rut. Winter does it to me every year, and then then spring comes and gets me right out of it. I had so much fun! I brought two pears and used them to get the kids to hold still. I told them if they stood up, I would eat their pear. =)



We walked around the lake to the playground, and later to McDonalds. We took our own sweet time going home. While we were standing on a bridge, Wyatt dropped a "crucial" part of his ninja turtle happy meal toy into the water. It was truly an accident, and he was very concerned. He looked at me in anguish after I told him we would have to leave it. He was very grown up about the whole situation. A year ago I think he might of died, but not until after cursing the bridge, the river, and the ninja turtle. We started to leave....then I decided to try to get it out. I waited for it to move....it was floating right in the center of the water. SLOWLY it moved closer to the side. I found a large stick, and tried to move it closer to the edge. As soon as the stick touched it....it sank. It looked like I could reach it, so climbed I down under the bridge. (After I buckled Talia in the stroller!!!!!!) I had to balance on my knees on a very wobbly rock, but I got it. Yesterday we passed that bridge, and I asked Wyatt if it looked familiar. He said, "That is were I dropped my toy, and you sat on a wobbly rock to get it. I was worried you were going to fall in. Next time why don't you wear your swimming suit."

On Tuesday, Lincoln had to be on the same call. I met my friend Karen (who is also a photographer in this area) and her two children at Elioak Farm. It's a petting zoo. We had such a fun time together. It is fun to hang out with someone that hates full sun for the same reason that I do. Horrible shadows. We had a great time photographing our kids anyway. Then we went to lunch at Eggspectations. Talia was a little restless, but we had a nice time.




Wednesday, Lincoln had to be on the same call. (GRRRR!) It was pouring rain outside, and he didn't have the heart to make us leave. I wish we would have. It so hard to keep them quiet. We went into the basement, we watched movies, and had a picnic in the family room. I didn't accomplish a thing that day, because I was constantly trying to keep them quiet, and Natalia is just noisy by nature.

Shhhhh! Shhhhh! Remember Daddy's on the phone. If you are quiet, we will go to Chuck E Cheese.

We did go to Chuck E Cheese. They had a wonderful time!

Deck

We spend a lot of time on our deck. I have so many pictures of the kids on it from last year.
Here are two I liked, there are a few more on flickr.

For all my blogging friends

What are your plans with your blog???

I started my blog last year in June, so this coming June and I am going have my blog printed in a soft cover book!!! It's that exciting.

Here is the company I plan to use.

blurb

Have you ever hugged a Sea Turtle?

Lincoln got to go SCUBA diving at the National Aquarium in Baltimore on Saturday. They first dove in the coral tank. Lincoln is such a ham, and took advantage of the dry audience by making "sand angels", copying people, and signing to three old women that he wanted their phone numbers.

(For those of you that remember when Lincoln and I were Cub Scout leaders.....Do you remember the Smokey the Bear costume?! If not please ask Lincoln about it. It's a funny story! It is the first thing I thought about when I heard about how silly he was at the aquarium. My dad even said, "sounds like a guy that would do the same kind of thing, in a Smokey the Bear costume!")

Anyway.

Next they dove in a the large tank with the Manta Rays. There is also a few small Nerf Sharks, and one big Sea Turtle with a missing arm....errr a...flipper. (??) Lincoln said this Sea Turtle was like a big cuddly dog. The turtle forced Lincoln to hug and pet it for 15 minutes and then followed him around the tank for the rest of the dive. (I can't stop laughing!!!!) Lincoln enjoyed himself so much, he even lied to a guy in the parking lot and told him he dives there all the time. When the guy asked him if he got to go in with the sharks, Lincoln said YES! LIAR! They don't let people in with the big sharks! (Still laughing!!)

I didn't have such an exciting day. I listened to conference, and went to Costco! Woohoo. I saw a lady with her beautiful granddaughter. We talked in line for a moment. I wanted to give her my business card so bad, she looked like a "perfect" client. I couldn't do it! I need to get over that fear.

I loved Conference. The kids were pretty good, so I got to hear more than I have in the last five years! I took notes. I am not a good note taker, but I am pleased with how I did! We listened over the internet, and it was hard to know who was speaking. Lincoln and I kept guessing, and then would re-guess. I can't wait for the ensign to read the talks, and to "know" who was speaking.