Brassy to Classy

NOT a fan of these brass lights...but what do you do when your renting, right?

If you are awesome like me, then you SCORE a sweet chandelier for $34.99 and serenade your hubby with a little Beastie Boys 'Brass Monkey' while he takes down the old Brass Nasty and puts up the new Crystal Classy.

$34.99 people. No lie.

.:Y.U.C.K:.

Aaron had this great idea to take Em and go get these mini-shrimp for the water plant we have had for ages. These little things really gross me out ... not to mention this vase w/ plant sits behind my kitchen sink....ewww. You know I think they remind me of earwig bugs is the problem. I don't know but YUCK!

Here are the two goofballs loving on their mini-shrimp.

breathe

Wow - I have a blog? Really?

Sorry I have been gone. I have been struggling to find balance my friends. Am I a full time mom? Am I a photographer? So I took some time to try and discover how it is all going to fit into my life, into our family life. My kids are bored and restless... and it's my fault. I have to leave every evening for sessions, proof and edit during the day - not fun stuff for little ones. I have hired a babysitter (or two, or three) and though that is great and lets me edit - I am broke. Now I realize this is not a new problem in the world - and that many moms struggle with this. But for me this is new. For my family, this is a huge adjustment. So now is the time to decide, is this a hobby or a business. I have decided it's the latter, but with that comes price hikes, set (kind of) hours, and an adjustment from everyone here at home. I am so crazy proud to say I am a Photographer - I am living my dream and loving what I do. Does that mean I am not a mom? Nope, I do that full time too - I'm pulling double shifts and living on very, very VERY little sleep. And for now it's ok because it means I can live the best of both worlds. I'm only young once, right?

ps. I am still young. boo-ya. ;)

pps. there is a lot to catch up on, so stay tuned.

jake {almost} 2.

My little man is so precious. He is on the go and it is actually quite the challenge to get pictures of him! He sees the camera and goes running. The other day he brought me the lens cap and said "all done camera". So monday was the first time I have tried in several weeks. I was so pleased with these pictures! They really capture his fun and quirky personality.

She's 4.

I promised Emma her own photo shoot for her 4th birthday - and we finally had time to go and do it! We turned it into a very fun girls night with Grandma Becky, mommy and Emma. She was an amazing model and I was shocked while taking pictures how much my baby girl has grown and matured over this past year. We wrapped up the late night with some ice cream and I took my tired 4 yr old girl home to bed.

Emma - life would be so dull without you. Your charisma is unshakable and I hope you always hold onto that. Thank you for caring so deeply for those around you and for being such a big helper girl this past year. You are smart, beautiful and crazy talented. I love you baby girl.

xoxo, mommy.

Seriously awesome embroidered curtains (4 panels), Yellow velvet wing back chair, greenish/blue trunk seat! Doesn't it make for a cute little nook?? All for $60, not too bad I'd say!

and i have no idea why everything is underlined...

Oh, I really {love} a good yard sale.

Can you guess what 3 treasures I found today?

fetish

Our dog has a problem. Really more like a fetish. I am constantly saving the lives of my children's stuffed animals. I probably wash 2 loads a week of stuffed animals (those are FULL washer loads). Please don't fret if any of the animals you see in this photo were a gift from you to one of my precious kiddos - no animals were harmed in this photo. I can't say that for all animals he gets a hold of, but apparently today he was in a 'licking' mood rather than a 'slit open the side and pull all the stuffing out' kind of mood. whew.

dearest blog

I know that sometimes you get neglected, and I will try to stop doing that. Last weekend I had three sessions in McCall and one was a wedding! Whew!

This weeks agenda:

Wednesday (yes, I know that is today...) newborn session
Thursday: senior portraits downtown
Friday: Family session
Saturday: newborn session (sneaking it in before Emma's second dance recital this week)
Sunday: Family session

HOLY SMOKE-UMS! I'm gonna be editing until my eyes bleed... which brings up a funny story about Jake from yesterday.... Crazy kid drew under his eye (just his right one) with dark red markers that sister so lovingly left on the counter. Apparently he was getting down to show me, but fell so he started to cry. So by then when he came over to me - the tears had turned the marker into what looked like BLOOD! It looked like it was just gushing from his eyeball. Oh my heck, I think I about had a heart attack. Will someone PLEASE tell God that I am not fully prepared for a little boy and that we should not test this mom's limits?? thanks in advance ;-)

(no, I don't have a picture of Jake's not so bloody eye - but I should have some sneak peeks from all my sessions up here soon!)

ladies man

Oh Jake - you are quite the ladies man. I wanted to document this little story from yesterday before I forget - I want to be able to tell your future wife about it someday ;)

Jake and I ventured to a children's consignment store yesterday and there is a small play area designated for kids. I'm not very good about letting my kids play in there but this time I gave in. There were 3 or 4 cute little girls a bit older than Emma and I thought he would be well looked after. I set him in there and he walked right over to where two girls were sitting, sat in the middle of them and said "How doin'?? How you?? Hey!" I just about died laughing...walked away to shop for a bit but could still hear him mackin' on the ladies. The girls ended up leaving just a few minutes before we did and as we walked out to the car I noticed all the girls were with one mom loading in their car. The littlest girl saw him and started to wave bye - then they all charmed in "bye Jake!! Bye! We will miss you!!" and on and on... oh MY! We all know Jake is quite the ladies man... but with complete strangers? Cute little girls? We are in so much trouble!

Can someone please tell me WHY it hailed 2 inches today??? REALLY??

So help me if it hurts my gorgeous lilac tree...

and just for the record, the neighbors roof is black, not white or grey - BLACK.

That's how much it hailed today.

... because sometimes it's too much work to climb into bed before falling asleep ;-)

Worm in the Kitchen

Nope, just my sweet little man that is OBSESSED with {APPLES} - so much so that if there are any in the fruit bowl he will climb up on his sisters bar stool and find them. And if there are two - that is his favorite because he can double fist them. :-) I have found him several times; sitting, kneeling, {standing} on the chair.

Little boy, I know you are adventurous but you are going to be the end of your mommy. Please slow down, please sit down and please don't EVER stop cuddling with me at random points during our day, even if your hands are sticky. I {heart} you my little apple eater.

{above} ready to leave!

at the game {below}

They had FUN!

The finishing touches for Emma's outfit - she is heading to the first Spring Scrimage for BSU tonight. She is SOO excited!!! (the logo is a little sticker for her face - her favorite!)

My boys

Just a few quick shots of my blue eyed boys the other night as they were cuddling in Jake's room after his nap...

the munchies

This is my favorite thing when I have the munchies:

• Wasa cracker (multigrain or whole wheat)
• Fat Free Whipped Cream Cheese
• 1 Deli Turkey or Chicken slice
• sliced cucumbers

total calories: 120 for 1 delicious snack. sometimes I have two *shhh*

What is one of your fav healthy snacks?

oh, did you spy something else in the photo? oh yea, that ups the calories, but sometimes it's my indulgence. oh ok, who am I kidding, I have one of those almost daily. oops.

Last weekend we were able to make a quick day trip and visit some amazing and dear friends of ours. They are always a breath of fresh air for us, a treasured friendship that is honest and pure. We always have so many conversations and stories to cram into our short visits but this time I think we covered everything; last summer, winter happenings, the kids current milestones, Emma's schooling, discussing Revelation and most of all support.

Little miss enjoyed the snow that is left in the mountains, hopefully it is the last we see of it until next winter!!

dreary days

The kids were bored, so I built them a blanket fort and threw in loads of books. It was the perfect way to spend a dreary afternoon.

Today I dusted off the sewing machine and put it to good use trying to salvage a pair of Emma's jeans that were completely frayed on the bottom. She loves them - and that's what counts.

Salmon with Creamy Dill and Pasta

1 1/2 C mayonnaise

1/2 C mustard

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp chopped fresh basil

1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets

2 tsps dill

*Preheat oven to 375
*In a bowl, stir together mayonnaise and mustard. Stir in thyme, oregano and basil. Place salmon fillets on a baking sheet and top with mayonnaise mixture. Sprinkle with dill.

*Bake for 30-40 minutes until salmon is easily flaked with a fork.

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my own notes

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**I used two salmon packs from the big frozen costco bag (a great deal btw!), thawed it under running water. I had WAY too much mayo mixed so I actually saved it and will throw it in an egg salad later this week! But seriously this is really REALLY good. Found it on allrecipes.com - oh and bake it the full 40 min, it's good a little crusty on the edges! The recipe doesn't call for pasta, but the kids were having spaghetti and it looked pretty on the plate ;-)

Helping Daddy set up the new big boy bed!

Taking down the crib ... this was the hard part for mommy :(

Asleep after only 15 min of being in his new bed! We thought that was great!

Precious baby boy sound asleep. Don't you just want to kiss those cheeks?

holding hands

Jake does NOT like car washes... in fact he is terrified of them. I have been meaning to wash the car in the evening and leave him with Aaron and it just hadn't happened yet. So we talked about it yesterday while we were at lunch and Jake agreed to go through the car wash. Just as we entered Emma reached out and said "Jake, don't be scared, you can hold big sister's hand and everything will be ok!" and just like that he reached out and grabbed her hand... while holding his blanket and sucking his thumb of course! I was able to snap a quick one with my phone. What a precious little memory I will cherish. They are the best of friends right now and I love it.

new do

Okay, here it is. I am quite sure I will be calling today to have it lightened. It is too red/purple for me which is NOT anywhere close to what I wanted or asked for. Booo.

*bleep*

This lovely view out the window left me with some unpleasant words first thing this morning. (not the children - the s.n.o.w) Some would look at this as a fun opportunity to take the kids out and play in it, not me. Not today. We had a movie/pj day and every now and then I shot a glare out the window. Melt. Melt. If you really want to know - I even sang the kids a little "Oh the sun will come out tomorrow, tomorrow ... bet your bottom dollar ..."

... sorry I have been absent from the blog. I've been working on this session from sunday:

more love to come later... and maybe a peak at my new hair do!