Emily's Little World | St. Louis children's newborn maternity senior photographer

Valentine's Day Banner + Giveaway!

2012-02-10T13:17:00.000-06:00

I've been limping along, trying to get my life back together as we slowly set up this new computer. I tell you what-- once it is completely set up, I will be in heaven. This thing is FASSSST! Heaven!

But until then, it's like trying to manage your regular home life without electricity. You can do most things you did before, but might have to come up with a creative way to make it happen. Creative= slow. Example-- without electricity to heat your water, you could still take a bath by boiling water, one pot at a time. In my case, I don't have my Photoshop and all of my workflow actions in place yet. So to get photos ready for this blog post, I had to "boil water", i.e. dig into Photoshop Elements 2.0 (ay yi yi!!) and try to figure out a few things there just to get things prepared.

Needless to say, I am a bit stunted by the Elements program, so I can't promise any "wow" images for a few days yet...But it'll do.

ANYWAY.

Big day today. I had my third dentist appointment in as many weeks. Boy, that drill sound is awesome, isn't it? And if anyone appreciates a good bit of irony, my afternoon ahead will be filled with cupcakes as I host a Cupcake Party. (Hey, they might be pure sugar, but at least they'll be soft on my poor teeth, right??)

But that's MY life. Its a big day for you guys, too, because I'm having a GIVEAWAY! Today! Right this minute!! Woot!

The other week I saw the cutest, EASIEST project featured on a sweet little blog called Finley and Oliver. She shows how to make a simple little Valentine's Banner, HERE, and I had to make one right away. (Oh my gosh! I just saw her most recent post. Aren't THESE the cutest things ever??!?? Making some!)

ANYWAY. (Got distracted). Point is, I MADE a Valentine's banner. And then I made another one. Because I figured one of you guys needed this banner, too.

Simple. Timeless. And cute. Right? Well, who wants it?

In my perfect world, this blog post and giveaway would have happened last weekend. PLENTY of time for posting your entry, plenty of time to get it mailed to you by Valentine's Day. But then my computer crashed, I was left without access to these images, and well... that's life. So.

This will be a FAST contest. Like, by midnight tonight, I'll pick a winner, and I'll throw this at the mailman TOMORROW. With a lot of prayers, it might get to you ON Valentine's Day. Maybe.

So to keep it simple, just leave a blog comment. Tell me what you do to survive February, or survive technological setbacks. Or tell me what kind of cupcakes you'd bring to my cupcake party if you could come.

And at midnight, only 11 hours from now, I'll random.org a winner and get your address and send it along. Easy!!

Lastly, in my perfect world, pre-computer-crash, I was going to finally un-hoarde the special photos I have of my Lucy with myself that my dear BFF Katie took last August.... Because you can see a sneak peek of that session up on the mantle photo above. It would have been a lovely little segueway into talking about that session and sharing the photos. But, well... you know. Photoshop Elements TWO and all that jazz. Boiling water for a simple bath. Just not gonna happen here today, folks.

So I'll keep hoarding. For now. Soon, I promise, a feast of Lucy images. Like crazy FEAST. It'll be cuteness overload.

Til then, post a comment. Enter to win! Have a grand day! And so on....

Technical Difficulties...

2012-02-08T21:42:00.001-06:00

Ay yi yi!

a little under a week ago, I had one last run-in with my desktop computer that left me in tears: Too clogged up, too old, too overworked, too EVERYTHING, and it finally ground to a near-halt. I managed maybe THREE things in a full hour of working, and that means ONE email, ONE upload, ONE photo order.... Three things that should've taken me 5 minutes, not 60.

So. We retired it.

It is not in the budget, but it is necessary.

Joe went out and did some research that very day, and came home with a new tower that promises to be at least twice the computer our old one was.

But....

Switching computers always takes time, especially if all of your critical software is buried in boxes in the basement from when you moved two years ago...

So.

We've been hobbling all week... keeping in touch and in business via iTouch and laptop. And needless to say, with all my files and basic programs inaccessible for the moment, there is NOT a lot of blogging going on.

Or editing.

Or emailing.

Or basically MOST of what I do most days.

So.... if anyone is expecting something from me, I promise we are close. I hope to be back in business by tomorrow evening.... of course, just in time to have to divert all of my energy elsewhere, since I have a major dental visit on Friday morning, a million things to do to get the house and myself prepared for a Cupcake Party on Friday, and a session to get ready for on Saturday.

ACK!

For all of my attempts to simplify my life, this week hasn't felt very simple. Oh well. Next week I go back to ZERO items on the calendar, so I think if I can get through this weekend, I can begin to dig out of the computer hole from this whole past week.

Meanwhile, I'm using my low-tech time away from the computer to work on a scrapbook project (first in 4 years, SQUEE!! I didn't know how much I missed it til I started planning this little project. AH!) and catch up on DVR'ed stuff... As well as some much-needed housekeeping and home projects.

I'm kinda liking the away time.

Anyhoo... That's me.

Someone comment and tell me what YOU'RE up to this week? I'll respond in comments if anyone asks a question or anything. Might be fun!

Two Years Ago...

2012-01-31T16:23:00.000-06:00

I've been sorting and working on personal photos from, oh, way back in 2009. Which, until I look at photos, doesn't FEEL all that long ago. But my GOSH, seeing the changes in my sweet Noah is what reminds me that time is indeed passing.

It's been really neat to revisit 2009. I have jokingly declared 2009 and 2010 to be "The Lost Years" with regards to my personal photos.... I was simply too busy with professional sessions and other miscellaneous LIFE to keep up on culling and editing them, especially after I switched to RAW at the end of 2009. In fact, because of that switch, many many many of my 2010 photos are truly a mystery to me, still in their RAW form, no thumbnail to even hint at what might be tucked in those carefully labeled folders on my hard drive. A Lost Year for sure. So I am desperately trying to reclaim those years, and it's been a revelation--- the memories, locked inside photos barely glanced at in the last two years, come flooding back... It turns out, I have been LIVING, man. REALLY LIVING this life. Even when I'm so busy catching up that I forget to notice.

And crazy to think about (has it really been TWO YEARS?): 2009 was when we moved into "Kate's House". We've lived here, in this "temporary home", for TWO YEARS. Funny how life twists and turns in ways you can never imagine. Here we are, two years later, and Noah no longer calls it "Kate's House". We've really started to claim it for our own, finally.

Anyway.... I've not got much else deeper to say for the moment, but in honor of the time that's passed, even though I cannot believe 2009 was so long ago, I threw together some photos of Noah when we first moved in here and then some of his most recent shots.... Just to demonstrate what a difference two years can make. (In more ways than just physically...! But that's a philosophical discussion for another day... when I don't have to finish my preparations for Grandma Vicki's return to stay with us for the week. I can't wait to have her back, so it's been fun to tidy up and prepare the house again...)

So, this is Noah, freshly turned 2, January 2010:

And this is Noah, 4 years old, right now:

And side by side:

Huh. Amazing.

Just a reminder that time really IS passing, and that sweet face we think we know so very well is totally changing, right before our eyes. Take a minute and really LOOK today, and capture today's moment. It's gonna be gone before we know it. Replaced, of course, by even more marvelous moments and versions of the same face... but still. Hold tight to the moments when you can remember to.

Back to work.... Poppyseed Chicken Casserole and Puffed Butternut Squash for dinner tonight.... What about you?

Special Moments With My Son...

2012-01-25T23:51:00.001-06:00

Way back at the start of this school year, Fall 2011, Noah began preschool for the first time. He was on the cusp of 4 years old, and was MORE than ready to get out of the house and be around a lot of neat kids his own age. And as much as I loved having him with me, I knew school would be a marvelous thing for him, and so I enrolled him. Three days a week, for 2.75 hours at a time.

The first day of school came, and I took a quick few photos... Then the second day of school rolled around and I took a few more, this time of him in his classroom... And then Fall began kicking my tail with photography business, and those photos drifted to the bottom of the editing pile and never emerged. I felt a bit wistful at that, but vowed I'd still get some "formal" fall school photos of him and POST THEM.

Well, I managed that first part--- in October, with only a little bit of light left, I dragged Noah, Joe, Lucy and an old desk out to my favorite spot in my favorite park, and we found time to get a series of photos that instantly became so DEAR to me. I mean, this kid of mine, SO marvelous, is such a stinker in front of the camera.... But for this magical 30 minutes, he was EVERYTHING I needed him to be, and more. And the light was magical, the setting was incredibly lovely... it was just utterly perfect-- exactly what I'd hoped for.

And yet... as precious as these images ARE, somehow I kept putting off getting them done and blogged... Almost like my harebrained tendency to hoard gift cards for months, like a secret treasure, that's how it felt when I thought about these photos. They were so special to me, I wanted to hoard them just a little longer. (I have a set of photos my amazing friend Katie took in August I'm doing the SAME THING with. What is my PROBLEM??)

Anyway. Now that it is the dead of dreary winter, the golden tones of these photos have finally called out to me and I have gotten them done. And you know what? Like a fine wine, they have only gotten more dear to me over the months. So. Here is Noah. In these photos, he is nearly 4. Already, in the 3 months since taking these, he has changed a bit. How quickly they change.... But. I want to post these simply as an homage to HIM. At 4. My little son, not a toddler anymore at all, and well on his way to being a full-fledged kid. So I will intersperse the photos with little snippets of my Noah, right this minute, and even though the photos are a bit behind, it will all mesh together and be well.

My sweet son:

He is a natural clown, and plays to the laughs as much as he possibly can.

Noah is confident, outgoing, and kind. He has never clung to me or fretted when I drop him off at school. He LOVES that place. When he plays with other kids, be they ANY age, 2 or 12, he immediately thinks he's a "peer" and starts socializing. He loves kids, period. And loves when kids love him back.

He is still completely attached to Old Mai, his lovey. But in addition, he favors various pals that join his merry band. These have included: Llama Llama, Bumblebee the Transformer (up until yesterday, he played with the classic plastic one, but now that Dad has found his plush one, that's his NEW friend), Iron Man, Spider Man, Alfred the kitty, among other critters. He is NOT as attached to "Ducky", the blanket. But that's okay. I love it, and love how he used to love it, so I still brought it for his session.

Noah loves books, verbal storytelling, and music. His most recent favorites have been:

Books- Dad's Calvin and Hobbes books, his new Pop-Up Book about anatomy and physiology, and the Poingo books he got as a Christmas gift from our neighbor Opal.

Storytelling- We just made up a cute one yesterday about how a rainbow was formed. We were both enjoying it so much that I forgot to park the car a mile from school for our walk like I normally do, and had to scramble to park somewhere else to get SOME of the walk in, still.

Music- Most recently, he's been begging for me to play the "giddy yup song", i.e. William Tell Overture, i.e. the Lone Ranger song. He loves it! He also loves the Peer Gynt "In the Hall of the Mountain King" song, as well as several Regina Spektor songs, "Dinah" by _____ (Sarah, fill in the blank!), and "Yoshimi Defeats the Evil Robots" by the Flaming Lips.

Noah is deeply into "games", i.e. pretending. He has these scripts in his head, and INSISTS Joe or I play the other part. More often than not, he is the robot of the story... Even when the story doesn't typically include a robot. For example, his most recent "game" has been for me to play Nala from the Lion King, and he is Bumblebee the Transformer. We are in the Savannah, but other than that, he's not shaped the story much... except that we go to explore the Elephant Graveyard, a concept from the Lion King story that has captured his imagination.
Other "games" include me driving to the pet shop (as just me) and buying a kitty cat, him, and naming him "Sprinkles"/"Picky Picky"/"Alfred"/"Fluffy". He is usually a blue and turquoise cat for this game. Other games include playing Iron Man, Iron Giant, Wall-E, and so on.

My sweet Noah is the BEST brother. He loves his Lucy and wants to be the first in her room when she awakes. He wants me to lift him in the crib with her so they can play. And he takes GREAT pride in the fact that he can get her to laugh more than anyone else. He wants to take his bath with her, he loves to see her in the car when he gets in after preschool, and is honestly never rough with her or mean about her. It is heaven to me.

And he's been the best kid in general. I cannot honestly remember the last time we had to follow through with a "time out" situation... he listens to our warnings and adjusts his behaviors. I am amazed and grateful for that.

He is a happy kiddo. He is a sweet kiddo. I marvel at him and wonder how we've already come this far from the day he was born. I feel incredibly blessed to be his mama, and his steward in this life.

I love every last one of these photos... I love how much of his true self is in them. And I love that we get to keep him this age forever, if only in images. Because for the moment, I think this little family of mine, just as it is, is just about perfect.

(And there they are. No more photo-hoarding for this session. Maybe I can even convince myself to prepare and share the other couple of sets of images I keep hanging onto for a rainy day. It's rainy and dreary right now. What better time than now?)

For now, though, it is bedtime. Time to take more Advil to nurse my surprise root canal from today, and time to get to bed and get powered up for another day in this life o' mine.

G'nite.

Ramblings From a Monday Morning:

2012-01-23T10:29:00.001-06:00

Sitting at my desk, contemplating life and my to-do list....

It's a new week! Come on, let's GO!!

My house smells like burned toast. Guilty confession: At 10:00pm last night, I wanted toast with frosting on it. And my toaster somehow knew this was not a healthy choice, so it annihilated the two pieces of toast. I swear, I've never burned toast this bad. It was a sign. So what did I do?

I made more toast. And babysat it this time, so it wouldn't burn. And slathered SO MUCH FROSTING on it. And it was amazing.

Take that, toaster.

It is a gloomy day outside. I had a MASSIVELY gloomy day internally yesterday, and so when I rolled out of bed this morning, trying so hard to pry my eyes open, I was prepared to let the mood continue. I was prepared to say, "screw the morning walk idea. It's cold and gross and I just want to be lazy." But checking the temps outside, I was surprised to see that it was already 41 degrees-- 15 degrees higher than the morning temps of late. And I knew I'd be a fool to waste this morning for walking. So I dragged myself into walking clothes, silently thanking Joe for having already fed Noah breakfast, and quickly fed Lucy and myself and bundled them up for the drive/walk to preschool.

Ya know what? It may be a gloomy day today, but I feel 100% better than I did yesterday. And I KNOW it's because of the exercise. Stinkin' exercise. Why must it be SO hard to make ourselves do, when it CLEARLY does so much for us beyond physical well being?? Blergh.

I'm trying so very hard to make a daily 30-minute walk become involuntary. Not optional. Intrinsic to who I am. I've been working on this since October. I am not there yet at ALL. But the goal has been a worthy one, and I keep pushing for success. I mean, taking a shower is NOT OPTIONAL. How do we reach that mindset? And how can I get it to apply to a 30-minute walk? Shower. Of course. Walk. Of COURSE.

I'm trying.

Up for the week: Nothing HUGE that must get done, but a lot of tiny things. My parents came to town this weekend and my mom helped me tackle our basement all day Saturday. It felt AMAZING. AAAAA! When we first moved in here, it was only going to be for 6 months. So the basement, made up of two halves, ended up being a "catch-all" place. One half was chock-full of our moving boxes, still packed, all the things we loved. The other half was the place for "MISC." Things we needed, but not immediately... half unpacked boxes... new stuff we acquired but didn't have a place for. Photography props. Outgrown toys. Empty boxes saved for future packing or care packages or whatever. Now, 2 years later, it had gotten OUT OF HAND. And I've been in the mood to trim, pare, purge my life so very much, that I've been itching to get down there and make magic happen. Purge with a vengeance. So this Saturday was AMAZING. With the help of my powerful, energetic, incredible mom, we got the crazy half of the basement SO organized--- stuff trimmed down to a third of what it was before.... so many things thrown away or donated... And a new sense of order-- a more PERMANENT sense of "basement order" down there now. So much so, in fact, that my parents brought with them a full-sized bed and frame and we'll set it up in a cozy corner down there (what basement is EVER cozy, I ask you? NONE. So I'm being optimistic when I call this corner cozy.)... and there will be a little more space for the family we love that we often host. It's no "Oprah Guest Room"--- (my dream guest room, someday, will TOTALLY be like Oprah's guest rooms in her home(s)--- gorgeous linens, lovely light, and a gift basket with a novel or two, a bottled water, a bag of something yummy, and , like, a freakin' brand-new BATHROBE or something... SOMEDAY.)--- so yeah, it's not THAT, but it'll do.

Whoops. That was a Basement Cleaning Tangent. What I was getting at, is that this week, I don't have anything HUGE to tackle, but I'd love to get back down there and work on the other half of the basement a bit. I'd also love to work on my new website a bit. I want to work on some personal photo things. I want to put together a Cupcake Party ASAP--- like I did a few years ago. I want to maybe begin sewing bumpers for Lucy's crib... I dunno. Lots of little things.

So.

I guess I'd better seize this moment, since Lucy finally stopped chatting into the baby monitor and is asleep, and Noah is at school. High Ho, High ho, it's off to work I go....

Doo dee doo!

Have a marvelous week, friends!

Miss Lucy: Nine Months Old!

2012-01-20T11:45:00.003-06:00

(to see the original idea for these monthly photos, click here.

And Month 8. Month 7. Month 6. Month 5. Month 4. Month 3. Month 2.)

My sweet Lucy turned 9 months old last week. Can you believe it? She simply won't stay put at the 6-month age I asked her to. That girl--- a mind of her own, I tell ya.

At nine months, Lucy:

* Still only has the two bottom teeth, though I SWEAR those top two are working hard to come down.

* Is round, pink, soft, fuzzy, smiley, and the perfect size. And has been SUPER healthy. (*knock on wood!*)

* Has her own way of being semi-mobile: She loves to be on her back, because then she can hike up her hips and kick both legs down HARD on the ground/mattress and basically flop her whole lower half down again and again.... SLOWLY making her body turn in a 180-degree circle. It really looks like the breakdancing caterpillar, except she's on her back. SO FUNNY!

* She has finally started rolling from tummy to back to tummy to back many times in a row--- but NEVER when she's just on the quilt on the floor. Only in her crib or on our bed.

* Her crib is her PLAYGROUND.She has a few little stuffed lovies and things in her crib that I tuck into the corners every morning and after every nap... Yet every time I go in to get her after a sleep, she has rolled around the entire crib gathering her friends and blankets, and ends up with them in a heap in the center, all piled around her. She explores the HECK outta that crib!

* Other than that, she is nowhere NEAR being a mover. She doesn't care to army crawl, true crawl, pull up, whatever. She is most happy sitting regally on her playmat, lording over her toys and enjoying the view. I'm just fine with this. She stays put, and is happy- what more could I ask for?

* Has gotten very fond of making motorboat sounds with her mouth. It gets a bit spitty, but she loves how it feels and has been doing it non-stop.

* Favorite toys right now: Her Bunny Bunny, of course, her Raggedy Lucy doll, a Woodstock stuffie from Build-a-Bear that plays a bit of the Charlie Brown music, her blue bulb sucker thingy, ANY rattle (she is a classic baby, shaking rattles like some cliched commercial. Haha!)

* Fun food adventures: we've been adding some spices to her food--- cinnamon in her oatmeal and in her pumpkin, and a touch of garlic salt to some of her other meals. She has discovered and loved freeze-dried fruit bits, the veggie puffs that look like Cheetos, and graham crackers. She LOVES to feed herself finger foods and LOVES to be given a big-kid sippy cup of water to practice on.

* She is still the happiest, smiliest, kickiest, most reactionary baby ever. I mean, it is NOT HARD at all to get her flapping and kicking and grinning like she just won a trip to Disneyland. It's awesome. She's kind of like a puppy in that way. Leave the room for two minutes, come back, and she greets you like you've been lost for years. ♥

And a few more from our photo set. She is laying on a beautiful quilt Joe and I bought in Bayonne, France when we went to Europe in 2006. I have photos of Noah with it too, here.(ACK! I just went to find a blog post with Noah's old photos and I DON'T SEE THEM. Did I never blog them? Really?! That's nuts. I love these photos. Here. Two Noah photos, when he was ALSO 9 months old. Oh, the parallels!):

Okay. That is remedied. (Isn't he darling? He definitely has his own baby look, though. He and Lucy are not so similar here at the 9-month mark. But both insanely lovable.)

ANYWAY. I LOVE this quilt. Love love love it. and January, with snow, ice, winter, seemed a good month for the blues of these photos. The denim headband flower was made by my sweet friend Heather Bauers, using my t-shirt flower tutorial, here.

The necklaceis an Amber Teething Necklace, made from Baltic amber and meant to be soothing to inflammations of all kinds (arthritis, etc.) when worn against the skin. It was a gift from my friend Misty, and I love it--- both for its healing properties and just because it's sweet and pretty.

(Gosh, isn't she perfect with all those blues? Her EYES, my goodness!)

And her nine-monthbirthday was celebrated with Grandma Vicki here, visiting from Korea. We've LOVED having her here, and Lucy is just delighted by her! :)

And there you have it... My baby. Too close to one year old, and bring utter joy to my life every day.

Let it Snow!

2012-01-12T16:34:00.000-06:00

We woke up this morning to a layer of snow... This, after a gorgeous yesterday with highs of 53 degrees. Noah has been on cloud 9. I, on the other hand, have been chilly and annoyed at the drivers I had to battle as we tried to get to Lucy's 9-month appointment.

(We never made it. After an hour of 3 MPH and only getting 3 miles, with 5 more to go, we had to give up, turn around, and take deep cleansing breaths to get our cheerful attitudes back.)

Ah, but snow--- even with it causing so many little frustrations (I SWEAR I need fingerless gloves to type in this cold corner of our house! Brr!), there is a tiny part of my soul that is still a child, and feels the same flare of excitement at the magic of the white stuff. It gets especially magical to experience it through the eyes of your 4-year-old.

These shots are, (full disclosure), NOT from today.... We did get a bit of snow one other day this season, back on December 27. Joe had the whole week off of work and when Noah awoke to the layer of white stuff, it was all we could do to get him bundled before he dashed out to play.

What a dapper snow fellow! And what a sweet kiddo standing next to him! :)

Randoms for the moment....

1. Lucy is NOT napping. She is whiling her time away in her crib, telling stories. I am trying not to notice, or I will get annoyed. The kid is TIRED. Why why why?

2. Joe's mama, Grandma Vicki, is in town for the week. We are in heaven under her blanket of unconditional love and unflagging energy to play and play and play. I am so happy to have her here!

3. I am currently sporting.... a ponytail. THANK YOU for so many thoughts and ideas and comments about my Hair Crisis last week. I have a loose plan after all of the comments and ideas, but I am awaiting the next paycheck before I do anything.... Meanwhile, I am doing what I can and working on re-claiming my curls better. I am working on getting them to find their shape better, and working on keeping them untethered for as much of the day as I can stand.... And already there is a difference--- they look more lively and there are more potential "pretty curl" days in my life. Still, today, after wearing it down until 3:00pm (!) I had to tuck it into a loose ponytail (trying not to crush the curl pattern here), and here I am. Ponytail. Still. Oh well. It's cuter than some of the ponytails I manage to sport.

4. I am, for the most part, in a remarkably good place in my head space and in my life these days. I have alluded to having some recent epiphanies I want to write about, and have yet to actually sit and begin hashing them out into words, but I promise you--- I have had some monumental ideas come through my little head since late summer and have been seeing so many good things change because of them, and really REALLY do intend to ramble on about them on this blog. VERY SOON. You wanna know the MAIN thing keeping me from just sitting down and starting the writing? My silly idea that I want a photograph to accompany the first post, and the fact that I need to go get some things to complete the photo. WHAT A LAME EXCUSE--- waiting for the "perfect moment" to write instead of just DOING it, even if I don't have the dang photo. Seriously.

5. P.S. Lucy is STILL chattering. I am going to have to put her up for sale. Pondering a price now.

6. I am seizing 2012 back for my photography business. I am working on blog design, website updates, portfolio updates.... I want a "fresh coat of paint", so to speak, and I am working to make it happen before spring hits.

7. To that end, I am also booking up already. Wow! I am still not taking a FULL load of clients, since I still feel like my balance as a mom relies on me remembering to keep my workload from careening out of control.... And I am still not shooting weddings... But I am excited to see my spots getting snapped up in the coming months. And I'd LOVE to photograph YOU---- so if you're thinking this is the year for a session with me, email me!! Let's talk!

8. Current TV Series I am Hooked On: The Bachelor (of course. Lamer each season, but a train wreck I enjoy watching). Vampire Diaries. The New Girl. Once Upon a Time. Castle.

9. Current Sewing Project: forcing myself to finish all the unfinished projects I have piled up. Not as fun as grabbing a new idea and running with it, but it will feel good in the end.

10. Favorite Current Thing About Joe: He has been MARVELOUSLY letting me sleep each morning until the very last minute before he heads to work.... even if the kids get up before then. Seriously, folks--- this guy makes me a better mom and a better human. He really does.

11. My most visited websites these days: Facebook, Gmail, Yahoo mail, Pinterest, Google Reader

12. My current favorite iPhone games: Angry Birds (a revival after almost a year not playing it. I've got some catching up to do!), Tap N Pop (lame, easy, mindless), Tiny Towers

13. Current Frustration: I had to send my fancy lens in to get repaired. After only a year since its last repair. It's rough being without this lens, since it is on my camera 94% of the time, usually. (The Canon 24-70 2.8L)

14. Something I am looking forward to: My parents, Noah and I are going to Nauvoo tomorrow evening to hang out and play all day Saturday. We'll do a temple session, check out the visitor's center and the family activity thingy, go to the bluffs to look for bald eagles.... It'll be a fun 36-hr trip away. :)

15. One last one: DANG THIS COMPUTER CORNER IS FREEEEEEEEZNG. I can barely keep typing because it is so cold and my hands are getting stiff. Ick. Time to go make some cocoa and wrap my fingers around the mug. Because I THINK *shhhh, don't jinx it* Lucy may finally be asleep?????

Lucy, September 2011

2012-01-09T23:12:00.002-06:00

It was a warm September day, and Lucy was finally coming to an age where she was happy most of the time... and she had begun grabbing her feet (I loved this-- Noah never really did it much, so I was inordinately excited to have a foot-grabber this time).... And I realized that my days of opportunity for playing around with my garage light were numbered (I had not done ANY Lucy sessions in the garage yet... And now I was almost out of time)....

So I decided I wanted to piggyback off of THIS amazing session I had seen on Pinterest, beautiful images by the incredible photographer Meg Fish (my gosh she is good... her images are nothing like mine. Her color, the softness, the flood of light.... I don't know how to be this way. I wish it was more intrinsic to who I am...)

And Lucy was nearly the right age for this. Nearly, but not quite, turns out, because I never DID get her to grab her own feet during our session together. What I got, instead, was an inadvertent story of a girl fascinated with her thumb.

And I love them. All of them. I love that I found enough light to make this FEEL the way I was trying to make them feel. I love every face Lucy made. I love how in love with her thumb she was. I love HER. I loved shooting this.... so much so that I kept shooting. And unlike the clean, tidy self-editing Ms. Fish did with her simple 4-image storyboard, I am a terrible self-editor, and cannot cull down as far as I probably should... so instead of a brief little homage to the pinned idea I started from, here are ALL the ones I love from my sun-filled afternoon with Lucy in our little garage.

Just me, my baby ...and her thumb.

{The meaning of the name Lucy is Light... Perfect, don't you think?}

Just An Average Day With Lucy and Noah

2012-01-06T15:36:00.001-06:00

Late December, feeding LuLu prunes to help out a slow week of digestion... Somehow, though I'm normally really tidy when feeding my babies, she ended up like this:

She just looked at me like, "What's the big deal? You should let me get like this more often!"

And I have to agree... Messy kid photos are priceless. Maybe I'll loosen up and be less tidy with baby feedings.

And what was Noah up to during the Prune Feed?

Moon Dough. With CAREFUL attention to detail with his paintbrush. He liked the textures and holes the brush created.

Apparently, he also liked the way his NOGGIN molded the dough.

Ah, these kids. They are mine. This is SO them. And I love it.

Cravebox: Fun for $10!

2012-01-05T14:53:00.003-06:00

So, thanks to my friend Stef, the Queen of Inside Scoops Online, I got to learn about a new little dealio called CRAVEBOX. She emailed me asking if I wanted to join up, and after reading the fine print and seeing no tricks, I jumped aboard. The concept is this: You pay $10 a month. No shipping. No fees. Cancel anytime. And once a month, Cravebox sends you a little care package with 4-5 new products in it for you to test out, enjoy, and keep.

Something about the mystery, along with the friendly price tag, hooked me in, and I had to see what it was about. December was their first launch, and here's what came in the mail:

(You can alsosee details of these things here: "What's In the December Cravebox?")

There was chocolate (you can never go wrong with chocolate!)... Nail polish. Writing pens. and a full-sized hand lotion (which is, honestly, kinda stinky... Oh well.).

So, having gotten to enjoy the first Cravebox, here's my review, in a nutshell. THIS IS FUN!I cannot wait for the next one, even if it ends up being a month of cleaning supplies. It's just a treat to get something random in the mail, and you really can't beat a $10 price tag. Really.

So go forth! Join up! Treat yourself to a little surprise every month. Why not?

www.cravebox.com

*
Note: I was not asked to promote this company. I chose to do so of my own free will, because I like what they're doing. I am not being compensated for blogging this.

The Epic Hair Tale

2012-01-03T00:29:00.000-06:00

The following post is excessive. It's self-absorbed. It's borderline obnoxious.

But it's also what's been plaguing me for weeks now, and it's been cathartic to compile, so there you have it. Plus, I cannot think of a better receptacle/resource for venting about this topic than the random Internet, where I can send my friends to check out the post to help me out, but also get, possibly, random advice from strangers, who are a LOT more likely to be truthful. Ha.

Thus, I begin---- My EPIC HAIR TALE.

So. I'm in Hair Crisis. I'm a shabby, sloppy mom-of-two with naturally curly hair that wilts all too quickly, in an un-dyed-but-ever-so-slowly-getting-grey-patches blah color. Since the birth of Lucy, I've been in this limbo of "growing out-ness" that has been more accidental and passive than intentional, and after feeling spunky and sassy for two years with a short haircut and flowers in my hair, I have ended up here--- in a BLAH realm of non-style... But feeling like maybe I'm too far into it to just give up and go back to the short cut.

The problem is multi-faceted.

1. I am a mom of two who doesn't have the time or drive to "do" my hair.

2. Back in the spunky short days, I could wash and go and it would mostly be AWESOME and cute anyway. With longer hair, "wash and go" is NOT working anymore.

3. My hair is curly. When I first get done getting ready, I enter into a "lovely curl" state of being that lasts..... 2 hours. Max. Then it fades, wilts, becomes messy-looking, and into a ponytail it goes. But already curly, it is now IMPOSSIBLE to straighten or add some light "wave" to it without starting from scratch again. See #1.

4. I tend to NOT love hair on my face. Even when I wear my hair down, I'm tucking it behind my ears. Inevitably, a ponytail FEELS best by the end of the day. No hair in my face, driving me crazy.

5. I am not at my skinniest. So adding my overall feeling of "frumpy" to the "bad hair days" is KILLING my spirit. No spunk around here lately, ya'll. I NEED A CHANGE!!

6. But I am afraid to go back to the style that seems to suit me best--- the short curly style with a flower or doo-dad in my hair. I fear that I'll end up being the Lady Whose Hair NEVER Changed Over Four Decades. That seems embarrassing. Maybe more embarrassing than this frumpy UN-Style?

So there it is.

And I am stuck.

Do I:

A. Keep this length, keep it growing, and LEARN TO DO SOMETHING WITH IT? Add some color? Keep it out of ponytails? Force more time in my day to "do" it? But run the risk of settling back into The Ponytailed Frump Girl eventually?

B. Just CUT IT ALREADY, go back to the style that worked best for me, felt most like "me", and let the future take care of itself? But know that even in this "cute short style", I had bad hair days and wished for ponytails?

So here's the excessive part. I decided to go back and take an HONEST look at my hair journey since getting engaged to Joe--- all the way back in 2004. Almost EIGHT YEARS!! My hair has been long, been short, been colored, been streaked, been cute, been AWFUL, been curly, been straightened.... ALL of it. And in each incarnation, there have been FABULOUS hair days..... and AWFUL hair days. Usually, I'm the self-editor who keeps the icky pics away from the public eye-- I am my best PR agent, you know? But to really get to the heart of this, I had to look at it all-- the good, the bad, and the downright UGLY.

And then I compiled it all here.

Eight years.

Is ANYONE gonna even want to see eight years of me me me? Me? Me?

Gross. Self-absorbed. (So I like having my photo taken. Is that a crime?)

But kind of an interesting train wreck to not tear your eyes away from.

(See Me Gain Weight Before Your Very Eyes! See Bad Hair Days By the Dozen! See Emily Vamp For the Camera Like She Always Does! Vanity at Its Peak!

Come One, Come All!!)

And honestly, if anyone has some advice on what I need to do next, I am READY TO LISTEN. Because I fear this Season of Frump may kill me, especially since February is coming, and wintery, dreary February is ALREADY a rough month for my spirits.

So now, the Epic Hair Tale, in Photographs.

(*you are welcome to stop now and move on to your next blog reading. This is obnoxious.

** if you are a part of my life, you MIGHT show up in a photograph or two. Apologies!! And extra apologies if you DON'T show up. It's likely that you don't even really LIKE getting your photo taken, so you avoided my camera lots. I still love you.

*** Joe, you're in here lots. I don't know how you put up with me.)

1. Engagement Season: Behold, the glorious (left) curls of Spring/Summer 2004. Aaaand the less-cute version of the same hair (right) when faced with a wilderness trek through Yellowstone:

2. And then the Wedding/Honeymoon hair. Also a Good/Bad comparison.

3. Skipping ahead to 2006. I dabbled in glasses. But after the first couple of months, I forgot about them. My prescription was mild enough to get away with this. I still have those glasses. Hm. Far left= Cute. Second to left= AWFUL. Two on the right: ponytail city.

4. Europe Hair--I didn't take my blow dryer, curlers, straightener.... it was ALL NATURAL on this trip. And mostly in a ponytail or french twist.

5. Fall 2006--- it's either all hot-rollered and cute, or in a ponytail. Story of my long-haired life.

6. So it got long. And then I colored it red. And then...... I cut it. It was yucky and in a ponytail most of the time anyway, right? Sure, the long hair was pretty, WHEN I DID IT. But even without kids to take up all my time, the "doing my hair" ritual was more infrequent than it should have been.

7. Fall 2006- I liked it short. A lot. Felt free. Felt like "me". Even the shorter ponytail (or ponytails) it ended up in when it grew a few inches still felt spunky.

8. Winter/Spring 2007-- Growing back out... Good days. Bad days. Please note: ALL the good days were the result of actual effort. Reminder: These days, Actual Effort is impossible for me. Conclusion: Good Hair Days are probably never gonna happen if my hair stays long or even longish.

9. 2007, Late Spring: New cut, some fun color... And some not-great hair days, still. Also, what an awful "baby bump" photo (second from right, if you cannot discern)!! Every aspect of it. YUCK.

10. Summer 2007: ponytails, pink streaks for my 30th birthday, and some crazy hair on both Joe AND I. We BOTH needed to tame those manes!

11. More summer 2007: straight hair/curly hair, the pink streaks still there...Some cute days, but also some bad days.

12. 2007 Fall- The hair is getting long again.... But I didn't have that baby yet, so I had TIME to use my straightener... my hot rollers. Gosh, I KIND OF remember those days. !!

13. 2007 All curled up for a maternity session, then all natural for another session.

14. Then on to motherhood. Early 2008: Trying to live with the natural curls more... since hot showers and luxurious Me Time were things of the past.

15. summer 2008. I REMEMBER straightening my hair in the photo on the left. It was a family reunion and I wanted to be CUTE. I worked at it that day. And then, the photo on the right was like a week later, in Utah... and Noah had been the WORST sleeper during our trip. And I had given up on "cute". And the hair showed it. (those STREAKS. Yikes!) But being a mom has also ushered in the era of "Look at the cute babies! Pay no attention to the lady behind them!" Thank goodness.

16. Late Summer/Fall 2008: ponytails, lots of "natural curl" ( I DON'T like most of those), and an occasional good day. Also, a haircut happened in this time stretch.

17. Christmas 2008: Took time to straighten it (left), as opposed to the bedhead of Christmas morning. (Aww! Look at Sleepy Noah!)

18. Early 2009: pre haircut, post-haircut. This is the Big Cut--- the shortest I've been since I was 19 years old. I LOVED it.

19. Spring 2009: and even though I loved this cut, it still had it's "bad hair days"...But slap a flower in it, and it was insta-cute again! Thus, the Flower-Head Era began. Many of you guys started knowing me 'round this time.

20. Summer2009- more of the same...

21. 2009 Fall. This trim was a bit TOO short... but it grew into itself in a few weeks.

22. Christmas 2009/Early 2010- Even with the "easy cut", sometimes a bandanna was even easier. I am the QUEEN of doing as little as possible. I think that is going to be the problem whatever I decide to do. My fault.

23. 2010, summer/fall: So, I'd had the short cut for 1.5 years. I loved it. But then it started growing. And I got to a point where it would fit into two ponytails. In fact, it looked BETTER in two ponytails than down. So I began wearing it this way all the time. And lo and behold, a new version of the "me cut" was born. I LOVED this look. Even if I was over 30 years old.

24. 2010 Christmas/2011 Winter--On the left is NOT in ponies. Then on the right, back in ponytails. You KNOW the ponies were cuter.

25. Spring 2011: Lucy was coming due. I decided to keep the length in my hair so that I could avoid the insane "bedhead" that happened during my hospital stay with Noah. the ponytails were working for me. So I kept them.

26. 2011 Summer, Fall-- since then, the hair has been growing. And I have been trying different things to make it work. I even pulled out the ol' straightener for family photos (it hadn't been used in two years!!)

27. And NOW:

Here we are. I am in crisis.

(Anyone still reading? Haha!)

I am at a crossroads. I am ready for SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

Pink streaks again?

Highlights?

Short cut again?

Keep growing it out til it can go into two boho braids every day?

Keep the ponytail and accept my fate?

WHO AM I ANYMORE??

How much longer could I have gotten away with flowers in my hair anyway??

Remember, when preparing to offer your advice:

1. I NEVER have time to DO my hair. That means even a 10 minute this-or-that is TEN MINUTES TOO LONG. So even if evidence in the above gallery suggests that I can have some great hair if I TRY, I promise you, the "trying" will not happen much. Which sucks. But is a fact right now. I proved it again today. I let my hair dry curly-- and it was curling really pretty. I even put it up only halfway for most of the day. Pretty. But by the time post-lunch rolled around, it was limp. Getting in my way. Shedding hairs into Lucy's fists. And so, up into a ponytail it went. I TRIED. I REALLY TRIED today. But I seem doomed to being unglamorous for the rest of my days.

Oh well.

Wasn't that fun?

At least it was epic.

Holiday Moments, 2011

2011-12-30T10:22:00.000-06:00

Noah:

A few of my favorite moments with Noah this season:

* He truly believes in Santa Claus this year--- and "got it", ya know? the whole concept. And it was magical. When Santa sent him a message via the Portable North Pole, he tried to talk back like it was Skype---- which actually twisted my heart a little, because I YEARNED for it to be a REAL Skype session for him. He was so earnest.

* He was so eager to go open an Advent envelope each morning, then run to the computer to click on the snow globe advent next (Jacquie Lawson's delightful advents, here).

* Noah began learning Christmas carols this year... Getting quite good at Jingle Bells and Up on the Housetop, among others.

* We watched the heck outta the Netflix streaming holiday cartoons. We kinda went on an Avengers hiatus to enjoy seasonal shows instead.

* Noah was a perfect helper when we made sugar cookie dough and rolled out sugar cookies to cut. I loved seeing him get covered in flour with one of my pretty aprons on... It was one of those, "This is what being a mama is all about!" moments.

* He inextricably linked Christmas with SNOW, and every time we'd say that Christmas was "x" days away, he'd say, "and then it'll SNOW??" It was tough to try to convince him that snow has its own timeline.

* When we opened the Advent envelope that said we got to go to the Mills to ride the train and the carousel, his reaction was one for the ages: He clenched his little fists, doubled over in tense joy, and chanted feverishly, "USA! USA!USA!USA!" like there was simply NO OTHER thing to say at that moment. It. Was. Priceless.

* We told him the Christmas Story this year using a cheap little Nativity I got from Walgreens last year. It was SO COOL to see him absorb the story and all the details while moving these "action figures" around. I could tell he was GETTING IT. He was really listening to the story. I am so excited that this first layer is in place. I know that as the years come and go, and he matures, he'll just keep adding more layers of meaning to this incredible story--- the reason for it all.

* I'm sure there are a million other moments that are escaping me right now... I love this kid so very much, and have been completely enchanted by Christmas through his eyes. What a neat thing, to be his mama right now. Well, always, really.

Lucy:

Lucy-isms this Holiday:

* Really, she didn't even notice anything different was going on this month... Haha!

* Except, well--- every morning when I'd go to open the blinds next to our Nativity collection, while holding her, she'd eagerly grab for the olive wood ones, hoping THIS would be the day she managed to swipe one for her very own. She never won.

* Other than that, her job this season was to just look cute, smile when Noah was excited, and practice eating Puffs. A LOT of Puffs.

* So this year, in terms of Christmas, there's not much to report on Lucy. But I guarantee that'll change by next year, when she is a mobile holy terror of a 1.5 year old. Ha! We might even have to skip a tree next year if she proves to be too crazy.

But goodness--- that FACE. She was my perfect doll this year, even if she had no idea what was going on.

New Years Eve is here. What are your plans? I am going to seduce my hubby over some homemade fondue and board games for two.... after the kiddos go to bed. We might even manage to stay awake until midnight!

Spicy, I know.

Happy New Years to All!

Hope You're Having a Marvelous Holiday!

2011-12-27T13:17:00.000-06:00

For us, it's still going--- Joe gets this whole week off of work, so it feels like an extended holiday. We're still in our jammies, the house is still a mess, I'm still eating WAY too many treats, and it's just a whole lotta Christmas 'round here, still.

And because I was frantically sewing Lucy's gift all day Christmas Eve and into the night, and then we traveled on the 25th and 26th, I never got to post these shots I took Saturday with the intention of sharing for Christmas Day. So since it's still Christmas in my head, I'll still post them. Whee!!

(So she's not a fan of tummy time... so what? It makes a GREAT photo, right?!)

And my other one, just as cute and hammy:

And I had to grab a couple of shots of Lucy's cute Christmas Eve outfit, complete with her Halloween costume gnome boots, which transferred nicely into Elf Boots!

Gosh, I love these kids! :)

I have their "official" holiday portraits ready to post. I have been compiling a list of favorite holiday moments in my head this year, and want to get them written down before I forget them, so I'll blog those tomorrow with their photos... So you're stuck with All Southerlands All the Time right now... But hey-- they're MY universe, so they might as well populate my entire blog, right?!

Merry Ongoing Holidays to all. Now go sneak a nap. I plan to!

Deck the Halls...

2011-12-21T10:46:00.000-06:00

Mostly images, not many words.... Here are our humble Christmas decorations this year:

{Who needs mantle stockings when you can just use the fireplace gate??}

{Advent idea comes from a combination of these two ideas: All Things Simple: Activities Advent, and The Little Red House Advent}

My printables, up for grabs (some are more specific to our family, so you'd have to change them):

PAGE ONE

PAGE TWO

{Below, another little advent, the Book Advent, one I've wanted to do for years now, and finally have enough books for. HERE is the first time I saw this idea done, back in '07.}

{Banner made with love by my friend Smiley Beth}

Lucy: Eight Months Old

2011-12-20T20:21:00.000-06:00

{If it seems like she's growing up faster than ever, it's not true--- I just posted her SEVEN month photos only 19 days ago. So it seems speedier than usual to already be at month 8.}

Lucy, at 8 Months:

* She has TWO TEETH! They are tiny and not really photographable just yet, but they are there. They gave us a week or two of sleep upsets, both with shortened naps for a week and then some extra wakings at night, but we're out of those woods for now and back to the usual routine.

* She is FINALLY rolling from tummy to back, frequently and consistently. No more "stuck on my tummy, come get me mama" crying from her crib.

* She is a champ with easy, soft finger foods. So far, she's only been given puffs, Rice Krispies, pieces of bread, and pieces of broccoli, and she's really good at getting the pieces in her pincer grip and getting it to her mouth. She LOVES this control!

* She's eating meat-baby food now. I make about 50% of the food she is eating, so her first meat was a ground beef and mixed veggie with pasta, pureed to a really good consistency, which I expected to be hard.

* She is destined to be musical, like Noah. She will "sing" along with me (or Grandma!) when we sing to her--- a sustained squawk note of co-singing. SO cute!

* She is finally moving into 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers. She's been smallish all along, but is getting into a regular size now.

* Lucy's hair grows more abundant every week. Now, it officially grows in a mohawk-style, soft as goose down and fluffy and so blonde. I love it!

* She is nowhere near crawling, either army-style or regular. She loves just sitting up to play or laying on her back to play... Happy as a clam.

* She has just started getting REALLY good at putting herself to sleep--- she no longer needs or wants me to rock and pat her to near oblivion... She wants to work it out herself. Hooray, Lucy, but *sniff* Mama....

* She gets so excited to practice drinking from our glasses. We hold the glass to her mouth and she tries to get it all in... She is actually pretty good!

* She still LOVES the car and the stroller... But it has been months since she's fallen asleep in either. She is a crib baby, all the way.

And that's our LuLu... My sweet baby girl, TOTALLY worth the colic season to have this little one in our home now!

(to see the original idea for these monthly photos, click here.

And Month 7. Month 6. Month 5. Month 4. Month 3. Month 2.)

Going to See Santa

2011-12-19T11:17:00.002-06:00

The giant tree:

Waiting in line:

The cheesy pic:

The Wish List:

Noah asked for roller skates, a kitten, and a teddy bear.

Noah said that Lucy wanted another baby. (Hm...)

Santa was photogenic, but not very interactive with the kids.

It makes me sad that the "Santa Visit" is just another business venture these days, with photo sales being the goal. Why can't the guy take a minute to "ho ho ho" and tell Noah to be a good big brother and all that?

Oh well.

The only reason we bought photos this time was because it was Lucy's first visit.

And we DID have fun, and Noah never knew the difference. I just wish Santa had been better t being SANTA. Maybe we'll try a different spot next year.

I'm not going to let it cramp my spirits. We're in full-on Christmas mode over here, and I LOVE it! Treats, crafts, Advent, Nativities, songs... You name it, we've got it happening in the Southerland household.

Have a merry last week before the big day!

Ho Ho Ho! Be nice to your kid sisters!

♥

A SuperHero Party

2011-12-16T19:31:00.000-06:00

This party has been hatching in my brain for longer than I should admit...

But the thing is, my poor kiddo had to skip a party last year when I ended up suffering that insane, unexpected arthritis and breast infection. So I figured I owed him TWICE the birthday party this year. Besides-- I've gotten so caught up in his new world of super heroes, it's like a party for me as well.

This ended up being SO VERY MUCH FUN to put together. From the food to the capes I made for the kiddos, to the photo set to just seeing all the kiddos run around and BE SUPER, it was everything I hoped for this kiddo of mine on his 4th birthday.

So.... The photos. (Only a month after the fact, ha!)

Super Snacks:

Super Cake:

Super POPCORN (With fruit loops added-- a last minute stroke of genius!)

Super streamers (and an extra clean dining room- wow!)

My super kiddo:

The superhero supplies-- each kiddo's favorite color and initial):

The super photo set-up, with the birthday boy:

His super guests--- plus one of Super Lucy (of course she gets her own cape!):

(I kept the kid count to 8 including Noah, so that we could send the parents away and still be able to keep the crowd control. It was PERFECT!)

We served lunch--- simple fare that kids would eat: One plate of PB&J and one place of cheese sandwiches. Each kid got a bottled water and a popcorn cone, and could grab snacks from the buffet.

And for seating? Well, the FLOOR, of course! (It was actually good that we sent parents away-- less people to feed and less chairs needed. Ha!)

A little Lucy and Joe. (I am in love with the camera bib! She's hip, ya know...)

And some Lucy and Mom... (Gotta get in FRONT of the camera once in a while...)

Gifty time... Everything he got was so perfect and thoughtful for him--- Lucky kiddo, to have such sweet friends!

Cake time:

Freeplay time in the back yard. Thank HEAVEN for perfect days in November. We were able to run around outside a LOT! Their favorite activity? Knocking down the tower of "skyscrapers". Super strength and all that!

And an "after" pic of the cake I made--- Super layers and all!

This is just one white cake mix halved and dyed red and blue, then one yellow cake mix with a little extra yellow food coloring added, halved into two layers. Then my mom's buttercream frosting recipe in between layers and on top, and freebie printables on skewers as the decorations on top. Really an inexpensive little project that visually packed a punch!

This party was exactly what I hoped it would be--- incredibly fun for Noah, a chance for him to be in "pretend" mode 100% with other kids... A celebration of everything he is... a chance for my friends, the other parents, to get some time sans kids... A chance to make these cute kids something they will hopefully wear again and again for their own playtimes... An excuse to make pretty cake... Twice the party to make up for last year....

It was perfect. And I'll likely do FAR less next year and save up new ideas and new energy for a good, big effort like this every other year or so. But I'll probably always find an excuse to concoct a big, tall, gooey, yummy cake, even on the "off years".

A few credits:

1. Comic book bunting: free Marvel comics covers available to print from Marvel.com

2. "Hero Juice" free printable label from "Oh Happy Day", Jordan Ferney

(I used these for Joe's Father's Day gift last year, here)

3. Cake topper printables from Onecharmingparty.com

4. Popcorn cone idea from Pinterest

5. Photo set idea and sandwich cutout idea from DomesticCharm.blogspot.com

6. Cake idea from Pinterest

7. Snack label idea from Pinterest

8. Cape pattern and design - all my own

Ha! Avengers Assemble!

2011-12-10T16:53:00.001-06:00

Look what I just finished!

The pattern is by Wee Little Stitches, and if you are any kind of pop culture fan at ALL, you have GOT to check out their shop on Etsy. They have cross-stitch series for SO many fun groups of people.... Harry Potter, Star Wars, The Breakfast Club, Ninja Turtles.... etc. etc. SO FUN!!

This one is the Marvel superhero team the Avengers, and sadly, Wee Little Stitches is not allowed to sell the pattern any longer because Marvel asked them to cease. But if you HAVE to have the pattern, email them and ask them how to work around that. *hint*

Well, Noah has made an OFFICIAL superhero/comic book fan out of me. He has me wrapped around his little finger and I ADORE catering to his passions. And Joe is THRILLED to see me asking more about the histories and stories of the likes of Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Wolverine, etc. It's like a dream come true for him.

And what better way to mix Joe's and Noah's passions with my own creative leanings? A CROSS-STITCH of SUPERHEROES?

Too much.

I adore it.

It will get framed and hung in Noah's room. Or maybe my living room. :)

And it's been super relaxing to work on this a bit at a time for the past couple of months. In fact, today, my whole household is napping, and instead of diving headfirst into a nap of my own (one of my FAVORITE indulgences), I chose instead to relax with some DVR'ed shows and this. And FINISHED IT!

Yahoo!!

Okay. Just waiting for the trio to wake up so we can get bundled up and head out to shop for the family we adopted. I am so excited! It really feels like Christmas around here!

Life in Less-Than-Perfect Photographs

2011-12-10T13:30:00.001-06:00

Cellular telephone photographs:

I keep trying to chip away at my ever-growing pile of personal photos. I keep promising them to the blog, to family...

Am I CRAZY??

This is the busiest time of year for photographers, and even with my lessened-workload this season, I am still DROWNING in obligations to my clients! Wrapping up the season seems to be taking FOREVAH.

So.

All I gots, y'all, is cellular telephone photographs. A quick flash of my life in not-so-great-quality, poor imitation of any iPhone/Instagram/Hipstamatic photographs.... My ghetto Blackberry in-phone camera is SO crappy. But it is what it is. And I am pretty good at taking nearly-daily photos of our life, thanks to my friend Misty, who texts me at least one photo a day of HER life. She makes it easy to remember to do the same and shoot it back to her. I love it.

So. A few notes on the above mosaic:

1. Lucy's prettiest dress, from Aunt Beckie

2. Lucy loves bath time. LOVES it.

3.Noah's favorite cartoons right now: Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and Iron Man (the teenager Tony Stark one)

4. Keeping Lucy happy in the moby-style wrap

5. We try to get outside, even in this cold weather... this is Lucy's first time in a swing.

6. Noah's birthday cake

7. a happy kiddo in the doorway jumper

8. Bathtime is a perfect time to practice drinking from a cup!

9. Wearing mama's sunglasses at a late-fall picnic outing

10. Too often we end up in restaurants... Cop-out. But Lucy is doing great in high chairs!

11. Noah with his Iron Giant felt puppets I made him for his birthday

12. Noah's happy face on his birthday

13. This is a hexagon sculpture in U. City, and I promised Noah we'd stop by sometime for him to let his Iron Man toy slide down the tubes. And we actually did it one day.

14. Making dinner is STILL not natural for me... this is Lucy's baby food and an easy rice dish I made for one of the nights Joe was not home.

15. Until last week, Lucy still wasn't rolling from tummy to back. So she'd get "stuck" in her crib and wail.

16. Lucy in the swing again. Loving it.

Up on deck: I REALLY do mean it when I say I am wrapping up the pro season. I have two full sessions, one mini session, and 7 micro-sessions to edit... Then on to the handmade Christmas gifts... All while battling a cold and trying to make this season about doing things together as a family more than acquiring things as a family...

And I make no apologizes for putting more of my energy into actually being PRESENT in my days than sitting here talking about it. For now, this is what is working for me. Come mid-winter, I know I'll be restless and crafty and posting a LOT more. Til then.....

Happy weekend to all!

Randoms:

2011-12-07T13:40:00.001-06:00

10 Random Thoughts and Such:

1. I fell off the "making better food choices" wagon today. I've been doing pretty good for almost 2 months... But today was a McRib/Diet Coke and Cadbury chocolate kind of day. At least I skipped the fries, right?! But truly, I have mostly been better at being mindful of why I choose to eat what I eat, so that I can then make more conscious decisions. Just not today.

2. Lucy is teething-- the bottom left one-- and her sleep has been regressing. Fun.

3. Did you know that my hubby Joe is a MASTER snowflake cutter? Truly, he is an artist at it!

4. I keep trying to chip away at a bunch of recent personal photos I adore--- both the culling and the editing process. It's like walking through mud, though. Up on deck are these:

-- Noah's birthday party photos. I am about 50% done. Getting there. One painful step at a time.

5. I have one more day of shooting this year and I am DONE with pro sessions until January. :) I've been having fun, though, and have loved all my recent clients!

6. I am really struggling with my hair. What to do with it. Maybe I'll take some photos and beg advice from the blogosphere. It's not so pretty.

7. We got our tree on Saturday and decorated it on Sunday--- I love live trees and our mish-mash of collected ornaments. I love having it up and done and enjoying it all month!

8. I have so many sewing projects I want to get done for the holidays.... and it feels like I have NO time to start. Between editing and just being a mama, I am out of time on most days. *sigh* I'll get crackin' next week, though, for sure.

9. Sun is out today. HOORAY! It makes everything better.

10. I just got done checking out "Once Upon a Time", the new TV show...All caught up and enjoying ti so far... And now I'm checking out the pilot to Grimm. It has potential... :)

Okay... Back to work with me.

Toodles!

Who's Free in April? I Have Something to Offer:

2011-12-02T22:23:00.001-06:00

So the other day, I hinted at something that locals or semilocals might want to pay attention for.... And it specifically relates to my photography business.

See, here's the thing. Some of my most tender Christmas memories from the past have surrounded the act of giving Christmas to one or more folks that wouldn't have a very Merry Christmas otherwise. Many times, I'm not sure I'll be able to do much, but every year that I've made the effort, the loaves and fishes have multiplied and somehow, it works. And I never miss the money or time... and always cherish the experience.

So I was thinking about "adopting" a kiddo this year. And did some web hunting. Even with our slightly lessend income ppost-Lucy, I can prbably swing this sort of thig for ONE kiddo. But.... After browsing some options, I kept coming back to this catalog of full FAMILIES that could use a boost this season. I couldn't move on from this.

But families are like....4x the cost.

And we're not really rollin' in money, ya know? It gets scary some months.

So.

I thought, what can I do to make this happen? And the answer came immediately:

I need to use my professional skills specifically to make this happen. I NEED TO OFFER ONE INCREDIBLY DISCOUNTED SESSION to the first taker, payable ASAP. All proceeds to go to "adopting" a family for this Christmas.

And it felt right.

So here's the deal:

ONE session, up for grabs. FULL session. Instead of my standard $400 collection/session fee, this session will be $200.

50% off.

How it has to work:

1. The taker must pay $216.85 (gotta give MO their sales tax) within 7 days of claiming this prize.

2. The session must take place in April of 2012 (no freezing winter sessions here. I'm offering the BEST month of the year for this, ya'll!)

3. The session must take place within St. Louis City or County lines.

4. The $216.85 will get you a Pocketbook Happy Collection, which includes the following:

~ session fee/photographer's time and talent

~ 1 hr. session with 35-40 images to choose from in an online gallery

~ 5 digital files with print release and printed reference proof

~ $150 print credit (!! you get your money back RIGHT HERE, y'all!! I'm basically paying YOU to do this session!)

~ a 7x7 softcover keepsake book of your gallery images

5. Once your session has been completed, you have the option to upgrade to other collections from the Pocketbook Happy Collection, at the usual rate (please ask for more details); you can always add prints/digital files/etc. a la carte to this basic collection.

6. This session can be a family session, a child's portrait session, a senior session (plan for 2-3 hours instead of 1), a newborn session (plan for 3-4 hours instead of 1), an engagement session.... the sky's the limit! The only thing you can't use it for is a wedding. That's fair, right?!

7. Once the payment is made, I'll send you a physical contract for both of us to sign to ensure that this transaction will not fall through the cracks, since it will take place 4 months from now.

And the full payment, less $16.85 sales tax, will go straight to the family Joe and Noah and I have chosen to "adopt" for Christmas. That is a promise. It's not a TON of money, but it's more than we have right now, and therefore has GOT to be more than one of these families has. And I feel like it'll be enough.

I LOVE this idea.

So.

Who's gonna grab this? It's like a super stealth, sudden, get-it-while-you-can sale, and only one person can win! Ack!

I can't wait!

M&M Winner!

2011-12-02T22:12:00.001-06:00

Commenter #4, you're the winner! Sarah McK! :) Chocolate for the preggy lady? I can't think of anything more perfect.

And GO, ME! ... for editing photos there in the background of that screen capture. It's Friday night, and I've still got my nose to the grindstone. I deserve a cookie. Wait, I just had a cookie. Well.... fine. Back to work. Sarah, I'll tuck your winnings into a package right away so you can get your candy fix ASAP.

Thanks, everyone else, for playing! I miss contests/giveaways. I must do another one soon. In fact, I have ideas brewing for one as a pre-Christmas thing. I'll get on that. For now, HAPPY WEEKEND, everyone!!

Lucy: Seven Months. Ish.

2011-12-01T10:51:00.001-06:00

Okay, so I'm like 2 weeks late on this post.... But I SWEAR I took the photos within 24 hours of her 7-month birthday. It's just that the day also happened to be Noah's birthday party, and that was insane, and well.... life is just kinda always nuts. It's what I signed up for when I decided to be a mama.

But anyway.

Even if they're late, they're still cute... Here's Lucy, with a little bit of "morning face", wearing an upcycled t-shirt headband and chowing down on blocks to stay happy... November 12/Seven months old.

(to see the original idea for these monthly photos, click here.

And Month 6. Month 5. Month 4. Month 3. Month 2.)

(And as always, I'm crap at narrowing photos down, so here are the rest of my favorites... :))

(hrm. That one on the right is darker than the left. Oopsie.)

And ya know--- I tried to convince her to stay SIX months old, but she didn't listen... So we're working on keeping her SEVEN months old. Because this is my favorite right now. And there's something about EIGHT months old that means... well.... just that she'll be an OLD baby then. Eight is right before NINE. Which is the last quarter of her first year. And that is OLD.

So if she won't stay six months, I'll take seven, because seven is still little. New. Fresh. And FUN.

Got that, Lucy Loo? STAY THIS AGE.

K', thanks!

Oh--- Locals and semilocals-- stay tuned for a crazy offer I'm gonna throw out there. Probably tonight or tomorrow. It's still brewing in my head, but I'm getting excited. Got it? (Who needs Cyber/Black/ANYthing for deals? Keep it random, I say!)

Small Business Saturday: An "After" Contest

2011-11-30T15:31:00.001-06:00

Remember my post on encouraging participation in Small Business Saturday last week? I wanted to follow up and report.

After Thanksgiving Thursday, we had the unexpected treat of getting to leave Noah with his grandparents and aunts/uncle on Friday and Saturday when they invited him to linger and have an extended sleepover with them. So this ended up giving us a lot more freedom on Saturday to check out some small businesses to do a little Christmas shopping, just Lucy in tow. Joe was happy to tag along as well, and we made a morning of it.

Our first stop was actually to a shop I had wanted to feature, but didn't know the exact name of yet--- a brand-new fabric/sewing/amazing shop in Webster Groves called the Fabric Nosherie. For all your sewing types here in St. Louis, this is a MUST-SEE new shop. Lots of inspirations, great samples, gorgeous fabric, and a totally hip atmosphere. Our goal-- to let Joe get a gift card for part of my Christmas present. What better day than Small Business Saturday, right?

Happily, the Fabric Nosherie is just two doors down from Red Lead Paperworks, the first biz I featured the other day. We stopped in there as well, and I got a shadowbox thingy I've been needing for a couple of months now. Hooray! Another Small Business purchase!

We stopped by Oh Lolli Lolli to get some candy gifts.... And then we checked out another relatively new candy shop in STL that I didn't feature the other day, Miss M's Candy (reviewed here by the Riverfront Times).

In all my small biz journeyings, I ended up picking up one goodie that I decided I needed to offer up on here as a giveaway--- just my last HURRAH in support of Small Business Saturday. Miss M's candy shop was having a great deal on M&M merchandise, and I picked up a cute little pink T-shirt and some candy to offer up to one lucky reader:

The t-shirt is a women's large, in a "girl cut" (so a trim fit)... It is light pink and has printing only on the front. Also included in this gift bag is a 12 oz bag of holiday M&Ms, because who DOESN'T love M&Ms?!!

To enter to win, all you have to do is leave a blog comment by Friday at noon (CST), and I'll pick a winner at random.

Easy, right?

At the very least, even if this isn't YOUR style of gifty, there might be SOMEONE on your gift list who would enjoy these stocking stuffers! And hey--- it all goes back to supporting local-run businesses. And I love that!

Okay.... So the sun came out today, and the whole mood of the day was markedly improved because of it. I am out of yesterday's funk and GETTING STUFF DONE! Next up, now that blogging is complete, is to begin pondering a Christmas card design.

(Oh how I LOVE synchronized nap times! I hope these two kiddos continue to do this for me for many months to come. Ah!!)

Quick, A Big Fat WHINE.

2011-11-29T15:28:00.001-06:00

Ten minutes to let this annoyed, yucky mood bleed out onto the page, then THAT'S IT. Move on. And GO:

3:27

It's getting to that point again, where all the little clutters are piling up enough to begin to encroach onto my healthy attitude. Little piles of STUFF, things undone, things not in their place.... It grows a little at a time til it reaches that breaking point where I CAN NO LONGER TOLERATE IT. Except, inevitably, the clutter crap breakdown happens right at the same time as a REALLY PISSY MOOD, which tend to de-motivate.... Add to that a series of REALLY GLOOMY DAYS, grey and crappy outside, and really, what else can you expect?

No WAY this dilemma will solve itself while the mood is sour and the weather is gross.

So. I just circle through the same routes in my house.... kitchen to dining room to entry to living room...

Living room to stairs to bedroom... bedroom to bathroom.... Kids' rooms to stairs to dining room and back to kitchen....

Passing the SAME CRAP that need to get done:

toys that need to be sorted and put away/things borrowed that need to be returned/mail that needs to be filed/leftover birthday party stuff that needs to be put away/guest bedding that needs washing/a floor needs sweeping/mopping/a dirty bathroom/laundry both clean and dirty in piles/clutter clutter clutter *SCREAM*

The computer is sloggy and slow. The laptop is a craptop. The baby needs new baby food made. My LORD when will that kitchen floor get swept/mopped???

Too much... suddenly and overwhelmingly TOO MUCH and the grey day and my grey mood are threatening to DROWN ME IN THIS PILE OF FRUSTRATION.

Whine whine whine.

Up until this very moment, this Breaking Point Day, it's been going amazingly well. A good rhythm, things getting done, a GREAT attitude.... But a slump was bound to happen, and it is happening now, and it is spiraling fast and I am HAVING A MELTDOWN. Silently, of course, so as to not to wake the children, who, THANK GOODNESS, still take naps.

I need..................Help? Time? babysitting? Probably...

But mostly, I probably just need a big fat movie slap across the face to snap me outta the spiral, and a BIG FAT ATTITUDE TWEAK back to the good place I was in just yesterday.

3:37.

That's all the time I am allowing this Big Fat Whine.

Back to life.

(Gonna effing go sit and read book 4 of Twilight for a minute before I get back to work chipping away at this messy house. Blah. Wah. So THERE.)

Lessons Learned + Cute Handmade Baby Boots

2011-11-28T10:57:00.001-06:00

Lessons Learned From Our First Attempt At Walking to Preschool

1. We need to leave the house earlier than I planned... And I thought I planned enough. The idea is to walk one mile to the school, drop off Noah, then walk one mile back. But we live two miles away... So driving and parking at our start point is necessary. With all the loading, unloading, setting up stroller, bundling up kiddos, etc., I need AT LEAST 10 more minutes added to our start time.

2. There will NOT be good parking on Skinker or Waterman where I need it... I'll try Lindell next.

3. Walking in 35-degree temps WILL be okay. Lucy was happy as a clam, and I still broke a sweat.

4. I should probably wear a hat or ear-warmers on those days.

5. I need to stretch a bit beforehand... I was running late, so I was rushing more than usual, and I could feel it in my shins.

6. Lucy's fleece boots will be warm enough, and adding babylegs as another layer worked PERFECTLY.

7. I will have to DAILY talk myself out of a hot cocoa from the coffeeshop we walk past. Or else this could get expensive.

8. This is really gonna work. I know it. And it felt GREAT, even being so late.

The thing is.... I REALLY really want to make this kind of thing so common in our days that it becomes intuitive... no longer a "SHOULD DO", but something we just DO. Walking a couple of miles a day, every day. Even when it isn't preschool day. I'm getting better at just getting out the door and GOING, but I am still a long way off from it being an innate part of my day. But I'm working on it. Perhaps if I can do this preschool walk regularly enough throughout the winter, I can even talk myself into walking the FULL distance (4 miles roundtrip) come springtime.

And let's talk about those boots, shall we? Remember Lucy's Gnome photos? And her pointy red boots?

Well, they were based off of a new pattern designed by my friend Jaime Young, of the Sew She Sews blog and Etsy shop Baubles and Bits.

When she was perfecting this pattern, I got to be one of her pattern testers, and quickly got HOOKED on these girly, over-the-top fashionista boots.

My first set attempted was this pair:

The aqua fabric is a favorite pattern from Lucy's nursery set, they yellow fabric is from Noah's sunshine quilt, and the grey is wool felt. They are also lined in soft grey fleece.

They are SO CUTE... but they don't match very many of Lucy's outfits. So when family pictures rolled around, I decided to whip up a second pair, this time in a more understated color scheme that might match more things:

This time, the entire outer shell is the soft grey fleece, and I used navy polka dot cotton on the lining to stabilize the fleece. These are showing more wear and tear already, because fleece is more prone to pilling than wool felt... but I simply didn't have enough grey felt on hand when I wanted to make these. And even though they're going to look shabbier sooner, I still LOVE them.

Lastly, when making Lucy's costume, I decided she needed ONE MORE set of these boots... this time with a couple of modifications that would make the toe curl.

These are done ENTIRELY in fleece, since they were really just for SHOW and not for everyday use. They ended up being the perfect finale to her gnome costume, and hey-- I can even probably reuse them for some kind of ELF costume for LuLu this coming Christmas season!

And I know I might be nuts, but I still have at least two other pairs in my head I want to make her for the rest of winter. I'm thinking of a brown corduroy with a delicate pink calico ruffle.... Or maybe some hunter's plaid? The possibilities are endless!!

So, there ya go--- handmade boots for my baby, all based on this FABULOUS pattern by Jaime:

Click the photo to go to her Etsy shop and BUY the pattern for yourself! (Or if you're lucky, her shop might have a pair or two of already-made boots you can just buy!)

Okay.... It's a new week. I have grocery shopping, bank deposits, work orders, and a million other things haunting my to-do list. What's on your agenda this week??

Noah's Bedroom...

2011-11-27T15:03:00.001-06:00

We got home from Columbia, MO, still full from Thanksgiving dinner, on Friday mid-morning. We brought Lucy and all our stuff back with us, but left the newly-4-year old behind to get some extra quality time with his grandparents and aunts/uncle.

It's always a treat to have only one kiddo instead of the usual two.... but inevitably, there is also that hollow place--- that MISSING--- that comes with the absence. Noah, simply put, is the color in our days. We love that stinker.

When he was gone from us the last time, back in August, I took some time to get his room reorganized and decluttered, and then took some photos. His room is not the dream room I'd have for him if we owned our own house and had more resources... But for the space we're in, I like what we've done to make his room his very own. It has a good feeling in there.

For fun, here is a little tour of Noah's Room:

* Vintage alphabet poster is a Cavallini Paper print from the Blick art store. So is the map one below.

* The rocking airplanewas a thrift find from a friend of my mom's, which I staked a claim on as soon as I saw it.

* The rocking chair was my first Mother's Day giftfrom Joe back in 2007, from Cracker Barrel. The seat cover was made by my mom for Noah's nursery set.

* the letter "N" is from Anthropologie

* the toy airplane is fromWorld Market

* yes, that's our Internet router. Pretty, right?

* Noah's wee little toddler bed, with the blanket/sham designed and made by me.

* the green shag rug is from Urban Outfitters

* The growth chart was a gift from my sweet friend Melanie. Noah is currently 42".

* The potty chart on his wardrobe..... didn't work for motivation AT ALL.

* A "catch-all" toy basket, with sock monsters made by his daddy, Joe.

* The top of his wardrobe, also a "catch-all" area...

* The vintage school desk was bought, already painted, from The White Rabbit here in St. Louis.

* The trumpet was a beaten-up one my Mom gave Noah to play with. It is often a "rocket ship" in our world.

And the last view.... a room that sits and waits for its too-loud, too-busy occupant to come back and fill it again...

Even though it is FAR messier when Noah is home, I'd not have it any other way.

I hope you all had some down time this weekend... time with loved ones... good food...

Because I don't know about you, but it felt like the last oasis of calm before a mad mad mad mad mad month ahead. Mad in all the right ways, but crazy nonetheless.

I hope I can keep my center among all the things to do in December. I will be trying as hard as I can to do so, so that all the good stuff is even better because I am present and mindful. Here's hoping!

Til then.... Thanks for sharing my little room tour tonight. I'll be back with some Noah birthday party photos in a day or two . Promise!

Small Business Saturday: St. Louis Fun

2011-11-22T20:22:00.001-06:00

I've been catching up on a few television shows as I've been sewing for Noah's birthday. And a set of commercials has been making me take notice in the recent weeks as we get closer to this famous post-Thanksgiving shopping weekend. I'm talking about the ads for Small Business Saturday. Have you seen them?

It's sponsored by American Express, and is basically this--- After shopping (or instead of shopping) the Big Stores on Black Friday, and considering a few online purchases on Cyber Monday..... why not go purchase at least ONE of your holiday gifts at a small, locally-owned, "Mom and Pop" shop? A Small Business?

I. LOVE. This. Idea.

Not only because it has the potential to take us AWAY from the crazy madness of Black Friday and the insanity of stores opening on THANKSGIVING NIGHT now (Can't we just be with out FAMILIES for TWENTY-FOUR HOURS without the lure of commercialization??), but it is a way to generate some buzz about our own towns and the folks who are trying to make a living with their locally-owned shops. It's a way to boost the economy in a local way. And it's an opportunity to think outside the box when it comes to gift-giving for people you love.

And as a small business owner myself, I simply love the chance to shout about other small businesses, in support of the work that goes into this kind of endeavor.

(Forbes.com has a great little article discussing five benefits to shopping on Small Business Saturday. Read it HERE.)

In the spirit of this event, I want to share a few of my current favorite St. Louis Small Businesses. I haven't talked to any of these shop owners, and am not a paid promoter for them... This truly is just a list of great shops I've loved in the last year and would LOVE to share with other locals.

In a perfect world, actually, I'd have planned ahead for a post like this and gone to the stores to take photos of my own to post. Instead, since I just hatched this idea yesterday, I scrounged the web for the photos I used (with the exception of my friend Kyle representin' Ruth's Vintage Clothing). In that perfect world, I'd have approached the owners of these shops to tell them I wanted to blog about them. I'd have maybe even worked out some kind of fun giveaway. But really.... I'm doing good just to get a blog post up these days, so cut me some slack. Maybe NEXT year I can get my act together and do this kind of post the RIGHT way!!

Anyway. On to my list.
(*note: I have NO idea if any of the following are actively participating in the American Express incentive push for this day... I just love these shops.)

First up:

1. Red Lead Paperworks
(in the historic section of Webster Groves)

This shop is HEAVEN to anyone passionate about altered art, collage work, scrapbooking-- any kind of paper art. It has trinkets and doodads to make gorgeous shadowboxes, ATC's, buntings, jewelry, and on and on. The shop also designs a whole line of rubber stamps (like the sample in the photo) and is basically a must-stop shop if you have any bit of "artist" in you at all. It is such a cute little shop, and SO much fun! (Thank you, Genny, for introducing me to this store!!)

2. My Daddy's Cheesecake
(located on Clayton road in Clayton)

Guys. My Daddy's Cheesecake is my FAVORITE place for lunch right now. I mean, YES, they have CHEESECAKES. Like, a MILLION of them. And they're good cheesecakes. But I actually find myself there (far too often) for the sandwiches, the soups, and the CUPCAKES. Oh goodness. They have begun making the large size of cupcakes to add to their vast dessert selection, and next to the Cupcakery, they are the BEST cupcakes in town. They have Jilly's BEAT, I swear it. And reasonably priced at $3.25ish.

Not only that, but they serve an amazing breakfast... Quick-style (muffins/coffee) or sit-down (omelets/waffles)...And EVERYTHING I have had at this place is so good. Please make a lunch date here ASAP and save room for dessert!!

3. Oh Lolli Lolli

(On DeMun Ave. in Clayton)

(a great local blogger wrote about it HERE, and took photos! Someday, I'll be on the ball and have photos of my own....)
This is a DARLING little candy shop--- like the ones you see in movies that make you want to be a kid again. Truly--- walls lined with colorful candy in tubs, gourmet chocolate candy, old fashioned candy, nostalgic candy.... Oh--- just go read that other blogger's post. She did it the RIGHT way. I really wanted to do this shop justice with PHOTOS and such... but I'll let that other blogger take the lead this year.

4. Christopher's Gifts
(in downtown Kirkwood, near a super-cute Christmas tree lot)

I happened upon this shop last holiday season when I was shooting a family session in Kirkwood. It has the most inviting window displays, chock-FULL of goodies you just have to go in to explore. This is the kind of store you want to browse EVERY corner, and treasure hunt (it seems to be mostly housewares, gifty items, holiday decor, bath and body products, and other "chick stuff"). I loved the bright colorful atmosphere, the array of merchandise, and the store staff was SO kind. This is the kind of shop I'd want to take my mom to, just to show each other the cute stuff we're seeing around every corner.

5. Lagoona Magoo Toy Store
(located in the Mills Mall in North County)

I WANT THAT ROBOT MATRUSHKA!

This is the BEST toy store in St. Louis. It has ALL the good stuff by Melissa and Doug, lots of the "fancy toys" that are pricey but extra cute.... Some clever things you can't find at the Big Box stores... a great puppet array.... And it is STUFFED with fun. This is one of three stores in the bi-state area, and they have worked to maintain a REALLY GOOD website storefront, too... so those of you who are NOT local can get all the good stuff from there by shopping online. (Click the link above). But if you ARE in town, this is a MUST-SEE place to shop for the kiddos in your life. I guarantee you'll find something amazing there! (x 100).

6. Rue Lafayette
(located in Lafayette Square)

This place is DARLING--- a coffeeshop, yes (and an excellent one at that), but also a boutique with an always shifting supply of treasures to check out.... Antiques side-by-side with jewelry and accessories... stationary... gift items... Just CUTE and all with a Euro flair. I insist you go, just to get a REAL pain au chocolate (French chocolate croissant). In the summer, they let you take darling toy boats across the street to the pond in Lafayette Park... so you can pretend you're from the 1890's as you sail your wooden toy boats along. TOO CUTE. (Thanks, Erin, for introducing me to this place!)

7. Ruth's Vintage Clothing
(located on Antique Row on Cherokee)

(Hi, Kyle! Remember this? You were such a babyface cutie. Still are!)

This unassuming little vintage shop has some of the BEST prices and is so much fun to dig through for real vintage clothing treasures. I have bought hats, fur coats, fabric, old sewing patterns, jewelry, embroidered cardigans, and much more at this shop, and have ALWAYS felt like I got the best deal in town. It isn't flashy.... but it is SOLID, and the goods are REAL and fun to look through. It's down the street from several other fabulous shops and a great coffeeshop (Mississippi Mudhouse?) that really should be on my blog post today... But alas, no more time, so no more small businesses to talk about for now.

But.

Seven suggestions are MORE than enough. Please--- I IMPLORE YOU. If you are in St. Louis, go check out one or more of these places... even better if you do it this Saturday!

And if you are NOT in St. Louis. Well. First of all, come visit me! I'll take you to every last one of these spots myself!

Second of all, you can STILL get out and go give your money to a small business near YOU. Even one transaction this coming Saturday will do a lot to support the ideals behind this new idea. And it is an idea I really REALLY love.

Happy Thanksgiving week to you all---- I am gonna dive back into work now, so that I can feel free and clear for the actual holiday.

Peace out.

How To Introduce a Lovey into Your Baby's Life:

2011-11-16T10:07:00.001-06:00

This little girlhas a true love. An unconditional love. One that I have hoped for her to have since before she was born.

I'm talking, of course, about.....

Her Bunny Bunny.

It was a slow-building relationship--- I didn't even introduce the two of them until Lucy was nearly 3 months old--- but since then, it has grown into a love without end.

Bunny Bunny stays in her crib, and waits for her to come snuggle for naps and bedtime. When Lucy gets put in her crib, I ask her, using the ASL sign for "bunny", "Where's your Bunny Bunny?" She gets a huge smile on her face, sometimes even squawks a little, and starts to laugh a little, quivering with anticipation. I ask her again, and get her REALLY riled up... and when I finally hold her Bunny Bunny in front of her eyes, she lunges for it, hugs it with both hands, immediately brings it to her mouth, bites on Bunny's head, and keeps a massive grin on her face the whole time.

True love.♥

And now, a recipe of sorts.

Remember Noah's "Mai"?

His love affair with Mai is still going strong, and Noah is nearly 4 years old.

After two raging successes at getting my babies to love their Loveys, I thought I might share my How To Introduce a Lovey to Your Baby. I don't have more than these two success stories, so this isn't FOOLPROOF, but hey--- if you are wanting your little one to have an attachment object, it can't hurt to at least TRY these tips, right?

How To Introduce a Lovey to Your Baby

1. Choose the object you want to introduce to your baby. This could be a animal blanket like Bunny Bunny or Mai, or could be a simple blankie, or another stuffed animal. If you are smart, you'll buy TWO or THREE of this chosen item RIGHT AWAY. Tuck the spares away somewhere in case of emergency. (We've had an emergency twice now, and thank GOODNESS for our spares!)

2. When you get home from the hospital, start sleeping with this lovey. It is good to get this item smelling like mama!

3. When your little one is ready to transition to their own crib (away from bassinet/pack-n-play, or co-sleeping) or around 3 months, begin making the lovey part of their sleep routine.

3a. If you don't know already, creating a pre-sleep routine is so good for your baby, even without a lovey. Doing the same set of 3-6 simple things every time it is sleep time helps you baby learn the cues that tell her it is time to settle and sleep. Try it! Lucy's nap routine is,

a. Stand at the window and say "night night" to the trees, leaves, cars, houses, sky... whatever we see.

b. Turn on a space heater

c. turn on a rain machine

d. get snuggled into a sleep sack

e. get Bunny Bunny

f. rock and sing two songs

g. bedtime

4. From the time you begin giving your baby the lovey, make it special-- different from the other blankets and animals in their life.

5. Give it a name. (Noah's Mai was called "Lamby" by us... it just came out that way. When Noah began to speak, he altered "Lamby" to "My-lam-a-lam-a-lam-a", which eventually got shortened to "Mai". Ta da!)

6. For the most part, only give it to them at sleep time. (Eventually, you might let this lovely go with them around the house when they are toddlers, but as infants, just help them associate it with SLEEP for now.)(It also is a wonderful thing when you go on long car trips where you want baby to nap--- once they associate their lovey with sleep, seeing the lovey in a car scenario helps them realize that sleep happens int he car, too, and helps them settle.)

6a. Exception: When you feed baby in their room, tuck the lovey into their arm while you feed them. Help them begin to associate the feel of their lovey with the nurturing emotions surrounding eating, especially if the feeding is in their sleep room.

6b. Exception: When your baby cries and needs comfort, if the lovey is handy, grab it and make it part of your comforting ritual. Rocking baby, walking and shushing, etc.--- tuck the lovey into their arm as you do it. Have the lovey talk to the baby in calm tones, maybe even use it to wipe tears.

7. Use the lovey's name all the time. Talk for it, or use your "baby talk voice" to make the experience stand out from normal conversation. (I coo to Lucy, "Where's your Bunny Bunny? Oh, there she is! Hi, Bunny Bunny! Give kisses to Bunny Bunny!", etc. Lucy EATS IT UP.)

8. BE CONSISTENT!

Honestly, that's all I got. That's all I've done.... with both my babies. And they are both completely in LOVE. By the time Noah was 1 year old, he truly was attached. Lucy is now only 7 months, so I know if I took Bunny away and she never saw it again, she'd live.... but watching her with it, I KNOW she is on the path to the same kind of commitment Noah has for his Mai.

I will say this--- if your baby is already older than 3-4 months, this might not work for you. I honestly don't know. By 6-7 months, your baby absolutely already has a mind of their own, and may have started choosing a comfort item of their own (Or have decided they don't need one). It is very likely if your baby is a binky baby, that the BINK is their lovey and no fabric item will substitute for them. Given a choice between a lovey and a binky, by 6 months, your binky baby will probably choose the binky every time. Go with it... and maybe get one of those binky pals (the stuffed animals that attach to the binky to keep it handy). Maybe the binky pal will be the Vice President lovey. :)

Anyhoo.... Maybe someone can benefit from my Lovey Training. *shrug* Maybe not?

At the very least, it gave me a chance to show photos of Lucy and her True Love.... And they make me smile every time.

Guess Who's Sitting Up?

2011-11-10T10:23:00.001-06:00

She's a bit wobbly, still, but....

Yahoo, Lucy! (Seven months old in two days)....

I love her jammies. I'm afraid this might be the last day for her to wear them--- she'd getting too big for them.

And guess who wanted to jump in on the photos?

And guess who, once IN the photos, didn't really cooperate after the first few shots?

And guess who else decided not to cooperate so well, but in alternating photos from her brother, ensuring that NONE of the shots I took were a clear-cut WINNER?Yeah. You guessed it:

Make sure you stick around to see all eight shots. NONE of which have a perfect duo. She'll be great in one, then he'll be great in one....Ah well. This is my real life. And they're cute, even when they're not "picture perfect".

Happy Thursday, all! Off to go make the most of Lucy's morning nap (since she's been boycotting her afternoon nap after 30 minutes of sleep). I'm gonna go sew stuff for Noah's party, and MAYBE get a shower today.

PEE-YEW.

Ten Minutes: Freewrite. Go.

2011-11-06T20:06:00.002-06:00

7:46. Yesterday, this would've been 8:46, and darker, later.... But Daylight Savings strikes again, and we are now beginning the season of early darkness. I'm really not a fan. Especially as a photographer. Right when DST happens, life cranks into high gear (Noah's birthday, Thanksgiving, holiday gifts being made, Christmas) and suddenly, not only is there not enough TIME to shoot the session inquiries pouring in, there's not enough LIGHT. Before DST, I might be able to convince a family to have their session at 4:00pm on a weeknight-- have dad come home a bit early from work, meet me at a cool location... But after DST, there's NO way weeknights work anymore. It's really tough! And the weekends are all suddenly full with my own life--- the life I WANT to be living and DESERVE. So I keep those days sacred--- Noah's birthday.... Thanksgiving...

Add to that, I don't work (shoot) on Sundays--- it is just one of the tenets of our faith I adhere to--- and suddenly.... I'm just out of time.

In some ways, that's a blessing in disguise: I simply CAN'T fit it all in, so I don't. And I concentrate on the other things that my life is calling for me to be doing. But it is also a little bit of a curse: because I feel like I really NEED to fit clients in, so I am finagling my schedule to the most microscopic fragments of possible shooting time, SQUEEEEEEEZING in one more mini session (because somehow, a mini is more possible in my life than a full).... And when I can't, simply CAN'T find a workable window for the client asking, then comes guilt. Deserved or not.

Anyway. Thanks a LOT, Daylight Savings Time.

Meanwhile, the other lists of things I yearn to be doing linger and I try not to add to them.... I am waiting for the easing up of work requirements so I can once again sit in front of the sewing machine and make fun things... Watch movies while I sew. Get these fun Christmas gifts I have in mind started...

And my own personal photos to edit...

And projects around the home...

And decluttering and ordering...

Oh, the curse of this mind of mine and it's endless industrious set of lists. The creative urge and its insatiable hunger.

Ah well.

7:55. One more minute. Then proofreading. Finding a random photo to add to the post.

Then some Lightroom work to begin. While watching Netflix.

This is life. I embrace it. I won't wait for something better--- this is IT. And it's pretty good. Even with the lists.

My Favorite Kids in Costume

2011-10-31T16:53:00.001-05:00

I know I already posted today... but I have these costume photos that are so cute that I can barely stand it. And it IS Halloween... Almost the nighttime, in fact. If my kiddos weren't still napping, I'd be ditching the blog in favor of getting them suited up and ready for the festivities tonight. But since all is still quiet in my house this afternoon, I'll share my favorite shots of Noah and Lucy, in costume:

Presenting Iron Man--

Nearly all handmade with duct tape and cardboard (gloves and arc reactor are store bought), and all made by Joe. Yes, Joe.

My unexpected favorite shot:

And....The Garden Gnome--

Everything but the jacket and onesie made/upcycled/altered by me... Shoes using my friend Jaime's boot pattern, here. She is almost too cute to bear:

Happy trick-or-treating.... Boo!

Hey, Pun'kin!

2011-10-31T09:20:00.000-05:00

Yes, she really is that cute.

In fact, dare I say it?

She's grown into FULLY AMAZING. No sign of that little angry baby from the first 4 months... Not even a whiff of it.

She is so marvelous now that I am wishing I could bottle her up, just like this, and keep her 6 months old forever. She is perfect.

My lil' pumpkin...

(Even with her not being totally sure about this crazy orange thing I shoved her in, shewas SUCH a trooper. I daresay, she is even easier than Noah ever was. I swear HE would've been squalling from the first moment of this ordeal. But she just gave me a few puzzled looks and several great expressions. She's awesome!)

And a couple of pullbacks, just for fun:

Notes:

Photos taken in my makeshift studio/sunroom...

The pumpkin is real.

She is nekkid (only 'cause her diaper was kinda full *oops* so it took up a bit too much room).

There is a thin swaddle blanket lining the pumpkin's inside and the part of the back where her skin touched.

I carved the pumpkin out two nights before and let it dry out a little-- so it is NOT fresh and slimy.

The hat is a knockoff from a Target pumpkin accessory I saw and was NOT gonna pay $8 for. I knew I could make it myself, and better...And I LOVE how mine turned out!

(Hm... Maybe I'll do a tutorial. It is SO easy!)

The space heater helped keep her happy.

And the best news-- this isn't even her official costume. I have EVEN CUTER PHOTOS of her, coming up! Whee!

But for now, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Here's to a SPOOOOOKY fun day for all!

Way Back When, In August, My Baby Sister Got Married

2011-10-31T00:49:00.000-05:00

So.....Hi, Blogland. It's been nearly two weeks since I last posted. Oopsie! I truly do love to blog, and often have posts written in my head throughout the days... but somehow, this season has been kicking my trash! I simply do not have enough hours in the day to do all that I need/want to do, and blogging is suffering. Makes me sad. There's a lot spinning in my head of late, the kind of stuff I'd love to blather on about here to sort it out... but until Halloween costumes are finished, and client orders are packaged and ready to mail, and laundry is folded (seriously, it's been like 3 weeks since we last folded laundry. It's bad right now)... I fear that the meandering blog journaling will have to wait. Of course, after Halloween, there's Noah's birthday party to get busy with, then Christmas gifts to make, holidays and such.,... and on and on...

I'll never catch up.

Is anyone out there ever caught up?

Anyway... in the spirit of being behind in my life, what better thing to blog about than my baby sister's wedding, back at the start of August?

It was...... in a word..... EPIC.

Mostly completely unrelated to my actual sister and her actual wedding...

It's just that... I was embarking on a full-blown cross-country trip as a SINGLE PARENT, two kids... one VERY colicky... and also playing the role of wedding photographer. I was sleep deprived to begin with, rusty at photo skillz, and barely able to keep a clear train of thought from just managing my small 2-kid-universe all day every day.

As I look through the photos, I am honestly shocked at the things I missed at the time, the details I didn't remember, the photographs I didn't take... All because I was truly just trying to survive the trip. But I guess I can also celebrate the fact that I remembered to dress my kiddos cutely, I managed all of the most important wedding photos a couple needs on their day, and I got to hug all my beloved relatives who came that day... even if I didn't get photos of all of them or have nearly the length of conversation with them that I wanted to.

It's a weekend I am glad I participated in... but also one that if I got a "do over", I would take in a heartbeat--- mostly because I wish I could have been more sharp, more focused, more energetic, and more ZEN... And had way more time with friends and family.

Anyway... on to the good stuff... the photos.

Post-ceremony temple time--- Noah bonded fast with his cousin Kason, Lucy managed to sleep in the stroller the whole ceremony (hallelujah!), and after a bit of screaming, settled down for photos... and the rest of us enjoyed each other's company while we waited for the happy couple to emerge.

Presenting Kirsten and Ryan:

The requisite family shot... (We were just missing my sister Beckie, my hubby Joe, and Steve's wife Tamara for these... Pretty good for a wedding across the country!)

And two photos of this frazzled mama and her little ones. (My mom made the dress. Amazing, right? I made the flowers in my hair, Lucy's headband, and Kirsti's cage veil). Noah liked his suit. It made him feel like Tony Stark, the alter ego of Iron Man. I LOVED that he made that connection:
And a few more of the couple, including this lovely one of my baby sis:

The reception---Even amid all the frenzy and madness of this day, and managing two kiddos, I managed to get a photo of my one remaining grandparent, who has taken a turn for the worse in the last year. It was the most important shot for me during this gathering.

I have several other shots of the party--- the cake, the couple, some sibling photos... etc.... But this set gets to the heart of the party for me--- brief moments with family I love, my babies mixed in... etc. Memories, in list form:

1. Lucy blew out her diaper in grand form, moments after the above photo was snapped. It was beyond description. It was NOT a great addition to my day. (she did it again the next day when I was hanging out with Mel.)
2. Noah and Kason were INSTA-BFFs. My sweet cousin Karlie, age 11(?) took over watching them and they had a grand time going up and down the elevator in the WILK.
3. My amazing Aunt Darla and Uncle Jeff and their kiddos--- I love them like a second family. I got NO photos worth mentioning. But Ii loved being with them as much as I could.
4. Julina and Steven did an amazing job wrangling my two kids from American Fork to BYU campus for the reception because I was doing Photographer Duties. I could not have survived the day without my siblings.
5. Kirsten and Ryan had a crepe bar for the food. Um, YUM??! And I live for wedding cake at any reception.
6. At the very end of the night, when we finally went to our cars, Noah and Kason were devastated to say good bye in the elevator. Best friends forever. Until they got to the crosswalk button. Then an all-out sleep-deprived war ensued over who got to push the button. BFFs no more. We all died laughing, silently, from the ridiculousness of it all.

And then.... It was done. Suddenly, the party was over, the couple gone, and we all got home late for me to put exhausted, crying kids to bed. Noah had driven out to Utah with my parents, and was driving back with them early the next morning... So It was just me and Lucy the day after the wedding.

She and I had flown out by ourselves the day before the wedding, and were able to spend one too-short, MARVELOUS day with my best friend Katie Benson. It was so good to spend time with her... and of course, I took NO photos. Not a one. (Another regret). Noah came over to play with her Beck, and Lucy tried to nap in my sling. We ate Wingers (yum!) and talked and talked.... And all too soon, we said goodbye until another year...

And then, because I made sure of it, I got one more day AFTER the wedding, this day to be spent with my other dear amazing friend, Melanie. Mel has a son born the same month as Noah--- they've been buddies (forced by us) since nearly their birth. *six months old*/*18 months old*. And then... if that wasn't enough... Mel and I had our second babies within a week of each other. Again. Destined to be best friends, like us.

We didn't have much time this time, but we tore up the time we had. Literally:

(recreating their torn paper photo from 2009)

We binged on cupcakes (my idea of HEAVEN.):

And we managed to get the girls together for their first (and definitely not last) photo shoot together. Lucy was........ less than thrilled. Holland was tolerant, if a bit confused. Another regret: Noah wasn't with me for this part of the visit, so we didn't do Noah/Nolan shots this time. They DID get a playdate earlier in the week, before I arrived in UT, but not nearly enough time. Mel and I agree- they'd be SUCH good friends if we lived closer.

Ah.... My tiny trip to Utah.... It was so good to get there--- to be with Katie on Thursday, to celebrate my sister's wedding and see my amazing extended family on Friday, and to play with Melanie and Co. on Saturday....

Despite the exhaustion and stress, it is a trip I am so glad I got to take. And I just have to remind myself-- there will be other years I can get back there... Time to see more of my beloved people, time to get more of the photos I missed. There will be more. This time, what I DID manage to get was enough.

It was good.

Lucy, Six Months.

2011-10-18T19:38:00.002-05:00

Our baby girl is SIX months old!How? When? Why??

Amazing, how fast it seems to have gone. (Once we dug out of the colic, that is!)

(a little orange and black, since it's October...)

Lucy Notes @ Six Months:

* No height/weight stats yet, since her appointment isn't til Halloweeeeeen.

* But she is comfortably fitting into 3-6 month clothing finally, with a few 0-3 month pieces still fitting fine. She's a wee one.

* Because she's nowhere near 6-9 month clothing, it's thrown off my Lucy Wardrobe. All the things that fit are items I expected to use in August/September, so they're not really WARM or cozy. And all the warm, cozy things I have for Lucy are too big. Therefore, I've gotten addicted to "upcycling" playclothes for Lucy to bridge the gap... making pants out of sweaters, making playdresses out of t-shirts and onesies... Cute stuff!

* Lucy is definitely teething. No little teeth poking through, or even really visible, but she is chewing on everything and drooling like a crazy. And Noah got his first teeth at 7 months, so I am just expecting it.

* She loves to poke her tongue out at everything (see her official six-month shot above for The Look she's been giving). She always has, actually, but it's gotten more prevalent since this teething. I wonder if she is feeling things rumbling under those gums?

* She is really quite consistent with her schedule... It feels good to be able to mostly predict what she needs and when. She naps for 1.5-2 hours in the morning, around 9 or 9:30, and then takes an afternoon nap, again either 1.5 or 2 hours usually, around 1 or 2pm. She goes to bed around 6:30-7:00pm, and wakes around midnight and 4am to eat. She then wakes for the day around 7:30am. This, I can live with. All of it.

* Having said that, she actually has gone til 3 or 4 for her first waking a few times in the last two weeks. Might she be close to dropping one of her night feeds? *fingers crossed*

* She has had her first solid foods-- avocado for the first three days, and sweet potatoes for the next 5 days. I introduced banana to her sweet potatoes yesterday. And she has been enjoying apple slices in her mesh teether. She is taking to foods like a champ!

* The nicknames that have emerged out of my crazy head for Lucy over the first 6 months, quite unintentionally:

LuLu

LuLu Bell

LuLiLooler (that one cracks me up, and I have NO idea how it came to be)

* Her bedfellows: Her Bunny Bunny, her taggie from Mel, her Zaky hand... and I had tucked a vintage chenille bear and quilted heart pillow into the corner of her crib just for looks, and she has discovered them. Every once in a while, if she's had a restless nap or night, I'll go in to find the bear in all kinds of crazy places, drug around by her. And the heart pillow--- that's a CRAZY thing: I SWEAR she knows what she is doing with it because I've gone in SEVERAL times to find it laying over her sound machine. Like she's INTENTIONALLY trying to block out the little green light or the extra noise or something. It's CRAZY. And consistent.

* She's just started showing some "stranger anxiety" in the past week-- If she's in my arms, she'll smile huge and wide for anyone who comes to flirt with her. But as soon as I hand her over, BIG ol' tears will sprout and her whole face will crumble as she starts to cry. SO pathetic. And sad for the innocent bystanders who just wanted a little baby snuggle.

* She loves: kicking her kick toy, watching her playroom mobile while kicking the stair banister, stacking boxes (easy to grab!), her crackle taggie, sitting in the sling like Jodie taught me long ago with Noah, watching Noah do everything, having books read to her (if she can nibble the edges), seeing her daddy at the end of the day

That's all I can think of for the moment.... My LuLu... six months. From here on out, the time wheel will just keep going faster and faster---- teeth, then sitting up, then crawling, then walking, talking, practicing independence.... a toddler... a kiddo... a teen.... ack!

I'm working so hard at being MINDFUL and in the present... and succeeding MAYBE 25% of the time. MAYBE. It's so hard not to spend my "rocking Lucy" moments planning the immediate future, or going over the immediate past... hard not to spend the stay-at-home mama time thinking about the next window of "freedom" I will get to sew or run a solo errand or watch some junk TV... So hard not to tune out the kid-chatter and so hard not to get exasperated when Lucy goes "off-book" to what I expect from her...

But I'm trying. My counselor taught me the simplest "deep breath" technique that has REALLY been a good one for me. Instead of just taking a deep breath and counting, then breathing out while counting, you think the words, "Beeeeeeeeeeeeee/ Calllllllllm".... Be calm. Be calm.

Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.

Be in THIS moment. Be at peace. Be mindful.

And say thank you.

(that last part is my own addition. Once I find the "present", I give thanks. There is ALWAYS something to give thanks for. ALWAYS.)

Maybe if I can master mindfulness a little more each day/week/month, I'll feel like I was IN my baby's fast-flying early days. Instead of wishing them away for something else like we all accidentally do. (Someday, she'll sleep through the night... someday she'll feed herself... SomedaySomedaySomeday.)

But when she sleeps through the night, that is two less warm, dark cuddle sessions a day I'll get. And when she feeds herself, that is 20-45 minutes less a day of "face time", exploring her every move and expression while spooning goop into her cute mouth...

Yep. I want to be in the moment. As much as I possibly can. Seven months is just around the corner. And then eight... then nine...

(to see the original idea for these monthly photos, click here.

And Month 5. Month 4. Month 3. Month 2.)

Oh, and fun idea: If your baby is one of Lucy's birth peers (i.e. born in April sometime), if you wanna, I'd love to do a blog post with a photo collage of all of them at 6 months old. Well, and one of them as newborns, too... If you want, email me a pic of your April baby from their first two weeks, and one from the last two weeks, and their name/birthday, and I'll make a collage. I'll add links back to your blog if you want me to--- just mention it in the email. Fun? I think so!!

email:

{southerlandgirl at yahoo dot com}

A Little Lucy Fun.

2011-10-14T22:05:00.002-05:00

This isn't her 6-month stuff... in fact, it's nearly 2 months old (August 2011). But I finally got them edited and LOVE them, so why not some ridiculously cute Lucy to carry us into the weekend?

Just a cheerful baby in an egg basket.... wearing a sweet knit cap I got when NOAH was a baby... a hat that never worked for him, but is INSANE-CUTE for my LuLu. She's like a Lollipop Guild munchkin. Hee!

(Next one's my favorite. I need it in a BIG print.)

And then, of course, it just wouldn't be a LuLu session if I didn't shoot til she cried. Bad mama.

Ah well... It was awesome while she let me shoot.

Happy Friday, everyone! We have Noah's preschool Fall Festival tomorrow, and I am SO excited. SO SO excited. They have pony rides and a bounce house... face painting... SO much fun stuff. And I made a cake for the bake sale... And it promises to be a GORGEOUS day. Happy happy!

Til then, I am watching the painfully real 127 Hours (wow, this movie is tough but GOOD) and working away on two newborn sessions from last week. Back to it, I guess. Thanks for the fun Love/Don't Love comments yesterday.... They were awesome! Anyone have more to add?

Love/Don't Love

2011-10-13T15:45:00.001-05:00

Today, I don't love:

* That Lucy ended up having to cry it out for her first nap, and then didn't even end up sleeping

* That Lucy still won't flip from tummy to back and gets REALLY mad about it.

* That I didn't manage to get a shower.

* The few stubborn ants that haven't succumbed to my latest ant trap attack. Gross.

* My hair. Too short to be put up, too long to look good down without work.

* My current feet. I'm wishin' for a pedicure I don't have to do myself.

* How Noah repeats something a gabillion times until I stare him in the face to acknowledge that I HEARD YOU.

* Feeling behind on work.

* Seam-ripping something I appliqued on with the tiniest/super close stitches. A MESS o' threads to cut and cut and cut.

* Letting Noah watch too much TV... even if it WAS WALL-E, the cutest cartoon ever.

But today, I love:

* Coffee cake in a mug for breakfast.

* Finishing a sewn humpback whale from this Finnish blog and not doing too shabby of a job.

* How Pinterest inspires me daily and I actually manage to DO things from my boards on many days of the week.

* Lucy's now 2.5-hour nap marathon since missing her morning nap.

* Batteries in my baby monitor so I can carry it outside while Noah and I play in the sunshine.

* A flowy skirt that feels comfy and pretty, even when I haven't showered.

* Little dangly earrings from Katie.

* Mozzarella caprese for lunch, using farmer's market Purple Heirloom tomatoes and my own basil. YUM.

* That today is a day Joe comes home on time. Its always better with him here.

* Lucy's growing patch of blonde hair on her head, filling in her widow's peak hairline. So fuzzy and soft!

* Noah's incredibly developed imagination and the way he views the world.

* Moon dough and exersaucers, both occupying each kid for just a little while when I needed space today.

* The sun coming out after a grey morning.

* The weekend is almost here.

What about you?

Some from today's playtime....

I love this next one... Just an unguarded moment as he checks things out...

And one of Miss Lucy from last week, since she was napping today when I took out my camera. See her growing head of hair? And that tongue-- she LOVES to poke that thing out and sample the world around her... :)
(Aside: Gosh, I have so many other photos of my kiddos I've taken in the last two months that I love.... But haven't gotten time to edit them. A casualty of the pro sessions coming back into my life. I hate it. I need to remedy it. Soon.)

Miss Alli {St. Louis Newborn Baby Photographer}

2011-10-12T15:23:00.000-05:00

{Another Early 2011 Session Share}

And another sweet newborn--- this time a cute baby girl named Alli. Born in January, she was the perfect amount of plump and completely sweet.

Thanks, Rachael and Co., for trusting me with your darling new baby. I can't believe it's been nearly a year and that she is completely changed by now!

Time flies, you guys.... It really really does. my Lucy is SIX months old today. I just took her 6-month shots and am in complete disbelief that we've had her in our arms for a half a year already.

Crazy.

Go hug your babies. They're growing before your very eyes.

Abby and Her Baby Bump {St. Louis Maternity Newborn Photographer}

2011-10-12T15:16:00.001-05:00

Just a quick little maternity session share--- another great client from early 2011.

This is Abby... and she is carrying Nolan in her belly. (I just like that detail, since one of my dearest friends has a Nolan...)

Like I said... a quick share. Not much extra story to tell--- just another fabulous client with a darling baby bump and a whole wide future ahead of her.

I love my job!

Kind of a Pro Photographer: Henry's Newborn Session {St. Louis Newborn Baby Photographer}

2011-10-11T11:41:00.000-05:00

Who here remembers that I sometimes take photos as a profession?Anyone?

It's been a strange year for it, to be sure... From January to March, it was a relatively slow season for bookings, so even though I was working, it wasn't a TON. Then in April, I took maternity leave to focus on having Lucy and getting used to having two kids. I did my first session back at the end of May, and have slowly been picking up more and more work since then. The summer stayed slow, thank goodness.. Lucy's colic was about all I could take, so working too much on top of that might have killed me... But here we are in the fall, and I am right about where I want to be: working at about 75% capacity from before I had Lucy.

I feel like I can manage it most days, but one thing that has had to fall by the wayside is the work I was putting into GROWING my business and refining my ideas, products, and marketing. I simply have NOT been able to work on BUSINESS very much this year, opting instead to maintain what I am already doing and trust that progress and FRESH IDEAS will come in their season. I have some things I would love to change, but I have to tell myself that sanity comes first, and all new things can wait a while longer.

Meanwhile, I am MOSTLY a mama.... But I DO still take photographs as my profession. And even with the slowing of work, I AM trying to give my clients the best I have in me. I hope I bring joy to them with the images I create for them.

And with that, I think I actually might be ready to share some sessions from 2011. (Can you BELIEVE that it is OCTOBER and I am just now sharing my first 2011 session? Just another thing I've been letting go of in order to stay sane. But I'm fixing that RIGHT NOW.)

So.... how about a teeny baby?

Here's Henry. Henry was actually SEVEN WEEKS OLD for his photos, if you can believe it. But he was still only 7 pounds, and we took his photos only a day before (after?) his actual due date.

Yep-- Henry was a 7-week early Christmas surprise for his family. They were on Christmas vacation out-of-state and this little guy decided he couldn't wait any longer. He was born in Park City, UT, and almost immediately air flighted to Salt Lake City where the big hospitals could give him the best care. What a crazy, scary, wild experience for his poor mama!

But by the time I met him, only 7 weeks later, he was PERFECT. Healthy and growing, nursing like a champ, and gave me a completely ideal newborn session, even at 7 weeks old.

Big brother was getting used to having him around, too.

Speaking of big brother, can you believe his eyes? He is the most handsome kid ever.

All in all, photographing Henry and his family was a delight-- and shooting them in February when I was due only 2 months later really got me excited for my own baby-to-be.

And that is that, folks--- now I can say I have finally blogged a session from 2011. And there's more where that came from. I think I'll post two more tomorrow.

Til then, I am fighting a BAD case of PMS right now, and it is coloring my entire day. I am finding it hard to be perky and cheerful, and motivation is at an all-time low, which feeds the irritation, which kills the motivation, etc. etc. til the whole cycle gets vicious and yucky.

Ah well.

I think I will go sew. It's not the BEST use of my time right now, but it might cheer me up.

How About a Tutorial? Make a Mini Crackle Taggie

2011-10-04T10:46:00.003-05:00

Lucy is at the stage now where she LOVES grabbing everything in sight and bringing it to her mouth. She seems AMAZED every time she gets her hands to do what her brain wants, and getting something in her mouth is like the final reward for her hard work. Even better if the thing in her hands is full of texture and sound! So the other week, I decided it was time to make Lucy a mini crackle taggie.

Many of you have already seen taggie blankets. They're typically soft, sometimes fuzzy on one side, often using minky fabric on the main side... and have several small ribbon loops around the perimeter. Lots of kiddos adopt their taggies as their lovey blankets. My good friend Jess actually maintains a business making such things. (Bubba Doodle Baby Gear)(Jess, are you still making these things?? Ha!)

Lucy got one as a gift from a sweet friend, and it is one of her favorite comfort items... But the one I wanted to make would not be for soft, sweet cuddling... it would make some NOISE, baby. This would be a plaything!!

It stinks that photos can't convey NOISE to you--- so as you're looking at this cute little square of fabric and ribbon, pretend you can hear it crackle like cellophane:

And then settle in, because I'm going to give you a little quick tutorial on how to make a few of these yourselves. Because they are RIDICULOUSLY easy. And REALLY satisfying. And you'll end up wondering why you didn't cut out supplies for three or four of them instead of just one. In fact, why don't you just start out making three or four? You'll be glad you did--- they are THAT easy. And VOILA-- extras to give as gifties!

The Mini Crackle Taggie Tutorial

Materials Needed:

* a bit of fun cotton fabric

* a bit of soft fabric (flannel/minky/fleece/velour/ whatever) in coordinating color (or contrasting, if you want to be funky)

* matching thread

* a big piece of crackly plastic (I use the bags that come in cereal boxes, or in this tutorial, a bag from a pre-fab pasta dinner kit)

* scraps of ribbon, as many as you want (no shorter than 2-3 inches each)

How To:

1. Step one--- take your fun fabrics and cut a 7" square of each. (This project is GREAT for larger pieces of scrap fabric.)

2. Take your recycled plastic and make sure any and all foodstuffs are rinsed off and the plastic is dry. Cut a 8 or 9" square out of it.

3. Take your ribbon scraps and cut them into 2-3" lengths.

4. Fold your ribbons in half, right sides out, and pin like this--- the fold facing into the center of your fabric. (Avoid putting ribbons near corners. You'll hate yourself when you're turning your taggie right side-out.)

5. to get the ribbons secured, I stitch them in place using a scant 1/4 - 1/8" seam allowance, just on the one piece of fabric. This is an extra step-- you could skip it and move to the next one--- but I find it easier to work with sewed-on ribbon rather than pinned-on ribbon.

6.Time to make your inside-out sandwich. PAY ATTENTION HERE!:

a. On the bottom, place your ribboned fabric square, ribbons facing up.

b. in the middle, place your fun cotton square, right side facing down.

c. on the top, place your crackle plastic. Pin the whole sandwich together.

7. Machine-stitch all around your sandwich with a 1/4" or 1/2" seam allowance, leaving a 2" gap in the middle of one side for turning it right side out later.

8. Trim all around, cutting the excess plastic off. Clip your corners, making sure not to cut the seam.

9.Using a chopstick (well, that's what *I* use! Ha!) carefully turn your whole sandwich right side out, getting your chopstick into the corners to get a defined point.

10. Fold your "entry point" nicely into itself and press so that you can't tell where the gap is. (be careful with irons with these! You don't want to iron the whole thing and melt the plastic!!)

11. Top-stitch around the whole thing as close to the edge as you feel comfortable sewing, making sure to get that gap stitched closed.

And..... Ta-da!!

A cute little crackle taggie toy for the babies in your life that are CRAVING sound and texture all wrapped up in one sweet little toy.

And now, if you made only one, aren't you wishing you'd made three instead?? Admit it. That was EASY.

(Reminder: NO irons, and when you wash it, make sure to AIR DRY it, instead of throwing it into a hot dryer. I cannot vouch for the durability of that plastic in hot environments!)

All right---happy Tuesday to y'all! I have an almost-4-year old who needs me to get off the computer and give him some face time. I am all too happy to oblige. :)

I Have Fat Calves.

2011-10-01T11:39:00.002-05:00

I splurged the other week and bought the prettiest pair of leather boots...SO pretty. Achingly pretty. finally worth me breaking my typical shoe budget of $30.

And then my fat calves got in the way. These calves didn't used to be fat. What an indignity-- to see that part of my body expand with the rest of this post-children body. Boo.

Well, I pulled and pinched and squeezed, and managed to get those pretty boots all zipped up... And I got to feel sassy and great at the Alison Krauss concert last week with Joe in my pretty new boots. Never mind the pinchy feeling 'round my fat calves.

So I thought.... I made them work! These babies are keepers!

Until today.

Today, the pulling, pinching and squeezing didn't work so well.

Waaa!! The saddest thing I've seen in awhile. *sniff*

I mean, these pretty boots are so PRETTY. They're real leather, in the loveliest deep, rich color...

And the DETAILING... Oh the DETAILING....*sigh*

Welp... that's what I get for trying to be stylish. The universe telling me to "HUMBLE DOWN, SISTER!"

Telling me to go back and put on my $45 TJMaxx fake leather boots I wore last season... and be okay with them.

Though the color is NOTHING like those pretty boots.... And they're not taking my breath away or anything...

But they DO have a sassy red zipper.

And that will be good enough. Farewell, pretty leather boots. I hope I can get my money back on ya.

(For the rest of you, though, who DON'T suffer from Fat Calves... go buy those boots. SO pretty, and really quite reasonably priced for real leather calf-high boots. Check them out here: Nicole Ranger Riding Boot. They got great reviews! I promise not to be too jealous of those of you that CAN wear these.)

On to happier thoughts.

Today, Joe took Noah to go play soccer. A perfect brisk first day of October... perfect for soccer.

In his absence, I enjoy seeing the signs of Noah around the house. Lately, it's been dress up props to fuel his vast imagination.

Both sets of dress-up stuff were "potty prizes" for Noah's potty training. He earned them one piece at a time. He LOVES them.

I love that even when he's not in the house, he's everywhere.

And Lucy? She came with me this gorgeous, crisp morning, to the Clayton Farmer's Market. She sat happily in my sling and I puttered happily around the offerings... Finally settled on some winter squash, some sweet potatoes, and some locally made chocolate, Little Dipper Chocolate. It was a perfect little outing, capped by the easiest put-down for her nap that I've ever had-- she was dozing right when we got home, so she let me take her gently out of the carseat and re-settle her in her crib-- barely a fuss at the transition. I love that girl.

Speaking of naps, these are rare "nap photos" of LuLu taken the other day. Normally I am so paranoid about her getting good sleep that I would NEVER risk waking her by taking a camera into her room... But I had to wake her to get Noah from preschool so it was a perfect opportunity... and she could wake slowly to the small camera noises I was making. I love the sequence here:

1. completely asleep...Notice her hand gripping her Bunny? We have another lovey-baby in the making!

2. A little jolt from that first shutter click

3. I get in a bit closer/she lets go of Bunny 4.She begins to wake.5. Still hazy, she looks at me, not really seeing...6. the "startle", when she really SEES me... makes me laugh, but I also feel sorry for her--- I am so sorry to wake you, sweet baby....And at that point, I put the camera down to snuggle her, warm and sleepy and sweet...

Anyway.

Good stuff. Well, the boys are home, so I'm off to go return those boots and buy some supplies to make a Halloween wreath. Happy Saturday to the rest of you!

Ordinary Days, Part 2...

2011-09-30T11:05:00.000-05:00

I'm still spinning from the thoughts that hatched with yesterday's post. If you'll allow me, I have more on my mind I'd like to ramble on about...

I think the thing that is hitting me the most with this book I'm reading is that I am suddenly, sharply understanding that all this WORK I'm putting into my life right now is.... essentially.... for nothing.

Wait. I know that sounds AWFUL. So let me try to explain. I guess, in my innocence here as a relatively new mom of only 4 years, it has seemed that every day I am working to refine myself to be a better mom, better wife, better person. There are concrete steps to get there--- feed my kids healthy food, give my kids opportunities to explore and imagine, lift up and support my husband as he provides for our family... And even through the bumps-- a hard pregnancy, a colicky baby, a changed career path-- I have seen PROGRESS. I am able to feel authentic in my daily life, like I am becoming who I have always wanted to be. It has been WORK, but I am seeing results.

Yet.

Katrina Kenison, veteran mama, is telling me, gently, that all too soon, I will no longer be able to define myself so simply. The work in becoming THIS mama will no longer be relevant. I will have to figure out a NEW way of being "Mom" to my kids... and then, even after all THAT work, one day I'll have to figure out how to be authentic as just ME again... Kids gone, living their own lives. So in that, way, I am stunned... and a bit sad... at the revelation that all this WORK I am doing RIGHT NOW is for something temporary, really.

So of course, I KNOW it isn't for nothing. The work I do now is building my own foundation, hopefully, so I can be ready for the next level, and then the next, and the next... Trying with every stage to be authentic and to be the person God wants me to be. And I know that even for my kids, this work I do now is setting them up for success in the next stage--- the disconcerting adolescence that seems so far and so foreign to me right now.

It just brings to me a weight of sadness and melancholy to realize that these days now, with their repetition and their SAMENESS and their routine... these days that seem so endless-- sometimes frustratingly so-- WILL have an end. Ms. Kenison writes,

"...I felt so certain that tomorrow would be just another day, another chance to try to get it right-- followed by another, and another after that, and hundreds more, all more or less like the very day I was struggling to get through at that moment..." pg. 6

And so... it turns out this isn't so. Of course, logic cries that I should have know this all along. But my heart is so entrenched in this daily business of rearing a pre-schooler and baby (and more to come, God willing), that it doesn't have time to step back and understand that one day, these days will run out.

So.

I'm not trying to be a downer. I'm not trying to work myself into a full-blown depression about the futility of my daily work.

But I AM seeing with some new clarity just how poignant and beautiful THIS version of "mama" is. My gosh, it's exquisite, when you stop to think about it. These are the times where hugs are the currency of the day, and sandwiches cut into fun shapes with cookie cutters can brighten an entire afternoon for that little person... These are the times when there is an answer for everything, and all your kids really NEED is security and consistency and love... with a LOT of fun sprinkled in. When they aren't being torn into a thousand pieces by the bigger, wider, often harsher world, and still only really know the things YOU choose to teach them. When forgiveness is immediate and completely sincere. When WE PARENTS are the ultimate superheroes to our children. What a magical thing. And I LOVE it. I love it so much I don't think my heart can hold it all in.

And I know I have YEARS ahead of this, especially if we are blessed with any more children. I know that for now, the days DO number in the hundreds. I thank my God for this.

But I also now understand that I will miss this. I will miss the "ME" I am working so hard on right now... The "mama" that will have to adapt one day and become "MOM", with totally different requirements and challenges and expectations. I wish.... I don't know... I wish I could keep refining and cultivating THIS "me" forever.

But we are placed here on Earth to learn, to grow, and to CHANGE... and I need to have faith that everything has its season and that there will be incredible beauty and truth in the next levels ahead. And possibly, it will only get BETTER. Wouldn't that be amazing? This feeling I have now, only magnified by more years and deeper experiences?

For now, though, I am deeply, humbly grateful for these thoughts this week. For seeing my present life with fresh clarity.

Because my gratitude for all of it is so sweet I can hardly breathe.

And thank you, commenters, for your incredible comments yesterday. They carried me through the beginning growing pains these new thoughts have given me. I am so glad this resonates with many of you... that it's not just silly me, being too analytical or emotional or sentimental. Please keep the thoughts coming. I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'll try to respond with comments of my own if there's something that begs a response... And PLEASE go get these books if you are feeling a connection to these thoughts. Ms. Kenison is incredible at putting the beauty and emotion of motherhood into words. I am so glad I took the time to read her first book, and know that this second book will be a huge journey for me with these ideas of change and how "mom" is defined at different times of our lives. Get reading, and come back and let's talk!!