One Day At A Time

Silly Girl

2012-01-29T18:18:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of videos that have given me a lot of smiles over the past couple of months. There is never a dull moment as a parent:). In effort to keep this post short and sweet I will just say that I am so incredibly thankful for my little girl. I spent a little extra quality time with her today to make up for my sick week. She is such a wonderful distraction from life at times and no one makes me laugh quite like she does. I just love her to pieces!

This and That

2012-01-28T10:17:00.000-08:00

This has been a long week with the stomach bug for me and Daisy. She seemed to get through it much faster than me (though maybe her stomach is still bugging her and she just can't tell me in words?). Nothing like a forced diet and body detox. My diet was limited to chicken broth, ginger ale and decaf tea with an occasional banana giving me the sum energy level of a sloth. I spent most of the first day trying to parent my kiddo while in the fetal position on the living room floor and surprisingly we got through it. That was fun. I think there should have been a rule ordained in the Heavens that moms should be spared from getting sick. I'm sure all moms agree:).

My hubby is away on a fishing tournament this weekend with a friend. It's actually the first time he has fished in a long time let alone been in a tournament and I am hoping that he has a great day on the water and catches a big one. He really needs the R & R. Make me proud babe!

Me and the munchkin get to have even more quality time this weekend (she really is one of my best baby friends. lol) and then tonight I'm heading out for a friend's sushi birthday dinner. I heart sushi!! Like mega heart it and I haven't had any sushi in a few months so I am really looking forward to it.

I am crazy behind on posting the pictures I have taken of Daisy over the past month so the next week or so will probably be a barrage of Daisy updates...she'll be 22 months old on 31st!! 2 more months and she'll be 2! Wowzers! So family, if you have been having Daisy picture withdrawals..stay tuned:).

It's the end of January and it is sunny and mid 60's here today. This is crazy, awesome weather for NC and I couldn't be happier. Getting to play outside in the backyard with my kiddo in the middle of winter really is a dream come true for this California girl. Thank you God for the mild winter this year. He must know that I need a little extra sunshine in my life right now:).

We've started watching the newest season of American Idol. Has anyone else been watching? I haven't been impressed by too many of the singers except for Bailey and this one guy... I think his name is Cortez or something like that. I'm betting that he will be in for a long time...but, we shall see:).

**The first time I let Daisy drink out of a big people water bottle she was on cloud nine and she made all of these hilarious faces. These were taken back in December. Isn't she a riot.

And this sweet little guy has been keeping me busy this week...editing that is:). Isn't he precious!

How To Build a Lightbox Challenge

2012-01-23T19:51:00.000-08:00

I am excited to link up to Ashley Sisk's Tutorial Tuesday this week. This week the challenge was to create a lightbox using Rosie's awesome tutorial. I relied on her tutorial quite a bit both to build my lightbox but, also to edit my SOOC lightbox pictures. Creating the lightbox wasn't hard but, finding lamps/light to shine in the 3 sides of the lightbox evenly was tricky as we really don't have many lamps or lights in our house other than ceiling can lights. My hubby was gracious enough to hold a lamp over the top tracing paper panel for me so that I could get my shots. Thanks babe:).

And without further ado here is my lightbox shot. I sharpened it and then I used the white dropper to whiten the background as my SOOC shot had a bit of a yellowish tint. I like this shot because this is my hubby's watch and keys in it. It has a nice masculine feel to it. I will confess that out of sheer frustration, I didn't bother with my broken tripod and I really should have as my shots would have been sharper. Lessen learned.

One of my hubby's other loves...fishing.

And lastly, a little dash of femininity. You can see on the edges of some of these shots that there is a black burn and that is something that I should have corrected in editing...I'm feeling a tad lazy tonight if you can't tell. lol. This was a neat challenge and I really enjoyed capturing shots that had a commercial flare to them. I hope to take more shots like this in the future and work out the quirks (more even lighting, tripod for sharper focus etc.) as I go. You should head over to Ashley's blog and give this challenge a whirl!

Antiquing Through a Photographer's Eyes

2012-01-20T19:39:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't say that I love all antique shops but, I can say that I do LOVE this one and all the little antique shops that are nestled around it! When I first started shopping at Suzanna's Antiques a few years ago it was the only shop on the site but, since then they have expanded and now several little antique shops are built up around the perimeter. It's like a little antique town and a person could easily spend hours meandering about. They do such a fabulous job of displaying the antiques and each vendor has their own booth and different styles of antiques. It's just plain fun to shop here! I posted pictures from my last trip to Suzanna's Antiques about a year ago and being that my friend Emily and I both have a similar new lens for our camera we decided to give them a little test flight while we shopped through all the fabulous treasures. I was on the hunt for a suitcase and a cute crate for my Valentine's Day mini session. I found what I was looking for. Score! This place is prop Heaven for a photographer!

How neat would it be do do a vintage themed session and have a young woman all dressed up and looking through these old photographs. It would feel so nostalgic.

I would love to do a photography session with a Senior on a bike like this one. I would fill the basket with something and find a nice field or cobblestone road. It's charming isn't it!

Kind of hard to tell but, there are lots of different little shops all around the perimeter and Suzanna's is the main yellow building.

I have a soft spot for banners. This one was made with music paper and a page from a book I believe. I will have to make one sometime! I can definitely envision it hanging above a newborn or a child during a studio session.

Love the old prints on the walls, the colors, the frills and the entire feel of this booth. So chic and feminine. Hey, look at that..I got in the picture:). I would love to do a shoot with a bunch of old pics hanging on a rustic wall behind some kiddos! Too cute.

There aren't too many stores that you can shop in that make looking up as fun as looking down and around but, this shop is one of them! A feast for the eyes at every turn.

I am currently taking a 30 day siesta from coffee and it has been ummm..a challenge. Seeing this beautiful china with the word coffee screaming at me as I walked by didn't help. But, it was pretty so I took it's picture even though it was taunting me. lol

Me and Emily were both smitten with this little outdoor bike/plant holder. I immediately saw it as a priceless newborn photo prop!! Can't you just imagine sticking a tiny little baby in that seat with a blanket pouring over the side and a cute little pot in the front basket. OH MY GOSH....I was definitely wishing I had the $$ to scoop this treasure up and yah know what, someone else must have seen what I saw because it was snatched up by the time we left. Sigh.

I really want to buy this red ladder to use for my kids photography sessions. The red would really pop in a shot and I when not being used for photo sessions I would love to stick a flower pot on the little shelf and angle it in the corner of my garden with a little garden sign mounted on it. Charming isn't it!

And oh how this couch stole my heart. I would LOVE to have a couch like this as a permanent studio prop. The color was fabulous (green is my favorite color in most any shade), the character and old charm...swoon. I would totally use this couch for my family Christmas mini sessions! LOVE IT!

Loved everything about this entire corner. Wished I had a gorgeous model to shove in that tiny dress and stare into that darling mirror while putting on lipstick so I could capture the next cover shot for Vogue. No? Well, one can dream can't she:).

My friend Emily, who is also an awesome photographer (check her work out here) had her eye on the chandeliers and lemme tell yah this place has a lot of darling chandeliers!

Props can be quite addicting for a photographer can't they....so I suppose going to a fabulous antique shop like this could be equated to sending a gambling addict to Las Vegas....be careful because, it really is that fun! :) hehe

2012 Photography Goals

2012-01-14T19:24:00.000-08:00

I felt a burst of creative energy at the start of the New Year. I'm sure it was a combination of finishing up the wedding editing, putting the uber busy holiday season behind me and looking ahead to a new year full of exciting possibilities.

I've been actively pursuing manual photography and all that pertains to portrait work as since 2009. I started aggressively pursuing photography as a career towards the later part of 2010 and 2011 was my busiest year thus far. I tackled a lot of firsts: weddings, newborn sessions, flash photography and event photography. I was challenged endlessly and grew tremendously not only as a person but as an artist. It has been quite an adventure to say the least!

I am excited about this year ahead! I have some pretty clear goals that I have set for myself and I am eager to work towards them and hopefully at the end of this year I will have tackled more firsts and will be able to see even more improvement in my work as a photographer. So, to hold myself accountable I will share those goals with you all but, I'd also love to hear your goals for 2012 so please share! I'd love to know what things are you hoping to do or accomplish with the next uh, 11.5 months. Wow, we have already blown through half a month! Holy moly! And I know the rest of the year will fly by just as fast. Carpe Diem folks...carpe diem.

My photography goals:

*Learn something new pertaining to editing or photography every month (or more but, at least once a month...don't want to overload myself). This month I learned something very useful thanks to Ashley Sisk over at Ramblings and Photos and her post Tutorial Tuesday. Ashley and I have become good friends over the past year all thanks to blogger (seriously how cool is that!) and this particular post I learned how to brighten a background with a dropper and how to stretch a background. I am in love with that new technique and have already used it a few times for some of my creative photography sessions where I had a chair in the shot that wasn't supposed to be there.

*Do more creative sessions this year. I think that creative sessions are one of the best ways a photographer can grow. I am not getting paid so there is zero pressure and zero deadline. Those two factors alone are quite liberating! I can edit however I want which is great because it's fun to try new things. I can also ask the model or models to do things I might not feel as comfortable asking a client that I don't know very well. It will continue to teach me how to pose people and to give clear direction to clients. This is an area I still want to grow in. Getting people to pose naturally with the vision you see in your head is much easier said than done. I'm excited to get better at this!

*Begin to build a small indoor studio. I am using the term studio very loosely as it will by no means be a studio but, I want to invest in a backdrop stand, backdrops and a basic light kit so that I can offer kids and baby sessions indoors during our colder seasons here on the East coast. I am actually really intrigued by print work (like fashion modeling). I often find myself studying adds in clothing magazines. I love seeing what props or colors they use to make the set pop. The things a photographer can learn really are endless!

*Hone in on my editing style. My editing style has become more concise recently but, as in all areas of my life I feel that I have multiple personalities when it comes to style. When it comes to interior design, (which I also love!), I have always struggled to decorate with ease because I love too many different looks. I love Pottery Barn and whatever style you want to call that. I love shabby chic and Rachel Ashwell. I love rustic and I love vintage. The same is true for clothing, landscape design (another love of mine) and so on and so forth. With photography however; it is important that the client knows more or less what to expect when they receive their prints so it is essential that my editing style represent me and what speaks to me. So, how do I accomplish that when so many things speak to me...hmmmm..that is my goal for this year:-).

*Consistency. I shoot in manual almost always during my paid client sessions simply because I like to have more control over the lighting. Without going in to too much detail I will just say that I would like to learn how to trust my meter more. I have a love hate relationship with the meter on my new camera and I think the only way I am going to be able to see more consistency in my shooting is if I learn to let go and trust my meter more even if it does shoot darker than I'd like to. Surrendering to the meter....I will let you know how this goes:).

*Work on the design of my photography blog. It's blah and needs some umph....I will have to give this a lot of thought. At the moment I really have no idea what I want to do but, I know it needs some TLC. Presentation is so important as a photographer!

*Get in the picture more...and not just on days that I am in jammies and look like a hot mess (those are great too sometimes:). I really want to appreciate some of the pictures taken of me and I guess that will also take some effort on my part. It is SO easy to never be in the pictures when you are a photographer, when you are a mom and again...you are always the one taking all the pictures and when you just plain aren't comfortable in front of the camera...which, I am not. Fortunately, my hubby has a good eye and with minimal direction from me he can get a nice shot for me. Thanks hubby! Being the ever supportive guy that he is, he even took a pause during the middle of his game to snap a few pics for me today. I am grateful as he helped me tackle one of my goals for the month. I will share a couple of the others later...as this old lady needs to hit the sack.

Don't let discouragement weigh me down. I faced a lot of discouragement last year. I tuned it out for a long time but, for whatever reason towards the latter part of the year some things really got me down and they lingered far longer than they should have. I want to strive to be less distracted by all the crazy awesome talent around me and just focus on my own goals and my own work. One day at a time...

So, there you have it. These are my photography goals for 2012 and here is me getting in the picture!
Your turn!!

Sequined Skirts Are A Little Girl's Delight

2012-01-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

Joey and I went to the mall tonight to get a bite to eat, pass some time and let Daisy run around. She was on cloud nine walking around in the mall like a big girl and going in and out of the stores with her Daddy and Mommy. While in The Children's Place we had one particularly priceless parent moment. As Daisy was walking around in the store she happened upon a little sequined black skirt on one of the lower wracks all by herself and she was mesmerized. Joey and I still weren't thinking much of it but, as we watched our precious little girl sway back and forth with her new treasure pinned against her waist we heard her say, "oooooooo purrrrdeeeeee," and we bust up laughing and smiled so big our faces hurt. She pointed to the ground and asked us to sit down so we could oo and aaa over her new skirt so we did just that...and weird as it might have looked to everyone around us, we had the sweetest 5 minutes together as a family. A couple of times Daisy held the skirt up to Joey and said, "Daddy like." Oh man, we were both a big mess of sloppy parental mush (and yes I just made that up so it probably only sounds right to me lol). And while she was still holding the black sequined skirt she reached over and grabbed some sparkly silver shoes...man she isn't even 2 yet and she already has more fashion sense than her momma! hahahaha It really was a memory that I know Joey and I will always treasure.

And while I am on the subject of little girls and cute things they can wear....man, little girls are fun to shop for!

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Casey on Pinterest

Finito!

2012-01-11T12:26:00.000-08:00

It's official! After posting to my photo blog yesterday, uploading an album to Facebook and an album to my website (well, technically the proofing gallery is up but, not the album), I am officially done with my November wedding!! FINITO! WooHoo! Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty I'm free at last! hehehe. That being said, plan on me visiting your blogs a little more! I have missed you all and look forward to finding out what everyone has been up to! And thanks so much for hanging in there with me friends.

Editing 600+ pictures kept me extremely busy during every nap break and every bed time for the past 2.5 months. For me, editing is probably the most tedious part of being a wedding photographer. Shooting the actual wedding is exhilarating! I love going to a new setting, working with a new wedding party, new details and beautiful moments to capture. Coming home after the wedding and looking through all the pictures is also very rewarding. Quite often as I sort through the images one or two pictures will keep jumping out at me. It's as if those shots capture the essence of what I felt when I shot the wedding. The shot below, is one of those essence shots as I like to call them. lol. The shot was intentionally focused on the bride's boots as they swooshed around which gave the shot so much character and whimsy and blurred behind the rustic boots are the bride and groom with big beaming smiles that say it all. " We are so happy. Life is good. I love him and I love her."

Holiday Love

2012-01-09T19:45:00.000-08:00

We were so blessed to have an abundance of family in town this Christmas. Joey's mom and brother flew in from CA, his sister is local, his Grandparents, Aunt and Uncle drove in from a couple of hours away and his cousins drove in from FL and IN. We had a house full of laughter and love...just the way I like it!

And another thing that I really like...the sweet picture of my family below. My Grandma sent us jammies in the mail just a few days before Christmas. She started the tradition of giving all the grand kids the gift of jammies (often matching) on Christmas Eve, which we would then wear to spend the night at her house. I've gotta be honest....I loved this tradition when I was a little girl and I not so secretly LOVE this tradition at 28!! I definitely look forward to continuing this tradition with my children. Thanks so much Gram and Pam:)! I didn't notice Daisy's little wave until I was uploading the picture. Such a cute surprise!

I of course had to get the family in on the picture frenzy. Here we have Joey's Aunt Kathy, Uncle Mike, cousins Daniel and Robin and her boyfriend Ben. Daisy is pretty much a given in their family photos now days. lol.

And perhaps you would like to see me being my usually awkward in front of camera self...see, there is a reason why I am a photographer. I prefer being behind the camera. Just sayin'....

Coffee is a must at any social gathering in my house. Love the coffee aroma wafting through the air. Love the warm cup between my two cold hands and love handing out a cup for everyone to enjoy. Warm and cozy beverage = happy people!

And along with coffee comes chocolate. I know you are just dying to come to my house now:). Sometimes it takes a while to decide which chocolate is calling your name. This picture was thus appropriately titled "The Dilemma." LOL. Truth be told, I am not a big chocolate lover which is probably the only reason I was willing to share this box of goodness with others.

And there was never a shortage of cute things to look at. Daisy took care of that!

I began to get a little giddy for Daisy to open a present on Christmas morning. We had been up since 7 and we were waiting for all of the family to arrive around 8:30 and I just couldn't wait anymore so I slipped Daisy a gift. Daddy was a little upset that I didn't give him time to get the camera set up and this is Daisy's face as she is wondering why I gave her a fabulous gift only to have Daddy ask her to wait a tiny second as he ran and grabbed the video camera. hehehe...cruel perhaps but, also quite funny if I do say so.

She only had to wait like 5 seconds...

and it didn't take her much longer than that to open her present...

I had one of those mushy mommy moments as I observed how much time Daisy took to observe each and every gift that she opened.

Of course the novelty wore off eventually and she was ready for her next goodie...unfortunately for her it still wasn't quite time to open the rest of her presents. Tugs on the ol' heart strings a wee bit doesn't it:).

one more look at her cute little forlorn face....

It wasn't long before we were back in the game though...

I think it's safe to say that the laptop was one of Daisy's favorite presents.

And I know this because when Uncle Jeremy had to take it away to cut it out of the box..she wasn't very happy at all....and it was hilarious....especially since all Uncle Jeremy wanted to do was make her happy. He just couldn't win. Thanks for giving the entire family a nice laugh Daisy:).

"Mommy, I want my pwesent back." So so so so cute. You can tell that I melted:).

See, as I said...lots of laughter.

And then before we knew it...it was all over and all the presents were unwrapped and Daisy was wearing her darling outfit from Great Grandma Marshall and singing with a box of cake mix (or something) in her hand.

and then I went to go take a shower and when I was done and came out of my room this is what I was greeted with...

Daisy was having a blast sitting in her new wagon, eating a cracker and hanging out with her fam. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my little girl? Sigh...so much.

This darling cake was taunting all of us from the counter all morning. Joey's mom did a fantastic job on this Christmas tree cake!

A little out of sequence but, these pictures below were taken on Christmas Eve night just as we were heading off to our church service, which was UH-MAZING by the way. I cracked up when I saw this one a few nights back.

And our little fam gamily all dressed up for church. Truth be told, Christmas Eve and Easter are the only services that we ever dress up for and not because we have too but, more because we need an excuse to clean up once in a while. LOL. Our church is quite casual. I also need to add that this night was the first time in my life that I wore a crazy 3" heel. I don't like heels because I am already plenty tall enough and don't want to tower over my hubby but, secondly I don't feel safe carrying a baby in wobbly heels. By jove I did it, though I did take them off the entire service and only almost fell once. It was my last victory of 2011!

21 Months - Always My Baby

2012-01-05T11:18:00.000-08:00

Happy 21 Months little one! You are still so little but, in a lot of ways you are acting so big lately....stop confusing your momma:). This season with you is such a blast (minus the tantrums and incessant whining but, we'll get into that later..lol)! I am doing all that I can to cherish this rapidly fleeting "baby" phase with you. I love staring at the baby dimples that you still have on your hands and elbows. I love kissing your little button nose. I love staring at your cute little profile when you don't realize it while you watch Elmo's World. I love walking into your room each night to check on you and I often find myself leaning over the edge of your crib far longer than I intended simply to pray for you and brush a strand of hair off your brow. I love that you climb on me and treat me like a human slide...it's no wonder I am so bruised now:). I love the way you tuck your head into the crook of my shoulder every time we walk into your room to go nigh nigh. I just LOVE...you SO much baby girl.

So, what is 21 months like with you? Well, you are incredibly active, hyper and you chat uh-lot. You often chat like this, "yadda blah blah, beeg momonie, gobie, boo Snack, nigh night, globby baaah mommeeee, Baby, abie zedie eefgee, boo lahh mommy, mommy, mommmyyyy." It's like babble with a few understandable words interjected here and there and your favorite word is definitely mommy. You say my name a million times a day Cracks me up and wears me out all at the same time! lol

You are starting to formulate small sentences now. You say things like, "Weh ish Dadeee?" Or,"Mommy snack pwease." It's really incredible to see how rapidly you pick up on words and I can tell you are taking everything we say in and processing how to repeat it. The other night you learned about 15 words when I read you a word book. I was blown away!
You love to dance and jump. Whenever you watch shows with dancing you try to imitate the movements. You are an adorable dancer! You do not like people helping you with anything most of the time. Miss independent all the way but, every now and again I will hear you holler, "hewp pwease!" You love my makeup and want to play with it everyday. You've actually gotten really good at putting on lipstick and eyeshadow. You take our contact lens case and pretend to put contacts in your eyes. You know abcdefg...lmnop and you love to count to 3.

You have a boat load of teeth but, you always have. You have 2 of your 2 year molars in now and 2 are trying desperately to come through much to your misery. You don't teethe that well sweetie pie. You always get sick, run a low grade fever and tend to whine a million times more than usual, which is a lot lemme tell yah:). I hope they come in soon and give you some relief! I can only imagine how unpleasant that must be. On the note of unpleasant I must add that you whine all day long at this point. Literally it feels like everything makes you mad or upset. If you can't have your way at all times you are crying (see below). I'm going a little crazy with the whining and the screaming of mommy all day long. Trying to keep it together and hoping you mellow out on this a little bit sooner rather than later! lol We are beginning to make a tiny bit of progress on you helping me to clean up your toys. You don't like to help me clean up at all but, I can usually get you to pick up a few things if we sing the clean up pick up song.

You are a crazy mommy's girl right now. Don't get me wrong, you love your Daddy to pieces and you freak out with excitement when you hear his truck pull up in our driveway after work but, you always, always, always want to know where I am at all times and you don't like to let me out of your sight ever. If I walk into another room I always hear you say, "weh ish she," over and over again and then I hear you searching for me. When you find me you scream out, "deh I am." I think this is your version of saying, there you are:). lol. You have become much more reserved with family and friends and I see a bit of a shyness in you now that I hadn't really seen before. It's one of the many phases you will go through so I try not to over think you and just let you be you. I know you will want nothing to do with me before long so I try to cherish your adoration for me while it lasts. lol

You wear mostly all 2T clothes though I can still get your little legs to fit in some 18-24 month pants. You wear size 5 shoe and size 5 diapers though I think your diaper size might move up soon. You love to eat and you generally ask for snacks all day long. You love crackers, chips, candy (you call it cyandeeee), sliced cheese, honey dew, yogurt, olives, pickles, bread, cooked and salted asparagus, steak, sushi (with soy sauce...I was quite surprised at your interest in my sushi this week!), chicken is a fave, peanut butter and jelly is another fave, oatmeal, applesauce and just about anything we happen to be eating in small amounts. Sharing cereal with Daddy is a favorite pass time of yours. You do not like to drink milk and haven't for some time but, I still try to get you to drink a little of 1% or almond milk here and there but, not much luck. You love juice and chug it like crazy. It always makes you go potty like clock work and it cracks me up. Now when you toot you sometimes giggle and say, "toooot" and pat your bum. I won't lie..your farts crack me up. Not for long mind you but, for now they are hilarious! You love having the attention of everyone around you. You seem to love preforming and being the one that everyone laughs at. A little actress perhaps. lol. We no longer take you to restaurants..at least not for now. Our money would be wasted on you screaming and climbing out of your chair so we stick to Taco Bell and Subway. lol. You like to brush your teeth and feed yourself. You love when I put water in cups and let you drink out of them yourself. You are actually pretty good at drinking out of a cup but, inevitably you spill some so I have to be in the mood to mop it up.

You love watching shows. You typically watch PBS Kids during the day off and on but, your favorite shows are Elmo's World, Sid the Science Kid, Curious George (only recently), Caillou, Wiggles, Barney, Mickey Mouse, dinosaur Train and Backyardigans are still a fave. I'm currently trying to keep the TV off more in hopes of encouraging you to play with your toys more and require less of the TV to babysit you (which I will miss!). We'll just call this a work in progress. You also love to watch shows on our cell phones when we are driving in the car. We are debating on getting a DVD player to put on the back of the passenger seat for you soon. I'm all for pleasant drives!

You love to skype family and talk on my cell phone. You literally take over and can chat endlessly if I let you. It's so fun to listen to you babble! You love being naked and would probably run around that way all the time if I let you. I'm not really a fan of being on the pee pee clean up crew everyday though so it is only on special occasions. You do not like wearing your shoes or socks EVER. You take them off at every opportunity even when it is freezing. It's a tad frustrating but, I let you do your thang:). You are still extremely attached to your bunkie and your poppy. I have no plans of taking either away at this point. We'll see how things go.

You are uber mischievious and I have to watch you every second or else you end up getting into something generally unsafe. You LOVED plugging in the Christmas lights this year. It was so difficult to stop you because after you plugged them in you would say in admiration, "awwwww wights!" I really don't want you to get electrocuted though child so we will have to work on this. In these pictures below I wasn't entirely paying attention and you plugged the lights in....you were so happy with yourself...

Until..I ruined all of your fun and told you no touching.

I will say that you have one of the cutest pouts that I have ever seen. Look at that bottom lip! It's very hard to be mad at you when you look like this...I find myself giggling every time!

But, you should know that I don't like when you are upset and I always try to find something to do with you to make you happy again...cuz I love yah that much kid! So, we began a game of peak-a-boo with the front door and you were insanely happy again! See for yourself...

You are such a spirited, animated, feisty, silly and incredibly fun little girl! Thanks for entertaining me every day Daisy Love!

You love playing with my camera and taking pictures when I let you. You can even be bribed now...a piece of candy for a pose and you say cheese. I'm very grateful! You love candy and you ask for it on a daily basis. You still like to take a few sips of my coffee every morning though not quite as much as before (thank goodness because the last thing you need is caffeine!). You love to play with play dough, color with crayons, read books, pretend cook in your kitchen (you are really good at this now!), work on puzzles (you are starting to get them now), climb on things, go on walks or play outside, undress your baby doll and feed them their bottles and you love running around freely in the stores....oh and you love throwing things and you have a killer fast pitch that usually ends up decking me square in the face. I won't miss that habit when it passes:). lol. You love reading your baby bible and kissing baby Jesus and you love singing Jesus loves me every night before bed. I love it too! Oh and you walk on your tip toes from time to time. It's so cute!

I really am trying to find ways to teach you about Jesus everyday. It is such a special task to be a mother and to train a child up in the way they should go. I hope that somehow in spite of all the many mistakes I will inevitably make as a parent that you can somehow see my love for Jesus and learn to love Him as much as I do. I promise you that Jesus will never fail you little one and He will always be there for you. I see that you are already beginning to understand the importance of Jesus in little ways. You love to pray and say amen and you love to sing songs in church. You are absolutely radiant Daisy. You are the most beautiful gift God has given to Daddy and me. We adore you princess! Happy 21 months kiddo.

18“You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 19“You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. 20“You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth." Deuteronomy 11:18-21

Christmas 2011 - Decorate

2012-01-02T06:58:00.000-08:00

It was the year of red and gold in our house. I was quite pleased with how our Christmas tree turned out but, the sacrifice was leaving off all of our personal ornaments. I have always loved theme trees and I figure since my little one is still so little and wouldn't miss the personal ornaments, that this was the best time to fulfill a little dream of mine:). The only thing I would have done differently is to add more white lights (I love a lot of twinkle!) and more red ornaments (preferably some red ornaments with white glitter polka dots or stripes on them:). Perhaps next year...

All of our personal presents were wrapped in red and white polka dot or striped paper. I had to keep all of the presents on top of our TV armoire until Christmas Eve night because Daisy was dying to open them. They actually looked really cute on the armoire and added a nice festive touch. I wasn't able to buy any new decorations this year so I chose instead to sprinkle the house with ornaments. I have found that an ornament can add a festive touch to almost any room (hanging from the bathroom shower curtain) or corner of the house (nestled on a bookcase). Do you like to decorate with ornaments?

I have more decoration pictures that I could share but, no more time so I will let these pictures conclude our 2011 Christmas decorations. A big thanks to my momma and hubby who helped get it all decorated on Thanksgiving in a few short hours! We were quite a team!

My New Year's Prayer For 2012

2011-12-31T12:28:00.000-08:00

I love writing a little list of things that I would like to accomplish at the start of each year. Sometimes I write the list out but, more often than not the list sits in my head like a dream waiting to come to life. This year I am determined to write the list down. I've read that when you write goals down and keep them in a place where you will see them often, they are more likely to come to fruition. I will save that fun little list for another post, but for now I will share a new tradition that is near and dear to my heart.

Several years ago when we still lived in Southern California, a friend of ours hosted a huge party at their house. We ate tons of good food, played lots of games, talked for hours and ate more food but, before midnight everyone came together in the living room. We turned down the lights for less distractions, let candles light the room and then we prayed together as friends. It really blessed me and I hope to carry on that tradition for years to come! I find that starting each year off with a prayer of thanksgiving for the past year's many blessings and a prayer request for the upcoming year and all the unknowns that lie ahead to be the best way of celebrating the New Year. I can think of nothing better than having a chat with the creator of the universe before stepping my feet into 2012.

My Prayer of thanks to God For 2011

Lord, first and foremost I thank you for loving me. Your love sustained me and my family this difficult year. Thank you for taking care of my husband and for giving him the strength to face each broken day. Thank you for what you have already done for him and thank you for what you will do for him yet. Thank you for being the glue in our marriage. You remind us to serve each other selflessly and to forgive each other endlessly and that is what carries us through. Thank you for my husband Lord. In spite of it all he is still my best friend and I have learned so much from him. Thank you abundantly for our darling daughter, Daisy. Every single day I find myself in awe of her. She brought me laughter and warmed my heart on so many dark days this year. You knew I would need her to press on and to keep my focus on something other than myself. She is beautiful beyond description and I am constantly growing in my understanding of your love for me as I grow in my understanding of my love for my daughter. Thank you for the miracle of life and the honor of being another human beings caretaker!

Thank you Lord for providing for us this year. Your provision spared our home and my sanity for that matter. You provided for us in so many unexpected ways; through family and friends, medical reimbursements, work, photography jobs, an old savings and in just plain miraculous ways. I stand in awe of you Lord.

Thank you Lord for my Momma. What a priceless gift you gave me in her! Her tireless encouragement and faithful ear carried me through one of the toughest years of my life. Thank you for blessing our friendship and keeping us close even in distance. Thank you for using her to remind me of your promises and your will for my life, my marriage and my family. Thank you for speaking truth through her and holding me steady. The best things in life truly cannot be bought but, you give them all freely. Thank you!

Thank you for all of my family and friends. So many gifts, words of encouragement, e-mails, blog comments of support, hugs and coffee dates. I am blessed beyond measure to have so much love in my life!

Thank you Lord for this season with my husband. As much as it pains me to endure it I know that you have been teaching, stretching and growing me in ways I never would have known otherwise. As your word states, "It was good for me to be afflicted so I might learn of your decrees." Psalm 119:17 I am clay in your hands Lord and I know that you only make beautiful things. I thank you for the beautiful work you have and are doing in me and my family.

My Prayer Requests to God for 2012

Honestly, many, many selfish things immediately come to my mind to ask of you this upcoming year ...and they always do but, as I sit here and think about the fact that selfish requests tend to only breed more selfish desires in my naturally selfish nature...I come back in a full circle and realize that what I need most in 2012 is more of you in my life Lord and much, much less of me. I need more of your patience and love so that I can give more to my husband and daughter. I need more of your strength to serve without expecting anything in return. I need more of your peace to continue on in the storm and not be swept away by fleeting and unstable emotions. I need more of your joy so that I can dance in the rain and praise you come what may. I need more of your truth to cast out the lies that try to encamp in my soul and weigh me down. I need your victory for my husband's health and for our family. I need you Lord....only you. Everything in my being tries to tell me that I need things other than you to be fulfilled and to be at peace....but, deep in my depths I absolutely know that you are the answer to everything I long for. Find me here Lord and let's rock 2012 together. In Jesus name, Amen.

Check It Out - Inspiration for the New Year

2011-12-30T10:36:00.000-08:00

“Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use." -Earl Nightingale (from guest post)

Hi friends! I had a neat opportunity to be a guest blogger for Su Casa's awesome Design blog! My article was titled Inpsiration for the New Year and was posted today, YEAH! If you wanna read it (which you totally should:) click here. Thanks again Esther (who manages the company blog) for asking me to guest post. It was such a treat!

And I cannot do a post without a picture... so this is me and my happy little girl at our first Christmas parade together in early December. More on this to come but, doncha just love her pointed toes. She has done that along with the scrunchy face since she was a little girl when she gets excited. I'm so thankful for my little peanut:).

Baby Buddies

2011-12-27T17:16:00.000-08:00

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."

Being a solid two months behind in blogging pictures and Daisy updates my dilemma is...where to begin? So I guess I will take a note from one of my favorite goofy movies, What About Bob and take lots of "baby steps" until I am able catch up:-). I think I will devote this post to sheer cuteness! And what is cuter than two little toddlers that give each other lots of baby hugs, kisses and high fives? Other than maybe puppies and kittens I can't think of anything:).

Lila is Daisy's friend from the famous four pack that she was born into. You can easily find other posts about the four pack on this blog if you are curious by typing four pack into the search engine box on the sidebar. LOL. They go to church together and are often in the same Sunday school class when we parents go to the same service and we have had many, many play dates over the past 21 or so months of their little lives. These two seem to get along so well together and it really blesses my momma heart to see Daisy interacting with another little person and enjoying her company. Lila is such a little sweetie pie and I thoroughly enjoy watching these kiddos grow up together.

Lila gave Daisy this ADORABLE owl lunch pail/purse for Christmas. I think I am going to steal it from her! Too cute huh.

Then we asked the girls to sit in front of the Christmas tree for a few pictures and they obliged us quite patiently as a matter a fact. They played with their hair, did a few hamstring stretches and talked about the weather...

When we asked them to give each other a hug....a brief stare down ensued

But, it was only a matter of seconds before they warmed up to the idea

And then they were best friends. Too cute doncha think?

But....the best part was that when I went into Daisy's room to get her in her jammies we came out only to find that Lila had the exact same jammies on. We all thought that was just too fun of a coincidence and I of course, made sure to capture the little twinsies. It's almost like looking in a mirror in this picture below. lol.

So much love...and attempted poppy swipes

They totally rock high fives

And there is no denying, they are just cute as little buttons!

And of course we had to take a group shot to celebrate the close of 2011 and all of our great memories as friends! And...though you totally weren't looking before I will now draw your attention to my fake smile...it is driving me crazy. Note to self: next time, tame your cheese ball smile before the self-timer fires. Okay, check.

and to wrap up this sweet little post here is a picture of the two girls at church on Christmas Eve night. We almost didn't get to see Lila and we were already out in the parking lot ready to go home but, Daisy kept asking about Lila (in her language of course). I was determined to find her buddy for her so we marched back into church against the pouring flow of people coming out and managed somehow to find her. I think it was meant to be:). Hope that you all had the most wonderful Christmas with your loved ones!

Merry Christmas From Us To You - 2011

2011-12-24T18:54:00.000-08:00

We pray that you are all having a very blessed Christmas weekend celebrating with your families. We just got home from our church's Christmas Eve service (which was awesome), came home and ate a delicious dinner with our family and now everyone is relaxing on the couches, boys are playing video games and everyone is sipping hot coffee. I am SO thankful to have our family here (miss those of you that I am not with this year!) and so thankful that Jesus is blessing our family with a joyous holiday. Merry Merry Christmas to you all!

In Loving Memory - Four Years Ago Today

2011-12-23T05:21:00.000-08:00

I don't have a lot to say but, I wanted to take a minute to honor my hubby's father, Joe today. I asked my hubby this morning what one of his many fond memories were with his Dad and he immediately said anytime they went fishing. As many of you know my hubby is an avid fisherman to this day and he has his Dad to thank for that. Joe was such a funny guy! I have tons of hilarious memories of Joe but one especially sweet one that I'll share today. One evening I accidentally backed my car into his friend's car that was hanging out of the driveway when I was leaving their house. It was really too dark for me to determine if I had caused any damage (nothing but a little scratch thank goodness) but, I was 17 and scared so I started crying. Everyone was out in the backyard when I came in the house to tell the owners of the car but, Joe was inside getting a snack and when he saw me crying he kinda freaked out. Joe didn't like to see people crying and I think when he saw girls cry he got especially concerned and serious....I'm sure his baby girl Jessica can attest to this:). He kept saying over and over again "don't cry, don't cry, it's going to be okay. I'll take care of it," and he did. It was incredibly sweet to say the least. Joe loved his family dearly and I am so thankful that I got to know him too. Joe, today we celebrate you and the life you lived!! We miss you always. Love all of us!!

Kitchen Floor Comfort

2011-12-19T18:29:00.000-08:00

A few nights ago Daisy grabbed her blanket and her pacifier and proceeded to lay down on the kitchen floor. She ended up hanging out down there for a good 15 minutes or so and I eventually laid down with her and we pretended to take a nap. Oh the things we mama's do for our children (insert smile). Either she was uber bored or she was actually hinting to me that she was ready to go to bed (though it was still pretty early). lol. Whatever the reason I thought she looked pretty dang cute. :)

Up To

I'm watching Bones right now with the hubs while I blog this tiny post to give our family and friends something to smile at..all while editing a massive heap of wedding pictures. My hubby's mom flew in today from California and his brother flies in tomorrow. We are going to have a lot of family here Saturday and Sunday and I couldn't be more thankful. I love a full, lively house during the holidays!

What are your holiday plans?

Me: "Daisy, couldja please smile for mommy? You look so miserable."

Me: "Why thank you sweet pea. You are just too sweet!"

SO Amazing

2011-12-16T10:41:00.000-08:00

Wow. Wow. Wow. I was almost tempted to stop the video when I saw how long it was but, something nudged me to keep watching and I am SO glad that I did. Take the time...sometime soon and give this a gander and be blessed and stirred by it. It's such a beautiful, tangible, heart breaking and heart warming story of truth. I was teary eyed for most of it and that is a big deal for me:). Have you seen it already? What did you think?

The Story of Love - John 3:16

Don't Forget To Linger

2011-12-15T10:50:00.000-08:00

It's a crazy time of year...crazy and wonderful. Presents to buy and things we can't find so we begin to search at a frenzied pace as Christmas rapidly approaches. Lights go up and houses are decorated to reflect the style of the family abiding there. Parties, special church productions, caroling, big dinners and lots of cleaning and lots more family time. Your holiday days might be abundantly stressful or brimming with cheer but, no doubt we are all quite busy regardless.

Today I went to the post office to mail Christmas presents, saw that the line was insanely long and knew it would be a nightmare to hold 6 individually wrapped gifts and a toddler so I went to the drug store first to get a cheap yellow envelope to stuff all the presents into one, easier to manage package. Then when packaging the presents, the sticky part of the envelope tore the wrapping clean off the present smashed on top. I looked at the destroyed wrapping and all I could do was shrug...there was no way I was going to go home and do this all over again. Family usually understands these things:). We went back to the Post Office and Daisy was so cute fluttering her little lashes and gazing at strangers with her beautiful brown eyes. She kept all the fidgety people in line quite entertained and that was nice. Then from there we went to the grocery store and I got a few groceries while Daisy drove around in the giant car cart which she loves and when we were done and the car was loaded up in the parking lot she didn't want to get out of her car cart and then she insisted that I give her my keys so that she could better "drive" her fake car. In that moment, I swear I heard the word linger whisper through my heart as I stood there leaning on the shopping cart return fence.

Don't forget to linger and soak up these moments especially in all the business of life. Savor the way the wind is whisking your daughter's golden hair around her cherubim face. Soak up her scrunchy face smile and the way her eyes turn into little slits when she grins bigger than her face can contain. Let your heart be warmed to it's core by the friendly little person that sits before you waving at every stranger pulling into the parking lot and then giggling when they wave back. Linger. So I did just that and spent the next 15 minutes letting my gal play in her car cart in the parking lot. She will be 18 and graduating high school in the blink of an eye and will I even be able to remember these precious moments? Will I remember her soft chubby cheeks that I could kiss all day long. Will I remember the way she says, "I nuv nu" for I love you and the way she screams with excitement when the blow up Santa pops out of the chimney at Wal-Mart? Will I remember that when she is scared she holds tightly to my leg in public places and looks up at me frequently to make sure she has the right leg...lol. Will I remember that she points to the ground and sternly yells at me, "mommy down," to join her on the floor for play time? Will I remember that we spent every warm day outside this Fall because I wanted to watch my little girl push her baby doll and stroller up and down the street one more time before the winter shuts us inside and she grows up even more over night.

Linger. Soak. Gaze. Take it all in. Observe. Breath In. Breath Out. The whole world can spin around us but, if we take the time to be still a little more this holiday season we just might remember it more, enjoy it more and have even more special memories to think back on.

*Her hair is getting so long and it got so light this Fall!

"Mom, I'm trying to watch The Backyardigans here do you mind?"

Daisy had a good ol' time chucking ornaments across our dining room when Joey's co-worker visited us and let her play on the table. It was pretty funny to watch the two of them. Daisy was smitten with her by the time she left. It was great to meet you and that cheesecake was yum! :)

Could she be any happier?

Daisy has cut 2 of her 4, two year molars..(that was a lot of numbers so I hope you follow:). She is constantly chewing on her fingers and biting down funny on her jaw as this picture indicates.

More fun playing with ornaments with Daddy and his co-worker. Thank goodness for hearty ornaments that don't break easily when fast ball pitched across the room!

A nice bokeh tree. Makes me happy.

Tree Tree

2011-12-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

We got our tree the day before Thanksgiving if I am recalling correctly. My momma was here and she offered to get us one and I wasn't about to turn that down! I love, love the smell of a real Christmas tree in my home. I love the twinkle of the lights, the merry feeling I get inside every time my eye catches a glance of all the pretty ornaments hanging so gracefully on the branches. Yah, you get the idea:).

So here we are at Lowe's picking out our tree. It didn't look perfect at the lot but, after settling at home it looks gorgeous. So happy with it! It was a really chilly night and I was more interested in getting the tree quickly and hopping back into our heated vehicle as quickly as possible! lol

Thank goodness for strong husband's who do all the hard work of carrying the tree into the house all by themselves...plus then my hands and clothes stay sap free which is always nice. Thanks hubby!

And me and my momma couldn't pass up an opportunity to be cheesy and pose by our tree. I wuv her so much!

And then I remembered that I too am a mom and went and grabbed my child and made her pose for a cheesy by the tree picture. She looks so happy doesn't she. hahaha

And what happens when you give your baby a bath and they escape before being clothed?? Why they go adorn themselves with Christmas beads of course! Isn't she adorable:).

And I really did attempt to let Daisy help me decorate the tree but, one: she really wasn't that interested and two I could barely get the tiny strings around the branches so it was really impossible for her...but, we tried (okay Daisy when you read this in 10 years just know that...I really did try:).

And I like to keep my house tidy so this kind of holiday mess is um...ehem, a challenge for me to live with but, I knew it was temporary so I survived and my mom can vouch for me...I kept my cool:) hahaha And though it is completely unrelated....I must share that I DESPERATELY want curtains in my living room. I want a pair from Pottery Barn and I have yet to find anything similar else where...so naked my windows remain. Sigh. Okay, I feel better now. Moving on....

And after all the hard work and the clean up, this is what you get....much more of this to come:)

It Rains On Us All - So Let's Grow

2011-12-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

"I'm gonna dance in this rain. I'm gonna praise you in this rain. I'm gonna grow in this rain."

Some that know me well and know my heart in this challenging season, know that I have chosen not to get angry with God or to question why He has let these hardships rain on our family. I don't say that vainly or in pride but, just to share where I am at and what I am learning. It doesn't take being a rocket scientist to realize that life is hard and that we all experience good times and bad. It does however; seem to be more challenging for most people to be "happy" with God when the bad times inevitably fall on them. For the record I totally understand that attitude choice also but, at this point in my life I am not in that place. One scripture that I often quote to myself in this season is, "That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Matthew 5:45

It rains on us all, both the good and evil. We will all face loss, pain, persecution of some kind, trial, illness, heartbreak etc.while on this Earth. It simply cannot be avoided or escaped. Just because I am a child of the most High God or just because a person thinks they are "good" doesn't disqualify them from going through the rain. The fact is that just as literal rain brings growth to the Earth below...so too do the rains in our lives help us to grow in one way or another as well! We will not know perfect peace or total freedom from pain and sorrow until we stand before Jesus in Heaven. I think coming to terms with these facts, like really, truly understanding all this deep in my core, has given me a tremendous amount peace. The kind of peace that I know only God can give. Here is where I'm at...I am here on Earth for a short season so I need to make the most of it and I want to bring glory to my Father in Heaven. Life isn't all about me and living for myself will leave me feeling empty...I know because I've lived that way before. I'm here for to bring God glory because He is SO worthy even when the rain is pouring down. My current circumstances are very trying and I cannot escape them but, I love the Lord with all my heart and I am waiting on Him and trying to learn and be molded as this trial rages on. Rebelling from God won't make me feel any better but, surrendering what is outside of my control to the one whose ways are higher than mine feels very freeing to me. I can't fix my husband or his health or our finances. I can't fix my heavy heart or magically make everything all right, but I can lean on the Lord's word for comfort and strength. I can cry out to Him and be affirmed by his truth. I will accept this rain and choose to humbly accept what it brings even when it hurts.

This is the scripture the Lord encouraged me with this week: Psalm 27:3,5,13-14 reminds me, "Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me,In this I will be confident. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!"

God knew exactly what I needed today when I walked through the doors of my church. He knew my heart was torn in a million pieces (no one would ever know by looking at me of course). He knew that I had prayed in bed earlier this morning and asked for him to grab a hold of my heart in a powerful way and to affirm that He was near me in. He knew that my heart needed to be deeply touched by his love and oh how his love rained down this morning. It's not that all my problems have magically disappeared and that is a silly notion anyways but, God might as well have stepped down from His heavenly throne and stood in front of me with love shooting out of his eyes like lightening bolts and said, "I am the Lord your God and I will never leave you nor forsake you child. I will hold you when you are weary and I will catch every tear that you cry. Do not be afraid sweet child. I will walk you through every storm and every broken hour and never leave your side. I will encourage you daily and comfort you in spirit and in truth and I will give you a firm place to stand. You are so dearly, dearly loved my daughter." God really does talk to His kids.... and it's really, really awesome. If you are needing direction, healing or comfort in your life, seek the Lord today. He will meet you wherever you are at and no one knows better than He how to fill you and minister to you.

I know that God has called me to always share my heart with those around me whether through words or writing. I do so in hopes that my transparency might encourage others, might challenge others to re-evaluate the way they are thinking and simply to be real. I don't ever want to be a downer but, I also don't want to be superficial so this is the in between as best as I can find it. I hope that even in my trials you can see the rainbow in my writing. I am blessed beyond measure and I have nothing but, a thankful heart for ever day that I wake and get to soak up the sunshine, nature's wonders, my child's perfect smile and laughter and my husband's sexy face. To God be all the glory forever and ever. Amen.

- Some more inspirational quotes that go wonderfully with this post -

* "One thing we may be sure of, however: For the believer all pain has meaning; all adversity is profitable. There is no question that adversity is difficult. It usually takes us by surprise and seems to strike where we are most vulnerable. To us it often appears completely senseless and irrational, but to God none of it is either senseless or irrational. He has a purpose in every pain He brings or allows in our lives. We can be sure that in some way He intends it for our profit and His glory."

-Jerry Bridges

* "I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be necessary causes of some great end, which is quite beyond us. He does nothing in vain."

-John Henry Newman

* "So many times we say that we can't serve God because we aren't whatever is needed. We're not talented enough or smart enough or whatever. But if you are in covenant with Jesus Christ, He is responsible for covering your weaknesses, for being your strength. He will give you His abilities for your disabilities!"

-Kay Arthur

* "Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering.... The love of God did not protect His own Son.... He will not necessarily protect us - not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process."

-Elisabeth Elliot

You Gotta Love Her

2011-12-08T18:07:00.000-08:00

I haven't done a Daisy post in the past several days so I know our family is having withdrawals. This might cheer you all up! Ever since Daisy found her baby doll stroller Christmas present in my closet she has played with it everyday. This particular day she found her purse and her sunglasses and wore them while she pushed her stroller. She was walking all over the house looking like a total DIVA but, a very, very cute one at that. Then she slipped on the kitchen floor (no injuries were acquired), and this picture is the result. You gotta love her!

Christmas Tree Lights - Quick Tutorial

2011-12-08T06:10:00.000-08:00

It appears that this Christmas the challenge that every photographer is enjoying is getting the lights on their trees to look star like and twinkly. Pure Actions initially got me interested in this and then my friend Elissa captured her tree so beautifully that I was sold - I had to try it too! It's really easy and if you haven't already done it you should give it a whirl. It's a rewarding challenge!

Kick your aperture up to f22 (think of a tiny, tiny, tiny hole), bump your ISO up to appox. 800 (it will vary a little depending on the light in your home etc.) and then lastly my shutter speed was 5 seconds long...which is really really slow. Because it was dark in my home and because I had my aperture so high, I needed to have a really slow shutter speed to get a correct exposure. The super slow shutter speed, combined with the tiny aperture hole creates the star like effect with the lights. You must use a tripod as any hand shake will blur your image a great deal with a shutter speed that slow. Also a remote or a timer is also essential so that your hand doesn't bump the camera when you click the shot. I used a timer and it worked great. I also added a simple boost action just to bring a little more life to the image and whalah....twinkly lights. Now it's your turn. Go for it! I wanna see yours!

Feeling Festive

2011-12-06T11:30:00.000-08:00

Vincent's 3rd Birthday

2011-12-03T11:11:00.000-08:00

We were invited to Vincent's 3rd birthday party at the end of October. That just goes to show you how far behind I am on my blogging. Sigh. Oh the good ol' days of blogging things punctually. lol. Anyhoo, I wasn't sure how Daisy would do at a birthday party because she can be a bit of a challenge at times in social settings these days but, she did great and she had a blast which was a double blessing! Vincent is the cutest little guy and his parent's are great neighbors of ours. We had such a good time celebrating with him and the night flew by which is always nice with a toddler. As I write this I am again reflecting on the fact that I will be celebrating Daisy's 2nd birthday in 4 months....I think I just said this in the last post or two but, MAN where has the time gone??? lol.

We are going to our cute little local parade tonight and I'm excited! Daisy has never been to a parade and I haven't been to one in years. We are meeting up with some friends and we are hoping our kiddos will enjoy the sights. I'm sure I'll snap a picture or two....you know I can't resist!

Happy December to you all by the way! Are you tackling Christmas decorating and shopping yet? We got all of our decorating done on Thanksgiving when my mom was here which was wonderful and my shopping is almost done...thank you Lord. So now I get to sit back and be whirled around by the inevitable business that December brings. Hope you are all enjoying your weekend!

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Daisy was given this little Halloween candy bucket as a party favor when we left Vincent's birthday party. OM gosh if you could have heard her squeals of excitement when we got home and handed her the pail. She is such an animated little girl as you can tell by the pictures...lol

Isn't he just the cutest little guy! He is sweet as sugar. Seriously, one of the sweetest and mellowest kids I've ever had the pleasure of knowing:). Happy 3rd year Vinsters!

His sweet family. So thankful for this bunch:) And so thankful for all of my neighbors for that matter. Call me biased but, I really do have the coolest neighbors on the planet all on one street. I feel very blessed!

Make a wish and blow out the candle...

He made some cute faces while opening his presents. I am looking forward to birthdays when Daisy is this age. So fun!

Now this was pretty funny. Getting these kiddos to line up for a pic with all their different personalities shining through was hilarious. Daisy saw all the cameras being whipped out and she was like, "hey, I feel right at home," so she started hamming it up. She does really well with older kids and they were all so sweet with her. Such a fun party!

20 Months - Another Month Come and Gone

2011-11-29T19:37:00.000-08:00

How the heck is my little gal 20 months old? As in 4 months shy of being 2? While I recover from my shock over here I will amuse you with a barrage of pictures of Daisy's latest activities and blab on about her latest whatevers. Please forgive these long monthly updates. These posts are mostly for Daisy's memory book. I think she will really enjoy reading them someday.

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Daisy likes to sit on the couch a lot now both to eat snacks with mommy, jump up and down and to watch her shows. She always asks for her bunkie (as she calls it) and her poppy and then she chillaxes for a little while. I definitely enjoy the little 5-10 minute breaks of whine free time and maybe a quick run to the bathroom without a child hanging on my leg:). Oh, and I just adore how you wiggle your toes all the time when you are sitting. You have the cutest little feet!

We have been blessed with a truly beautiful and warm fall (until today). Knowing how fleeting warm weather is here in the fall we spent a lot of time outside every day. Daisy loved laying in the sun on her towel, playing with her toys and talking to me. It's only been chilly for one day and already I am missing the sunshine and warm rays. Cold winter = too much time cooped up in the house with a toddler! Wish us luck!

We color (and play with play doh) a little bit almost everyday. I have found that the kitchen floor is the safest place to color so that we can easily wipe up the crayon marks that miss the paper. Coloring has yet to keep Daisy's interest for more than maybe five minutes but, she has gotten much more purposeful about her crayon marks and she likes to use all the colors. She likes to tear the paper off the crayons and occasionally sneak a nibble. She acts all sly about it. It's so funny.

Daisy loves to have a little sip (I emphasize little because it really is a tiny sip or two. I don't want her spazzing out) of my coffee most mornings. I just had to snap a picture of her coffee cream mustache. Just love this silly picture.

Daisy now asks to take a "pi-tur" with my camera all the time. I sit on the floor with her and hold the camera up to her eye and let her look through and then snap, we take a picture. She then asks to see the "pi-tur" from the back viewer screen and I have to be honest...I am pretty impressed by the unique shots she captures that I never would from my much higher perspective. She has taken a lot more...I'll have to share them in another post someday. They really are all awesome! A future photographer perhaps?

Daisy loves her kitchen and usually plays with it a few times a day. She loves pushing the buttons that make noise and pouring mommy and daddy a cup of "coffee" or washing her hands in the sink. I cracked up when I saw that she had moved her food basket into a position so as to better allow her to reach her microwave buttons. Pretty smart eh!

This car didn't get much use inside so I moved it outside and she enjoys it much more out there:)

And after all those other little activities we go back outside in the afternoon for a last hoorah before the sun sets at the early hour of 5....boo to that. So much for evening photography sessions for me or after work fishing sessions for the hubs...not to mention a ton less play time for the bean. But oh how we soaked it up while it lasted! Daisy, you LOVED being in our backyard this fall, probably more than any other activity!

you were so happy you clapped and clapped

And in other news...all clothing you wear is 24 months now. Shoes size 5 and diaper size 5. My favorite place to shop for you at the moment is Kid to Kid a local consignment shop which I love. I can hardly justify buying all new when you grow through things as fast as you do. You nap from around 1-2:30 and sleep from 8-6:30 (generally). You eat similar things every day. Generally applesauce, yogurt or oatmeal for breakfast, chicken nuggets or PBJ and banana and string cheese for lunch and then some of whatever we are eating for dinner. You are definitely eating a bigger variety of food lately and I am so proud! I dipped some cucumbers in a yummy Italian dressing and you thought they were pickles and devoured them. That made me happy:) You don't like milk much and we are actually weaning you from whole milk to 2% and it's going pretty well but, you much prefer apple juice.

You LOVE your baby doll and stroller. You like to take your doll to bed, in the car and on walks up and down the street. You will be such a great big sister someday. I don't think I've ever seen a kiddo your age show as much interest in babies as you do. When we go to the park if there is a baby there in a stroller you will refuse to do anything but, hang on the stroller and talk to the baby. We usually have to leave because you tantrum and cry if I try to get you to do anything else. You silly girl.

You are loving the Christmas lights in our neighborhood (you squeal, "lights" and point) and you love going in to Wal-Mart and seeing the Santa that pops in and out of a chimney. You scream with excitement each time he pops out! So funny. You don't like sitting in grocery carts EVER anymore (unless it is a car cart). You prefer walking on your own or if you have to, sitting on the big side of the cart. It has made shopping with you very difficult but, we make do somehow:). You have reached a stage of wanting so much independence already. You want to feed yourself everything and do things alone but, every now and then I hear a ,"hewp pwease," and I am only too happy to help you little girl!

Your vocabulary is growing by the day. You picked up on the fact that Daddy's name is Joey and lately you have been saying, "hiiiii Joewee." It's hilarious!! I asked you the other morning if you had gone poo poo potty and you said, "ummm, in uh minit, in uh minit..." I cracked up! You sing your ABC's and Barney's "I nuv you, nu nuv ne" in your crib in the morning when you wake up. OR you yell for me, "mommeeee uppp!" You now like to hand something to me and say, "here," and then you yank it away just as I am about to grab it...you crack up every time!!

Favorite shows are Elmo's World, Sid the Science Kid, Wiggles, Barney, Dinosaur World and Caillou but, I'm pretty sure Elmo is still your absolute favorite!

I just adore you Daisy. You are so spunky, so silly, so smiley, so spirited and oh how you love your momma. You don't like to let me out of your sight these days and if I even walk into another room I hear you saying, "weh ish mommee...weh ish sheee?" Then when you find me (or Daddy if you are searching for him), you SCREAM out, "MOMMMMEEEEE" or DADDDEEEEEE." Bottom line, you love to chat and you are picking up on everything you hear and see. You are such a smart little girl!

You bring us so much joy Daisy. Just last night as me and Daddy held each of your hands while we walked into Wal-Mart we looked down at you as we swung you back and forth (at your request) and we marveled at the fact that you are our daughter. Sometimes it doesn't quite sink in that we are parents now and that we are responsible for you. What an honor and a gift that we have been given! I cannot thank God enough for blessing us with you and I will cherish every minute that I have here on Earth with you. Happy 20 months princess!

Busy Bee

2011-11-25T19:43:00.000-08:00

I'm busy as ever editing wedding pictures and family sessions but, I know our family is going to have withdrawals if I don't occasionally get some blog posts up of little miss Daisy bean. I have tons of random pictures of her to share over the next few weeks so stay tuned:). Thanksgiving was WONDERFUL. We had lots of family over at our house, watched some football, played a little Kinect and cooked up a delicious dinner. It was such a blessed day! What did you all do?

And now for some random updates...

This morning Daisy found a baby doll stroller Christmas gift that I had not yet wrapped in our closet. She was sooooooo incredibly excited when she found it that I didn't have the heart to take it away from her. I opened it for her and put her baby doll in it and then she proceeded to play with it....get this, ALL DAY LONG. She spent a few hours playing with it inside and then we spent an hour walking her baby doll up and down the street in the stroller outside. Then we went up and down the driveway and each time we went up she said, "home," (she learned what home is this week and yells it out in the car when we pull up too...so cute) and parked the stroller in the garage and then turned around and went back down the driveway...over and over again. lol

My mom just left this morning after spending a week with us and I already miss her like crazy. She got up every morning with Daisy and I got my first real opportunity to sleep in, in almost 2 years. It was so refreshing. She played with Daisy, took us Christmas shopping, made me coffee everyday, got us a tree, helped me decorate the house for Christmas and get all of our presents wrapped...not to mention, kept me company every day. I love my momma so much and am so thankful that my Daddy and sister lent her to me this Thanksgiving:). My mom's Grandma name is Lulu and since Daisy cannot yet say Lulu it comes out (Nu-ie) Newie! It is SOOOOO cute to hear her say, "weh ish Newie," and then go looking around the house for her. We got a couple of cute videos that I will share soon.

Daisy's vocabulary is growing daily. I am blown away by all of the new words and songs she learns and by how fast she picks up on things! She loves to sing, "I love you, nu nuv me," from Barney. I also have a really cute video of that to share soon. Clearly I have a lot of things to share but, just not enough of me to go around. I think I will look into cloning myself this week:).

Anyhoo, here is Daisy looking ever so preppy in my glasses (which she broke this week unfortunately). I couldn't get over how cute she looked....nerd like and a bit boyish, but, so cute!! lol She asks for my necklaces a lot now. It sounds a lot like "negwish." lol.

Rocking her first photographed rocket ponytail. Looks so cute on her but, she tends to take them out rather fast.

We recently had to wash D's carseat cover so we brought the carseat in. Afterwards, Daisy was determined to sit in her carseat and watch a show. It was pretty comical to see her big seat in the living room and her perfectly content to hang out there. Love her.

She loves to eat her own banana now...it's a messy meal but, it keeps her entertained for a while so I make the most of it:). She is watching an Elmo video on youtube in this picture. My laptop sits on the counter and she asks to watch videos all day long. Our gal definitely loves to watch her shows!

Cold enough to wear her puffy, warm vest to church. She was being fussy when I took these pics as you can tell. She hangs on my leg all day long now days. She is a major momma's girl these days but, boy she was giggling up a storm for Daddy tonight which melted my momma heart!

Just love these pictures of Daisy with her Auntie Jess!

A Few of My Session Favorites

2011-11-20T18:13:00.000-08:00

I shot a lovely wedding yesterday and this first shot is one of my favorite captures of the day and to be honest I think it is one of my favorite shots ever! I love the romantic and yet carefree feel to this shot. Her boots were great! The weather turned out to be gorgeous, the setting was serene and the couple was so sweet. Photographing weddings can be such an emotional thing for me. I will admit that I almost broke down and cried during the Father, daughter dance because it was so sweet. So much love, joy and laughter. I really do feel so blessed to be shooting weddings and honestly never would have even dreamed that I would be doing this even a few years ago! They really are such a memorable celebration to be a part of and they are so rewarding. I will be sharing more wedding pictures in a while:).

These lovely folks are our neighbors and this is my second time doing a session for them. Their little girl is so beautiful and she really is the apple of her parent's eye. I got this little gal to giggle every time I talked in an Elmo voice and sang the Elmo's world theme song. It was pretty funny!

Just love the way little R is smiling at her Daddy in this shot below. Love the blurred out background and the warm fall colors.

All this little guy wanted to do was run around during our session and I just love this shot of him running into his Momma's arms. This was a fun session as I am friend's with this momma and my little girl and her son have a weekly play date. He is such a sweet little guy.

Some of the bridal shots of the gorgeous bride. She was so photogenic which made my job a piece of cake! You will notice a suitcase below which is the prop I mentioned in an earlier post. It looked great with her cowgirl boots:)

Well, I could have bored you with SO many more pictures but, I thought I would at least share a few. I will be a lot more MIA to the blog world for a while as I will be busy as a bee editing wedding pictures and I have two sessions booked in the next week! Yeah for business! Hope you are all doing well and looking forward to your Thanksgivings with friends and family. Blessings.

Even The Little Things

2011-11-17T10:42:00.000-08:00

"For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith." Mark 11:23

I was reminded of a powerful truth in an awesome way this weekend. God cares about the details, desires and needs in my life; even the smallest, tiniest ones.

As I was preparing for my bridal session a few weekends ago I had a strong desire to bring a prop. Props are kinda the in thing now as they add a dash of fun and pizazz to an otherwise ordinary picture. I don't have the money to buy an old chair or bench, I don't have the resources to design a crazy awesome set and unfortunately I don't know a lot of people who are okay with me borrowing their furniture to stick out in a dirty field. hehe. All that to say, after wracking my brain and trying to come up with something...anything, I came up short and realized that a prop was not in the picture for me and I was bummed. No pun intended. haha. I actually took a minute to pray and ask God to give me peace and help me to always make the most of what I have and to always be grateful in all circumstances. I felt peace after praying and surrendering my little desire to the Lord. I let it go and didn't think about it again.

About half way into my bridal session I ran into a new friend of mine Christina, (happy birthday to her today!!) who also happens to be a photographer (an awesome one!). She was finishing up a maternity session and she had brought along an old suitcase as a prop. And can I just add to the awesomeness of God's glory by telling you that I have NEVER before run into another photographer friend while doing a session and the fact that she happened to have a prop that was so perfect for my bridal session...was most certainly a perfect God thing...perfect. I glanced at it as I was running around taking pictures and I felt a twinge of "oh man, that is so cool. I wish I had something like that. Oh well." And then it happened...my super awesome friend called out to me, "hey, if you wanna use this suitcase to take some pictures you can totally go for it!" In that moment I didn't even realize the gift that God had just bestowed upon me. I was far too distracted to slow my mind down enough to take in anything eternal. It's sad but, isn't that how we are so often. We become too busy to hear God's voice over the other noise that we have in our lives and too distracted to even recognize His little blessings when they come.

I did in fact take my friend up on her offer and I loved the feel of the old suitcase combined with my bride's awesome cowgirl boots but, it wasn't until I got home, put my daughter to bed and was finally having a quiet moment in my room that the revelation hit me and I was able to hear God's voice. "Casey, I care about you SO much. I care about every little detail in your life. I care about what you care about and I hurt when you hurt. I heard your cry and saw your heart's desire to have something special and I saw you surrender it to me when you couldn't have it. I saw you choose peace and an attitude of gratitude and I wanted nothing more than to bless you child. I always want to bless your life because I love you deeply and I will always provide for you even if what you need is as simple as a prop for your photography. I may not do things the way you expect or quite like you imagine so don't forget to look for the unexpected. I will always build you up, encourage you and I will always bless you child." It really was like that. A moment of me being silent and receiving God's word and recognizing the gift that He had given me. It was definitely a sweet moment with the Lord and I received it with open arms.

See, I have a lot of BIG things going on right now. I have lots of financial challenges and have even faced the reality of losing my home and other material things that I care about. I have walked a two year long trial in my marriage involving seemingly untreatable health issues and severe depression that have led to a short term disability for my husband. I have seen a lot of doors close and very few open. I have carried more heartache than I ever thought possible. I have pulled away from a lot of people because of lack of understanding which I do not blame them for and I have pulled away simply because I am weary of trying to be something that I am not. Sometimes I feel like I am climbing Everest...like everyday, every minute of everyday...well okay, that's a lie, cuz I have no idea what it would feel like to climb Everest and I'm quite sure I would die half way up the mountain but, still...you get me right:). The thing is, when God reminds me of how much He cares about the littlest details in my life, (such as providing a fabulous suitcase prop at the perfect moment), HE also reminds me that no mountain in my life is too big or immovable for Him. He always provides. He's got this. He's got me... and He's got you! HE will see me through and he will get me up and over by His power and by His might. Whatever you are dealing with and whatever you are going through both big and small please give it up to Him in prayer today! He cares for you SO much! Our God is awesome!

Not that any of you have any more time than what I have already sucked out of your day but, if you are interested, check out this site Choose to Speak the Word. I think the author does an excellent job of elaborating on what I am sharing and I really liked her perspective. Quite encouraging.

I will leave you with this super sweet song by Kari Jobe. God is for us, always...always, always!!

Potty Time (MC Hammer is singing this title in my head...) lol

2011-11-15T18:42:00.000-08:00

My little girl caught me off guard tonight when she asked me if she could sit on the potty. In her language that simply means that she said, "mahmee pohtee," and pointed at the toilet seat. So I sat her on the seat and she was SO proud of herself to be sitting there like a big girl. She had the biggest smile on her face but, she also looked a bit nervous. I kept encouraging her to go potty and told her what a big girl she was and then I hollered for my hubby to come cheer her on with me. Then she wanted to get down so I let her get down and then she wanted to sit on the potty again seconds later so I put her back on the potty. I think we did that twice and then before I knew it she was going potty and she was SO happy! We rewarded her with a chocolate kiss and she was thrilled. I know potty training is seldom a fun experience for parents but, like all firsts this moment was special for us. I marvel at how a child so young can pick up on so much and so fast! I will say though that I am in no way prepared or ready to potty train my 19.5 month old daughter and in all honesty I don't think she is ready either but, we are turning a new page for sure! I am so proud of her!

I love this shot so much I edited it 3 different ways as you will see below...

I see this unhappy face (and my ears burn with her shrieks) more than I'd like to these days....like non-stop. She's wearing me out. Maybe all the crying was because she wanted to go potty like a big girl! haha If only it were so simple! Just so you know, the only reason she is crying at this particular moment was because I wouldn't pick her up. Sigh, rough life huh. lol

Soooo....I distracted her with my lens cap and with our plants and then she was happy again:)

And then she took over my cell phone and held it up in front of her face and said, "cheeeeeeeese." Can't believe she already knows to say cheese when she takes her own picture! hahahah

Yes, the front of my cell phone is shattered. It still works just fine surprisingly!

Another Daisy development this week; she has started to create and speak short sentences such as, "whe dadee gohh? and Dadee ah worke? and Bubble all gone? and "Whe ish Mommee?" It is SO awesome to hear her talk and see how quickly her vocabulary is growing. Love my little boo boo.

Step Out, A Cute Baby and AWESOME Felt Boards - (oh yes, random)

2011-11-13T11:45:00.000-08:00

I love pinning cute outfits on Pinterest and pulling ideas from much more fashionable people than myself. I really do love fashion but, I think due to my very restricted budget, I tend to avoid shopping and looking at clothes and accessories online too much so that I don't get bummed out about all the things that I want and cannot have. I'm sure a lot of you can relate:). If you ever hear that Forever 21 or perhaps Express is giving away all of their clothes could you let me know, please. Thanks! lol Anyhoo, here is my Step Out attire for church this morning. We attend a very casual church as you can tell:).

White Blouse: Aeropostle (last year)

Jeans: Marshalls

Sweater: Marshalls

Shoes: Target (clearance..woot woot!)

necklace: no clue....had it forever.

Belt: Aeropostle (last Christmas) love cute belts!

Would love to have had some cute turquoise bracelets and maybe some fake diamond studded hoop earrings to add to this ensemble. And our tall wall molding makes me look short doesn't it? I promise you that I am not but, I think I am actually relishing a moment of looking shorter. Maybe then I could wear stiletto heels! ha!

This is my friend Diana's new baby girl that I photographed as a newborn. Now she is about 7 weeks old and isn't she just breath taking and beautiful! I can't keep my hands off of her when she visits...and when I am not holding her I am usually photographing her. Lucky me, I got to see her twice this week. hehe. She is just so precious that I had to share her sweetness with you all and give you a baby fix (if you needed one):-).

A few weeks back I entered a blog giveaway that Amber from Click, Love, Pray was hosting. Let me just say that I pretty much never win anything...ever and I never enter anything expecting to win, just for fun. This particular giveaway really caught my eye though because the winner would receive 3 Learning Fun with Felt Board SETS. I loved playing with paper dolls and flannels as a kid and to this day I still have such fond memories of the things I learned and created. I've been desperate for new activities to do with Daisy lately. We color, play with play-doh, do alphabet and number puzzles, put shapes in a shape box and go on walks every day. I'm not gonna lie...I sometimes struggle with mommy boredom from doing the same activities day after day after day and hour after hour and I think Daisy does too. She is a smart cookie and she likes to be challenged with new activities so these felt boards couldn't have been more of a blessing or more timely! I LOVE THEM...really, I think I love them so much that I could shut the door of my room and play with them by myself and create a farm or a beach scene and have a blast! Check out Betty Lukens felt boards here!! They are SOOOO FUN and in case you are wondering since I am starting to sound like an infomercial...I am advertising on my own accord simply because I am so thrilled with this fantastic little activity that I get to do with Daisy. Fun for mommy and baby:).

Even the bags that the felt boards come are cool...seriously, what a score huh!! Daisy thinks so:). And no, she doesn't dress like that in public but, in our house what you see here is high quality fashion at it's finest (to Daisy)! lol

Are You a Person Of Integrity?

2011-11-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

Let no pleasure tempt thee, no profit allure thee, no persuasion move thee, to do anything which thou knowest to be evil; so shalt thou always live jollity; for a good conscience is a continual Christmas.
-Benjamin Franklin

Definition of INTEGRITY

1. firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : incorruptibility; honesty.

The air is buzzing with the news of the awful Penn State Scandal this week. People are disgusted and angry and rightfully so. People are especially angry with Joe Paterno because he knew exactly what Jerry Sandusky was doing and yet he chose not to report it. He turned a blind eye to evil and as a result innocent children paid the ultimate price.

I am grieving for the victims, for the innocence that they were robbed of and the years of pain that their silence must have caused them. On the other hand , I am thankful that the truth has finally broken through the darkness of secrecy and lies. I love when truth prevails!

I think it was about the time that I watched the movie Courageous (which is absolutely FANTASTIC!) that the Lord began strongly convicting me of what it means to be a person of integrity. There is a scene in that movie where a man desperately needing work to provide for his family is put in a questionable situation. He is told that he will be given the management job that he so desperately needs but, only if he turns a blind eye to a shipment that the company will receive each month and he is told that he cannot record the shipment in the company books. SO many people wouldn't bat an eye at that request and would have accepted the job and the terms given without any remorse. They would justify their decision with a list of excuses: I've got bills to pay, mouths to feed and all they are asking me to do is tell a tiny little white lie. It's no big deal. Plus, I may not be able to find another job for a long time. I felt this character's pain as he of all people had every "right" to lie. He didn't even have enough money to buy a meal for his family let alone to pay his bills and yet he chose to do what so few of us would. He said no and in doing so he sacrificed his needs and his pride for the sake of his conviction to be a man of integrity. It was a powerful scene in the movie, to say the least. (there is more to this story but, you will just have to watch the movie to find out...:)

I believe that on a nearly daily basis we are faced with opportunities to be people of integrity. Do you tell a friend you are sick when you don't want to hang out? Do you toss your neighbor's mail in the trash when you continue to get it in your box day after day? Do you report honestly on your taxes? Do you copy a friend's test or lift your essay offline? Do you share a secret that you were entrusted with? Do you tell your boss the truth when you are late or fail to show up for work? Do you think about the extra work you create for other people when you are too lazy to pick up after yourself or to put an item in the store back where it goes? Do you take an item back to the store if you notice you weren't charged for it or perhaps were way undercharged? Perhaps we should kick this up a notch. Do you make sure a friend doesn't drive home drunk even when they insist that they are okay? Do you report a loved one such as a brother or sister for stealing, cheating, abuse? Do you turn in your best friend in the whole world to the authorities for selling illegal substances (Courageous movie reference) or for abusing their child? Better yet, do you submit yourself to proper punishment or at least recognize when you are the person who has been dishonest and without integrity?

I believe that being a person of integrity is not easy and is seldom popular. Why do you think Government, lawn enforcement and all facets of society so often become corrupt? They become corrupt because too many people choose to turn a blind eye and too many people compromise. Perhaps they mean well and are simply trying to protect the reputation of a beloved friend or family member. Perhaps they are scared of becoming hated/unpopular or even physically injured for doing the right thing. Perhaps they simply want to avoid conflict. Perhaps they just don't care at all. I believe that doing the right thing does not always prosper you here on Earth but, I know that you will reap a tenfold blessing in Heaven because God highly values integrity.

Do you consider yourself to be an honest person and a person of intergrity or would you be the first to admit that your sky high stack of little white lies and compromises in fact might make you a dishonest person? I think we have a tendency to classify ourselves and thus find a way to excuse our own lack of integrity. "I am no Joe Paterno by jove. I would NEVER let anyone get away with the what he did even if it was a beloved relative or friend. He can rot in Hell for all I care. I'm more like Shirley Temple. I'm cute and innocent and occasionally if necessary I might weasel my way out of things to make life easier for myself but it's all perfectly harmless and there will be a fine seat of gold waiting for me in Heaven." Hardee har har. The reality is that we all have to accept responsibility for our own actions even down to the smallest white lie and the simplest choices we make that lack integrity, because the fact is that none of us are really as good as we like to think that we are.

I deeply admire people of integrity. They are rare these days. I admire people who sacrifice their reputation for the sake of doing what is right. I admire people who truly understand that bringing glory to God and being faithful to Him is far more valuable than getting ahead here on Earth. I want to be more like them. That is my heart's desire. I want truth to prevail. If we all reflected on this more perhaps the world might look a little different than it does today. What do you think?

My Little Bumble Bee Princess

2011-11-07T10:56:00.000-08:00

I will be shooting a wedding in two short weeks (yeah!) and that will most definitely bog me down a lot more in my blogging so before I get too far behind; here are a lot of pictures of Daisy in her bumble bee costume that Uncle Mike and Aunt Kathy got her before she was even born. Thanks guys! It fit her perfectly this year and looked so stinking cute! We took Daisy treating to a few of our neighbor's houses last year and surprisingly she seemed to get it even at only 7 months old but, this year she really, really got it and we had such a blast with her. Great Grandpa and Grandma Bailey came up and spent the night so they could celebrate with us. It was SO fun to have them here and I know Daisy really loves when they visit. We ate our traditional Martinez burritos with fresh salsa and even though it was raining pretty good we ventured out to treat a bit. Daisy didn't quite know how to say trick or treat but, she was really good at taking a candy from the bowls that people put in front of her and then waving and saying bye. lol. We definitely got wet but, it was well worth it! Daisy ate two little pieces of chocolate and then we tucked the candy away for another night. She had a blast wearing her costume, treating, staring at the other kids in costume and helping to pass out candy at our house! Such a great night for us all:).

and now because I have far too many pictures to post them all individually...I shall storyboard you to death:)

and then to wrap up the treatin' we treated our own house where Great Grandpa, or Papa as Daisy calls him, was passing out our candy. It was a very special night for all of us with Great Grandpa and Grandpa in town to celebrate!

and to give you a little live experience....come treat with us:)

Elmo is a Girl's Best Friend

2011-11-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

Daisy's Great Grandparents spoiled her recently with a Rockin' Elmo after they heard of her great love for this furry, red Sesame Street Character. It was uh-dorable to watch Daisy interact with this toy. She treated him like a baby doll and lavished him with hugs, kisses and back pats. Is it Elmo's voice that draws kids to him? Is it is cute, squeaky laugh? Is it his bright red fur? I'm not sure exactly what it is but, my child has now joined the millions before her who are smitten with Elmo. I am definitely seeing an Elmo themed 2nd birthday party if this keeps up. I would venture to say that besides the Mickey Mouse Hot Dog song, that Elmo songs on youtube and Elmo's World on PBS are her absolute favorite things to watch. Thank you Elmo for being such a great friend to my little girl! We love you in this house:).

19 Months Old - Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

Today is a fun day because it is Halloween and my little girl is old enough to understand things better this year, she has a super cute bumblebee princess costume to wear but, also because she is 19 months old today. Another month closer to being two years old and another month farther away from that tiny little baby that we brought home from the hospital. I know I won't count months forever but, I will always be aware of how fast my little girl is growing up. The days fly by! I mean seriously, how is it already the holiday season??

So what's the latest for this little bean at 19 months? Well, she is chatting up a storm. Some of her newer words: Pahpah (the name she came up with for Great Grandpa - so cute!), ehpwane (airplane), tahpee (coffee), dee (candy), hewp pwease (help please), nuv new (love you), Nunu (Grandma LuLu), huh (hug. She loves giving hugs) pip (chip), mooie (yogurt....I have no idea why she calls it that) chee( cheese), moe (more), ah dun (all done)...anyways, you get the idea. She knows a ton words and I love hearing each new one that she learns. Babies say things in such a cute way!

What does she like to do? Park play dates, color (for a few minutes...we are making progress!), play in my kitchen and make a big mess, help mommy and daddy with any and all household chores (dishwasher, vacuum, washing windows etc.), watch PBS kids or videos on youtube, dance, puzzles, play in the backyard, baths, walk like a big girl in the mall or up the street to play with the neighbor kids, climbing on the couch, playing with the TV remotes and changing channels, reading books, stacking things, going inside our pantry and shutting herself inside so she can get into everything.....such a mischievious little girl! lol

Her favorite things to watch: ELMO'S WORLD.... she is obsessed in love with Elmo!! Wiggles on youtube, Backyardigans, Sid the Science Kid, Sesame Street and Barney. She loves any and all kiddie songs and bobs her head back and forth like a bobble head to the tunes. She cracks me up. I will definitely be buying her some CD's and DVD's for Christmas:).

She wears size 2T shirts, 18 months - 2T pants, size 5 shoes (a tad big) and size 5 diapers (target brand....love those:). Oh how I love little girl's clothes and Target and Baby Gap...I could easily go in debt at those places if I let myself. lol

She still has some minor separation anxiety. She cries in Sunday school but, usually gets over our absence after a few minutes and I have yet to have anyone get her to go to sleep at night happily other than us. When people watch her she usually says, "mommy" over and over again and gets a lot quieter and more shy. It's understandable being that I am a stay at home momma and she hasn't been watched by too many people. She'll get better in time. I love you my sweet Daisy girl.

She has officially become a fan of an ear splitting shriek. Me, not so much. I hear that girls can shriek like this for years....fun:).

She loves being naked and running away from me when I need to get her dressed. hehe

What does she like to eat? Chicken nuggets, pb&J, applesauce, yogurt, fruit, cheese, chips and salsa, mac n' cheese, crackers and bites of just about anything I am eating. She loves sub sandwiches, Panda Express (she always steals my spring rolls!), pizza, olives, oatmeal, cereal, sandwich meat, all sweets and veggies not too much though we are working on that. She loves eating snacks and drinking her apple juice...I mean she really chugs her diluted apple juice!

Wakes up around 5:30 and talks until I get her up at 6:45...sometimes she falls back to sleep but, not always. She goes to bed between 7:30 and 8. She naps every day at around 12:30 and sleeps for an hour or two. She goes to bed easy peasy at night and I am so thankful for that. Also thankful that she is so content to chat in her bed for an hour in the morning so I can at least rest my eyes a little longer.

Does not like sitting still for long but, she has always been that way. We can't take her to restaurants anymore...fast food is fine but, she would def. ruin a fine dining experience. lol. She does like to sit in her red chair and watch her shows once in a while which is such a treat...sometimes for as long as 20 minutes. Those are such wonderful moments because I get a nice break and can get something done. Thanks Daisy girl!

Some of the things I love doing with my little girl....singing her Jesus loves me every night in the dark by her crib right before I put her to bed. Dancing to our favorite songs on youtube, shopping and walking around in the mall, reading books and pointing out where the objects are around the house that we see in the books, playing in the backyard together and kicking the ball around, sharing a snack, giving kisses and hugs, coloring pictures while we sit on the kitchen floor, praying together before dinner and hearing her loud ayyyymeeen interrupt me and I love love her huge squinty eyed smile!

See that silly smile? My little girl smiles her whole face scrunches up. I hope she always smiles like this for me cuz it melts my heart!

Every single day since this little girl was born she has made me laugh, made me smile and warmed my heart a million times over. She has kept me distracted from the woes of life when I needed it most and she has kept me busier than I could have imagined. She is a great workout and a little buddy to take everywhere. She is a blast and a labor of love that I could never have imagined until experiencing motherhood first hand. Daisy, my sweet little love, I am in awe of you and I can't thank God enough for blessing me with you! Happy 19 months angel!

till next month....

What To Do With a 19 Month Old

2011-10-27T19:28:00.000-07:00

Rather than attempt to do a post on every little moment I have captured here's a little mash up of what Daisy has been up to lately...I know our families can never get enough of Daisy on the blog:).

We have a little tent that our neighbors gave us nearly a year ago (thanks again Judy!). Daisy still LOVES this thing and whenever her friends come over they love to play in it too. I threw a blanket on top and turned the tent into a fort and then managed to squeeze my adult sized body inside the insanely tiny tent. It was worth it to see Daisy having fun!

We had a chilly enough day to break out the sweaters and beanies (looks like we are going to be having a lot more chilly days starting tomorrow). Surprisingly, Daisy didn't seem to mind wearing her cute hat so I was able to take a few pictures. Oh, and in her hands you will notice the cap to my camera. She loves to put the cap back on the lens even when I in the middle of taking a picture.

Happy baby! She loves looking outside and watching the trash trucks and mail man drive by. She shouts out Airpwane at every bird and plane that flies by and woofs at every dog she hears or sees.

unhappy baby...seriously, what happened in three seconds to get to this face?? I have no idea. lol

She loves playing with my make up bags and my nail polish...this was right before she opened the clear polish and dumped it all over our hardwood floors, her hands and clothes. There is NOTHING this child cannot open...even child safety bottles (she just pops the lids off with her teeth).

Right before we left to take our family pictures Daisy decided that she didn't like the shoes I wanted her to wear so we had to change them. Can't blame her...I was particular about shoes as a kid. Perhaps my little one has taken after her mommy:).

I keep a couple of old magazines in the baskets by our door so Daisy can go to town when she feels like it. It usually distracts her for about 10 minutes. Just long enough for me to empty the dishwasher without having her under foot. Perfect!

Her new Craigslist toy. She was so obsessed with these cars whenever we went to the park and people had them, so being the awesome mommy and Daddy that we are, we got her one. Of course once we got her one, her interest quickly vanished. Ain't that how it always goes...sigh. I think she'll come around though.

A bunkie, poppy and a little PBS kids make the world go round...when you're 1 1/2 I won't go into Daisy's Elmo obsession...I must do an entire post on that so stay tuned.

Daisy loves playing "soccer" with mommy and Daddy. She loves kicking the beach ball and then we all run for it. It's fun for the whole family!

And she SCORES!

Our backyard has become a favorite play place. She explores every square inch of the yard and all that is in it; the solar lights, the BBQ, the tiki lights, bugs which she does not like, gaps in the fence, solar lights, the picnic table and testing me by climbing on top which is a no no, watering the plants etc. The weather has been perfect for outside time finally!

I love how creative she gets with her snacks and her toys.

Lots of car trips these days and I must say that Daisy has in a lot of ways improved as a passenger. She needs far fewer toys and typically all she wants to do is fall asleep if I let her. I love my girl!

Oh how I love her

Now that you all have OD'd on Daisy I hope you have a most wonderful night!

She LOVES Her Blanket

2011-10-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

I am so behind on my own personal editing and blogging that I don't think I will ever "catch up." It appears that I am in a new and long term season of being very busy with my photography business which is nothing to complain about. I shot a bridal session this weekend and absolutely cannot wait to share my favorite images. The bride was drop dead gorgeous, the setting was breath taking and the pictures turned out mesmerizing as a result. I will be shooting her wedding at the end of November (exciting!) so I look forward to sharing her bridals shortly after that with you all. I am so thankful that I get to pursue something that I love, make a little money and even better than that is the fact that I get to be a mom and wife first and foremost. God is so good!

Okay, so enough of that ramble...Let's get back to the subject matter of this post which is to share with everyone how much my little girl LOVES her blanket and I finally got pictures to prove it. Well, technically she loves her blanket and her pacifier (and always together) but, we'll just focus on the blanket for this post. Ever since Daisy was a newborn I let her sleep with a blanket and she quickly required it to nap or drive quietly. It didn't take long before she latched on to this specific type of blanket with extra thick softness and a super soft satin edge and now they are inseperable. She calls it "bunkie," and asks me to spread it flat on the ground so she can lay down on it and snuggle. It is hilarious to watch her roll around and sometimes she pretend cries for fun....not sure where she learned that. LOL. Gosh I love this silly little girl to pieces. She is just too too cute!

and if that wasn't enough to convince you...wait, she's not done...

then she got creative...

Why hello there:)

Fun Family Pictures

2011-10-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

The past several years I have done our family pictures myself with a tripod and I really didn't enjoy it because it is so hard to get the shots that I wanted. Last year I knew with a child in the mix that a tripod would be too stressful, so I asked my hubby's sister to come along and be my assistant and she was much more able to get the shots that I wanted and could never have gotten with a tripod. I seriously love her because I get to meter the shot, put her where I want and she gets the shot perfectly...really, she is such a blessing and makes these sessions virtually stress free for all of us! Plus she's just fun to have her around and Daisy adores her Auntie:). Thank you Jess!

I browsed Pinterest for family picture ideas but, I really wanted to come up with something creative...I have to say the exercise ball idea was a last minute thought as I ran out the door and saw them in the office as I passed by. The pictures with them crack me up, because it is so unexpected and silly to see something like that in a picture and I only wish I had remembered to get a family shot on the exercise balls. LOL. Daisy was asleep in the car when we first arrived so we parked the car like literally right next to us and Joey and I were able to get a few pictures without her which was nice as we haven't done that in a while.

I edited these pictures a bit bright, over the top fun, because I have been wanting some really colorful pictures for our hallway collage. I'm excited to get them printed and finally fill the four empty frames that I have to stare at everyday! Oh and the best trick to get Daisy to sit still now is to give her a package of smarties. Granted the downside is that she doesn't want to look up at the camera, because the candy in her hand is far more interesting....hmmmm....

This first picture cracks us up as you just never know quite how a picture is going to turn out until you see them afterwards and this just turned out plain funny. lol

This was the only picture that Daisy looked at the camera and gave a happy face. Love it!

See the little smarty package in her hands....yup, she was very happy:)

Me and my beautiful sister Jessica. I've known her for nearly 12 years now and I am so thankful for the friendship we have and that she lives here in NC. Very thankful to have family so close by. Please forgive this horribly over exposed shot. I liked it regardless. :)

Hope

2011-10-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

Daisy was up Friday morning at 2:30 AM with a coughing spell that wouldn't stop. I brought her into bed with me while Joey set up the humidifier in her room. I was surprised that she stayed so still on my chest while while I sang to her and rubbed her back. This is the first time I have had to get Daisy out of bed in the middle of the night for at least 9 months or so. It felt so different to hold my much bigger baby in my arms in the darkness of the morning. To hear her raspy breaths and feel her warm forehead on my cheek took me back to when she was even littler and sick all the time but, she is still helpless all the same. I took my time walking her back to her crib. I was in no hurry to put her down. I rocked her by her bedside and prayed for lungs to ease up on her. She was so tired that she never stirred and when I finally laid her back in her bed she curled up without a peep even ignoring the jet like roar of the humidifier. I walked back to bed and heard another nasty cough on the monitor, said another prayer and pleaded with God to give her rest and then all praise to Him, there was silence and she slept the rest of the morning in peace. Thank you Jesus!

Needless to say, we are staying home from church today so that we don't spread our sickness to other poor families trying desperately to stay healthy. I think I am going to be reading some of Francis Chan's Crazy Love this morning (a fantastic read!!) to be my church alternative and I'm breathing in the sweet perfume of the verses I've shared in this post today. I am always carrying what feels like a heavy heart these days and fatigue is a constant companion. The day to day struggle to hold on to my own joy in the midst of my husband's battle with depression is a challenging one but, I give God all the glory for sustaining me, giving me rest and giving me so many things to be thankful for. I am learning more life lessons than my brain can contain and I look forward to the day when I can give back to others who are struggling in a similar battle. I look forward to paying forward and sharing more in depth with you all as well as I'm sure I am not the only one walking this road. Meanwhile, I ask that you pray for our family but, not worry for us. God is good and we are going to be okay. HE works all things together for our good and this too will pass.

And to conclude on a lighter note...Daisy is currently tugging on my leg and asking for a sip of my "tahpee (coffee)." I guess it's not a good sign when one of her many first words is coffee because that means that somebody is giving her sips...and shamefully I only have myself to blame. The horror! hehehe Just a couple tiny sips people...tiny and it's SO worth it to hear her ask for, "tahpee, tahpee," every morning and then after giving her a tiny sip, "mmmmmmmmm, tahpee." I'm cracking up right now!! hahaha

Psalm 34:18
"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed." (NLT)

Psalm 10:17
"LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them." (NLT)

Psalm 94:19
"When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer." (NLT)

Psalm 121
A song of ascents. ^1" I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
   where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
   the Maker of heaven and earth.
³ He will not let your foot slip—
   he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
   will neither slumber nor sleep.
⁵ The LORD watches over you—
   the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
   nor the moon by night.
⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
   he will watch over your life;
⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
   both now and forevermore."

My Punkin Asked Us To Pray Tonight

2011-10-13T18:01:00.000-07:00

We try to make a habit of eating together as a family at our dining room table at least a few times a week and each time we do this we put Daisy in her high chair and she gets VERY excited about our prayer. Tonight as my hubby, Daisy and I sat down to enjoy our pizza we began eating and forgot to pray. Daisy lifted one hand out to Joey and one hand out to me and said in an angelic little voice, "peh (pray)," with the hugest smile on her face. I can't describe how much this simple act blessed me. My 18 month old reminded her parents to pray. My husband and I looked at each other with that twinkle of joy in our eyes and bowed our heads to pray and then as always we were interrupted by Daisy's very loud "AyyyMEEEN." We all laughed and savored the beauty of the moment; we savored the priceless gift that God has given us. It really is all about the simple things in life. In spite of all the hardships that our little family has been enduring, moments like these shine brighter than the sun and they pierce the heaviness that is hanging over us. They fix my heart on the things that really matter and remind of God's loving kindness. I am blessed beyond measure!

I should have bought the tiny pumpkin for Daisy. She loved it because, it fit so well in her little hands and I really should have purchased it after she did what I captured in the last pumpkin picture:)

Her favorite thing to do with the small pumpkin...fastball pitch it as hard as she could! Hilarious. Though also a bit embarrassing because the guard guy was keeping a close eye on us and he wasn't smiling. I was worried that he might stick all 3 of us in a time out so we wrapped it up quickly and ran away...well, we didn't really run. lol

I've added a couple of videos for fun. One of them captures the first time Daisy has really truly laughed. In 17 months Daisy had never barrel laughed She has her chuckle that sounds like a cartoon character but, she has never full out cracked up. This video is priceless because I finally found something that brought that out of her. Priceless to say the least.

Her Second Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-11T04:29:00.000-07:00

Let's face it, the days can get pretty long when we stay home all day with our ball of energy, also known as Daisy. Both me and my hubby look forward to any opportunity to get out of the house, go somewhere fun and pass an evening with lots of laughter and smiles. There is a farm not far from our house that sets up a really fun pumpkin patch each Fall. They have so many different things for kids to do such as pony rides, getting lost in a corn maze, jumping in several bouncers, playing in a giant sand pile, running along giant hay rolls, getting faces painted or munching on a yummy funnel cake to name a few. It was such a lively family atmosphere and our little bean had such a blast though she was a lot less smiley than usual.

Evidently her two year molars are coming in now. I'm telling you our kid hasn't gotten a break from teething since she was 3 months old and she is not a happy camper. She has been biting on her cheek all day, tugging on her ear and smiling less and less for my camera (shocking, I know!). The molars could also explain her early morning wake ups ranging anywhere from 3-6 AM. Luckily for me Daisy is content to chat in her crib for an hour or so and then she eventually falls back to sleep on her own. Thank goodness!

Okay on to the fun pictures....

Daisy was the only kiddo brave enough or perhaps crazy enough to climb through this super long tunnel that was under what I can only imagine to be 3 ton rolls of hay. Honestly it made me really uncomfortable to see her climbing in something that could be crushed by giant hay rolls but, I stifled my paranoia and let her crawl through a few times. Daddy got this picture and I love it!

I think the sand was Daisy's favorite place. So many of our parks out here use wood mulch and don't have sand boxes which is so foreign to me. Daisy loved that there we so many toys to choose from and lots of other kids to stare at and observe while she played.

Daddy helped Daisy climb on the giant hay rolls and these pictures show the more serious face that she has these days. I absolutely adore the picture of Daisy and Daddy looking at each other below this storyboard. I will be framing it for sure!

Daisy was absolutely fascinated by the ponies. She was content to stand close by and watched them go around and around until Joey and I were itching to move on....and I'm a patient gal so you know we stood there for a long time. I figured like always I would take pictures with the time I had and the only way I could get Daisy to look at the camera was if I yelled out, "where's Daddy," and then she turned to look for him and "snap" I seized the opportunity to get a picture of her looking in my general direction. lol

Do you see that beautiful turquoise camera purse that I am wearing? Can I just say that it is very uncomfortable to lug around a humongous camera bag at a pumpkin patch. Sure, it's super cute and yes, I even got a few compliments on it but, the thing is so dang heavy that I felt like the nerve in my shoulder was being severed. lol. I really do love my camera purse just not for prolonged use. I also love that it added a nice pop of color to these shots. Our family shot below was captured thanks to a very sweet lady who randomly asked if she could take a picture for us. I love when people notice that a family might need a family picture and offer to capture that for them. Not to mention she didn't cut off any heads and we are pretty centered. I cannot tell you how awful most of our pictures turn out when strangers take them for us. This lady had skills! hahaha

Daisy was uber nervous on the bouncer. She has never been on one before so the experience was very foreign to her. Not to mention there were a lot of kids on it at one point and the bouncing got a bit out of hand which is when Daisy climbed towards the exit. She never cried but, then again she never smiled or seemed all that thrilled. We'll have to give the bouncers a little more time:) I can't tell you how old our little girl looked in the bouncer all by herself. We watched her standing there alone and I swear I felt like she could have been 5 years old and heading off to Kindergarten. I definitely felt some crazy tugs on my momma heart.

The corn maze was a dud. Daisy was bored after t-minus 2 minutes and was asking to be held. Plus she refused to smile. I think this was when we realized we were going to have to start wrapping up our night. lol. She sure is cute isn't she.

This was Daisy's happiest moment for the camera. "Where's Daisy???" I LOVE this peak a boo picture!!! I could just eat those chubby little baby hands and seeing her eye trying to peak through the cracks in her fingers just melts me to pieces. AHHHHHHH.....tissue please.

There she is!! I love this little peanut so much!

I still have to post the actually pictures of Daisy and the pumpkins but, this post was getting far to picture heavy so I'll share those next. Have you been to a pumpkin patch yet this year? I can't wait to put some pumpkins on our porch! I LOVE fall!

10 Under 10

2011-10-10T04:21:00.000-07:00

A friend asked me recently what types of things under $10 peak my interest. She wasn't sifting for gift ideas but, rather asking because my responses would actually tell her more about my style, personality and likes. I shared my 10 things under 10 with her and assumed hers would be similar for whatever reason but, in fact hers were much different. It was an eye opening and fun exchange of information. No, I am not trying to pass along ideas for Christmas or solicit gifts....(family) though this might be helpful (lol). I just found this to be a fun, creative activity and I'd love to know what your 10 things under 10 would be too! Share with us sometime this week.:-)

NUMBER 1.
Fashionable Scarves. They add style and pizzazz to even the simplest t-shirt or outfit.
Love em'!

Number 2.
Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's Genmaicha Green Tea. Hands down my favorite tea ever!!! Or least it was 4 years ago when I last had it. We don't have Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in North Carolina but, I will be buying some online very, very soon!

3. Makeup - Eye shadows, blush, lip gloss, mascara, lip sticks etc. I love cheap, drugs store make up. I love having a variety of colors and styles for the days that I actually have time to put something on.

4. Earrings. I always wear earrings and I change them daily. It is the one and only accessory that I make an effort to wear. I am horrible about wearing necklaces, nail polish, rings or hair bands. Not gonna lie...I'm pretty picky but, I always love studs and hoops. Forever 21 is one of my favorite places to get cheap and yet super cute earrings.

5. Starbucks - I don't go to Starbucks often because it is overpriced in my opinion but, I LOVE the seasonal drinks and an occasional latte on a special day. Plus, it's just fun to hang out and chat with friends at cozy, yummy smelling Starbucks. I almost feel like I'm an extra on an episode of FRIENDS. Good times!

6. Soft Things - socks, blankets, jammy pants, sweaters....I'm obsessed with soft things, especially during our cold NC winters. Soft things feel cozy and homey and keep me warm. What's not to love?

7. Photoshop Actions - I am always on the prowl for new and lovely actions that I can use to enhance and change up my photo editing.

8. Candles - Yup, I love them. I love the seasonal Apple Cider, pumpkin spice and the vanilla frosting. I love the fresh laundry and the rainforest fresh etc. etc. Not only do I love and appreciate the smell of candles but, I love the feel that they give off in a room when they dance and flicker against the wall. So beautiful and relaxing doncha think.

9. Patterned Socks - I have gone through phases where I didn't like to wear patterned socks but, I grew fond of them again a few years back when we moved to NC. Most people tend to take their shoes off when visiting people's homes and I realized that I much prefer having a cute pair of patterned socks on than a boring pair of white ones when I am walking around in someone's home. LOL. For the record I hardly ever wear patterned socks but, I really do LOVE them.

10. Ribbon and Wrapping Paper - I love wrapping people's gifts with a pretty ribbon that compliments the paper. Solid colored or patterned. I love having a variety of wrapping paper on hand for the different occasions that come up and if I had a craft room I would probably devote a wall hanging unit strictly to gift wrapping supplies. So much fun to make a gift look pretty!

Have you ever noticed that guys are not nearly as easy to shop for with $10 or less? Is it just my hubby or are most things guys like far more expensive than that? lol

Newborn Faves

2011-10-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

I shot my first "official" newborn session for my friend's baby girl. She is so beautiful. I mean c'mon look at all that dark hair and those cute little lips and she was a breeze to pose and photograph. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect baby for my first round. We did take some full body nakie pics that I absolutely adore but, the parents opted to keep those pictures private which I completely respect. I learned a lot about how to pose a newborn, what kind of props I like and what I don't and that I need to wear extra deodorant as I will surely sweat a lot with a space heater blasting on me for two hours. hehe. I was always so nervous about tackling newborn sessions because babies are so unpredictable but, now I can truly say that I can't wait to shoot more! Here are some of my favorites from our two hour session together.

Musings on Parenting

2011-10-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

Something happens when the cooler breezes of fall begin to whistle through my hair; when the falling leaves stir across the pavement and the greenery takes on hues of gold, red and orange. I find myself reflecting more and feeling a bit nostalgic at times. Perhaps this is because the year's end is so steadily approaching now. Perhaps it is because my little girl was a baby during the holidays last year and now she is so active and independent in so many ways. I cannot be certain what triggers this season of reflection but, I truly do enjoy it.

We had a lovely park play date this morning with some friends and Daisy had such a good time climbing, exploring and at one point falling down a huge tube slide head first which sent the "act without thinking" mom in me into full gear and I dove in after her rolling the whole way and getting quite a soaking because it was early in the morning and the dew had not dried out of the slide yet. It was amusing to say the least. I love watching the way my little girl takes in her surroundings and the other kids around her. I love when she tries to engage other children by bending down and looking them in the eye and babbling some sort of baby talk and making gestures with her hands to tell her story. I love that she tries to hold other kid's hands and give them hugs. She really has such a sweet spirit about her (not always for the record but, a lot of the time!).

At one point Daisy was in a little closed off wooden fort like thing at the park and I was observing as another little girl who was about 3 came in and tried to push Daisy into the wall of the fort, cornered her and at one point tried to smash her hand into a small hole. Daisy was so happy to have someone showing interest in her that she didn't seem to mind the rather older girl roughing her up a bit. I felt it though...the twinges of wanting to protect my daughter and never wanting to see her get bullied or left out. So I reflected on that. Who I am now with a one and half year old is not who I was with a newborn, nor is it who I will be with an 18 year old etc. Over the past 18 months I have become stronger, less sensitive, less protective in some ways and more in others and more willing to let my little girl learn without as much interference.

(This is my friend Elissa with 2 of her 3 boys. She is an awesome momma and I am always gleaning from her parenting experience. Visit her sweet blog here)

As mother's we are constantly growing and learning and I recognize that a mom with 3 grown children is going to have a much different perspective on motherhood than I might with one small child. Extending grace to one another is so important. We all raise our children differently and that is okay. Our kids learn things at different paces and that is okay. We discipline differently and that is okay. We have different fears as parents and that is okay. There really are SO many right ways to do the whole parenting thing. My way is no more right than anyone else but, I think we can all agree that the most important ingredient in parenting is love.

My little girl is changing and growing older with each passing second! The world can be a tough place for our little ones at times and there is no medicine quite like a mother's love to encourage, nurture and guide them. Our children area a priceless gift and we never know how long our time with them may be. We may be given 70 years or 7 minutes more. Cherish them. Protect them. Encourage them. And love them like crazy!

18 Months Old - A Year and A Half : Wow!

2011-10-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

Happy 18 months my sweet little girl! It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time flies and there is nothing like watching a child grow to remind me of that fact. Another month has passed and my girl is creeping towards 2 ever so steadily. Each day she learns something new and lights up my heart with joy! The little baby in her is fading fast and instead a mischievous, curious and ever so lovable toddler is emerging. So what is the little bean up to these days....

*It only took 17.5 months but, you are finally saying Dada and you are so proud of yourself! Daddy is so happy that he is not mommy anymore:)

*In the past 3 weeks you have started to repeat just about any and every word we ask you to say. I love the way you say things. Love you is nuv nu, Lulu is Nunu, Daisy is Dayde, Grandma is namah, GG is deedee, milk is mik. Yah, you get the idea. I am in awe with every new word you learn and every proud smile and little clap you give me after repeating me or Daddy. You are so precious!

*You are so feisty and you tantrum a lot right now but, I realize it is all a phase. You are already trying to spread your little wings and you'll continue to do so for the next several years. I hope to love you endlessly, be patient with you even when it's hard, gently discipline you in order to teach you to be the best you and encourage you every step of the way. You are passionate, spirited, incredibly friendly and loving, sweet, a little rough at times, silly, fun, sensitive and beautiful. I am learning so much about love by being your mommy sweet angel!

You don't like to eat much of anything these days. You prefer squishing your peanut butter sandwiches with your thumb than eating them and digging in your high chair seat for old food to fling on the floor. You do, however; love string cheese, apple juice, ritz crackers and watermelon right now. And if you get hungry enough I can get you to eat just about anything, just not much of it. You actually ate some green beans last week and even picked them up on your own. Usually you will only eat them if I feed them to you so that made me really happy! Good job baby girl!

You adore babies, real and dolls that look real. I can already tell that you are going to be such a sweet big sister whenever that time comes (no not now in case you are wondering:). You like to walk around freely outside, you like to pretend drive the cars, you like to help mommy with laundry, cooking, and vacuuming. You like to twirl and dance. You like to sing and can sort of sing the ABC's (just the first few letters), twinkle star, and 123's. You are a very smart little girl! You wave to everyone and love saying hiiiii. You give such sweet hugs and kisses. You like water and playing in it. You love sweets, climbing on unstable things, belly flopping on the beds, saying uh oh, watching cartoons, singing Jesus loves me before bedtime and waking up in the morning and saying "all done mommy."

You are wearing size 5 shoes, size 18-24 month clothes, size 5 diapers. If I could I would buy you every cute clothing item that baby Gap sells! It is so fun to get you dressed, tell you how pretty you look and then watch you swish from side to side and walk around calling for dadah so you can show him your outfit. You are such a little doll!

You know the word for every body part you have and you can point to them all. I try to avoid asking you where your eyes are because you start blinking your eyes a lot and then you think you need to stick your finger in your eye to show me where it is. It's kinda funny though I gotta admit. You try to get into everything that you are not allowed in...the pantry, the bathroom cabinets, the dishwasher etc. We just put doorknob safety things on the doors we don't want you to open this week because you learned how to open all the doors! hehe. You LOVE your pacifier and blankie. They are definitely two of your favorite things!

You love running around nakie and you still hate having your diaper changed. You like to brush your teeth. You seem to be terrified of all bugs. If you see one you stop dead in your tracks and wave and say hi bug but, you definitely don't want them coming anywhere near you. You love animals but, you get a little scared/intimidated by dogs if they come near you. You cannot sit still...not in your car seat, not in a grocery cart, not in a restaurant etc. You hate being confined so we are not going to be taking you out to eat anywhere fancy for a while:) We'll stick with Taco Bell for now. hehe

You nap once a day from around 12-1ish or 12 - 2ish on a good day. You sleep from 8 until 6ish though the last 3 weeks straight you have gotten up at 4AM and talked for an hour in bed and then fallen back to sleep. You crack me and Daddy up Daisy. We absolutely adore you little girl. You really are the sunshine in our lives! Lots of love, hugs and kisses for you baby girl!

Momma In Focus - Family

2011-09-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

Daisy loves being up on our bed. Unfortunately for her, I don't let her on it very often because she seems dead set on sky diving off the edge or plowing her face into my headboard or foot board during a belly flop. I tell yah, our little gal is a wild one! So I figured our bed was the perfect place to snap a couple of quick family self-portraits and also keep Daisy entertained. I was right. She had a blast during our little 5 minutes of silly time and if I recall she threw a lovely little tantrum when we were done.

Our little family of 3 has been through a lot over the past year and a half but, I am prayerful and hopeful that we will soon begin a new chapter. I really do believe that the tougher seasons in life are what make us stronger if we are willing to learn as we go and I know that to be true for my family. I'm so thankful for my hubby and our spirited little girl and I look forward to many more years of silliness and love! Happy Friday All!

Her First Beach Day

2011-09-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

We live a couple of hours away from the beach and I really can't believe that in 18 months Daisy has never been to the beach! In fact, her first beach trip wasn't to our beach here in NC but, instead to Virginia Beach when we visited our friends a week ago. I had such a blast! The weather was beautiful and Daisy was fearless. She walked right out into the waves, giggled when they knocked her down and then stood up to face them again. Needless to say I had to watch her like a hawk. I just can't get enough of how adventurous my little one is and how much she loves babies. Daisy was all over baby Everett the entire trip and was so sweet with him. I'm just so thankful for this family. I really needed a get away and it was just that! Thanks so much Morris family! Okay, enough blabbing...on to the pictures...and by the way (who says you can't get awesome shots with a point and shoot?).

Baby Friends: (Left to Right) Everett, Austin, Logan and Daisy. Everett wasn't happy to be wet. Aren't these pictures adorable!! I'm just so proud of the kids for sitting still!

LOVE LOVE this picture that Elissa took for me. Probably one of my favorites of Daisy. Really captures her sweet face.

Me and my bestie Elissa and my little gal. We met in California right before I got married over seven years ago. Now we both live on the East coast and try to get together as often as we can. We've been through a lot of changes together between our two families! I'm so thankful for our friendship. Love you Elissa!

Love that this picture of me and Daisy captures how small she is still. She seems so big these days but, she is still my little boo boo.

The lovely Morris Family

Me and my sweet, friendly, camera crazy little girl

Older brother Logan was swimming up to try and make baby Everett happy. He is a super sweet older brother! Below that he is trying to give me a peace sign but, he couldn't get both fingers up:-) hehe

I love this shot below...another awesome Elissa shot!

My First Wedding - At a Glance

2011-09-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to post some pictures from the wedding I shot in early August for some time now. It took me about a month to edit the 600 pictures that I promised the client. I edited every evening after my little one went to bed and during every nap break which was an average of 20+ pictures a day. It's was lot of editing to say the least but, it really is so rewarding to see the fruit of my labor unfold. I actually have another wedding booked for late November which I am really excited about! I think I would be more than happy to shoot 3 or 4 weddings a year but, I wouldn't ever want to take on more than that. I don't ever want to take on too much because being a good Momma and a Wife is my first priority always but, I am so thankful to have such an awesome creative outlet!

I posted more of the wedding images on my photography blog here check em' out. I look forward to challenging myself more in the future, improving in the areas that I am weak, creating a faster work-flow with my editing and just overall growing as an artist. I'm so happy that I took the plunge! I will also be shooting my first official newborn session this week! EEK. I kid you not, newborn sessions make me way more nervous than weddings but, the more I do them the more comfortable I will get....right? lol

I absolutely LOVE this picture of the cake that my assistant, Elissa captured. Beautiful isn't it!

Beauty

2011-09-24T10:44:00.000-07:00

Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I can't think of a more perfect way to describe what beauty is than by sharing a picture of the sweet innocence of a little child surrounded by God's glorious creation. Hoping that you are all having a beautiful weekend!

Momma In Focus - She Loves Bubbles

2011-09-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

Daisy is obsessed with my bubble gum and me blowing bubbles for her. She points at my box of gum and says bubble over and over again until I give in a chew on a piece simply to see her face light up with a big smile, to watch her lean her head back and her eyes get big as she waits for the bubble. I love that little people are fascinated by the simplest things, because for them so much is brand new. So much of what is taken for granted by us boring old folks is a magical experience for little ones. I love reliving the joys of being a kid with my little girl!

(I couldn't help but, add the last non-related picture because my hubby caught a sweet cuddle moment between me and my princess. She has become a bit more cuddly when she wakes up from naps and when she is tired. She doesn't sit long but, long enough for me to smell her baby fresh hair and kiss her sweet little head. Moments like these are priceless)

And now just for fun, I'm going to share the ABC's of me. I've seen this going around on a lot of blogs lately and I really enjoy learning more about my fellow bloggers so now you can learn a little more about me...if yah want. lol

A. Age: 28.51/2....creeping towards 30 if yah get my drift
B. Bed size: Queen - and I totally have KING ENVY. My hubby moves too much in his sleep....
C. Chore that you hate: Do I have to pick just one?? Because for me dishes and laundry are tied!
D. Dogs: Had a cute Dachshund dog named Dakota for a few years. She was such a spit fire!
E. Essential start to your day: Ummm, a prayer in bed before my feet hit the floor...then coffee fo sho
F. Favorite color: GREEN..but, truthfully I'm kinda particular about the shade.
G. Gold or Silver: Silver though gold is making a bit of a comeback
H. Height: 5'8" The ladies in my family are all quite tall
I. Instruments you play: acoustic guitar...not great though, just basic chord strumming
J. Job title: Work at home Mom - Photographer
K. Kids: 1 lively little gal...definitely hope to give her a sibling someday:-)
L. Live: North Carolina
M. Mother’s name: Lynne
N. Nicknames: Case, Quesadilla (thanks Dad)
O. Overnight hospital stays: Only to give birth
P. Pet peeves: bathroom and pantry doors being left open = disaster with toddler
Q. Quote from a movie:
R. Right or left handed: Right
S. Siblings: Older bro (30) and two younger sisters (21 and 17)
U. Underwear: I'm a fan!
V. Vegetable you hate: ONION...unless cooked really well and then I can sorta tolerate them
W. What makes you run late: being a mom always makes me run late. I used to be very punctual
X. X-Rays you’ve had: dental, kidney stones and 3 potential arm breaks
Y. Yummy food that you make: enchiladas, chili and family recipe burritos. Yum.
Z. Zoo animal: I'll say bears and lions because they are the most fun to see since you can't see them anywhere else.

Surrender

2011-09-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew {their} strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; {and} they shall walk, and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31

I mega, uber duber, heart the song Surrender by Marc James. I will forever remember singing it for the first time about 6 years ago when I lived in California and attended a Calvary Chapel out there. Every time the worship leader sang this song, he sang with so much conviction and passion that he was often on the brink of tears. I even remember him having to pause one time as he sang because his voice was so choked up. I was deeply impacted by this time of worship so much so that here I am sharing the story with you years later. You know how it is when the words of a song grab a hold of your heart in a mighty way and as you cling to every word you sing you feel the power of God resting on you and then you feel chills throughout your body. Mmmhmm...awesome isn't it! It is easy for me to sing worship songs without even thinking about the words when I am not in the midst of a trial or storm but, to sing in the midst of a trial and to truly submit to every word is when the song becomes powerful. It's easy to offer God lip service when times are good but, when they aren't are we still willing to surrender and praise? Do we trust Him even when everything is falling apart, when loved ones die, when we lose our jobs unexpectedly, when we struggle with infertility, when chronic pain abounds? Is He still a good and loving God when we are in storm? Can you count it all as loss simply for the sake of knowing Him? That's what I desire more than anything. I desire to say in all circumstances, "even in this I will praise you Lord." I may not always understand the whys but, I know that God is faithful and His plans for my life are good. I think I know what's best for my life but, the truth is...I don't know what's best for my life. I can only see the minute at hand but, God can see all. I'm gonna rest in the arms of the one who knows better than I and I'm gonna cling to the one whose ways are higher than mine. I don't need to understand everything or to know all the whys. God is God and I am not. I surrender. Do you? It's well worth it!

Psalm 5:11-12
But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

Psalm 23:1-4
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.He makes me to lie down in green pastures;He leads me beside the still waters.He restores my soul;He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil;For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 91:1-2; Psalm 91:14-16
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."

Surrender

Lyrics: I'm giving You my heart
All that is within
I lay it all down
For the sake of You my King
I'm giving You my dreams laying down my rights
I'm giving up my pride
For the promise of new life

And I Surrender
All to You, all to You

I'm singing You this song
I'm waiting at the Cross
All the world holds dear
I count it all as loss
For the sake of knowing You
For the glory of Your name
To know the lasting joy
Even sharing in Your pain

Summer Time In Review

2011-09-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

The past two days the air has been cooler, much cooler. The winds seem to whisper of Fall's arrival, the holidays, of warm bowls of soup and hot cups of tea. I'm already having sweet visions of my little girl dressed up in a cute costume, eating her first pumpkin pie and tearing open a pretty Christmas present! I'm excited!

On the other hand I will sincerely miss the long nights of Summer, the warm evening walks, the spontaneous mid day lake trips, pool play dates, endless otter pops and loads of family visits. It's been a busy and fun Summer and I'm glad we have so many pictures to remember it by!

We savored the warm rays of the sun on our backs...

We played a lot of Kinect and worked up a good sweat....

We enjoyed lots of kiddie car rides....

We posed for pictures and acted goofy....

We've gone to several museums and let Daisy run wild...

We've run a little wild ourselves as you can see....

We've walked around in the mall for hours and given the baby a fohawk just to kill time.....

And we watched out little baby grow into a toddler....sigh...It's been a wonderful Summer!

Early Mornings

2011-09-17T04:20:00.000-07:00

Me and my little gal went to Virginia for a few days to visit our good friends and had a blast! Daisy loved her first beach experience and I loved the delicious iced coffees that Elissa made me every day (hehe) and I will share pictures soon. So, back to early mornings...for whatever reason Daisy slept horribly the two nights we were gone. She was awake and babbling from as early as 3 AM on. I really have no idea what the deal was. I refused to get her out of bed that early and lucky for me she never cried but, she also wouldn't go back to sleep. I was excited to let her sleep in her own bed last night and was hoping for a full night's sleep but, instead she woke up at 4 AM again this morning and babbled and sneezed from then on. She is as perky as ever today (what the heck)...me, not so much. I marvel at how little sleep my daughter needs. Since the day she was born she has been a relatively horrible sleeper and has needed a fraction of the sleep that most babies need.

All that to say, I'm uber sleepy (and wish Elissa was here to make me an ice coffee!) but, I can't help but, smile at my little gal while she sits and watches Backyardigans for a few minutes. She is who she is and there is no sense in getting frustrated about it. Though I admit, I have prayed and asked God to make sure that the next baby that the stork brings, loves to sleep. lol

Have all of your kids been great sleepers or have you also had a little one who never needed much?

I'm still pretty MIA from the blog world and I apologize for that. I still have to do a photography post for the wedding I shot a month ago and I have a bridal session today though I think it might get rained out. Tis the season to be busy. :-) I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! The temperature is not even breaking past the high 60's today which is crazy!! FALL IS HERE!!! Time to go shopping for warm clothes and shoes for my little gal. Time for warm soups for dinner, uggs worn all day, sweaters and scarves and lots of tea and coffee! YEAH!

*[this little wooden chair was handmade by Daisy's Uncle Tony in California and Daisy just loves it]

*Corn on the cob is a new mega favorite with Daisy!

*I love that Daisy sits in her red kiddie chair with her blankie and poppy and watches her shows for about 10 minutes with her cute feet crossed. It is so precious to watch her.

*Daisy is also learning how to hold a fork and spoon. We have a ways to go but, she is making a little progress!

Thankful

2011-09-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

I love giving thanks for the things I am thankful for! Whenever I focus my heart on the things that I am thankful for I find that my attitude stays more positive and my body feels less heavy. You know the feeling right?

*I am so thankful for my relationship with the Lord because He alone gives me what I need to make the most of every day! He has been teaching me a whole heck of a lot lately and I am thankful for the lessons, even in the hard times. Really learning a lot about what love is...and what love isn't. Curious? lol

*I'm thankful for my little bean baby girl. She is so much fun and is soaking life up like a sponge right now. Every new word she speaks brings me so much joy. I love that she loves her shoes and feels like such a big girl when she wears them. When she kisses her Daddy with so much love and sweetness it melts my heart. I love watching the bond between these two grow. Love when Daisy stands on her tip toes to kiss Daddy and love when Daddy stops everything to play with his little girl.

swoon...I'm so thankful for my husband. I don't say it enough but, he is a great husband. Not gonna lie, this season is wearing me out but, I couldn't ask for a better guy to be going through a storm with. Just tonight he took our little one to the park for an hour so I could have some quiet time and he surprised me with a Chick-fil-A hand spun vanilla milkshake when he came home ( can we all say...YUM). He cleaned my car inside and out this weekend and does just about anything I ask him to do, seriously. He loves to serve me and I am not exaggerating. I am beyond blessed and the fact of the matter is, my husband is an amazing guy. I heart him very, very much.

I am thankful for the fact that I have food to feed my daughter and clothes to keep her comfortable. She may be a ridiculously picky eater but, I have plenty of food to keep her from ever going hungry. Seems like something so insignificant here in the states but, it really isn't. Think about it...your children will most likely never know the pain of starvation! That is a huge thing to be thankful for!

*I am thankful that I remember to take a few extra minutes to be patient and let my little one play with my things even when she is messy about it. She just started lining things up in a row and I never taught her this. She figured it out all on her own and I had the pleasure of watching her explore and discover something new. Priceless.

I am thankful for the warm rays of the sun and the cool refreshing breezes of Fall. I am thankful for a warm cup of coffee or tea in the morning while I sit on the couch with my little girl. I am thankful for the internet to blog, research and waste my life away on pinterest....sigh. lol I am thankful for my fantastic friends here in NC, out in CA, over in Kuwait and all over the globe that I have met through blogging etc. I am thankful for our family....oh how I adore our family!! I am thankful for another bridal session this weekend (FUN). I am thankful for sleep...I LOVE sleep. Thankful for hot showers, chewy sweet tarts, psych for making me laugh, a thoughtful gifted book that came in the mail (thank you Grandparents!), park play dates, easy dinners cooked on our bomb grill, purple painted toenails ready for fall, 2 cute shirts found on clearance, laughter, love...you get the idea. Honestly, what I am most thankful for above all else is Jesus, my loving Father in Heaven. Everything that I am thankful for He has given to me. So friends, what are you thankful for?

I could kiss this chubby face ALL DAY LONG if she'd let me...but, she won't so I'll settle for a few times a day with slobber all over and head butt shortly after. Still well worth it! hehe

"Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

A Different Kind Of Melt

2011-09-12T18:08:00.000-07:00

This may not appeal to everyone but, I just LOVE it. About 6 years ago when I lived in California my husband took me on a surprise dinner date to a little seafood cafe near the beach in Santa Barbara. He told me I just had to try their crab melt sandwich. I was a little hesitant at first as up to that point I had never eaten crab or lobster. I womaned up, ordered my own melt and after one bite I was sold. It is a delicious sandwich! It is often made with Alaskan Pollock, cheddar cheese, iceberg lettuce, sour dough bread buttered on both sides and a dash of garlic salt. Delish! So, if you are up for this sort of thing give it a try!

Momma In Focus - So Sweet

2011-09-08T20:29:00.000-07:00

Is there anything sweeter than our little ones kisses and hugs? Daisy went through a small phase of not wanting to give kisses at all but, now she gives an abundance of them and I couldn't be happier. She also learned not long ago what it means to give a hug is and she squeezes as tight as she can and it is pure bliss. I love the way she stands on her tip toes a lot these days when she gets excited. I love the way she comes running into my arms with squeals of excitement after a long play date at the park with her Daddy. I love her amazing laugh that I get to hear only when I tickle her neck and chin a certain way. I love that after she gets dressed she loves to go out and show Daddy her outfit while pointing her toes and twirling around for him to ooh and ahh over her. I love that Daisy adores babies and whether they visit us at our house or she sees one at church, all she wants to do is kiss them over and over again and she is so sweet with them! I love....well, you get the idea. I just love my little bean!

Below is a Daisy hug/squeeze in action. See how much she puts into her hugs. She cracks me up!

she loves to do everything mommy does

We read the same book a dozen times a day...mmmhmmm.

This little fellow is Everette and he is my good friend Elissa's son and oh my gosh he is SOOOO cute!

It makes me so happy to see how sweet Daisy is with babies because I think she is going to make a great big sister someday!

God is our Refuge and Strength

2011-09-06T10:03:00.000-07:00

I took this picture while standing on our back patio just as Hurricane Irene was moving in. Truthfully, nothing really amounted of the storm in our area but, we did get some beautiful clouds and cooler winds which were much appreciated. I truly am in awe of the nature that surrounds me and all that God has created; the changing seasons, the gorgeous plants, animals, raging storms, powerful waterfalls, vast oceans and the diversity of human life. Our God is great and mighty!

My life has felt very much like a storm for some time now. Not everyday and not all hours of the day but quite often for well over a year now due to the challenging circumstances relating to my husband's health. I love sharing with all of you what it is like in this season because I feel like the Lord can encourage others and minister through my transparency but, on the other hand I also want to respect the privacy of our home. I'm always trying to find the right balance in this...I'm sure a lot of you can relate in the blogging world! lol.

This past week was especially trying and I definitely had many breaking points of exhaustion mentally and physically. I had many moments of wanting to run away from life or just to go hide somewhere for a long time. The fight to hold on to joy became increasingly difficult and my heart was unbearably heavy at times. I am pretty good at pacing myself and staying positive...just ask my momma (lol) but, I guess the reality is that I am human not Superwoman and thus I too grow weary of weathering the storm.

Throughout this entire season I have prayed and trusted in the Lord steadfastly. I haven't become angry at God or doubted that He loves me. I haven't wondered why this is happening to us or why God isn't fixing everything and making our lives peachy keen again. I get that life happens and that it rains on us all. I get that as long as we live here on Earth that hard times and even harder times will inevitably come but, I must give all glory to God fur sustaining me during this storm as I know it is His strength and not my own. It is often in these very dark and stormy times that God's word can come alive in a new way for us. So many bible verses have taken on a whole new level of depth and meaning to me and I cling to them, like a ship wrecked passenger would cling to a life saving device. God's word is powerful! It is true and holy and the promises of God steady my ship and calm the waves that try to overtake me.

My mom prayed with me this morning over skype. Thank you God for making us intelligent enough that we could create such a fantastic form of communication! She also reminded me of the promise in God's word about the house that is built on the rock which is Jesus, and that when the waves beat against that rock they could not prevail against it. God is my rock. God my refuge. God is my strength. God is my help when I am in trouble. Though the circumstances in our lives can seem overwhelming or unbearable at times, God is our peace and our comforter...if we let Him be. Sometimes that is the challenge; letting God be God and not reducing Him to our level of rational thinking. It's easy to chant God's word out without realizing its power but, when we do take hold of the word and of God's promises we truly can remain steady in the storm.

You may or may not be going through a storm of your own. If you are in a storm, I pray that you can truly take hold of this verse below. Take hold of it and don't let it go. God is your refuge and your strength! If all is well in your life, sweet! Then I just pray that you are also taking hold of God's promises and that you remember in your next inevitable storm that God is still good even when or if your circumstances aren't, that He loves you and that He will see you through!

If you ever need to share a prayer request with me or if you feel like a storm in your life is over taking you please shoot me an e-mail. I would love to encourage you and remind you that God will see you through!

And now to lighten up this post I wanted to share a few pictures of my little munchkin that never made it to our blog when she was little. Gosh, I miss that baby chunk, sweet baby breath and that chubby face smile so much!!

I just adore this picture of Daddy and Daisy below. It really melts my heart when I see my little girl laughing and playing with my hubby. Is there anything sweeter?

Video Saturday

2011-09-03T04:44:00.000-07:00

All of these are at least a month old if not older but, being that it is the weekend I wanted to give our families something to watch if they would like to see Daisy bean "live."

This first video is a riot! This was actually back in July and Daisy was on this kick of saying "momma" way too much but, it was too funny not to film. I giggle the entire time I watch this video now.

This was taken on Daisy's 16 month birthday over a month ago. She gives Daddy such a sweet little kiss and loved walking around with her wand and tutu on. Our little Princess.

This was filmed a while ago also during my youngest sister's visit. Daisy was sick pretty much her entire visit which was such a bummer but, we tried to have fun cooped up in the house as best as we could. Glad I got a little video with auntie!

Who knew that a bathroom cabinet could give a child 30 minutes of play time? I have since revoked this activity as it requires me to empty everything dangerous out, then to clean up the huge mess she makes with the safe items and then to put everything away again. Not worth it anymore but, it was cute while it lasted:-)

This was back when Daisy was having a great time stacking things, putting shapes in her box (she has gotten much better at a variety of activities like this but, now she gets bored faster. We play guessing games with different objects in cups now too so I will have to film that soon. She is a sharp cookie!

Happy Saturday everyone! I am officially down to my last two days of editing for the wedding I shot. I am so excited to wrap it up and move on to the next chapter! Woohoo!

17 Months Old - Such a Fun Stage!

2011-09-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

The Little Miss is 17 Months old now! Where did my little baby go? I am having an absolute blast with Daisy these days. She is so much fun! She loves to explore, play games, be silly, dress up, go out and about, follow me everywhere and she is such a social sweetheart. I just adore these pictures taken below. D wanted to wear my hat, my necklace and my socks and she kept them on for quite a while. Somehow this creative combination of accessories without a shirt on was just sheer awesomeness and I am so glad I remembered to capture it! Being a mom is hard work no doubt but, the moments like this that give me a huge barrel laugh and a beaming smile are priceless!

Below: Daisy's Uncle Tony was snapping to try to get her to look at the camera for me and instead she did this....and looked wayyyyy up at his snapping hand. I'm laughing right now just thinking about it.

*Two nights ago as I was putting Daisy in her high chair and setting my big plate of crock pot roast and veggies on the table to eat for dinner Daisy put her pointer finger on her chin and said, "ummmmmmm".....and then she pointed to my plate of food and said, "no" I was dying from laughing so hard. I really wish you could have been there to see and hear it. Classic!! Where the heck did she learn that?? lol

We try to remember to pray before our meals and now with a kiddo we try even harder to be consistent in this. Just last week Daisy started saying, "Aaaaayymeeen" after or during our prayers and at church on Sunday when everyone had their heads bowed she somehow understood that they were praying and she chirped out her precious little "aaaaayyymeeeen" in the middle of the prayer. I melted into mommy Heaven. I can't think of any word I would rather her learn than a simple, amen of thanks. Thank you for blessing us so much with your sweet little words Daisy! Below: Similar to the above shot but, her head is not quite as tilted. I like to think that she is saying a little prayer in this one:-) "ummm,God. I would really like a vacuum with lights and noises, a dress up box full of clothes and an art and magnet board for Christmas. Could you pass that along to my mommy please?"

Daisy can point out her hair, eyes, nose, teeth, mouth, tongue, feet, toes, ears, belly and bottom when asked where they all are. When we watch cartoons that dance and clap etc. she will imitate everything that she sees them do. I am just in awe of the sponge that our little girl is. It is a constant reminder to be more careful about what she sees and hears as I now know she is taking it all in and processing everything and then repeating what she hears and sees. Nothing like a little person to keep me in check. Just the other day when Daddy was having a hard morning and looked sad, Daisy put out her bottom lip and furrowed her brow when she looked at him. She got that he was sad and it made her sad. Yup. We parents have a big responsibility to set a good example for our kiddos if we are willing to be a good example. Quite eye opening to say the least!

I will put different toys in cups and bowls and then ask Daisy to find me the lion, phone, block, truck, zebra, blue man, ball etc. and this has been a really fun activity for us to do together. She knows what so many things are now as a result of us playing this game! She also loves to stack cups, build with legos, and put her block shapes into her shape box with a lid for each shape. I can tell that she is thriving off of the small challenges that I present to her. We have been coloring a bit more lately which I love and as much as I hate to say it Daisy loves watching her shows on PBS. It appears that Elmo is quickly stealing a place in her heart!

She loves to look at books! We don't exactly "read" every word as she doesn't have patience for that but, we point out the different things in the pictures and make it fun. Walks are a favorite pass tine but, not in the stroller anymore. The bummer is that Daisy likes to try and "run" now and her running is ridiculously unstable and the outcome is an inevitable fall so we have to be careful with her on our concrete for a little while. She loves exploring people's yards, weeds, plants, pets, lawn objects etc. It is never a dull moment to walk with Daisy!

She is currently cutting her two year molars! I thought we were in the clear for a little while but, she is back to running low grade fevers for a couple weeks at a time and drooling up the wazoo. I felt her back gums and sure enough there is a prick of a tooth coming through. WHAT THE HECK CHILD! These 4 molars will ultimately be 20 teeth for this little person. Craziness. Below: Doncha just love that Daisy is running away with what she thinks is a flower when in fact it has already fallen off and auntie is trying to give it back to her! hahahah LOVE IT!

D has actually become a sort of steady one nap a day napper. She naps for almost 2 hours each day now and I am in awe as it only took 17 months for her to take a decent nap! Thank you Jesus!! I am able to get so much more done now days than I did on her 40 minute naps. She goes to bed at around 8 and wakes up at about 6:45 on average now which is Heavenly compared to the 5:45 AM wake up she gave me for the longest time. She even looks forward to her bedtimes. She says, "nigh nigh." and snuggles into her blanket and then waves bye bye for me to leave her room. hehehe TOO CUTE!

Now for the boring little stuff that I urge you not to waste precious time reading as this is just for Daisy's memory book:-)

*Wears size 5 diapers, size 18 months clothes but, just barely. She will be in 24 month stuff very soon Size 4/5 shoes depending on the shoe.

*Takes a nap around 12 and gets up around 1:30 or 2

*loves to dance to music and with me. Also loves when we sing songs together! Twinkle little star and Jesus Loves me are two of her faves for me to sing to her. She will even hold her toy star up in the air and start chatting out the tune to twinkle little star. I just love it! I sing her Jesus loves me every night by her crib before I put her to sleep. I still remember my momma singing to me and I hope to always sing to my kiddos at night.

*Still isn't the greatest eater but, we are making a little progress. She likes olives...pretty much the only vegetable I can get her to eat besides steamed broccoli. She loves all fruit more or less and will eat a little bit of whatever I am eating usually but, only if I feed her. She gets extremely picky when I put the food on her tray to pick up and eat herself. Definitely poses a problem. Eggs are a fave as are chicken nuggets, strawberries, her diluted juice sippy cup and cheese. She doesn't get very excited about her milk sippy cup 3 times a day and it takes her a couple hours to drink it all.

*does not like bugs and will go to great lengths to avoid them if she sees one!

*Has not cried the past 3 times we took her to church nursery. I have literally felt like I have been on a cloud of joy each time. Nothing but peace for this momma as I walk off to enjoy my church service!

*says hi and bye to everyone when we are in public and waves constantly. She is such a friendly little butterfly.

*I've noticed that she seldom ever bites me now and she has never bit another child..yet. I am thankful that this seems to be winding down on it's own without any major issues.

*Still loves her pacifier and I am not in any hurry to take it away. I really don't care about the "right time" to stop doing something. I just stop when it feels like it is okay to move on. She also LOVES her satin edged blankie and she will only use one particular type of blanket...not a cheap blanket either might I add! lol

*enjoys skyping with family for a few minutes here and there but, mostly wants to rip the keys off my keyboard at this point.

*likes watching Sesame street, Mother Goose Club, Wiggles, Backyardigans, Barney (Uggg), Veggie Tales and Sid the Science Kid. Basically she is drawn to anything that has a lot of music in it.

*Likes taking her evening bath though they are much faster now. She pretty much gets in, plays for 10 minutes and is ready to get out. She DOES NOT however; like water in her face especially when we are rinsing out her hair. She hates that part even though we try so hard to make it "fun."

*LOVES animals. She gets so excited about any and every dog bark she hears and points at every cat she sees going by. I can't wait to take her to the zoo again!

*Gives kisses ALL the time to me and Joey now. She is seriously so sweet. She knows what a hug is too and gives us the sweetest hugs. She is a very lovey little gal. When I pick her up from her naps she often tries to wrap her arms and legs around me as tightly as she can and she squeezes really tight. It is DARLING!

*Doesn't cry that much. She does whine periodically but, she is a great baby. With a little attention here and there she does amazingly well. I think the times that she isn't doing as well are often the days that I am not taking as much time to play with her as I should be. A little TLC goes a long way with our kiddo.

*we like to go to the mall just so she can run around inside during the week. She loves seeing the sights and the people

*the pool bores her because she doesn't like being held and she doesn't like being confined to a floaty...she wants me to let her go which as you can imagine isn't a good idea so I look forward to when she can swim freely without my assistance as the pool has become a bit of a drag this Summer

*The amount of things that Daisy can understand now is just astounding. I cannot even begin to write it all down as I feel like she is understanding virtually everything I say to her even though she cannot respond. It is incredible to communicate with her and know that she gets what I am saying (in simple words of course).

*She loves brushing her teeth!

*Still loves getting into our stuff so we do keep all of our doors shut in the house during the day. She especially loves going into my closet and pulling my shoes off of the shoe wrack and then putting them back however she chooses creating the biggest mess you've ever seen. I think she is a shoe gal like her momma! When we go into Payless shoes the first thing she tries to do is take her shoes off and then reaches for a box of shoes! lol

* Doesn't like to sit still for long in her car seat or anywhere for that matter but, every now and then she will sit in her red chair (thanks aunt Kathy!) and watch a show for like 10 minutes without moving. It's pretty amazing! My little American Couch potato!! hehe

* Takes her time to warm up to guys but, sometimes they are able to win her over. She is pretty comfortable with all women and even gives out a lot of kisses to strangers...hmmmmm...lol

*She is a doll through and through. I just can't get over how sweet and sensitive our little girl is. As I said before I am loving this stage of fun with her. I am a little sad at how fast everything is going but, at least I can say I am doing my best to soak it all up!

Daisy, sweet little girl, we simply adore you to pieces!!