"Click"

.... and We're Back {My Real Life}

 

The kids and I packed our bags and headed North for the week.  Hopefully I'll get around to posting more from our trip since Den wasn't able to come with us but here's one for tonight.

 

Our baby is looking more like a little boy than a baby these days.

 

 

 

Aubrey Kate and Super Piggy

Have a great weekend everyone!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Snow Baby

 

I love that first winter that they can be outside and explore the snow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I asked him if he cared that his mittens didn't match and there were two of the same hand- he told me he honestly didn't mind. I believed him and went with it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Monday, everyone!

 

Baking Day {My Real Life}

Someday I'm going to go out and buy a couple of cute little aprons and lightly powder their cute little noses with flour.  Then I'm going to place perfect cut out cookies in a pan and pretend that they did them themselves.  I'm actually not being sarcastic- I really do want to do that, those pictures are so cute.  And while the expression on the kids are real and absolutely adorable, the surroundings aren't- at least not in my world. 

 In my world, my four year old dresses herself in a vest with no shirt underneath and pants that are one season too small for her. My baby, well,  he flipped over and ran away just after the last tab was snapped on his diaper- I didn't bother to go chasing after him with clothes.  In my world, mom puts a lump of bread dough in front of each child and has them shape, cut, roll and mangle it- hoping that they'll stay busy enough that they don't touch the food that everyone else has to eat.....  and I have to remember that this is how my life is. It's how we do it and it's perfect in all of its imperfect messes.   It must be captured- even when the photographer in me has a hard time with the clothing, imperfect light, the messy counters and a gazillion other distractions in the room that I have taught myself to notice.  The mama in me never wants to forget this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

..... while they were doing that- I got 8 loaves of bread made and about 8 dozen cookies....  and we'll do it again in another week and a half. 

 

Have a great weekend everyone.

 

The Mail Lady Pulls Through {My Real Life}

 

In Aubrey's world, the UPS guy brings her suckers {from my printing company} and the mail lady brings birthday money to the kids and picture money to me. These two people are pretty much her favorites.

 A couple of weeks ago on our way home from dropping the big kids at school, she asked if we could stop and get a donut- we often do this on the days we're out and about.  I told her not today, I don't have money for donuts right now.

 "you just have picture money?" 

yes, just picture money. 

She paused for a second and said, "you should ask the mail lady to bring you donut money, too" 

 

 

 On Wednesday, the mail lady pulled through.... or so she thinks.

 

 

So Much For Plans {My Real Life}

I was just tellling the kids last night that I was excited they had the day off so we could do some winter things that we weren't able to do Christmas time due to the lack of snow.  We had plans to find a sledding hilll and maybe go to my sisters house for a quick evening skate if they were around....  we woke up to 45 degrees and all of the snow that was on the ground 8 hours ago......gone. replaced with puddles and mud.

I'm ready to pack it up and go north for a month.

 

 

I won't- however I was looking through my pictures while we were up north this summer and found this one of Elizabeth and Kaarina.  I don't remember what was so funny at the time but looking at it now makes me smile.  Even on a 45 degree "winter" day. 

 

Happy Monday everyone

 

Midnight Snack Anyone? {My Real Life, Howell MI , Photographer}

 

How about some Cheerios...  I've been wanting to do this set up for a long time- I think we hit the perfect age for it. 

 

 

Enjoy your evening.

 

11 Years Ago Today {My Real Life}

this boy made me a mama.  I took some formal pictures of him last week but decided that the pictures of him goofing around in the front yard last month were more him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little about Pete:

• Most everyone calls him Peter, but to me he'll always be Pete.  He was in kindergarten when he decided  that he was to be called Pete with an R.
• He can not keep his jeans from having holes in the knees.
• Everytime he has more than 2 sweatshirts he loses them so he only has two sweatshirts.  They're black and they're washed often.
• He is a dabbler with sports- whatever sport is in season he's outside playing.  Fall and Spring it's soccer, at home and at school it's football.  Next week he starts basketball and he received downhill skiis for Christmas this year.  It'll be interesting if he chooses one sport and goes all out with it or if he'll keep on dabbling with all of them.  We don't care either way- as long as he's enjoying himself.
• He mentioned recently that he would like to take guitar lessons.  I think that it's a great idea.
• He can't stand being separated from people. He hates being in a room by himself if there are other people in a different room. 
• He'll read anything with words on it--  "except for girl books", he says.
• Den and Pete are up until all hours playing video games  when there is not work or school to go to the next day.  I work and they play video games in the room next to me: It gets loud.
• It's funny that some of the traits that he had when he was baby are still true when he's now 11.  He's never been a sleeper.  Since the day he's been born he's never needed much sleep. I remember walking him and rocking him trying to get him to nap- laying next to him when he got a little older holding his had trying to get him to sleep.  I can't believe how much time I wasted trying to get this boy to sleep. If he was my baby now I'd know better and just let him stay up until he's tired.   Poor boy, all that time that I was rocking him and holding his had he was thinking, "lady, I'm just not that tired"
• He's an easy kid, we were talking a while ago and I told he that he's kind of our trier outter with things- teachers at school, jobs, rules.  He assured me that he doesn't mind being the guinea pig.  I wonder what the psychologists would say about that. 
• He still thinks Andrew is the best thing. Well, Andrew and food.

 

11 years...  a blink. Happy Birthday Peter Daniel, we love you.

 

 

The Best 6 Dollars I Spent this Season {My Real Life, Southeast MI Photographer}

I bought this Santa suit at a resale shop a few weeks ago and I smiled every time he wore it.  It was originally bought as a photo prop but I couldn't resist trying it on Andrew.  It was a wee bit small but my sister made him some boots and I do believe it was just the right amount too little.

 

I'm thinking for next year that it would be fun to do some sort of mini sessions with this backdrop. Up until now I've never really had my heart set on doing Christmas sessions- and I try really hard not to do anything that I'm not excited about but, it might be a go for 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm back to work tomorrow so maybe, just maybe you'll get a break from my own baby for a bit. Enjoy your evening!

 

 

 

I'll Just Apologize To Him Now {My Real Life, Livingston Co. MI Children's Photographer}

 

I didn't get to do any backdrop pictures of him for his one year session so I thought I'd really go all out for his 18 month photos..... and since I've got 6 new backdrops that I haven't used yet: we've only just begun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 then again, it doesn't look like he's having too bad of a time so maybe I'll hold off on the apology. 

 

Sandra Boynton would be proud, I do believe. 

Happy Tuesday.... almost Wednesday, everyone!