Sandcastles in the Sky

My sister in law recently moved to the St. Pete area, and when she told me there was a sandcastle building competition, I knew I needed to see it.

Seeing a sandcastle competition has been on my bucket list for awhile now (as is a gingerbread house building competition). Although we stayed long enough to only briefly glance at the sculptures, they were amazing, and I am so glad I got to see it.

My little boys on the other hand had other things in mind.

Are you sick of pictures of my boys at the beach yet? Good, me neither. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Yes, that is pink marker all over Ezra’s belly and back. What can I say? He is creative.

Proof that the littlest man, and I were there too.

If you have a bucket list, make sure you add see a sunset on Florida’s gulf. There is nothing quite like it.

That may be one of my favorite pictures of all time. If only Judah was in it. We will have to return when he can walk to take another picture.

Sometimes I can’t help but really love Florida….

3 Months | My “Little” Turkey

This week you turn 3 months little man. This last month was marked with some pretty big milestones. You started to giggle. You like to have you chin and cheeks tickled on. You also think the ceiling fan is hilarious. I love watching you become more of a little boy each day.

You also started smiling when you see me or your dad. You may be the best baby we have had yet. You are sleeping six hours at night now, and you take naps like a champ. You are such a sweet, sweet baby.

*No turkeys or babies were harmed during this photo shoot. He likes when I dress him up, the proof is in the picture!

  

Happy Thanksgiving!

I miss this…

I miss this space here of mine on the internet. I have been too busy to blog, and too busy to read your blogs. I just checked my reader and it has 800+ new blog posts for me to read…which made me sad, and slightly overwhelmed.

I apologize for my lack of presence here on this space of mine, and the lack of my comments on your spaces. Once the holiday season is over I should be able to return to my usual blogging and commenting. Can y’all just put your blogs on pause until then…please? ;) I miss my blogging buddies.

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In other news, I snapped this picture the other day. Rowan had taken all the baby toys we have and strategically placed them around Judah. He was setting off all the sounds the toys make at once for Judah, and singing, and talking to Judah. It was so cute.

He whispers in Judah’s ear all the time - I love your heart, which melts mine. Judah was in his swing the other day and Ro took the bottle I had just made and he started to feed him. And I watched to see what would happen. He fed him for a few minutes and then was trying to lean Judah forward to burp him. Ro turns to me and says- I’m a good boy Mama for feeding Judah. Aw.

I knew watching my oldest son bond with the baby would be fun to watch. What I didn’t know was much it would melt my heart, or how proud I would feel. Having an older child and a baby together is a really magical thing. I am so glad I get to experience it.

Judah is so doted on, he has no clue how much he is loved.

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Anyone doing anything exciting for Thanksgiving? I am not really excited for Thanksgiving, I am more excited that I get to put up my Christmas decorations and the tree on that day.

When do you put up your tree?

The Letter C

This picture is brought to you by the letter C. C is for chubby and cheeks…

My Photography Journey (for lack of a better title)

Almost 2 years ago I started this here little ol’ blog. I knew nothing about blogging or photography. Soon I found myself reading more blogs than I should of, and I found myself drawn to blogs with great pictures. I wanted my blog to have great pictures.

A few months after I started this blog, I picked up the DSLR camera that we already owned and made it my mission to learn how to use it. It was love at first click. I couldn’t learn fast enough. Shortly there after I bought Photoshop Elements and taught myself how to edit pictures. I can honestly say I may love editing even more than taking the pictures themselves, there is just so much you can do to make a great image into an amazing image.

After Ezra got diagnosed with leukemia I was looking for a way to earn some extra income, and decided I would open a photography business. Looking back, I should have educated myself a lot more about what it takes to run a business, but I have learned so much in doing so, that I don’t regret it.

Now my business is just a little over a year old, and it has grown into something I am pretty proud of. Sure I suck at marketing, in fact I don’t really do it, all of my business has come from word of mouth. Book keeping and quarterly taxes make my head hurt, but the end result is so worth it.

Although I have had this business for a year, and have had paying customers, I have hesitated to call myself a photographer.

For me, the title of photographer is one you have to earn. Anyone with a camera can open a business, get a website, and call themselves a photographer.

Recently, I got a new amazing camera and upgraded to Photoshop CS5 and within the last handful of months my work has really been improving. I have been really pleased with how the majority of my sessions now turn out.

  I had the chance to photograph three weddings this fall. These are images from the last one I did and I really like them.

I know I still have so much to learn, and that the world of photography is always evolving.

But I can’t wait to see where I will be in another year. I love photography, I am passionate about it. I think I found what I was meant to be doing.

  

And I think I will finally call myself a photographer.

And if you are ever near Gainesville and need a photographer, look me up!

Fodder

Because I have nothing else to blog about. I will subject you to chubby baby legs. You can thank me later….

Baby Buddha

We had Judah’s 2 month check up this week, and he weighed in at almost a whopping 15lbs. Putting him in the 95% percentile for weight, I was just proud he was still on the charts…

The nurse accused me of overfeeding him, I laughed because clearly she has never seen what my other two sons looked like as babies. In fact, Judah may even be on the small side in comparison. I told her how much and how often I am feeding him (and I am not overfeeding him btw), and her answer was well it must be genetic then. You think? I will let you be the judge.

This is me on the left, my husband on the right-

Mom, why am I in blue?

Here is Rowan-

Rowan set the bar for the chubby baby, he weighed in at 17lbs at 11 weeks.

Here is Ezzie-

Ezra weighed 16lbs at 11 weeks.

And here is Judah-

The boys adamantly call Judah “Baby Judah” so I thought it was hilarious when my husband coined him Baby Buddha, quite the fitting nickname.

Wait until your four month appointment, I am going to tell the nurse we have been feeding you minced steak and potatoes….

Real Life Drama

Meet the cast:

Ezra Vader contemplates his attack strategy. Rowan Skywalker is unaware of the fallen Jedi stalking him.

Ezra Vader ever the stealth Jedi goes in for the attack,

Rowan Skywalker goes down for the count. Ezra Vader finds himself amidst a hot pursuit.

The young Jedi’s Master calls for a timeout. Rowan Skywalker has bounced back and is ready for another duel. Ezra Vader strategizes. The End.

It should be noted that Ezra Vader remained in character while trick or treating. He walked the streets singing dun, dun, dun-dun, dun, dun-dun, dun, dun-dun.

And because we can’t forget this guy.