Have I Mentioned...

...how awesome it is having my cousin here for a visit?! Not only do my children get some amazing quality time with their Godmother, but I have another adult here to chat with all day long! Poor girl's ears probably ache by the time we go to bed at night, but we laugh. There is so much laughing. We cover a lot of topics in a day too.

She's also wonderful at helping me pick out adorable clothes for my children when we go to places like Once Upon A Child, though I'm not sure how happy Michael is about that part. ;)

I miss having family around so much, so it means so very much to me when we do get that opportunity! I'm having so much fun, and wish she'd just never leave. I do understand that she has to, but it certainly is nice to dream.

I have no pictures to share yet. I will, but I don't yet. For now just enjoy another picture of our old pup playing in the snow. I'll have Holly and Alex pictures later.

 

Merry Christmas

I went through some Christmas pictures today, a task that I might actually finish up by this time next year, and there are some good ones. I love Christmas! I love Christmas memories! I look forward to going through all of them. (Hopefully before next year.)

When she saw Funshine Bear in the store she gave her a huge hug and started kissing her passionately. I broke world records getting this bear into the cart for her Christmas present. When she opened her on Christmas she brought the box to me immediately and fussed until I managed to get Funshing out of it. Then she again hugged and kissed and kissed and hugged. Funshine now has a slightly messy muzzle, but she's loved. So loved. Apparently Care Bear love is genetic. 

Somehow more and more Ohio State items keep finding their way into my house. Ohio State items and Legos. 

That is my son. My son hugging a spider. My son thrilled to be hugging a spider. To be fair, it's one of the cutest spiders I've ever seen.

My little explorer loves his new spyglass! This was one of my favorite pictures. It was completely unplanned. He opened his spyglass and put it immediately up to his eye. I just happened to be lucky enough to get the picture!

Girl Time

It all started with a shirt. I had a specific shirt I wanted to pick up for The Lady while it was on sale at Old Navy, so that was our goal today. Of course, there were sales, so she also ended up with a couple of skirts that I found for less than $2.25, and I have some new pajama pants, but that's another story. (The moral of which is: My husband shouldn't let me go inside Old Navy alone during a New Year Sale.) 

Michael took the boys next door to Best Buy while The Lady and I wandered about looking at clothes, and I found myself watching her more than the racks as my mind started wandering into "deep philosophical musings". That's what normal people do at Old Navy, right? 

After I had Bash in 2011 I felt very strongly that I was most likely destined to have all boys. When I discovered I was pregnant early in 2014 I was 100% certain that another little boy was entering our lives, and even though it made me a little sad to think of never having a daughter of my own, I have also been blessed with four amazing nieces! Besides, I have seen the mother daughter relationships in my family, and they can be rather frightening. I'm also pretty good with boys. I'd found my niche with my sons, and I was comfortable being the "pink in a house of blue". 

Then I gave birth to The Lady. 

I was assured by the midwives at the time that the first couple of years were similar except that I'd have cuter clothes to choose from this time around. That didn't seem too bad, and had proven to be true on many occasions. (Like when I find adorable little skirts for less than $2.25 a piece and have to argue myself out of buying all the colors and sizes so that she is fully stocked for the next 5 years.) It's also not true at all too. It's so different. It's so different that it's scary sometimes. 

I had a few people that are very close to me make comments after she was born like "You'll be fine as long as you don't get her all that pink glittery crap." and "Make sure you don't just buy her dolls and dresses all the time." They didn't mean anything bad by it at all. In fact, they know me well enough to know that I don't like pink, glittery crap, that I stink at shopping for clothes, and that I own less shoes than my husband. I still own make-up from before my sons were born, and have been told that isn't a good thing, but I can't see throwing out something that's less than 1/4 used even if it is 7 years old. I have always kind of failed at that "girly stuff". Add to that the fact that there are countless blogs and vlogs and opinion pieces out there about gender stereotypes, raising strong women, not conforming to "gender norms", etc, and I've felt a lot of (unnecessary) pressure about raising E that I don't remember feeling with the boys. Of course, neither Michael or I have ever batted an eye when one of them runs by in a princess dress or falls asleep next to a naked Jack (my childhood baby doll) either. It's just who they are. I'm rambling though. 

Back to Old Navy. I'm in there with E, walking up and down isles, looking through sale racks, keeping up a running commentary as we go, (because I am that mommy who talks to my children, from pregnancy on, as if they care what I'm saying and can answer back at any moment) and it occurs to me how an outsider listening in might think I'm the worst kind of girl mother in the world. We got excited about princess shirts, tried on shoes, squealed over glitter, and were damn near giddy about the new Spring dresses! If you didn't know better listening to us today might cause someone to roll their eyes at the mother forcing all those stereotypes on their tiny daughter. 

**I want to take a moment to say that I am fully aware that there was probably no one listening to us at all, except to think "Wow, that woman talks a lot!", but these were some of my musing as we wandered the store today. I'm not self-centered enough to think that the world really gives a damn about what I'm saying to my daughter, but I have seen debates about these very topics, which is what got me thinking.**

Here's the thing: She loves all that stuff! My daughter loves glitter and shoes. You put them together and OH MY GOODNESS! She sees shoes at the store and immediately plops down in the middle of the isle to try on every single shoe regardless of style or size. (Or who might be trying to get past us in the isle where she sits.) She a-freaking-dores her baby doll! She follows me around with her baby doing all the things I do on a regular basis. It's earned her the name "Little Mama", and she answers to it if you call her that. She loves dresses and clothes. She will search through the racks just like I do, and when she finds something she likes she'll pull it out to carry around showing anyone who will look. She loves wearing her little purse over her shoulders as we walk around, and she loves putting on a new outfit and twirling around in front of a mirror. A stranger might see those things, and only see those things, and think that we're pushing her into the "typical girl roll". The truth is that it is just who she is. 

And she can be both. She can be a "girly girl" who loves glitter and shoes. She can be an ass kicker who is just as rough and tumble as her brothers. (If not more so sometimes.) She can love to dance and twirl, baby dolls, and the color purple, and she can do it all with a big ass sword. That's what being a feminist is in this house. It's being true to who you are, and supporting other women so that they can be true to who they are too. It's knowing that there is no one way to be a girl, and lifting up women no matter how they choose to do it. 

...It's also about big ass swords. They are kind of cool.

These are the normal things people think about at Old Navy, right? 

  

A Long Time Ago...

Today I watched Penn State loose spectacularly to Georgia in the Gator Bowl. (Because I refuse to call it the Tax Slayer Bowl. What an asinine name.) By spectacularly I don't mean that it was a horrible loss. I mean it was actually an exciting game to watch where you actually thought they might come back to tie it and go into overtime until those last 5 seconds or so. Good job, Penn State. I look forward to next season.

After the game is the important part though, because we took the littles out to the mall for some special family time. Eleanor and I wanted to see the new Girl of the Year at American Girl, (You laugh here, but she gets just as excited as Mommy to go look at the dolls, and ran around with her mouth wide open saying "Wow! Wooooow! Wow!") and the boys had gift cards for Build A Bear that were burning holes in their pockets. Parker had been sitting on his two since last Christmas as a matter of fact, so he was more than ready to cash in. (You laugh, but the boys are just as excited as Mommy to stuff fluffy bears with plush hearts and love.) 

I sort of love that my littles are into some of the same things Mommy is into. 

Bash really wanted a Storm Trooper bear. A Storm Trooper bear with a blue light saber to be exact. Of course, the Storm Trooper bears were the only ones they were sold out of up in Denver. While he tried to make another decision, bravely looking over Darth Vader bears as a second choice, Daddy made a phone call to the mall down in Colorado Springs to find out that they had "more than enough" Storm Trooper bears to go around. Of course they did. Back we trecked to The Springs, which was in our direction anyways, and Bash very quickly selected the very first Storm Trooper bear he saw. It's darn cute too.

Not so, Parker. Much like a little girl long ago, and a grown woman most days now come to think of it, he agonized over his decision. First there were four possibilities, the three, then four again, down to two, back to four...The two women who worked there started turning off lights and tapping their toes even though we still had a half an hour before they were supposed to close. I glared right back at them and hovered about as he went back and forth and back again. It was quite an ordeal, and it took all of our half hour, but he made a choice. It's pretty freaking awesome too!

Look at that! I just made it with two minutes to spare! Two days and two entries! I'm on a roll! 

Happy New Year!

I did terribly last year. Resolutions were a joke. Instead of writing and photographing more I did less. It was a rough year for many people I know, and I wasn't prepared for it. 2014 was so absolutely amazing that it would make sense that 2015 wouldn't be quite as good. I wasn't prepared for how very bad it would be at times though. 2015 was a rough year. We powered through, but not without bruises and scars. Not without tears and moments of "I simply can't do this anymore." We made it out on the other side together. Here's hoping that 2016 has more highs than lows, more friends than foes, and more laughter than tears. 

This is easily one of my favorite mottos when entering a new year. I've posted it in both 2014 and 2015. I'm making it a goal. The idea is that I will wrote something, even if it's only one sentence, every day in 2016. It might be as simple as "Wow. This day really sucked." or, on a more positive note, "This was one of the best days ever!", (let's hope for more of those than not, right?) but I will write something.

To up the challenge to myself to do more things I enjoy, I will also take a photograph of something, anything, every day in 2016. At least one. (Hopefully more.) I hope that, in making this a challenge for myself, I can start to find some of the joy in these things that I once did. 

Here's to making 2016 one helluva good book!

Our first family picture of 2016!

Autumn Pictures at Garden of the Gods

I'm not a professional photographer. Not even close. However, I do enjoy taking photographs, and I happen to have a nice camera. It gets me by while I wait for a chance to go home and see our professional photographer for family pictures, and sometimes it allows me the chance to take some family pictures for friends. I have a lot of fun doing it, and yesterday was no exception, especially considering that I got to take pictures of some of the most photogenic kids ever. (Excepting my own three, of course. ;) )

This family has been friends of ours since we moved here to Colorado. I was sort of terrified a little nervous when they asked me to take some family pictures of them. I know from shooting my own littles how unpredictable children can be. When it's my family I can pack it up on a bad day and try again tomorrow, but that doesn't work when it's someone else's family, and I would hate to completely butcher someone's family pictures. But I enjoy taking photos, and I thought they would probably understand if everything went pear shaped on us. Besides, what is life without a little adventure, right? 

We were blessed with such amazing weather, especially for November. We're also blessed to have the whole of Colorado to shoot in, and while I am an Ohio girl at heart, I can't state enough how breathtakingly beautiful this state is! We decided to meet at Garden of the Gods, which is always pretty, but it seemed exceptionally so yesterday. Everything went better than I could have hoped, and the problem ended up being how to choose which pictures were the best of the best. I'll try to only share my absolute favorites here, but it could still end up being a pretty long post. :)

Did I mention that these children are gorgeous! Not only that, but they are naturals. I didn't have to direct them in how to pose at all. I told them where to be and they did the rest. Love it when things come together like this!

We were lucky enough to meet this little girl right after she was born, and she was present when Eleanor arrived too. It took a bit for her to warm up to me, even though she knows me. I remembered what my amazing friend and photographer, Katie, told me once though. If you want to photograph kids you have to be willing to make a fool of yourself. Once I started acting like a goofball I managed to get more smiles out of her. Having her bog brother and sister behind me acting silly helped too.

Oh my word, so I told you these kids were amazing, right? All I had to say was "Come sit here." The rest of this is all him. And I love it! They made this too easy for me. I'm not sure what I was worried about at all. 

Yes, yes, I've said they have beautiful children. Now, how about the beautiful parents!

You kinda just want to smack them they're so cute, right?

This last one that I'm about to post was probably my favorite. It made it in the top 3 at least. We were all cold and ready to go when Lily said "Let's all try to fit on this rock!" I thought that, surely, it was going to end up being an odd throwaway picture. Always try for those odd pictures, folks, because they might surprise you. 

I said I was only going to post my 10 favorites. I guess bumping it up to 15 isn't bad. I can't wait to take pictures of these guys again. It was truly a joy. 

Tonight

We had a thunderstorm tonight. It wasn't long or terrible, but Michael and I both noticed the a strange hue to the sky as the storm was passing. Since, if we were back home, an add hue could mean anything from an impressive sunset to an impending tornado, Michael went outside to peek at what was going on. Moments later I heard him call me from the front door. 

"You need to come look at this! And grab your camera!"

Grab the camera? This had to be good! And it was!

None of these pictures have been put through a filter or edited at all. (Except to crop and add my watermark.) What you see is what we saw. These were looking towards the West.

Looking to the East. 

Sebastian and Parker came outside to look too, and after a few minutes of "Oooh" and "Ahhh"ing, Parker ran back inside to watch the end of American Ninja Warrior. (Because both of my boys are going to grow up to be warriors, in case you were unaware.) Michael followed him in, but I stayed outside to snap my pictures, and, to my surprise, Sebastian stayed with me. My little boy, the one who absolutely refuses to step out the door without his shoes and fully dressed (though Parker will run into the back yard with his jammies on if I give him the okay), ran out onto the rain soaked pavement with peals of purely joyful laughter. He tip toed through puddles and delighted in the footprints his wet toes made on the porch. Then he ran around trying to make friends with a local bunny, jabbering at him in a reassuring way as he attempted to get closer enough to touch. The rabbit was never alarmed enough to bolt, (none of the ones on base really are unless you actively chase them, which my boys won't do) but would hop a few paces away and turn to look back at him, ears perked up as if he was actually listening. Bash is a bunny whisperer. :)

I watched this, my heart filling up with that special kind of joy that I never experienced before becoming a mother, as I snapped pictures of the sky. His bunny friend was hopping leisurely in the opposite direction from the house, so I called his name to keep him from walking too far away from me. Without missing a beat, he turned around, grinned, and struck a pose. He's a natural. :) He can't be my son. 

Good show tonight, Colorado! You just might be growing on me. Keep putting up sky shows like this and you'll have me won over in no time. 

My First Maternity Shoot

So, I totally shot my first maternity photo shoot tonight. What's great is that is was for my brother and his new wife, Stephanie, who are expecting my newest niece in August! I can't wait to meet (and photograph) little Rowan Arya, but until then it was a lot of fun taking pictures of her Mommy and Daddy.

I am a work in progress. There is always room or improvement, but I like these pictures, and I hope that they do too.

These are just some of many!

See you soon, Little Rowan! I hope you understand that Auntie and Grandmama will photograph everything!

And It's Good!

Just a quick post today. We are here in Ohio, and will be here for a whole month before we head down to Florida for a week, and then back again to Idaho. But that isn't important now, because for now we are here, the place that I grew up. The place that I am always at peace. 

And it's good!

It will be even better next week, when Daddy will join us in the Buckeye State. Until then we will try to enjoy it enough for all of us. I don't think we'll have a problem.