Makeover #2

Starting up a photography business has required a lot of practice shoots.

Much to their dismay, my kids are about as cute as little models can get, so they have been the primary subjects every time there is a new location, prop, or accessory I want to try out.

So, I have a lot of pictures of those 3 little munchkins, but the only pictures on display in our house have been kiddie kandids photos we had taken of Morgan when he was about a month old and Chloe when she was about a month old. There they hung in my living room - 6 pictures in ugly cheapo Walmart frames, while my hard drives are brimming with updated adoreableness (not to mention better photography).

Seth has been urging me to get these pictures off the hard drives and onto our walls for months and finally, for the sake of "business" in response to many inquiries to see the different products I sell, I placed a massive print order, took a trip to Michael's with a coupon to use in addition to a 40% off framing sale and took down those 6 little 5x7s and 8x10s.

The result:

LOVE this new look!

Under Fire

Since the first year we were dating, Seth and I have been watching the Liberty Park fireworks together on the 24th of July (Pioneer day - our state holiday - for those of you unfamiliar with it).

Every year, we lay out lots of blankets/tarps in the morning to secure the best seats possible and invite friends and family to join us. It is our own little tradition that we love and the fireworks are always fabulous. Last year we found this fabulous new place with fewer people smoking pot in the vacinity of our little babies and no trees blocking the view. After the fireworks, we decided that it would permanently be "the place".

So, this year, just like each of the 8 years before, we staked our tarps down in the morning and headed back with blankets and snacks in the evening.


We could see the trailer of fireworks out in the middle of the field on the other side of the fence - the perfect spot.


People joined us the sky got darker and we had light saber wars with glo-sticks and headlamps shining in nalgene water bottles.


And then those first "bangs" shook our whole bodies as we watched the fireworks explode directly over our heads. (Brynn was a little too surprised by those first big bangs...but she quickly moved on to the oohs and ahhhs and woahs.)




And then the "ground show" started as a firework exploded sending its glittering sparks to the every edge of the field. The next firework flew over the fence to the middle of the street before it exploded smack dab in the middle of the crowd - "that one got out of control" we thought to ourselves. But one by one, each of the fireworks exploded on the ground in random sporadic places. I could tell that this wasn't right, but I wasn't sure whether to run further from the field or stay, but sat scared to death trying to account for one, two, three little heads who were seated on various family member laps. Morgan was standing just 2 or 3 feet from the fence when the firework landed 2 feet inside the fence and exploded. I saw the silhouette of my baby boy 4 feet in front of the firey burst, and Seth reached out and grabbed him by the arm to run with him to safety. Again, this time as I ran, I counted for one, two, three little heads. My heart raced as we continued to see the bursts exploding around us. We found cover behind a tree, where we calmed three crying children and held them close. I don't know how calming it is for a child to be cuddled close to mommy's chest where they can feel her heart racing and her body shaking, but we huddled until they were calm. Finally, as the regular fireworks continued up in the sky where they were supposed to be, I sent Seth to check for injuries. Luckily, near us, all that happened was burn holes in blankets and tarps, but further down there were injuries. Soon the fireworks stopped and the only flashing lights left were the ones from the ambulances and firetrucks.

We walked back to Seth's family's house and did some sparklers to help the kids overcome the fear of the night. Morgan wasn't up for it quite yet, but Chloe timidly took to it.


I am so grateful for our safety and realize now more than ever how dear and sweet my family is to me and how precious this life is. It made me squeeze those three little people a little tighter and cuddle up to my sweet husband a little closer. This is not an experience I will soon forget!

Quandry

Yesterday I put Morgan in his room and Chloe in her room for naps. About 30 minutes in, I heard Chloe playing with someone in her room and realized that Morgan had snuck upstairs, laid a towel on the floor outside her door to muffle the noise, and quietly snuck into her room. I was too tired to go and put them back in separate rooms, and left them in there.

They played for a good hour and a half before it was time to go to Grandma's house. I wonder, though, why they can play together nicely for a full hour and a half when they are being sneaky together in the room, but we can't go 30 minutes normally without hearing, "he took my toy" or "she messed up my cards" or crying in general? Hmmmm?

What do you think?

Do you like the new design? It is a nice change!

Right below the header you will now find links to the other blogs and sites where you can find us.

Watch for new designs on the flavors of friendship recipe blog and Project 365 blog as well!

makeover

In all the hullaballoo of creating a website and blog for my photography,
I am realizing just how much this blog needs a new look - and a serious overhall!

So...keep your eyes peeled, because this baby is getting a makeover!
(and be a little patient should this blog turn into a construction zone when you are trying to read it)
I have already started on the design and I can't wait to share it with you!

recovering

from all 3 kids having this...

looking like this...

and getting popsicles at the Dr's office...

Where's my popsicle, I wonder? I was the one doing all the hard work there!

pettiskirts

If you follow the project 365 blog, you have probably noticed these cute pettiskirts popping up in my pictures recently. I am getting ready to order fabric for some custom orders I am making for some colleagues and thought I would see if anyone else is interested before I place the order.

They are $55 (going rate for similar skirts on etsy is $65), regardless of size, and you can choose any color (or color combination) you like. They are the really full, long, twirly pettiskirts, (not the ones you see at costco - though those are super cute - just not long or super full or handmade).

If you are interested send me an email by Thursday morning.

Color options are available here: http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-53165610099179_2110_236706.

If you have a picture session scheduled with me, I'll give you an additional $10 off! :)

This one is buttercup.

This one is fuschia.

A Trip to The Beach

With Seth's schedule and the ever-closer approach of the end of school, a new job,

a move (possibly somewhere far away), and all of the changes that will come with it,

VACATION

is just something that isn't really in the cards right now.

So, every time daddy has a day off, we try to pack it full of fun adventures.

We do a pretty good job of making the most of our time together as a family,

and of course I always take the pictures to prove it

...as if we were on vacation and these things may be once in a life time...

even though we could go back today...or tomorrow...or any day!

And I am good about posting them on the Project 365 blog...

because that is just about all I have been able to keep up with...

but usually 1 picture of my 20 favorites is just not enough to share these experiences.

(Not to mention that this blog is looking like a whole lotta black and white,

and my goal for this year is to bring color into my life.

I have been aquiring colorful furniture, colorful, flowers, colorful clothes for everyone in the family, colorful accessories, so I am going to get back to colorful blog, too!)

Last week we headed to the "beach" (the Great Salt Lake).

We tried to go early, but we didn't get there until the sun was already high

...not really great for pictures...

but the sky was blue and the beach was gorgeous and three little people and their favorite daddy

LOVED playing in the water.

And I loved it too...but from a different perspective.

I loved watching the exploration, the excitement, the fun and the love through my lens,

and I wanted to bottle it up and squeeze those moments close to my heart.

I got a little teary as I watched them play...because I love these 4 more than anything else!

these sandy toes are about the sweetest thing ever!

she was in heaven...she hasn't been to the beach since she could walk and play and enjoy and she loved it!

and these pointed tippy toes and lifted skirt make my heart so happy!

-LOVE-

internet and other tidbits

for the past couple of weeks, my internet communication has been limited to what I can do on my phone (which, by the way...I am new to the whole internet phone thing and wow - how did I ever survive without it?), or what I can do on a super de duper slow internet connection that may or may not go out at any given second...like right in the middle of uploading a blog post or a bunch of pictures or even a facebook status.

But on Tuesday, something fabulous happened! This little family of ours finally caught up with the rest of the world and now have our very own high speed internet connection - cable internet - and a wi-fi network that has a full signal everywhere in the house! Oh.my.goodness - it is amazing! Who knew that fast internet could make such a difference!?

So yeah, now is the time to expect more from me, blogging friends! I am actually pretty up to date on Project 365, but haven't been able to upload the images, so check here in the next day or so for a lot of updated pictures! And there are some really really good ones...so feel free to browse back a bit.

I will also be able to update our picture site, which is now a part of my smileabunch photography website, since I am about 6 months behind there. To access our family pictures, click on family and friends in the bottom right corner of the home page and it will take you to a place where you can enter a password. If you would like the password, email me or leave a comment with your email address and I will send it to you (as long as I know you and you aren't a stalker - stalkers will just have to get by with the blog pics)! It won't be up to date for a few weeks, but I am determined to catch up! :)

Finally, I have a lot of fun announcements (and maybe even some super fun giveaways) coming down the pipe on the smileabunch photography blog with the start of full pricing coming on August 1. There are only 2 weeks left to get a session and a disc for $125...so give me a call and book one before the schedule is full.

Sometimes

like when I am sitting next to my husband watching fireworks from the middle of a wheat field out of the back of our car surrounded by 3 loud squirmy children who have his giggle and my eyes...

or like when the kids are napping and the dog(s - Roxy is visiting) are conked out snoring next to me on the couch and the sun is shining and the air conditioner is blowing and the gorgeous wildflowers on my table (that I picked out of my mom's garden) keep catching my eye because they are just so darn beautiful...

or like when little miss wakes up from her nap and all she wants to do is snuggle momma...

or like when the other little miss giggles like crazy from the backseat because she hears the big brother and sister laughing and she wants to  be just like them...

or like when the greatest man I have ever known prays for me to be successful with my photography in our prayers at night...

or like when I stand on the front porch of my sweet little house and feel like I am standing in a flower shop because I am surrounded by flowers on every side...

or like when I am singing the star spangled banner in church and I get so choked up I can't sing another word because it means so much to me be free to choose how I will live and worship and work and play and be...

sometimes in these moments I wonder if I might be dreaming this life

because it almost seems too good to be true

but it is never a dream, just a perfectly wonderful life

And yes, the rest of the time my life is filled with

someone throwing a tantrum on the kitchen floor

or pinching their sister for the umpteenth time today

or ripping pages out of books

or playing toss across the kitchen table with their watermelon cubes

or wondering when I am ever going to get a break,

or a date night with my husband,

or a bigger house,

or a vacation...

but you know what?

I like that part of my life too.

I'm not sure why I share this with the whole wide blogging world.

It is not to say my life is perfect...or to say that it isn't.

Mostly just to say that I am happy with this life I have

and to remind myself that there is a lot to be happy with.

Dinner Conversation

Chloe : "Mom, are you going to get married at wheeler farm?"

Jen: "No, I already got married, but not at wheeler farm."

Chloe: "Where did you get married?"

Jen: "In the temple"

Morgan: "When we are big, we can get married in the temple too."

Jen: "That's right Morgan."

Morgan: "...But you can't marry me, Chloe, because I am not 3. You'll have to find someone who is 3."

Good thing we cleared that up!

Now is the time...

If you have been wanting to get pictures done by me,

but you have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to come along...now is the time!

For the past few months I have been offering discounted (about 50%) introductory pricing,

and it will be ending on AUGUST 1, 2010.

You can see all the details at the smileabunch photography blog.

Availability is limited and I am currently booking for late July.

We are busily enjoying some summer fun, but hopefully I can carve out some time to update this blog soon.

Plenty of stuff happening around here, just no time to blog about it!

And please keep your fingers crossed that my next post is not out of sheer embarassment like the last one! ;)

Glad it could entertain you though...and yes, we do know our neighbor well and he is just about the best neighbor you could ask for...so it wasn't really scary as much as embarassing!