If you didn't already know....

If you didn't already know...I'm on hiatus until Spring 2010. Something has come up. ;)

Having my second child on July 1st of this year has officially put my photography on hold until at least April/May of 2010. I love taking portraits...and will continue to do photography for my family, close friends and my favorite clients while on hiatus. So if you fall into that category...please give me a call. I'd love to do your portraits.

If you just found my blog/website...I hate turning new business away but this time with my kids just goes by too fast. I don't want to spend my evenings/weekends away from my babies!!!!!!! And in all honesty....the winter (November - March) is my slowest time of the year anyway so it shouldn't be a problem.

I look forward to advertising, photographing old and new clients, and back to blogging in the Spring. So until then...don't expect to see too many updates to this here blog. If you're interested in seeing what I'm up to....you can check me out on Facebook.

See ya in 2010!

13.5 Weeks

Well, I'm in the 2nd trimester now and as you can see from my photo below, I definitely look like I'm in my 2nd trimester.

What's a little startling...is that it took me a while to look this pregnant with G-Man. I mean...FAR LONGER THAN 13.5 weeks. Kinda makes me worried what I'm going to look like at 40 weeks (although I didn't make it that far with G).

I heard the heartbeat last Friday and it was nice and strong. That's always a relief to hear actual proof that there is a child in there. I mean, until then...it's always a little surreal. But when you hear the actual heartbeat of your child growing in you, it's an emotional thing. Even more so when I have a little boy at home whose little heart races after he runs around the house yelling "CHASE ME!" and I'm trying to explain to him why it probably isn't a good idea for Mommy to go running after him.

My next appointment is March 4th. It's my 18-week check-up and ultrasound screening. I can't wait to bring the DVD home (we get to tape the ultrasound) and show G-Man his sister, Bees.

[No...we don't know it's a girl. But G-Man is CONVINCED it's a girl. And I don't believe we're naming our child Bees...even though that is what G has named HER. Don't ask me where he got the name, but the day he found out about the baby, he named HER BEES. So now we're either stuck with the name Beatrice...or Beasley...and calling her/him Bees.]

It was MUCH easier first time around when picking G's name. We didn't have a 4-year old to chime in with his vote.

#2...CHECK!!!!!

#2. Get pregnant with my 2nd child. CHECK!!!!

The REAL reason I haven't posted or done anything else in 3 months. I have felt like CRAP!

We found out Thanksgiving morning that I was pregnant. Talk about being thankful that day! We ended up telling all our close family that day. Just couldn't keep it in and everyone knew I had been pestering Travis for months (years, really) to have another child.

When I was prego with G-Man, I wasn't sick one single day. NOT ONE! I had heartburn in the 2nd and 3rd trimester (because I was bigger than a barn and so was he!) but that was about it.

With THIS one...I've been sick. I've been tired. I've had raging heartburn from week 6. Oh...and I look at LEAST 5 months pregnant. You know what they say about getting pregnant with your second...you show a lot sooner (blah blah blah your uterus is like a balloon blah blah blah). It's freakin' true. Either that or I'm pregnant with triplets (please God please don't let that be true. My husband will divorce me). It's getting EXTREMELY hard to disguise the huge belly bump I've got going on. I'll post some pictures later.

So I've lounged around the house. I've done a bunch of NOTHING. I'm either sick (that whole morning/noon/night sickness finally stopped around Xmas) or tired and that is a bad combo to try and get things accomplished.

I'm 11 weeks today and ready to be in the comfortable 2nd trimester. 2nd trimesters are good. Especially when 3rd trimesters are in the HOLY HELL HOT OF SUMMER (I'm due August 6th).

But all I can say is that this baby is worth it. I know it could be FAR worse than it is. I know that I could NOT be pregnant or not able to get pregnant. I know I could be sick for all 40 weeks. I know that there are millions of women out there who would trade places with me in a second to be able to be pregnant.

So all I have to say is....thank you God for this wonderful blessing. I truly AM blessed.

LAME-O

Yikes. Almost 2 months since my last post. LAME-O. So sorry about that. I've taken a little much-needed break and haven't done much of anything....let alone work up a post.

My house is a mess, my tree is STILL up (but not lit) and there are toys everywhere. Christmas was wonderful (and Thanksgiving was too!) and I was hardly on the computer at all. Plus, I was off for 3 weeks in December so I was pretty much a bum the ENTIRE time.

Now that I'm back in the swing of things, I promise to post more regularly. I've got TONS of photos to post from the fall...and I'll spread them out so I have something to post about. Taking a few months off until spring to do photos (unless someone is interested in indoor, NATURAL-LIGHT images...or we brave the cold) is going to be nice. But I will be ready to get back into the swing of things come Spring.

Since I can't post without a picture....here are a few shots from my own family shoot I had my friend Brooke help me with. I can't thank her enough for wielding my camera for me and doing what I tell her to do! G-Man wasn't all that cooperative but we sure got a few cute ones.

Enjoy! And I promise to post again soon.

Does this look comfortable to you???

Does this look comfortable to you???

No, I don't think so. Normally shoes on the wrong feet tend to hurt your toes.

I know THIS doesn't look comfortable. My goodness...his "stuff" (as we call it) has got to be a jumbled mess in there. (Not too terrible-looking from the front. Wait until you see the back.)


If you are wondering if this kid of mine is standing OUTSIDE in the driveway with his pants pulled down, then you would be correct. Not enough light inside the house, and these images are something I plan to torture him with as he gets older. Like graduation. Or his wedding. You know...all those things us mothers out there have to keep to whip out at the perfect moment. You see...G-Man is really learning (by hit and miss) how to dress himself. That means everything. Shoes, socks, underwear, shirt and pants. The other day I picked him up from school with his socks upside down (the bottom part of your foot (gray part) was on top of his foot), the shoes on the wrong feet with the tongue of the shoe scrunched down to the toes (he slid his feet in, rather than un-doing the velcro), his underwear on funky, his pants on backwards (the fly and button in the back) and his shirt has been on backward a time or two also.

Guess he needs to work a little bit more on dressing himself.

Break

Sorry dear blog readers for not posting much lately. After going non-stop for a couple of months now with work and photography and busy life...I'm taking a little break. Namely...this week.

Last week I edited 5 shoots that happened the weekend before, worked on X-Mas cards, baked a wedding cake for 220 guests, stressed over a wedding, and just about died. All on top of working full-time at my day job.

I crashed and burned after Saturday night's wedding shoot and I'm not quite ready to get back up and get going. So I took Sunday off to rest and relax. Then that turned into Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, today and I plan on not doing much of anything this weekend except for a photo shoot I have scheduled for Saturday (although with nasty Indiana weather...that might get postponed).

I'm just tired. The cold weather has made it worse. I just want to stay home, curl up on the couch, read a book and eat fattening food. :)

I have sooo much to blog about it's a little overwhelming right now. Plus...I have a huge wedding to edit and get to my client. I think it's safe to say you won't hear much from me until next week (unless I get a wild hair up my bum to do some blogging).

I haven't forgotten you. I'm just neglecting you. :) I'm spending quality time with my husband and son and enjoying staying home during the evenings and over the weekend. Maybe even doing a little holiday shopping.

So keep thinking of me. I plan to post a bunch next week. Just taking a breather...

~J

This is what they would have looked like...

This is what my Halloween cupcakes WOULD have looked like...had I not been swamped with photography stuff and overwhelmed and lazy.

Pretty nice, huh?

I had every intention of doing these all super adorable today for G-Man's daycare...and to take a few to work. BUT I FORGOT TO BAKE THEM AFTER WORK. AND I FORGOT TO BAKE THEM AFTER MY PHOTO SHOOT LAST NIGHT.

I FORGOT TO BAKE THEM UNTIL I WAS PUTTING G-MAN TO BED AT 8:45 LAST NIGHT.

@#$%^*!&

So I came downstairs, got my kitchen aid mixer out, and mixed up a boxed mix quickly. Then I busted out the can of Halloween sprinkes I bought the other day (probably subconsciously already anticipating my lack of follow-through with cake stuff these days) and finished them up.

All the kids are going to do is lick the icing off anyway!!!! (Or at least that is how I justify it to myself.)

So while my intentions were fantastic (see above...during my height of cake-decorating frenzy)....the turnout were less than stellar.

Just imagine chocolate cupcakes, canned icing and Halloween-themed sprinkles. Nothing to post pictures about. :) I like to remember my creations from last year.... Just think of it as being Halloween of 2007.

Happy a Happy Halloween!

Carving Pumpkins

Tonight we carved our 3 pumpkins for Halloween. G-Man kept saying "yuck" during the gutting process...and didn't want to touch the gunk. He's such a little prima-donna. But he HAD to wear his Spiderman costume.

After I gutted them all, we picked our templates and started poking holes. All the while I am wondering what ever happened to a sharpie and a steak knife that I used as a child.

Far less safer back then...but way more fun.

So we had templates...and special tools...and all was successful. I did my own (which G then proceeded to stab with every tool we had) and I think it turned out pretty well...except for the gaping wounds it now has.


Travis did his...and for G's I just used a pen and a child-proof knife. By that point...I was done. Over it. Finito.

That's the way it always is. Gung-ho...then bored...then hurried. G-Man was just playing swords with the tools, poking holes with everything imaginable, and wanting to take breaks to eat Halloween candy.

Oh well. It was fun. And I made Travis take pictures inside. I'm using a big-boy flash that my friend is loaning me for the wedding I have next weekend. Getting some practice in.

*I don't want to talk about it because my first wedding as a photographer is giving me hives*

Enjoy! This photo of the pumpkin really doesn't give justice to the 7 holes jabbed into the sides.

Gatorland!!!!!

So, back to our Florida trip. We left 9:00 p.m. Friday evening (after visiting Savonna in the hospital) and headed down to Orlando.

Travis hadn't slept hardly at all due to being at the hospital with Vonna, so I had first shift. After a few hours of driving and Travis not being able to sleep due to being so wound up, we swapped. It's now about midnight and my turn to sleep.

Well, that's when G-Man wanted to wake up and cry every hour for about 5 minutes. He was too tired, didn't want to be in the car, wanted to be in his bed, and was GRUMPY. Of course this happens during MY sleep shift.

Basically, I slept in 15-minute increments. And during those increments, I was threatening to throw G out the window.

Around 3 or 4 in the morning, it was my turn to drive (as Travis was EXTREMELY tired at this point). Of course at this point in time, G-Man was tired and sleeping a lot more soundly. 7:30 a.m. this Mama was tired and needing FOOD. So off to McDonalds we go and to swap drivers again.

At this time, G is awake, happy, and ready to go. I surprised him with his new Power Rangers movie and he was PUMPED! *And all I can say is I am sooo glad he's now used to wearing his headphones*

We get to Orlando, get checked into our hotel, shower, change, eat lunch and head over to Gatorland.

G-Man is STILL talking about the alligators, crocodiles, and how the alligators ate the hot dogs that we fed them. AND that they also eat chickens.

It was all very educational, fun, and a perfect way to spend 3-4 hours in Orlando. We were exhausted, but well worth the time and $$ to go.

Enjoy our photos from Gatorland!

#11....Check! (continued...)

So to wrap up my #11 on my 101 in 1001....let's finish talking about Disney World.


Day 1 was Animal Kingdom...and Day 2 is Magic Kingdom.



We made it to Magic Kingdom early in the day and first up...pictures with the first character we got to.


Pluto is first and immediately G-Man is NOT quite thrilled with him. He's not crying, but he's not thrilled to meet him either. He's bashful, and hiding his eyes. Eventually we get our photos taken together (by the Disney guy...so I don't have it electronically...yet) and then I finish taking photos as we're trying to get G to even ACKNOWLEDGE Pluto's existence. Finally he gets a high-five and we're off!


As soon as you get to MK, there is SO much to see...so much to do...and so much to distract you with. But finally we get some pictures snapped and off to the rides we go.


We rode many rides....even one ride 3 times!!!!



He loved everything and we were SOOO glad that we took him. Travis was worried he'd hate it (since you guys remember...this kid HATES carnival rides) and that we'd be throwing $$ down the drain. But we didn't (well, we spend oodles of $$$...but just none down the drain) and he enjoyed it all. EVEN THE RIDES. I do believe it helps when the parents can ride WITH you.


Even the parade was great...but by this time G was hot and tired and not quite thrilled to stand up and see everything...so he sat in his stroller and fanned himself with our hand-held fan.



Oh, and his favorite parts about Disney???? The gift shops. I am not kidding you...this kid gets it honestly from both parents...but all he wanted to do was shop. So we indulged. Nothing like a $15 Buzz Lightyear spinner toy to make a kid happy. And a $15 Mickey-Mouse Ears hat to make mom happy (for those adorable photos). And yes...somehow I would up wearing the Mickey ears...you are allowed to make fun of me.






We're excited to head back there for THE BIG DISNEY TRIP where we'll stay at the resort, stay for 4-5 days, and ride EVERYTHING. This trip wasn't that...but it still was a fantastic first trip to Disney. For G-Man AND Travis. Next time though...when we wait in line for 20 minutes to meet Mickey & Minnie...I want him to actually LOOK at them, maybe smile and give hugs, so that I can take the pictures....instead of all 3 of us standing there taking pictures with Mickey/Minnie and him covering his eyes.


And I had to keep reminding myself...this kid is 3.5 years old and still takes naps during the day...when he's NOT spending it at an amusement park.

This was what happened when we got back to the hotel.....