Sunday, December 30, 2007

Tea Party

Yesterday the girls had a tea party with 'real' tea and Libby's new 'breakable' tea set. In the background are the parts of Amelia's crib, ready to go down to the basement. Wow, finally done with the crib after nearly five years of having it in one girl's room or the other's. Now if we could just be done with diapers :)
I am putting a couple of others on the Soul Reflection Blog, too



Saturday, December 29, 2007

Zzzzzzzzzz

There has been very little sleep for Chris and I lately. Get your mind out of the gutter....it's for a clean reason.
Amelia moved into her big girl bed. It takes a good hour or more every night of sitting in her room so that she will stay in her bed while fighting sleep, tossing and turning, talking to herself, singing, throwing covers off her bed, stretching as far as she can to get them back without actually leaving her bed, kicking, making shadow puppets on from the light of the night light, shaking the little bed rails that keep her from falling out, peeking at us to see if we're still there...... When she finally falls asleep we sneak out on our hands and knees and very slowly pull the door shut. With a sigh of relief and silent 'thank you' prayer we creep back into the living room. Within ten minutes there is usually the sound of an opening door and little feet padding down the hall and accross the kitchen floor. During the night there is always as least one similar episode and we once again need to sit in her room for anywhere from 10 minutes to a half hour. After a couple of hours of sleep we are awoken at about 5am.
This morning I woke up to her jumping onto my chest HARD at about 5. That was one hell of a wake up call, let me tell you.

There are some new photos of the girls and the snow in our yard on my Soul Reflection blog.... Soul Reflection Blog

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Six Years Old.

Tomorrow is the sixth birthday of our twins, Rainey and Grace. To think that they would be halfway through their first year of school...

Both Chris and I have been having a difficult time with it lately. We just miss them so terribly, and this time of year will always be painful. They were born and died just four days before Christmas. Their funeral was right after the holiday. There was snow on the ground the day of the funeral and I had to wear a pair of my mother's sandals because my feet were too swollen to fit in any of my shoes or sandals. I was a mess physically which made it so much harder for me. On top of the insane swelling, I was having all of the normal physical aftereffects of giving birth....pain, bleeding, exhaustion...but it was when my milk came in that I hit my lowest point. How cruel was it to have to milk come in with no babies to feed....I had to wear an ace bandage to their funeral.

I had to go Christmas shopping the day after I got out of the hospital (Christmas Eve) because I didn't have a gift for Chris yet. I know it was ridiculous of me but for some reason it was desperately important to me. Walking into the mall just days after giving birth to two little girls and holding them as they passed away....just days before they would be buried...was sickening. And the day after Christmas we had to go to a doll shop to buy dresses for them to be buried in. The preemie clothes were too large. That, above all else, was the most terrible experience and the one that still makes me feel physically ill when I think of it. There were dolls everywhere....ultra realistic dolls laying in bassinets and sitting in high chairs, staring at us...modeling the clothing that our daughters would wear for their funeral. I will never go into another doll shop again.

Since I had been very large due to carrying twins and having too much amniotic fluid (polyhydramnios...the condition that ultimately caused me to go into labor) I looked like I was full term. So when I saw people after having them they were excited and exclaimed, "oh, you had your babies!!! Congratulations!!" Sometimes I gently told them that yes, I had, but that they had passed away....othertimes I just quietly said 'thank you' and moved on. That happened over and over for many months.

I remember too vividly the feeling of my stomach suddenly collapsing when my water broke during delivery. Because there had been SO much extra fluid it was like a water balloon exploding...one huge surge of water which made a nauseating sound as it hit the floor in the delivery room. My stomach collapsed instantly and the wind was literally knocked out of me for a moment due to the force. Of course figuratively the wind was knocked out of me for months and months. And sometimes it still is. Like today.

The nurses were very kind to us. As they handed Rainey and Grace to us to hold they were gentle when they told us to not be startled if Grace moved...that she was still alive. They were so warm. And so tiny. And their skin so soft when I kissed them. Hours later, we asked the nurse to bring them back in so we could hold then one more time. I wasn't prepared for how cold they would be.
The nurses took their photographs and put them in little tiny handmade white gowns. They made casts of their tiny feet, and gave us a box with their hospital bracelets, photos, footprints, the handmade blanket they had laid them on, and various other little items. If there is ever a fire I will get Libby and Amelia out first, and then their box. I would risk my life to get their things out safely. I would be devestated to lose the only physical things I have of my daughters'. I have to be able to look at their feet...every tiny wrinkle of their feet are visible.

We have been struggling. We saw a story on the news about sextuplets who survived and are in fair health. They were about the same size at birth as our girls. Although we are always happy for mothers with healthy twins or of tiny preemies who survive....it stings every time. Libby's two best girlfriends are five year old twins. It is lovely to see them, but difficult at the same time.

Libby talks about her big sisters in heaven often. I told her that the angel ornaments on the Christmas tree are to remind us of Rainey and Grace.... and she now periodically tells me that all of the ornaments are so beautiful and that they all remind her of Rainey and Grace, and 'Gramps' (my father who passed away three years ago). Last week Chris told the girls that he is so lucky to have two awesome daughters....Libby corrected him and said that he has four daughters. It makes me happy that she so clearly understands that her two big sisters are still in our family and around us every day....and that she has big sisters who are angels who watch over her and Amelia.

Happy birthday, Rainey and Grace. We miss you. We love you.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Cookie Party!!

What a weekend! I'm exhausted. I had a senior portrait session on Saturday. It was down in Milwaukee and we were in the midst of a pretty messy snow storm. I had a lot of fun with her, though, and also enjoyed being able to spend some time with my sister (it was my nephew's girlfriend that I was photographing). Sunday I had a photo session in Oshkosh with a large family...some of my favorite and most regular clients. I had a lot of fun with that, then rushed home to get ready for a big cookie party. Libby was having three of her best friends over to make Christmas cookies. Keep in mind they were all 4 or 5....and add in Amelia and we were in for a mess and a lot of fun. Our kitchen floor was barely visible due to a carpet of sprinkles...and I'm not exaggerating. Thank God my friend, Dani, stayed and helped. It is her son Ethan who is Libby's long time fiancee. I'm including a LOT of photos below.

There was not much sleep to be had in our house this weekend, either. Amelia suddenly figured out how to climb out of her crib on Friday night. And how to open her bedroom door. Need I say more??


Photos from the cookie party....









Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Great news!

My new website has launched! I'm super excited about it...it's SO much nicer than my old one in a million ways. Check it out if you're bored!
If the thumbnails in the portfolio section get squished into the jukebox and shopping card buttons, just let the slideshow run instead of clicking on each thumbnail... it only happens if your screen is not wide enough.

www.SoulReflectionPhotography.com

Everything else is great around here.... getting ready for Christmas and Santa's arrival. Everyone is very excited :)

Thursday, December 06, 2007

3 Below

Well, it's a balmy 3 degrees below zero today.

I just got an email about a 5k on New Year's day...I am hoping to run it. My plan will be to work on speeding up my pace this month so I can keep up with my running partner and set a new personal best for that distance. I've been running really slowly for months now, because I've lost all ambition to go fast or long.

St Nick came last night for Libby and Amelia...they were pretty excited. Libby is SO excited for Christmas that this was huge for her. She also has an advent calendar that we open each morning. It's from Starbucks (I know, not the most traditional...) and has little drawers for each day. Inside is a piece of chocolate, and after you open each one you turn it around and put it back in. There is a little bit of a picture on each one, so it shows a little more of the whole picture each day.

I swear that Amelia gets more fun and sweet each day lately. I think it's due to her constant growth in vocabulary, so she can express herself with much less frustration. It's so much fun.

I got my new website last night! I am so excited to have a really nice website for the business...it should be up and running (with the same URL... www.SoulReflectionPhotography.com ) within a week or so. Yay!!!!! It will be so much easier for my clients and I because there is a client proofing section as well as a shopping cart, so all of their viewing and ordering can be done right there. The site I've been using has caused nothing but frustration and confusion since I started using it.

I am in Milwaukee today for work and am anxious to get home so I can run and then get started on the site. I am forcing myself to run first, because being very OCD I know that I'd get working on the site and not be able to stop and run. I suppose I'll run on the treadmill, since it's negative three degrees. I love running outdoors in the Winter...it's my favorite time of year to run outdoors. But when it's less than ten I just stay in on the treadmill unless I'm running with Jo.

Things have slowed down now with photography, since the holiday photo season is wrapping up. I'm enjoying the slow time, but am anxious to do a few more sessions with my new camera, which I LOVE. If you want a REALLY good camera get the Canon 40D :)

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Let it snow!

Well, we're in for our first storm of the season...they are saying 5-8 inches today/tonight. Perfect day to put up the Christmas tree and drink a lot of hot chocolate!
Libby is still feeling very stylish and sassy with her new hairo. I cannot get over it....she looks SO old and SO damned cute! It suits her absolutely perfectly. I say it all of the time, but I LOVE that she feels secure enough to be her own person...to express herself and just to be...Libby. Love it. I hope that we can continue to nurture the environment so that she and Amelia can both feel able to be themselves throughout their lives. In my opinion it helps their self-esteem, confidence, creativity, and most importantly happiness.

Amelia is amazing. Her vocabulary is impressive as is her sense of humor. If it's possible I love and enjoy her more and more every day. I am humbled by her and Libby's beautiful spirits.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Before and After

Libby has been begging to get some color back in her hair, as the purple has faded completely. I told her that I'd make her an appointment with 'Sparkly Sarah'. Since Libby will NEVER let me put anything in her hair...barrettes, ponytails, etc...and her hair is wild and crazy, it's always in her face. SO I asked her if she wanted a new hairdo, and she was super excited. She wanted a 'messy haircut' and she picked her own style out of a book. She went for more of a short, asymmetrical 'bedhead' type style. She went to the salon today. My little rockstar is back in full force. I cannot believe how awesome she looks....I cried while she was getting it done because it's a total big girl haircut. She looks like she's so old!!!!! Chris and I, and everyone she's seen this afternoon/evening, thinks it's super cool. It totally fits her personality....which is so....Punky Brewster.

In true makeover fashion, here are some before and afters.

Before:























During:














































After:














































And on another note, now that the crazy Christmas Photo Season is ending, I'll actually have a little more time to keep up with the blog....I have been horrible, I know...but I'm back on track!!!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Can you tell....

....who is mainly Irish and Scandinavian and who is a good chunk Mexican? I'm still a ton more pastey than Libs even when I'm fully tanned in the Summer...I would love to have her skin tones :)

Thursday, November 08, 2007

I know...I know...I have become terrible.

I never have time to post to the blog anymore!! I have been incredibly busy with photography jobs and my full time job (I've been gone 3-4 days a week every week for a while)
SO a funny hotel experience again......because there ALWAYS is one.

I got to my very nice, brand new hotel room on Monday evening and pulled back the covers to crawl into bed. There was a very long black hair laying across my pillow. I called downstairs and told them and asked for fresh linens. About twenty minutes later a male maintenance man came by himself to my room with new sheets. He came in and tried to make my bed but didn't know how. He kept turning the fitted sheet around trying to get the right end up. I was getting very uncomfortable, needless to say. My little friend told me that his 'helper' was on her way with pillow cases. She did show up after a while and the two struggled together with my sheets. They could seriously not figure it out. I was ready to ask them to leave and do it myself. And let me tell you, these were some very chatty maintenance people. Finally they finished and the girl got a call on her walkie-talkie asking if she was around people or alone. After my new friend told the desk person that she was in a guest room, the desk person told her that she needed her to deliver three days worth of tampons to room 416. We all died laughing.
Then, as has been the case on my last three trips, my key card stopped working and I had to go down and get it re-activated.
Then it happened again later in the day.
And again the next day.
The fourth time this happened during my three night stay I went down and said that I was getting frustrated. I had been in meetings all day and needed to change for an award dinner. She proceeded to tell me that they had me as checking out that day and they couldn't figure out where I was, since I hadn't checked out. So they deactivated it. After she asked the manager she informed me that they could allow me to stay another night in the room. She gave me a new key and I went up to find that all of my things were stacked up and ready to be removed from the room.
THEN when I went to my room after breakfast the maintenance friend from the first night was standing outside of my room washing the window..........

I'm in the Charlotte airport and about to board my flight to Detroit, connecting home...where I will find my brand new Canon 40D camera!!

I will try and be better about the blog, but I'm not promising anything. I do update my photography blog several times a week with images from new sessions.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

wow, I've been neglecting the blog!

Our life has been absolutely insane lately...and this blog has been neglected. Between my work and traveling about 3 days a week and my booming photography business I've had no time to give an update. I do update the photography blog at least a couple of times a day, so if you'd like to see what I've been up to check there.

Yesterday my mother got married. The girls got to be flower girls and loved it. It was at their house, so it was nice and quiet. Very nice. I am working on proofing the photos from the wedding, and I'll post some when I'm done today. :)

Halloween is on top of us and we don't even have costumes yet. Life is too busy! I am traveling Monday through Wednesday this week and Chris' parents are staying with the girls and dogs, since Chris is also traveling for work. I'm going to have to con someone into helping me with that. I'm having bad mom guilt about it, too. Thank God I get home in time to take the girls trick-or-treating.

I have been averaging two sessions a week lately, which I'm loving. I'm doing mini sessions again on Saturday afternoon out on a farm complete with a sleigh, so can get Christmas photos.

That's about it for today. I'll try and be better, I promise.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Don't Mess with Texas!

Tonight I'm writing from a hotel room in Dallas, TX. As always, my travel has provided me with much to write about.
Getting here was a mess. I walked into the airport at 6am to the longest line I've ever seen at our small airport. My flight was at 7, so I wasn't overly concerned. It was actually pretty entertaining standing in that long and slow-moving line...I got to watch a lot of people stroll through the automatic doors with tired but relaxed nonchalance.....and then see their face fall into a look of horror...and then read their lips (and minds) as they go into a fit of not-so-well-hidden swearing.

Made it to my connecting flight in Minneapolis on time and found my gate. I had received an email from my boss saying that all flights into Dallas were delayed at least two hours due to bad storms...but the lady at the desk and the pilot standing nearby both assured me that there was to be no delay. Got into the air on time, as promised... and then we got stuck there. Stuck in a strange vortex above Dallas....flying in circles over and over and over for nearly two hours. Finally the pilot was able to break free of the bizarre air pattern and we made it to the damp and steaming ground of Dallas.

After our meetings we went to the Texas State fair. Home of 'Big Tex' (yes there were photographs of me and the big man) huge hump-backed cows, six inch tall horses, and two headed snakes. It was a bust, though....not too many people there and not too much going on. I'm glad I got to experience it, though, especially with my Texas Tour Guide, Ms Michelle. We both wore cowboy hats and she even had some kickin' cowgirl boots. She looked MUCH cooler than me, that's for sure. But us Cheeseheads just don't look cool in cowboy hats....we're more suited to the big orange rubber wedge hats of Packer glory.

Monday, October 08, 2007

Speedy LaRue meet Stinky LaRue....

So I just arrived in Cincinatti..well, Covington, KY actually... this was an interesting trip. Don't you just love the traveling adventures of Reb?

On the first plane, to Detroit, I sat next to Stinky LaRue. He reeked of booze and also took up half of my seat. I had to lean out into the aisle for the entire flight with my hand over my nose in the least obvious way possible. When I thought I had made it through alive and could see the end of the tunnel....well......he farted. I thought I might need the barf bag.

On my next flight, from Detroit to Dayton, I again sat next to a large person and spent the flight leaning into the aisle. Fortunately she did not stink. Well, actually she did put on a terribly noxious scented lotion before take off, but that faded fairly quickly. We were, however, sitting in the last row, next to the bathroom. After landing we had to wait for 20 minutes for a gate. It was at least 100 degrees in there, but I'm going to guess it was even hotter. Mmmmmmmmmm the whole plane smelled lovely.

Made it to the airport and got my rental car. I got a GPS this time since I had to drive well over an hour to my hotel....thank God because it was dark and a maze of interstates.

.....I was doing okay with Ms GPS guiding me. Unfortunately she didn't announce speed limits in addition to directions. I got pulled over on I-75 while I was in the left lane...being the clueless natural blonde that I am, I pulled over to the left...only to hear the police officer yelling over his intercom to pull to the right. Oh yes, I'm an idiot. Made my way across three lanes of traffic and stopped. When the officer came up to me he gave me a lecture about the risk of death when pulling to the left.... and I got a really nice ticket. He informed me that I can mail it in, unless I'd like to come back to Ohio for court. What a sweetie......

And here I am in the hotel room (no poop on the toilet this time, so no jacuzzi this trip) eating room service. Good night.

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Zoo Day!!!

We went to the Milwaukee zoo yesterday and had a great day. It was a little too hot at 86 degrees, but the zoo was fairly deserted which made it much nicer. Both Libby and Amelia had a blast and were such great girls. Libby walked the entire time (it's a big zoo) and Amelia never cried (that's a treat). We were all exhausted by the time we got home. I jumped into proofing the photos from Friday's one-year-old session (several are on my Soul Reflection blog...I really like these) and worked on that until I started to fall asleep on the computer. I cruised through the session and finished them up this morning already. I brought some feather boas to the session and loved how they looked in photographs. I'll be using them a lot, I think! I have another session next Saturday and am really psyched for this one. Two beautiful girls of COMPLETELY different skin tones (both are adopted, one very blonde and the other African American). I get to do some at their home and then finish up out at a pumpkin patch. I am hoping that Chris will bring our girls out there, too, so I can catch up with them when I finish the session.
I am on the road three days this week..Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, but hopefully Thursday's will be on the motorcycle again if the weather is nice. The last two weeks I've visited the same place in Milwaukee and have been able to take Maxie the BMW :) Makes for a good day when you're paid to ride your bike for three hours!!!
I just discovered Amelia in by the dogs while they were eating. She came out with a mouth full of dog food. That's my girl...eating anything in sight.....

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Yikes

Wow, I think this is the longest I've ever gone without updating the blog!! I've been B U S Y with work and photography. I did five mini sessions and one full session on Saturday, so whenever I haven't been working for my full time job I've been proofing photos. I have another session booked for Friday, and another the next week. I can't believe how busy it's become. I love it. There is a lot of new stuff on the photography blog.

Today I am in Detroit for a presentation, then heading back home this afternoon...then off to Milwaukee on Thursday.

Last night I had a dream that I was in a plane crash...nothing too bad, everyone survived, but wow...it was scary!! We took off and then lost control. Probably brought on by the very turbulent flights I've had lately. The last two have been like a bullride. I also dreamed last night that Libby broke her collarbone while I was gone on a trip. Mommy guilt, anyone?

We're headed to the Milwaukee Zoo on Saturday :) We haven't been there this year and I'm excited. I haven't even told the girls yet....or they wouldn't sleep until then.

My mom is getting married at the end of the month. Sounds like it's going to be a pretty drunken day...should be fun :) I'm standing up. The only time I've ever stood up in a wedding and it's for my mother...how funny is that? I just hope I get to wear a shiny teal dress with lots of pouf and sparkle...

I suppose I'd better dry my hair and get going for this meeting!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Monkey is two!!!

How can it be that Amelia is already two years old? Her birthday was yesterday....
A little less than two years ago I was SO uncomfortable and so excited to have our fourth baby girl (Rainey and Grace being the first two)...I was ginormous and very whale like. Really. See for yourself...








































Two years ago yesterday I was in a hospital room with Chris and a couple of very unfortunate nurses. My head was spinning, green smoke was billowing out of my ears, and unnatural and horrifying sounds were escaping from the depths of my soul. I was cursing myself for not getting the damned epidural. I was yelling at Chris to get the annoying nurse out of my room... unfortunately she stayed. There was a shot of pain medication (maybe a spinal?) immediately before the delivery began. After 27 hours of pushing, or at least what seemed like 27 hours, Amelia was born. She wasn't breathing well and was not crying, so I didn't get to hold her for about twenty minutes. When I finally got her I was elated and relieved...and waited until the nurses were out of the room to mention to Chris that she had an uncanny resemblance to a baby baboon. And I mean that in a good way, because really, what is cuter than a baby monkey???? See for yourself.















































Now my Monkey is a funny, smart, naughty, sassy, adorable two year old. She can sing the alphabet song, Twinkle Twinkle, the happy birthday song... She has a huge vocabulary which grows each day. She runs like Phoebe from 'Friends', and has started pre-school. Yesterday we had a party...which consisted of the four of us, my mom, Libby's fiancee, and his mother Dani. We played at the park and had a picnic, which was a blast and nice and low-key.




Monday, September 17, 2007

Things I Learned on my trip to Ohio

It has been a very enlightening trip today.... I'm sharing what I learned today in hopes that it will improve your life.

1. Brandy in the sippy cup keeps the kids asleep--good when you need to get up at 4:30am for a flight.

2. If you must fly into Detroit (God forbid) do it early in the morning on a clear and sunny day, preferably from the North. When the sun hits the ground it reflects brightly off of all of the cars' reflectors and makes an amazing display of amber, red, green, and blue. It's truly incredible. It looked a giant Lite Bright game. It is the only time I've seen Detroit look beautiful. Fortunately I remembered to take my seizure meds this morning...otherwise all of that flashing would have had me doing the crappy-flop. (that's crappy like the fish, pronounced 'croppy')

3. Spending more time on the tarmac in a hot plane than you do in the air totally sucks-ass....and it's harder than one might think to work "suck-ass" into five separate conversations in one day. Even when challenged to by antagonizing co-workers.....Mr Richardson.....

4. Don't like running hills? Don't run in Akron...ever. For reals. I nearly died in my worn-out running shoes after running four miles. (even though I ran the first two miles with a charming young pilot from Idaho....which, I will admit, both made those two miles easier because of the distraction and nearly killed me due to running too fast in an effort to conceal the truth--that I'm a slow and uncoordinated runner)

5. It's acceptable (if not encouraged) to smoke marajuana at bus stops in downtown Akron. I think I only made it through the end of my run because the contact high numbed the pain.

6. Need an upgrade on your hotel room? Call the front desk and tell them that there was poop smeared on the toilet seat when you got into your room. They treat you real well after that and give you a room with a jacuzzi. Trust me, I know. And I didn't even have to lie about the poop.

7. Forget number 4? As a result your legs are not working? Easy fix. See number 6. Hot water and powerful jets cure all that aches you.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

To make you chuckle....

Since it's Sunday afternoon and a lot of people are feeling a bit blue about Monday morning hanging overhead like a dark cloud.... AND for those in Wisconsin, since the Packers are losing by three in the third quarter...I thought I'd give you a laugh. This is from a session I did yesterday at a horse farm. (there are a lot of photos from the session on the Soul Reflection blog.)

I'm off to Ohio again tomorrow morning at 6:30am. Cleveland and Akron are becoming quite familiar :)

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Off to Akron

I'm outta here again. Heading to Akron this time, then back to Cleveland and Akron again next week. Lovin' Ohio, I guess :)
We have an extra big dog this week while my newly married friend Megan is on her honeymoon. Louie rocks. Holly is in love, and there may have been a three way in the house last night..... but Chumley asked me to not tell anyone. He's embarrassed that it wasn't two females and himself, but more embarrassed that he loved it so much.
I looked at Libby after I got her ready for daycare (school) and she looked like a big kid. She was doing something or the other and I was watching her...she was facing away and I swear she looked like a 1st grader. She has sprouted up lately. And seems more mature, too. I'm amazed at what comes out of her little brain and mouth. This morning she told me to have a safe trip and that Rainey and Grace (our premie twins that we lost and would be nearly 6) will be with me and to come back soon.

Anyway, off to Akron. Later!

Saturday, September 08, 2007

A special post for my friends at West....

I was told off many times by my old coworkers, while shooting my friend's wedding last night, that I had not updated my blogs regularly enough lately and they were bored. SO I'll really give it to them and show you what they were up to last night....
Note Ashley's classic 'white man's overbite' while doing the chicken dance...and Dani's lady-like cake eating....and the cleavage cup holder....Lindsay and Ashley being the lushes they are....Dani and Ashley doing some dirty dancing....Lindsay dancing with her future husband after they caught the bouquet and garter....

So, my West friends...this is for you :)

(obviously not portraits, just snapshots during the reception...for the pretty portraits look on the Soul Reflection Blog...there are lots there)









Sunday, September 02, 2007

Happy Labor Day!

I hope everyone is having a fun holiday weekend! We took a trip to the little zoo nearby yesterday and had a lot of fun, except for Libby's first bee sting. Amelia was happy to see the monkeys, since they are, after all, her next of kin. Libby said that her favorite animal at the zoo was 'all of them'. I was personally most impressed by the 1100 pound pig...yes, I said eleven hundred. He is going for the state record, which is only a hundred pounds off. Last time we saw him (last year) we thought he was huge, and he was about half his current size.
I'm still quite sick...bad cough and sinus pressure. I haven't been able to run in a week...and it doesn't look promising for the next few days, either. I have the half marathon at the end of the month, and I'm so undertrained..........

We just dropped Chris off about 45 minutes away. He's kayaking to the van which is parked at his end point, and anticipates that it will take about 6 hours. I get very nervous when he goes by himself, but I'm thrilled that he's finally getting out on the water for a good paddle.

Some photos from the zoo and of playing with bubbles are below, and on the Soul Reflection blog there are lots of fun nature images that I took yesterday when I was scouting the location of the wedding I'm shooting on Friday.





Friday, August 31, 2007

Maxie's turn

Now it's my Maxie who was offended that I didn't post photos of her..... so today it's all about Ms Maxie.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

He's still doing it.

Replaying that damned recording.

and he just said that he's going to take it to work tomorrow.

for reals.

This is my life....

my husband just farted really loud after sticking our voice recorder by his a$$, recording it for posterity. Now he keeps replaying it over and over.


Is this seriously my life?

Monday, August 27, 2007

It's Holly's turn...

Holly was hurt that I only showed a photo of Chumley...so it's her turn today.

Libby's Tutu Photo Gallery Link

If you would like to see all of the photos from Libby's tutu session (samples in the next post below) just go to the online gallery. Click here

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Girl time

Despite being sick with Strep Throat, Libby wanted to be my model today...she knows that it usually earns her a special treat.... I have wanted to get her out on a real shoot (away from our yard) for awhile and wanted to get some photos of her in her tutu and new rainboots. I put a lot of them on the Soul Reflection blog, and am going to post a link to the entire 'session' tomorrow. She had so much fun, even being sick. She can really ham it up for the camera. (is it any surprise, then, that I totally love her? Ha!)
She is feeling better today...the meds are helping. She actually asked for her 'bubble gum medicine' (her antibiotic tastes like bubble gum) earlier this evening, which is a ton nicer than chasing her around and around the dining room table trying to catch her and dose her up. :)

Here are just two of my favorites from tonight.