"Happy" Meal

My Jaderbug hasn't been feeling well lately, yesterday he said he felt like he was going to throw up (as a Mcdonalds commercial plays in the background). I am not sure which part of the commercial he was referring to but he says "See, that's why I need a happy meal!", now I'm slightly confused "You need a happy meal so you won't throw up?"

Jaden: "Yeah, that's why the "word's" right."

me: "What word? You mean that's why they call it a happy meal?"

Jaden: "Yeah!! That's why when kids are gonna throw up they ask their moms and dads for a happy meal and they say "yes"." (this is a clever tactic;)

Well who am I to argue with such logic? Unfortunately a happy meal did not seem like the best approach to his problem, but when I informed him that we would sadly not be getting the coveted "happy" meal, I got the shocked "are you kidding me?" look followed by "Do you want me to throw up?!!". So, today since he was feeling better we got a happy meal, I mean after a performance like that, what's a girl to do? ;)

Umm...yeah...

Apparently I haven't updated my blog for awhile (so I've been told) so here I am way past my bedtime, this is likely going to be nothing more than a middle of the night rambling, so sit back and enjoy! Hmm, lets see, anything special in my life right now? Well, I shot my first wedding this weekend and well, aside from the 25 mile an hour winds, one of the bridal parties parents getting food poisoning and my flash not working, I'd say it went pretty well (I'm thinking I should stick with child photography). Although the (few) pictures we were able to get due to the weather, turned out very nicely, the stress of a wedding is just not my thing (we're talking emotional breakdown, of course it was family so that may have contributed). I may have a wedding in May (thanks Trish;) but they will not be having a reception and only a small family gathering so I'm thinking the stress will not be so much:) I went to a marketing seminar this Monday, there was some great infomation, it gave me a sense of renewal and I can't wait to start using the ideas!

This week is spring break here so Jaden is staying with "nana" for the week, it has been quiet with only one child, I see his little toy cars scattered about the house, it makes me miss him. I guess he went to his cousins soccer game on Tuesday, they were playing, kicking the ball back and forth, well the ball hit him "where it hurts" and he was crying for mommy and daddy, poor guy! Jaden is my lovebug, he randomly says "mommy," "yes," I say, "I love you." melt my heart. Can you tell I'm missing him? Before we left for the weekend he let me take some pictures of him, he really wanted me to get a good picture. He would try a pose and say "how about this mom?" it was so cute. I will leave you with one of my favorites from his "session".

Advice for the day...

"If you have a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: Take two, and KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN." (hehe, I really do love my kids:)

The heart of a child...

As I have mentioned in a previous post I am a volunteer photographer for "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep," infant bereavement photography. Last night I received my first call, it was heartwrenching, to say the least, a beautiful baby girl, fullterm, stillborn. This afternoon I was editing the images from the session and my son came and sat down by me to observe what I was doing. I spend a lot of time editing images and he usually pays no attention, however this time was different, he was very curious and intrigued by what I was doing. As I am paging through all of my images the following conversation played out:
Jaden: "Mommy, those pictures are beautiful!"
Mommy: "Well thank you!"
Jaden: "Mommy, is that person crying?"
Mommy: "Yes Jaden, she is very sad"
Jaden: "Why is she so sad?"
Mommy: "Her baby died and that makes her very sad"
Jaden: "Mommy?"
Mommy: "Yes?"
Jaden: "Jesus loves us and HE died, now we can live again."
Mommy (hardly able to contain the tears): "Yes Jaden, Jesus does love us and He did die so that we can live again."
Jaden: "Mommy, these pictures are gorgeous!"

Oh my goodness! How is a mother to control her emotions at a time like this? Where did those words come from? Gorgeous?!? It amazed me that in his 4 glorious years of experience he would directly relate the death of this little child to our Savior, that we can all live a again through Him. I am in complete awe of my sweet, sweet boy and his compassion, and he was right the pictures were gorgeous, not because of me, but because of God's beautiful little creation.

A day in the life of a "Terrible Two"...

As with most mothers, my day starts out pretty ordinary, I wake up around noon while my personal chef finishes up a gourmet brunch (falling within weight watchers points specifications, of course). After brunch I relax to a deep tissue massage and aromatherapy, followed by a pedicure or manicure only as needed (I wouldn't want to be wasteful, ya know;). Once I have finished my daily ritual, I wake up and realize that it was all a dream and that my life goes a little more like this...

Any meal time usually ends with quite the mess (and Sammy is wearing most of it), I wonder how chubby her little cheeks would be if more food actually made it to her tummy?

She now needed a bath so I went to turn the bath water on and went back to clean up the "aftermath" of mealtime, well, apparently Sammy isn't much for waiting so she decided she would proceed without me... Clearly she doesn't mind bathing fully clothed (she's so modest;)

After bathtime, (without her diaper and jammies) Sammy thought she should stay in the spirit of "keeping it clean", at least that's what I'm guessing was going through her little mind when she dumped a half a bottle of shampoo on the carpet, lovely! There was so much shampoo that I had to pour water into the carpet and then scrape it into a cup, empty, rinse, repeat.

While I was cleaning the shampoo mess, she was, yet again, one step ahead of me emptying the kitchen drawers. (I could really use that massage and aromatherapy right about now:)

You really think the saga would be ending by now, but mommy left the cup of soapy water in the living room while she picked up the kitchen utensils, could any child really withstand that temptation? Is this like getting your hand caught in the cookie jar?



Are you exhausted from reading this post yet?

Terrible Two's continued...

Sammy's little nap finally allowed me to finish packing. I was supposed to be packing for our trip to Nana's house this weekend when everything unfolded as it did in the last post. Well, we finally arrived to Nana's house late last night, where the party continued. My mom is the secretary for the Chamber of Commerce in her hometown and so she is coordinating a "Mardi Gras" gala this evening. She had set aside plenty of "pretties" for her "Sammy Belle" as any great nana would and she LOVED them! She loved them so much she decided to share the joy with Ace, the family dog...

If all good dogs go to Heaven, then Ace certainly has seniority for first in line, he was such a sport through this whole charade...

Doesn't he look beautiful? (hehe) What a trooper!

Then again who could get mad at a face like this...

"You make a living by what you get, you make a life by what you give"

~Sir Winston Churchill
As a photographer I try not to mix my business with my personal blog, however, this is not easily done as photography is my life! I think about it all the time, I dream about it (yes, I dream about photography, strange, I know). I absolutely LOVE what I do, which is so hard to find in life. Images capture the things in life that make us happy, that make us joyous and emotional, the things that make us feel connected. The gift of photography is felt on so many levels and used for every stage of life, to capture the important moments before they are gone and forgotten. How often do you pull out an old album, can you not help but smile to see the images from the past, each one reminding us of a different story? As a photographer I am so grateful to be able to share these moments in the lives of others. Pictures document a journey, unfortunately, life's journeys are not always perfect, there are bumps in the road, detours, and unexpected moments that are unplanned and are sometimes surrounded by sadness. These are the moments I want to talk about today, because these are the moments that are tugging at my heart. I am an affiliated photographer to a non-profit organization called "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" or NILMDTS. It is an organization that was founded by a photographer, Sandy Puc, and Cheryl Haggard, a mother enduring the loss of an infant. Please read more about the personal experience that drew me to this organization and watch a special clip of a family dealing with this very sensitive matter by clicking here. Thanks for taking the time to read my daily ramblings:)