And baby makes three...

Tomorrow... I will be the mother of a one year old

2011-03-16T23:39:00.000-08:00

That fact hasn't quite sunk in yet.

Where did the time go? Has it really been a year already?

I guess it has... I mean, the calender says so, and so it must be true.

But how... how did this time past by so quickly.

I miss my baby.

My little baby.

I love my little boy, but I miss my baby.

So many changes... too many to handle at one time.

He's walking. Talking. Playing. Laughing. He really has left the babyhood behind and is running full steam ahead towards being a full-blown toddler.

But I miss my baby.

I'm not ready for this. But most of all, I'm not ready for about 10 o'clock tomorrow night.

For tomorrow night will be my last time breastfeeding Caleb. We wanted to go all the way to one year and we did.

But I'm going to miss it... the way he looks up at me through those dark lashes... the way he reaches his hand up to stroke my cheek... the way he grins big when I nibble his fingers... the way he closes his eyes and cuddles deeply while his tummy is full of warm milk...

All of it.. I am going to miss it.

My baby has grown up.. welcome to life with a one year old!

m.

An Apple-Addict from the start!

2011-03-02T06:59:00.000-09:00

While waiting for our food at Red Robin last night (celebrating Micah's brother's birthday), I got out my iphone and turned on Caleb's fun little game. And that's when Micah snapped this cute picture with his (poor, sad) blackberry:

Isn't it just the cutest?? First of all, Caleb was sitting up at the table like a big boy and then was soooo concentrated on this game. Of course, I've heard the same music about 1,000,001 times since downloading the app a week ago. "Walk like an elephant.. stomp! stomp! stomp!".... AHHHHHHH!

But even though we're trying to raise an Apple-Addict from the very start, Caleb still has his, ahem, moments.

Like the other night when he decided that my iPhone, who has already been on it's last leg for some time now, needed a bath.

In the toilet.

Right after I had just finished, ahem, "using the facilities."

Caleb was sitting on the floor, playing his game, minding his own business. I finished, flushed the toilet (thankfully!), and proceeded to wash my hands. Now, normally, I wash my hands and then reach over and close the lid and tidy up. I've been quite good about always making sure the lid is closed- just in preparation for an occurrence like this.

My hand was half way to the lid when I heard *PLOP* and there is Caleb standing over the toilet, hand open, with my pink iPhone taking a lovely, not-so-lovely, bath. AHHH! In goes my hand, out comes the iPhone. Ewww. All in all, I would say that it was in there for less than five seconds total.

The one good part in all this? The moment that iPhone hit the water that annoying song stopped!

.....................................

Fast forward about 12 hours. By this time my phone had sat in a lovely bowl of brown rice, waiting, drying, hopefully anxious to get back to work. Because in the end I knew three things: 1) I couldn't live without my iPhone (if nothing else, I need it for business) and 2) I couldn't afford to flat out replace it and my renewal isn't until July, which brings us to 3) I was going to die!!! (In a over-dramatic teen girl voice)

But miracles of miracles, my iPhone is alive is (mostly) well! Everything works, from the touch screen to the speakers. The only thing that is show any time of it's recent "bath" is that the home button is a little more finicky that usual. But I'll deal with a finicky home button anyday in order to have a working iPhone!

So--- what's been happening in your life? Has your phone (or remote, or contact case, or can opener) taken a bath lately?

NEWS!!!! CALEB TOOK HIS FIRST STEPS!!!!

2011-02-19T23:36:00.000-09:00

I know that I've been away for a while. Since going full-time, I have been working around-the-clock on photography. This next week I have three full sessions, and let's just say... whew!

But that's not the best news. The best news is...... CALEB TOOK HIS FIRST STEPS!!! HE IS WALKING!!!

On Thursday, on his 11 month birthday, Micah was playing silly games with Caleb and I grabbed my camera and used the video feature for the first time in weeks. Now here is the thing. When I first picked up the camera, I only had enough video for less than 2 min, but I just had this "feeling" that I would need more. So I took the time to protect the files I needed to, and then cleared the rest of my memory card. And started to record...

It was soooo cute! Micah and Caleb were really hamming it up and then I passed the camera to Micah while Caleb used Mommy as a jungle gym. That was when Micah saw Caleb start take a step, so he quickly put the camera on the chair and we stepped back to watch what would take place.

Ahhh!!!! My little boy is all grown up!

The Joy of Love... Day 2 "How they look"

2011-02-02T23:13:00.000-09:00

For the month of February, Willette Photography is holding a "mini" class of sorts for aspiring and professional photographers alike. Basically, we are challenged to take a picture a day of a love one having to do with that day's theme.

I love it!

For me, I know that this would be quite the undertaking as I usually don't have time to take a hot shower, much less, take, edit, and upload pictures each and every day.

But these past few months I have felt as though I am missing out on so much of Caleb's first year of life. I mean, here I dedicate myself to my clients and give them all these lasting memories but my own son... the first year of his life, the time of his life that I won't ever be able to get back, it's just passing by. Already, he is almost 11 months old. Do you realizing how startling that is? My little boy is growing up too fast, so I think that I can afford to stink for a week in order to make AND capture these memories.

By the way, I'm just kidding about skipping showers, much to my husband's relief!

For Day 2, we were supposed to capture "how they look"- their signature look, familiar outfit, or something that just "screams" them. This theme went perfectly with the scene I had in my mind. I love the result and this really is how he looks 90% of the time. A big grin full of life, laughter, and mischief!

2011-01-27T09:01:00.001-09:00

As I get ready to step through this open door and pursue the passion that God has placed in my heart, I can't help but stop in thankfulness when I am given images like this. Before each session Micah and I pray that God will bless our efforts and grace us with His beauty.

And He did.

An image like that not only makes me feel validated as a photographer, but humbled that I can give someone a true piece of art that they will treasure for a lifetime. A gift from God that I can give to them.

That's what I love about photography.

m.

I have a secret to share...

2011-01-25T16:17:00.000-09:00

.... i am going to be a FULL-TIME professional photographer...

somebody pinch me

My world, turned upside down

2011-01-19T10:56:00.000-09:00

So... now what?

Yesterday morning I came back to work after a wonderfully lazy three-day weekend (Thanks MLK!) only to be told that the company was "downsizing" and "experiencing budget cuts" and that my position was being "elminated" and that my last day was the 28th of January.

.............

Good morning to you, too.

Sigh....

Talk about being blindsided. Talk about the unexpected. Talk about being scared! After all, we are (were) a one-income family. Micah goes to school to school full-time, takes care of Caleb during the day so we can avoid day-care costs and goes to night classes 5 of the 7 days of the week. All we really had was my income. And the photography, of course.

Which speaking of that...

I find it ironic that people are echoing the question that is blaring through my own heart. Nearly every person that I've talked to since yesterday has asked, "So you're going full-time with photography, right?"

....

Right?

Right???

Um.....

I don't know. I just don't know.

I mean... I want to. I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to... It would solve so many things. It would fulfill the deepest desires of my heart by allowing me to pursue my passion as my career AND allow me to be the stay-at-home mom that my heart longs to be.

But the what-if's won't get out of my head.

I need wisdom.

I need guidance.

I need to quit worrying and trust God.

Wait... what was that last one?

Oh yeah... now why didn't I think of that?

So what am I going to do now that my world has been turned upside down?

I'm going to live. I'm going to survive. In fact, I'm going to thrive.

I am going to take the part-time housekeeping job that they offered and use the other 20 hours of the week to go FULL TIME with my photography. I was up until midnight last night working on packages, website relaunch, business fine-tuning. Our May relaunch has been moved up to February. And so I have less than two weeks to bring in a full-time salary. Or at least a part-time salary that coupled with my part-time job will bring in a full-time income.

I will still apply for other positions, of course, and so whatever God brings me to... He'll see me through it.

And it's going to be GREAT!

Ha... bet ya never saw anyone so happy about losing their job!

m.

2011-01-04T09:53:00.000-09:00

My New Year's ~~Resolutions~~ Commitments

This new year I commit to:

Spend more time with my family and less time with the computer.
This may mean less blogging, less editing, less.. everything. But last night as I looked at Caleb that in less than 3 months he will be ONE year old, I realized that I don't want this time to be a blur. I want to cherish each and every moment.

Take more pictures of my family, of Caleb, of friends, of day-to-day life. And care less about about editing every last detail of those pictures but instead just cherish the memory.

Actually keep my house clean for longer than 24 hours. This may be the hardest one of all! But I commit to *trying* to spend 15 minutes before bed and 15 minutes in the morning cleaning the house so that it stays clean. A clean home is a happy home and right now my house is more than a little depressed....I want to be a good housewife and homemaker and take care of the family that I have been blessed with.

Be a good steward of what we have been given and have ALL of our debt (except school loans and hopefully a house!) paid off by the end of 2011.

Grow in my marriage, in my friendships, in my relationships with family, as a Christian, as a church leader, as a woman, as an individual...

Give more of my time and resources to those less fortunate. God has richly blessed us in this last year and I want to in turn be a blessing to someone else.

So there you have it.. my commitments for 2010. I don't want to "resolve" to go on a diet, or work out more or something like that, even though I do plan to do those very things. Instead, my heart's desire is to not take for granted what I have been given and to give of myself to those around me, as well as those I have yet to meet.

Pray for me in these endeavors. And pray for all of us as we enter 2011.

Top 10 of 2010- The Caleb Edition!

2010-12-30T09:37:00.000-09:00

Hi ya'll... I finally caught up on my sleep.. kind of... but now the whole household is down with colds. Ugh! Thankfully we're on the mend which is good considering that we have quite the weekend ahead of us! Photo sessions, time with friends and family.. and of course, the not-so-fun tasks of housecleaning. Ugh. I'm just thankful that I cleaned as much as I could before we left for TN as this meant we came home to a pretty clean house. Or at least it was until we started unpacking.

Does anyone else absolutely abhor unpacking? I am a great packer.. but when it comes to unpacking, the suitcases and bags will literally sit there for weeks, begging to be unpacked, clothes to be washed, empty bags to be stored...

... those cries fall on deaf ears. Nope. Don't hear 'em.

What I do hear was the invitation to share pictures of the best little boy ever! Mr. Caleb Joshua!
(Sorry Bennett.. :/... don't worry, you're cute too!)

You can read more about the 10 of '10 from Mandy or Jhen.. and check out their photos of adorable Bennett and Josselyn!

So here it goes... The top 10 pictures of Caleb for 2010

1. Starting at the beginning... this was taken when Caleb was less than a week old. And I absolutely love it. This picture almost went to the trash bin as the original was horribly underexposed and all kinds of messed up. But there was just *something* about this picture that made me stop and consider the possibilities.. and I'm so glad I did! It's now my favorite newborn picture of Caleb... my sweet baby boy!

2. I just love the interaction and relationship between Micah and Caleb that is being expressed here. Caleb was just over a month old and was already recognizing his Daddy and would smile so big! To this day, his Daddy can make him laugh like no one else!

3. These pictures make me laugh every time! Caleb has such a range of expressions and you just can't help but crack up at his antics.

4. Oh the lips! Oh the chubby cheeks! This one always gives me warm fuzzies inside and makes me just want to squeeze those cheeks and kiss him on that pouty mouth!

5. One of my all-time favorites of Caleb and I! Being the photographer, I usually don't get much of a chance to get in front of the camera, but on Caleb's 6-month birthday (dude... was that really three months ago????) I surrendered the camera to Micah and enjoyed cuddling with my boy.

6. This one displays such sweetness, which is so true of Caleb. He is a sweetheart. What's more, this image shows off Caleb's big blue eyes. You know, with my green eyes and Micah's brown eyes, I'm really not sure where he got those blues from.. but all I know is that we're keeping them!

7. This day was very special to me and I cherish every rainy moment. While waiting to meet a friend for a dress fitting, Caleb and I waited in the car during one of the worst rainstorms of the season. Big globby raindrops pounded the car, but Caleb and I were having a ball inside! Since I had my camera, I had fun taking pictures of us and this is the result of one of those snapshots. I just love how intently Caleb is staring and how I am in the picture but not really in the picture, you know? Either way, love it!

8. Awww... I love Caleb cuddles! Micah and Caleb have no problem falling asleep together and my heart just fills to bursting with love when I see them all sleepy, snuggled, and absolutely dead-to-this-world. The older Caleb gets, the more of Micah I see him, like father, like son.

9. This is Caleb with his Godmother, my best friend, who moved up here when Caleb was just two months old. Now, while her move was not made because of Caleb, we have both loved having her here to experience the fleeting beginning of his wonderful life. Caleb just adores his Aunite Em.

10. On Thanksgiving Day, we took Caleb outside for his 8 month photo shoot and to just play in the snow for the very first time. Let's just say that Caleb did NOT appreciate the cold wetness.. and with his disgruntlement, he was not about to smile for the camera... I love how everything just pops in this picture, but most of all, for my big boy.. I can't believe he's going to be one in just three months...

There you have it! 10 of 2010 for Caleb! I can't wait to see what 2011 holds for us!

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2010-12-27T09:51:00.000-09:00

For the last 11 days, we have been gone to the southern state of TN, visiting friends and family for Christmas. And although I was very thankful to be back in my own bed (and Caleb in HIS own bed!), as always, I was not ready to say yet another goodbye to my family.

I have so many stories and pictures and thoughts to share, but after driving for 10+ hours, then being on planes and in airports for another 12+ hours, all I care about is sleeping.

See you when I wake up.

Hello World....

2010-12-14T09:46:00.000-09:00

Miss me?

Micah, Caleb, and I are leaving in just TWO(!!!!) days for Tennessee! We're going to be visiting my family for 10 glorious days. We leave AK around noon on Thursday, and arrive in Seattle and eventually Chicago around midnight. From there, we're renting a car and driving from Chicago down to the Nashville area, where my family lives. Driving all night long (with several stops at the much-loved and greatly missed Sonic!), we should get in just before lunch! Sound good?

The last time we flew, Caleb was 5 months old and did not appreciate our direct flight from Chicago to Anchorage. This time he's almost 9 months old and is Mr. Independent Wigglewart. Good luck trying to keep that kid still for a six-hour flight! To avoid an inevitable calamity, we decided to break up the flights by going into Seattle first, and then from Seattle to Chicago. By getting into Chicago at midnight and jumping in the car and driving until morning, Caleb should be good to sleep the entire way there.

Now.. that's the plan... but we all know how plans go when you have a baby, right?

That's what I thought.

I may want to pack earplugs.

Mental note.

So what has been going on otherwise in the life of the Peter Family? Well, we've sent off Christmas cards, so those who actually gave me their address, be on the lookout for that. Next year we're ordering 2x the amount of cards because we actually ran out! Oops! Sorry about that Mom and Dad. It's okay, though, you get Caleb in just three days!!! That's better than any ol' Christmas card, right?

We've had photo shoots galore and have 2 of the 4 that I'm rushing to get done before we go. However, I can already tell you that it's not going to get done in time. The one may or may not be done... it all depends on how tight a culling process I do. Right now we have 20 pictures too many.. but there are just too many good ones! Argh! The other one just happened on Saturday so I'm just planning on getting the preview up tonight and then finish as many as possible before Thursday. I'll just have to upload them remotely from TN. Whatever works, right?

In the past few weeks we've had Christmas party after Christmas party, family Christmas celebrations, birthdays, dinner parties with friends, movie nights, caroling with my church... just even after event after event. Basically, I'm tired and REALLY looking forward to sleeping past 8am. Does that pretty much sum up everyone else?

By the way... lesson learned this week: Keep your pumpkin pie out of the reach of your nine-month old. Or else be prepared to stay up until nearly 3 am while he bounces off of the walls, ceilings, floors, chairs, desks, tables, and anything else not moving. Also, be ready and waiting for when he crashes hard from the sugar high and sleeps for the next ten hours. Or at least, he would have slept for the next ten hours if we hadn't woken him up at 9 to get ready for a photo shoot. Sorry, Kid, but that's to get back at you for all those sleepless nights you put us through! Hmph.

As it is, Caleb is doing pretty good in the sleeping department. Still doesn't quite "get" the concept of of a before-midnight bedtime, but about 50% of the time he's going to bed around 10:30 or 11:00, even though he does have this annoying habit of getting sleepy at 9 pm. Which can be very inconvenient if we're still at church or out and about. We rush to try and get home while he's still sleepy, even to the point that I sit in the backseat with him and sing, play, do anything and everything to keep that kid awake long enough for us to get home so he won't get a second wind and be up until 2 am.... again.

For some reason, it never works. He's sleepy alllllll the way home but the moment we take him inside.. PLAYTIME!

Sigh. Crazy kid.

Dork child.

Hmph.

Can you tell that I like typing "Hmph"??? It's fun. It makes you giggle. Try it, I dare ya!

Hmph...

.... hehe.

But even though he's not going to bed until who knows when, at least he's sleeping through the night, right? We haven't had to get up with him since November! Lovin' the full night's sleep! Woohoo for uninterrupted sleep!

Of course, we're about to move forward three hours in our time zone so 9pm is really 12am and 2am is really 5am.

This could either be really good or really BBBBAAAAAADDDDD.

Oh vey.

m.

Cuteness? You can't HANDLE the cuteness!

2010-12-07T11:34:00.003-09:00

From Caleb's 8 month session/our family session:

Lethargic

2010-12-03T10:37:00.000-09:00

Lethargic.. that's what I've been this past week.

You know, lethargic is quite a silly word, isn't it?

Makes me kind of giggle.

Which is sort of the opposite of being lethargic. Bouncy and happy vs. slow and tired.

Funny how that works.

Really though, this past MONTH has been crazy with me constantly working on projects and pictures and all sorts of things. So I took off this past week and spent as much time with Micah and Caleb as possible.

Oh my, was that a good thing! I really really needed that!

Thursday, of course, was Thanksgiving. Micah's two brothers (that live here in town) along with my best friend, Em, and her mom, all come over for the celebration. We had so much food there that we only ate one helping each! Can you believe that? And on THANKSGIVING! After moaning for a little while, we headed outside so that Emily could try her hand at her budding mad photo skills and Micah and I could have a sweet little couple's session, with a few family shots before Caleb got cold and wanted to snuggle with the Uncles. Of course, I can't share any of the pictures quite yet as they are going out with our Christmas cards this weekend.

I know.. the Christmas cards should have been sent out last weekend but we were out of stamps!!! Forgive me, please. Bad susie homemaker.

We made memories that afternoon as Caleb got to play in the snow for the FIRST TIME!

Friday night I went out with Emily and her Mom to dinner and then to see The Nutcracker. It was my very first ballet and I LOVED IT! I'll have to get the pictures from Em so I can share them with you.

Then on Saturday we had two photo sessions back-to-back, then we were a bit spontaneous and met up with the brothers, Em, and her mom (again!) to see the new movie, Legends of the Guardians and eat some yummy pizza! Ours was Hawaiian..

... of course.

Then on Sunday Micah and I were trying to buy a Christmas tree after church but the one place we went to didn't have any so Micah said that it's wasn't too far out of the way to go down to the other store on the South side of town. I started to get mad cause I was ready to be home, but once we got there we just started to have funny being a family and I forget all about being mad... funny how that works, huh?

Caleb got soooooo excited seeing all the Christmas lights and bright colors. He was bouncy up and down in the cart for a good 15 minutes straight! (That's hours in baby time)

It ended up being a very productive trip as we got a much-needed rug that was on sale, only with a Christmas doormat (for all our snowy boots), and then Micah drooled over all the tools in the gift section as he gave me ideas for Christmas. And of course, we left with the perfect tree!

After leaving the hardware store, we went to Value Village, which is basically our "Goodwill" up here. We had fun browsing around and lo and behold, we found the exact same set of dishes that Micah's mom had while he was growing up! It's one of his fondest memories of his childhood (i.e.- eating food) and so he called his Mom to see how many she had left. Turns out that all the kids had broken all but one single plate. Is that sad or what? After looking to see how many plates they had there.. not one set, not two, but 12 place settings! Asking her how many she wanted, she said them all!

So we got 12 plates, 3 serving platters, 2 serving bowls, and two soup bowls. But they even had 12 place settings of dessert plates and bowls, saucers, salad plates.. you name it. Was someone cleaning out their cabinet or what??

And of course, we can't hit up VV without finding some much-need warm clothes for Caleb! Sadly, I passed up the most adorable little gray and blue suit because I thought it was priced a little too high for being second-hand. Now, if it had been a green tag, i.e.- 50% off.. that would have been another story entirely!

Monday night Micah and I decorated the entire house for Christmas. We had garland on the stairs and lights over the doorways and the tree is up and a bright red tablecloth with a vase full of ornaments and bells. All of our Christmas music is downloaded to the computer and we even had a pumpkin and cinnamon candle going.. mmm.. Everything just FEELS like Christmas. Favorite.Time.Of.The.Year!

During the evening I was wrapping the garland on the stairs when all of a sudden I felt something hitting my legs. I looked down and there was Caleb! He had climbed half-way up the stairs, trying to get to met. Egads! Since when did my child learn to climb the stairs??? I guess since about 2 minutes ago!

Tuesday was nothing special. Micah had class, I worked on pictures and cleaned house. Big deal.

Wednesday was church and afterward we went out to eat with some of the church people, a rare thing for us on Wednesday. Which is why I didn't get to be until after midnight.

Last night was more pictures, more housecleaning, I even baked a couple of pumpkins to make homemade pie or bread or something else equally yummy. However, I did make sure to take time with just me and Caleb- no distractions. Loved it.

Tonight is my company Christmas party and I am sooooo looking forward to it! Tomorrow will be a senior portraits photos session and hopefully a Country Christmas Concert at a local church where my cousin from Florida will be preforming! So excited to see him again! Sunday will be wedding plans for Micah's brother's fiancee (picking up the dress and maybe another senior portrait session???)

All in all... a lot going on... and sadly, blogging has fallen farther and farther down the list. And I can't promise that it won't get any better as it gets closer to Christmas.

What about you? Do you find it hard to keep on top of blogging as the holiday season goes on?

m.

Thankfulness v. 2010

2010-11-26T09:21:00.000-09:00

(Since I've taken leave from blogging in the past weeks and have not moved my Thankfulness posts over from my journal, I'm going to include those here. K?)

I am thankful to be alive. I always said growing up that I just wanted to be here long enough to get married, and once that happened, I just wanted to be here long enough to have my first baby, and now that has happened. Now I'm just taking it a day at a time, thankful for each day that I am given.

I am thankful for a husband that loves me, loves Caleb, and most importantly, loves the Lord. Micah is truly my soulmate, my rock, my inspiration, and my happiness. We celebrated our 3rd anniversary on Wednesday (woohoo!), and every day I love him more than the day before.

I am thankful for our little boy, Caleb. This guy is my life, my joy, my smile. In these past 8 months our life has been turned upside down and inside out. No more do we think about our own selves, wants, and desires, instead, this little boy has become our whole world. Every day is something new as I watch him grow and learn before my eyes.

I am thankful for having such a close relationship with my family, even though we're 3,000 miles apart. I call my Dad every day on the way to work and I call Mom on the way home from work. If I miss either of these calls, whew, do I hear about it! But I know that I can talk to them about anything and that they're proud of the woman I have become, the woman they taught me to be.

I am thankful for my brothers. Growing up, we fought like cats and dogs for most of our teen years, but as soon as I got married and moved away, suddenly I realized that my brothers were pretty cool after all and they realized that I wasn't the mean big sister they thought I was. Now, these two have become more than brothers, they're my friends, and I miss them terribly. They're growing up and becoming strong men of God, so handsome that they make all the girls swoon, and smart and accomplished so that I bust my buttons at being so proud to have them for my brothers.

I am thankful that my best friend moved to Alaska this past spring! Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that we would ever live in the same town again after I moved away. But God saw fit to bring us together and I cherish every moment that we have. While it may not last forever, we have made so many memories in these past months... and I am thankful that she said yes to being Caleb's godmother and that she has been here for these first months of his life. He loves his "Auntie Em."

I am thankful for the growth in our photography business: m. Photography. Over the past year, business has tripled, and we've turned a profit and then some. In the past few months, we've partnered with a birth clinic and are looking forward to everything the future holds. Hopefully, next year I'll have an even bigger testimony as I'll be able to go full-time!

I am thankful for security in our financial situation. After several very difficult first years of married life, where we lived from paycheck-to-paycheck, we are finally in the place where we're paying off bills, we have several 0's in the banks, and are able to give, save, and even splurge now and then. It's so nice to be able to sit back and anticipate tomorrow instead of worrying about it.

I am thankful for the freedom to worship God, for the opportunity to live out my faith in my daily life, for the joy I find in Him, and for His continual blessings.

I am thankful for 2010 and cannot wait to see what is in store for 2011. Happy Thanksgiving!

m.

Caleb's Room- A place for my little boy to dream

2010-11-24T15:17:00.000-09:00

So... last week I (finally) got the curtains hung up in Caleb's room. Finally. And with the exception of a few spots where we need to touch up the paint and some more pictures that I'd like to hang on the wall, Caleb's room is done! Let's take a peek, shall we?

The first peek in the realm of all things little-boy. And yes, that is Caleb jabbering up a storm.

What you see as you first walk in the door. We've actually taken that shelf and moved it into our bedroom as it didn't quite match his color scheme. He has lime green, it was sage green. We've put a white shelf- the same style- in there with bright blue and green drawers. I love it! At least, I will once I actually put the clothes back on the shelf instead of in the clothes basket. :/

My favorite things are the antique wooden train, the cross from his baby dedication, and his piggy bank (that's his college fund right there!). Please note that the two pictures in the frames on right-hand side of the shelves are not actually Caleb. Yeah.... I need to get more pictures printed out. And I would like to move the maternity pictures I have by his crib over here by the picture frame on the right and sort of stagger them. Sound good? Oh. And please forget you saw the trim that still needs to be painted. Thank you.

Now you can see the wall that we painted for him. At first, it was going to be squares, but that was going to be too difficult and it was too late at night so we decided to just go with stripes and I LOVE them! And the saying over the bed is toooo cute! (It's from a giveaway I did a few months back on the blog) That's the picture in the corner that I want to move over by the closet. Maybe put some 8x10's there? Or a few canvases? The rocking chair belongs to a dear lady from our church that wanted the chair to be loved instead of just put in storage. Favorite cuddle spot, right there.

See that bright spot of color in the middle? Of course, how could you miss it? I got that for $7 at a yard sale! Can you believe it?! And yes... Caleb is chewing on the bed. Oh, and the quilt on the rocking chair? That was made for Caleb by the ladies group at the church my parents used to pastor. Sweet, huh? Best part about this room? The light! It's the best lit room of the house and we love just hanging out in it.

The other side of the room. I have one of those daddy + mommy = me picture frames that will go underneath those shelves. And recognize that growth chart? He is just barely big enough to actually use it.

And of course.. I just realized that I forgot to take a picture of the door area. It's nothing special... except for the wooden rubberband-shotgun hanging over the door itself. Hehehe... teaching this boy right from the start!

So there you have it, Caleb's room! The best part? Not counting things like the toys and the clothes, his whole room cost us less than $300 to put together, decorations and all. Love that! Babies are expensive enough as it is.

The best thing is that our little boy has a bright, fun, and safe place for this first year of his little life.

Caleb's Bathtime Picture... in Black & White!

2010-11-23T07:58:00.000-09:00

Just an added bonus...

Aww...isn't he the sweetest?

More pictures as the day goes by.

Rub-a-Dub-dub, it's Caleb in the tub!.. w/ pictures!

2010-11-22T14:09:00.000-09:00

Whew... now that I'm (finally) done with pictures for this week (at least until next week!), I can actually catch up on some pictures of Caleb that were taken throughout the month!

Here's Caleb having a blast during his bath earlier this month after one of his (many) explosions that occurred before we moved him up to size 4 (!!!) diapers.

I know that this one is blurry, but it was just too cute to not include!

Caleb Is 8 Months Old Today!

2010-11-17T20:34:00.047-09:00

Aww... tears..

"Mommy... why do I have to grow up so fast?"

"I don't know, Caleb Boy. I ask myself that every single day."

8 months.

When did that happen?

When did he grow up?

When did my baby become a little boy?

Oh, Caleb, Mommy loves you soooo much. I love to see you smile big whenever I walk into the room. I love that you love me.

Here's a little bit about your 8-month old self:

Nothing on the floor is safe! Everything you touch goes in your mouth.

Because you're trying to eat everything, you've gagged twice in the last two days.

The first time was a leaf.

The second time was a flower.

Each time you threw up on Daddy.

Good boy.

You've tried your first solid real food: bananas, which you gobbled up for about 5 minutes before deciding that you didn't like it after all, and the Graduates Puffs- Strawberry Banana Flavor. You thought those were weird. Mommy thinks so too.

Still.. you love fruit, of course. Your favorite right now is prunes and apples. Go figure. At least that helps with the constipation you've been having.

And you're going to hate Mommy for sharing that on the internet in about 15 years.

You moved up to size 4 diapers this month! Horray for no more explosions!

You're still not really talkative, which is okay. You're strong and silent, just like daddy. There are times when you are a chatterbox, though. Usually it's late at night/early in the morning and when you're taking a bath.

Speaking of taking a bath, Daddy is teaching you how to swim! Or at least, how to float. You just lie on your back and kick your little legs as Daddy helps you float from one end of the tub to the other.

Bathtime is still your favorite thing to do. You splash the water and chew on your duckies.

You love your duckies. Especially when we squirt you with them!

You're wearing size 9 month clothing. But oddly enough, you can still wear some 3 month clothing. You're going to have a checkup next month so we'll get to figure out how much you weigh. Horray!

Since it's officially ~~winter~~ cold, you're wearing socks more now. You hate socks. You think that they're toys to play with. Which may be why you're missing about half your socks... either that or the sock elves stole them.

You haven't gotten any new teeth but you may be getting ready to cut a new one as you're chewing on either, drooling, and have quite the runny nose.

Speaking of which, you were a grouch yesterday. Just saying.

You got to try apple juice for the first time... you love it!

You can finally wear the hat that Grandmom got for you while you were in the belly. It's a combination Russian fur hat and aviator cap. All I know is that it's so cute and looks especially cute on you! Let's just hope that you can still fit it come Christmas!

We try do do video chats every other week with Grandmom, Granddad, and your Uncle Brandon and Uncle Tyler. You get all shy until Granddad starts making silly faces and then you're making your silly faces back to him. They can't wait until Christmas....

You've finally started to like the pacifier, but apparently only as a chew toy. Still... it came quite in handy while we were on the airplane.

Your eyes are still bright blue (baby boy blue!) and everyone says that color should stick around. We sure hope so!

You have a dimple in the same spot as your Daddy.. you little heartbreaker, you.

In the last few days you have discovered your tongue. It's hard to stay upset at you when you look at me with those big blue eyes with your little pink tongue sticking out.

We've recently started telling you "No"... and you just laugh at us. Oh boy.

You're sleeping through the nights good most times. Still.. you like to good to bed late at wake up at 5:30/6:00. So not cool, dude.

You're learning to wave bye-bye, and it's the cutest thing ever.

When we flew to Bethel this past weekend, everyone on the plane called you the ultimate Gerber baby. And they were right.

You say "da da da da da" all the time. But you have no clue what you're saying... After all, everyone knows that you're supposed to say "ma ma" first!

Each day I love you more and more.

Happy 8 month birthday, Caleb!

A Wee Bit of Me Wednesday

2010-11-17T09:50:00.000-09:00

{one} what time do you normally wake up?I get up at 5:30 each morning if I want to go to the gym before work. Otherwise, I get up at 6:30.... This morning it was 6:30. {two} do you have a go-to song for karaoke?I never ever ever ever sing where people can actually hear me. I only sing in the shower and for Caleb. That's IT.
{three} if you could only see black and white except for one color, what color would you choose to see?Oooo.... Probaby something in the red/peach family. That way I could still see the sunset/sunrise as well as flesh tones. Otherwise, it would be a toss up between the green of the grass and mountains and the blue of the sky.
{four} what color best matches your personality?Yellow. Pure sunshine. {five} if you could choose one meal to cook better than anyone else, what would it be?Ooo... That's a toughie. Everyone says I make the best lasagna and enchiladas.. so perhaps one of those. But ideally, I'd like to cook the best holiday meal. I'd only have to do it once, maybe twice a year, and it would be da bomb!
{six} how many keys do you have on your key ring?Five. My car key, my house key, my mailbox key, a handcuff key (don't ask), and one more that I have no clue where it is from. Maybe our last apartment?
{seven} do you give your pets birthday/christmas gifts?Nope. They may get an extra scoop of food, but that's about it.
{eight} when your plate has different foods on it, do you mix or not?Not usually. I usually eat all of one thing before moving on to the next item. But for certain dishes, like mexican, I'll mix the rice and veggies and meat and salsa.. mmmm
{nine} if you could hire someone to do one thing for you all the time, what would it be?Right now. My post-production work for photography. Whew. Otherwise, the housecleaning please! Specifically, keeping the kitchen clean and putting my laundry away.
Any takers? {ten} when flying, do you prefer the window or aisle seat?The window seat, so I can look out and be amazed once again at how it feels to look *down* at the clouds.

Send out the search and rescue

2010-11-17T09:10:00.000-09:00

Oh my. I'm buried.

Buried under an avalanche of pictures.

So not only am I working a full-time job, am our church's youth leader (scary new position! egads!), am a wife, mommy, and friend-that-is-never-around, but for the last month, have been a FULL-TIME photographer. Instead of the two, maybe three sessions a month, we had six sessions last month, five of which were in the same week. EGADS! Then, to top it all off, we had a photo fundraiser for our church and did a total of nine mini-sessions in one day.

Let me just say... I will never... never... never... no matter how desperate I get... be a "photographer" at Walmart's photo studio.

That type of photography is NOT for me. Sure, all the sessions turned out perfectly fine and there are certainly some adorable keepers, but I felt so stifled creatively. I have my groove... and it threw off my groove.

Quick! Name that movie!

But for the past few nights as I've sat in front of the computer for hours on end, I couldn't help but think about what it would be like if I WASN'T a photographer....

...Instead of spending 4-5 hours each evening working on pictures, I could actually spend time with friends and family....
....My house would be clean because I would actually have time to clean it.....
....I wouldn't feel as though I'm missing out on my son's life. Good grief... he's already 8 months old (today!)... and I feel as though I am so disconnected from his daily life because I'm always busy doing "something else"...

How do you other moms do it? How do you juggle being a mom AND a photographer? I know that a large part of the problem is that I currently work full-time while Micah finishes up school. That is taking up a large part of my time and focus. It would be so different if I could just be a stay-at-home mom and have photography be my *only* career. And hopefully within the next year that will be a reality.

But what do I do for now? In this in-between time? How do I juggle a job, a photography business, a baby, a house, a husband, and my church work? Not to mention even attempting to have a social life with my friends.

It's usually not too bad. I realize that I'm experiencing things at their worst right now because of the heavy inflow of sessions. One Saturday hits then it won't be too bad.

But right now... just forgetting about photography and walking away is looking very appealing. The thing is, I just can't walk away. We already have commitments between now and March, people that are want ME to capture these once-in-a-lifetime memories for them.

At what cost though? At the cost of missing my baby's first words? His first steps? I've only taken pictures of him one time in the last month. And where are those sitting? In a file on the computer, of course. I've been too busy to edit them.

I hate that.

Sigh... don't mind me. I'm just feeling very overwhelmed. And I miss Micah and Caleb. I miss being able to give 100% instead of barely 50%. To all you stay-at-home-moms out there... cherish every moment. Don't take anything for granted. Live each day to its fullest.

I Heart Faces: Silhouette

2010-11-16T09:10:00.000-09:00

Here's my entry for this week's I Heart Faces's Photography Contest: Silhouette.

To this day, this remains one of my all-tine favorite silhouette shots. I love that while most silhouette shots tend to be black and white, it is the color of this image that really sets it apart. The sun was shining at the perfect angle to peek into this long tunnel and the sun flare caught them right in the middle of a kiss. The best part of this session was that it was actually a maternity session, not the engagement session you may have expected! This really goes to show that you can keep the romance alive, even with a baby!

365 Days of Thankfulness- Days 37-41

2010-11-08T14:46:00.000-09:00

Day 37- This morning my alarm did not go off. I have to be at work at the very latest at 8 am. I live 10 minutes away.. and that's on a good day with no snow. There's snow. And all my time off is already accounted for Christmas so that means nooooo time off, especially not for being late, otherwise I'm going to have a shorter Christmas. I'm not even sure what woke me up. All of a sudden I woke up and felt strange, I looked at my clock and then almost had a heart attack. It was 7:42............ Somehow, I'm still not sure how, I made it to work by 8:01. Only God's goodness and grace...

Day 38- Micah and I bought a new camera today. It's a beauty. Though costly, I am thankful because the photography business has been doing well enough that we can upgrade the computer (two months ago) and the camera (today). I am thankful for God's blessings... and for new toys!

Day 39- I. Am. So. Tired. Today was our church's bi-annual photography fundraiser where Micah and I are two of the three photographers donating our time and talent. My feet hurt, my head hurts, my arms hurt., I'm thankful knowing that we raised enough to really make a difference in our church expenses and take care of some of the burden, at least for the next few months.

Day 40- Today we were able to be a blessing to someone who doesn't have much at all. "When you have done it unto the least of the these, my brethren, you have done it unto Me."

Day 41- I've been talking about it for months, but today I finally forced myself to find the motivation and the drive and get up an hour early in the morning so I could go to the gym before work... AND.... I went again during my lunch break. I'm sleepy and my arms ache, but I feel good!

365 Days of Thankfulness- Days 31- 36

2010-11-04T14:11:00.000-08:00

Day 31- I am thankful that today is a Friday... it's a busy weekend with photo session, friends, and spending time with my hubby. I'm really looking forward to each moment and can't wait to get started!

Day 32- This afternoon we went out to the Valley (ie. Wasilla, Alaska) for a session with some clients of ours.They have just bought their first home and it's a beautiful little home on five beautiful acres of land out in the middle of nowhere. Essentially, it's our dream home. I long for the day that Micah and I will be out of the city, in our own home, and going towards the dream that we share. And that's what I'm really thankful for: that Micah and I share the same dream in our heart.

Day 33- I'm thankful for my best friend, Emily, who is also Caleb's godmother, and for her willingness and even eagerness to watch Caleb during all of our photo sessions, so that Micah and I can pursue this passion together. I'm thankful that my best friend actually lives here in Alaska (of all places) and that she and I are closer now than we've ever been. We were apart for over two years but our friendship has only strengthened over the miles and days, months, years. And now.. we're together... look out world!

Day 34- It snowed today. First real snow of the season. I'm thankful for having studded tires on my car, for Micah curing me of my irrational fear of winter driving, and for the sheer beauty that I see looking out over the snow-covered mountains and valleys.

Day 35- I am thankful for getting things done!!! For productive days AND evenings and for a To Do the gets shorter each time I look at it.

Day 36- I'm thankful that I have a local church to attend... and that it's only 10 minutes away. I'm not looking forward to next year when we move out to the valley and have to make the 95 mile round-trip every Sunday and Wednesday. Whew boy.

A Wee Bit of Me Wednesday v.21

2010-11-03T14:47:00.000-08:00

{one} do you still use a checkbook?yep. but usually only to pay tithes/offerings/pledge at church, pay rent, and pay our electricity and heat bill to avoid the online finance charge. otherwise i am a huge fan of the ease of plastic. cash is just annoying. and i tend to forget that it there.. oops!
{two} what size shoe do you wear?i wear a solid size nine. i've always envied all the women that have little, tiny size five feet because that is the only size of shoes on the clearance racks it seems like. it is nice though cause micah and i are both within an inch of each other so we can grab each other's shoes in a pinch! handy dandy!
{three} scary movies or happy endings?happy! please let me have my happy place! scary moves are a big, big, big no-no for me. *shivers*
{four} do you prefer spontaneity or stability?stability, definitely. i like my routine. but i have become a lot more spontaneous since marrying micah.
{five} what is the most embarrassing cd that you own?i don't own a whole cd that's embarrassing but i do have a few songs by hiliary duff ...... yeah...
{six} do you watch reality tv?nope. i think it's all silly.
{seven} what is your favorite home-made meal?that i make? if so, my lasagna... it takes literally all day to do it, but man, is it good! if someone else makes, then i would have to say my mom's chicken divan. soooo yummy. oh, and my granny's tomato gravy and biscuits. man. i miss southern cooking!
{eight} do you have any allergies?nope! thank goodness!
{nine} if you could open your own restaurant/store, what would it be?people always said that micah and i should open up a restaurant since we are such good cooks... but nah, wouldn't want the hassle. if a store, then a children's specialty bookshop, definitely. if my own business, then what i'm doing now: m. photography, which we'll hopefully open our studio when we move in the spring!
{ten} would you ever go skydiving (or have you been)?nope. no. nada. ain't happening. ever.

The things a kid will do to GET a bath!

2010-11-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

Last night Caleb pooped. Twice. Except these weren't small, manageable poos. No, these were big, gross, smelly, EXPLOSIONS!

The first time, Caleb was in his playpen when I smell something really bad. When we checked, he had pooed out the side and had smeared the poo all over the bottom of the playpen and even had it between his toes. Ew!

Into the bathtub he goes.

He must have enjoyed the bath a little too much because not even two hours later he was playing on the floor in his froggie footie PJ's when Micah went to pick him up and I heard, "Aww... Kid!"

Yup. You guessed it. Poo was covering the inside of those PJ's. Yup. Back into the bathtub.

Now, I knew that Caleb liked his baths.. but I had no idea he liked them THAT much!

Never have to say goodbye

2010-11-02T09:23:00.000-08:00

Day 6: Something you hope you never have to do

For me... I hope that I never have to say goodbye to my child. While pregnant with Caleb, a I struggled at first (see day 3's post) with wanting this unexpected baby, to the point of almost wishing that everything would just "go away."

Then God smacked me upside the head and I realized what that would mean...

Sadly, I've seen a lot of my friends go through the pain and heartbreak associated with a miscarriage, I've also had friends who have lost their babies to SIDS or a childhood accident. Whatever the situation, the loss is still the same.

A parent should never have to say goodbye to their child.

Even now, at nearly 8 months, I still find myself sitting up in the middle of the night when I hear a strange sound come from Caleb's room. I won't leave him in the car even to check the mail because I don't want there to be an opportunity for anyone to snatch him. I still check his breathing while he's asleep. My heart constricts when he eats to fast and starts to gag.

I have so much love for this little boy and can't imagine my life without him. I wouldn't want a life without him.

And someday soon, when he has a little brother or sister on the way, I will pray over that baby each night, just like I did for Caleb, praying that God will bring them to me safely. If something does happen, then know that I will carry my child in my heart forever...
... but still, I do hope that I never have to endure that pain.

For those of you that have, my heart goes out to you. You are so strong for carrying on in spite of it all, and I pray blessings for you and your family.

m.

2010-11-01T10:40:00.000-08:00

Day 5: Something you hope to do in your life.

Well, aside from the obvious "be a professional full-time photographer" (which hopefully will take place within 6 months), I really hope to be able to travel. Mainly, I would like for Micah and I to visit some of the places that we have always dreamed about... New Zealand, Scotland, Switzerland, Israel, but most of all, Italy. Specifically, Northern Italy, around the Lakes Region. Ahh.... that is our favorite place on earth (next to Alaska, of course). Maybe one day we'll get to go.

All I know is that I have a list. A list of literally hundreds of things I would like to do in my lifetime. Everything for 29. Write and publish a book to 103. Go skinnydipping. Even some things silly like 228. Win something on a call-in radio contest. Or some things serious like 74. Be a foster parent.

These are my dreams. Everyone should have dreams. And slowly but surely I'm crossing these items off my list. Had a baby, check. Learned how to cook scallops, check. Rode a snowmachine, check.

Oh, what is life without dreams? Not much of a life at all.

m.

Jeepers, Creepers

2010-11-01T08:15:00.000-08:00

So Caleb woke up around five am and even though Micah patted and soothed him for a good 15 minutes, the kid would not go back to sleep, so eventually he ended up in bed with us so I could feed him a little, hoping that he would sleep for at least a little bit longer.

Everything was well and good until it was time to get up. Sigh. Never an easy thing to do.

Stumbling through the dark into the bathroom, I put in my contacts, did my morning routine, and then went back to the bedroom to get ready. Not wanting to wake up Micah and Caleb, I kept the light off and instead just used the light from my phone. After trying to find my skirt for about five minute, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I turned around to find Caleb sitting straight up in bed, staring at me.

I jumped at least three feet in the air... no kidding.

Creepiest. Thing. Ever.

m.

Please sign me up for the looney bin!

2010-10-30T09:48:00.002-08:00

Seriously... five photography sessions in one week?

I have to be crazy.

m.

30 Days of Truth- Day 4: To forgive... and to be forgiven

2010-10-29T10:03:00.001-08:00

(This post deals with a deep issue for me and as such I've had a hard time writing it... The people it involves will probably read this. To you... please know that this is all true... my heart wants for the hurts to be healed. I've poured my heart out before God... and now I'm doing the same for you.)

Day 4- Something you have to forgive someone for.

I've gone through more than some people but less than others. Still, I've managed to overcome just about everything and usually try not to hold grudges but simply look at it from their point of view, turn the other cheek, and move on. But looking back, the thing that I've struggled with the most is forgiving for the failing of a friendship. The thing is, I'm not even sure whose fault it really is. Or if it even is anyone's fault. Maybe it had just run it's course and we just didn't have anything in common anymore. Still, it hurts to remember what we used to have and what we have now. Or rather, what we don't have.

Maybe this is another occasion of needing to forgive myself? After all, if I had invested more time, cared more, been a better listener, a better firend.. then maybe? But who knows what could have been?

The thing is, often, it's never truly one person's fault. Another person may have had undue influence, but many times, it was our own actions and attitude that completed the downward spiral. For us, I've come to realize that the person I blamed the most really wasn't to blame at all. Instead of recognizing the heart of the issue, or at least the reasons behind it, I instead pouted, complained, and nursed my wounds. I said that it wasn't fair and I cried over my lost... never recognizing that perhaps it actually was for the better. After all, I was at a specific place in my life, as were they, and I couldn't give what they needed. So engrossed in my own wedding plans, plans for moving to Alaska, the beginning of a new stage of life, I later found that all my friendships had begun to fall by the wayside, and I never really noticed that friendship slipping away altogether.

I guess it really was naive of me to believe that the friendship could endure without the attention and communication it really needed to survive. So why was I surprised to find that another had taken my place? And what made me so arrogant to claim the place for my own? It wasn't mine to take. It was theirs to give. And I was simply not the one they needed.

And knowing that hurt. It really hurt. But it was the way things were. Not bad, not wrong, it just simply "was."
Yet I didn't understand that.

I cried. I questioned. I ranted. I fumed. I hid.

For the next months, nothing was said... and then when we finally spoke, hurtful words and hurtful actions made the distance between us grow. Then, I became paranoid. Everything was seen as a slight, a diss, an intentional attack. Micah tried to tell me that it wasn't like that... but I wouldn't listen. I was so wrapped up in my feelings, my pain, and what I was going through that I never thought about that they may be hurting too. Instead of trying to repair the relationship, I glared at everyone, refusing to allow the seeds of a new friendship to take root and grow because of the blame I placed on them. Blame for something that, yes, they were involved in, but not responsible for. And because of that, I missed out... because I wasn't willing to forgive.

Over the last year, I finally forgave the one person for everything I thought they had done... finally admitting that a lot of it was just in my head. Instead of concentrating on the hurt, I instead looked at the heart. And since then, that friendship has blossomed into something I truly cherish and I regret all the memories that we missed out on because of a stupid perceived rivalry and unfounded jealousy. I've had to make that right with God, and because of that, He's blessed this friendship.

But what about the friendship that was lost? Remember how I said that we had grown apart and didn't have anything in common anymore? Well, God has proved me wrong. Our lives are more alike than they ever were before. So what is holding me back... what is keeping me from taking that first step? I say "hi" and think that I'm accomplishing so much, and maybe I am. But I could do more if I would swallow my foolish pride and admit my own mistakes. Too much has passed to just pretend that it didn't happen, instead, I want to confront this, get over it, and move on. I don't want to miss out on another day of what "could be." We've missed too much already.

So now it is time to forgive... and to be forgiven.

m.

365 Day of Thankfulness- Catching up

2010-10-28T11:12:00.000-08:00

It's pretty bad when my Husband points out that I haven't been blogging the 365 Days of Thankfulness...
Well, the thing is.. I have been writing them, just haven't been posting them. Yeah.. it's bad I know. Things have been sooo crazy around here, as you've probably noticed from my decreased amount of posting. I'm still carrying on 365 Days of Thankfulness, I just won't be posting it every single day. Once I have time again, I will, but I may combine a few days, just know that I AM still being thankful every-single-day.

Day 24- I am thankful that I have a husband that is willing to stay home with our baby. Not many men I know would have the patience to do that... nor would they be comfortable enough changing that many diapers! God gave me a very special man when He put us together.

Day 25- Caleb crawled!!! I am sooooo thankful that Micah and I were BOTH there to witness this milestone! I had just walked in the door from work and no sooner had I put my purse down that Caleb turned around and started crawling towards me. For Micah and I, we both wanted to be there but were afraid that one or the other would miss it... but Caleb had the absolute perfect timing.... I was even on the phone with my Mom when it happened!

Day 26- Today's photo shoot went soooo well.. We were a bit nervous since it was using a new backdrop system for the first time... but it ended up being our best studio session yet!

Day 27- I am thankful that God uses something like our photography to be a blessing to someone else. One of our recent clients shared with me the reason why our pictures made her cry and all I can say is that I am truly and completely humbled to know that I ministered to someone's heartbreak and helped them find the joy.

Day 28- I am thankful that Caleb is mobile! Now we can put him down and go to the other side of the room and he just scampers after us. Of course, it means babyproofing the house... but it's worth it to see Caleb's joy at this new-found independence!

Day 29- We went to see a lady for church that had been in a car accident. She's doing okay, but still really hurting. Pray for her. As we were leaving and on the drive home, I began thinking about all the many close-calls that we've had while on the road. Really, driving is the most dangerous form of transportation when you stop and think about it. Each time I get in the car now, I say a prayer for Caleb and I, that God will keep us safe and make sure no harm comes to my little boy. I'm thankful that He's honored that prayer.

Day 30 (one month!)- I'm thankful for when clients become friends. Tonight's maternity session had us laughing the entire time! This couple is sooo nice and sooo funny and she and I have really bonded since our initial meeting. I love that. I love making new friends. In fact, this Saturday we have a 6 mo/family photo session out in the Valley with some past clients of ours. They invited us to stay afterward and we would grill out. Fun, right? Oh, and they specifically asked that we bring Caleb. :) Love that.

See you tomorrow (hopefully) for Day 31!

Words of Wisdom

2010-10-27T08:41:00.000-08:00

From my Bump email this morning:

hi Megan,
your baby is 32 weeks old!

Baby smiles at people he knows and may even get concerned when he sees someone else tear up. This is part of baby's process in learning how to express emotions and sense what others are going through. Now is a good time to check the way you relate to others, especially when baby is around. As he continues to grow, he'll depend on you more and more for cues on how to relate to others. Make sure the example you're setting is one you want him to follow.

Wow.. how true is that? "Make sure the example you're setting is the one you want him to follow." Even as the young age of seven months, Caleb has begun to realize that things are going on around him. He cuddles when I cry, laughs when we laugh, and makes silly faces back to us. But to know that in addition to the good things, he also knows when I get miffed at Micah or get upset at the neighbors for blaring their rap music at 11 o'clock at night. My attitude in those situations is how he is learning expressions and reactions. I want him to learn to love people, to stay calm, to bite his tongue, to turn the other cheek, to sacrifice, to go out of his way, to care, to listen, to be understanding.

I want to make sure that the example that I'm setting is worth following.

m.

Go, Caleb, Go!

2010-10-26T09:34:00.001-08:00

Attention everyone, may I have your attention please...

I'd like to announce that Caleb is mobile!!!!

That's right! My boy is now crawling as of last Thursday! His daddy and I have been encouraging him for the last month but he was not the least bit interested in crawling! He had all the movements down and could support his weight with just his arms, but when came down to actually doing it, he would take all one step and then just hang his head and start to cry.

It was actually quite funny to watch.
Micah and I finally just gave up and declared that Caleb would crawl when he wanted to crawl. Well, apparently he took us seriously.

It was Thursday evening and I had just pulled up in our driveway. I had my mom on the phone and so my hands were full as I came through the front door. Caleb was sitting on the floor with his back to me, contentedly playing with his toys while I heard Micah rummaging around the corner in the kitchen. Hearing my footsteps, Caleb turned around and looked over his shoulder. Once he spotted me, he got the biggest smile on his face, happy to finally see that "mommy's home."

Then he did something that shocked all of us.

Getting down on his hands and knees, Caleb turned completely around and the proceeded to crawl on all fours across the living room floor. I exclaimed "Micah! Caleb is crawling!" and Mom stopped talking mid-sentence. Micah came back from the kitchen and stopped dead in his tracks at the site of our son scampering across the floor. When I asked when Caleb had started doing that, Micah replied, "About 20 seconds ago..."

Once Caleb finally reached me, he sat back on his bottom and raised his arms to me so I could lift him up (btw, that is the BEST feeling... knowing that my little boy is reaching out for ME! And I love that he is actually starting to intentionally give hugs.. aww... I love my cuddlebug!

Of course, once he did the official first crawl, he didn't crawl again until Saturday. Buttmunch.

But since then.. whew! We can't put him down cause he is getting into everything and I'm not finished baby proofing the house. I still need to get all those locks for the cabinet doors. Of course, I'm really not looking forward to those because somehow the babies always seemed to be able to get in while I couldn't figure the silly things out!

So yay! My little boy is growing up... I was telling Micah last night that there are times when Caleb looks at us and I get just a glimpse of the adorable and sweet little boy that he is going to be. Aww, I love that kid.

Here's a video from Saturday of Caleb's movement expedition. He was going through a phase that evening where he actually liked dragging that one leg behind him. We would move his leg out so he could crawl on all fours and he would purposely pull that leg back in. Weirdo.

Man.. I really need to stop calling this kids names. He's going to get a complex.
Btw... please excuse my horribly messy living room. We were gone Friday night and had two photo shoots on Saturday and Sunday... at least my kitchen is clean...er!

m.

My FIRST Fix-It-Friday!

2010-10-22T10:40:00.000-08:00

I've been stalking I Heart Faces for a while now, and usually don't participate in the Fix-It-Friday as I don't have photoshop at my office, but this morning I decided to give it a go with my ol' standby: Gimp!

So here is the SOOC. Please know that I did NOT take this picture and it is the property of Angie Arthur Photography

First off, this image was dark and too cool.

1. Opened it in GIMP
2. Adjusted slightly in Levels
3. Boosted up in Curves
4. Opened the Color Balance and added Yellow, Magenta, and Red.
5. Boosted the Curves.
6. Outlined just the boy + a light of the ground in front of him, feathered at 20, and ran an Unsharp mask
7. Outlined just the boy's face, feathered at 10, and ran an Unsharp Mask
8. Outlined Just the boy and the darker/greener patch of grace in front of him, inverted, feathered at 50, and boosted Saturation
10. Added an "Edited by m. Photography" watermark
11. Flattened image and saved

Edited (by Me) Final Image:

Let's see them side by side:

What do you think?

m.

30 Days of Truth- Day 3

2010-10-21T15:52:00.000-08:00

Day 3- Something I have to forgive myself for

Forgiveness... for the big things and the little things. For the unkind word and the white lie. For the missed opportunity and for making the wrong choice.

Forgiveness from God.

From Family.

From Friends.

Forgiving myself.

I've only shared this with a few people... but when I found out that I was pregnant with Caleb, I cried.

And not happy tears.

Tears of sadness, of anger, of disappointment.

You see, I had a plan. A five-year plan, in fact. I knew what I wanted for my marriage, my career, and my life. Micah was supposed to go to school while I worked, then we'd buy a little house, get a dog, and I would grow a garden. Once we were established, then we would start a family. Maybe sometime the next fall, so we could surprise everyone at Christmastime...

... but Baby had other plans.

God had other plans.

When I first saw that faint pink line appear, I didn't believe that it was true. I didn't want to believe. After all, the line was really faint, so it could be a false positive, couldn't it? Micah and I would be laughing over this in a few days. So, I went to the store and got a second test, a digital test, just so I could certain.

Pregnant.

The word glared out at me, mocking me. How could this happen? We had been so careful. There was only one time... surely it took more than just one time... didn't it?

Crumbling to the bathroom floor, I began to cry, just cry. Over and over again I asked, "Why? Why now? Why did this have to be now?" Looking in the mirror, I faced the truth.. I was pregnant.. and I didn't want to be.

Micah was happy... a bit scared, but happy. That man was made to be a Daddy. He told me that I would be a great Mommy, that God would make a way and that everyone would be alright. But all I saw was the $$ signs flashing in front of me. Neither one of us had a job, we lived with his brother, we had sooo many bills each month so that we were eating ramen noodle most nights. How could we care for a baby?

In the days that followed, as morning sickness began to take its toll on me, I struggled with trying to gather at least an ounce of excitement for this pregnancy. But all I felt was emptiness.

And then one day, God slapped me upside the head and I realized that if I did lose this baby, that I would lose a part of myself. This baby was our gift from God and that we should be thankful that we could have children when so many other women out there couldn't. I had a child growing inside me when other's arms ache to hold the child that they had lost.

Humbled, I asked God to forgive me and in that moment, I fell in love with my baby.

From then on, I loved every little detail about being pregnant. Yes, even the stretch marks... My friends say that I positively glowed and for the remaining seven months, I waited in anticipation for my Baby to arrive.

And when he did, I held Caleb close, this unspeakable love washing over me, and I asked him to forgive his silly, foolish, selfish Mommy. And as he snuggled close to be, I knew that the answer was, "I forgive you."

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 23

2010-10-21T15:32:00.002-08:00

Day 23- I am thankful for all the wonderful women that I've met through the blogs. Friends, confidants, women that are a constant encouragement and inspiration. Thank you! I love you! I don't know what I'd do without you!

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 22

2010-10-20T15:28:00.002-08:00

Day 22- Really? 22 days already??? I am thankful that I've kept it up this long... thankful that I've found something, no matter how small, to be thankful for each day. It wasn't always an easy task but I have noticed the change in my focus, my attitude, my perspective. Here I am, changing little by little... all for the better.

30 Days of Truth- Day 2

2010-10-20T10:52:00.000-08:00

Day 2- Something I love about myself

Who knew but this is harder to write than the one from yesterday. I'm having a hard time a) finding something that I love and b) admitting it without feeling conceited.... This is going to be an interested 28 days.

I love that I am generous.

Having grown up in the South, we are famous for our hospitality and I have tried to hold on to that, in spite of moving to the frigid North (on that note, the Eskimo people, Micah's people, are extremely hospitable people. Almost makes me feel like I'm in the South again... except with a 50 degree difference in temperature!).

When you come over to my house, I will find something to feed you! It might only be some salsa poured over a can of refried beans, or some slices of apples with peanut butter-honey dip, but I will feed you. I remember my parents sharing a story from their newlywed days where they invited another newlywed couple over but they each only had a single can of pork 'n beans. So they combined the two and shared the meal and to this days it remains one of the best memories my parents have of that friendship.

Micah and I try hard to remain faithful in our giving to the Church. We'll go without, eat at home instead of going out, reuse plastic bags so that we can give our tithes, pledge, and offerings. When it comes time to give our pastor their 1st Sunday pounding we might not have much but even if we can't go out and buy the bulk pack of toilet paper, I will bake a batch of cookies or cook a casserole and take it over. Something, anything in order to be give of ourselves.

I think that is what it ultimately comes down to. Sacrifice. True generosity comes from giving of ourselves. Our time. Our money. Our talent. Getting up in the middle of the night with Caleb so Micah can sleep a few more minutes. Buying something for a friend without worrying about them paying up back. Letting someone stay at our house rent-free because someone did the same for us. Giving away some of Caleb's old clothes even though we could have kept them for baby #2 because someone needed them more than we did.

Now, I am trying to be generous in my words as well as my actions. And this goes along with Day #1 where I am trying to be less negative. Find the good, compliment something new, offer a word of encourage, say thank you, congratulate someone on a job well done... a little generosity goes a long way to making someone's day.

That is what I am learning and what I want for my life. Most of all, I want them to be able to say "She loved generously."

m.

Word(ful) Wednesday and Caleb is 7 months old!

2010-10-20T09:13:00.000-08:00

Today will not be Word(less) Wednesday but Word(ful) Wednesday! Why? Because I have a sneak peek for you of Caleb's 7 month photo shoot! And you know that I can't just post a picture of my super-cute little boy without talking about him too!

(Warning--- this is very "wordful"... i.e. long!)

Caleb is 7 months old!!!(as of this past Sunday, the 17th)

A few things that Mommy has noticed about you:

Mommy and Daddy call you "Buddy". Hopefully you won't think that this is actually your name, but just in case you do it wouldn't be such a bad thing because that is your great-papa's name!

You are not the least bit interested in crawling! You have all the movements down pat but have never moved more than about six inches. One day we're going to put you down and zoom! You're just going to take off!

This past week marked your introduction to fruit! So far you've had applesauce, pears, prunes, and apples/bananas, but you like pears and applesauce the best!

Meanwhile, you've been eating veggies for the past month now and love them... well, some more than others. You've had carrots, peas, squash, and sweet potatoes. Carrots and sweet potatoes are by far your favorite! You're okay with squash but the only way that you'll eat peas is when we mix it with your cereal.

Speaking of cereal, you love love love your baby cereal! Rice, oatmeal, mixed grains, wheat.. it doesn't matter what it is, you would eat the whole box in one day if we'd let you!

You can now recognize your favorite toys and get sooo excited when we show them to you! Mommy and Daddy have put all your toys in a basket and then put you in front of the basket. It's such fun to watch you dig through the toys and suddenly find your Duckie, Doggie, Race Car, and Teething Ring! You drop whatever you were just holding and your arms and legs go wild! You pick up your toy and wave it around, babbling the whole time.

And what a babbler you are! You were pretty much the strong, silent type for the first 6 months of your life but now you've started talking to us, especially in the mornings when we first wake up. Such a talker. Definitely don't get that from your Daddy!

Last week you learned how to fake cough. Daddy says that you were gagging on something and coughed to clear your throat. It surprised you and so you coughed again. When you realized that you could cough on your own.. whew! We can't get you to stop now! You'll just sit there and *cough* smile * cough* Silly boy.

You love to stand up and hold onto things. You'll stand there and pat your hand on the table or chair seat and just talk, talk, talk, like a preacher at a pulpit. Your grandpas would be proud.

You're growing like a weed, but only up, not out. At your 6 month check-up you weighed 16 lbs and while we feel all 16 lbs when we lug you around, you are still very much tall and skinny! You get that from Mommy's side of the family.

You can still wear 3 month t-shirts but are in 6-9 month pants. Your onesies and rompers are all 6-9 months and you wear a size 2-3 shoe. Mommy just had to go through the clothes bucket and put away all your too-small clothes and get out the nice long-sleeves big boy clothes for winter!

Still wearing size 3 diapers, and they're still holding all your poo. Good.

Speaking of poo, we've noticed that it's gotten firmer and smellier since you've started solids. One diaper can stink up the entire house. Good going, Kid!

You loooovvvveeee our cat, Milo. Meanwhile, Milo tolerates you. He's so good about letting you crawl all over him and pet his soft, fluffy fur, but lately you've started pulling his hair and whiskers! Ouch! "Be nice to the kitty!"

Like any child, you're obsessed with TV. Look at all the pretty pictures! Your favorite things to watch are NCIS, cooking shows, and Veggie Tales!

You still come along with Mommy and Daddy to play video games... our own little gamer in the making!

Still hate your car seat and scream bloody murder when anyone tries to put you in it or takes too long taking you out.

You are not a fan of getting your diaper changed. You twist and turn and cry until it's over. Of course, it takes twice a long with you doing all that but try reasoning with a baby!

I still come home and find you clad in just a loincloth (aka = diaper) since Daddy don't bother dressing you when he took you out of your PJs. Or worse, you'll still be in the same clothes from two days ago. I find that if you're actually going to wear clothes, much less clean clothes, then Mommy has dress you!

Bath time = favorite time of the day! You splash the water and love your rubber duckies! However, you cry when the water gets in your eyes... I'm sorry, Buddy.

Everything you touch goes in the mouth.

You hate having your face washed after mealtime. Only Auntie Em can do it without making you cry.

Speaking of Auntie Em, you love her and all your uncles! They play with you and you giggle and laugh and give them slobber kisses!

In fact, you love everybody! You've never cried when we let someone else hold you and you've yet to meet a stranger. You smile at everybody and cuddle even with people you've just met! Hmm.. we'll have to talk about Stranger Danger when you can walk...

You smile so big when Mommy gets home from work. You seem to know when 5:15 rolls around because you're sitting facing the door and as soon as you hear the key in the lock, I open the door to find a huge smile on your face! You reach towards me and when I pick you up, you bury you face in my neck and snuggle close. Best feeling ever.

Mommy-Baby time is still your favorite thing to do. In other words, you'd rather drink Mommy Milk than even your favorite fruit or veggie! We don't know how much longer we'll be able to keep it up but we're hoping at least until the end of the year.

You've officially hit the too-wiggly-to-take-pictures-of phase! Your 7 month pictures are mostly blurry because you simply move too much! Good thing Daddy can make you laugh and sit still for two seconds!

We try and do a video-chat with your Granddaddy, Grandmom, and Uncle Brandon and Uncle Tyler every week or so. Mommy has never seen Granddaddy make such silly faces! They love you so much and miss you and can't wait to see you at Christmastime!

You have 6 "toothies" now, two on bottom and four on top! The other day you discovered how to grind your teeth and it freaks Daddy out! Which Mommy just finds hilarious. But there is nothing more adorable than your toothy grin!

Happy 7 months birthday, Caleb! Mommy and Daddy love you bunches and bunches and bunches and bunches and bunches!

There. Was that too wordful for you?

m.

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 21

2010-10-19T15:27:00.002-08:00

Day 21- I am thankful for quiet moments with my husband. For love rekindled. For the joy found in just sitting, all cuddled up with each other. I am so thankful for the husband that God gave me.

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 20

2010-10-18T15:24:00.000-08:00

Day 20- I am thankful for it being Monday! I know that sounds weird but really, I am. I like the hustle and bustle of the day, the rush and scramble to get everything done by the time that clock strikes 5 o'clock. What can I say? I like Mondays!

Ya'll know that I'm a sucker for a good meme

2010-10-18T11:39:00.001-08:00

Ya'll know that I'm a sucker for a good meme. Well, Courtney over at Live Beautiful has invited her friends to join her on a little something 30 Days of Truth! She'll be doing it in addition to No Mom Talk Monday, another meme that I've been eyeballing for the last week or so.

The basis of No Mom Talk Monday is just that... one post talking about anything else BUT babies, being a mom, and everything that goes with it (poopy diapers, sleepness night, poopy diapers, teething, poopy diapers.. you get the idea). Add to that 30 Days of Truth which makes us come up with honest answers to some pretty soul-bearing questions and you have the recipe that will either draw us all closer together or will make me run and hide my face in the pillows from embarrassment.

So... here goes nothing!

Day 1: Something you hate about yourself.

Man... talk about getting the ball rolling. I feel like we should at least go out for coffee first... but really, if I didn't want to share my life with you I shouldn't be blogging in the first place, right? Sigh... something I hate? Well, there are several things that I dislike but none of them I really hate. I don't like that I procrastinate, but I'm learning to overcome it. I don't like that I nag Micah, but I'm trying to back off and let him actually wear the pants in the family. I don't like that I complain about these pesky extra 15 lbs but can never seem to gather enough motivation to actually get on the elliptical machine that is sitting 5 feet away from our bed.

But something I hate?

I hate that I am so negative. Used to be that I was the most peppy, spirited, encouraging, and optimistic person that you would ever meet. No matter the situation, I always managed to look on the bright side and tried to encourage those around me. I had nothing but kind things to say about people and always tried to find the good in the person or situation.

But now? Now I automatically notice the bad. Something bad happens and instead of seeing how God will deliver us from the situation, I start wailing and crying and fuming. When I have a specific plan for the evening and Micah makes a slight change or forgets due to miscommunication, instead of rolling with the punches and seeing what we can do to salvage things or work around them, I get super-mad at him and end up ruining the evening for the both of us. I notice people's flaws instead of their attributes, and automatically assume the worst instead of waiting to find out the whole story.

When I did become this way? Was it before I got married? After? Was it when my heart was broken? Was it when it was put back together? Was it after we lost our jobs time and time again? Was it when we couldn't pay the bills for the 5th month in the road? Was it after Caleb came along to mess up my so-called "perfect" five-year plan? Was it when I stepped on the scale the week after he was born?

(Ooops. Sorry for the baby talk.. it just slipped in there... fail.)

When it happen? Did it happen slowly over time or was this all at once? And why is it that I can be so encouraging to my friends and family and always seem to know what to say to make them feel better, but I get so discouraged when it comes to my own life?

I'm trying to get better, really I am. When I'm faced with something and the first thing to jump to mouth is a negative thought or scathing word, I stop, take a breath, and say over and over in my mind, "Find the good, find the good, find the good." Until finally, I can see at least some good in the situation. It might not be very much, but a little bit of encouragement goes a long way.

So there you have it. Day 1... now the question is, now that I've admitted this... can I carry on? Can I get better? Can I find the good each day in life?

m.

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 19

2010-10-17T23:23:00.000-08:00

Day 19- Caleb is 7 months old today. I am thankful for a healthy, happy baby that loves people and smiles big when he sees his Mommy. I'm thankful that he sleeps through the night, loves carrots and pears, has six teeth, and gets red in the face when he poops... which I think is so cute... yes, I'm weird. I'm thankful that other than the constipation the other week, we've not had any real trouble from, not even when he was teething. I'm thankful to have my baby healthy when there could have been hundreds of things from. I'm thankful for these first 7 months and look forward to watching my little boy grow up!

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 18

2010-10-16T22:26:00.000-08:00

Day 18- Today there is a "real" testimony. This afternoon my pastor's wife was in a car accident. Someone cut off someone else who slammed on their brakes so she hit them so someone else could hit her. But she's okay. Yet, it could have been worse. I could be typing something very different right now. But instead, I am testifying and thanking God for His ever-present hand of protection. Thank you, Lord.

Oh, how I long for the days of boring

2010-10-15T09:10:00.000-08:00

Forget the days of bliss... I'll take back the days of boring!

Don't get me wrong, I love my life but sometimes... sometimes I just wish that I could lay in bed and do nothing. No housework, no photography, no husband to take care of, no baby to feed.... Of course, one day I'll be lying in a nursing home wishing that I was strong enough to do housework, wishing that I still had my eyesight so I could take just one more picture, missing my husband that has gone on before me, and my arms would ache to hold my baby one more time.

I think of that and suddenly, life seems pretty good. Busy... but good. Always good.

-------------------

This whole week has felt like a Monday. Do you ever have weeks like that? It all started back on Sunday when we entered into a four-day revival at my local church. Monday came (as always) in the morning but as it was Columbus Day, I had the day off of work and so the entire day felt like a Saturday... until that evening, which felt like a Sunday night (again). So Tuesday came... and felt like a Monday, except for that evening, which felt like a Sunday or even Wednesday night. Wednesday came and we went to church again that evening but some reason even IT felt like a Sunday night (which it wasn't) and not like a Wednesday night (which it was). Thursday dawned too bright and too early, but it felt like a Monday! Talk about deja vu! I even found myself trying to do Monday's work... so yesterday was just weird.

And of course, last night had to continue the weird trend. Usually on Thursdays, Micah goes to school and I do housework, catch up on my TV shows, work on pictures, and give Caleb and myself a bath. Instead, last night Micah's family was there and one of Micah's classes was canceled and so he was home three hours early! Now, that was definitely a GOOD thing, and what better time for a class to be canceled than when family is in from out of town?

But my routine... oh my poor, poor routine. It is so messed up this week. It longs for the days of boringness, the days of doing the same thing at the same time on the same day.

Of course, these coming weeks aren't going to be boring at all! Want to take a peek at my schedule for the next few weeks?

This weekend- Fall Convention at Church/Family Visiting
Oct 23rd/24th- Maternity photo session, Senior Pictures photo session
Sometime between the 23rd and 30th- a newborn session with a baby within the first 2-5 days.. waiting for baby to be born right now. He's due the 23rd.
Oct 30th/31st- Family/Baby photo session, Maternity photo session
Nov 5th/7th- Youth Convention at Church
Nov 6th- Photo Fundraiser at Church (Another photographer and ourselves are donating our time and talent towards raising monies for the building fund- $30 for 30 mins with 10-15 proofs on CD)
Nov 12th/14th- Youth Convention at one of our other churches in the state (I'm our local youth leader so I need to attend)
Nov 20th- Celebrate our 3rd Anniversary (our real anniversary is the 24th)
Nov 25th- Thanksgiving!!!
Nov 27th- Maternity photo session
Somewhere during the end of November/beginning of December, I need to schedule two-three more maternity sessions for Newborns that are due the 24th, 25th, and 28th of December. Whew... that first week of January is going to be sooo busy for us!

And that's not even getting into all the Christmas holiday events and celebrations. Whew!

See what I mean about missing the days of boring?

m.

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 17

2010-10-15T07:43:00.001-08:00

Day 17- Yesterday, Micah's family flew in for our church's fall convention. It was wonderful to see Caleb cuddle with his grandmother and smile as she tickled and kissed him. We just had a quiet evening of playing games, talking, and laughing. That is what family is really about... togetherness.

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 16

2010-10-14T20:39:00.002-08:00

Day 16- This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118:24

Before/After Blog Hop

2010-10-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

Whew! Finally, back in the saddle again! We've been in revival at my local church since Sunday and we've been really busy at work so I am just now catching up on things.

So now on to what you REALLY want... pictures!

These are from Saturday's family session.

SOOC:

Believe it or not, this is one of the one pictures from that session where the little girl is standing still! She was so hyper.... reminded me of myself when I was younger. After all, they didn't call me "Jello" for nothing!

I liked the overall picture but felt that it was a little dull, so I adjusted the curves and contrast and edited out that annoying finger at the bottom. Then I ran Paint the Moon's Blueberry Honey Tea action from the Coffeeshop Collection and lowered the opacity down until it was where I wanted it to be. Then I used Coffeeshop's Eye Bright action on the eyes and details of the face and hair.

And volia! Finished product!

Edited:

Now don't you agree that she was just a downright cutie??

A Wee Bit of Me Wednesdays... woohoo!

2010-10-13T14:32:00.000-08:00

{one} have you ever milked a cow or a goat?

Once. When I was about 10 years old while on a homeschool field trip

{two} what sound does your alarm make when it goes off in the morning?

It's the generic iphone "Strum" because I've been too lazy-butt to upload real music from my computer

{three} chocolate milk or hot chocolate?

Ooo.. why choose? make the hot chocolate WITH the chocolate milk. Decadent I tell you...

{four} what is one of the quirkiest things about you?

Whenever I sit in a chair, whether on the couch, in my office chair at work, at church, or at the dining room table, I have to fold my legs underneath me and sit all curled up

{five} are you more like your mom or your dad?

I'm like both. Literally 50/50. I'm a perfectionist like my dad, but also easy-going like my mom. I'm a procrastinator like my dad, but an clean-freak like my mom. I'm a dreamer like my dad, but a down-to-earth organizer like my mom. I have my dad's eyes and nose but my mom's mouth. I am long-winded like my dad but laugh like my mom. Yup... I'm like mom AND dad!

{six} do you sleep with the tv on?

Absolutely not. I would try and stay awake, regardless of how tired I am, in order to see how the story ended. However, I can walk away and go upstairs regardless if the show is still going on.

{seven} if you were a crayon, what color would you be?

Yellow. Bright and happy and a bit hyper.

{eight} ross, joey, or chandler?

Um... this question is lost on me. Are they from a book? A show? a movie? Are they a band? Huh???

{nine} do you play any musical instruments?

Yup. Took piano less for 7 years. Sadly, we don't have a piano so I only get to play when I practice at church.

{ten} what’s the worst thing you’ve ever cooked/baked?

The worst thing? Even the things that don't turn out the greatest, I still manage to turn into something edible, even good. But the hardest thing I have a time cooking is alfredo sauces! I just can't get my cream and cheese to melt right! Grr....

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 15

2010-10-13T14:16:00.000-08:00

Day 15-As odd as it sounds, I'm glad that being married to Micah has made me like mushrooms. See? Told you that it was odd. Before we were married, I hated mushrooms and thought that they were absolutely disgusting. Then we got married and suddenly a whole new taste experience was opened to me. Now, I eat things that I never thought that I'd try... much less actually enjoy. And all because of Micah. And for that, I'm thankful.

I never though that I'd say it... but I miss POOP!

2010-10-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

Caleb's poop, that is.

Last Thursday we started noticing that it was taking Caleb a little longer to poop than normal. His face would get beet red and he would strain to get that stuff out. Okay... so what? He usually grunts and strains a bit, after all, he's a baby. Then I changed his diaper.... uh oh. That's not normal.

Instead of the full diapers that Caleb usually gives us, he instead was pooping little round pellets, just a few of them. Now, after the Poop Explosion of 2010 we know that Caleb has more poo in him than that, so naturally we started getting a bit concerned. Come Friday and he would start panic ow-that-hurts-I-am-in-pain-please-make-it-better crying every time he tried to go poo. Micah and I just felt so helpless. All we could do was lift him up so that there was no pressure on his bottom and then rub his tummy, trying to make everything move a little easier.

As best as we can figure, he's just suffering from really bad constipation. Don't know if it's from there being more solids in his diet than milk or him getting dehydrated or perhaps him eating too many veggies.. we just don't know. All of those are valid causes that we found during on research but there is no way to pinpoint any one specific thing. In the end, we went to the store and got Caleb his very first fruit... prunes.

That's right. Prunes.

I find it hilarious that one day I'll be able to tease my then-6-foot-tall gangly teenager that his very first fruit was prunes because he had trouble pooping! Hehehe...

I know, I'm horrible. But let me assure you that laughter was the very last thing on my mind as Caleb clung to my neck, burying his face in my hair and sobbing while pushing out this tiny ball of poop.

Thankfully, I had yesterday off which meant three days of nothing but fruit and good old-fashioned mommy's milk, filled with all the wonderful laxatives that his body was in need of. Of course, he finished off all the prunes by Saturday night so that meant on Sunday he got.. drumroll please.... pears! Mmmmmm. I must say, in spite of the bathroom difficulties, Caleb loves the new experience of eating fruit! He thinks are super yummy and gobbles them right up! He even got to have a little apple juice, too, which seemed to really help things.

Right now, he's doing better... not great, but definitely better. He did pushed out a really squishy diaper on Sunday night and the pellets have been turning into blobs, so that is good too. We're just thankful that everything is still moving, but I will be glad when he finally does one of his big explosions and poops all that junk out of him for once and for all.

.... Whoa... I never thought I'd hear myself say that.

m.

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 14

2010-10-12T14:26:00.000-08:00

Day 14- Today, as I sat out in my car during lunch, I found myself saying a prayer of thanks for these last lingering days of Fall. For anyone that know anything about Alaska, you know that we really only have two main seasons: Summer and Winter. Our Spring and Fall usually only last a month or two at best... if we're lucky. The very first year that I was up here our Fall was virtually non-existent. But for the last three years we've had absolutely beautiful Fall seasons (even though Spring has still left something to be desired) and they even lasted past those first initial weeks, which is more than any of us expected. Now, it's frosty in the mornings, foggy on the drive to work, and chilly during the day... but in the afternoon? That is the golden time, when warm sunshine burns off the fog and wraps me up and makes me sleepy, warm, and oh, so, comfy... which is not conducive to a productive workday.

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 13

2010-10-11T22:00:00.003-08:00

Day 13- I am thankful for meeting deadlines. For me, I have it bad as I am both a perfectionist and a procrastinator and those two natures really tend to clash while working on projects. The areas I have the most difficulty in is in our photography work and in doing housework. Well, over this weekend I have managed to accomplish both! Right now, I sit in a clean downstairs with all our immediate photography deadlines met. That is amazing... of course, there is still more to do, as always, but for now, I can just enjoy checking things off the list.

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 12

2010-10-10T22:57:00.001-08:00

Day 12- I am thankful for quiet moments spent with just my husband and baby... these are the times that I cherish.

The Winner of the Eclectic Closet Giveaway!

2010-10-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

Give it up for lucky #5, Sonja!

Congrats! Send me an email so we can get your super cool, super functional, super why-did-I-not-have-these-before luggage tags to you!

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 11

2010-10-09T21:36:00.000-08:00

Day 11- Today we had a photo session with a rather rambunctious three year old. If what my mom, dad, and grandparents and well, everybody I know, told me is true... then I was just like her as a child. At the age of four, my nickname was "Jello"... in other words, I couldn't sit still. On top of that, I had a slurred my words when I talked and so add that to my borderline hyperactivity and you REALLY couldn't understand anything that I was saying. Well, if today's session was any indication, that girl never stops moving, and so probably neither did I. That being said... I am thankful that Mom and Dad put up with me... and thankful that so far, Caleb seems downright mellow.

365 Days of Thankfulness- day 10

2010-10-08T09:22:00.000-08:00

Day 10- Last night I fell down the stairs. Twice. The scary part is that the first time I fell I was holding Caleb.... I had just gone upstairs to get him up from his nap and was walking down the stairs. Because I was holding him, I couldn't see where I was going and I guess I missed a step. As soon as I felt myself falling, I hugged Caleb to my chest and leaned as far back as I could to keep myself from lunging forward and tumbling down the stairs. The end result is that I slid down the stairs really fast and landed on my bottom with my left leg pinned underneath me. I was scared. Caleb was scared. Immediately, he began to wimped and clung to my neck even as I began to rock him back and forth, soothing him, all the while mentally saying, "Ow, ow, ow." But it could have been worst.... a lot worst. I could have fallen down on top of Caleb, I could have broken my ankle, Caleb could have fallen out of arms and landed at the bottom of the stairs... like I said, a lot worse. Instead, God had His hand of protection upon us, and for that I am thankful, so thankful.

Who needs a dog when you have a baby?

2010-10-07T11:00:00.005-08:00

I like dogs.

I really like dogs.

The one thing I don't like about dogs is how they like to leave little "presents" for us... usually in someplace really inconvenient, like just inside the bathroom door or on my side of the bed.

Our cat does it too.

He thinks that he's a dog.

Even so, Milo (the cat) has been really good for a while, and since we don't have a dog, we really were not expecting to happen along any steaming piles of ooey, gooey, poo-ness. (why yes, I did just make that word up)

But we forgot that even though we don't have a dog, we do have a baby.

"Wait!" you say. "What does have a baby have to do with anything?"

Oh, I am so glad you asked!

Last night we were all in the living room, just minding our own business. Micah was working on some project, I was on the computer ordering some new photography backdrops (woohoo!), and Caleb was on the floor between us, playing with his toys.

Then we heard it....

pppppbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbpppppppppppppppp

The little man had done a big number in his diaper. Immediately, Micah and I began to argue about who was going to change that whopper. I argued that since I had already gotten peed on at church (another story) that he should change it. Micah declared that since he had already changed the other two poopy diapers earlier that day, I should change it.

Of course, the arguing meant that no body was changing the diaper. Instead, our son sat there in all his squishy, gushy goodness.That in itself, wasn't so bad because Caleb likes two do an "aftershock" about five minutes after the initial "rumble" and if you change it too soon.... exploding poop!

Micah returned to his work to wait it out until the aftershock and I turned back to the computer. All of a sudden I smelled something really bad. I mean, it didn't just stink... whatever it was, that was toxic. Surely it couldn't be... no.... it wouldn't... that smell couldn't be coming from my son???

Turning towards Caleb, I froze in horror. There, on the blanket, was a pile of poo. What?????? Somehow, don't ask me how, he had managed to only poop on one side of his diaper so everything had come out and was smugly resting on the softness of my clean cuddle blanket.

Shouting, "Poo!!!!!" I raced to the kitchen to get some paper towels even as I heard Micah say, "Dude...." Very carefully, Micah picked Caleb up as I used two paper towels to pick up the pile of poop. Seriously... I think that pile weighed more than Caleb does! Taking one look at the chunks of poo clinging to Caleb's chubby lugs as well as the quite-heavy diaper that promised that there were more goodies to come, we looked at each other and I said, "Oh well, he needed a bath anyway."

With that, Micah took Caleb upstairs, stripped him down to just the diaper, and while I threw the clothes and blankets straight into the wash, Micah stuck Caleb into the bathrub and let the water wash all the nasty poop away.

Needless to say, Caleb did not appreciate the change in his bathtime routine.

But twenty minutes later we very much appreciated having a clean baby.

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 9

2010-10-07T10:30:00.001-08:00

Day 9- Today my thankfulness is simple... I am thankful for strength. After a busy day yesterday, a wonderful church service, a stressing evening, and a long night... I am awake... I am moving... I am actually getting things accomplished. I am definitely looking forward to 5 o'clock and am really hoping that Caleb takes a nap tonight, but in the meantime, God is giving me strength to get through the day.

Just three days left to enter the giveaway!

2010-10-06T10:52:00.001-08:00

The Eclectic Closet Luggage Tags Review and Giveaway ends this Friday night at midnight Eastern time! I absolutely loved using these luggage tags during our recent trip down south, so I know you will too... It's super easy to enter:

Visit the The Eclectic Closet and come back and leave a comment on THIS post telling me your favorite vacation spot! Is it someplace exotic like Europe or Australia? Or is it comforting and familiar like going to Grandma's house? Do you love the night-life in New York City or the quiet pace of Amish County in Lancaster County? Even if you only visited one time, share the place with us and be automatically entered to win!

That's it? A comment? That's all????

Yup.

There's extra entries too:

For Extra Entries:

Vote for ABM3 on TopBabyBlogs +1

Vote for ABM3 on TopMommyBlogs +1

Follow "And Baby Makes Three" on Facebook AND leave a shoutout on the wall! +1

Become a Follower of the ABM3 Blog (on left) +1

Blog about the giveaway and post a link back to us! +1

--- Just leave a NEW comment on THIS post for each individual entry. If you're already a follower or have already voted, go ahead and leave a comment :)

The giveaway will run until Friday, October 8th at midnight Eastern time.

Oh? And what will you win?

These:

Oooooo... pretty... and yes, you're win BOTH! Nice, eh? His and her suitcases, anyone?

Wordless Wednesday: Kisses from Mommy and Daddy

2010-10-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

(Best baby ever... just so you know)

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 8

2010-10-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

Day 8- As I worked on pictures from our family reunion back in July (I know, I know.. slacker... leave me alone...), I couldn't help but offer up a prayer of thankfulness for family. Now, I think my own family is pretty great. We're small, just 18 of us from great-grandparents on down (my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins), and just 2 over on my Dad's side (grandma and aunt), but we love each other to pieces. And we're blessed in that every person in our family is saved/born again/redeemed. That's not something that many families can say, and I am sooo thankful for that. But at the same time, I am thankful for having married into an equally wonderful family on Micah's side. Mom Peter's family (Micah's mom) are all cowboys from WY and MT. Each time I get to spend with them, I realize yet again how blessed I am to be a part of such a loving, welcoming, and fun group of people. Instead of fighting with my in-laws, I look forward to spending time together, I confide in them, and I want to spend with them. That's rare... and that's why I'm thankful.

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 7

2010-10-05T21:30:00.000-08:00

Day 7- Today I am thankful for God blessing our photography business. Even though we are only able to do it part-time at this point, it has allowed us to grow as artists, meet new people, and even make new friends. What's more, we've been able to meet our goal that we set for ourselves we we first we took our first paid session last August. Within one year we wanted to have recouped all our expenses and have paid for our camera, two new lenses, Photoshop software, lighting equipment, backdrops, and props. And we've done just that... now we're working to pay off for our new computer.. :/ But God has been blessing here of late so that we've been booking more and more sessions. Currently we have five sessions booked for this month. Wow... I am still amazed by that. It used to be that we were amazed when we had even one a month. (Side note- only two openings left this month for all you Alaska readers) This has only happened by the grace of God... may we continue to be faithful in all things

Touch-Up Tuesday: Baby in a Basket

2010-10-05T14:44:00.000-08:00

Just trying out some new photography props this last weekend... might as well use my favorite model!

SOOC:

Edit Process:

Used Curves and levels, boosted contrast, used Creamy Curve from ImagineMeBaby, used Baby Powder Room from CoffeeShop, used clone tool, used unsharp mask... volia!

Edited:

It only takes a day for the world to change

2010-10-05T10:23:00.000-08:00

Remember how I said yesterday that Caleb was getting in some more toothies? And that they would probably be popping through this weekend?

Well, I lied.

Because last night, right before we put him to bed, Caleb opened his mouth up wide and we saw them... two sharp little white nubs poking through his gums... oh my. Seriously??? Toothies #3 and #4 just popped through on Saturday! This kid is going to have a full set of pearly whites by his 1st birthday if he keeps this up.

Good grief.

Now for some pictures, right? We always like pictures around here.

Since we got our new computer (yes we got it! And got a fabulous deal on it, too!) I have been transferring all of our pictures and files from our laptop to our computer. And let me tell you... there are a TON of pictures. I'm not really sure how many since some are stored on our external hard drive, but really. We have a lot of stinkin' pictures.

But it's been fun because while going through the pictures I run across some that I had completely forgotten about! I know, I am horrible about taking pictures and then forgetting about them! If I don't edit them within the week then they are doomed to be forever lost in the maze called a hard drive.

I really need a better filing system. Any ideas?

Anyway. These two pictures came from the other week when I was waiting to go wedding dress shopping with a friend of mine. Well, not just a "friend", actually my future-sister-in-law. Sorry, still not used to say that, hehe!

It was cold and rainy and Caleb and I were snuggled in the car waiting for the rest of the girls to arrive. It was the first time that Caleb had ever seen rain up close. He was fascinated...

And then he had some fun trying to eat the camera.

Is it wrong to be jealous of my son's eyes? Seriously... can they get any more BLUE??? My eyes are obviously green and while I've always liked them, a part of me really wanted blue eyes.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, yes, it is hard to hold a camera AND a baby... especially when sitting in the driver's seat of a car. Not exactly known for legroom, if you know what I mean.

m.

Caleb's Silly Faces and a bit of news

2010-10-04T14:53:00.000-08:00

I love how Caleb has such a range of silly faces. His eyes get all big, his chubby cheeks stick out, he wrinkles his nose and my heart just begins to melt. You can't help but smile at this kid!

And although you can't see it in these pictures... guess what... Caleb has teeth! That's right... teeth!

As in, more than one.

Remember when he had those few days back at the beginning of the month where he was just a troll baby 24/7? Well, turns out his was so grump cause he was teething... for two teeth. Those little sharp razors finally popped through back on the 11th and we thought that was it for a while. No sooner did those pop through than we felt some little nubs beneath his gums. Oh boy... teeth #3 and #4? Yup.

But this is where the story takes a turn for the better! Ever since that first bout with teething from "the bad place", Caleb has been a perfect angel! No crying, no waking up in the middle of the night, no fits, no pain... nothing. It's absolutely amazing and I did not expect that!

And wouldn't you know it? Numbers #3 and #4 made their appearance this past Saturday. And on Sunday, guess what we found? That's right... numbers #5 and #6 already peeking through. Are you kidding me??? Six teeth in less than a month???? That's just crazy.

But the best part of all? Caleb hasn't bitten me yet! Woohoo!

m.

365 Days of Thankfulness: Day 6

2010-10-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

Day 6- I am thankful for my morning phones calls to my Daddy. Each morning on the way to work, I call my Dad. For those 15 minutes, we talk back and forth, share ideas, and just try to somehow bridge the 3,000 mile gap between us. If something comes up and I miss a day, it all feels wrong somehow. Dad has told me that he lives for 10:45-11:00 each day (he's on Central time, I am on Alaskan time). I am thankful that I can talk to him, and what's more, that I want to. So many people don't have good relationships with their parents, especially their fathers. I have been giving a wonderful Dad that I love and who loves me in return.

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 5

2010-10-03T17:58:00.000-08:00

Day 5-Today I am thankful for the gift of worship. How wonderful it is to be able to have the freedom to worship my Lord without the fear of persecution. So many times I take this for granted when this gift is actually banned in many countries around the world. So Lord, "here I am to worship...."

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 4

2010-10-02T18:44:00.000-08:00

Day 4-Today I am thankful for the ability to turn a house into a home. Since moving into our house, I have struggled with a least-than-ideal neighborhood, a house that needed a lot of TLC... but while sitting in our freshly painted living, with pictures of family and friends on the wall, and a vase of flowers on the table next to us, I said the words that I did not expect to say, "I love our home." Not our house, our home.

365 Days of Thankfulness- Day 3

2010-10-01T18:18:00.000-08:00

Day 3:

I am thankful for nighttime rain. For me, there is nothing more calming, soothing, or relaxing than being snuggled in a down comforter while the rain falls softly outside. The pitter-patter of the raindrops against our window gently lulls me to sleep like a lullaby. That, and I am thankful for the chance to steal an evening nap with my hubby, in the midst of a busy weekend.

Photo Roulette Friday: 4-20-2010, 9th photo

2010-10-01T10:10:00.000-08:00

Joining Mischief and Laughs for Photo Roulette Friday! Today we got to choose what date, but we HAD to post the 9th photo... Well, it seems as though I have to be random even when I have permission not to be because I just scrolled through the window and randomly picked a file. Of course, it was about a 99% chance that the photo would be of Caleb!

Aww... I remember this picture! Those were Caleb's first real tears! He was just barely a month older and was soooo upset about something and then his eyes started welling up and the next thing you know, these big splashy crocodile tears were spilling down his cheek. Poor baby.

Caleb found a new toy...

2010-09-30T14:57:00.001-08:00

Tue, 28 Sep #2, originally uploaded by Megan Marlene.

***Please excuse the pile of laundry in the background. Thank you***

The other night Micah showed me Caleb's new toy. Was it the stuffed doggie? No. Was it a toy car? Nada. Was it the special teething ring we got just for this purpose? Nope.

It was my breast shield.

Yes, you read that right. My BREAST shield.

The hospital where Caleb was born sent home a manual breast pump with me with two rubber shields that attach to the pump itself. I used one, and put the other in the bedroom along with my breast pads and misc items.

Well, apparently the other day when Caleb was crying, Micah desperately looked around for something that would pacifying the child. Enter, the shield.

Caleb LOVES it! I sat there and watched as he chewed on that thing for nearly 30 minutes! He would bend it, stuff it into his mouth, and chew on it with his two sharp little razors, otherwise known as teeth.

The funniest part was when he stuck the open part into his mouth and then proceeded to stick his tongue through the little hole....

Enjoy the video!

m.

365 Days of Thankfulness: Day 2

2010-09-30T09:32:00.000-08:00

Day 2:

I am thankful for a healthy little boy. In his short 6 1/2 months of life, he has only gotten sick once and it was because both Mommy and Daddy were sick with colds. As it is, he was teething during the same time so we're still not sure how much was teething and how much was an actual cold. But on that note, he took to teething really well and only had one or two days of grumpiness. All in all, he has been such a good baby, sleeping through the night at 6 weeks, loving breastfeeding, taking to solids right away, developing normally or even a little above average. God has richly blessed us with a wonderful son, one whom we have dedicated to the Lord from the very beginning.

Caleb's Birth, the complete story

2010-09-29T16:37:00.000-08:00

I've (finally) added Caleb's entire birth story to "The Birth" page, so be sure to check it out! Warning, though, it's loooooonnnnngggg. ;)

m.

Introducing... 365 Days of Thankfulness!

2010-09-29T11:07:00.003-08:00

There are great blogs hops and memes out there on the subject of thankfulness, my favorite being Thankful on a Thursday. The only thing is that, why should we limit being thankful to just one day a week? It's the same thought I have about Thanksgiving. Yes, Thanksgiving is wonderful and we should recognize all of God's blessings, but why wait?

During my devotions and prayer time this morning, I realized that at least for me, I need to recognize God's blessings every day. So that is why I am starting up....

Each day I am committing to sharing yet another one of God's blessings. Most of you probably realize by now that I don't post much on the weekends as we are usually to busy with "life". This blog gets pushed to the side and unfortunately, sometimes so does God. By making this testimony public, I am making myself accountable to you, my friends. Call me out if I miss a day, because I don't want to miss giving God praise. If He really is Lord of my life than I need to put Him first in my life.

How about it? Will you join me in this commitment? I can't wait to see the change in our perspective a few days from now, a month from now, and eventually, a year from now! By putting our sights on the good, rather than the bad, the whole outlook of our day will change. And change for the better.

This is day 1.

Day 1
I am thankful that God is always there, no matter where I am. He isn't limited to the inside of the church building, or only when I'm on my knees. Instead, I can talk to Him in my car on the way to work, while sitting at my desk, while feeding my child, while lying in bed, while doing the dishes... All day long I talk to Him as though He is my best friend because.. well, He is. If we pray without ceasing, then there is never an "amen". Our entire life is a prayer.

Wordless Wednesday: My favorite moment of the week

2010-09-29T08:38:00.001-08:00

... Cuddling in bed on a quiet and calm Saturday morning, with the soft sunlight filtering in through the windows....

... these are the moments that I cherish....

Link up!

m.

Touch Up Tuesday: Once a boy, Now a man

2010-09-28T14:59:00.000-08:00

Here's my picture for Touch Up Tuesday at Paper Heart Camera!

This sweet young man is actually Micah's younger brother, Nathan. He's a senior this year and so we headed down the coast to the small town of Hope, Alaska to take his senior pictures. Micah and I had visited Hope back in August and new instantly that it was where we wanted to bring Nathan for his special day!

Nate has grown up so much since I first met him as a boy back in 2004. It's hard for me to believe that was six years ago and that he's now turning 18 and will graduate school in the spring. This young man has been through a lot in the past few years but now it's full steam ahead towards achieving his goals and dreams, especially that of being a professional pilot.

Original/SOOC:

Edited/After:

I love the creaminess of the edit (does it technically count as a black and white??) and how gentle, yet intense, he looks. My favorite of the session. :)

And jut for fun:

We wanted something old, vintage, like a photograph or postcard from the 1940's. What do you think? Did we achieve the look we were going for?

Love to all and happy Touch Up Tuesday!

m.

I feel like this post should have pictures

2010-09-28T11:46:00.000-08:00

If you remember, Micah and I took this weekend off from "life" in order to just have some fun and enjoy being together. Well, in the end, "life" wouldn't leave us completely alone but I can honestly say that by Sunday night we had thoroughly enjoyed our weekend together and felt sooo relaxed!

I really don't remember what time we went to bed on Friday, I do know that we watched a bunch of NCIS episodes (trying to finish the last season so we can start this new season) and ate root beer floats and tater tots.

I know.. real healthy!

I WAS productive, though, and cleaned our living room so that you could actually see the floor! Amazing!

Saturday though... Saturday was amazing.

Caleb had been waking up in the night wanting to eat (we're introducing him to veggies and are adjusting his diet, so he's getting used to more solids and not as much liquid), so we brought him to bed with us around 4am, I fed him, and then we all drifted back to sleep.

And didn't wake up again until 9:30.

Ah! So that means that we must have gone to bed around midnight because I remember thinking that we had gotten nine glorious hours of sleep. That doesn't happen very often, let me tell you.

After opening the windows slightly to let in the soft morning sun light, we just cuddled beneath our fluffy comforter and played with Caleb, tickling him, playing peekaboo, and just staring at him in pure joy and amazement.

And then we took pictures.

There has been a certain image I've had in my head for a while, but I haven't had the opportunity to capture it until that morning. Unfortunately, Caleb didn't want his picture taken. Hmm.. now that's a first. I did manage t get a few good ones... I think. But I haven't even looked at them yet, so we'll see.

For about two hours, we just enjoyed "the morning" but then our stomachs started rumbling so we all headed downstairs and Caleb and I played on the couch while Micah carried out the all-important tradition of Saturday Morning Pancakes. mmmmm. Nothing I love more than fluffy pancakes covered in rich maple syrup. mmmmm.

Once the pancakes were nice and safe in our bellies, I had a surge of energy (sugar, anyone?) and took off outside to wash our windows. Once the outside was scrubbed clean, I scrubbed the inside as well and oh-the-difference! The I took down the green curtains that will be going upstairs in Caleb's room and put up the gauzy white curtains that looks soooo nice, light, and airy in our pretty living room! I love them! And to think that my hubby picked them out???

Oh! Now I remember! Friday night we had made dinner for our pastor and their family and after taking it over, we headed to Freddy's to check out their discounts and sales. We got a set of much-needed tupperware (but it was really the Rubbermaid brand) and a few other odds and ends. Our big thing was that we bought a big wooden half-barrel (ie. planter) to use as a photography prop. It was on clearance and then an additional 50% off. Seriously, can't beat that! We used it with Caleb on Friday and already I can tell that we will LOVE it! Pictures? Oh yes, please!

Friday night we had been invited to a friend's house on Saturday afternoon and boy oh boy was I happy we went! Jeremy and Heather had outdone themselves with some yummy ribs, homemade rolls, red potatoes with bacon and cheese, baked beans and southern style sweet tea. I had brought green beans with almonds, corn on the cob, and stuff for root beer floats! Needless to say, we were eating good!

Their little girl, Lillian, is just darling. We get to baby-sit her from time to time and it's been so much fun to see her grow up. And now, to see her play with Caleb, I know that she'll be a great big sister someday.

While Jeremy watched the football game, we played Dutch Blitz, Pictionary Man, and another game that I can't remember what it was. Hmmm. All I know is that it was fun! Since it's just Micah and I, we don't get to play games very often anymore. It used to be that all our friends would get together on Saturday evenings and play and have fun, but we haven't much since all of us have had babies. Hmmm. Now that we're (finally) unpacked and (finally) settled in, maybe we should resurrect game night at the Peter Casa...

Hopefully there will be pictures in the next post?

m.

Zoom! And I'm gone!

2010-09-27T16:51:00.000-08:00

After a quiet, relaxing (much needed) weekend, Micah and I are back to the grindstone as we're rushing after work to drop off Caleb with his auntie, then off to a trash-the-dress session and then it's off to pick up a computer armoire that we're getting off of craigslist, and then to the post office (there isn't time to make it to the bank, that'll have to wait for Wednesday), and back to pick up Caleb. We should make it home around 9pm tonight. Oh boy....

Maybe I'll have time to post tomorrow. Maybe?

m.

Another house to add to the list

2010-09-24T15:28:00.000-08:00

5 Bed, 2 Bath | 4,640 Sq Ft on 0.92 Acres

For cheaper than the 2 bedroom place.... Me likee... space... room... WINDOWS!!!

Having no plans IS the plan!

2010-09-24T15:12:00.000-08:00

Last weekend after (another) exhausting day, Micah and I lay in bed and commented about how we could remember the last time that we slept in on a Saturday morning. It used to be that we would sleep in on Saturday mornings, and Micah would carry on his family tradition and make pancakes, then we would have breakfast in bed, listen to music, talk, and just enjoy being together.

We haven't done that in about 5 months. If not longer.

And it's not just because of Caleb, it's also because we've filled up our life with all this other "stuff". Now, granted, some of the things are actually good thing, like cleaning our house, photo shoots, hanging out with friends, going to yard sales, running errands... but they took us away from our quiet, peaceful Saturdays.

That's why this weekend, Micah and I have purposely not planned anything. We have some errands to run tonight and are cooking a hot dish for our pastor and family, but then we're going home, locking the doors, turning off the phone, and are just going to enjoy our little family. Before I head to bed tonight, I'm going to bring the camera upstairs so I don't have to disturb the peace of the moment when I sneak by Caleb's crib to take pictures of my angel sleeping. Or playing, depending on what time it is.

Whenever we all finally do wake up, Micah will go downstairs and make pancakes while Caleb and I do a little light housework, if I don't get it all done tonight after all.

Or we just might ignore the housework and play peek-a-boo instead.

Yeah, I like the sound of that much better.

All in all, it should make for a wonderful day. Hopefully, there will be sweet, family pictures to share come Sunday. :)

Have I mentioned lately that I love the weekend?

By the way, we're praying for rain. After all, what is better than waking to the sound of rain and cuddling for an extra hour while the raindrops go pitter-patter outside the window?

That is my favorite moment in the world.

m.

Would you, Could you, Please?

2010-09-24T08:39:00.001-08:00

Vote? Just a quick one please? You don't even have to have to leave the blog, the voting will pop up in its own window so you can get back to reading about Caleb's adventures.

"Please?"

And if you leave a comment w/ your blog info, I promise to vote for you, too! :D

m.

Before/After 9/22- Caleb's little grin

2010-09-23T11:03:00.000-08:00

I shared this picture the other day as part of Caleb's 6 month birthday shout-out. Well, this morning I sat down at the at the computer here at work only to realize two things. 1) It is Before/After day at Pixel Perfect and 2) I didn't have a SOOC image. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

So, I pulled up my flickr, hoping against hope that I would have a SOOC image in there that I just "happened" to have uploaded.

Sure enough, this one was in there. Horray for being able to participate!

SOOC/Before:

I took this one before realizing that I had the exposure down too low... oops. Better fix that,quick! Still, I LOVED the actual picture itself, so I decided to keep it after all.

1. Brought up the exposure using Levels
2. Did a slight curves to adjust the highlights/red content
3. Used the burn brush to bring in the shadows, without making the highlights explode
4. Ran Coffeeshop's Baby Powder Room action and smoothed out his skin, used the eye bright and eye define layers on his eyes
5. Ran a slight sharpen over the entire image

Presto! 5 minutes from start to finish and we have...

After:

I love his baby blues, and the way he sucks in his bottom lip. Man, I love this kid.

I know, I know... ya'll are sooo sick of hearing that by now. :)

m.

Dreaming of a home sweet home

2010-09-23T10:29:00.002-08:00

My friend Jessa posted recently about dreaming about a home of their home. Well, it got my fingers itching so as soon as I got some free time I sat down and looked up all the properities in our price range for out in the valley. (btw, the "valley" is the Mat-Su Valley outside of Anchorage. The "country" if you will. We'd like to get a place either in Palmer or Wasilla, eventually moving to the outskirts or even out to Big Lake or Houston.

Here are some of my picks in our price range (i.e. less than $800 a month mortgage, which is less than our current rent):

1)

3 Bed, 1.5 Bath | 1,600 Sq Ft on 1.21 Acres

2 Bed, 1 Bath | 1,400 Sq Ft on 1.51 Acres

3 Bed, 2 Bath | 2,846 Sq Ft on 1.72 Acres

4 Bed, 2 Bath | 1980 Sq Ft on approx. 1 acre

3 Bed, 2 Bath | 2,560 Sq Ft on 1.5 Acres

It's important to Micah and I to have at least 1200 sq ft of living space, and at least an acre of our own land, and a shop/garage would be really nice too! We both have a "handyman" background and could do most of the remodel work ourselves.

So.. that's dreaming. Someday, right?

A Wee Bit of Me Wednesday 9/22

2010-09-22T11:47:00.000-08:00

{one} what is your happiest childhood memory?
Christmastime. My mom's family has a huuuuggggeee Christmas celebration.. During my childhood, we all went to Seminole Stat Park in south GA and each family rented a cabin. Each night, a different family would be in charge of the activities and food and then on Christmas eve we would start at 2 in the afternoon and have games, songs, stories into the evening and then the guys would distribute the presents and we'd go around and open presents one at a time. Afterwards, we'd have a bonfire and roast marshmallows. Christmas morning we would all sleep in and then play dominoes tournaments, watch the parade, and eat our huge feast. That was the one week that I would look forward to all year long and still do to this day... this year we're going to Pigeon Forge!!! It's going to be a BLAST!

{two} what is your middle name?
Marlene, it's my middle name, my mom's middle name, and my grandmother's middle name and one day it will be my daughter's middle name

{three} what’s the habit you’re most proud of breaking?
Um... staying up too late and being tired the next morning? oh wait, I still do that!

{four} what do you order when you order chinese food?
Sesame Chicken, noodles, and the broccoli with the chicken

{five} what’s the best bargain you’ve ever found at a garage sale or thrift store?
Oh, this one is good! While down in TN I found Micah a military-issue Gortex outerwear jacket. Micah has one as part of his uniform for the Coast Guard and it was $150 brand new. Even used (like on Ebay), you're lucky if you find one for less than $100. I found one that a retired Army guy was selling, in green camo print, no less, for... drumroll please.... 50 cents! YES! 50 cents!!!!!

{six} what’s the best costume you’ve ever worn?
Umm... never really worn many costumes? So the Woman at the Well for our Walk Through Bethlehem?

{seven} who’s your favorite game show host?
Classic Bob Barker was always a favorite

{eight} what’s your favorite breakfast food?
Pancakes and Bacon please :)

{nine} what’s your least favorite word?
Swear words, if they can even be called actual "words"

{ten} describe something that happened to you for which you have no explanation.
There is always an explanation, and many times it's simply, "That was God's will" but lately, we've been blessed beyond measure. Good things happened that should not have even been possible, but "with God, all things are possible."

Better start saving now...

2010-09-22T10:56:00.002-08:00

Micah and I have been squirreling money away for a while now, ready to make the next big purchase for our photography business. For the longest time we thought that we would get a second camera, but in the last few days, we have really recognized the need for our getting a second computer instead.

Of course, this has nothing to do with our fighting over the laptop all the time.

We'd like to get a desktop and since we want to stay within the Apple family, that means an iMac.

Oooo... pretty....

We could spring for the base model, but since is our *big* computer purchase, we're wanting to invest in one that will last for several years and will already be ahead of its time from the very beginning.

Which means....

iMac 27-inch 2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5

27-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
4GB memory
1TB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics with 512MB memory
Built-in iSight camera

We'll also be getting the magic trackpad, which is based off the same trackpad that is in our Macbook (which I LOVE).

It's a hefty amount, but we've been saving and want to make a responsible financial decision for our family, our business, and our future.

The fact that is big, beautiful, and shiny is just a bonus... right?

Wordless Wednesday 9/22- Mommy & Baby

2010-09-22T08:36:00.000-08:00

This picture has special meaning to me as Caleb and I have very few pictures of us. Being the main photographer, I'm usually the one behind the camera, and so I have tons of pictures of Micah and Caleb and Caleb and every other person that we've ever met. But as for me and Caleb?

Nada.

Oh, there are a few here and there, but nothing really to speak of. And the few that I do have are mostly upper-body or face-only pictures.... until now!

Micah took this picture for as part of Caleb's 6-month mini-photo session taken during the 30 minutes I was home during my lunch break. I LOVE it! I love Caleb's inquisitive expression, I love how I'm looking at him, and I love how I actually look decent (I am the most un-photogenic person that you will ever meet!)... I just love it.

Happy Wordless Wednesday, ya'll!

Caleb's 6-month Checkup!

2010-09-20T15:00:00.000-08:00

We just got back from the doctor's for Caleb's 6-month checkup. So far, so good! We (finally) found out his weight/height (Micah has been usually a fish scale in the past months).

Caleb's Stats

Weight:

16 lbs

25th percentile

Height:

26.5 inch

50th percentile

Head Circumference:

17.5 inches

75th percentile

See? I knew that he had his Daddy's big head!

But really, our doc was a little concerned because Caleb was in the lower percentile for the weight, but she's not actually worried since he's he looks healthy, has a good appetite, and has always gained weight a good pace. So, we're just going to come back at 9 months to see how he's doing and call it good.

It's fun though, because we've gotten the "official" approval to start on all types of food, even meat! It's weird to think that Caleb can eat all of that stuff. But he is a growing boy, after all!

The one part of the visit that I did not like (besides the wait, of course), was the rectal temperature reading.

Oh my, his face.

Sorry, kiddo.

Happy 0.5 Birthday, Caleb!

2010-09-18T08:09:00.000-08:00

Today, the 17th of September, our little boy turned 6 months old!

Oh, where did the time go? I know it’s cliche, but “where did the time go?” His birth still plays over and over in my mind like it was just last week. Sometimes I even think that I feel the his flutters inside my tummy. I look at him and see the tiny 2-week old baby that amazes me with every little look and sigh.

Only now he isn’t 2 weeks old anymore. He’s 6 months old. And while a part of me misses the 2-week old, I do believe that this is the most fun age yet. Caleb is so interactive! Everything is new and different and exciting. He smiles, laughs, even plays peek-a-boo with his Daddy. Instead of just watching us because we’re Mommy and Daddy, he actually watches us to see what we’re doing. We are his world. And yet his world is ever expanding, each day is a new experience and a new adventure.

Height: no clue, we’ll get back to you after his appointment on Monday

Weight: no clue, we’ll get back to you after his appoint on Monday

Eyes: Still bright, baby blues

Hair: Soft, blond, and adding more every day

Favorite thing to do: Play peek-a-boo and have Daddy zoom him through the air

Skills: Can roll over, sit up, and stand up as long as he is holding onto something, does baby push-ups

Milestones: Got his first tooth last Saturday, September 11th, Had his first solid food (cereal) Saturday September 4th

Our favorite thing about him: His laugh

Mommy and Daddy love you bunches, Caleb boy!

m.

Before/After: Bathtime with Baby Boy

2010-09-16T14:52:00.000-08:00

I know that it's been a while since I've done a Before/After, what with all the traveling that we've been doing and then the getting settled back in (which always seems to take twice as long as the actual vacation, go figure?) but I knew as soon as I edited the below pictures that I had to share them on this blog hop!

While visiting my family down in TN, Mom and I gave Caleb a bath and it was so sweet to his expression as he discovered the sensation of splashing! Then, he looked up at Mom and gave her the most adorable, sweet expression. Thankfully, Micah was there with the camera to capture it.

But as you can see, while the expression was sweet, the picture is far from it! Micah had a bad angle as he was shooting over my shoulder and as the bathroom is dark, he had to use the dreaded flash.

Could this photo be rescued?

Yes!

First order of business was the crop in so it was just my little man. Then, I used the levels to bring back the white balance, adjusted the curves a bit, and slightly boosted the contrast.

That left me with this:

Still a noticeable improvement, but also still just a "snapshot:"

Then it hit me! Black and White! That would look GREAT on this photo!

I had to play around with a couple of actions as I don't really have a black and white action that I love (Anyone have any recommendations?) but I finally found one that set the mood that I was looking for.

The end result:

Awww... I know I'm biased, but really... how can you resist that face?

So... Before:

After:

Quite a difference, don't you think? The moral of the story is, any picture can be rescued!

m.

The Eclectic Closet Luggage Tags Review and Giveaway

2010-09-16T09:47:00.002-08:00

Do you know what the most popular color for luggage is?

I'll give you one guess...

That's right: black.

Have you ever stood at the airport baggage claim and watch one black suitcase after another pass you by, afraid to actually grab one because they all look the same?

Well, fear no more! The Eclectic Closet has come to the rescue!

The Eclectic Closet features the creations of Marilyn, a lovely lady from Ontario, who makes table runners, wedding garters, baby bibs, but most importantly, luggage tags! She was kind enough to send me four luggage tags to test out during out trip down to TN.

Oh.... that made it easy.

Now, thankfully, our luggage isn't black so we don't run into the duplicate suitcase issue very much but we DO run into is having to fill out those annoying paper tags from the airlines each and every time we fly! And since we're in Alaska, we usually fly Alaska Airlines down to Chicago, and then use another airline from Chicago to Nashville. That means switching carriers, and therefore, switching tags. Again.

Did I mention how much I hate filling out the same information over and over and over and over and over again.

The Eclectic Closet to the rescue!

Now, with Marilyn's luggage tags, I can breeze through the ticket counter, stroll through airport security, relax at the gate, rest on the plan, and retrieve my luggage with my sanity and dignity intact.

(After all, we all know how embarrassing it is to grab someone else's suitcase and start walking off with it! "I wasn't stealing it... I promise!")

Marilyn was wonderful to work with as she emailed me back and forth, evening sending "preview pictures" so she could make sure that I was receiving products that I not only liked, but loved.

Aren't the tags adorable? This paisley print is my favorite, I do believe!

Turn it around, and volia! The spot to hold all your valuable contact information!

One time I didn't fill out the contact information on the tag and my luggage was late arriving, but I thought it had gotten lost and was in a major panic attack. Note to self- always fill out the luggage tag. Or, fill it out once and be done with it! I like the latter...

Once I put the red leaf print against my red suitcase, my heart began to beat out of my chest. I love it!

The reds really compliment each other and make themselves *pop* don't you think? Marilyn has tons of fabrics and just about any print imaginable!

Marilyn's work is very detailed, you can tell that she puts a lot of time and effort into each creation.

Each tag already comes with a contact information card made out of stiff cardstock for durability, none of this flimsy stuff they give you at the ticket counter that literally falls apart by the time you arrive at your destination.

All in all, I LOVE the luggage tags and am excited to travel with them again in the future.

Want some luggage tags for your next big trip? The Eclectic Closet is giving away a set (2) of luggage tags to one lucky winner! You'll win the above set of patriotic-themed luggage tags (don't you just love how she paired together the two tags? They look pretty good against the red, too, don't you think?).

To enter:

Mandatory Entry:

Visit the The Eclectic Closet and come back and leave a comment on THIS post telling me your favorite vacation spot! Is it someplace exotic like Europe or Australia? Or is it comforting and familiar like going to Grandma's house? Do you love the night-life in New York City or the quiet pace of Amish County in Lancaster County? Even if you only visited one time, share the place with us and be automatically entered to win!

For Extra Entries:

Vote for ABM3 on TopBabyBlogs +1

Vote for ABM3 on TopMommyBlogs +1

(You can vote daily AND leave a comment for each vote! That's 2 extra votes a day!)

Follow "And Baby Makes Three" on Facebook AND leave a shoutout on the wall! +1

Become a Follower of the ABM3 Blog (on left) +1

(If you're already a follower, go ahead and leave a comment anyway!)

Blog about the giveaway and post a link back to us! +1

--- Just leave a NEW comment on THIS post for each individual entry.

The giveaway will run until Friday, October 8th at midnight Eastern time.

I'll be adding a link to the giveaway at the top of my sidebar for easy access. Don't forget to check out the The Eclectic Closet!

Happy commenting!

m.

I can't believe I'm sharing this

2010-09-15T16:27:00.000-08:00

I'm getting ready to be brutally honest, here.

Embarrassingly honest.

As in, upon the conclusion of this post, I will promptly have to shut down my blog, pack up my house and move as far away from civilized society as I possible can.

Oh wait... I'm already in Alaska.

Never mind.

......................

So, as most of you know, we traveled back from visiting my family in TN last week. Yes, I know that I still need to post the rest of the pictures from the trip, as well as share the 1,000,001 wonderful things that happened while we were down there. But that is so unimportant as compared to the magnitude of embarrassment that I am about to inflict upon myself.

Our plane got in at 10:00 at night. We didn't get home until almost 11:00 o'clock. Caleb had been grumpy the whole flight due to teething (oooooo... that was a rough flight), it had been a long day, I was hungry, sore, and tired. But mostly tired. Walking in the door, I dropped everything in the middle of the living room and promptly collapsed on my bed.

Ahh.. sweet sleep.

The vacation was definitely a vacation because as soon as we got back it was nothing but rush-rush-rush. Since Mom and I had washed all our clothes before packing them, I felt no real sense of urgency to unpack the two suitcases that were lying in our living room, instead I just dug into them if I needed any specific item. A few things fell out, like a sock or two, but I didn't notice anything important. On Wednesday, Micah's brothers hung out with him for most of the day, as they did for most of the rest of the week. On Thursday, my bestie, Emily, came over to hang out and wanted to see the baby clothes that we had gotten down in Tennessee. Well, of course, I had absolutely no problem with that so I began to dig out the baby clothes which, of course, I had packed on the very bottom of the suitcase. We ooed and awed over the clothes then Emily went home and I went to bed.

That Saturday, I (finally) had Micah lug the suitcases upstairs so I could unpack them and really begin to restore some order to my home. After all, we had all these people coming in an out of the house, so I really should practice some of those Suzy Homemaker skills.

Fast forward a few days.

Monday came and I began to slip on my shoes in anticipation of walking out the door to head to work. All of a sudden, a flash of color out of the corner of my eye caught my attention.

I froze, absolutely horrified.

There,just a few feet away from the front door on the hardwood floor, lay a pair of my panties.

And not just any panties. These were bright pink with lace.

Oh, the lace.

My mind spun... where had they come from... how long had they been there... who had seen them???

Everybody.

The thing is, that wasn't the worse part. The worse part is that I then looked at my clock, noticed the time, and panicking, raced out the door to work.

I was half way to work when I realized that I had left the panties lying on my living room floor.

Yes... my mortification was now complete.

If you were just walking into my house and saw these frilly panties lying on the floor, do you know what it looked like?

......................................................................

Yeah. You get my drift.

But I promise! They weren't from that. They really had fallen out of my suitcase! I promise!

Calling Micah, I told him the horrible news.

Of course, being the typical guy, he laughed. But he promised to take care of it before his brothers came back over that afternoon.

Those eight hours were the longest of my entire life.

I walked in the door as the brothers sat around laughing and I breathed a sigh of relief: no bright spots of pink.My dignity had been restored.

After a while, the brothers left and I plopped down on the couch. Looking up, for the second time that day, I froze.

My panties were hung from the banister in all their lacy glory.

Not even two feet away from where I had just stood and talked to his brothers for fifteen minutes.

Suddenly, I understood Matt's knowing smirk and Nathan's awkward blush.

Words of Wisdom: Unpack your suitcase as soon as you get home from a trip. Or at least take it to your bedroom. Make sure that your panties are safety stowed in the zip pocket. And finally, when your husband says that he'll "take care of it" you might want followup afterward.

I'll start packing for Siberia now, thank you.

m.

Wordless Wednesday: Oh boy!

2010-09-15T11:04:00.000-08:00

This is Caleb's excited face...

It's one of my absolute favorite faces that he makes. Of course, it's nearly impossible to take a picture during these times as he suddenly because one big blur. He sucks in his bottom lip, lifts his eyebrows, throws out his arms and starts waving his hands.

It's even cuter when he is excited about something up close (in this case, he was playing with Jake, my family's 3-month puppy) because he wiggles his knows and starts blinking rapidly. Eventually, he gets so excited that he loses his balance and flops backwards. But that lip always stays sucked in!

Like I said, too funny.

Man, I love this kid.

Except last night. Last night I loved him, but I didn't like him very much.

Teething.

Enough said.

Saving money the coupon way

2010-09-14T09:31:00.000-08:00

When I was a little girl, every time our family went to the grocery store I knew that there was one item that would always go along with us: mom's coupon book. Actually, it was more like a coupon envelope. Or a coupon accordion file. Whatever it was, I was given the all-important job of going through the book and finding any coupons that we could use. The key phrase there is "that we could use." Mom was notorious for having expired coupons, and I ask, what good are those?

Not too longer after I got married,

I do love shopping at the commissary because although it only carries name-brands (the military doesn't exactly carry a "store brand" you know? what would it be? "Air Force Select" or perhaps "Army Deals" or even "Natural Navy" ???), those names brands are on HUGE savings!

Like the Pillsbury Toaster Strudel! I love these ooey gooey bits of goodness. Unfortunately, I can't have them since I'm on a new "meal regime"... oh, just say it Megan... a new DIET. But! My pastor's wife also loves these, so I give them a few each month for the 1st Sunday Pounding. (Does anyone else still do a pounding for your pastor's family?)

Normally, these things are $3.99 a box at the Fred Meyer, which is the local grocery store that most of us shop at. Our closest Super-Walmart is in Eagle River, 15 minutes away, and you might be able to find them for $3.00 a box, if you're lucky. And don't even ask what Carrs/Safeway charges. Whew.

The commissary price? $1.50 a box. Hey.... I'll take a savings of (argh... math...) uh.... umm.. $2.49 a box! (why, noooooo, I did not just use a calculator to figure that out... noooo... not me. Note to self- this is why Micah will be teaching our kids any math above 2nd grade)

But the ever better part? The commissary accepts coupons! It even will accept double coupons on some items unless you have an especially crabby cashier. The last time I was in there I got two boxes of the toaster strudel and used a $1 off coupon and a buy two, get 50 cents off. Now, even I can do that math, that means I got one of the strudels entirely free!

I do end up saving about $10 in coupons each time I go, on top of the commissary savings. That's right my final bill only being about $50. So, saving 20% isn't half bad, is it?

Also, we go to Costco for some of the BIG things that we go through quick, like tortillas, fruit, cheese, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes. Also, paper goods and of course, diapers and wipes. Since we're executive members, we get the coupon book which saves us even more. And we're not above going without for a few weeks when I see that something will be on sale in the new coupon book (as long as it's not going with diapers... cause those are kind of important, if you know what I mean). Oh, and we get 2% back, which is a small amount, but usually between that and the coupons it more than makes up for the cost of membership.

Since starting to shop exclusively at the commissary back in March, I have noticed our grocery bill going waaaaayyyy down, and we're even buying less at Costco, which is nice because those bulk prices add up. But I want to do more. I want to save more. I want to use coupons more.

That's why April's post on her blog Coal Creek Farm on coupon savings really inspired me. Especially since she showcased Melanie, otherwise known as The Coupon Goddness who saved... get this... $52,000 last year in coupons. WHAT?????????????????????????????????????????????????

I didn't even know such a thing was possible.

So you can see why I was inspired.

Right away, I made a new bookmark folder entitled "Coupons" and added several fabulous new sites:
A Cup Full
Hip 2 Save
Totally Target
Smart Source
Coupons.com

Gone are the lazy days of grocery shopping where I bought anything that struck our fancy. Instead, I'll be stepping up my game. I already compare the unit price, but now I'm going to study the coupons before I go to the store. I will (attempt) to meal-plan. I will stockpile good deals of items that I know that we will use.

I. will. use. coupons.

You heard me, blog friends. Now I am accountable to you. Keep me in check. I WILL use coupons.

And I will save bookoos of money.

I hope.

m.

On the journey from milk to meat...

2010-09-13T10:37:00.000-08:00

Since Caleb had his first experience eating something other than Mommy's milk the other week, that kid has been eating soooo much! Some of the signs that we were told to watch out for were him waking up in the middle of the night wanting to eat when he has previously slept straight through until morning on the previous night's feeding, wanting to eat more often, wanting to eat longer for each setting, eating more aggressively, just to name a few.

Well, Caleb is displaying all of these right now! Good grief, after being home with Caleb all weekend, I feel like all I did was feed that kid! Right now he's getting fed rice cereal 2x a day, with about 2 oz. of breastmilk and enough rice cereal to get it to a good not-runny-but-not-pasty consistency. The only thing is, he eats all that and wants more! Do I give it to him? Or is he just being greedy? I know when he first started feeding he would eat until he would literally spew when you so much as brushed against his belly.

What can I say, he's a Peter Boy? He likes his food.

But now that we've introduced solids, do we keep on giving him more cereal or milk when he acts like he wants more? Is he really that hungry or is he just enjoying eating? I don't want to stuff our son, but I don't want to starve him either, you know?

He's been on cereal for almost 2 1/2 weeks, and will have his 6 month birthday on Friday. At what point should we start introducing other solids? We're thinking that his first solid should be a vegetable, certainly, and as for what kind of vegetable, we're thinking carrots. Mom Peter would be proud! :)

Since Micah has school on Tuesday and Thursday, we have church on Wednesday, we're usually busy Friday-Sunday, and I work during the weekdays, we're thinking of introducing a new variety/taste each Monday, that way we can both be there for the milestone. Also, we'll try to introduce it not long after I get home, that way we can see if he has any reaction or upset tummy earlier in the evening, so it won't mess up his (or ours!) night's sleep.

So we're thinking of introducing the carrots this coming Monday, right after his 6 month birthday, or perhaps even on his 6 months birthday. Any thoughts? It will have been two weeks from his first taste of rice cereal At the rate he's going, is that enough time in between or should we wait longer to introduce other solids? Any thoughts or advice? We have his 6 month check-up that Monday, the 20th, so should we wait an talk to the doc and see what she says?

In anticipation of that day (whenever it may be), I've been doing some looking into baby food products.

We know that we want to make our own baby food if at all possible, and after doing a lot of research, I like the steam-and-puree method the best.
1) Green Sprouts Silicone Collapsible Storage Bowl

The pros:
It's collapsible, so it's easier to store
Small (just 12 oz.), so it's the perfect size to do Caleb's food in
Is BPA free, always a plus!
Is dishwasher safe- woohoo! Easy clean-up!
Cooks in the microwave... can we say easy peasy?
The lid attaches, so no-spill
Has built-in holes, so I cold cook and strain in the same dish
Silicone, which I love, so it's no-slip and easy-grip
Is a pretty good price at $12

The cons:
At 12 oz. isn't good for much more than single-servings and baby food
But... They also have a larger one that I could get that would eliminate that issue

As for storing the baby food that I make, I know that I want something that can go straight to the fridge or freezer, and then from the freezer to the microwave for heating (or at least heated water), and the straight to Caleb. Also, I would like for them to have an interlocking system so I don't have these tiny containers rolling all over the place. Oh! And I definitely want twist-lids. That has been a lifesaver, already, for Caleb's milk.

2) Stay-Fresh Reusable Baby Food Containers 12-Pack

This set is good in theory, but has gotten mixed reviews....

The Pros:
Has twist-on lids, instead of snap-on, so no trouble dropping some and the lid popping off
The jars interlock together, so I could stack a few and toss them in his diaper bag for lunchtime
Has a nifty interlocking tray for the fridge/freezer, and even fits in most door spaces
They are single-serving 2 oz. containers, which is the perfect amount for Caleb right now, and later I could always grab two to give him contrasting flavors and textures (develop those senses, buddy!)
Are dishwasher safe = easy cleanup
Are microwave-safe, so I can warm it up in the same container if need be
Is BPA and phthalate free- woohoo!

The Cons:
Has some issues when in the freezer, such as the container became fragile, the lids not staying as secure, and trouble with the containers stacking. Solution? Get something else to put in the freezer... :P

And once he is able to chew a bit more (probably closer to 7 or 8 months), we're going to get him these:
3) Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder 2 Pack

My sister-in-law has used these for her kids and we actually got to see her youngest use them when she was about Caleb's age. She loved them, always gnawing on some fruit or softened veggie.

The Pros:
It's a great way to start introducing the chewing process
Still let's the little one do the familiar sucking and still get the all-important nutrients!
Textured handle easy to grasp
Pop-up handle allows for easy-access
Soft netting is gentle on tender gums
Is dishwasher safe- my favorite part!

The Cons:
Has had some issues with little bits of plastic breaking off from the seam
Supposedly, soft foods (specifically banana) are hard to clean off of the mesh

So I'm also considering this one:
4) Sassy Teething Feeder

The Pros:
Is BPA free
Has a water-chill feature where you fill the bottom part with water and freeze it, then fill it with the food to keep it cool and fresh when out and about
Is also dishwaser safe

It's a great way to start introducing the chewing process
Still let's the little one do the familiar sucking and still get the all-important nutrients!
Textured handle easy to grasp
Pop-up handle allows for easy-access
Soft netting is gentle on tender gums
Supposedly doesn't break off

The Cons:
Not sure how easy/hard the clean-up of soft food is, no bad reviews were given

I can live with not putting bananas in there, though, I was thinking more like grapes and those types of thing that you can't really puree but you don't want to give to baby just yet

So there you have it... the game plan for our little guy's journey from milk to meat! I hope to be making a decision here in the next few days so I can see about getting an order in or picking some of the things up from the stores around here, which is easier. But I would love to know your thoughts!

m.

Sunday Blog Hops

2010-09-12T09:14:00.000-08:00

The Rules:

1. Click on the link above to visit TheChickenista

2. Grab The Button and then add your blog link.

2. Place the button in your Sunday Post so we know where to comment.

3. Please follow TheChickenista as well as the two blogs above you in the list

4. Have fun!

The Rules:

1. There are no rules! Just click on the link above to join up on the linky list and make some new friends!

Happy Blog Hopping!

Surprising the Family- Day 1

2010-09-10T17:01:00.000-08:00

I already shared the story of our crazy trip down to Tennessee to surprise my family, but here

The morning after we arrived, Mom and Dad had to keep an appointment in Nashville, Brandon (Brother #2) was heading to college, and Tyler (Brother #1) was staying around the house to do chores. At least, that was the plan when we all (finally) headed to bed at midnight. Apparently, the plan changed sometime during the night because come morning, Mom had decided to stay home after all. I'm sure the fact that her grandson whom she hadn't seen since he was two weeks old was in the other room had absolutely nothing to do with that decision.

Nothing at all.

But of course, they decided this after we went to bed so Caleb, Micah, and I all fell asleep and did not wake up until noon. Yes, you did read that correctly! We slept until NOON! Even Caleb! Wow--- Micah and I haven't gotten that much sleep since before Caleb was born. And I'm sure we won't sleep that long again until after Caleb celebrates a few more birthdays. And by then he might have a younger brother and sister to ruin our sleep on his behalf.

Just carrying on the tradition.

Apparently, though, Mom and Tyler were trying out a few sleep-deprivation tactics of their own. Mom had gotten up at 6 am, like she always does, and figured that we would wake up about 8 am, the time we usually wake up when we're visiting. Eight o'clock came and eight o'clock went away. Goodbye eight o'clock, it was nice knowing you.

She fixed breakfast and she and Tyler ate outside on the deck which was right next to the bedroom window. According to Mom, they both talked quite loudly in an effort to wake us up.

Needless to say, we didn't wake up.

Then Mom did chores around the house, conveniently, the majority of which took place right outside the bedroom door. Since we were sleeping in Tyler's bedroom (since he has the bigger of the brother's beds), he apparently came in at one point to get clothes to get dressed, but we didn't give so much as an eye twitch.

To top it all off, he even went outside and started mowing the grass... you guessed it, right outside our window.

Finally, we all three woke up within minutes of each other.

And then Mom was happy. As was Caleb.

Do you think that it's possible for a part of him to recognize her voice? I've read the accounts of children being adopted at birth but years later recognizing their birth mother's voice, even in a crowd. Somehow, I think he does remember. We've tried to keep my family a part of his life through pictures, phone conversations, and video chats... but there was nothing like actually being together for real.

My awesome brother, Tyler, decided to join us. Thanks for giving up your room, dude!

Meet Jake, my family's 3-month-old Pomeranian Shiatsu. Talk.About.Energetic.

If anything falls on the floor, it's his. And you'd better watch your napkin, he's a paper thief! Yes, that is a bit of my napkin in his mouth.

But I didn't have the heart to stay made at him... what a cutie!

And of course, Caleb had to choose this time to start teething. He was chewing on everything. Thankfully, the crying/screaming held off until we left. But whew, that's another story entirely.

Jake likes to nip a little too much, though. Tyler calls him "Demon Dog."

Friday night we went out to eat with some long-time friends that we hadn't seen in a year or better. Their girls had grown up sooooo much since the last time we were together!

Rachel is due in December with a BOY and is super-cute prego! Aww... I miss being prego....

Caleb loved watching the water at the fountain. My little water baby...

And of course, Micah had to be shown off our little Buddha baby.

Brad and Rachel even have his and her children! Sara looks JUST like her daddy, even acts all shy and quiet like him too.

Meanwhile, Emily is just like her mommy! Makes me wonder what little Aiden is going to be like!

And then there is my little boy... he takes after Mommy AND Daddy! I even got a rare picture with him (usually, I'm behind the camera!). Don't you just love his little mowhawk?

He was amazed at the fish in tank... I think he wanted to eat them. hehe

Once we got home, we gave Caleb a much-needed bath (he smelled like an airport, if you know what I mean). He looked like a total Gerber Baby!

And that, folks, was Friday! :P

m.

One of THOSE days

2010-09-10T15:17:00.000-08:00

Most days, I absolutely love coming to work. Although I don't necessarily bound out of bed like I did before a baby and 3 am teething screams, I still do enjoy my job, (most) of the people I work with, and the actual day-to-day "drudgery".

But some days, I absolutely dread walking out the front door.

Today was one of those days.

It probably had something to do with a sleepy-eyed Caleb cuddled up against Micah's chest as they both looked at me with those same big eyes, one set melted-chocolate brown, the other brighten-your-day blue. I literally had to force myself to turn away, walk out the door, get in the car and drive away.

Since that moment, this entire day has just crept by, each second lasting longer than the one before. Even now, it's just barely 3 o'clock in the afternoon, while my body feels as though it should be 8 o'clock at night. There are still two hours to go before I can hold my baby in my arms.

Oh, my baby. My sweet little boy.

I walk in the front door after (another) long day and Caleb turns, sees me, and his entire face just lights up. Instantly, he is a happy, giggly, cuddly baby who just wants to be held by his Mommy.

I love being someone's "Mommy".

Why does the work week have to last so long and our weekend so short? Today is Friday but it will be Monday all too soon.

But for now, it is Friday. Tonight, I will be put my baby to sleep and I will be there when he wakes up in the morning. He'll cuddle and eat with me instead from some bottle. I'll get to feed him his rice cereal and watch his adorable faces as he delights in each new taste and texture. I will play with him, read with him, play peek-a-boo with him. We'll take naps together and I'll fall asleep to the soft sound of his tiny breaths. For two whole days, he will be my world.

Oh, five o'clock... plus hurry. Caleb is waiting....

m.

My Pregnancy Album (sorry you had to wait another 9 months)

2010-09-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

I (finally) finished my pregnancy album that I had stopped cold turkey back around month six. Yeah.. sorry about that.

Now I just need to get it printed. Hmph. I wonder how long THAT will take!

Enjoy!

m.

A Wee Bit of Me Wednesday

2010-09-08T11:44:00.000-08:00

{one} what was your first pet and how did you come up with its name?
My first pet was "kitty"... yes, how original. But he (?) was actually abandoned by our next door neighbors when they moved and I adopted him. He hated all people except me. I would sit down outside and he would crawl into my lap, but as soon as my mom or dad stepped outside he would start hissing at them if they got too close. He was eventually killed when a pit bull and chow chased him inside our back yard and attacked him on our back patio. My brothers and I were with a babysitter while my parents were at a company party. We watched as those two dogs ripped open Kitty's stomach until our babysitter chased them off with a broom. Kitty died as I rubbed his blood-soaked fur. Mom and Dad raced home and we buried him in the rain underneath the bird feeder. I was only 8 years old, but I remember every moment of that day.

{two} do you like your ice crushed or cubed?
I actually don't like water in any of my drinks since it waters it down. The only time I DO like ice is the crushed ice slushes at Sonic (ahh, sonic...) and in my, you guessed it, water!

{three} do you believe in love at first sight?
Not really. There is attraction at first sight, but what drew me to Micah was how kind and fun-loving he was when I first met him. I knew that I wanted to get to know him better.

{four} do you have any nicknames?
Meg, mostly. And others that are too embarrassing to share, even on the blog.

{five} what movie do you never get tired of watching?
Umm.... I know they're not movies.. but Gilmore Girls. I get sick of any other show, but I'll put on GiGi while I'm cleaning or home alone and just needing something going in the background. I have ALL SEVEN SEASONS!

{six} how do you like your eggs cooked?
Friend over-medium, with salt and pepper.

{seven} are you named after anyone in particular?
My first name is all my own but my middle name I share with my Mom and Granny, and one day it will be passed on to my daughter.

{eight} what are three things that you would like to do that you haven’t done yet?
Travel to Italy and eat homemade Italian pasta, write a book and get it published, plant a garden that actually produces something

{nine} what one thing always brightens your mood?
Caleb's laugh and the sound of a light summer rain

{ten} what five things will you always find in your purse?

My wallet (duh), Cell phone (hopefully, unless I misplaced it. Again), Keys... okay.. this is boring, how about five INTERESTING things that I will always find in my purse?

a pen (because you never have one when you need one), lipgloss (though I never actually use it, I feel more like a girl just carrying it around), my lens cap (cause I always lose it), hand sanitizer (because Caleb likes to chew on my finger. go figure?), pictures of my family and friends (to make my day brighter)