Dreaming?

Maybe I am just dreaming...or is it finally true that Tizzy's hair, all 5 strands of it, are finally long enough to do this with?

Before you judge my hairstyling skills, please remember I'm better at photographing the hairstyles, not the actual putting them on people's heads. And you should see my hair...I can assure you this looks like a prom up-do compared to my (just got back from a 5 mile run) ponytail.

I think it's ridiculously cute...but I thought those little headbands I always put on her were ridiculously cute too, only to have my dad make fun of them. So I can never be too sure. ;) I'm a little insecure when it comes to hair. Too much tom-boying it when I was a kid and not enough learning how to fix my own hair.

I'm hoping to right this wrong when it comes to Tirzah. Not that I'm encouraging the wearing of tons of make-up. She can be all the tomboy she wants (and I think with a brother who teaches her the latest wrestling moves, she won't be able to help it) but I do want to help her learn to fix her hair/do her make-up if she so chooses. With any luck she'll be really good at it, and can fix my hair.

Check out more shots at Shutter Love and Sweet Shot 

(The first shot is my pick for this week)

Seasons Greetings

I'm a big loser when it comes to Christmas cards. I love getting them, but do I ever send them? Negative. I always think I might, I look at photo cards online, I check out deals, etc. But never follow through. I'm a one-way Christmas card recipient. Shame on me.

So it's kind of funny that I've been shooting for people's Christmas cards this season. In a wierd way I kind of feel like a traitor. Like the chef who won't eat his own cooking, or the mechanic who won't drive his car. Well, that may be extreme, but it's just ironic I guess. And makes me feel even more guilty. ;)

Obviously, this isn't me, or my kids in these pictures. These are of a sweet family I got to shoot on Saturday. This little lady was not impressed with my camera, and gave me a very serious stare for about an hour. It's ok. I have it coming...my kids (when I can get them to look at my lens) love to cheese. I told her mom I needed someone to make me work for it. And she's pretty stinking cute without the smile anyway.

So maybe this time next year, I'll be posting about how I actually sent my own Christmas cards...but probably not. I know how I am. ;)

Check out more shot at The Paper Mama and Allie Photography 
(The first shot is my pick for this week)

The Bucket List Cat

Yeah...that title didn't make any sense to me either, really. After a day of puke, not much makes sense. I wasn't the one puking, however. It was the 1 year old. (Who ironically isn't pictured in this senseless blog post.)

She's such a good puker...which probably makes even less sense. She just pukes and goes about her business. I guess she's gotten the hang of it. She's been doing it since she was born. (he had reflux as a baby) She seems to get kind of carsick...because it happens a lot in the car. Which is a whole extra round of puke-smelling fun to clean. (Have you ever cleaned puke out of a carseat? Ohmuhgosh.)

I say all of that to explain to you why the title of my blog made me laugh till I cried. I know, you're thinking, it's not that funny. After several pukes, and temper tantrums from the 3 year old, we finally were able to settle down for the evening and just hang out at home. (No more puking) Merrick is starting to play imaginary games, but isn't to the stage yet where he's embarrassed when you catch him. Which added together is pretty much hysteria.

After he had a very long and serious chat with Buzz Lightyear about how he needed Jesus in his life and told Buzz his attitude was "not neccesawy" (and no, I'm not making that up) he proceeded to pretend he was one of my mother's cats. He curled up in this bucket, and meowed and pretended to snore for a good 10 minutes. He said his name was "Frankie". My mom's particularly fat cat. I assumed it was safe to call the being in the bucket Frankie, but I was wrong.

I asked "Frankie" was he ready for bed and he snapped, "I'm not Frankie. I'm (wait for it...) THE BUCKET CAT! Why aren't you laughing? I guess it's just exhaustion on this end...but I laughed till I snorted. Which, admittedly doesn't take much. The older I get the more I snort when I laugh. Cute, huh? Anyway...that's all I got. Hope none of you has to clean up any puke today.

Tangible

So much of our lives around here is documented. Funny thing, I'm a fairly private person, in person. But have no qualms with tweeting information that makes my mom cringe. (I can't count the times she's told me "don't tweet that!) When it comes to "documenting"...I'm not a scrapbooker, or a journal-er, or a baby-booker. I'm a photographer. I'm so visual with our memories. Apparently too much so for my mom's tastes. ;)


As much as I love how easy it is to tweet, blog, snap, flickr, etc...it's still sweet to hold those freshly printed shots in your hand. To see how your hard work looks outside of a computer screen. To look at those memories in 3D.

I'm glad for all the digital memories I have from our life...but it's nice to have something tangible, too. Every once in a while I actually print out something I've shot. And I still act like a kid who just developed a roll of film from summer camp. I love showing off my kiddos on the walls of our home, instead of just on my facebook wall.

I hope to keep up the habit of printing off pictures. I'm awful about photo albums, picture frames, etc. (Ironic in a family where my camera is our third child, huh?) I want to be able to give more than just a pile of DVD's to my kids (or who knows what else we'll be using to save stuff) one day.

I love the memories that we are making together everyday, and there's something special about holding those memories in your hand, passing them on your way down the hall, or carrying them around in your wallet.

Wild Memories

Not sure what it is about the holidays, but they always have you reflecting, remembering, looking back at years gone by. I don't think that's a bad thing...as long as you aren't living in the past and are enjoying the here.

This year is no different. I'm remembering this time last year, and thinking about how fast my little ones have grown and changed. Last year we were just coming out of that newborn stage, barely through that sleep-deprived stupor that characterizes new parents. Add the pertussis scare to that and all we wanted for Christmas was a good night's sleep.

This year...Tirzah isn't a newborn anymore, and Merrick is even wilder than last year. (I now realize Dennis the Menace isn't fictional, and he lives in my house.) We're getting more sleep this year, when the kids are that crazy all day they have to sleep good. Well they dont have to, but don't tell them that.

Even though everything's changed...there is one thing that hasn't. They still scream and run and resort to unimaginable tactics when I try to get pictures of them. Well, two things haven't changed...Tirzah still doesn't have any hair for me to play with. Maybe by the time she is going to senior prom?

I kid about my wild kiddos all the time (but I'm really not kidding about the wild part...), but honestly I'm glad they haven't changed in that respect. They are so full of life and laughter, and remind me to be the same way. If nothing else at least they keep me in good shape running after them.

Check out more shots at Perceptive Perspectives and Sweet Shot Tuesday

(The first shot is my pick for this week)