Day 329 - Happy Thanksgiving

We returned home from the farm in Wartburg, TN last night after a great Thanksgiving visit with the family. It was jam packed with activities, but it was a blast and is always so great to see and spend time with that side of the family. We don't get to see them nearly enough. We drove over Thursday morning and went to Chris' aunts house where we had a wonderfully yummy Thanksgiving feast. After eating we moved on to opening Christmas presents. After presents we went up to his grandmother and grandfather's house where we opened more presents then loaded up on a tractor trailor and went for a hayride to celebrate Owens birthday with his cousins and the family. At this point it was getting late and everyone was getting exhausted so we packed up and headed to our hotel. At 5:30am (which is really like 4:30 am my time) my alarm went off and it was time. BLACK FRIDAY! The ONE day out of the year where I will gladly get up at 4:30 am without any complaining, haha! I went shopping with my sister-in-law and scored a lot of great deals. Mrs. Claus is done! After shopping for a few hours we got cleaned up, checked out and headed back to the farm for a birthday lunch and more presents for O. It has been like the never ending birthday for the little guy and we are certainly on gift overload here. After lunch and another visit we headed home, arriving a little after 5pm. It was a whirlwind trip but so much fun. I'm super bummed out because my camera battery charger has apparently bit the dust. I missed a lot of great photos, boo! Luckily everyone else had cameras and will send me their pics. With that said, I'll be out of photo taking commission for a few days. I ordered a new one this afternoon and am hoping it gets here pronto. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Up next...CHRISTMAS! yahoo!

Day 326 - Happy 3rd Birthday!

Monday was officially Owens birthday. We went to chic-fil-a with his best "brother" Drewbie and his family. The boys had a great time playing in the play area. We then let O open his presents from mommy and daddy. I picked him up some wooden trucks at Christmas Village a few weeks ago. A tow truck and a dump truck, to be exact. They are a hit. I still can't believe he's 3. Happy 3rd Birthday to my sweet boy! I love you more than you will ever know. :)

Day 325 - Waiting...

I had to run to Kroger tonight to get a few things. In particular my coffee creamer for the morning! It is essential. When I got back O was curious about what was in my bags and found the cookies that I was planning to make tomorrow. After begging for me to make him "just one" I caved and we baked some cookies. You only turn 3 once, right? Here he is checking on them as he was not-so-patiently waiting. It dawned on me while ago as the boys were going to bed - three years ago at this exact moment I was laying in the hospital in labor! I simply CANNOT believe it has been 3 years already. Time sure flies. Tomorrow at 10:30am, my sweet boy will officially be 3.

Day 324 - Just Me

We had our friends over last night to get photos for their and our Christmas cards in the studio. Before they got here I was setting up and had my hubby take some pics of me for a change. I really wanted a new one to use as a profile pic, avatar, etc. I told him, "Just make sure the red focus dot is between my eyes!" By golly I'm in focus!
Here I am. Just me. Wife to Chris. Mom to Owen.

Day 323 - The Happy Birthday Boy!

Tonight we had a joint birthday party for Owen and one of his buddies, Isaac, who turned 3 yesterday. Owen's 3rd Birthday is on Monday and I can not believe how quickly these past 3 years have passed. We met a few friends and family members tonight at Chuck E Cheese Pizza in Murfreesboro. This was O's first trip there and he had a blast! The lighting can't possibly get any worse inside there, but I was still able to capture some great shots of our little guy in all his excitement.



After we left CEC we walked down to Shoe Carnival to get him some new shoes. He is wearing a size 9.5 now! Wow, and here I was cramming his foot into a little 8 or 8.5. Woops! Its truly amazing how fast they grow. We got him a few pairs of shoes then headed on home where he opened up a few of his gifts (took them out of the boxes). One of his friends got him a zhu zhu pet and he loves it! He was CRACKING UP at the little hampster scooting all over the floor and we were cracking up at him. So so cute. He had a great night. Happy Early 3rd Birthday to my sweet little man, Owen.

Day 322 - Lil Sweety

I had an impromptu little babysitting session yesterday with my niece. I told O he had to be a big helper and help momma watch Ms. A. She was so adorable and sweet. When O wasn't scaring the crap out of her with his loud and rowdy self, he actually got a little jealous of her I think. ;)I snapped a few shots of her enjoying some cheerios.

Day 321 - I am that crazy lady on the block

Who has her Christmas decor up before Thanksgiving! Oh well, I love it so I'm going to enjoy it! Poor Thanksgiving. I totally think it should be in March or something. ;)

Last night we drug out the big tree! Owen is so stinking cute, I love it! These pics are not great technically, but I love them. Capturing our moments. That's what its about.

Day 320 - Bokeh

Pretty Christmas light bokeh from a wreath. I love this time of year!

Day 319 - Here Comes Santa Claus

Owen and I played around in the studio this am with my new prop. He is going to be soooo much fun this year at Christmas. I can't wait. Seeing the joy and curiosity on his sweet little face as I slowly drag things out of the attic and start setting them up is just so sweet. He helped me (well stood at the bottom of the ladder) get some stuff out of the attic today and we made a little set in the studio. Little by little Christmas decor is making its way around the house. Its early for me, but I can't wait to put our tree up. I just love this time of year. Now if I could just decide where to put the tree this year!

Here are a few of my favorites from this morning.


And a few out-takes. He's such a boy. :)

Day 317 - A New Prop

I am so excited about my new find at Christmas Village today. Can you believe this sleigh was only $59?!? I can't wait to take some pics with it. :)

My sister met me at Christmas Village this afternoon. Its kind of becoming a tradition for us. Today was a day moms with little boys dream of for me...the boys went to a football game and I went shopping! ;) A quick story from our trip. We were browsing around looking at all the booths when I looked down at my nephew in his stroller to find him chewing on an ornament! As it turns out, he had innocently snagged an ornament from his stroller a few booths back. What is the best part is that it was a letter S. My sister's name is Sarah. I guess he was shopping for his momma a gift. LOL!

Day 316 - All by himself

We've been having a problem with Owen not wanting to feed himself. So much so, that his school has asked me to stop bringing his favorite mac-n-cheese for lunch because he won't feed himself. Its so weird. He knows how, he just doesn't want to make a mess. Bless him for that....Lord knows thats the ONLY time he is concerned with making a mess. So we've been working on it and today he ate his mac-n-cheese all by himself. No help from momma, except for scraping it into a pile in the bowl when it got all spread out. Its the little things that make you so excited when you become a momma. :)

Day 315 - Just another reason

I love my iPhone. The amazon kindle ap. It makes my phone into a kindle reader. Right now I'm reading Portia de Rossi's new book, Unbearable Lightness. I really like it.

Day 314 - Momma, don't come in here

Yep. I got my first, "momma don't come in here" yesterday. That's never a good sign. He had sweet intentions, but jeesh this kid is a walking mess. He got out a cookie sheet from under the stove. Pulled the stool over to the stove. Poured my diet pepsi in the cookie sheet and proudly proclaimed he was "making me something!"
How can you not somewhat laugh at this. Yep. That's diet pepsi fizzing away in the cookie sheet. He is something else.

Day 310 - A day of beauties

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to photograph one of my great friends' little girls. She has a new baby, 4 weeks old, and a 3-year old daughter. I must say her and her husband make beautiful babies!
Here are a few from the shoot:


When I got back to my moms house I found my own beautiful baby had crashed after putting his Mamaw and Aunt through the ringer. I must say, my husband and I sure beautiful babies, too. hehe. ;)I'm loving on this backlight and flare.

Day 308 - The Surprise

My little brother lives in Texas, Falfurrias to be exact. Its a place about 60 miles from the Mexico border. He lives and works on a ranch there. Its hunting season now and he wasn't going to get to come home for a while so when he had a free weekend last weekend he decided to take a few days off and fly home to surprise mom. My dad was in on this. Poor mom...she's always so clueless. :)

My mom knew Owen and I were coming in for the weekend from Tennessee, but she didn't know how early we were going to be there. Or that we had a little surprise in tow for her. :) We showed up at my moms house around 12:30 last Thursday and went in. We figured she would be sitting on the couch watching her soap opera. hehe. But she wasn't! So here Matt and I stand in the kitchen whispering back and forth where the heck is she? Then we saw her, ironically enough, in my brothers old bedroom making the bed. In walks Matt and says to her, "You didn't have to make the bed for me!" She was in shock, and of course started crying, saying "What are you doing here?!?"

I love these images. They are out of focus, grainy, bad lighting, all things that could be technically wrong with a photo they've got it. BUT-I LOVE the emotion they capture. The photos pretty much tell the story. And that, my friends, is why I love my job.

Day 307 - Waiting for Uncle Matt

Its been a whirlwind of a week since last Wednesday. My little brother - I say little, but he's actually 22 - flew in from Texas last Wednesday night for a surprise visit for my mom. We went to the airport a little early that night and waited in the cell phone waiting lot and watched some planes land and take off. Here, we are waiting for him to come out of baggage claim. It was so fun, I haven't seen him since May! (Please forgive the not so great pictures, it was dark and they are noisy and I am waaaay behind so I'm in a hurry).


And here he comes...in his flip flops mind you!


I love this shot, I love the smile on Chris' face seeing his little brother-in-law for the first time in a while.

And O with his Uncle Matt


Keep reading on to Day 308 to see how the surprise went!

Day 306 - My Two Favorite

People. :)
I took this as O and Chris were laying in bed getting ready to go to sleep. When I walked in the room they were both laying the exact same way, it was so cute. O is in his "team umizoomi trance" here.