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Friday, August 28, 2009

Of course this would happen

Of all the nights for there to be an irrational emotional outburst, this would be the night.
It's after 9pm- Sydaleigh is in her bed SCREAMING CRYING because she had no nap, we stayed up too late at a friends, she didn't get her way...which inevitably led to this.....meltdown galore.
She can't go to sleep because she is so worked up,
Marvelly can't go to sleep because, well, who could sleep through this screaching racket.
You know, I had things to do tonight.
Isaak is gone.
Of course. Of course. Of course.
So much for my night.

Lots going on

This weekend we are jam packed with things going on. It's been very exciting preparing for it, and now I just pray that things run smoothly...
I have last minute errands to run this morning
Doctor's appointment for Marvelly this afternoon
Isaak leaves for our churches Men's Advance this evening
completing finishing touches on my display for fundraiser on Saturday (tonight)
Taking girls to Disney's The Christmas Carol exhibit Saturday morning
one last errand
photographing CASA charity fundraiser
church on Sunday, meeting, and air show.
(how did all of this fall on the same weekend?)

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Dancing Queen

Wonder where she gets it from?

Toddler amoung us

This is no longer the face of a baby. Gosh, for some reason she looked so big to me today.
I think it's the pig tails, they make her look older. Or maybe she looks like this all the time and I'm just in denial. Maybe if she had more teeth I wouldn't look at her as such a baby all the time, poor kid only has 7, and she's 18mos! She's definitely my growin' girl, that's for sure, whether I choose to look at her that way or not. :)


Friday, August 21, 2009

The first steps taken in a long line of steps

On Wednesday I met up with a woman from our church for a playdate. Both our kids are close in age, so close that Marvelly and her youngest son are only one day apart. While the kids played and enjoyed each other's company we had a very nice talk about her adoption experience. On the way over to her house that morning I just prayed that the Lord would use this opportunity to continue to either confirm or deny the potential of adopting. Well, it was very clear to me after we met and she shared her story that this was the direction the Lord is leading our family. Her story wasn't perfect or easy, but rather a faith building, God-relying journey that brought them a beautiful little baby girl. So now, after more talk, me and Isaak are going to take those same steps in a long journey.
We have decided to use the NE Children's Home. This is not only the only agency is Nebraska that provides free open adoption services, but also the only agency in the nation. Through private donors they are able to provide the adoption experience free of charge to both the adoptive parents and the birth mothers. Your only expense is the lawyer fees at the official time of signing.
We contacted the agency last night to get things rolling and begin a process that may last us a very long time. We will be trusting and relying on the Lord that this is all in His hands...the approval of our family by the agency, the selection of our family by a mother, the time line in which this all will take. I'm not expecting an easy ride. I'm not expecting it to happen over night. I'm not expecting much, because I don't know much at this point. However, I am expecting and believing in God's provision. I am expecting Him to lead us through-with a child waiting for us at the end.
May the journey begin.....

Monday, August 17, 2009

Girl's night "in"

We had a super fun Twilight watchin', chinese food eatin', birthday singin', going awayin', cheesy gossip readin', pajama wearin' Girl's Night "In"!


In honor of Liz and Amy's birthdays and Becky's moving away.
(as if we ever need a reason to get together)

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Worst kids movie ever

I thought it would be a good idea to take the girls to the movies today. Our theater does a special kids movie every week at 10am running through summer, and today was the last day.

For our screening pleasure was the very kid friendly 'G' rated The Tale of Desperaux. It's about a cute little mouse with big ears who has a bravery complex and likes to be a hero. Sounds great. We're so there.

Well, it didn't exactly live up to those standards. It turned out to be the most barbaric, dark, ridiculous 'G' rated movie I'm ever seen. (and I've seen a lot)
In the first five minutes the Queen freaks out over a rat in her soup, has a heart attack, dies, and plants it face first into her soup. Follow that up by a freaky naurotic servant girl who has it in for the princess, ties her up while under the influence of a vengenful rat and ends up tossing her to all the other underground scarier rats who try to have a feeding frenzy on her. Compound that with a weird magical talking vegetable man, attempted gladiator style mouse/rat executions at the hand of a chained cat, banished for being different......
...that was the most unfriendly kid movie if you ask me.
But Sydaleigh actually liked it, so go figure.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Surge of courage and independence

I have those moments.
Ya know, the ones where you look at your kids and it's as if all of a sudden they grew up over night. You look at them and wonder where your baby went. You suddenly see them differently. You become unwantingly aware of the fact that they are older and there is nothing you can do to stop it. I had one of those moments today. Today I had reality slap me across the face, bring me out of "la-la denial mommy land"and back to reality....the reality that Sydaleigh is growing up...

This evening I was outside with the girls watering the flowers when Sydaleigh says to me....
"Mommy, I want to say "hi" to the neighbors".
Our neighbors across the street were outside hanging out in their front yard so I tell her we'll stop and say hello when we go for a walk.
She mentions is a few more times while I finish watering the plants and is very eager to start walking so we can say hello.
As she gets on her bike it was then that I notice she was not referring to the adult neighbors but the little group of girls sitting on the sidewalk playing with dolls.
That made much more sense.
Of course I tell her we can stop and say hello so we cross the street and make our way over to the little cluster of girls.
One girl is roughly Sydaleigh's age but the four others are a few years older. You'd think that would intimidate her; make her more hesitant to approach...or so I thought...
As we approach the group Sydaleigh turns to me and asks if she can play dolls with them...
...then she asks the group of girls if she can play with them.
They all said yes and welcomed her into their doll party.
So, I let Sydaleigh sit on the sidewalk and play dolls across the street from our house while I looked on from our yard on the other side.
I was straight up blown away.
Sydaleigh, at three (almost four) years old was confident enough to approach a group of girls she didn't know and ask if she could play with them.
You know how scary that can be!
I was so proud of her because that's not easy. It's one thing to talk to one kid or two at a time, but this was five. Five girls.
I sat in our yard and watched her play for about 15 minutes, listening to her laugh and talk with the other girls. She looked over and waved and yelled hi to me all of once which no doubt made me feel good. She wasn't so immersed that she totally forgot me.
And when I went back and got her so we could finish our walk she expressed her disapproval in having to leave, but didn't throw a fit, she kept her cool, which I was also very impressed with.
Ya know, I want my girls to be outgoing.
I don't want them to be fearful of approaching a group to be included.
And I was dumbfounded with her forwardness this evening.
Sydaleigh is not usually so forward with kids she doesn't know so this was cool to see.
I was proud of her.
I was proud of her courage.
But, as proud as I was, I could only entertain this for 15 minutes before I had to reel her back in...I mean I can only handle short burst of independence from my three year old before I want to pick her up, cradle her and call her baby again.

and that's where reality steps in....she's not a baby anymore, and this newfound independence is gonna happen more and more...

Monday, August 10, 2009

too tired to think of a title

I'm sitting here for the millionth night, at my computer, working. Right at this moment I'm not working seen as how I'm typing a post, but that's only because I'm waiting for some pictures to finish scanning, and my estimated remaining time is 7 minutes and counting.
I have to admit that I am tired.
My butt has lost all feeling from sitting on this hard wooden padless chair.
My wrists are tingly from resting on the edge of the desk.
The bags under my eyes are hopeless.
I have yet to find a balance and a system to my current new work load, but that will come.
And as tired as I am....and I am tired....I really love doing this.
Just as much as I love taking pictures, I love proofing, and editing, and scanning, and all the other little things that go into photography.
It suits me.
It excites me.
It frustrates me.
And it challenges me.
Perfect combination.
Right now, this very minute, or rather in a couple of minutes, I am working on piecing together a portfolio.
I need it to be completed by the end of August for my next project and while that is nearly three weeks away, I feel like that is not nearly enough time.
7+ years of pictures to sort through, decide which to include, which not, how to arrange it, what to say, what kind of background, edging, font, layouts to use.
Ugh, too much.

I'd write some more but I'm starting to nod off and my scan is finally complete....
I don't even know why I bothered to write anything, you can hardly consider this a post.....but this is my life right now...it comes in bursts...I just had a little burst and now I'm going back under....
back to my pictures I go.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Need to turn this day around and it's only 8am

Two thoughts came to me at 5:45 this morning as my alarm went off...
first-I stayed up way too late working
second-it's raining really hard outside
decision-I am not going to the gym this morning.
Ugghhhhh-this is how I feel now as a result of the above.
...not off to the best start this morning.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Fun in the 'river'

We came in the front yard this morning to see that the city was testing the fire hydrants.
It was warm outside.
The girls weren't wet but I figured they needed to be...
so we played in the make-shift river it created on the side of the street!
The force of the flowing water was pretty strong and I didn't think
Marvelly would be able to hold her own...but she held her own.
Sydaleigh kept throwing her doll in the water and watching the
current carry it down the street.
Nothing huge...just a fun summer morning outside.






Wednesday, August 5, 2009

God is better than good.

I was forced into purchasing a new computer a couple weeks ago when my old MAC laptop spontaneously crashed and burned on me. Not only did I lose my computer, I lost every ounce of information it held...pictures, documents, programs, you name it, gone.
So, not only did I have to buy a new computer I was now looking at having to buy Photoshop again.
Computers are pricey. Photoshop is pricey.
The cost wasn't looking good
But this was a must buy. I had senior pictures coming up and I needed to be up and running.
So I bit the bullet, took the plunge, and bought a new computer and new software.
Fortunately, Isaak is a student, so we got Photoshop for 75% off, plus an additional cost off the price of the computer. And, I got a free new IPOD touch to sweeten the deal.
Not too shabby.
However; I just got done reading The Treasure Principal when all this happened and my heart was heavy at the idea of spending so much money on a computer when I could be putting it towards a mission, feeding the hungry, anything, just something to make a Kingdom difference.
Granted, this computer and software will be used to further the efforts of my Portrait Project, as without it I would not be able to work....but lets face it...we're going to get a lot of personal use out of it as well.
So, it was then that I decided I could do better.
I wanted to do more.
I decided that I wanted to give away as much money in the Portrait Project during the course of this next year as I spent on my computer.
So, I took this desire to God.
I poured out my heart and my desire to have the Portrait Project reach more lives.
I wasn't going to meet my goal by simply doing a session every couple of months. I would need to be doing free sessions at least twice a month.
So, I prayed for two things.
First, that God would open up more doors for the Portrait Project to reach more lives.
And second, that he would give us the ability to meet the needs of this Project financially.

A couple days went by and then one afternoon I sat down on the couch to catch up on my emails and I had a new message from the director of CASA. She said they are the beneficiaries this year of a charity fundraiser and wanted to know if I would be the photographer for the event.
Just like that. God flung open a door.
So at the end of August I will be photographing a really nice charity fundraiser at the Embassy Suites.
But God didn't stop there.
A week and a half ago I had just gotten back from doing senior portraits for a very deserving young girl, when another opportunity rolled in.
Jake started telling me about a woman who hosts a fundraiser for Jude's Children's Hospital every year in September to raise money for cancer patients. Jake asked if she was in need of a photographer for the event, and sure enough, she was! So, in September I will be photographing kid cancer patients and their families.
Another door, flung open.
You know, six months ago I probably would have been scared to take this project in a larger capacity. But I'm not scared now. I'm ready. I'm ready and I'm excited.
And I didn't even have to do anything.
Nothing.
That's what gets me.
I gave God my heart. He knew I was sincere. I told Him that this ability and passion was for His glory, and He did the rest.
To say that God is good just doesn't cut it for me anymore.
God's not just good.
Calling God good isn't good enough.
He's more than good.
He's exceptional, spectacular, all mighty, all providing, extravagant, stupendous, breathtaking, astounding....these words are worthy of our Lord.
I can't wait to see what other doors God busts open for the Portrait Project to benefit lives.
But God knows, and God sees, and I know that if I'm faithful to give, He'll be faithful to provide.
Because our God is better than good.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Back seat driver

Recently I have been hearing a lot of this coming out of the back seat....
"Mommy, be careful for that truck"
"Mommy, don't hit that car, that will be ouchie"
"Mommy, we need to be very careful not to hit any cars"
"Mommy, are you safe?"
"Mommy, watch out for that truck coming, I don't want you to die"

This is what happens when your three year old witnesses a crash take place directly in front of you.
Sydaleigh now enters a high alert mode when in the car now.
She has turned into a back seat driver.
At three years old.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Saturday Night Fever!



"Shake your groove thang, shake your groove thang, yeah yeah!
Show em how we do it now! Show em how we do it now!
Lets show the world we can dance!.....
"

Saturday was a night to go down in the history books.
Me, Liz, Holly, and Becky got dressed up in the best 70's clothes this side of disco and headed out to see Bjorn Again, an awesome Abba tribute band. We had so much fun it's hard to even say how much. The word amazing comes to mind....but it was more like the most absolutelyfreakin'fantasticallyamazing night EVER!! EVERRRRR!!!!!

We were the ONLY four people, out of hundreds and hundreds and hundreds, who dressed up. Which we were actually totally cool with...because we worked it...oh yeah...we wore our outfits like they were coming back in style (and they are!) BOO-YAH!

(look how cute! We covered every genre of the 70's )

pssh, Charlie's Angle's got nothing on us!


But we couldn't let our outfits do all the talking...so when that first song came on.....Waterloo, a dancing must, we stood up in our second row seats and started breakin' it down.....oh yeah, breakin' it down....only to be asked to move to the back because we were blocking the good time the people behind us were having sitting down. No worries, and no back for us....that just gave us an excuse to jump down and dance in front of the stage! WOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Us four plus two other women, out of hundreds and hundreds of people, were the only souls dancing. Think we cared? NOPE! Seriously, it's an Abba tribute band playing all of Abba's bests, how do you just sit there!! But, our energy gradually started wearing off on the crowd...because by the end of the night we had that front area packed...kids, teens, dudes, you name it, it was a party!!! A dancing party!! A dancing party to ABBA!!! (is there anything better?!)
I mean we danced and danced and danced and danced, for two hours straight. We shaked it, grooved it, broke it down in ever fashion possible, did every dance possible- I looked over and at one point Becky was doing some kind of crazy kicking dance...so I'm thinkin' we invented some along the way.



The band almost got away without singing Dancing Queen but our group at the front held strong, begged mercilessly for more, me and Becky were banging on the stage at one point, our now not so little front and center group was chanting for more and before we knew it.....the whole crowd erupted into "Dancing Queen! Dancing Queen!", oh no, we were not leaving without our song!...and sure enough they came back out and did an encore of Take a Chance on Me and Dancing Queen. Perfect songs to end the night. Our favs.



(Oh, and I only had one minor wardrobe malfunction when I looked down and noticed my strapless bra shimmied it's way down and was no longer where it should be. Oops! (quick run to the porto potties and we were back in business!)

What a night. It felt so good to be totally uninhibited, and just let loose and have fun, and not care what the hundreds of people behind us were saying and thinking. We came to have a good time, to dance and to sing. And....we totally rocked it!



(totally pooped by the end of the night. All the hours of prep on hair and makeup meant nothing when all was said and done-all our hair went flat, was sweat stuck to our face, Holly and Liz's polyester was kicking in, my lined skirt was kicking in, Becky's boots were kicking in, we were on the verge of collapsing, but it was absolutelyfreakin'fantasticallyamazing!!)