.

Important Lessons With Ava

Friday, March 26, 2010
So - the blogging habit is still in formation with me obviously because I completely missed "For the Love of Wednesdays" this week!!!! ah!  See?  So, since I will be gone for an entire week next week due to  Renew Mental Health Week - I mean, Spring Break - I am going to delight you with Ava's important lesson number one. 

Without further ado....."Exercise Tips With Ava"


First of all, make sure you are wearing almost especially nothing; you will be able to move much more freely.
Also, please, by all means, make sure your hair is as possibly wild as you can.



Warmup by executing the downward dog, head down on ground.  Meanwhile, please say "Puppy" as many times as possible: this is especially extremely important for vocal skills and so that passerbys know it is the downward DOG not the downward "Meow Meow".



Try with no hands - if you can..... It takes lots of super important practice so don't fret if you're not a pro like me at first.



Come down to sitting and force big piggy toes to kiss.  They may not want to at first but soon they will be best of friends the longer you smoosh them together.




Sometimes watching big piggy toes smooch is not all that exciting and your mind may tend to wander and you may tend to gaze off into the distance.  One word: FOCUS!  Or else....no cookie.



By the way - hair accessories are extremely and most importantly valuable for keeping hairs out of your face, especially if they are fashionable.



Because exercising can take so long sometimes and be a bit overrated, you might want to take a singing break and hum, whistle or shout out a few notes.  This is a very serious activity and should not be taken lighty.  Period.



And to end it all, smell your feet.  If they stink, you will have completed a most successful workout.  Now you may have that cookie....if your mommy says it's alright.

Yours Truly,
Ava

Baby Blue...

Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Seriously, if I continue newborn photography, I will eventually be wanting, no...craving...another baby!  Little J.C., who just turned 4 weeks old yesterday, was so deliciously sweet and soft and bright-eyed our whole shoot!  I love this sweet family and they are preparing to move to Italy for 4 years so I was honored when they asked me to do their baby photos as well as some extra family portraits.  Best wishes to them as they start their new life with their new little bundle of joy in a whole new country!!!











Mommy Has a New Hat

Saturday, March 20, 2010
Sooo.....I totally yoinked a hat from my own garage sale.  You see, my extended family and my husband's family all contributed to our "3-Family Yard Sale" this past weekend and I kind of went shopping.  Completely defeats the purpose of spring cleaning but oh well.  Ava liked my hat.  And I have the pictures to prove it...

















For the Love of...Wednesdays!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Wednesdays are pretty "whatever" days - for me anyway.  Nothing too too exciting ever happens on a Wednesday (except for today, being St. Patrick's day and all, I was surrounded by green things all day long - that was pretty nifty).  So I've decided every Wednesday to feature some photos of some things/persons in my life that have made me happy thus far.  I find small joys in so many little things, you'd be amazed.  So, in order to help myself get over the ho-hum routine of hump days, I present to you {and myself} - "For the Love of Wednesdays!" 





Welcome to the World Stella!

Monday, March 15, 2010
Yes, I named my camera Stella.  I'm a dork.  Stella means STAR and that's what my camera is to me right now.  My bright and shining star!

As you can guess - she came today.  Like a 5 year old I stood at the door when I saw the UPS man park in the street just exactly until he rapped on my door.  Hello Lover!  My camera had arrived.  My next life was beginning!

The kit I had gotten was like Christmas Day - full of wondrous goodies!  This is me in my sheer excitement!


And here are some photos taken with my new baby.  They aren't exactly perfect, my arms are still shaky from holding such a enormously heavy piece of heaven.  But I'll get used to it....

Here's a shot with my macro/telephoto lens.  Notice the breathtaking bokeh....


Here's one with the beloved 50mm f/1.8 lens - I got extremely excited about a piece of cardboard....


My sister came over to listen to me blab on and on and on and on and on.  She filled out job applications at the same time ~ what a multitasker!



Here's Ethan - being a somewhat skeptical test subject.  He was wondering who my old camera was going to go to now that mommy had a new toy!



I stopped taking photos long enough to make dinner for my neglected, starving family...And then I took a picture of it!



Anyway - I'm done boring you for now.  Maybe you understand my excitement today, maybe you don't but know this: if you asked me for an icecream cone right now, I'd buy you the whole entire icecream truck, maddening music and all!


Make My Day

Thursday, March 11, 2010
I've been relatively slow in the photo taking arena as of late.  Still waiting for my "baby" to arrive - my Canon 50D that my husband surprised me with last week!  It shipped out last night so - maybe by monday...(fingers crossed!)  In the meantime, I've been busy preparing for my son's 6th (oh my golly goodness - 6 years old?!?! where have I been?!?!) birthday party this weekend and flattering my drabby wardrobe with some spring/summer essentials.  Two things in particular I felt compelled enough to photograph...

My new Steve Madden oxfords.....adore


and, because I'm a major dork - matching mother/daughter swimsuits from the new Liberty for London line at Target. LOVE!



Hope you all are having blissful springtimes.  I am!

JUMP for joy for iheart faces!

Monday, March 8, 2010
I have sooooo many photos I could have added to this challenge - my family likes to jump extremely much (as Lola would have put it...).  And also extremely well.  However,  I chose a more recent photo - one you all might recognize.  Ethan and his fabulous superhero flying powers!



Check out more jumping photos @








My Interview With Superman

Thursday, March 4, 2010
This is my husband...




He's an inspiring drummer/bassist/singer...

[photo courtesy of Hannah Bryant Brown]


He's an amazing, compassionate, tender father...





And he's just a tad bit goofy sometimes...



And he's all mine.

He blows my mind. Seriously. Today he surprised/blessed my pants off with the $$ for my long awaited camera + some! I'm in awe and shock and every other word that radiates disbelief. I am also humbled. I am SO not worthy of all he does for me yet he continues to do it, all because of his deep love for me. For us.

He gave me my world-changer of a son, he's given me a beautiful daughter, and now this...!? Three words: heaven. on. earth.