Miss me?

How do you let an entire month pass you by without blogging? Or really even notice that an entire month has, in fact, passed you by? I thought that all of my loyal (or maybe not so loyal anymore) readers deserved an update.

It seems like Hollie has transformed over night. She does something new every day, from howling like Snoopy (which is hil-ar-ious!) to bringing me a da-ba-ba (bottle) when she's hungry. I mentioned a diaper earlier tonight, & she went & found me one. I sometimes forget that she understands everything we say. It seems like yesterday she was my baby. Today she is this crazy toddler that knows exactly what she wants & when she wants it. I see so much of myself in her already. Although, apparently her obsession with unloading every cupboard in the house came from her Daddy. Thanks for that, Sweets. As much as it makes me sad to see her grow up & away, I absolutely love watching the process.


Boy Sam is still as patient, happy & loving as ever. He just received a yearly award for Employee Engagement at work. He'd never toot his own horn, so I'll toot it for him. Way to go, babe! I just adore him. I couldn't ask for anyone better.


And me? I'm just caught up in living. Trying to savor the good moments & learn from the bad. They're mostly good, though. I needed a change, so I chopped my hair. It feels so good. We'll see if I regress back to the flip. It's an addiction I can't seem to break. ;o) But for now, I'm loving the change.


Tonight I pulled out my camera & just played. I had 2 sessions today, but I guess I didn't get enough time behind my lens. It's been such a long time since I've just played with my camera. Just for fun. Just because. I loved every minute. I've never really captured "me". So, these "selfers" are my attempt.

Happy birthday to me...

See what I got...

Only mine's white & a 2007. And yes, it really does have a beverage cooler in the glove box. How cool is that?! At 25, after many, many years of waiting, I finally have a new car.

Baby Will

Our new nephew, sweet baby Will was born on Feb. 6th, almost a month early. He's so tiny, but healthy & strong. What an amazing experience it was to witness his birth. The spirit is so strong as they leave the loving arms of their Heavenly Father and begin their journey on this earth. I'm so grateful to have been a part of this beginning for him.

Oreo

It's been a while, so I thought I'd give you an update. I'm doing much better this week. I have to say thank you to all of my amazing friends & family, though. Your words buoyed me up & gave me strength. I am so grateful for each of you. So, thank you!

Nothing new to report, other than Daddy introduced Hollie to Mr. Oreo this week. As you can see, the Oreo isn't just milk's favorite cookie. It's Hollie's, too.

You are the music in me...

Is "1" too young to be a High School Musical fan? Apparently not because Hollie LOVES it! It's the only movie she will watch for more than half a second. Whenever the songs come on, she drops everything she's doing to shake her groove thing. It's hilarious! Anyway, she was being really ornery today, so I put HSM2 on for her. She watched for a few minutes then curled up right by the tv & fell asleep. Oh, I just love her! Everything about her!

Finding joy

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, “Inadequate” is defined as “Not adequate to fulfill a need or meet a requirement; insufficient.” Am I the only one who feels this way? – who feels “insufficient” at times?

As of late, I have been frequently letting myself get sucked into a giant inadequacy spiral. I compare myself to every other photographer on the web, and in the end I never want to pick up my camera again. I don’t even know what I expect of myself, all I know is that I’m not measuring up. I have several newborn sessions coming up (which are not easy to practice for with a one year old, by the way :o) and I feel so insufficient. People have often told me that they admire my confidence, and I always wonder what they mean. I know who I am and I have the drive to pursue my dreams, but more days that I care to admit, I just feel guilty & frustrated. The guilt because I feel like I should be better, and the frustration because I’m honestly trying. This used to bring me so much joy, but I just can’t seem to find it anymore. So, this was my attempt to find joy; to take pictures simply because I love it. Not comparing myself to anyone else. Just being me, taking pictures of the light of my life. This is how I see her through my lens. No flower, no outfit. Just her. And me. This is us. For more of her, go here.

Santa

Ok, ok, Cassie. As she so kindly pointed out, it has been a while since I have posted (love you, Cass!). ;o) I have other stuff, but it's a little personal & I'm not quite ready to post it yet. So, you get more Christmas stuff that I didn't get a chance to put up before.

Santa pictures at the mall is a total tradition in my family. Until my siblings & I had children, we (the adults) would have to be in the pictures. It's very nice to pass the torch on to the wee little ones. Love the randomness in the group shot. Every kid is looking at something different. Love it!