Documenting

Professional family photos were not something I gave a lot of thought to when Steve and I started a family. My parents had never had them done when I was growing up, so it wasn't really on my radar. But then...

A woman, my age, just down the road, who I was starting to get to know a little and had kids about the same age as mine, asked if she could take some photos of our family because she was thinking about starting a small photography business, and wanted some practice. Of course, I said "Yes!".

In that very first photo session, she caught moments that otherwise wouldn't have gotten documented, especially as they were some of the first pictures of the four of us as a family (Buddy had not even turned 1 yet). I knew then that a family photo shoot was something we needed to make happen every year.

Fast forward to now, two years later. We just had our third photo shoot with Jess, and yet again, she amazed us with her abilities. It was a very, very cold morning but she made it fun, and you wouldn't even know from the pictures that the kids were complaining most of the time. I gaze in wonder at these photos, knowing that we will treasure them for years and years to come.

Can we take decent photos with our phones? Yes. But it'll never quite capture what a professional photographer can do with the right lighting, the right props and the right attitude.

This photographer, by the way? She and I are really good friends now, and she's the one I wrote about a few weeks ago who takes me as I am, even when I'm grumpy. She is the owner of her very own successful photography business, Pumpkin Head Photography. 

A lot can happen in two years! Dreams can become realities, and neighbors can become people you can't imagine your life without. To top it off, we have beautiful family photos that will be enjoyed for years to come. You can't put a price tag on any of those things.

Target Did It Again

It just got a little harder to get out of bed in the morning.

The reason? Last month I bought new flannel sheets from Target. They are the warmest, softest, most comfortable flannel sheets I have ever owned!

It's not that I'm trying to make it hard for you to get out of bed, too, but I was looking through the Target flier in this past weekend's newspaper, and saw that these wonderful sheets are on sale, yet again, for a mere $19.99. Any size.

And I thought, that maybe, if you're as interested in being warm and cozy as I am for a good price, you would like to know about it.

Sweet dreams!

Break-Your-Heart Conversations

We are t minus 10 months until Rosie starts Kindergarten, and our conversations often revolve around the fact that she misses her friends who are already in school, and how she can't wait to go, too, so she can see them more often.

Yesterday I brought up the fact that by the time Buddy turns 5 and is ready for Kindergarten, Rosie will know everything there is to know about school and will be able to help him.

"You'll get on the bus with him, and he won't be scared! You'll go to school with him and be able to show him where everything is!" I enthused.

"Yes! And, momma? When we get on the bus, we'll wave bye to you, and you'll wave back, so you won't be sad!" Rosie says.

Insert big lump in throat here.

"Ok, momma?" Rosie asks from the back seat.

I nod from the front seat, thankful she can't see the tears building up in my eyes.

"Momma, ok? Is that a good idea, so you won't be sad?"

Finally I choke out a "Yes" and I can't tell if she notices how strained it is.

"Then, we will go to school on the bus, and you can go back in the house. You can play by yourself, and eat by yourself," she says.

At this point, I am able to let out a small giggle. I love how kids' minds work.

Still, it is with a heavier heart that I unbuckle both of their car seats and we head into preschool. The clock is ticking whether I like it or not.