More Of The Same

No huge adventures, mishaps, or craziness going on over here today, just hanging in there.

Miss Lily and I are starting to focus more on preschool stuff like flashcards and worksheets and the like. It makes me feel good since we can't afford preschool next fall to at least give her stuff to do while she's at home. She's eager to learn, so I'd like to take advantage of it while we can. She still keeps me on my toes and manages to test me a lot, but god, she is so fun right now. Today, she told me that if she ate too many tomatoes, she would get a stomach egg. Poor little tummy! We went to Concord Mills with friends today and Lily acted like a complete nut. I do not want to be the Mom who yells all the time, but since she spends most of the time shreiking and running as soon as she sees a friend, its hard for her to hear me unless I hollar. I'm hoping this phase passes soon :)

The boy-child is still doing well, growing like a crazy man. Most of the time, he is wearing 6-9 months clothes already. I can't believe what a hoss he is! He's super sweet and there's no greater sound than his laughter when I blow kisses on his belly. As long as he's well-rested, he's an angel. My friend Beth has really helped me understand how important it is to respect his nap schedule. If the boy gets tired, I pay the tab because then he whines and is irritable. If he gets overtired, then the next batch of sleep he gets is easily interrupted and he'll wake often to fuss. Its a subtle dance, but we are progressing. At least for today.

You will have to excuse the grainy quality of both of the pictures of my little ones. My new goal for photography is to shoot on manual, which means I put my camera on the wrong settings -- a lot. The good news is, I feel like I learn something new every day. I'm really amping up my practice (I have 2 casual maternity shoots scheduled for this week) and am hoping to get better soon. I have surprised myself with how much I enjoy tinkering with pictures in photo*shop. Its so much fun!

Here is my favorite example yet -- this is my friends little girl, Leah*Catherine (is she a beauty of what?!). I love taking pictures of this child because she has amazing eyes! I will tell you, this one took a lot of work, but I love the way it came out!

Before:

After:

I've decided my new ultimate goal in life (heavy, right?) is to be a Birth Photographer. I'm hoping to practice on my best friend soon (assuming all goes well in the childcare department). I don't know how great I'll be, but hope to do it as a career someday. I have such a respect for childbirth and would love to be a part of it and help capture it for others. I'm a long way off yet, but its nice to actually have a goal. I haven't had one of those in a while :)