the JULY CONTEST WINNER is LESLIE DECKER .............. congrats!!! please contact me to set up your session!!! thanks to everyone who voted!!! this was fun, and the entries were neck-to-neck for awhile!! all of the other entrants can save $25 off a session booked by the end of the week!!!
don't forget about the AUGUST CONTEST ... just email me anything that inspires you. this can be anything at all -- your kids, your work, a book, the way the light catches an apple ... again, get creative!!! please have pix to me by the end of august.
i've done LOTS of seniors this summer ... all girls (come on, guys!!!) i've really enjoyed shooting these ladies, they are gorgeous, intelligent, they all just seem like such great girls. i could post their entire session here, there are so many good ones. i will be posting my rep's sessions on my senior site, you can find them with the galleries starting later today. i have reps from Shelbyville, Rushville, and Greenfield Central.
if i don't have a rep from your school, and you're interested, please contact me! reps receive a boatload of free wallets to pass out and will be entered into a drawing to win an iPod Shuffle, iPod Classic, or iPhone!
i got out of the shower this morning and harper is using a baton as a crutch, and says "i boke my yeg at cvs mommy!" ... wow ... i nearly fell over, cracking up at my two-year-old's imagination. he even pointed at the stove, and said "yook ... dere cvs! yook at ma yeg mommy, ouch!"
i often have to remind myself that my son is only two. alot has gone on in his short, sweet life.
my day then goes on to having parent-teacher meetings with jae's new SCHOOL TEACHER ... tomorrow is the big day, and although i'm excited, i'm also incredibly, selfishly sad for me ... for us, for harp. jae and i have been hanging since she arrived here in march of 2003, we've been hanging alot. harp hasn't seen many days at all without is sister. but jaeda will tell you, the school day will go quick, just like this (then she snaps! her fingers ...)
does she REALLY have to go to school?! geez ... i was, and am, so excited that she got in the full-day class. however, it makes me sad that it's already time for the structure of school, making new friends, learning the ways of life. i hope she loves it, i know she will. she's changed dramatically in the past year-and-a-half, no longer the shy little girl clutching onto my leg. now she's incredibly outgoing, sure of herself ... she's ready.
i am witness to all of this growing going on around me, and the way the days fly by, well quite honestly -- it scares me a little. i need to slow down, but haven't figured out a way to just yet. i feel like SPRING just started, and we're heading into fall ... i take photos and ask the kids if they're ready for school and they eagerly shout "Yes! I'm B-O-R-E-D ... !!!" .... and i can't even remember or grasp what it was like to be bored in the days past ...
i told someone the other day that i've turned into my father these past several years. i can't sit still, my leg constantly taps. my mind can't rest, there are too many thoughts. i feel his presence often. it's strange, it's comforting.
in the past few years, i've allowed myself to really stop, watch, and acknowledge the things going on around me, and some things simply make me stop dead in my tracks and evaluate what's going on. i can't make sense of it most days. but i can see the joy on my daughter's face and the excitement when she learns how to hold her breath under the water, and i hear harper each and every time he jumps in (or steps in) saying "Canonball!" i see their excitement about eating a bowl of ice cream on the couch, i see them bonding as brother and sister. i'm witness to harper saying new words daily, and jaeda recalling memories from when she was 2 years old. i watch my little girl dress and swaddle her babies and sit and just rock them, kissing them and tucking them in before bed. i see harper taking his hammer and hammering the walls and flipping over his truck to work on it. i see jaeda making her bed, and harpers, and picking up the toys, because she sees me buzzing thru the house trying to stay on top of work and just the house in general. as quickly as it's going, i have to keep reminding myself that i'm so lucky to see all of these daily joys. i see these things, and i see me in them. i remember all of these feelings as a child.
this past saturday marked 10 years since my dad passed away. as i think about how much i miss him, i also see that those 10 years have gone so incredibly fast. perhaps one day i'll find the magic formula for slowing down time, but i don't think it's going to happen anytime soon. for now, i take time as often as i can and lay with my kids in my bed, it's one of our favorite things to do. last night jaeda said "mommy, we had a great night, didn't we? we ate dinner, took a bath, ate ice cream on the couch, watched some tv, and now we are cuddling with you in your bed!"
i can't think of a better way to spend my evenings.
picking blackberries ... YUMMY!!
this spring, we discovered a strawberry patch ... harp was a little sad that he had to share with his sister ...
okay, he was really quite upset ...
which looks like it didn't bother her at all!! you can see the sugar on the bowl ... yum!
just a quick one since i've completely slacked this past week ... i have photos running out my rear!!! cute pix, more on this in a bit. anyone look familiar?? :)
PLUS : the voting for the july contest ends monday at midnight ... so be sure you vote before then!!! --------- VOTE BELOW!!!
place your vote below to determine the winner of the july contest! i received lots of entries and just couldn't decide. i narrowed my favorites down to these ... now vote for who you think should win! winner receives a free session. please cast all votes by midnight on monday, august 11.
