More Wedding Bells

My misters:

My gal (helping herself to appetizers):

My magazine shot:

At the dock:

I ♥ Faces Week 23 Wedding Bells

Initially, I was asked to be the photographer... but I chickened out. My cousin was nice enough to let me tag along with the pro guy and get a few shots anyway...

In between the posing was this "Eskimo" kiss - nose to nose, with eyes closed.

[Is that considered politically incorrect? I always thought you kissed like that in the cold so that the mouths couldn't stick together like a tongue to a metal pole...]

While there were a lot of shots I liked, this is the one that screamed "happily ever after." I'm sure it looks just like hundreds of other shots people get at weddings, but it just reminds me of that innocence of true love more than the kiss shots do.

Nutty Photographer learns a new trick

In an absolutely random, click happy perusal of blogs and photographer pages, I stopped where I usually do these days at I ♥ Faces. It was fix it Friday and one of the contributors sent me to Pioneer Woman's blog "how to" for adding eye dazzle. I took this shot of Chi on 6.24 and loved the image... and with a little dazzling, I adore this portrait. I also ♥ that she's holding her camera, because part of our summer itinerary includes a photo scavenger hunt and she is enjoying shooting next to me.

When it rains

I'm a bit moody this week... call it hormones, if you'd like, but I think it's much more. We're supposed to go to the pool today, but it's raining outside and looks dismal. Maybe I'm a weather-affect mood victim?

Last night moved into the morning hours before I could get the brain to slow down long enough to sleep.

Tangent: Did you know they play some really good movies after midnight? Last night I watched "Raising Helen" until 2:30a.m. I don't think I'd seen it before, but it was a great (tear jerker) movie.

Ya is giving me longer and longer nights, waking now usually around 7:30-8 a.m. and settling down again around 11 a.m. or noon. Chi is my roving sleeper, traveling with pillows and blankets in the wee hours between her bedroom, mine, and the kitchen nook futon (do you know how many attempts it took to spell that word right?). Last night, though, she was firmly settled with her newly lost tooth in the chest waiting for the Tooth Fairy to stop through and make the famous exchange. I don't think I ever mentioned it, but "Darkness Falls" came on the day Chi lost her first tooth... and I've been a bit spooked of the childhood gifters since I was a teenager (Easter Bunny, Reindeer, Fairies, other night visitors who are able to circumvent alarms and locks for clandestine visits while I sleep).

Anyway, back to the wandering brain matter. It's wedding month, and I've been thinking quite a bit about relationships and where I'm at in my life. My cousin just got married. My younger brother is engaged. My sorority sisters are all happily hitched (or moving quickly toward the altar). And then there's me: two kids, two dogs, house, car, job, alone. So the big Thirty is happening in August and this is the description moving me into decade four.
(I'm looking forward to thirty... every other year has been better than the last, so I expect the trend to continue) Do I need the ring on my finger to be complete? Nope. Besides, I worked at a jewelry store and sport a pretty nice rock that I picked out and purchased already ;) But I want the pictures.

I contemplated renting a wedding gown for an ultra fab bridal shoot... but after the necessary alterations, hair decor and the cost of flowers, it just might not be worth the cost. Nevertheless, I'm still browsing the occasional store and thinking about how to budget in a destination photo shoot of me in a pretty little gown with my kids in their bright colored dress up wear. A destination "wedding" without the "I Do" and the groom.

And I think this is why I couldn't sleep.

Thank goodness I have "phototherapy" in the form of MY Chi. Sometimes just following them around with my camera is enough to soothe any mood. And since they're on film, we get to look at our days together later and talk about them :)

Two New Teeth

Last week we were surprised when Oma mentioned she saw the newest pearly white in Ya's mouth... unobservant Mommy had noticed the crazy yucky nose running away from tissues (and the über crabby baby), but failed to see that instead of a front upper tooth, Ya had chosen to reveal an upper side tooth instead. (?) And now the second upper tooth - on the opposite side - is starting to appear. I'm told his middle two are right at the surface, but for a few weeks Ya might have a perfect 4 that nest inside one another. Weird.

When No One Is Watching...

this is what Ya gets into.

A Breather

Daddy showed up this evening and whisked little man away to visit his Gram. He left behind a very unhappy big sister who doesn't understand why she gets omitted from these impromptu visits (sorry baby, I don't know why he's separated you, either).

Raising two kids with two fathers is something I never thought I'd do. I mean, I watched Maury in college (and occasionally I catch it these days, too). I am appalled by the ladies on the show who have no earthly idea who fathered their five kids and none of the twenty names they provided tested as "The Baby Daddy." And here I am with two kids and two fathers. Yes, I'm "100 percent" sure who their dads are, but the fact that there is an 's' on that title still bothers me. No doubt some people out in cyberspace are passing judgment as they read this...

I don't put on airs and pretend that I am the ideal Mommy figure, but I am a good mother. I would do anything for my kids. I am the financial force, the emotional backbone, the disciplinarian, and all the holiday gift givers. I have raised a daughter who is intelligent, well-adjusted, polite, and inquisitive without much assistance from her father.

For the last three years, he has merely been a voice on the phone - - one she couldn't understand through a thick Nigerian accent until very recently. That we are not raising her together is not my daughter's doing, nor is it something she is ashamed of, nor should it be a cause of alarm for anyone. Frankly, she is the little girl that she is because of how she has been raised. She is surrounded by a family that adores her. She has never had to see her parents fight because they were forced to be together unhappy or maybe unhappy together. She has never heard either parent voice an ill-word toward each other. And she has never thought to play one parent against the other when she doesn't get her way.

And now she has two siblings - a sister from her father and a brother from her mother. And those siblings lead different lives with different families than her own. In an ideal world, she'd have a richer family with more aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins... but there are knots in our crazily gnarled tree that haven't begun to sprout new growth yet.

Now I titled this post "breather" because I was thinking about how much time and energy my kids are requiring of me as they are now in my total care 24-hours-a-day. We've kept ourselves busy at the library, the bowling alley, the park, the pool, and the house. And though we've stretched the bed time later into the evening, we've still managed to rack up a good 8-hours of sleep time each evening.

With Ya temporarily away from us, I have a few moments to "relax" without being asleep. But Chi is unhappy because she has been left out. Her Nintendo DS is missing. She is sad. And I am wasting time on my blog thinking about this crazy family I've placed her into that is still a work in progress.

Never would have thought

Just a few months ago, Chi and I would sit at the table struggling to complete simple homework assignments that required reading. In kindergarten, she passed all her reading tests with what I can only imagine was a good recall of what others had read (in the same book during their tests just before hers) or a good deciphering of images in the readers. When she started first grade, I wrote a novel to her teacher soliciting advice begging for help. By January, though she'd made progress with her reading specialist and in the classroom, I was given a letter of intent to retain Chi in first grade. Then in April, May and June, Chi "got it." Suddenly she was able and interested in reading anything and every thing with words (including the "No Turn On Red" sign that everyone ignores because it is a developer's sign not one placed by the county). And now, today, were off to the library to use her library card to pick out books for Summer Quest and she is excited to go!

I'm so glad this day has come!

First Monday of Summer

I woke up this morning with high hopes. I was feeling ambitious and hoped to fix Chi's fabric - fuzzy prone hair. She is into "Top Model" make up these days, the kind where it looks extreme and wild or artistic rather than like we're letting my six year old flaunt herself as a made-over adult well before her time. Doing the hair, picking out a sassy outfit, and venturing over to Old Towne seemed like a pleasant morning excursion. But as I walked past her cyclonic room and I realized that I could not see the floor through all the clothes - clean and heavily soiled - and toys strewn about, I determined that my day's objectives were quickly going to change. Instead, we spent an hour going through piles of clothes and determining dirty, clean and too small. Ya wandered around the room trying to pick up anything and everything he thought could be edible. And Chi? She spent most of the time trying to finger swipe yuckies from her baby brother's mouth and picking things up before he took interest in them.
I've not done any food shopping, so the pickings are a bit slim for breakfasts and lunches... Chi had a chocolate glazed donut (which Mommy warmed up, thus creating a gooey mess).

Ya had a powdered donut (his first) and nursed. What a mess that made (duh). So, after his junk food breakfast, we striped down and took a warm bath. Fresh diapers are more fun to soil, so not even 3 minutes into wearing the powder fresh bum-cover, Ya funktified the room and Mommy had to quickly eliminate the odorous duds.
Now it's nap time... if Friday is any indication, I have 45-50 minutes to myself before the 10-month-old begins to explore his world again. That's not a lot of time to do anything. But I am not going to complain about my day.

Summertime sure beats working. I've always said I was envious of those blessed to stay at home, and for two months out of the year, I get to do that. This isn't work. This is spending much needed time with my babies and watching them (most of the time through a camera lens) grow up.

Collage'd but no winner...

So awhile ago I mentioned that my shot of Ya's "Two Teef" made it to the I ♥ Faces collage on their site. Since then, I have learned that the totally awesome Blurb book they created will not include anything I've shot. Oh well, it was worth the fun of the entry and a few feedback comments, right?

I'm still entering most weeks and it is always surprising to see my pictures featured on the weekly collage:

(above: first row, first picture)(above: first row, third picture)

And although this featuring is flattering, I still have that tremendous desire to WIN at least one contest. Then I'll be happy, for a while at least.

I ♥ Faces Week 24 - Let's Hear It For The Boys!

I ♥ Faces is honoring Fathers this week... and the only rule is NO GIRLS ALLOWED.

Adults Entry: This is Marques Squared... that is, my two Marqs enjoying one another's company. I treasure the relationship they are building and ♥ capturing their special moments on camera. Now certainly there are other shots I could've chosen, but this picture is one that I adore because Daddy is oblivious to Mommy's camera intrusion. Ya, of course, is fully aware that I'm in the room, but he's got this expression on his face that says "Hey! No girls are allowed."
Kids Entry: So my little Ya! isn't so little anymore... in fact, he's almost heading into toddler behavior. He's climbing stairs, playing sports and furniture cruising with ease. And because I'm following chasing him around while Chi keeps herself busy doing six-year-old things, I have quite a few more pictures of my resident masculine force. What does this mean? Agony for chosing the perfect image to post for this theme. I finally decided on this photo because

1. Ya was momentarily still enough for me to focus on his expressions and not him eating dirt or crawling away
2. Every time someone stops us to say just how "cute" my little boy is (he'll hate that word pretty soon), they remark about his big eyes, which are the focal point of this shot
3. It's so obvious (and cute) that his gnawing on the basket is to relieve his poor gums of the teething issues his third tooth is causing (and that's a part of becoming a big boy, right?)

Happy Father's Day! Let's honor the special men in our lives this week.

More Barrel Photos

These are just a few more from our play time in the barrel.

Attached

This is my "tummy gremlin" creating havoc on the outside... Attached to Mommy's knees as she types on the computer, or clutching Mommy's legs when she's doing anything else. So why is he so sad? Because he is not in Mommy's arms, of course.

More Precious Than Go(u)ld

I was invited to shoot a few "extra photographer on scene" photos for my cousin's wedding. It was an experience in more ways than one. First, I learned that I am not aggressive enough to dictate and control folks' movements on their special day. Perhaps this is a portrait photographer's shtick, but photojournalists don't operate that way. Second, I learned that a prime lens beats a zoom all the time. This means that if I want a telephoto shot, I need to have two camera bodies. And third, I was reminded that sometimes it is the photos that are not asked for that make the best images.

Now about this wedding...

I'm all about romance (because I'm a sap) and this affair was full of it.

Here's the quick run-down of things I L-O-V-E-D about this display of love:

• Dwayne, not the flower girl, layed down the rose petals for his bride to walk upon.
• Athena wiped away Dwayne's tears (you'd cry too if your Mrs. was as radiant as she was).
  
• Dwayne proposed formally and on one knee to make sure that everything was done according to tradition.
  
• Athena's smile lit up the room, and she personally recognized every guest as she walked down the isle toward her Mr.
  
• The officiant made God the center of the union, praying over the marriage, the family, and the little Goulds born into it.
  
• The wedding ceremony was midday and included children, as they are part of the family, too.
  
• Everyone who attended had a camera of some sort: digital SLR or point and shoot, cell phone, and even Polaroid. Gone is the throw away camera for guests to shoot and share memories.
• Both Dwayne and Athena were totally oblivious to the people around them as they confirmed their commitment to each other.
  

This is one of my favorite shots from my cousin's wedding this weekend. I preferred the antiqued sepia tinting to straight sepia for the shot.

I ♥ Faces Week 23 - Sepia Toned

There must be some secret to changing a color photo into a perfectly Sepia toned image. But I don't know it... so I fiddled, bumbled, and then undid a whole lotta stuff in PhotoShop that I couldn't even begin to remember - let alone reproduce - and this modest image is the result.

Ho hum.

He's not smiling. He's not even looking at me. Surprisingly, though, this is typical Ya in both pose and expression.

And did I mention that he's already sepia toned? So aside from flipping his black onesie to a weird shade of brown... my shot is pretty close to original (except miraculously, when the shot was taken, our grass was green instead of its usual sunburnt weed shade of yellow ).

Last Friday...

I just want to say it's the LAST Friday of the school year and I am SOOOOOOOO overjoyed - - no, relieved  - - no, sick and tired of working that I cannot wait until the last student leaves for summer on Wednesday.

Ya turned 41 weeks yesterday *which is still within the 9-month range, so he's still a baby for a bit longer. He's waving, although it's to himself and he has a staring contest with the flexing fingers as he does it. He is also standing up unassisted... though as soon as Mommy raises the camera to show off the feat, he tries to sit down (I swear it's because of the paparazzo-effect). He's also very aware that the black thing is Mommy's favorite thing and sometimes he peeks around it to make sure I'm still there.

Today is a busy one: work, home bound appointment, pick up kids after sitting in traffic, attend an obligatory dedication of a wing of Chi's school (PTA Vice Presidential duty, I am told), and prepare for the wedding I am planning to shoot for tomorrow. YIKES. And as I type this, I am procrastinating on getting clothes for Chi in the clothing graveyard she calls her bed room.

Anyway... here's a shot taken last weekend of Mom and Ya.

Time... there's never any time

The school year is rapidly winding down and I have another home bound student I am working with. Couple that with two daycare pickups, a bout with anemia-induced exhaustion (need iron, ya'll), and the stress of increasingly more difficult finance juggling, there's just not enough time in the day. And how can I blog when there are piles of projects to grade, there's a cling-on attached to my leg and whimpering to be played with, a six-year-old insists she can cook and plays with knives whenever I'm not watching, and I desperately want to complete the abandoned "Project 365" assignment I gave myself even though the task is daunting?

Oh, and the fact that I increasingly pass out before 8 p.m. when Ya gets fussy and I lay down to put him to sleep, doesn't help either...

I started a meager attempt at a magazine featuring my favorite photos and discovered quickly that picking photos I think are good out of the hundreds I take everyday is a tedious and long process. I also quickly find myself lamenting about my months of backlogged scrap booking as I reminisce about the event and circumstances of each and every picture. YIKES. So, sometime this century I'll have a magazine... but it'll take a lot longer than I'd hoped.

I figured out a really cool father's day present for the daddies in my life. They're getting magazines featuring their kids (remember my post about MagCloud?). Now I'm pretty sure this trumps giving them a single photo, right? I think Chi will help me pick her favorite images and Ya, well he'll just yank on the mouse and tap the keyboard.

Frankly, I'm getting anxious for summer to get here already!

FYI

To all who are interested:

Chi has decided that she abhors (in other words HATES/DESPISES) the color pink. A big change from last year... The new favorite color is purple (with sparkles, she says). She is also tolerant of yellow and teal... and of mommy's favorite color, orange. Just thought I'd inform everyone at once because the little girl in pink clothes and pig tails has been taken over by a maturing juvenile with her own sense of style and fashion flair.

I ♥ Faces Week 21 - Photo Challenge (Pets)

Nope, this cuddly cat is NOT my pet.

[I'm crazy allergic to the lovely animals].
He does, however, belong to some lucky family out in Arizona, so technically, he is a pet. But I love the image and was glad to have been able to take it on our Spring Break trip to the "Out of Africa" wildlife park last March.

Doesn't it just scream Monday morning sentiments?

Be sure to get a little wild!

I ♥ Faces Week 21 - Happy Birthday! (kids)

How's this for a festive "unbirthday" shot? We've got tutus, horns and hats! A bit of it all, but just shy of too much (I think). Anyway, Chi and I had fun taking pictures for this week's challenge and she picked this pose herself.

and another favorite shot...

So the theme is Happy birthday, and though I entered another shot in the contest, I thought I'd also post a hybrid picture that combines the animal and birthday photo challenges... or maybe I just really like this picture of my younger brother celebrating Chi's 6th birthday back in December. It's a bit of a stretch... but here's a Party Animal for ya'll :)