a love story

I bought a new camera. I researched, I saved and I bought it. My old camera was the first of its kind and was outdated by 4-5 models. Also, it had fired off no less than 20,000 or so shots in four years and I felt it's death coming. There were more than a few times where it would freeze during a shoot. That's terrifying in case you're wondering.

We met in Best Buy. I visited her several times. We got to know each other bit by bit. But she couldn't come home with me because she was tied down. Literally.
Then the day came that she was to become mine.
I drove nervously to Best Buy. I held her. I put her down. Then I firmly said, "yep. She's the one."
The first day I had her I just stared at her much larger body and shook my head as my stomach did flip flops about what I had just spent.
Then I started taking pictures with her.
Then I fell in love.
Then I put the pictures on my computer.
Then I fell out of love. The pictures weren't completely amazing. I envisioned perfection every time straight out of the camera.
So I took more pictures. Still not super happy. The pictures were blue...ish.So I played with settings. Relationships take work you know. But I was still not thrilled - grainy, not crisp and clear.
But I took more. I had to make the relationship work...and it started getting better.
So I read some photography stuff and I took more pictures.
And I fell in love all over again but in a whole new way. My camera was helping me become a real photographer.
Then I had a baby session with my new camera, shot the whole thing on the manual setting, and churned out dozens upon dozens of tack sharp, eyelash showing, beautiful images.
Then I had a senior session yesterday that resulted in perfection.

Since that time I have been wholly smitten by my camera. I love her so...

We shall live happily ever after.

The end.

PS - all images are straight out of the camera - no editing or cropping.

Slip n slide Fun!

Today, Sarah came over for a spur of the moment slip n slide morning. I was watching wendy's boys so there were quite a few slippin and slidin' munchkins. I kind of went crazy on the pictures...I just bought a new camera(still freaking out)...but splashy summer fun is just hard to not photograph!
There are quite a few shots of Grayson as he was the only child unable to run...or crawl for that matter. And he's just darn cute!
This is my first blog from emailing post so...i wonder what this will look like?

PS - only a few here are edited....and none are cropped.

a new flower...

uncropped. I know it needs to be but I can't figure out how...

mason.

Yesterday, while driving to a birthday party, I missed a turn. "Oh, for the love of all that is good and holy!" I exclaimed. I know. I'm quite the potty mouth. Mason then says from the backseat, "I knew you were going to say that...I just say Sweet Niblets!"
I don't know if I should be more concerned that he expects me to say random blasphemous phrases while driving or that he has his own phrases for moments of frustration. Straight from hannah montana.

Yesterday, for a few hours he decided he wasn't going to speak. He was just going to use sign language and notes. I think this was supposed to be seen as some sort of punishment for Troy and I. If only the kid knew. This is what his first non-talking note said. " I don't wunt to tolc inemoor. Im serius." It was a great couple of hours.

Grant has been talking more. The other day he said thank you, which sounds much more like NayNoo than thank you, after we prompted him to numerous times. Mason just grinned at him so big and said, "He's so cute when he learns new words." Big brother is quite smitten by little brother. Until little brother rips pages out of his special kindergarten journal...then it gets kind of ugly.

Don't ask a 6 year old for opinions on hair. "yeah. That DOES look weird." Look of disgust while he shakes his head.

He is so into his garden. His poor little garden that his black thumbed mom helped him plant. "Mom!" he shouts as he comes running in from the garden, "there are th-ree blossoms on my squash plant! THU-REE! Come look. Come look like right now!" Something in that garden better produce something otherwise we're gonna have one crushed six year old farmer.

therapy

The other day, by some miracle, I finished a session early. Troy had the boys so rushing back to relieve a poor sitter wasn't necessary. He's their father. Troy didn't need rescuing either. : ) So I hung out in the garden and wandered around aimlessly taking pictures of flowers and leaves. It was so relaxing. It was quiet and still. Wonderful evening light. And I just marveled at the intricate details of our world so masterfully created.

This was my favorite shot from my therapy session.

since my last post...

Since my last post, I've had 9 sessions. Check out that big group in the middle. Yikes!I helped with splash day at Mason's school.

mason had his celebration of learning. And I am now the mother of a first grader.

I had a third child for two days. Although, truth be told, he made my life easier for two days, not harder. : )
I cooked dinner THREE, count em, THREE nights in a row. Sorry no pictures here. I figured the pancakes were boredom enough.

Grant had his 18 month check up at 20 months. He's healthy. And talking just as much as he should be.

I've written well over 75 emails regarding a plethora of sprinkle things.

I've stayed up until 2 am at least three times editing.

I've run twice.

I've watched...over 12 episodes of West Wing while editing. Seriously, best show ever. And it seriously makes editing a thousand times better.

Now...what I haven't done....
I haven't burned cds.
I haven't entered records into quickbooks. I want to make enough money with sprinkle to hire an accountant so I don't ever have to worry about the money side of this thing.
I haven't cleaned out my car even though grant spilled an entire bag of goldfish in there. I threw some out in the wal-mart parking lot...but definitely not all.
I haven't made a price sheet for prints.
I haven't put away laundry.
I haven't paid three bills.
I haven't edited 7 shoots...and a wedding.
I haven't cooked the four other meals I bought groceries for.
I haven't blogged about how proud i am to be mason's mom, how cute grant is when he sounds like a chicken, how therapeutic it is to take pictures of flowers as the sun sets, how troy's baby - his tv - broke about a month ago and it doesn't want to get better, how my sister-in-law is pregnant!, how excited I am about Kylah's shower, how overwhelmed and amazed I am by sprinkle...

you get the picture.

I am having a hard time finding a balance. Sprinkle has pretty well taken over my life. And as exciting, thrilling, amazing as it is, it is definitely work. And, my office is always here. I could ALWAYS be editing pictures, or making new business cards, or confirming sessions, or following up on interested people, or researching new ideas...

I need to give myself office hours, don't you think? And my current 9pm-1am routine isn't going to cut it...

anyway, someday blogging will resume at a normal pace.

I hope. : )