Jace & Erin

Our Summer 2011 Garden

2011-12-07T15:02:00.004-07:00

Dang it... I'm really bad at this whole blogging thing. A friend and I were texting about it today and she said that she wished I still blogged. She's probably the only one, but with or without blog readers,

it's probably still a good idea for me to keep a record of the ins and outs of the Householder family.

Back during the summer, Jace, Ellie, and I all worked together on our first family garden.

It ended up being more work than I had anticipated, but well worth the effort! Jace formed all of the rows and did all of the planting with his assistant Ellie by his side. I did most of the watering, and Ellie and I were both in charge of picking and bringing everything in the house. Jace took care of the weeds.

The beans, which we never actually ate.

They didn't grow as planned.

Corn... again, we never ate this. I thought it wasn't growing so I quit giving it water. Then all of a sudden, there was corn! Oops! That's why Jace is a farmer and not me.

We ate delicious steemed yellow squash (mixed with onions, green chilis, and velveeta) at almost every meal. Yum! That is one thing I'm really looking forward to this summer. More yellow squash! This time we'll probably plant a little bit less though. We had squash, pumpkins, cantelope, and watermelons coming out our ears!

Squash on the left, watermelon on the right.

Squash.

And more squash!

Thatcher vs. Safford Alumni game

2011-06-08T15:48:00.003-07:00

I talked about the Thatcher vs. Safford Alumni game in {this post}. The game was a few weeks ago and I felt like it needed a post of its own. Basically it was a bunch of old men getting together to play football against their big high school rivalry. I'm not kidding about the old men thing... 40 year old men signed up to play in the game! I realize that isn't that old, but it sure is for football. We live in a small town, so practically everyone showed up. I love that I live in a community where things like this are a big deal. Some people think that's lame. I think it's awesome!

You know the feeling you get the few weeks before Christmas... all of the build up and anticipation? Then Christmas day has come and gone and you are left feeling a little sad that it's all over with. Yeah, I definitely did not feel that way about this game. It was all Jace could talk about for weeks. I could hardly have a conversation with the guy without him relating something to the football game. I was also getting a little bitter about how much time he was spending working out and going to football practice. And if you don't mind me complaining a little bit more... I kept worrying that he was going to get hurt. This wasn't flag football, no. It was full on pads and helmets and guys smashing into each other.

I have to admit though, the sacrifice was well worth it!

A few girlfriends came with me to the game. We showed up at the ticket booth right as our Thatcher guys were walking out onto the field. I saw Jace and started yelling his name, trying to get his attention. He wouldn't answer me! I figured he was just "in the zone" or something. Finally I realized that it wasn't Jace. Haha. Woops! He walked out a few seconds later and that's when we snapped this picture....

It would've been a cute picture if I hadn't forgot to put my camera in auto before I handed it over to my friend. Way to go Taylor! Kidding... my fault. I still love the picture though. Makes me feel like I'm back in high school again... although I wasn't near popular enough to be dating a football player back in the day. Oh high school, glad that's over with! Back to the football game...

Right before the game started. Jace is #4.

Pre-game huddle.

The girls "watching the game". No, I'm kidding. We actually did watch the game. I was too nervous that he would get hurt, so I watched almost all of it.

Our boys won 44-6!! It was awesome. When Safford initially walked out onto the field I thought we would definitely lose. They were HUGE and had double the number of guys we had. I was wrong! They ended up being kind of slow and just not that impressive at all.

About to sing the high school fight song. It was so fun to see all of these old guys so pumped up and excited about their win.

I have to brag on Jace for a minute. He played receiver and corner back. He had some awesome catches and a few even better tackles.

Definitely a fun night! There was a guy from Safford who broke his neck in the game. That's exactly what I was afraid would happen to Jace. The guy did have to get surgery, but he's doing better than expected. I'm so glad that Jace came out of it safe and in one piece! He had so much fun and was sad when it was all over. I've never seen him so giddy over something the entire time I've known him.

Way to go babe!

happy birthday to me!

2011-06-01T22:28:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I turned the big TWO-SIX! This was the first birthday I've had in a while where I wasn't upset about getting older. I feel younger at 26 than I did at 23 or 24. I have a lot of great friends, most of which are older than me. They are cute, fun, talented... and in their 30's! It makes getting older so much more fun when you know that your life isn't over once you hit a certain age. I am so happy that I'm learning that lesson early. I don't want to be afraid of aging!

My 26th birthday was definitely my best birthday yet. I tried to go into it with low expectations... you know, so I wouldn't end up freaking out on anybody because my birthday wasn't "perfect". Being married to my husband, it's just better that way (wink). Bless his heart though, he shocked the heck out of me and actually did a really good job making me feel very special on my birthday.

The next day I had a dinner date with my friend Taylor. And you know what? That sneaky girl had planned a surprise birthday dinner for me! It was a blast. Thanks a million Taylor!

Photography tips | Preventing squinty eyes

2011-06-01T21:48:00.016-07:00

Jana asked:

"So what do you do if you are outside? How do you get non-squinting photos???"

Good question.

It's just a matter of positioning the subject that you are shooting. If you're wanting your subject to have their eyes open and looking at the camera, you never want to position your subject directly facing the sun. That causes squinty eyes. You always want to turn your subject so that there is no direct light touching the skin on their face. Here's an example...

If I wanted it to be technically perfect, I probably should have turned them a bit more to their right to avoid the sun hitting the little boy's face, but because it hit the side, I don't mind it. The sun was extremely bright while I was taking this. It was about an hour before sunset, so if I had faced them toward the sun, there's no way they could have been looking at me without squinty eyes.

The other solution to squinty eyes is to find open shade. Open shade just means that the shade is even. The shade of a tree usually is not open shade because there are still beams of light coming through. A good example of open shade is the shade of a tall building. If you're a beginner photographer, that is a good place to start. Then you don't have to worry so much about dealing with the sun.

Another tip about lighting and eyes...

You want to be shooting at the right time of day. The best light is always the last hour before sunset, and is referred to as the "golden hour". The ULTIMATE light is the last 15 minutes before sunset. Here are some examples of that last 15 minutes.

Notice that I'm shooting INTO the sun, creating a back-lit shot. Not completely into the sun or everything would be hazy and washed out... but enough into the sun that it's giving me that really golden coloring. You can only get this color right before sunset.

Let's show you what eyes look like when you shoot at the wrong time of day.

Sometimes people don't understand why I like to shoot in the evenings. Do you notice that Ellie is sporting some dark eye sockets? Yeah, not very appealing. It wouldn't have mattered how I turned her. In the middle of the day, any direction I would've turned her would've been the wrong direction. I still liked a couple of the shots I got, just none where she was actually looking at me.

If you're still reading... good for you! Ha.
I really enjoy writing these posts, and hope they are helping someone out there in the blogging world. So if you have a photography question, please leave it in the comments.

Baby steps toward becoming more productive

2011-05-24T22:16:00.004-07:00

I have been highly influenced by THIS BLOGGER recently. She has inspired me to

change some of my bad habits and focus more on the things that matter most.

I don't know about you, but for me being a stay at home mom I sometimes let myself get stuck in a rut.

I know I should do this or that... fill in your own blank... but I decide that it can be put off until tomorrow. Well tomorrow has turned into weeks and months of putting off the most basic of things...

like getting Ellie's room organized and decorated, or re-teaching her the ABC's

because she forgot them due to us not practicing enough.

Or putting away winter clothes.

Or sweeping out the garage.

Or doing daily scripture study.

Or making dinner menu's for the week.

Or organizing my book case.

Or praying with my kids each night.

Or learning new photography techniques.

Or serving a friend.

Or... you get it.

I know that I am not living up to my mothering potential, or just my own expectations for myself.

My days are being wasted, and that is not ok with me. I want to form good habits
so that when we add kid #3 and kid #4 to our family, I am not completely swamped trying to keep up.
If I can form the habit now, then when I add a couple more children to the mix,
I feel the transition will be smoother. Besides that, organization and cleanliness
are good for my spirit. It is past time to make a huge change. My plan?
I have come up with a list of what I call my "Non-negotiables".

This is part daily schedule, part goal sheet for each day.

They are the things that I plan to do every day.

Non-negotiable.

Have to do them!

Be out of bed by 7am. NO MATTER WHAT!

Do personal prayer/scripture/journal time for at least 20 minutes each morning, first thing if possible, or before 8:30am.

Be dressed with hair and make up done by 8:30am.

Spend at least one hour of one-on-one time with Ellie each day.

*This time can be broken up into chunks.

Some ideas are:

reading books

going on walks or riding her bike

doing a craft

working on letters or ABC's

teaching her how to write her name

playing with play dough

Work on at least one deep cleaning project daily. It doesn't have to be finished that day,

but I need to work on it for at least 30 minutes.

Do dinner dishes directly after dinner, or if that's not possible,

then before I have any nightly relax time.

Pray with Ellie before bed time.

Pick up and put away the main areas of the house before going to bed.

Let's be honest...

There will be days where I fail miserably.

But I think overall this will make me a better mom and help me to

feel better about myself and more comfortable in our home.

"We become who we

want to be by

consistently being who

we want to become

each day."

-Richard G Scott

What are your daily or weekly goals? I would love to hear what helps other moms to be productive. Please share your tips with the rest of us!!!

Visitors we could never get sick of...

2011-05-21T08:39:00.001-07:00

I am so blessed to have 4 amazing sisters. I love them all so much. My sister Joy is the second oldest child of eight kids, and the oldest girl. She has two kids of her own and she is THE best mom. No really, she is. She is so self-less, so loving, and would do anything for anybody... especially her kids. She is a great example to me of how I want to mother my children. I love her so much!

Lucky for me... she loves my kids too! It has been fun to have her and my cute neice Jessica come stay with us often since having children of my own. Every few months I will get a call from Joy saying, What are you up to next week? Jess and I are coming down! We love it. It makes me feel very loved that she would drive six hours just to see me and my babies.

The last time she came, just last week, we thought it would be fun to snap a few pictures of Joy and Jess. They are beauties aren't they?! Jessica was such a good sport. She isn't into the whole hair/make-up/taking pictures thing. But we ended up having a lot of fun.

I hope I look half this good 13 years from now!! Joy is a total babe.

LOVE YOU TWO!!! Come again soon.

That same night we did a few pictures of McCoy to celebrate six months. SIX MONTHS!My baby is growing up.

SO TICKED!!

2011-05-16T15:36:00.001-07:00

I completely screwed up my blog tempate and can't figure out how to get it back. Ugh!

the garden

2011-05-14T16:34:00.002-07:00

For years Jace and I have said that we would plant a garden. Well, for years it hasn't gotten done... until this year!

I can't take any of the credit. I've always wanted to do it, but I know absolutely nothing about gardening. In fact, I kill every plant or flower that I touch. One evening, about a week ago, Jace came home and said let's do it! The next day I got seeds, Jace did all the prep for the garden bed, and we got started planting.

Ellie was in heaven. Anything that has to do with dirt and being with her dad and she is good to go!

We ended up planting corn, beans, carrots, watermelon, cantelope, squash, and cucumber. As you can see, I was a whole lot of help.

This morning while Ellie was still sleeping, McCoy and I went outside to check things out. It has been exactly one week since we planted our corn and beans. Here's a look at how things are shaping up...

Before:

After:

I'm excited.

Practically the Super Bowl

2011-05-07T09:09:00.001-07:00

Lately I've been thinking about those blog books that people make. You and I both know that mine would be a boring read! I don't post nearly enough and I feel like I leave a lot of the little details of our day to day lives out. I want to make one of those books though! So I'm making an effort to blog more and to blog more about the little things that I may want to remember down the road.

Which brings me to this picture....

Look at that cute behind of the boy in the red shirt. Yep... that's my man.

Jace is a very athletic person. He always has been. Sometimes I wonder why he chose me.

Um... have you SEEN me play sports? Or run for that matter? It's not pretty. Not at all.

I have zero coordination.

Right now Jace is training to participate in a Thatcher/Safford alumni football game.

If you're not from around here, you wouldn't know that Thatcher High School

(Jace's high school) and Safford High School (the town right next to Thatcher) are arch enemies.

In fact, if you want to see the rivalry for yourself, check out THIS VIDEO that the LDS church put

together. It's a great video about two quarterbacks, one from each high school here in the Gila Valley.

The boys... I mean MEN... are excited to get out there and kick some rear-end. Or so they think.

I just hope nobody dies.

And because it's not a post without this little stud...

Photography tips | Lighting

2011-04-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

I get asked photography questions quite often, usually through facebook. I do not claim to be an expert whatsoever, but I don't mind sharing the knowledge that I do have. I decided that every once in a while I will do a photography post on my blog to answer questions that I have been asked, or to teach photography basics that I think are important. Photography is one subject that I never get bored of! I love getting together with my photography friends and chatting about techniques, posing, lighting, editing, you name it. SO... if you have a question, you can leave it in the comments. I'm not guaranteeing that I will answer every question, but I will do my best.

*****

I just wanted to go over lighting a little bit for my first photography post. This is a photography basic. You need to understand lighting and how it effects your subject in order to take a decent picture.

Just a little side note before I start... Do you realize that a flash is a no-no in photography? It's true. Ok, I take that back... there is great lighting equipment out there, but I don't have any, and I'm guessing most of you don't either. The flash on your camera is basically useless if you're wanting a nice portrait. That said, I totally use my flash when I'm taking snap shots of my kids in low light situations when I don't care if it looks like a snap shot. But that's the only time it is acceptable.

*****

Moving on to the point of my post... Look for the good light. It takes some time to train your eyes to see good light. If you practice, one day it will just click. I really like to do back-lit shots, like the example of Ellie below. Back-lit just means that your light source is behind the subject you are shooting. I bet you couldn't guess where she is in my house. She is actually in the bathroom sitting on the toilet! Haha.

Now, the lighting isn't perfect in this picture. If the light was even on her face (if there wasn't a bright patch of light on the right side of her face... your left) then it would look much better. But other than that, this is what I'm talking about when I say to look for the good light. I never expected that my bathroom would have good light. But because there's a window behind her, the light bounced off of my white walls and mirror and turned into a nice reflector. Grab one of your kids and move around your house. If your kid won't stay still, grab a stuffed animal. I've done that many times. Position the subject in front of the light source, facing the light source, with the source coming from a 90 degree angle... just keep practicing and looking for light.

Hope this wasn't too boring. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

With summer just around the corner, we are...

2011-04-15T14:58:00.003-07:00

...trying to get organized. I have a spring cleaning list that I will start tackling next week. I need to de-junk! Every shirt that has gone un-worn in the last year... gone. Cupboards emptied and wiped down. Garage... is nasty. That one will take me a couple of days I'm sure.

...prepping McCoy to spend lots of time in the sun. I think he has fair skin like I do. We went to the park on Monday, and although he was only in the sun for 15 or 20 minutes, he ended up with a little burn on his face and head. Poor guy! He will be put in this very swimming pool for his first swim in a few weeks when it really heats up. I hope he loves it.

...missing Jace, who is putting cotton in the ground as ~~we speak~~ I type. That boy sure is a hard worker and has been putting in some long hours. I feel like I am 100% adjusted to being a farmer's wife these days. Like I said, he is very missed around our house, but I no longer have crazy mood swings and emotional breakdowns when he works a 12 hour day, 6 days in a row. Not to say that I don't lose my patience... Ellie has all kinds of stories for you.

Lastly, I am in love with McCoy. Just thought you all should know.

McCoy, my boy!

2011-02-05T22:19:00.000-07:00

Look at this sweet face...

My little guy has turned into a big ole chunk! Still not as big as Ellie was at his age, but he's no light weight.

***

McCoy...

loves his Mama the most

does not enjoy kisses from his sister as much as she enjoys it

takes a 3 hour nap every afternoon, plus 2 in the morning (hallelujia!)

was the best cuddler, up until about a week ago. all of a sudden he's over it

still sleeps in our room

sometimes in our bed

i don't mind

Love him!

McCoy's blessing day

2011-01-18T22:36:00.001-07:00

I honestly have been wanting to blog... I just couldn't think of a single thing to blog about. I'm so out of practice, and not just that, but I feel like my life is a daily re-run. Not a bad re-run, but definitely the same old thing day after day. Maybe you could give me ideas. Is there anything you're dying to know, or something you'd like me to blog about? Leave it in the comments.

Moving on...

McCoy was blessed on the first Sunday of January. Jace did a great job and the blessing was beautiful. I made one mistake though and waited until after the entire block to try and get a family picture. Let's just take a looksy, shall we? I hate every stinkin thing about this picture. As you can see, the man of the hour was quite the grouch. Mom is 30 pounds over weight and it shows BAD in this picture. Oh, and look how I'm grabbing McCoy's crotch. That's a big picture no no! Ellie had destroyed her hair by that point, and of course doesn't know how to look at a camera. I guess Jace looks alright, but the boy just isn't that photogenic... sorry babe, we both know it's the truth. So this is the best that we got, and it's alright. I love my family and I guess that is what matters most.

McCoy's birth story from A to Z

2010-12-16T15:04:00.000-07:00

McCoy's due date was November 21st, but my doctor is awesome and will induce one week early as long as the pregnancy is normal. We were scheduled to go in on Monday morning, November 15th. My wonderful sister and niece came to town the Thursday before just to spend the weekend with me and make sure that they were there for the birth. Friday we got pedicures, shopped, and went out to eat. It was so fun to just relax, but to also have all of the anticipation building. My body was giving me all of the signals that I was ready to go into labor any time, but my contractions wouldn't get consistent and it was driving me nuts! Even though I would be induced, I kind of wanted to go into labor on my own just so I could see what that experience is like.

This was taken Friday night. This is the last picture I have of me pregnant.

We woke up on Saturday and I was feeling normal. No crazy contractions or anything. That afternoon I put Ellie down for a nap and decided that I'd lay down for a nap too. I had been laying down for about 5 minutes when I had four super strong contractions right in a row and all of a sudden I felt a wierd pop and I knew my water had broke. I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. I was so excited that my water had broke. For some reason, I had always wanted that to happen. It just seemed like it would be exciting I guess... and it was! Jace was at work, so I called him and told him to come home and shower and then meet me up at the hospital.

My sister drove me to the hospital and by the time we got there it looked like I had totally peed my pants. They checked me and I was at 4cm, which is what I had been dilated to for 3 or 4 days before that.

With Ellie, my epidural experience wasn't the best. I couldn't feel or move my legs at all and it made me extremely nauseous while I was trying to push. I decided that this time I would hold off on getting it as long as I could, hoping that if I waited a while then it wouldn't have time to make me nauseous before I started pushing. I ended up laboring in the shower for about 3 hours. It was awesome. Having hot water on my belly made my contractions seem more managable. Jace just sat in the bathroom with me and we talked and laughed to keep my mind off of the pain. Finally I couldn't take it anymore and asked my nurse for the epidural.

By that point I was having contractions about every minute and they were coming hard and strong. When they checked me again, I was 8cm. I had no idea I had progressed so quickly or else I would've asked for it sooner.

Because I had been in the shower, I didn't have my hair or make up done. What girl wants to have tons of pictures taken of her when she doesn't have make up? So this was me during a contraction...

And now here I am in between contractions putting on mascara...

Now back to a contraction...

By the time the anesthesiologist got there I was already 9cm, and briefly considered not even getting the epidural because I was practically done. But I chickened out.

About 30 minutes after I got the epidural, it was time to push. I pushed for about 25 minutes before little McCoy joined us.

The proud Daddy...

One day old.

It's hard to believe that she was ever that little. She LOVES him!

2010 in pictures

2010-12-15T22:48:00.000-07:00

I've missed blogging lately. Crazy, I know! I honestly wondered if I'd ever update this darn thing. Maybe I'll keep it up, maybe I won't. Time will tell. I'm not even going to attempt to fill in all of the blanks of 2010, but here is at least one picture from each month that I didn't blog.

Enjoy.

February...

Ellie and Mama.

March...

Found out about baby #2.

April...

Can you feel the love between these two?

May...

This picture sums up all of her excitement. She is STILL talking about this birthday party. I'd call that success.

June...

Got a new pup.

July...

Finally took her two year pictures.

August...

Spent lots of time outside.

September...

Went camping on the mountain.

Had a friend take some maternity pictures.

October...

Ellie transformed into a Barbie for Halloween.

November...

Became a family of four.

December...

Here we go again!

2010-04-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

Baby #2 is due November 21st!!

Am I excited?

Yes!

Scared to death?

Of course.

My favorite thing so far is watching Ellie stand right next to the toilet as I puke and say over and over agian, "Ok? Ok?" Yes Ellie, mama's ok. Thanks for being such a good little support system though. Love ya girl!

neopolitan... a little bit of everything.

2010-01-25T23:47:00.066-07:00

In all of my 24 years of having this nose, I never noticed how pointy it was until tonight. Thank you, Alyssa, for capturing this beautiful picture of me. I will cherish it forever. Ha! Oh, and did you notice I got a new hair cut and color? Yes, I love it to pieces! No, it doesn't look the best in these pictures. I will post more sometime. But that's not a promise because you know how I am about blogging these days. Moving on...

I got to celebrate my grandma's 90 birthday this month, and it was exactly how I like to celebrate too... without a baby! Oh, you know I love her, but a girl needs her freedom sometimes.

We had such a great time sitting around telling stories and hearing stories about the old days. My dad, his 4 brothers and 1 sister entertained us for a long while with stories from visiting the local horse doctor to fix a broken arm, to terrifying their sister with snakes. We laughed and cried. It really made me realize how little time we all have left together. Really put everything into perspective.

Oh little sweet Ellie. I just kiss on her all day long these days. She is the funniest person I know. The other day two of her little friends were leaving and she yells out the door after them "Bye-bye kids!" Uh, who you callin 'kids' Ellie? They're two weeks younger than you. Funny girl.

Her favorite thing of all time lately is taking baths. She asks for bubbles all day long.

Well, I sure am excited about this year. I decided not to post 2010 new years resolutions to the blog due to my lack at achieving ANY of my 2009 goals. I'll just save myself the embarassement this time around and fail in private. No actually, I didn't really set too many crazy goals for myself for this year. I do hope to focus on becoming a better manager of my home. It's always been something I respected in other women and I feel like it certainly is achieveable. Maybe I'll do a little series about my progress. Oh no, there go the expectations again... posted to the blog.

I was thinking about our history, Jace and I, since we've been married. It seems like all of the excitement comes in waves of every other year. Here's a run-down:

2006: Marriage/Moving away from family

2007: Going to school and working. Very boring.

2008: Graduation/Became parents/Became homeowners

2009: Quiet year of staying at home and raising Ellie/Jace being a little cute cotton farmer.

2010: Has not been written yet, but I'm thinkin it will be big. HUGE actually. We shall see. I have a few ideas up my sleeve, but I won't get ahead of myself.

If you ever check my blog anymore, thanks for hangin in there and being a faithful reader! I know I've turned into "one of those" bloggers. Eeew. Sorry!

Ellie at 18 months.

2009-12-18T13:54:00.003-07:00

Well, it didn't quite go as planned...

But I did manage to get a few pictures of Ellie to document her little self at 18 months old. Ok, I'll be honest I'm a major procrastinator and she's nearly 19 months in these pictures. I never even took 12 month pictures of her though, so 18 months(ish) was a must and I'm glad it's done and over with.

This little chair was Jace's grandma's chair when she was a little girl. I can't remember if it was her dad or grandpa, but one of them made it for her. I love little personal touches like that in pictures.

SO glad that there's a big red bag of fruit snacks in this picture. No, no I'm not glad. Little stinker wouldn't sit still without them.

So I guess this is where I brag about all of her accomplishments, right? Well, if she didn't have such an attitude then she'd pretty much be perfection. Jace says she takes after me, and I hate to admit that he's probably right. She's hard headed that's for sure. This morning I kept telling her not to stick her fingers in the outlet. After about 5 times in a row I started smacking her hands every time she did it... and kind of hard too. (Go ahead, call CPS on me). With every slap of the hand she would just laugh. So I slapped harder. She laughed harder. Oh what will I do with you naughty little Ellie?!!

She is saying so many words so I'll just tell you my favorites...

Peace Dog.
Accompanied by one little finger held up because she can't figure out how to hold up two.

No Daddy!
She has that one down pretty good because her daddy won't ever leave her alone.

Nnnack.
This is my favorite thing she says. It means fruit snack. She holds the N for a really long time before finishing the rest of the word.

Dosh!
Ok I lied. This one is my favorite. She is saying "Gosh!" Whenever she is naughty, which is often, I say "OH MY GOSH!" out of frustration. She now says it when she does something naughty or when she's frustrated about something.

She is a character. We love her.

2009-11-27T22:25:00.002-07:00

Right about now I'm feelin' like this mama cow... minus the prego part. (She is. I'm not). However, our bellies do slightly resemble each others.

Thanksgiving was everything I hoped it would be.

Mashed potatoes & Pecan Pie.

'Nough said.

Just to settle some confusion...

2009-11-17T19:49:00.002-07:00

I no longer have a private blog. This blog that you are reading is my ONLY blog. Sorry that I confused so many of you. It's ok though, I confuse myself! Haha. I was blonde for many years, I guess I just can't shake it.

I'm so that mom.

2009-11-17T00:07:00.004-07:00

{Warning: Not an interesting post. Just being a sappy mom. What else is new? PLUS it's 12:30am, so I didn't worry about making it interesting. There. You've been warned.}

It's official. I'm that crazy mom that stays up until midnight clicking through old picture files of her baby while bawling her eyes out.

Because seriously... was Ellie really this small - EVER? I honestly can't remember what it was like. Isn't that wierd? I can remember Erin Beach's phone number from 3rd grade, but I can't seem to recall what it felt like to hold Ellie at 6 months. I guess all that really matters is that I CAN remember how lucky I felt to be her mom. That has never changed. Never will. She is so great.

Couldn't you just eat her up? I love this picture...

Lounging

The toe stage

Love her!

And a few recents...

hello! remember me?

2009-11-15T19:17:00.004-07:00

Goodness Gracious!

I've been on quite a blogging break, haven't I? It's actually been kind of nice. I've been trying to break myself away from the computer, aside from when I'm working. Ellie and I have had some great adventures because of it...

Wouldn't it be great to just be able to throw on a onsie and you're set? Oh my. Yucky visual.

Well, I keep getting basically death threats from people about my blog (Uh-hem... Jenny). So here's the scoop! This is the blog that I will continue to use. I never did any updates on the one that I made private and I didn't really ever invite anyone to be a reader... well, started to, but then got too lazy and decided to just keep the old blog. There are some changes though... I will not bring back any of my old posts, so you'll only be able to see what I post from now on. The reason being, I am a big mouth and I posted way too much personal info in previous posts. I'm trying to go the safer route so that I can still have a public blog and at the same time have my family's best interest and safety in mind.

Hang with me for a few more weeks and I will turn into a normal blogger again.

Quick farm update... This is what the cotton looks like. Picked! I now have a husband again. Hallelujah!

2009-10-13T10:23:00.002-07:00

Ugh... I think I changed my mind about going private. Haha! Whoops. Now I can't decide which blog to keep. Have you already switched over your blog link to my new blog, or do you still have this blog linked? Please let me know so that I can decide which one to post on.

Going private

2009-10-05T13:47:00.006-07:00

Last night at 1am I thought it would be a great idea to put my blog as private. Not such a good idea to do this while being half asleep. So instead of doing it the smart way, I went and saved all of my previous posts (all 300... one at a time) as drafts. That way, they could no longer be viewed but people still coming to this blog address would see this message from me saying that I switched my blog over to a new (private) address. So I did that, exported my blog, imported it into a new blog under a different name, and then found out that I somehow sent you all of my previous posts through Google Reader. Sorry! My mistake.

So the reason I did it this way...

I hate when people say they are going private and then 5 minutes later they actually are private and I have no way of letting them know that I want to be a reader. So I just created a new blog and I'm going to leave this one here so that people who do a google search or stumble across it can still leave a comment with their email address (comments will be moderated so no one will see your email address but me). Make sense?

The new blog address is http://jaceanderin.blogspot.com/

Catchy isn't it?

K, now I need email addresses! I totally understand that we all "lurk" to a certain extent. So I don't mind getting random requests to view my blog. I mean, if you're a psycho path killer then of course I don't want you to request to be a viewer... but if you knew my husband from high school or something like that and like to check in every once in a while, then we're good. I've made some fun internet buddies through blogging {shout out to Brittany!}, so if you're just a nice person that likes to look around my blog then go ahead and leave your email.

Under Construction

2009-10-05T00:41:00.004-07:00

My blog is currently under construction. Check back soon for new developements!

She is too big!

2009-09-15T07:54:00.000-07:00

Today was a reality check. At one point I looked down at my little miss and thought about...

how she's already almost half my height (no joke)

how she's too smart, and when did she learn so many words?

how she may only want to cuddle with me for a few more years, if that, until it's not cool anymore

how right now all she really needs in this life are me and her dad... oh yeah, and a big pile of dirt to be completely happy. But someday she'll need more than that and then I'll be replaced.

how she's just growing up way too fast!

Today, for the first time since I became a mom, I felt a strong urgency to find a way to freeze time. That sounds dumb, but it's really how I feel. But time will go on whether we like it or not, so today I took my time to kiss on her a little extra and count all of the things that I love about this girl.

I love her toes and her fingers and her thigh rolls.

I love that she walks around the house holding my eye lash curler up to her eye.

I love that she likes to read her books upside down and gets mad when you try to turn it right side up for her.

I love that she wants to be like me in every way and teaches herself how to do the things that I'm doing.

I love that when I walk out of a room she yells very loudly, "Mom!" to get my attention. Then I go and sit beside her and she continues on with whatever she was doing before she noticed I was leaving her.

I don't always love how strong willed she is, but I'm hoping that this is a character trait that will carry her through her life; and that she will use to fight off the evils around her. I believe that this will be the case. Thank you, Misty, for opening my eyes to this hidden blessing.

And thank YOU for making it all the way through this sappy post.

THE END.

honesty session.

2009-09-13T00:49:00.010-07:00

What's posted on Erin's blog, stays on Erin's blog.
This post is NOT for my photography clients to read...

Ok, I'm kidding.

I'm not going to lie and say that these last few months have been easy. I'm referring to my new little business. I hate to admit it, but I'm barely keeping my head above water in so many different areas of my life. I never could have expected this hobby to drain me emotionally. It's as if the more I learn, the more I realize I know NOTHING. I'm constantly comparing myself to others that have far more experience and are totally out of my photography league. I want to know all there is to know and I want to know it NOW. It just doesn't work that way. I learn something new with every session I have... but it is a very slow process. Slower than my patience level prefers.

Other areas suffering include, but are not limited to...

dishes

laundry

husband & baby

sleep

and on and on!

And I don't love it all the time like I thought I would. Sometimes I just want to give up. LOTS of times I just want to give up! But I don't. And I won't. And here's why...

Because tonight I got to photograph gorgeous Kayley. She will be graduating this year and then she's off to start all of her world adventures! I'm so excited for her. I think it's so important for a girl in that stage of life to see her own self worth and beauty. I want to think that I helped her to feel beautiful tonight. As you can see, she is! I really liked that I could do that. It feels very rewarding.

So I guess for now I'll keep chuggin along! Sorry if I don't call you anymore. Or leave you blog comments. Or if you see me at the grocery store and I'm in my pj's and have no make up on... sorry for that too. And to my ladies that I'm supposed to visit teach, sorry to you guys as well! That one I'll really try to do better at :) Amen.

Sometimes...

2009-09-10T16:41:00.004-07:00

I like to cook like this.

i love visitors!

2009-08-30T21:01:00.005-07:00

I had such a fun visit last weekend with four of my very good college friends. We all lived either together, or next door to each other... and let me tell you, we had a crazy good time!

Below (left to right): AshLee, Mary (holding Lisa's baby Drey), Addie (holding her baby Calvin). Both babies are about two weeks old in these pictures. {Lisa not pictured}

Baby Calvin

It seems like just yesterday we were having wild dance parties, ditching class to watch episodes of Smallville (haha), mud wrestling, canal floating, sleepovers galore, and having conversations that started like, "I wonder..." and ended, "...what my life will be like", "...what my husband will look like", "...where I will go after EA", "...if I'll ever decide on a major."

And now we're married and moms! Well, not all of us are moms.

Mary is not yet a mother, but will be a GREAT one when her time comes. I love this girl.

Lisa had me take a few pictures of Baby Drey while she was over. He is such a cute little man!

Thanks for hangin out girls! And congrats to Addie and Lisa on the new {bundles of joy}.

I'm back.

2009-08-26T21:46:00.007-07:00

To normal blogging.

For now at least.

I never write on my blog anymore like I used to. Sorry! I just get busy and in my own little ruts and it's easier to pretend like I don't have a blog to update. Then I remember that I started this blog for fun and that I don't need to feel guilty about it, or feel like I need to fill you all in on every single detail of my last few months of not blogging regularly. No, I'm not even going to think about catching up. I'll just start with what's going on right now.

***

Do you love getting your picture taken? I don't. I actually hate it. I feel ridiculous standing in front of a camera all by myself. But I LOVE having a good picture of myself and it really doesn't happen very often. I think everyone needs their own personal photo shoot every once in a while. Otherwise I'll get old and wrinkly {and saggy} and forget that I ever looked half decent. Thanks for taking these for me Mary Anne! I really love them. I will definitely be posting soon the ones I took of Mary Anne. They turned out so cute!

I'm leaving Ellie overnight for the first time tomorrow. I'm kind of sad about it! Jace and Ellie get to stay home while I go to Mesa to photograph my first wedding. I'm looking forward to absolute freedom for 24 hours, but I will miss that little girl like crazy.

Welp, I guess that's all for now!!

am I cool enough to use the word "bestie"?

2009-08-24T23:48:00.005-07:00

Well, MaryAnne is definitely one of mine!

I love that girl like a fat kid loves cake.

She's hilarious.

Talented.

Insanely photogenic.

Basically, she's one of a kind!

Today she came to visit and brought her awesome hubby, Dusty, and cute baby, Sadie. It was fun. It always is with her. MaryAnne is my go-to girl when it comes to photography, which made it really hard for me to agree to take her family pictures. But I did and I'm so glad that I took on the challenge. We ended up with some awesome results! Thanks for coming to see me MaryAnne!