True Love

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.



**sniff** Larry has a mistress. Oh well, I do have my camera... it's only fair. And I can't complain about the steak, it's better than any restaurant we've ever been to.

My birthday boys

Larry and David share a birthday today, I can hardly believe my youngest is 6. What a fun age to be! I feel bad for kids who have birthdays in the summer time because they don't get to celebrate with their classmates in school. I did send cookies to school with him on Tuesday so he wouldn't feel left out.

It's a tradition to take a picture of the birthday boy on his birthday so here are today's shots. David loves the camera so I'm always able to get the sweet shots that I need.





6 things I love about David

*His smile lights up my day
*His playful personality - he loves it when I chase him
*His sense of humor and laugh
*He loves music - I love that he plays his guitar for me and sings his made up songs
*He likes to cook and is interested in helping me, he can almost make his own macaroni and cheese
*He is always concerned for the wellbeing of others around him, it's very sweet

Long overdue

I seem to have blogging phases where I'm on top of it or allow myself to become too busy to post. I need to get better at this as it has been years since I wrote in a journal - this is essentially an online family journal for us. Each year I put a book together and have a hardback printed of the past year's events straight from this blog. Of course, I add things to the real book - details I wouldn't type here for the public.

Here is a picture of Jared on his baptism day with Larry. I forgot my camera (gasp!) when we went to the church so this is the best I have. Jared sure was excited that day and we were happy to be apart of it.

Weathering the storm

I guess this blog title applies to both things happening right now. Last night a storm rolled through and it was amazing! I caught some lightning with my camera, although not as cool as the pictures I got 2 years ago - still, I had a lot of fun on my back patio trying to predict where the next strike would happen. Here is my best....



Early this morning around 5am, I got another call from the hospital. They wanted me to be prepared to visit with a family and do remembrance photography for a newborn who has or will pass away. I wasn't clear on that details, but they will call me later today. I've been told there are two other babies on life support right now so this is 1 of 3 Angels whom I could be visiting very soon. It's the most I've ever had to worry about at one time. Normally I get them spaced out a few months apart. It still may be spaced out because I don't know how long these other two on life support will be in their current state. I am praying for a miracle for both of them.

My first Quinceanera

I finally put the finishing touches on my first Quinceanera photo shoot. I had a lot of fun, it was a fabulous party and the young lady was just beautiful! Here is a link to my photo blog for more.

This one is my favorite of the bunch, she looks like a princess.



A little back story, I wanted to try something new and asked a couple of my Hispanic friends if they knew anyone who would let me come and shoot. I offered to do it for free so I was sure to get something quick. May was a "blah" month for me so I knew I could fit this in. With only a months notice, I did book one and I'm so glad I had this experience.

Are women born this way?

I swear we are!



This made me laugh today, enjoy!

Never Forget

We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them. ~Francis A. Walker



Last Memorial Day, we started the annual family tradition of visiting the local cemetery to honor those who died for our freedom. We talk to the kids every year about the sacrifice men and women made to keep our country safe. We hope Jared and David will grow to appreciate our military as much as we do.

About the picture above, I spotted a couple that appeared to be having a moment of gratitude and remembrance... perhaps for a family member or friend. It was a touching moment that I felt like sharing.

It's great to be eight

Jared turned 8 today, he has the day off from school so it's a 4 day weekend. He had a nice birthday party, 8 kids came and they seemed to have fun. We played a couple of games, had some cake and ice cream. I tried my hand at making a double layer cake and it turned out well, it was certainly a learning experience and I know what I will do differently next time. It wasn't fancy by any means, but Jared loved it so that's all I care about.



8 things I love about Jared:

*I can get him to cuddle with me when we're watching a movie or sitting in church
*He is willing to try new foods (sometimes it takes some pep talks, but he has an open mind)
*He is a big helper when I need him
*His imagination is amazing, he can create a whole new world for David when they are playing
*He is so curious about the world and loves books
*I love his smile, I can just tell that he is a happy child
*He is so full of life! It can be overwhelming sometimes, but I appreciate his energy.
*He has a funny sense of humor

Geriatric Thirty

I've heard that my metabolism will magically start to slow down after I reach 30 years of age. Larry swears I have a few strands of gray hair and it was suggested that I start drinking Ensure. I love birthdays! I don't care if I get wrinkles because I'm sure Botox will become cheaper when I actually need it :)

Jared took a birthday picture of me today, he's certainly on his way to becoming a talented photographer. I actually like this picture of me..... but then again, I did plenty of photoshopping. I've decided I should have more pictures of myself because a wise person said something which I will share.....

1. In five years you will look five years older….you WILL look young in the pictures you take today!

2. Ten years ago I thought I was fat. Oh my goodness….I should have taken pictures THEN.

3. Your children look at you all day long. THEY know what you look like. They won’t care how you look in the picture. ~ The Pioneer Woman (www.thepioneerwoman.com)

So there you have it!

Last night, Larry surprised me by cleaning the entire house, he mowed and edged the lawn before I got home from a long day of photo shoots. Now that's a birthday present! Today he also surprised me with an ice cream cake (let's hope my metabolism waits until tomorrow to slow down).



Earlier this week, I won 3rd place in a local photo contest for this photo below. I took it at my parents house, they have a giant lilac bush in the backyard (my favorite scent in the world) and there were hard working bees. I used the opportunity to test out my macro skills, it sure was fun.

Working hard

I thought I'd throw this last picture in of the boys shoveling rocks into a wheel barrow. The guys who unloaded the rocks enjoyed watching the boys try so hard. They got little jobs throughout the day and when they weren't playing, they were pretty good workers.