A New Venture (maybe)... and my FIRST Giveaway!!!

I've been thinking about my passions in life. My children have taken the place of the horses. Hopefully, some day (well into the future), horses will once again be in my daily life. I loved making a living off of my passion, riding, teaching, training... and I have been wondering, could I make a business out of any of my other passions?

I began to think about photography. I LOVE photography. I probably should have been a photography major instead of a graphic design major. I did take a black and white photography course as an elective the summer of 1999. I had mono that summer (it was a total drag). Savannah was extra hot. But, I loved that class. That was when digital cameras were poor quality (not to mention extremely expensive), and everything was done with film. The main reason I didn't switch majors was simple intimidation of the equipment. You had to check out several different kinds of big scary cameras and process photos in all different ways. In dark rooms. With chemicals. Experimenting. Scary.



Now, the digital age has arrived. Hooray! I can process photos on my computer in the comfort of my bedroom. Maybe my graphic design degree won't go to total waste... oh, by the way, if you clicked on the graphic design link, my lovely alma mater did NOT have *this* when I was there [turning green with envy]... however I was on the inaugural SCAD Equestrian Team. Lots of memories, none of which are in a fancy multi-million dollar facility. But I digress.

I have been thinking about starting a mini-photography business. Maybe there are families who want affordable, quality photos without that studio look? Something more relaxed and unique. However, part of me wonders if I would get any interest, or if the venture would be a flop. The good thing is I have almost no overhead cost since I already have the camera and the computer. Plus, I have enough Sony points to get a couple of free new goodies for my camera to pump it up a little.

I'd love some input. I'm sort of on the fence about this. I would only take on a few sessions a month (if I actually get any clients). It would be fun. A creative outlet that I miss in my life. As much as I enjoy taking photographs of my own children, I would love some new material, so to speak.

Now for the good stuff. GIVEAWAY!!!! I am going to pick one random person to get a photo shoot free for their immediate family... this includes digital (Photoshop) processing and a cd of the 15 best pictures!!! Sure, you will be my guinea pig, but hey, FREE photos, right?! Unfortunately, this is limited to people within Davidson County, NC (or people willing to travel here). So, if you live in the area and want a chance to win, just comment on this post by midnight on Sunday, July 5th. If you mention my giveaway on your blog and link people to this post, you get a SECOND entry! (Be sure to let me know you mentioned the giveaway). I hope you win ;-)

I love my camera, and Isaac rocked at the swim meet.

Isaac swam in his first swim meet of the summer. He placed 1st in the "boys 6 and under" backstroke, and 2nd in the extended 50 M. freestyle (which is 2 laps). GOOOOO, Isaac!!! I am so pleased with his hard work!

And here are several photos of the events, and another reason why I LOVE my camera :-)

Shredding it off?

Okay, I don't want to bore you with my sad saga of unfitness, but too bad, confession is good for the soul. The fact of the matter is I love food (especially cheesy fattening food), and my metabolism is not what it once was. I am aware after two weeks of my New Year's "resolution" to get fit, I fell off that torturous wagon. It was cold outside, and I got tired of walking in the dark (literally). And the Y is impossible with 4 kids in tow.

While I don't hate my body, and have gotten comfortable as a size 14, I know I would feel BETTER as a size 12, dare I hope 10? (Even at my slimmest, I am never smaller than a 10...darn you child bearing hips.) I probably could go on in life somewhat satisfied in my size 14 jeans if it weren't for my mom who instilled it in my head that I should be smaller healthier. (Mom, this isn't a bad thing, so don't take it the wrong way.) I should want to be healthier, and my extra layer of fat does not need to take permanent residency.


SO, for the past 6 weeks or so, I have been walking 3 miles, four times a week with Nanet. I get up at 6:20 and walk for about 45 minutes, monstrous hills included. It feels great to sweat first thing in the morning. But alas, I have not noticed much change in my physique. At least I know I am slightly fitter than before, right?




Ah, but there is that annoying ever-present desire to shrink my waistline. Enter, Jillian. You know her, right? That crazy trainer from the Biggest Loser? Well, she has a cult following because of her dvd, 30 Day Shred. She uses interval training to shred off those extra inches. I'm a sucker for a possible fix to my problem, and I hopped on Amazon and ordered it.

Starting today, I will begin my 30 Day Shred, ugh. I'll let you know in a month if Jillan gets a thumbs up, or thumbs down. Now, if I could only resist the cheesy fatty goodness of food. Mmmmm. Cheesy.

D-A-D

Happy Father's Day to my babies' daddy! Thank you for all you do... patient, kind, creative... you pick up where I fall short, I could not do this parenting thing without you. You keep me sane, you keep the kids happy. You are their hero, their rock, their security. I hope your day is extra special.
Love,
Your babies' mama.

Bubby Boy... 1 Year Old

While he is still a month shy of being a fully baked one year old (he was 6 weeks premature), the Little Man is just blooming at a staggering rate! At his 12 month well-check he weighed in right at 21 pounds and measured 28.5 inches. This put him somewhere in the lower percentiles, like the 25th percentile if I remember correctly. He is by far my smallest one year old to date.



His build is solid and almost muscly. Probably because he is always moving. He has been clocked at 20 m.p.h. while crawling. Okay, slight exaggeration, but he is crazy fast at crawling. His little hiney sways back and forth like a fish tail, and his hands turn in like a chimp. It's very cute. Little Man is cruising well, and even tries walking while holding onto my hands, but he hasn't learned to bend at the knee, so his walk looks something like a pirate with 2 peg legs.

Little Man has the best chuckle. His verbal skills are quickly growing... favorite words include: Mama, "Ba" (ball), ""bu" (up), "Da" (all done), bye bye, "da" (dog), and his newest is Dada, much to the delight of a certain man of the house.



Little Man is obsessed with balls. Seriously. Obsessed. But maybe all boys are at this stage. Isaac was. And I remember when Isaac was about 18 months old I would have to steer clear of the big thing of balls at the Wal-mart to avoid a "ball meltdown." Even if he saw it in the distance, there would be a tantrum to follow.



The great outdoors is a good way to keep the Little Man happy. He loves to be outside, and has a new found love of the swimming pool. Even if it does make him turn purple and shivery. He is not at all a laid back sort of baby. My girls were so laid back, and still are... ah, I miss laid back. But, Little Man keeps me on my toes. He still remains a hardcore Mama's boy.

We have made the guest room in the basement his official nursery for the time being. I love it. He loves it. And best of all he sleeps really well. Solidly. From 8:00 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. usually. Two naps on most days, or one really long nap.



Little Man eats well. Scrambled eggs, applesauce, bananas, and cheese sandwiches are favorites these days. Anything too adventurous makes for some scary diapers, and then result in a terrible looking rear end. Not fun. So, we stick to the bland and ordinary menus for now.

Climbing has become a new pastime. He loves to scale the stairs, and has been found climbing into chairs as seen below. Never mind that two seconds after I took these photos he fell on his head while reaching for something. He is still learning about gravity. Hopefully that life-lesson will click soon.





I know this is a longish post. I could go on and on about this precious child. He truly is a MIRACLE. All that he went through in utero and his first 6 months of life... we expected the worst. Testing, therapies, bonding issues, health problems (okay he had reflux and has asthma), delays across the board, etc. However, he shows almost NO SIGNS of problems as a result from his Birth Mom's poor choices. And the asthma is only a speculated result of cigarette use. Little Man has beaten the odds and proves that GOD is bigger than statistics.

We love you Bubby Boy. Our sweet Little Man. Our lives would be incomplete without you... we are certain God purposefully placed you in our family. I am so thankful He did! I look forward to watching you grow and learn, all while reminding us of God's great love and mercy.

Kristin Speech Update

I realize most of you aren't interested in this, but since this blog is a way to keep family members, as well as friends who happen to be SLPs (Tracy) informed... bear with me. Last week I went to Amos Cottage in Winston to have Kristin's speech and hearing further tested. All the testing is FREE through the Child Development Service Agency (CDSA), and because of our income level and the number of kids in our home, all therapies are free as well! Yay, tax payers!

I love our service coordinator, Lori, who is really sweet and understanding. She basically has walked me through everything and makes sure all paper work is completed and appointments are scheduled.

As for the testing at Amos Cottage, Kristin passed the hearing tests, so hearing is not a concern. The speech was accessed by a CDSA SLP (Speech/Language Pathologist), who was also very nice. After an hour or so of testing, she determined the following:
Kristin demonstrated a moderate to severe articulation/phonological disorder characterized by several phonological processes and overall decreased speech intelligibility in spontaneous speech. Receptive and expressive language skills were within normal limits. Voice, fluency, and oral motor skills were also within the normal range.

Hopefully in the next week or so we will be contacted by our speech therapist and start her weekly visits to our home (how nice is that). I am so glad I sought help, it puts my mind at ease to know she can benefit from therapy. Maybe in another 6 months we'll be able understand the child! Won't that be fun? :-)

Oops...

didn't mean to spew on you. Life is better today. God has been very gracious and merciful to Little Man and myself. You can read more on my adoption blog if you have access (leave me a comment with your email if you want access).

And on a totally different topic... do you think Isaac will need braces? Well, they're straight enough, but we might need to look into filing down those canines. But seriously, he has one permanent tooth coming in sideways... yikes!

Spewing in Progress.

It's been a day. A day of frustrations in court. A day of disappointment as I learned we have another month of waiting... another month of "what ifs." It's been a day of blessings as God spoke softly to my heart in court, my mom babysat and brought me lunch, and a dear friend so sweetly allowed me an afternoon of peace and told me my son was a joy to have over. It's been a day of weariness. Utter. Tear-filled. Weariness.

Part of me wants to run. Part of me wants to throw my hands up in defeat. Part of me says life was so much EASIER before kids. Before fostering. Before allowing my heart to to live outside my body in the form of 4 little children.

As I sit here and listen to some music on Pandora, Three Little Birds (Bob Marley) came on... oddly a fairly biblical song. The lyrics, "Don't worry about a thing, 'cause every little thing gonna be alright," repeats over and over. Reminds me of Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. And Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

I believe those two verses are going to have to be meditated on a great deal in the next month. As my mind goes to bad places... places where my son is put in danger, ripped out of my arms forever. Wondering how I would survive such a blow, how I would scrape myself off of the floor, how I would not suffocate in grief. God is my rock, my fortress. I simply say that over and over. He loves my Little Man more than I ever could. God is bigger than all of this. HE is the judge. HE is the one in the driver's seat. Why should I worry or fear?

So, here I sit. Longing for completion. But I know once we are "done" with this particular journey, we will set ourselves on another, whatever that may be. God did not make me to sit in leisure, idling my motor. Don't get me wrong... there are moments I question which road to take. The one filled with potholes surrounded by beautiful scenery, or the freshly paved road that has nothing but concrete walls to gaze upon? I pray I never choose the concrete view.

Beep, beep. Who's got the keys to the Jeep? Vrrooooom.

I realize the majority of my blog readers won't get the above Missy Elliot reference. I'm okay with that. These pictures simply put that song in my head. Yes, I know he's not driving a Jeep. But he is so stinkin' cute, and he makes those little motor noises with his mouth, and actually tries to steer the car. Lovin' this Little Man. The first photo is another new favorite of mine.

Big Week

Facing a big week in court regarding our Little Man. I'll be in court tomorrow, and hopefully Thursday as well. Praying after Thursday we will have some completion. I so badly want this to be done and for our Little Man to have a new name. Our name. Resting in God's perfect timing.

A Wedding

A few weeks back, we had the pleasure of attending our pastor's daughter's nuptials. I have known Lynette since she was a 10th grader and she was in my high school girls Bible study group. Oh, fun times. Lynette always kept things interesting with her crazy cool sense of humor. And now she is married. Crazy. It was a beautiful ceremony, and a wonderful picture of what I hope my children will someday look forward to.



Because my kiddos love love love a reason to get dressed all fancy-like (not weird for a little girl, but a 6 year old boy?), they were eager to spend their afternoon at church. When they found out ice cream would be involved, well, they were in heaven... until they were done with the ice cream and proceeded to ask if we could leave every 2 minutes thereafter.



Lauralyn wore her princess dress handcrafted by the one and only Nanut. Fancy Shmancy. It is a beautiful dress and Nanut spent a lot of time to make it so fabulous. Lauralyn had some quality time with her best bud, Corinna.



Isaac was not so fortunate in finding a friend to hang out with. He tolerated the girls.



We had an extra baby that weekend. Adorable Baby T stayed with us while her foster parents celebrated their anniversary. She was delightfully easy and beautiful. She even like Noah :-)



I told Isaac and Lauralyn that I would pay them a quarter to pose as if they actually like each other.



Lauralyn was much more agreeable than Isaac.



Finally! And when I looked at this photo on the computer, I couldn't get over how similar they look. No mistaking the genetics here.

Thank you Lynette and Michael for a lovely afternoon. God bless you on this new journey you have begun together!

5 Minutes with Kristin's Thoughts

Granny, open up! Where are you?!



["Kristin, Granny is out of town."]

Noooooooo! She must be here, she must, she must!



["Kristin, it's okay, look who's walking down the street."]

Hmmm? Who is it?



It's Grandad! And Isaac, and Lauralyn!!



Wait! I'll come to you!



I'm running! I'm running! I'm running!



I won't trip, I won't fall, I won't trip, I won't fall.



Almost there!



Grandad!



Life is good.



Come here, Mommy, let me show you how I can use the hose.



[Two seconds later, I was fairly soaked.]