summer eveing, july

8 of 52

Week's recap (thus far)- I am antsy, like literally. I feel like I am all pent up and there is something wiggling its way about all over me (not just in the belly, which by the way is INSANE with activity these days)

I have my energy back, this is good- but I better figure out where to send it soon or I might go a little bonkers.

I am getting ready to take a week away from work, from my boys. To make art in the middle of nowhere. I think this may explain part of my anxiety. I am both totally excited and scared to death to leave my boys for that long.

O had a crazy melt down last night, about 40 minutes before this shot. He was sobbing and freaking out and gave himself hic-ups he was so upset. I wish I knew better how to handle moments like these. I let him freak for a bit since he wanted me to hold him but I wasn't allowed to sit down-he is getting hard for me to hold while standing and it isn't much of an option at times. I just scooped him up at one point and snuggled him on the couch, telling him to just breathe- slow and steady. I don't know if he understands but I learned somewhere along the lines during yoga that the breathe is contagious. I just started taking long slow breathes until he copied me and he calmed down.
Trains and bubbles seemed to fix things as well (and yes, bubble juice eating too) Along with some cheese ravs, without the sauce- thank you very much.

A blessing...

This beautiful belly (which I have photographed before) is full of baby once again. I was honored to be a part of the blessing yesterday.



If you are interested in having any henna work done please contact me and I can put you in contact with Kim, the artist.She does more then just bellies and was recently featured in the Reno News and Review doing a bridal blessing. As you can see, her work is beautiful. And if you are interested in documenting the amazing artistic process,I would be happy to tag along and take pictures!

Corner View: Favorite Dish

Wow, this week is hard one to narrow down for me, favorite dish? I don't think I have just one! I am a big fan of food. I like to cook it and I like to eat it. But what really makes food taste good is love.
And for me there never are 'too many cooks in the kitchen'- creating in a kitchen full of people is what really makes a a meal over the top amazing, and is part of the whole experience.








~~~~For more corner view hop on over to Jane's for the linkage.

And DON'T FORGET, there is still plenty of time to enter in the give-away for one of my journals! Heck you might just want this one to keep track of all the amazing food you see on today's CV tour!!!

Here and not here

My new "niece" is here.
She is beautiful and sweet.
She took a while to join us, almost 29 hours of work her mama had to do.
She is big, 9lbs + a little more and 21 inches long.

I got to hold her yesterday. She opened her eyes for me and squeaked and squawked at me a little and I think she might just recognize my voice (and my giggle...) I am in love with her sweet little face and her wrinkled spaghetti toes.

I will post pictures as soon as I make sure mama and papa don't mind.

My turn next....

(in the waiting room at the hospital- photo taken by Em's mom)

I will keep you posted.
I am a week and 2 days from my EDD. Could be any time now.

next phase...

UPDATE: Aug. 20th
just got a phone call, she's in labor.
the doula has been with her and hubby, at the house since 2am this morning.
I pulled the "Birth" angel card this morning, so I had a hunch things were happening
a baby, there is a baby on its way.

UPDATE: Aug. 18th
no baby yet....
we were hoping the full moon would do it, nope.
we were hoping the dinner filled with fresh basil and garlic (in.every.single.part.of.the.meal) would do it, nope
we were hoping the jump into Donner Lake would do it, nope.
....maybe since today is baby-daddy's birthday, that will be the trick.

more new soon (hopefully)

~~~~~~
My best friend is probably going into labor right now- I spoke to her last night and things are progressing and I can't even tell you the way I feel inside...



My giggle twin might just have her babe in her arms by the end of the weekend and I will have a new niece/nephew to love and take pictures of and watch grow up. I am giddy with excitement. Jealous, in the very best way (with happiness) that she is at the place she is right now... (I am ready to be there, to meet my little one, to give birth and to be a mama)
~~~
Here is strength for you Em,
here is release for you Em,
here is opening for you Em,
here is so much love that my heart might burst for you and
here is a big huge heap of energy and breathe for you, for the remainder of this phase...
(and also a few tears, because I just can't hold it back much longer-
WE ARE GOING TO BE MAMAS!! )
I am so glad I get to share this journey with you.

The Giggle Twins aka BFFs

We are 5 months apart, that's it. I remember telling the checker at the grocery store when I was little that I had a sister, but she had different parents then me and we had different color eyes- oh yeah, she was also a lot taller than me too. We spent a ton of time together as babies and toddlers- we were dubbed the "giggle twins" by our parents. I remember sitting at the dinner table trying to eat but having uncontrollable laughter, or there was the time we got the giggles when we were at church one Sunday morning- I think we had to get up and leave, we may have even gotten her mom in on the act too. it's contagious.

When I was 5 my mom got a new job and I moved away... We didn't go to the same grade school or the same middle school, but we stayed fast friends never the less. Spending summers camping at Jackson Meadows with her family or going to day camp over summer break while my mom traveled back east to see her family. When I was 2 years shy of finishing up high school we were finally back in the same town, sticking together as friends like always. Sharing a locker and hanging out at and after football games.

We journeyed off to college to separate parts of the state- fell in love, fell out of love. Learned and lived- sometimes in touch and sometimes not so much. Seeing each other over summer break and holidays was what seemed to work best on the college student budget. I moved back home and about 2 or 3 years later so did she. She was my made of honor when I walked down the isle and just this January I got to return the favor.

Now we are on a new journey together-


Our babies will be much closer in age, maybe 2weeks apart if the due dates are right.



I am so happy to have her around and to bring in a new generation of the "Giggle Twins".


Love you Em!

new news

It's been busy around here.
We were in the Bay Area for the weekend celebrating a life that has past and three new lives on the way. (My cousin in-law is due in July with twin girls) It was a beautiful time. There was a lot of laughter and I do have to admit tears as well.

Every day I become more and more aware how blessed I am to have such an amazing group of people that I can call my family. Something has finally clicked and I feel not so much an "out-law" as I once did with my husband's family. They are a generous bunch of (mostly) ladies that have invited me into their circle and made me feel like one of their own. It is really special.


On Suday at the shower they had for me, I received almost all the decor and linens for the nursery. I am loving it and can hardly wait to see it all come together once we get the furniture in the room. I found this set over at Target and had to have it for the room. I like that it is gender neutral, isn't pastel colors and isn't over the top baby so it will last as the baby grows. I also received some really special hand made gifts and favorite things from the moms in the 'know'.



Things are going really well as far as the pregnancy goes. I feel the baby moving all the time now. Yesterday during a meeting my co-worker across the table from me saw the "kick". It makes me laugh almost every time it happens now. I think the weirdest part is when baby flips over or makes a huge shift in where it is. The feeling of it rotate is a total head trip.



I had a dream last night that the baby is a boy. Good thing we have agreed upon a boy's name...

I hope you are all doing well out there.
xo

cheese please

orange shadows

For Angela... because she can't get enough of the oj right now- filler up!

xoxox

you are here

What happens when you get two geographers and one engineer in a car together in a town they don't now? One would think you wouldn't ever, ever get lost... but what happens when you have a shitty map? Thing is when you are with friends, getting lost is half the fun. Maybe it is because my back ground is in geography I look at and create maps all day long. but....
In a "big picture" kinda way... we don't ever really have a "good map" do we? There is no map that shows us our path in life, no one way signs or off ramps to pull off on to fill up on gas and an ice cream cone.
One of my best friends just had a baby. Sure, lots of my friends have been procreating in the last year and a half, but this particular pregnancy/birth has hit home with me, hard. I had more emotions than with any other of my friends when she told me she was pregnant (I actually got stuck in bed, broken down and crying all day) HOWEVER, I have more joy and love in my heart once I heard the baby was born than I have with any other of my friends so far (I love all of the babes in my life, don't get me wrong.. All of them.) This one is just different.
Different because this is the woman, this new mom is the person who I left for college with. We shared a dorm and many silly freshman things together. Different because when I moved back home and she stayed away at school she would write poems in her letters and send them off to me and I would respond to her poem line by line and create a new poem in the letter I sent back. Different because we used to snowboard together, flying down the hill and over jumps with all sorts of wild in our hair and joy in our feet.
We have a connection, and yet we have gone through periods where we hardly know one anther at all. Where I am going with this is that the whole baby/mama thing has really been brought to me in a new light since she gave birth a mere 2 days ago today...
We have no idea what life is going to hand us, where our own map will lead. We can only make choices that, at the moment seem complete right and rational. We can make a left turn instead of a right. Head north instead of south. Sometimes choices are made for us and sometimes our brains just get in the way. I have no idea if Taya is reading this post today or ever will, but I want to put out to the universe to her that I love her. No matter how weird this last year has been for our friendship, that she is one of the most special people to me in the world.
There is no map for friendship, marriage or parenthood. But there are people who will hold your hand and walk with you when you find your way and when you get lost. Seeing a picture of the new mama and baby together, I believe Taya has found her way.
My hand is here for the holding when you need it, or if you don't.

I love you and M. and the new baby boy you have brought in this world...

mama mala

Being created at the motherhood celebration for one of my dearest friends to hold during the birth of her first baby.

A New Start

A new place.
Mostly, this blog will consist my photographs.
I would like this to be a quite place for me to grow as a photographer so not as many words as I used to put down.
Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Thank you for stopping by.