remember when i was a workin' girl??

my senior year of college jake and i invested in a 'starter' camera...i really wanted to learn enough to be able to take good photos when we started having babies:)  that year for my birthday my mom payed for me to take a photography class at a local school and i FELL IN LOVE!!  i started BEGGING people to let me take photos of their kids and families just so i could get more and more practice...then all of a sudden people wanted to PAY ME to take their photos...what?!?  it was all kinda taking off ahead of me...i wasn't ready for that...i was just having fun...BUT we were also trying to get out of debt at the time so i though what an amazing opportunity that has seemed to just fall in my lap to help us get out of debt faster!!!  so i went to photo seminars, i went to a small business class in our city, bought some nicer equipment and traveled 4 hours a way to have a photography business bootcamp with a photographer i really admired.  Jake and i then set up a super cute website and i was set!!!  I started getting quite a few shoots a month and even some weddings! I was still working full time on top of taking photos, but i kinda thought this might be the perfect part time career once we have babies!  Well about a year into my business, jake and i come home from a doing a wedding in Texas(where i felt 'off' the whole weekend) and i found out i was pregnant!!  Totally exciting!....but i immediately start getting sick!  So sick that i would come home every evening from work lay down on the couch and not move until bed! Good thing that wedding was for a very good friend because it took me about 2 months to get her wedding edited and out to her!  I had to start turning down jobs because i was so sick...and i finally decided to 'take a break' from jobs and focus on growing this baby so i did my last wedding 7 months before piper was born, with full intentions to get back into it:)   weeeeellll i didnt:(  i got busy with babies....babies that i love so very much!  anyway all that to say...a few months ago Jared(our lead pastor) asked me to do some family photos for a church mailer and for Frisco Fields Church website!!!! i was so nervous!!! but i think they turned out ok!!

THEN....a few weeks ago a couple in our church who needed new headshots for their business asked ME to do them!!!  i assured them that i was totally out of practice and they could completely throw them out if they didn't like them!  well i guess they did because they are up on their website!  www.freshstartfrisco.com 

books i am attempting to read...

I am reading this book for my Monday mornings MOM's group bible study. I have not read much of it yet...but I think it will be a really great study. Now that we have a little one that God has in trusted jake and I to train up ...this study will be really good for me, to beable to put the boundries on our familys lives that will keep our family heathy and happy.

with out getting to personal ;)....jake and I have prayerfully decided to not use birth control (since about our 3 year anniversary). I have serious control issues...so God has really challenged me on this issue. But we believe that God has much better plans for our family then we could ever "plan". I know that someday God will give us a feeling of peace that our family is complete...but who are we to decide at this point that 2 or 3 or 4 or 5...and so on is the "right number". I also trust that God will not give us what we can not handle :) So I am doing all I can to prepare for what God might have in store for us...and this is a great book for it! Everything from fitting a large family in small spaces...to great large family vacations...and much more....its great!

AMAZING!!! I am an attachment parenting advocate. I believe its the best way to parent. I believe its the best way to foster the relationship i want Jake and I to have with our children. I think its the best way to teach them how to treat people with compassion and respect. I LOVE this book... and I think every parent should read this!

yummmm...

Piper helped me make blueberry scones this afternoon. to bad she could not taste the fruits of her labor ;) maybe in another 6 months pipie! :)

Birthday Part two...

So the birthday present from my dad that i mentioned in an earlier post....drum roll please.... A RAISED BED (GARDEN)....I told my dad (i think last fall) that i really wanted to have a garden with veggies and herbs, but i didn't know where to start...so being the horticulturist he is...he got right on it :) he researched and built me a raised bed for my birthday!! He came to town yesterday (he lives over 3 hours, so this was a treat in of itself) finished putting the liner and such in and then we went shoppin' for what veggies we wanted....we got....tomato's, cherry tomato's, jalapenos, bell peppers, potato's, and lots of strawberries!!! YUMMY!! It was so fun and i CAN NOT WAIT until my veggies start growing!! WHO NEEDS THE FARMERS MARKET!! ok i will probablly still go...but not for tomato's, peppers, potato's or strawberries thats for sure!! ;) I will definately be adding lots of posts on the development of the garden so stay tuned!!

MAMAste

Last night i started prenatal yoga...i wish i had started sooner!!! My friend Jennifer (who i had mentioned in the last post...btw...its a girl!!) and I car pooled down to the art of yoga studio, for the Monday nights prenatal class...IT WAS WONDERFUL!! we worked on flexibility, lots of "pelvic floor" exercises, labor techniques and breathing and relaxation techniques. It was also wonderful to have fellowship with all these other mommas who believe and want the same things for pregnancy and birth as I do! I will be going 2 days a week, Mondays nights and Friday mornings. And an added bonus, my friend Lauren is teaching the Friday morning classes!!

i heart senior photoshoots!!

I get so pumped when someone gives me the opportunity to do what I love!! Every time I come home from a shoot, I say that it was the best one yet!! so they just keep getting better and better and I always learn something new! Click here to see the whole slide show!! Right click on the video for full screen :)

preview for brittney...

WOW I have not even made a dent in the over 300 photos I took of Brittney on Saturday!! Here is a little preview just for you Brittney :) Having a senior cheerleader in one of the worst parts of OKC was quite the experience....i wish we would have counted all the honks ;)

I have been waiting for this moment all summer!....

Make sure to scroll down and pause the music on my cute little Ipod before playing the video:)...

in need of a new look....

YEAH!! Heather started a blog!! Go check it out!

www.heathercherry.blogspot.com

It looks SO awsome that it has inspired me to do a blog overhaul! :)

ATTENTION experienced bloggers....i need some suggestions to make this blog totally RAD!!.....

SYTYC Dance, Dance, Dance....

All year I look forward to the new season of So You Think You Can Dance.....and this was an AMAZING season....there were always 4 or 5 dancers i just couldn't choose from...they were all just so so so good!!! From the beginning I kept calling Katee to win... But every week falling more and more in love with Joshua!! Joshua...was this tough exterior street dancer....that was really a complete cry baby who even had training in ballet.... how could you not fall in love with that!! And apparently America did...because they voted for him....a lot!! HE WON!!! I am so happy for him....Ohh and Katee was the top girl :) Well most of the season they were partners, which was just a killer team that no one could compare to!! I have added a youtube clip of about a mid-season hip-hop that was my absolute favorite dance!!! For all of you who don't watch SYTYCD I added a full clip...so that you can learn a bit about Katee and Joshua....but the most awesome dance (i think) of the season is at about 2:00. ENJOY!!!

off to float the river... the wonderful river of illinois

OK it doesn't have the same exact ring to it....but that is what we are doing. We leave early tomorrow morning to head down to the Illinois river to go float it and camp....We are using the same tent that I have used for like probably over 15 years, so we will see how things hold up ;) Come back after the weekend for photos!!!

I just had to add a photo to this post....my hubby and his favorite past time ;)