Quote of the day.

Just ran across this one and LOVE it. Thought I'd share......

"I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint -- and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you." --Oprah Winfrey

I hope my "fingerprint" is bringing others joy, each time they look at the photographs on their wall, of their children and families that I've photographed.

So... what's YOUR calling? What does YOUR fingerprint look like? I'm certain it's as unique as mine. :)

"They" lie.

"They" do, I know it. I'm convinced! All those books, those experts, those other moms, those grandmas. "They" all say, "By your second trimester you'll feel great... your morning sickness will have gone away, you won't be so tired, and you'll be sleeping better. All those early-pregnancy symptoms will have faded. You won't have to tee-tee every hour, and you will have your energy back!" Hmm, just one word fits here: LIARS!!! :) Or at least, as long as you're carrying a girl it seems, I dunno....

Mamas of little girls.... tell me the truth.... was your pregnancy flat-out TOUGH? Man oh man, this little girly is kickin' my behind! At 21 weeks, I'm still dealing with morning (+ evening) sickness. I'm exhausted... All. The. Time. And I'm up all night. I can't sleep, can't get comfortable. Even with three pillows plus a gigantic body pillow. Plus I've had a cold for a week, which is not making me any more cheerful. *sigh* So what's the deal? With my son, I was done with all this stuff by 14 weeks. I felt GREAT in my second trimester, I loooooved being pregnant, and I actually felt beautiful! This one? Umm, not so much. HA! Don't get me wrong... I love my little angel-girl to pieces already, there's no denying that! I'm excited for her to get here! And I think the bodies of expectant mothers are breathtaking just simply because of the miracle they are bringing forth. Really. I just like to complain every now and then. :)

Can any of you other Mamas relate?? Were your boy/girl pregnancies completely different? Could you tell any difference at all? If so, which was harder for YOU? Misery here would love some company. ;) Ahh, this too shall pass, right?!

Now, I recently photographed a FUN FUN FUN maternity session with a GORGEOUS mama (ahem, little boy inside that tummy!). I'll post some from her session tomorrow, since I'll be getting her gallery ready to go online. Hang tight, Amy! Almost ready!

Night, y'all. This preggo is going to bed.....

Me and my babies.

Okay, one more "us" image... I couldn't resist. :)

Parker helped me set this up... he saw me by the window setting up the camera and ran up to me saying, "Mah-muh, I wanna hay-elp. I'm a pher-tog-eh-fer too!!" Love him to pieces. (He is quite good with the camera phone, I must admit.) ;) Anyhow, he hugged me and said he wanted to snuggle with the baby. (Oh melt my heart, wouldja??) And THIS is the ONLY shot I got of us before he ran off to watch the Backyardigans again....

*sigh* Technically imperfect, yes, but ya know... sometimes those "rules" go out the window when you love someone so much, and the emotion of the photograph means more. And I DO, REALLY, REALLY love these two babies of mine. xoxox

~Contest results will be posted tomorrow!!! So don't go too far... ;)

"Mama, ask Jesus if it's a boy or a girl..... "

This has been our bedtime prayer routine for the past few weeks..... Parker: Mama, let's ask Jesus if our baby is a boy or a girl. Me (looking up at the ceiling): Okay... Hey, Jesus? Will Parker get a brother... or a sister? Parker (whispering excitedly): What did he say?? Me: He said we just have to wait and see. Parker: Aww. (sigh) Okay....

WELL, we had our ultrasound today, and... Parker doesn't have to wait anymore!!!!!!

Guess what's inside this tummy??

OUR LITTLE GIRL!!!!! :) Isn't she sweet? Our ultrasound was wonderful and from what we can tell, she is perfect! About 11 ounces, and between 10-12 inches long. Wow! And I'm exactly halfway to her birth... I'm 20 weeks pregnant now. Parker has watched the DVD of the ultrasound twice since we've been home. Bless his heart! Honestly, if this little girl is half as sweet as her big brother, Chris and I will be the most blessed parents in the universe! xoxo

Anyhow, we are over the moon with our good news!! Thank you everyone, for your well wishes so far. We are all three so excited! Now... I've gotta get me some "girly stuff", as Parker calls it. We don't have a STITCH of pink in this whole house!

Oh, and I have to confess..... I've had a feeling that it was a girl the entire pregnancy. I've been waaaay more nauseous with this one (and for a much longer time!) than I was with Parker, and really.... no little boy would do his mama this way!! Ahh, the girly drama begins.

Here we are!!

All four of us. :)

Yep, our first family photo! Our little one is due to arrive "on or around" June 22, 2008. ;) We will hopefully be able to find out whether we're bringing a boy or a girl into the world, by the end of the month.

I have more client sessions to share with you... soon.... so stay tuned!!

Apparently, the Wise Men were Notre Dame fans....

My funny kid. I declare, he makes me laugh, HARD, at least once every day. Today I walked by the coffee table, where I've put out my Nativity set (one of my FAVORITE gifts from last Christmas!!). I noticed something funny.... one of the wise men was wearing a football helmet!!! I almost spit out my drink!

See for yourself.... ;)

Aren't little boys the FUNNIEST creatures ever?!?! I don't know what in the world I'd do without my little prankster. Love his heart!

And here's a "bokeh" shot of my Christmas tree. I've really been into these types of images lately... (fyi, "bokeh" is the photography term for "out of focus points of light" such as these.) I find this sort of thing fascinating!!

Until next time!!! :)

It's MY Birthday this time!

Yep.  I'm old today.  ;)  Not really... I still feel like I'm in my twenties most of the time, and that's all that counts, right???  But alas, I'm officially "in my thirties" now.  Not just 30.  IN my thirties.  *big sigh* I had a wonderful birthday though!  My sweet husband brought me roses to work, my darling son sang "Haaaappy Birrrrtdaaay to ya-uuuu" (yes, that's written in plain "Southern"... can't you tell?) at least seven times to me throughout the day and evening.  We baked homemade Birthday Brownies tonight.  Oh my gosh..... the Barefoot Contessa's Outrageous Brownies (see, I was only kidding about my brownies-out-of-a-box!).  If you don't have the recipe yourself, then shame on you.  These brownies are out of this world.  Go get the recipe book, or download/print that link above!!!  They're wonderful.  Sinfully rich and oh so chocolatey, you can honestly only eat one or you'll pass out from pure bliss.  ;)

I also got a Shootsac for my birthday!!! Soooo excited, I can't wait until Fedex brings it to me! Perhaps the best part, was my birthday card from Parker. I overheard he and Daddy whispering together, so I tiptoed into the living room to catch this.....

Love their hearts. Then Parker ran up to me and presented me with this beautiful card.... a drawing of our little family. (Well, yes, Daddy helped him a little.) ;)

Parker even drew in a very little-known detail about Mama.... can you find it?? ;)

Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE my two boys???? Ohhhh... I love them to pieces.