Lots to say and haven’t had the time to say it!? It’s been a bit since I wrote a kids post so here comes a long one filled with funny funny kid stuff (okay may be anti-climatic stuff to YOU but funny to mom and dad!)? First though, I have to back track all the way to January.? In January, we celebrated Ty’s seventh birthday and Tori’s 3rd birthday.? I thought it would be fun to make their favorite characters this year so Ty got cookie monster and Tori got Alice in Wonderland.? Jodi and I took a Wilton cake baking class when Tanner was a baby and it was so much fun.? Not something I have any time for though so every once in awhile, Jodi and I have a playdate and decorate together.? I was glad to have her help with this little project and I was pretty proud of our work.? Wasn’t sure we were going to pull off cookie monster but it worked out pretty good (I thought:).? Saw a picture online and tried to imitate the idea.

Quick Business Stuff

Last year in the late winter/early spring, business was going about at a nice workable pace.? Assuming this was a seasonal trend, I scheduled 3 family shoots for the month of March (“family shoots” meaning my siblings/nieces/nephews which I am looking so forward to by the way).? But then I went on to book six more clients in March and five in April.? That makes a grand total of NINE for March.? Yikes.?? I couldn’t say no to the babies and now…well…I am trying to reign it back in and am a little buried over here (thus my slow email response to my sweet friends).?? Motherhood is my true full time job.? Add that to home schooling and I really need to limit my business during this season of my life.? My goal is to take 2 or 3 clients a month with a max occasionally of 4 and a bit more in the Fall.?? What I did not realize two years ago before being a business owner, was that every shoot takes? anywhere from 12 to 15 hours of my time.? Yes really.? When you calculate prep time, emails, phone calls, accounting, ordering, shoot set up and take down (for newborns and babies), travel, packaging, and hours of processing – that is where the numbers end up.?? I spend more time in processing than many photographers because, for my style, that is where the art is and I love doing it.? It’s a time consuming job though and trying to do it in less time probably wouldn’t satisfy me so it is what it is.

I am not complaining.? I am grateful for the business I have had this year and am very appreciative to all my friends and clients who have and are referring me.? THANK YOU!? I really enjoy this – I love the time getting to know people and cuddling babies.

I openly admit that newborn clients tend to get prioritized so I try to leave more openings for them however, I can’t even slip anymore newborns in.? All this to say – I am booking in May and June right now.? Just thought I would FYI you on that.? 🙂

Enough of that stuff…

Tanner Stuff

Okay technically this is about Noah.? :)? He was over last week and when he was leaving he says to me “Aunt Sissy Tanner has a much better sense of humor since I have come back from North Carolina”. Brooke responds with “Why is that Noah?? Does Tanner seem funnier to you now?”?? And Noah says…

“No.? He thinks I am funnier.”

Brooke and I laughed so hard.? I am still laughing about that.? Um…is that Daniel or what?? And yes brother – I think you are SO funny.?? You make me laugh harder than anyone I know and I am glad to know your little apple didn’t fall far.

Tanner is doing great.? He just keeps changing so much now that he is coming up on 10.? I can’t wait to see him in the big brother role with another newborn.? He is going to do awesome.? Gosh he is sweet.? Sweet sweet sweet.? I love him to pieces and enjoy him more and more all the time.? I spent 2 hours teaching him to do dishes last week.? He fussed a bit about this new responsibility (because he is slow at it) but he actually has decided he likes dishes better than many other chores and he does a shockingly good job.? (Dare I say it often looks better than when I do it?)? He likes the counters and table to sparkle.? I learned this week that Tanner prefers tasks that give him a real sense of accomplishment.? He told me that he likes dishes the best because he likes how good it looks when he is done.? In this area, he reminds me of Daniel.? I HATED to do dishes with Daniel because he was SO SLOW!? I was convinced that he did it on purpose because he knew I was so impatient I would sooner kick him out of the kitchen than work with him (and eventually I did refuse to work with him and handled dishes ALONE).? However, the ironic thing is Daniel must like doing dishes now because he is doing dishes a lot when we are talking on the phone.? He has even been known to clean my sink and has done a “sparkle” kind of job on it.

Tanner is loving his daily “research” time and now does it completely on his own.?? He researched zebras this week and wrote a small paragraph for me full of the points that interested Tanner.? I have learned I have to be careful asking him for “interesting” facts because he takes that seriously and gets frustrated with basic facts that are not, in his estimation, “interesting”.? Such a cute kid.

He has been helping me with my shoots more and more and is really “getting” the reflector.? It’s been fun to work with him.? He likes earning a little cash out of it too.? I don’t pay my kids for household chores but I figure my work stuff is bonus – not their responsibility – so I give them a little incentive.

Ty Stuff

Ty wrote his very first email this week.? He still struggles with handwriting ( a LOT ) but typing is working out great.? He loves story starters and uses those everyday to write me a few sentences on the computer.? Here was his letter to Grandma

Deer grama and ghrampa

Thanc you for the money I am goini to spend it on a game.? and thank you for the books.? the booble head was funy.? I love you love ty.

right me back.

There was a bobble head character in the Skippy John Jones book and that is what he was referencing.? We had to fix the spelling errors and capitalization when he was done but I had to keep a copy of his interpretation.? Too cute.? For the most part, his spelling is really pretty decent for first grade I think.

I have been giggling at him this week because I have noticed that his first question about ANY event is what food will be served.? He makes his choice based on food selection.? :)?? Jim and Tanner were going to go to a gun show.? Ty was interested only if there would be good food vendors there.? Said the same thing about the baseball game.

He keeps wearing formal black socks pulled up with shorts and it looks so silly.? Can’t figure out his attraction to that selection but rarely do I take the time to refashion the attire.

I was talking with my brother Darin this evening and he told me that he and Josh were talking to a friend of their’s (who I don’t know) and Ty walks up to this guy and starts tickling the man’s stomach.? The guy casts an inquisitive look at my brother (naturally) and Darin says “Uh…have you met my nephew Ty?”?? LOL.? How do you explain that?? You just have to know Ty.??? It just wouldn’t occur to him NOT to do that.? I just smile when these things happen.? I told my mom tonight that Ty really gives me an insight into who people really are by the way that they treat him.? Those that look upon him with patience and tenderness and appreciation for all the he is – I love those people and it says quite a lot about their character.? When I watch a person fall in love with Ty, I fall in love with them because they are always the kind of person I want to be associated with.

Tori Stuff

Three is a funny funny age and I love it!? First my favorite for the week…

Jim and I both love Martin Short.? Pure Luck and Clifford are way up on our funny movies list.? Our kids have watched Clifford several times over lately and, like us, love it.? Tanner and I were doing dishes this week and Tori walks in, looks at Tanner and says

“Are you out of your tree sir?”

That will only be hysterically funny to you if you are a Clifford fan.? My family will smile for sure.

She is loving to sing Jesus Loves Me, ABC’s (which is all wrong), and Ring around the Rosies.? She sings it “Pack a rollie cozy ashes ashes we all fall down”.?? Tanner, (already halfway through the second history book? I bought him this year) had to tell us this week that the song she is singing is really about the plague and it’s a sad song.? :)? Packing a rollie Cozy though?? How great is that?? Unfortunately, she has figured out that Cozy is wrong and is trying to say pac a rollie rosie now – which is quite sad really.? I much prefer rollie Cozys to rings around the rosies.

The BABIES

Tori has had her baby time limited (babies meaning pacifiers). She has 8 wub a nubs – 2 kitties, 3 pink ponies, bear, monkey, puppy and has always called them her babies.? She sneaks them out sometimes and we have been making her put them back in her bed.? This week I told her that she was getting too old for babies and that we needed to put them in a box in my closet and save them for her baby brother or sister.? I was really shocked when she said “Okay.? Let’s do it!” So we did.? We have had a couple of hard moments in the aftermath but overall she has surprised me with how well she has done with giving them up.? I guess she meant it.

The potty training though?? Not going so well.? We are working on it but she just has ZERO commitment to my agenda.? I so thought she was going to be easy to train.? Why oh why is she doing this to me?? 🙂

Snake Story

So here is a freaky story for you but first some background.? I have a friend named Nedia who was raised in Mexico.? When she was a child, she lived in a poor rural community and was responsible for crop harvesting at a very young age.? She told me that she carried a machete (for the crops I assume?) and would tie handkerchiefs to the end of sticks, push the sticks down snake holes and wait for the bite.? When she would feel the critter bite on to her kerchief, she would jerk the RATTLEsnake out of the pit and chop its head off with her machete.? HOLY COW!? Her stories crack me up and I would not put anything past her.? Knowing her, I have no trouble believing her words.

Last week I had Tori with me during a newborn shoot.? There is a vacant lot near me that I use for some newborn shots so Tori and Ty were running around behind me while I was shooting.? Between shots, I look over at my girl and my heart lept to my throat when I saw her.? She was lying on the ground with a stick in her hand and had the stick down a snake hole.? Her arm was into the ground UP TO HER SHOULDER.? I frantically jerked her out and let her know she scared the wits out of me.? And yes I do realize that technically snakes don’t dig holes but they do live in holes that other critters dig and there very well could have been a snake down that hole.? OH.? MY.? GOSH.?? Nedia would be so proud.? That isn’t the word this mama would use however.? And I thought TY was responsible for my grey hair.? I am rethinking that.

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My sassy girl has been answering every question this week with “I AM!”? even when she is NOT.? Grrrrrr.? I think she just likes to say that in her teenage voice.

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The other day she was looking at pictures I was processing (Jaxson actually) and she said “Ooooooooohhhhhh look at that baby.? That baby is cute like me!”

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Remember that wedding picture of Jodi laughing while doing Tori’s hair for the wedding??? Tori and I were having girl time the other night.? She was “the makeup girl” and she was doing my hair and makeup.?? At one point she said “I am going to get the squirt bottle now and I am going to do your hair for the wedding”.??? I knew exactly where she was going with this and braced myself for some Jodi flavored hair pulling.? LOL.? Thankfully, I am not a tender baby head so I survived it.? Tori may have been disappointed about that.

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The Little Mama Strikes Again…

Tori has just taken over my job parenting Ty.? Not sure why she has assigned herself this role but most of the time he doesn’t argue it (guess I just answered my own question).? I have laughed at several mothering incidents this week.

Setting:? At kitchen table trying to convince Ty to eat the wheat bread instead of the white because we were out of white.

Me:? Ty!? What is the big deal?? It isn’t that different.? Just eat what I made you.? I am not going to cater to every little preference every single day blah blah blah.

(Ty continues his revolt and I continue the same line of reasoning over and over)

Tori: TY!? FOR PETE SAKES JUST EAT THE SANDWICH!

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Setting:?? Getting ready for Jeremy and Krista’s wedding and running behind.

Me:? Ty!? Hurry up and go to the bathroom!? It’s not a short drive.

Ty:? I DID!

Me:? Did you flush the toilet?

Tori:? I just told him to but he is not going to do it.? (Effecting an exasperated voice).

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Setting:? Tori in bath, me in bathroom at mirror getting ready, Ty doing his math facts and whining about it because he wasn’t getting the score he was supposed to.

Me:? Ty I am not going to listen to your complaints about this so take your whining to another room.

Tori:? (From the tub)? Ty failed his mission.? (Said quiet and serious like).

Tanner and I enjoyed that.? :0? Xbox talk maybe?

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Setting:? Same as above – same day.

Tanner:? MOM!? I CAN’T FIND MY AIT SHIRT!

Tori:? Just go find another one Tanner!

Ty:? I can’t find mine either so I just put a different one on.

Tori:? TY!? I AM TALKING TO TANNER!? TANNER – JUST. GO. FIND. ANOTHER. SHIRT!!!!!

I never got a word in.? 🙂

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Setting:? Same as above – different day.? Lots of conversations occur while I am getting ready and Tori is relaxing beside me in the tub.

Ty:? When Tori is finished with her bath can I take one?

Me:? Silence.? (I am a bit ADD and I was lost in my own head.? I take a few moments to transition sometimes and kids rarely give me the time I need to do that so they get frustrated with me)

Tori:? MOMMY!? Can Ty take a bath?? Yes or No?

Me:? No.

Tori:? Not today Ty.

I really giggled over that one.? Not only has she taken over parenting but she is trying to accommodate for my special needs.? She broke down the sentence requiring a one word answer from me and then broke the news to Ty.? I am totally unnecessary at this point I am afraid.? 🙂

And now I must end with this…

“Are you out of your tree Sir?”