August 27, 2008

real.new

Thank you for all your input, advice and votes about the new blog!  I appreciate it more than you know.  80% voted to keep the blog together, and it feels right for me to do that...for many reasons....soooooo...here we go!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT MY NEW BLOG!

I hope that you'll drop in and leave a comment to say hello, I'd love to hear from ya!  And please don't forget to update your bookmarks and if you have me linked, please update that too!  The new link is http://www.lifeinmotionphotography.com/photoblog/

See ya at the new blog!

August 26, 2008

10 on Tuesday: Snapshot Edition

For a long time I got caught up on always taking a correct photograph, even just of my kids, hanging around the house or whatever.  Thankfully, over time, I've gotten over it.  I actually take a ton of snapshots.  I shoot a ton and while a lot of them land in a file called "proof once my children are older, out of the house and I'm bored in my empty nest", I do proof some and print some, but I barely ever share them so I thought it would be fun to share a few on a 10 on Tuesday post...

1.  Little T, swinging at the park this morning.  No more baby swings, she's all about that big kid swing.  Right after this we blew lots and lots of bubbles....it was fun.

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2.  Ty, on his way out the door on the first day of school.  His bus leaves at the crack of dawn, so it was still dark.

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3.  This one is for my mom....she bought this for Taryn for her birthday and wanted to see what it looks like all hung up in her room....so here ya go Gee Gee....

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4.  Our Taryn's dog Kylie.  Follows Taryn everywhere.  All.the.time.  When Taryn is outside with me or Jase, Kylie sits by the door and waits for her to come back in.  When Kylie hears her voice getting close, she starts to spin around in circles like a big 70 lb tornado dog.  This is Kylie's signature loving head tilt...

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5.  Jase installing our new storm door, and T painting the front walk while he works.  I love the new door, lets in tons of light.

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6.  Just one of many reasons Little Dude loves hanging out in Taryn's room...

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7.  Jason helping Teagan learn how to sit.  Love my boys.

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8.  I can do it, I can do it, by myself.  I hear this 1,008,632 times per day.  Damn that Barney.

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9.  Little dude now loves sitting up his crib.  It cracks me up to walk by his room and see nothing more than his cute little mohawk and eyes peeking over the edge looking out at me!

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10.  One of our prizes from winning the bump contest on the nest.  Still don't know what we are doing about Jamaica.  Its been a little frustrating trying to figure it all out, while we'd love for the whole family to go on the trip, we just can't justify putting ourselves in debt over it.  Figuring out who is going to go, well, that's been a pretty constant debate.   We also haven't had much luck in dealing with the marketing company handling the trip for their client (the resort)....she is nice as can be but replies to us without really saying anything or answering our questions even though she uses a lot of words.  Kind of politicianesque LOL!  So, for now, it's still all up in the air.  Love, love, love the gift basket though!  I also heard from the Bump magazine last week, they needed to confirm the spelling of our names.  Good thing they called cause boy do we have some doozies!  The publication will be released this fall, can't wait!

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Thanks for stopping in!  =)

August 25, 2008

Ty's Summer

Last friday Ty and I played around a bit and brainstormed ideas on how we could document his summer activities.   Below are just a few of our ideas.  I tried hard not to bug him too much with the camera...he's 11 now you know!  He had a great summer.....hanging out with a few new best friends, Kayleigh, Wade...going to the pool, visiting my mom....

He was very into his Legos this summer...I don't think a single day went by that the entire bucket didn't get dumped out onto his bedroom floor at least once.

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playing the Wii....Mario Kart was a big fave.

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Star Wars....a very Star Wars summer....the books, the clone wars movie at midnight with one of his friends and Jase.  Daily light saber wars with Wade.  Star Wars was big...

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He got all settled into his new room too.

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Lots of miles on his Rip Stik.

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But even more riding his bike.

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It was a great summer, and I loved having him home.  Watching him cuddle Taryn and Teagan every morning.  Hanging out, teaching him how to cook, always having someone to chat with, watching him read about 50 books, sometimes over 400 pages per day.  Today was his first day back at school....and I missed him like crazy.   But on the other hand, I'm so ready to get back into a routine again.  And a manageable grocery bill...man can that kid eat!!

And I couldn't help but think about this time last year.

Be sure to check in tomorrow for 10 on Tuesday, a snapshot edition!

August 24, 2008

glowing

That's the first word that comes to mind when I think about today's session with Shannon.  Isn't she gorgeous?!

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She has the most perfect little round belly too...

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And the coolest nursery awaiting her little one...I'm so excited about the newborn session in just a few weeks...I have big plans for her little guy!  Photos of him in his nursery are a photographer's dream!

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This session was a part of my mentoring program with MC.   I use the word "program" totally out of context here, it basically means me and MC hanging out with our cameras since I'm the worlds absolute  worst teacher ever!  MC won't admit it but it's totally true.

Oh, and thanks for all your opinions so far on the whole blog dilemma!  Please keep those votes coming - it is so interesting to hear what you think!

August 23, 2008

I could really use a little blog love please.

Changes are a'comin.  I need to make some changes to the blog and well, I just can't decide what to do.  I'm hoping you guys can help. 

Google ranking is pretty darn important to a lot of businesses and being in a new market, with a new business name, etc, well, to improve my rank, I need (notice I said need and not want) to make some changes around here.  I've known this for awhile but it's really, really hard for me to face possibly giving up all my archives here on this blog (uhm yeah, I love to hyperlink).  My memories, my babies, my family, my days, are right here, so it's kind of hard to let go of.  My dilemma though....

Awhile back I purchased a new fancy smanshy blog for Life in Motion Photography.  It's pretty, it's new and it allows for BIG images.  I loooooove big images!  But here is the thing, it's through a different blog company.  This blog was originally set up for Giggles-n-Grins Photography when we were in Louisiana.  So each hit helps that google ranking, and well, since that business no longer exists, it's pretty pointless.  Typepad is a paid blogging service.  Not only that, which isn't really a big deal, I love Typepad, but all the images I've posted to the blog are embedded within Typepad and not hosted elsewhere and then linked.  This means if I stop paying for Typepad, all those posts and images are gone.  If I transfer the blog over, the images won't follow without manually saving and reposting every last one. 

So while I'm faced with what to do about that, I'm wondering if it would be a good time to separate out my business and personal blogging.  I could have the new business blog be the big pretty one and keep my little old personal stuff over here.  I've always felt that my work is intertwined, one depends on the other and vice versa.  The two sides are only complete together as I grow and learn on this photography journey.  I still feel that way, but from a client perspective, do you think my clients want to hear, read and see that Teagan was attacked by squash yesterday?   Hmmmm, I just don't know.  I'm so indecisive about this....I change my mind daily.  But a decision needs to be made because I just have this other fabulous blog sitting here ready to be put to good use and well, my google ranking isn't getting any better by having the hits to this blog bump the old Giggles-n-Grins business.

I know that I can't let go of my archives, it would be A LOT of work to transfer all the posts and reload every photograph from the last few years.  So much work that I'd probably want to hire someone to help me with it.  And that's ok, but I need to make the best decision first, and I guess I'm wondering if blog visitors really want to hit two blogs for just one little old me.  Is it a good idea to keep everything in one spot, or separate it out?  I thought maybe with all the lurkers coming out of hiding here lately, that you guys could help me decide?? I'd love it if you'd post a vote in the poll below and even leave a comment letting me know why you voted the way you did.  I can't wait to hear what you guys think.... Thanks!!!!

August 22, 2008

bump

I had the pleasure of photographing a beautiful little bump last weekend, these two, er, uhm, three, were just adorable!  I can't wait to meet their new little bundle in a few weeks....

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there is something about this one that I just love

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Claudia & Jason have chosen that the gender of their baby be a surprise...they asked me to guess and I went with a boy...not sure why, just got a boy vibe.  Can't wait to see what they have!

 

August 21, 2008

when squash attacks

I usually just rinse him off after lunch, but the squash attacked and he needed a quick bath. He was so funny, he tried to dive over to the other side and attack a few dishes from lunch :)

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August 20, 2008

coffee table books

One of the things I love about being a custom portrait photographer is that I get to help my clients figure out fun and creative ways to use and share their photos.  I offer everything from helping them design photo walls for their home, to albums, gallery wrapped canvas, storyboards and custom designed coffee table books.

I decided it was time to freshen up some of my samples and thought I'd share a few quick snapshots of one of my coffee table books.  This is very simple in design, the session was a mini session.  There is so much you can do, even with a mini!! 

I have several other books on the way.  I want one for every type of session, maternity, newborns, toddlers, teens and family.  I can promise that these photos totally don't do it justice, its gorgeous in person!  The best part is that they are totally customized to each client....every little aspect, from images to design, elaborate or simple, full images or collages, text, background color or texture, every little thing!

Images are printed directly on to the book and spine - no bulky or loose dust cover!  This one shows just one image on the front, but you could do one on the back or even a collage that wraps around.

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Each book comes with a cover page.  For newborns, this is a great spot to add in the birthday, birth stats, etc.

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My favorite part!!  When you turn the pages, the lay flat...

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sample pages...love how the image on the left goes all the way to the edge

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my favorite pages...vroom vroom

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The last page can be specially designed with text or an image, your choice.

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I have many other more detailed designs to showcase just about any type of session...I'll be sure to share more images of other samples soon!  To my clients with sessions coming up, I always bring samples with me, I think its good to see first hand what you are ordering ahead of time!  And you just can't appreciate how gorgeous these truly are until you have one in your hand.  These also make great gifts!  My mom can attest to that - she practically jumps up and down every time we have a book printed for her with images of the kids =)


yo blog lurkers

you guys are rocking the comments for 10 on Tuesday!!  I'm so excited so many people came out of lurkdom to comment!!  I'm loving all the advice on cloth diapering and put the bug in Jason's ear about it.  I must also say it totally makes me giggle to hear my mother-in-law talk about my husband's baby hiney!!  Yeah, if you didn't read the comments to the post below before, I bet you'll click on it now!  HAHA!  Seriously though, thanks for all the great ideas and advice (please keep them coming!). 

All these new comments and lurkers coming out of hiding makes me wonder who has been with us the longest here on the blog.  Does anyone remember my blogger days, or even further back, my old old old blog on .mac?  Yeah, you'd be a real old timer then!

While I'm here, check out Teagan, yet another image for the crib series...big boy sittin up in his crib, peeking over the edge...funny face and all.

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I need to stop proofing images of him at night, it makes me wonna go wake him up!

August 19, 2008

10 on Tuesday

1.  Went to visit the school this morning for Taryn, went good.  Clean, well organized, great teachers, very positive experience.  Taryn did ok.  She was shy, wanted me to hold her and hid behind me a few times, but she did ask the teacher if she could see the potty.  She was thrilled they had no only one, but two!  And each came with a step stool, something else she was worried about.  She was fine while we were there but got quite upset on the way home saying she didn't want me to leave her there alone.  So hard.  We can do this right?  I'll try and focus on getting her a new backpack, a new lunch box and she needs her own water bottle, of course, she wants that to be pink too.

Thank you for all the warm well wishes, your stories and your comments / emails, they mean the world to me!  I have the best blog readers!!!!

2.  Little dude, hanging out in Taryn's room yesterday afternoon.  He gets so excited being in there, so much to scoot around and get in to.  I just love his funny little face, mohawk, drool....him.

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3.  I bargained with Ty yesterday.  I got to take a few pics of him and if he cooperated, I agreed to take a photo him in his new skull sweatshirt hoodie (insert me rolling my eyes here, all while being a good sport).

His end of the bargain:

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And my end of the bargain (hey - I never said I would crop out the skull!!):

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4.  An out take....normally I wouldn't process one with his eyes closed like this but holy moly look at those lashes!!!  Why oh why don't I have lashes like that?!  Soooo unfair.  The worst part is, he hates them, tells me he wants to cut them!  He better not.  So long we even have to have his lenses curved on his glasses so they don't hit.  Totally unfair.

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5.  Thank you blog readers for all your advice on Teagan hating his carseat.  We made the big switch and now we're wishing we would have done it much sooner.  We opted to buy Taryn a new larger seat and move Teagan into her Britax Roundabout.  He's now upright and happy, no more screaming in the car, happily looks out his window and plays....totally different kid, it's crazy.  Taryn got a new Graco Nautilaus and she hated it for awhile because it really ticked her off she couldn't get out of it.  She still slides the bar up and down, which drives me crazy, but at least she can't get out of the seat.  That was another issue we were having, her constantly taking her straps off.  But, the larger seat and the cupholders have won her over with the new one.  She's still griping about it some, but the crying has stopped for the most part.  It's comfy for naps too.

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6.  Last night, first night in the ducky tub.  Yeah, he's got carrots all over his face and an icky color cast on him, but you would too if you were sitting inside a big yellow duck!  Taryn was less than thrilled to pass it on, it was her favorite until she literally couldn't sit in it anymore because she was just too big.

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7.  Teagan has had nonstop diaper rash since he outgrew Swaddlers.  I'm seriously considering switching to cloth diapers.  I need to convince my cute husband though.  Our deal is that he does laundry, I do dishes, so he's gotta be on board...I just feel so bad for Teagan's tush.  Oh yeah, and the effect that disposables has on our environment =)  Anyone have any great cloth diapering resources that can help me build my case??

8.Playing peek-a-boo with mommy...

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9.  We're having even more family photos taken next month, can't wait!  I've been trying to come up with some fun clothes for the kids to wear.

A few ideas for Teagan, I bought it too!  He's gonna look like such a cute little man =)

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Here is what I bought for Taryn, I went with the brown shoes...

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I'm still working on Ty...as you can probably guess, he's a bit tougher.  If he doesn't actually like what he's wearing, it'll show.  We must come to an agreement we can both live with.  Wish us luck, we have a few weeks to figure it out.  Jase and I will go fairly simple, so we're easy.  It sure was fun shopping for such cute stuff for the kids though!  Anyone got any great ideas or links for "cool" clothes for pre-teens???

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10.  Be sure to stop by tomorrow to check out a new book sample I just ordered for the business - cute stuff and I'll share some pics!

August 18, 2008

still riding the wave of change

I bought her these yesterday while out shopping with Ty.  After seeing her squeal with glee and dance around in them for a good 15 minutes, shakin' her booty over her new pink chucks, I decided it was the best $15 bucks I've ever spent.

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Tomorrow is a big day, we're going to go visit a mother's day out / pre-k program.  It's been a long time coming, we've been nervous, apprehensive and anxious about this decision.  While you guys get to see the side of Taryn we see at home, there is also a shy and very apprehensive side of her.  She hides under the dining room table when the doorbell rings or someone new comes over.  When we are out and about you can see it actually physically pains her at times to be social.  Its been different, and difficult, to parent since Ty is on the other end of the social butterfly spectrum.  I never thought twice about Ty being so outgoing, even at a young age and am thankful that its been easy for him.  I loved that I could bring him to pre-k and he loved it, adjusted well, willing to ditch me in a heartbeat, even if at times he mixed it up a little too much and got in to trouble. 

Taryn though, I worry about her.  She's very slow to warm.  But, she needs this.  It will be good for her.  I just keep telling myself that.  Its hard for me to leave her, because its hard for her.  So this morning I told her we are going to visit a school tomorrow.  I find if she has time to prepare herself for new things, she does much better.  Her eyes got big and she just stared at me for a second.  Thank God for Ty who piped up with a "Ohhh wow T!!  You get to go to school just like Ty!!!"...and she smiled big.  If Ty thinks its cool, it must be! 

And at nap time after I finished reading the second book, she rolled over and looked at me for a second, very quiet, and then says...."Mommy, do they have a potty at school?"  Ahhh, my worrier.  We laid there and talked all about school, art time, reading, snack, recess, new friends, nice teachers.....and when we go tomorrow, we're definitely asking to check out the potty  ;)




the most wonderful time of the year

It's that time of year again.....this is my all time favorite!

Ty and I took off for the afternoon to hit the mall and shop for school clothes.  We totally took advantage of the tax free weekend and all the back to school sales.  I was bound and determined to make it as painless as possible because Ty is in that awkward age where friends and clothes are becoming very important.  While we don't always agree on clothing choices, I was careful to let him choose his clothing (within reason) and purchase things he was comfortable in and he thought were 'cool'.  I even smiled when he chose a hoodie with a skull on it.  And anyone who knows me can tell you that when it comes to stuff like skulls on clothing, that I was being a very good sport!!  ha!  Gosh it was easier in Louisiana because he wore a uniform, I wish they would institute that here.  It would make my life so much easier and avoid the "what are you going to wear tomorrow" and the "oh uh-hu, you're not wearing that" battle at our house.  Anyway, we had a good time, until we couldn't find pants that fit him.  I had to face reality....I'm having a really, really hard time with the fact that my baby now shops in the men's department.  No more boys department.  How can that be?!?  I'm not coping well.  Guess I should have seen it coming, he's almost as tall as I am.  Seems like just yesterday he was tiny in my arms, just like Teagan.  Sigh....times are a changin'.

Speaking of change, tonight was Teagan's last night in the sink bath tub.  He's totally outgrown it, bustin at the seems, splashing and ready to move on to the ducky tub.  I had to take a few shots of him tonight...the end of an era...

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My boys....remember this?  They still cuddle after bath each night, I love this time that they share.   Cuddlebugs...

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They grow and change way too fast than could possibly be good for this momma's heart.

August 15, 2008

forgot to post this one...

gosh I love him

Must take more photos of him this month, he's getting ready to take off soon, crawling is just around the corner.  He already scoots all over the place and has been really close to getting those knees up.  My days of a captive subject are limited....sigh

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August 14, 2008

still kickin

Thank you all for all your well wishes, comments and concerned emails, I appreciate it.  Yesterday morning when I got up I still wasn't feeling 'right'.  My doctor decided he wanted to do an EKG just to ensure there wasn't any heart damage.  Thankfully everything came back clear and it looks like it will just take me a few days to shake the joint pain, burning sensations and an overall fried feeling.  I was reminded how lucky I am to be alive, much less walk away without serious injury.  I still can't believe it happened, but I can promise you it's a sensation I'll never forget.

I think what sticks with me the most is that I was home alone with the kids.  Tyler could have seen his mom electrocuted, and that thought breaks my heart.  I'm so, so thankful, he wasn't faced with that.  He knows what to do in case of an emergency, but you never want to have to find out.  My worst fear is that something will happen to me when I'm home alone with the kids.  Especially if Ty were in school and it was just me and the two little ones.  Ahhhh, you can tell this has set my mind reeling with all the 'what if's'.  I've been hugging the kids and Jase a little harder and Ty has certainly been more needy and clingy, having a full understanding of what happened.

On a lighter note, my friend Alli was convinced I'd wake up with some variation of super power yesterday morning, and, that she was destined to be my sidekick!  I half expected her on my door step by breakfast!  We spent quite a while discussing this and I told her that I'd planned to only use my powers for evil.  Little does she know that I woke up with long distance x-ray vision and can see what she's doing right now, even a few blocks away!  BWAHAHAHAHAHA.  LOL!  Hey, maybe T will let me borrow her cape?!  Thanks Alli for making me laugh through all this, it's exactly what I needed!

And because I feel like I can't post without a pic.....here is little dude, chillin in the Bumbo.....

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Have a great day!

August 12, 2008

shocked

I got shocked by lightning today.  I am so thankful to be alive tonight. The odds of this kind of thing happening are next to none, only about 20 times a year, fluke kind of thing. Leave it to me.

It was storming outside and I had Ty turn on the weather channel so we could watch the storm approaching. It was a bad line coming our way. I normally would have been wearing Teagan that time of day, but Ty asked if I could put him down on the floor with him so he could play. Thank God I did. Since Taryn was napping and Ty and Teagan were playing, I decided to go into the kitchen and wash out some bottles. I was talking to Ty over the kitchen counter (it looks into the living room where they were). I had my hands on the metal edge of the sink and the water was running, plus the dish washer next to me was on. Lightning struck, it was very loud and very bright right outside our living room window. I immediately screamed out in pain and shock. I felt it enter my hands, travel up through my arms, down my body and hit my heels hard. I was barefoot on the tile. I don't know if it was 5 seconds or longer, I kind of lost all my senses but thankfully didn't go unconscious. I jumped away from the sink as soon as I could force my body to and my arms were just straight out, I couldn't put them down. My entire body hurt and tingled and all the hair on my arms was standing straight up. I was in shock but I snapped to when I heard Teagan crying, I asked Ty if he was ok, was Teagan ok, did he feel anything, not sure if it was just me or not since the baby was crying. They were both fine, didn't feel anything and we checked on Taryn. I'm so glad Ty was home, he's usually playing in the afternoon during nap time instead of hanging out with me and Teagan. I was so scared and called Jason right away. Thankfully, I'm ok, I have a headache, all my joints hurt and my hands and heels still feel like they are on fire.

It hurts to even walk on my heels and the hands hurt. My joints are the worst, my armpits and the bottom of my torso. Once it hit my waist it shot out and down really fast through my legs, but from my hands to my waist it was like slow motion to me. When it hit my heels it felt like it was going to travel back up, but it didn't, it just felt like it burned the hell out of my heels. They are red but not open wounds. Thank god it was me and not Ty, his smaller body may not have handled the voltage as well as mine.  Or what if I had been wearing Teagan as usual?  That thought scares the crap out of me.  It really scared Ty.  Everything just feels really "fuzzy".....I feel kind of fried, I'm not sure how else to describe it.

I mean, I knew not to sit on the phone or a laptop during a storm like that, especially next to a window, but not washing dishes in the middle of your house, I learned that lesson the hard way.

What a crazy day.

August 11, 2008

6 months

Already.

Remember this?  And this?

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How's that for some belly for you mom?  ;)  Little dude has got some new ankle rolls....see em? 

I get the urge to wake him up at night sometimes, I miss his little sweet face so much.  He's so excited to see us every morning, all happy and chubby and snuggly and drooly.   I could just cuddle him all day.  He makes us all smile, and coo, and quack like a duck, a million times a day, cause he loves it.  He rolls and scoots all over the place, on the move.  He laughs at the simple site of his sister walking by and she always stops to tell him how cute he is.  He  grabs on to Ty's nose with a giggle every time it's within reach, and then laughs before he even reacts cause he knows what's coming.  He's a veggie lover and a distractable nurser.  He's a binky boy, and a blankie boy, and a momma's boy.  His half birthday fills this momma with sadness, because its going by too fast.  But I'm thankful to have savored every moment I can, even the tough ones.  And I'm in love with how much fun he is, happy and healthy.  Lovin life....

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August 10, 2008

must....chew....on....hands

I got to spend the morning with what has to be one of the cutest little families in Austin.  Little John Michael was just a dream.  3 month olds and just as cute as can be...

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love his little heartwarming smile

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and for fun...I can't tell you how hard I giggled sitting at my desk when this one popped up on my screen, silly, funny boy!

must....chew....on....hands!

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John Michael and family, I hope you enjoy your sneak peek!  It was wonderful to meet you guys, thanks for the fun!

August 09, 2008

sneak peek

my mom has been asking for a shot of little dude's belly chub

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heehee...probably not what you had in mind huh mom?  :P

see the eyebrow scowl?  it's the grass, he didn't balk at it, he just scowled the whole time.  his daddy dressed him today, i think he looks so cute in his "little man shirt", as my friend alli calls it!

August 06, 2008

bless you

ahh

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ahhhhhhh

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CHOO!

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TEE-HEE!

As you can tell, it doesn't take much to amuse me these days.  His face in the first shot cracks me up.  Oh sweet baby, how I love you.

If you are curious about why my baby is wearing a Christmas hat, in Texas, in the dead of summer, check out the post below!  The mini sessions are going fast - book today!

ANNOUNCEMENT: AUSTIN HOLIDAY MINI SESSIONS

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((click image above to enlarge))

It may seem early, but my schedule is filling up quick.  I decided to do a few holiday mini sessions this year at a drastically reduced price!  Be the envy of all your friends with the cutest Christmas photos around and don't forget photos make great gifts for grandparents!  For only $250 (the normal price for just the sitting fee) you'll get a complete mini plus all kinds of goodies, including holiday cards!  Book early, they are sure to go quick!!

Oh, and yes I realize it's slightly ridiculous to have this poor baby in a santa hat when it's 103 degrees outside in August...but he doesn't care, little dude is just happy to be here.  So there :P  Check back tomorrow for a few outtakes of him in his santa hat, it won't disappoint, I promise!

August 04, 2008

Tea with T

I have to tell you that I love planning the details of parties.  I am totally a last minute person though, when I say I threw this together last minute, it's 100% the truth.  With all of our trips and then Jason going to Corpus, I didn't have a lot of extra time.  Alli can vouch for me...she helped me try and hunt down petit fours just hours before the party because I didn't order them in enough time.  Procrastinator?  Yes, but I like to call it busy ;)

Anyway, T was over the moon thrilled with all the pink.  She looooooves pink.  Jase and I stayed up late Friday night decorating since her party was Saturday morning and when she woke up, she gasped outloud.  I love that.   We kept the guest list small and let T invite two friends, which was just perfect.  We planned dress up with tutu's, fancy hats, jewelry, a couple of crafts and of course, tea and cake.  Waiting on her friends to arrive, she danced and twirled....

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I chose one bag of cookies and she chose one...any guesses on which is which?  LOL!

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Goodie bags for each of the girls

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Ok, enough details, let's get to the party!  The girls got to decorate their own princess crowns and magic wands.  Taryn was very into having her own bottle of glue.  Let's just say it's gonna take a few more days to dry.

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The fabulous Ms. Lily showed up in one of T's party dresses....I literally jumped up and down when I saw her in it.

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Taryn HAD to pour the tea herself.

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And y'all know how much Meredith loves cake ;)

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T was very into opening gifts, it went quick.

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Her absolute favorite thing of the day, her pink "cut-tar".

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Even Ty dug the guitar

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speaking of Ty, I thought it was awful nice of him to put on real clothes for one of the first times this summer, just for his sister.  Real clothes as in, a nice shirt and pants, instead of gym shorts and an adidas shirt with crocs.  I think T thought he needed to be wearing some pink though LOL!  He's such a good sport.

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And what do the guys doing while the girls have tea?  Well, of course, they Wii.

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This capture is noisy as can be and had wonky color so you get it in black and white.  Not to mention that I had to twist around my dining room chair to catch it, but here is that silly Lily, sporting her party dress, shovel in one hand, microphone in the other, but it's the pumpkin hat that makes the outfit....don't ya think!

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A quick storyboard (a few repeats from above) of some of the details...

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A few things about Taryn at this age....

Her favorite color is pink (just in case you're color blind as referenced in the above images :P).  She loves to go to "the cow place" aka Chick-Fil-A.  She always wants to go "in"...into the grocery store, into the drug store, into the restaurant, because she "likes people"...yet she's very shy and hides under the dining room table when the doorbell rings.  She loves her dog more than the moon.  Gets very loud at 4:30 pm, no matter what.    Driving past the water fountains outside Target is a must, every single time we go.  Her favorite book is "The Big Green Pocketbook" and we know it by heart.  Loves mac-n-cheese, but especially when Ty makes it for her.   Truly believes she is "Super T".

Happy Birthday my sweet girl.  You are so smart and funny.  I am so lucky to spend my days with you.  I can't believe you are 3 already.  We love you.


Birthday overload

July is the month of birthdays in our family.  First me, then my mom and then Little T.  As it turns out, she had 3 parties, not really intentionally, but it was a lot of fun!  My mom threw her a party during our big family get together while we were in Louisiana.  It was so cool to see all the cousins together again, they've grown so much!  My mom and step-dad have 12 grandchildren, two live in Oregon so 10 were at the party.  Of those 10, Ty is the oldest, so you can imagine it gets a little, uhm, crazy!!  I do have some group shots of all of them together, but haven't even opened them yet.

Prepare yourself for snapshot overload....

My mom ordered T the coolest cupcake cake - it was massive!  So big part of it fell off the side, but no one cared, it was gooooood.

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Busted.

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Where is Taryn?  Well, since you asked, she would be under the table.  Sweet little thing was afraid when everyone started to sing, so she hid under the table until we were done...

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But she returned, thankfully, without much coaxing. 

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And she was good (we all know how much she loves to blow out candles).

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And she took a que from Meredith and dove into her cake.  Niiiiice.

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mmmmmmmm, good stuff

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Time for gifts....it cracks me up how kids gather in so close for gift opening.

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She dove right in

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LITERALLY

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Fast forward a few weeks.  When we returned home, we had a little mini party on her actual birthday.  Candy donuts with candles on the morning of their birthday are a tradition for the kids, started by my mom.  She was off to the side in this shot because once again, she dove under the table while we sang.

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We didn't do much that day because we had just returned from our hellacious trip to Seaworld.  We played and Ty fixed her her favorite lunch, mac-n-cheese, from scratch.  And that night we did cake...

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and she got to open one gift from us and dive into her box from her Grandma and Grandpa, Ty helped.

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Note to self:  next time skip the gift and just buy the kid bubble wrap.  Seriously.

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Because we were on vacation and just really busy, her actual birthday party with her friends in Texas got pushed off to this past weekend.  I'll post those pics tomorrow, but here's a little preview....It was a Tea party with T =)

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August 03, 2008

I've been a bad blogger...

here lately.  Not normally like me, I love blogging and relish the 10-15 minutes a day it takes.  It's my time, just for me, and I love having it.  But, me time hasn't been abundant.  Jase was out of town for a few days while his dad had surgery.  My father-in-law is doing good, so good, they let him go home already.  We are so thankful and pray the biopsy comes back clear.  Then as soon as Jase got home from Corpus, we had to gear up for Taryn's 3rd birthday party the next day.  We're in birthday party overload.  Somehow it happened that our little 3 year old ended up having 3 parties.  Not intentionally, it just kind of happened that way.  Prepare yourself for birthday party pics overload this week....we had A LOT of fun!  And then somewhere in the middle of all that, I managed to hurt my back.  It was a little sore yesterday during Taryn's party, but today, it's full on pain.  I think I did it while lifting Taryn...ouch!

I meant to post this last week and just didn't get to it.  I am doing a series of images of Teagan in his crib over the first year....man what a difference a few months makes!

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Stay tuned for lots of birthday pics tomorrow!

July 30, 2008

we love you grandpa

Jason is leaving tonight to go down to Corpus Christi and spend a few days with his parents.  His dad is undergoing surgery tomorrow to have one of his kidneys removed.  About a month ago they discovered a tumor on one of his kidneys.  They won't know if its cancerous until its removed, but we are praying for a smooth surgery, quick recovery and clean bill of health.   We'll be sending up lots of prayers for you, we love you.

July 29, 2008

mmmmmmm, pears

Ever had one of those days where every.single.thing was a struggle?  Today was one of those.  Just a frustrating day, kids running a-muck, too many things on my plate.  But it's now 9:37 pm and all I hear is the sweet sound of kiddos tucked into their beds, sweet joy!!  Come on ya'll....I'm not the only one right??

Thankfully, Ty's arm is much better today!

And Emily, "y'all" comes from Louisiana too  ;)  I've been saying "y'all" and "fixin to" for a good 20 years now!

My little dude.   Mmmmmmmm, pears are good.  Eating with the little dude is a full body experience, check out the pears between the toes!

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(pardon the wacky color - used my speedlight and chandelier lighting - ick)

10 on Tuesday

1.  Tyler, oh Tyler.  Yesterday while riding home from his buddy Kayleigh's house, he misjudged (again) our driveway while going too fast on his bike.  The damage was two fold, thankfully Ty is fine as far as we know, he goes in to have his arm x-rayed later today.  It's so hard to know what is a serious injury with this child.  He has hypochondriac tendencies.  Seriously y'all, the child once iced a mosquito bite.  I'm not makin' that up either!  Every little thing is major.  If you ask him on a scale of 1 to 10 how much something hurts, it's always a 9, always.  After talking with the nurse yesterday, we decided the x-ray could wait until today because he didn't appear to be in major pain, had minimal swelling, etc.  Hopefully it's not fractured.  I did go purchase him a sling for his arm and oh, good lord, did it feed the fire.  He was like a kid in the candy store buying that darn thing, it validated his injury and he was just darn giddy.  Everything tonight revolved around his cast, er, uhm, I mean, sling.  Not to minimize his pain or injury, but if y'all only knew what we go through with him.  Every night it's something, usually at chore time or bed time.  Mom, look at this scratch, Mom, do you see this red mark, Mom, my neck hurts, Mom, I think one of my legs is shorter than the other.  Good grief.  I'm sure my mom is going to chime in here and tell you I was the same way as a child, including a somewhat warped version of a story about a 2 hour bath to remove a band-aid when I was his age, but that's a story for another day, just know that Ty comes by it honestly.

My SUV on the other hand, did suffer a break, actually two. 

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2.  Taryn has a new imaginary friend, Sparky the dog.  Sparky is pink and sooo much fun.  Taryn leads her around on a leash all day long.  Her little 3 year old imagination is exploding.  Reminded me of Ty's imaginary friend named "Chris" (after my step-brother) when he was about 3.  Chris lived under my bed and was constantly bringing home new "babies" for me to take care of.  Chris was needy, and hungry, and thirsty.  Funny that when we moved, Chris and his ump-tine babies stayed behind.  I was kinda thankful, they were high maintenance. 

3.  Since we're taking a trip down memory lane....when Ty was 3 he had several pets.  A fish he named "fish stick" and a hermit crab named "flap jack".  Funny kid, he came up with those all on his own and it still cracks me up 8 years later.  Confession, he actually had 4 or 5 gold fish cause they kept dying.  My theory is that once they heard their name they instantly had little fishy heart attacks and went belly up.  Just a theory, I have no proof.

4.  Taryn was so cute on our way to the movies the other day for our girls day out.  She was convinced that all the cars on the road were going to see Wall-E too and they were racing us there.  Then out of nowhere she tells me she wishes her "best friend kylie could go to the movies" with her too.  Kylie, is our dog.  Correction, Kylie is her dog.  Formerly Jason's dog before we got married.  Formerly the family dog.  Now "her dog".  Mommy, my dog is hungry.  Mommy, I'm going to let my dog out.  I love my dog.  Jase messes with her all the time and claims ownership, but Little T lays down the law.  Kylie is HER dog.  The appearance of Sparky has not changed her love for Kylie one tiny little bit, they co-exist, but according to T, they don't play together.

5.  For Ty, this has been the summer of new friends, riding his bike, playing outside, light sabers, legos and nerf.  But this will also be the summer that his mom taught him how to cook.  Back story, before school let out, one night at the dinner table, he sweetly asked me if I would write down the recipe for him so he could "give it to his wife to make for him when he gets married"....sounds sweet on the surface right?  But when I stopped to think about it, that's not the kind of man I'm raising.  I want him to be thoughtful, intentional, honest, kind and self-sufficient.  My goal is to teach him how to cook it for her!  So, that's what we've done this summer, I started to teach him how to cook.  Everything from simple stuff like scrambling eggs, making mac-n-cheese, grilled cheese to homemade meatballs, my lasagna and so much more.  And he's good at it too.  Ok, so sugar and flour sometimes look alike and he gets a little mixed up.  He loves it and I've loved too.  It's been fun and I'll admit it's been nice having someone else in the kitchen that isn't limited to stirring with big spoons while perched on a step stool.  He even prepares lunch sometimes totally on his own.     T's convinced he makes the best grilled cheese evvvvvvver.

6.  Good luck to my mom and step-dad who close on their construction loan today for their new beach house!  I'm very excited for them and cannot wait to see the end result!  I'd link her new blog but she'd physically reach through the internet and cyber smack me, so I won't.  When we went to the beach with them earlier this month we got to go visit their lot and do a ceremonial ground breaking...

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Larry has a spinal cord injury due to an on the job accident 10 years ago.  He and my mom are building a new house that will be handicap accessible and much more functional for them, unlike their present home.  Its a house with a purpose that will change their lives for the better.

7.  I cried yesterday standing in Teagan's closet.  I had to remove some of his 0-3 month clothing because I literally couldn't fit one single thing that actually fits him until I did.   Sad.  My baby is getting big too fast.  Correction, my last baby is getting big too fast.  I'm mourning that baby stage and it physically hurts me to know that each day that passes, I'll never have a baby that small in my house, in my arms, again.  It's sad but he's also so much fun now.  He loves it when anyone quacks like a duck, kisses his belly or just even looks in his direction.  He's becoming quickly addicted to his sister's antics and she's addicted to his right back.  He snuggles with intention now,  he looks up at me with those big blue eyes and lays his sweet little head on my chest, complete with a big, drooly smile, melts my heart every time.  Oh, and when he's tired, his cheeks hang low...

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8.  Thank you to those who posted advice about Teagan hating the car so much.  I'm following your suggestions and purchased a new carseat for Taryn and moving Teagan into the Britax Roundabout.  Poor kids getting a hand me down, but it made more sense to move T to a bigger chair (we bought the Graco Nautilus) and give him hers.  Crossing my fingers it works!

9.  And a product rave from me.  I bought an Itzbeen and just love it.  Perfect gift for a new mom, I bought mine at Target some time ago.  What I love about mine is that it lights up, great for night time feedings and diaper changes.  It times everything from how long baby has slept, to diaper changes, to feedings, and more, plus if you are nursing there is a toggle switch to keep track of what side you last fed on.  It was especially helpful when I was having supply problems with nursing.  I'm horrible at keeping track of how long Teagan nursed, so this really helped me.  Pretty cool.  Someone out there is thinkin.

10.  hehehe....this makes me giggle.  Aren't 3 year olds fun?!

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July 28, 2008

Trash the Dress, Austin Style

Finally getting a few spare moments to catch up and share a little.  I thought I'd post the link to the slideshow for the Trash the Dress session I did.  I can't tell y'all how much fun it was!!  There were a total of 5 models and 3 assistants.  A big, huge, thank you to everyone who participated.

Oh, and while we had permission to be on site, the fountain wasn't specified, so we did that last, just in case we got booted out.  The security guard came and stood next to me while I worked when the girls jumped in and I told MC that 1) she should take a photo of me if I got hauled off in the security buggy and 2) she better come bail me out :P  ha!

In case you can't tell, Amie had a BLAST, love it!

Click here to view trash the dress, Austin style!

If you are in the Austin area and are interested in trashing your dress, drop me a note cause I'd love to do this again!

July 26, 2008

it's only girls, and not the boys

Taryn asked me yesterday if I would bring her to see Wall-E so today we are taking off, just us girls, no boys.  They have to stay home, causing us to do a little booty dance and sing "its only girls and not the boys".  I haven't been to the movies in probably 7 or 8 months...so yeah, I'm a little excited!

Since I can't post without a pic, check him out...love his chubby baby neck...

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I may have to do "10 on {insert day here]" every day next week if I am ever going to catch up on blogging!

July 25, 2008

the elusive "perfect" sibling shot...

You know the one, where everyone is happy, and looking, with love in their eyes. 

This aint it. 

But it is them, very, very them.

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Teagan's becoming quite the little camera hog.  He did not want his sister in the picture, at all.  His little scowl cracks me up, he just kept pushing her away and she kept coming back for more.  It was just too funny because normally he can't get enough of her, he snuggles her right up.  That is until she honed in on his camera time.  I'm ruining him.  And check out that belly!

sigh...isn't he dreamy

Last of the Louisiana mini-sessions.  This shot, I just keep coming back to....he's so dreamy...

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I can't believe how much Aiden has grown since our last session.  He's gone from baby to little boy.

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and I have to add this one....looooved dad's shirt ;)  I'm secretly hoping they will move to Austin...they would love it here!

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Thanks for meeting up with me guys, it was great to catch up and hang out!

Contact Information

Who am I?


  • Hi, I'm Lyndsay Stradtner, wife to my cute husband and best friend, Jason. Mom to Ty, age 10, Taryn, age 2 and Teagan, he's brand new! Follow along as we rebuild our lives after Hurricane Katrina, relocate our family and photography business to Austin, Texas, raise our children, love each other as much as possible and revel in the chaos!

Copyright Notice

  • All images on this site are © Life in Motion Photography. Please do not use any image from this site without written consent.

In my camera bag

  • Canon 5D
    50 mm 1.2 USM L
    24-70 mm 2.8 USM L
    100 mm 2.8 Macro
    Speedlight - 430EX

    Nikon D50
    50 mm 1.8

    And I'm a Mac girl =)

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