why

My aunt is visiting and she and Deran have been working diligently since yesterday afternoon to rid the house and garage of junk. We're doing all of this to prepare for the baby...so we can get more junk. It's not really junk, in fact I very much wanted all of it, but after going through everything we just received as gifts at various showers--I'm feeling discouraged. We're quickly running out of room to store it all!

But the real reason for this post is to showcase some of my fabulous momentos. I do a little work with a lot of resting in between so I haven't been quite as productive this weekend. I'm okay with it, and the others seem to be tolerant. So I did go outside earlier to help Deran go through the last box of my old things to be stored in the attic. The little gem up above was in a breakables box marked, "Amy's Momentos!" Seriously. I have no idea where she came from or why I chose to hang onto her, but the best part? The best part is her back.


She's a bow. And may the good Lord help me if someone actually has a photo of me wearing this creation!

Once upon a time, or a half-dozen years of my childhood, I was in 4H. I showed pigs and that's why I used to collect them. This one is cute:


But I especially like the view from behind. It really showcases all of the piglets.


This figurine and many more like it used to sit atop my dresser. And lastly, why did anyone let me get a perm at the end of my senior year of high school? I do have lots of natural curl so it wasn't so crazy, but I graduated in 2000. I'm pretty sure perms weren't hip then.

seeing double

That's me on the right, 32 weeks and 2 (now 3) days. The baby has been very active the last few days and honestly, that makes me so happy. Deran made the comment recently that it would be so weird to have someone moving inside your body, but at this point it's weird if she isn't, so I really like it.

That's my cousin, K, on the left. She'll be welcoming her sweet baby boy in just over four weeks. It's been fun to share these pregnant moments together. It's so crazy how fast this time has flown by, I am seriously going to need time to slow down after the baby gets here!

Yesterday was our official baby shower and I actually had a really great time. I usually get kind of stressed out before big events, especially when I'm going to be sitting at the front of a room with people watching me! It was nice to catch up with old friends and family members. And though I know only a few of those people ever check this blog, I'm going to go ahead and say THANKS! There, done. Don't be expecting a card from me! Just kidding...maybe.

We got so many wonderful and useful gifts, and no one need worry, our girl will be well dressed until she's at least two. :)

family

I first met a couple of members of this family in February when I took senior pictures of the Baylor-bound girl in "The Princess Bride" shirt. I miss you, 1987. You brought us some really fantastic movies.

Anyway, J's parents were visiting from out of state and she contacted me for family pictures. Though I do my fair share of complaining about the stacks and stacks of old photo albums we have to go through at our home, I do believe you can never have enough pictures. Photos help us hold our memories, good or bad, they're what life is made of.



Thanks J for letting me take pictures of your family. It was nice meeting the other members and I hope you enjoy!

i heart paula deen

I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but we don't have cable. So while I have heard of Paula Deen, and of course glimpsed her cookbooks at various bookstores, I have never actually seen her cook, etc.

That changed today, and somewhere between commercials for the 'Texas Hammer' and Kelly Pickler's rendition of "Santa Baby," I fell in love. Thank you Bonnie Hunt for playing a re-run of a Christmas episode this morning.

Paula is funny, spirited, and her pleasant nature is contagious...even through television! She and Bonnie made monkey bread, and you can find the recipe here. One of my best friends, L, makes a delicious recipe for monkey bread. I consider it one of her specialties. Except for the one time in college when she accidentally used salt instead of sugar...we were all sad that night. I'm careful to mark my baking supplies now though! :)

Anyway, it made me hungry and long story short--I have gestational diabetes--so basically the gooey sweet goodness is off limits. I'm careful to eat healthy balanced meals, take my medicine, exercise, check my blood sugar. I'm a very good patient! And of course it's all worth it for a healthy baby...

But I'm not going to lie, sometimes I find myself thinking about what I want to eat after the baby is born. I mean like, they just wheeled her to the nursery, someone get me xxxx stat! It's not every day and I'm not often tempted because I consider fruit to be dessert enough and it really makes a difference when you're not thinking about yourself. Overall, it's been a great wake-up call. Deran and I have made real lifestyle changes that I think will be easy to continue. It's just how we eat and think and act so it won't be different once she's here.

But my post-baby meal of choice is pancakes, and I'm blaming Denny's...and television. Now though, I'm thinking that Paula Deen's monkey bread may be needed with a side of syrup administered intravenously. Just kidding, I have a feeling I'll end up with baked chicken and a side of green beans and another yummy vegetable. Here's to hoping new habits are hard to break!

If you're looking for something yum to cook tonight, you should really check out Paula Deen's site, lots of those recipes look delicious!

engaged

I'm so happy for this cousin. She deserves the best and I'm glad she's found a great guy. I can't wait to shoot their wedding in October!


And speaking of cousins, could these two be any sweeter?! I think not.

it's still cute

D attended an administrative retreat yesterday and there was a hat competition in honor of this book. He was just happy to be able to wear jeans and a hat to work one day and didn't find out about the competition until Monday!

One of his tasks for the day was helping a group learn how to use Twitter. He came up with some really great ideas, but as it was Monday night at 7:30 p.m. and we have veeerrry limited resources within close driving distance...it came down to this.


I cut a canary from yellow felt and went to work. Sadly, it didn't win. But you have to admit, that hat is pretty darn cute! And he looked really cute wearing it. :)

I knew the competition was tough when he snapped a photo with his phone and I couldn't even see the person's head under the ginormous wing-flapping creation on her head! Oh well, we'll be better prepared next year!

they look happy

Deran made that comment as I was scrolling through this session a couple of days ago. Let me just say that this family doesn't just look happy, they really are.

I first met the mom, J, when taking senior pictures for the son (unfortunately he was sick and couldn't make the session) and she is truly the ideal client. She is so sweet, cooperative, and encouraging. She makes you feel like a superstar! :)

How adorable is little sister C?! That may seem like a weird word to describe a tween, but she is! I loved watching this family's interaction, they have such a great dynamic and are really so sweet to one another and so hilarious!


Because I love my state so much and because it was there...


Thanks R Family for meeting me so early on a Saturday morning. It was so nice meeting the rest of the family and as always, I appreciate the kind words and the opportunity to work with such an awesome family!


Lots to post about this week. I have two more sessions to edit along with two sessions scheduled for the weekend. I made a really radtastic hat last night that deserves to be seen and another doctor visit tomorrow. I'm scheduled for an early morning u/s and we can't wait to see what our girl is looking like!

And this really has nothing to do with anything, but can someone please arrange it so that the birds do NOT fly into my office window again?! Two mornings in a row! Really, birds? Really?! We could not be on a commercial, the windows are not that clean.

iI iShould've iKnown iBetter

Somewhere around the first of June, I asked Deran to log in and pay our cell phone bill because I can never remember the password. A few hours later I received a text that he'd gotten me a surprise! Something I both wanted and needed!! I just assumed it was something baby-related and completely forgot about my surprise until he got home that night.

He not only paid our bill, he ordered us both iPhones. SURPRISE! Sometimes I find D's surprises a little hard on the checkbook. Like the time he got me diamond earrings for my 25th birthday. Totally sweet, but a little pricey. Or like the time he bought 18 seasons of various tv shows to watch on the Apple TV. Or the time he went to Vegas for a conference and thought he was at a really lucky table, FANTASTIC, but surprise! It wasn't so lucky. I caught that the next day. It was reeeaaalll nice.

Mostly though, I do LOVE his surprises and he did good with the iPhone. I planned to snap a picture of it to post but instead decided to post directly from my phone. Not really, I'm on the computer, but I could be blogging from my phone because that's how awesome it is!

It has so many amazing features and it's really user-friendly. Seriously, I had my last phone for two years and just realized a couple of months ago it does have the speaker phone option. So thanks Apple, you make a great phone! However, I do believe I now have our password carved in my brain and I'll be logging in next month to pay the bill. :)

her wonky-eyed friend

So my good friend T has taken up crocheting. She's actually getting quite good and I'm so excited at the thought of all the endless baby hats and accessories that can be made! :)

She made a trip (by train) to visit last weekend and left a sweet gift for our new baby. It's a kind of pillow person but when trying to describe the finished product to my mom, I said its eyes were "wonky." It has since been referred to as the baby's wonky-eyed friend.



The colors match her bedding and I can't wait to add this little friend to her finished room. I also love that I posed it on my Snoogle. I really love that pillow and it (along with me) can often be found on the couch during the day which is how it ended up in my picture.

Thanks again T for the cute friend and the lovely painted canvas. I know A's nursery will be super cute!

she's a princess

She really is. She's moving on to the national competition in a few short weeks. Her mom and little sister came along for the session and sister E was full of ideas! It was fun hanging out with you gals and I appreciate all the help E! :)

I wish you the best of luck J!

busy

The last couple of weeks have passed in a blur. We were out of town for a few days last week to participate in (and attend) the wedding of one of our best friends. She was beautiful, the event was beautiful, and I have no doubt their marriage is off to a great start. How could it not be, they're in Hawaii?!

This week marks the last week of school and the last week of my employment as a teacher. I'll be staying home with Baby A next year. I do plan to continue with photography and it's really perfect because it allows me to work from home most of the time.

Today was another checkup and time is winding down. I'm in the third trimester and her nursery is still a mess! We did decide on bedding but now we need to exchange the crib and changing table for a different color. Lots to do in the next couple of months!

I still have a few dates open for June sessions so email if you're interested. I'll be taking a break starting in July in preparation for all things baby. I do have pictures to post, but they won't be making it up today! :)