Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thankful

We have so much to be thankful for this year - health, happiness, family and friends.

We're also especially thankful for our little turkey, who celebrated his 1st Thanksgiving this year


Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Holiday Preparations

In a desperate attempt to get a head one way or another, I did manage to design and order our holiday cards for this year!!! I had a little mini holiday photo shoot with Owen a couple weeks ago and then also managed to have an impromptu family session shortly after. I am happy with the way they came out (photos and cards) but hope to get started even sooner next year (ahhhhh dreams lol).






They should arrive within the next 2 weeks. During the interim I plan to get the envelopes all addressed and ready to go! Sounds like a good idea now, huh? Owen is here laughing at me lol But I do like to get them out as early in the month of December as possible - as they will ultimately meet their untimely demise in trashcans across the country, I prefer that my time and effort (and that incredible cuteness of course) remain proudly presented in people's homes for as long as possible :o)

Monday, November 14, 2011

2 Months

My little Owen is officially 2 months old!


We celebrated his 2 month birthday on November 14th and I can hardly believe it! Where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday we were in the hospital, welcoming him into the world.

I am trying to keep up a monthly photo comparison. Here's what we have so far:


His 1 month photos leave a lot to be desired - we were working with very poor lighting and had not yet purchased our LightScoop to makeup for that. But you get the general idea and can see the comparison. If nothing else, we're trying for basic consistency so that we can achieve the overall effect by the time he reaches 1 year (whoa that's scary to say, let alone think about).

In other news - our best friends welcomed their little guy (Owen's new best friend) into the world this past Sunday, November 13th. The two little men are one day less than 2 months apart in age. Here is Logan James:


It was so much fun being pregnant together, and now we get to watch our little guys grow up together :o) We're really looking forward to next year, when they'll really be able to play and interact with each other. In the meantime, it's just nice having another parenting couple to hang out with - someone to share our our low key, lazy lifestyle lol

Other happenings...

~*~ The premiere of Twilight: Breaking Dawn pt 1 is this coming Thursday!!! I am, of course, hosting my annual premiere party (although it will probably be slightly toned down this year, since I am otherwise occupied). But I am just really looking forward to a night out and a chance to indulge in my (albeit teeny bopper) fantasy world lol Pictures forthcoming :o)

~*~ We scheduled Owen's baptism for December 4th at my husband's family church, the same church we were married in and by the same Reverend who married us :o) We're very excited to have an official welcoming for Owen. I even created some special little invitations for the event:


~*~ We're having carpet installed in our master bedroom next Tuesday!!! One more week!!! And then we can "officially" consider our remodel complete (for the most part at least - there will still be some minor things to finish up, but at least we'll be moved up there)!

~*~ Just in time for Thanksgiving no less! I cannot believe next week is Thanksgiving already! We are hosting dinner this year, in an attempt to make having Owen around a little easier (no need to schlep him and his things all over town). So I will be cooking a turkey, while the other guests help out by bringing the sides. I am then hoping to get out on Black Friday for a little holiday shopping, but we'll see how that goes after a day of hosting Thanksgiving dinner and taking care of Owen. Yesterday I turned on the television to some lovely classic Christmas commercials the other day and almost had a heart attack. When did it get to be that time of the year?! I thought that thinking about starting my shopping already put me a step a head of the game, but didn't realize that in fact it really only put me barely on time lol

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

We're Back!


I've been a bad, bad, bad blogger :oP

Who knew that having an infant could be so time consuming?! Lol

Not only is he time consuming, but any "free time" that I do find myself with is already claimed by household chores and the very few leisure activities that I have left to enjoy. Between caring for Owen, doing the laundry (baby laundry included), washing the dishes (baby dishes included), cleaning the house, and squeezing in some hobbies here and there... I am quite overwhelmed.

First of all, here is a pic that was taken shortly after my last post:



A lot has gone on in our lives since that last post, which was [wow] over a month ago and was the announcement of Owen's birth! He has since celebrated his 1 month birthday and is currently preparing for his 2 month birthday!


He also celebrated his first Halloween!


Owen is 8 weeks old tomorrow and growing so fast, I can hardly believe it! He smiles now and not only can he lift his head and hold it fairly steady, but he can do a lovely little pushup during tummy time :o) He coos and "talks" to us, grabs our hands - he's got such a little personality already, a real little person.

A majority of those "leisure activities" that I mentioned before, has been learning to use our DSLR camera to take photos of my newest little model :o) I am trying to get the camera out as much as possible (I want to capture every little moment of his life) and improve on my amateur skills in the process. My current goal is to have a formal photo shoot with Owen each month, on top of his obligatory monthly birthday shot (see above).

Here some pics from his 1st month shoot:









I still cannot believe how much he's grown even since these pictures were taken! Looking back through all of his pictures, I can definitely see a difference - it's hard to see it from day to day, especially since I am his primary care taker and see him all day everyday - but other people notice a difference the minute they see him.

So for comparison, here are some pics from his 2nd month shoot:





We even got outside to take some fall pictures the other day:





I also like to think that you can see some minor improvement in my photography skills as well. Trying to learn about composition, my camera and practice in between caring for a 2 month old is quite challenging. But I think we're getting there, slowly but surely.

Not so much a testament to my photography skills alone, but we also recently attempted DIY family portraits. We hung a back drop, attached the tripod, and set the timer! Between my husband and I, this is what we were able to come up with:

(our absolute fave - we're very proud of this shot!)












My next project is Christmas photos :o)

I've already taken some of Owie alone, just for practice (coming soon) - several of them actually came out so well, that I may end up using them. I'll try for some more soon and hopefully get a couple holiday family shots as well. I need to start designing our holiday cards, if I have any intention of getting them out on time this year.

I am expanding my photography equipment this year and have purchased a few new toys as an early Christmas gift to myself :o) Most recently I have become the proud owner of a LightScoop, backdrop stand, clamps, several backdrop colors and props. With winter quickly approaching and the natural lightly disappearing just as fast, I am turning to portrait photography for practice. Hopefully by next spring, when the sun graces us with its presence once again, I will have improved my skills enough to really make use of the natural light and outdoor opportunities.

In other news - we've also been making great strides in our master bedroom remodel! Bottom line, we've begun painting and have ordered the carpet to be installed!!! We are hoping to be all finished, moved in, and living up there come Thanksgiving!!! I am sooooooooooo excited! With Owen came a lot more stuff around the house lol and we are quickly running out of space. This new bedroom (350 sq ft) will give us the extra breathing room that we so desperately need right now.

Just for a recap (since it's been so long) here is the journey our master bedroom has taken:

(this is how be bought the house - uninhabitable)

(so we gutted the place)

(and now we're building it back up again, the right way)

Hopefully I can post a finalized pic very very soon!!! It's come a long way - new electrical work and light fixtures, new walls, new railing, built-in shelving units, boxed in exhaust pole and chimney. I can't get over what a difference it has all made already, it's a whole new room. Now that we're putting paint on the walls, I can almost see us living up there!

Well...

That's our current life in a nutshell! I guess that wasn't so nutshell-ish, but you get the idea :o)

I promise to try and be a better blogger from here on out. My current goal is at least one post per week, but I will of course strive for above and beyond that ;o) With the impending holiday season upon us, this proves to be a challenge but I promise to try my best.