Half Birthday!!

In honor of half-birthdays I took my little man out for a mini-shoot today.  His half-birthday is tomorrow.  Who knew that things could change so much in just 18 months?  I'm not going to try to explain how much I love this little guy because all the parents out there know that would be IMPOSSIBLE, but I do want to list a few things that I absolutely can't live without these days.

1.  That smile (see picture #1).  How can you not love that smile?  The best is when I walk into his room when he's first woken up from a nap...   to.die.for.

2.  His new "language." It isn't quite English yet, but it is getting there.  He has this little Japanese phrase (I'm assuming that it is Japanese as I can't understand it, and that is part of his ethnicity!!).  He points at what he wants, and then says "Downg keeng lang gow?"  This translates roughly to "Can I have that?"  Isn't it great how I've thrown my own translation into his language?  He could be saying "Give me that before I scream and throw a nasty fit!!"  ha ha ha!

3.  His dimples.  They aren't just normal right-by-your-smile dimples, but they cave in right by his ears.  You can tell he's smiling from miles away due to the size of these craters!

4.  His laugh.  I can't explain it.  I won't even try. 

5.  Every square inch of his soft skin.  It isn't baby-soft anymore, but it isn't quite boy-rough yet either.  Right now he's starting to get a nice glisten due to the summer sun. No matter how much sunscreen I slather on that little guy he still browns.  Just like the top of a biscuit.  He still lets me lotion him every night before bed, and he still scrunches his nose each time I drop a dollop of cold lotion on his tummy.

6.  His clap.  He claps at everything.  He claps just to make you laugh. Add #4 to #6, and I've already melted into a puddle of mush.  He can basically do anything he wants at this point, and I'd still laugh.  He could throw food off his high chair, throw a temper tantrum, pull the cat's tail, smack me in the cheek, and then clap and laugh.... and he still wouldn't get a time-out!!  

That's enough for now.  I could go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on.................... 

Happy Half-Birthday sweet little boy!!

Click on a picture to see it bigger, or visit the website to see the full shoot.  Click on "Shoots" and then "Half Birthday"!!  :o)

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!

Part of My Heart Left This Morning

I used to be really independent.  Like, I probably changed my own diaper when I was younger.  That independent.  My parents told me that when we'd go on vacation I would always ask if I could move to the city we were visiting.  I probably would have, with or without my parents, if Child Protective Services wouldn't have been called on my parents for letting me!!  When it finally came time to go to college I sprinted out the door, and never stopped running.  Now I find myself in Las Vegas being everything but independent.

I miss my family.  I miss them so much that my heart hurts.  Once my husband and I began our own family a year and a half ago I really learned what family means.  It means calling your mom in the middle of the night when your 2 month old is sick; it means calling your mom in hysterics the day before you have to go back to work and leave your baby with a babysitter; it means Thanksgiving dinner together; it means celebrating the birthdays of all of your nieces and nephews; and it means sharing the tiny details of your life with the people who know you.  The real you.

For me I wish it meant walking down the street just to say hi; picking up my son from his Grandma's after I get off work; planning birthday parties; spending Christmas morning as a family and then going to Grandma's for dinner; and sharing the tiny details of my life while sitting in my mom's kitchen rather than over the phone.

For now, I have to be happy for what I have.  I wish that I could spend more time with my mom, but endless long-distance phone calls about nothing is something that I am not willing to give up either.  I am grateful that I have a mom who will hop on a plane and fly two states away to watch her grandson for a week when he gets kicked out of daycare.  I am happy and grateful that I have a mom who loves me no matter what kind of a mood I am in that day.  A mom who is happy to spend her days working on projects so that her grandson has a nice backyard to play in this summer.  A mom who is in love with her children just as much as I am with mine... that's a lot!!

Thank you, Mom.  I love you.

Maloff x 3 :: Sneak Peek

We've all been told by our grandma's at one point or another that "patience is a virtue."  So when Brad and Niki were awaiting the arrival of their precious little girl, they were patient.  Patient enough to not have the nursery completely done.  Patient enough to not have the car seat installed.  And patient enough to have held off on getting the bassinet set up.  They were the epitome of laid back parents-to-be.  Patience in this case was not a virtue.  We have now learned that their little girl is going to get what she wants, when she wants it.  On May 2nd, she was ready to meet her parents, and she did.  She entered this world 3 weeks early, and her parents could not be happier.  They have since, installed the car seat, completed the nursery, and have the bassinet perched right next to their bed.

Their lives have forever changed.  For the better.  This little girl is the center of their world, and will remain in that spot from this day forward.  They could not be happier.

Here is the first of many photo shoots to come.  Welcome to the world little N.  You are now part of this thing called life.

Flower Funeral :: Death to Oleanders

Flowers don't really exist much in Vegas.  In the few weeks of Spring that we cherish before the blistering begins we get to see beautiful cherry blossoms, oleanders, and a few other bushes sprout some color before they seek reprieve from the summer heat.  Our backyard, during these few weeks, is a small sanctuary from the concrete and desert landscaping.  Was a sanctuary.  

While at a friends' graduation party the other night I found out some terrible news.  Oleanders are incredibly poisonous!!  Of course, anything researched on the internet leads to death, but this path actually seems legit.  Chock it up there with rattlesnake bites and killer bees.  The kicker is that they can only cause such damage to small children, and then only to those small children who will eat the leaves.  What small child won't eat the leaves is my question??!!  In fact, dumb cats also eat the leaves.  A few years ago, right after the oleanders were planted by my father in law, our dumb fat cat ate one of the leaves (as if he needed more to eat).  He came inside foaming at the mouth, slinging spit from one wall to the other.  We thought that he had eaten some weird bug, or maybe was having an allergic reaction to the Twinkie and Snickers bar he ate the hour before   kidding  but we now know that he had eaten an Oleander leaf!!

So.  Our oleanders have to go.  Or, Hudson has to go.... riiiiight.  So, I took a quick picture of the white and light pink oleanders watching as their cousin, the dark pink oleander, got chopped down.  Knowing that their turn is next.  Death row for oleanders.

Next week we are having new bushes planted along with a new tree, or two.  We're also getting the flagstone ripped up, and having that fake grass stuff laid down.  That's right, we're going kid friendly all the way down to the new play set for Hudson, and an old school style picnic table.  I'm very excited for the change, and looking forward to summer nights outside listening to one of the best sounds on earth, my Hudson's adorable little chuckle.

R.I.P. oleanders. R.I.P.

Baby Names

No, I'm not pregnant.  My newest baby is about 9 months old.  Her name, Sweet Life Photography.  The only problem is that in only 9 months she has outgrown her name.  So, her mother... (ME)....  is taking the proper steps to change it!!  I don't think that the Social Security division is actually involved in this change; however, in its place is the Nevada Secretary of State and the IRS!!  Ugh... I'd rather deal with the Social Security Division.

Hopefully within the next few months I will be able to debut a few new things 

::a new business name::

::a new blog::  

::new packaging::

  and most of all 

::a new vibe::

Keep checking back for new shoots (this weekend is the precious little Ms. Maloff, her parents are shown below)  and for the debut of MY NEW BABY!!  Okay, its not a new baby, but just a more refined baby... just a little more grown up.... a toddler!!  ha ha ha  ;o)

Here's a photo for your viewing pleasure, because really, blogs suck without photos.

Here's Hudson with his new little cousin!!

Mother's Day 2009

I woke up to two hands on my face.  Precious little hands.  Behind those hands a gorgeous face with a huge smile.  My boy woke me up on Mother's Day for the second year in a row.  I can only dream that he will wake me for many more to come.  

I came downstairs to the smell of french toast and bacon. His Daddy was obviously helping just a little bit to get my breakfast ready.  The table was beautifully set with yellow tulips, and a small heap of presents awaited me.  I could see that the first present ready to be opened was the one from my little Hudson.  He had made it at his babysitters house, and Fraser could not WAIT to give it to me.  He had not stopped talking about it since he had received it the day before.  He knows me well, and he knew that I would treasure it.  

Breakfast began, but I had only chewed a few bites before Fraser was already asking when I was going to open my presents.  So I did.  And I cried, and cried, and cried.  The tears streamed down my face as I remembered the days that I had given my Mom my handprint.  The day has come that a turquoise painted handprint trumps the turquoise box with the little white bow.  Inside the box was a charm to add to my collection on my bracelet.  I now have a heart with 'Mom' engraved, a capital letter 'H', and this precious heart lock with key that has 'H-H-I' engraved.  My bracelet will be treasured forever - right along side my precious turquoise handprint.

I love you boys.  Thank you for a wonderful day (including my indulgent afternoon nap)!!