Another Update

Okay, so here's life lately in a nutshell -

Chase and I spent our anniversary/my birthday weekend in Grand Lake. The weather was suppose to be beyond crappy, but we spent the whole weekend outside and were very pleased with the fact that we stayed *mostly* dry. It was pretty much an amazing weekend - we had so much fun. Perhaps a later blog post just about that with pictures (including Chase's prized pictures of his male moose who he chased around the yard with my camera at 9PM). I got to take pictures of a waterfall...which...embarrassing to say, but it's the first time I've really been able to do that. I was super excited. I'm still pretty excited. I wish I had more walls in my house because I want to print a huge one of one of them.

Hunter (and the dogs) spent the weekend with my parents. They came home spoiled. They always do.

I permed my hair. It's not really curly. It's also not really straight. On day 2, I'm still liking the change. It's less work, and is sorta fun. Chase likes it also. Hunter does not.

We're waiting impatiently for Chase to be able to actually launch his business. It's a lot of politics at this point. Politics and meetings that seem to keep getting pushed back. Hopefully soon.

Chase has exciting things happening at RE/MAX. That's about all I can say about that.

I've booked a TON of sessions lately. I'm actually a bit nervous for the coming month because it's going to be a bit crazy. I'm excited nervous though - this is totally what I've been waiting for!

My sister comes 2 weeks from today. I'm more than a little excited about that.

Hunter's driving me crazy today - he does that. Most of the time, he's pretty cool and fun. Today though, he's sort of heading down Whine Ave.

I bought a new lens. It's a little bit different from what I'm used to, but I'm adjusting and am happy.

That's enough for today!

Another Stream of Consciousness

I really liked doing stream of consciousness writing back in high school. That's why it's taken over my blog lately. Plus, it's just easy to get it all out at once without thinking about trying to be too organized.

Summer is totally the epitome of my life. I love summer more than I can express in words. And then I remembered...now, I'm a Mom. Hunter's not going to be in school for 3 hours a day anymore. Uhm. What I am going to do now? When am I suppose to go to the gym? Play Sims 3? Take a nap? Oh man, summer might suck!

No, I'm mostly kidding. I'm excited to do fun things with Nutty this summer. He's stoked to hang out at the pool, ride around in his jeep, play baseball, take gymnastics lessons (again), go to the park, the zoo, and hang out with friends we haven't seen in awhile. I just don't know how I'm going to handle not having "me" time anymore - I've gotten a little spoiled I guess!

I planted tomatoes. I'm documenting their journey through photos. They will be ready to go outside in a few days. They are my new babies, and I love them a lot. I hope my nurturing gives does them well!

I did my playgroup photo event on Saturday. It went really well. I had a ton of fun, and got some great shots. You can see them here: http://www.innovativeimage.org/?page_id=3933. Notice the new format of my gallery? Yea, I was really excited about that. I HATED my old galleries, so I'm stoked to have a new one.

I'm going to buy a new lens and new flash soon. I can't wait. I feel like all this photo stuff is kinda starting to come together. Thanks Canon 50D and my wonderful husband for letting me buy it.

We still have two frogs. I just thought it was important to let everyone know that I have not killed them yet. Hmm...speaking of frogs, I should probably feed them.

My best friend in the entire world just graduated with her degree in Radiology. I am SO proud of her.

My husband surprised me with a date night last week. We went to Jimmy Johns, which is my favorite place in the world, followed by a "Movie and Martini" at The Wildlife Experience. We saw the original Indian Jones. It was such a fun night, and I'm thankful Chase loves me enough to want to surprise me with nights out during the middle of the week.

Glee time!

Stream of Consciousness Update

Hunter has been doing super well at school. Each day, his teachers tell us how proud of him they are. He is talking up a storm, volunteering, helping, and being a great little man. We're totally thrilled with his behavior at school! Next year, he will switch not only teachers and classrooms, but schools as well. Hunter tends to take awhile to "warm up" to new situations, so we might be starting back at square one, but we're already discussing the changes with him and drive by his new school several times a week so he can see it.

Speaking of proud, I'm proud of our dogs. The other day, I let them out on the porch while I made lunch. Usually within a minute or two, Miley is ready to come in and will bark to let me know. Well, 15 minutes later, she still was not barking, so I went to check on them. The gate was WIDE open and the dogs were gone! I was freaked out as we are in pretty close proximity to two busy roads. I called for them, and they were right around the corner and came running back at full force. So proud they didn't run off.

I'm sick today. And yesterday. And Wednesday too for that matter. It's just a throaty cold I think - my voice is gone. I'm sure Chase loves that.

I took part of a senior photo fair at my old high school the other day. Some perks of being "in" with the yearbook staff meant I got to go for free, which was exciting. Free advertising is the best kind. Anyways, I had a pretty good response I think and am excited about extending my photography into more seniors this year.

Oh, and, I might be able to speak with their yearbook staff next year on turning photography into a career, which would be cool.

I (well, we as a family, but mostly me) have started sponsoring (okay, sort of sponsoring) a child from Ethiopia. Kongit is a 13 year old girl. I just sent her my first letter the other day. I've always wanted to do something like this and finally found Compassion International. I hope we can keep in touch with Kongit until she's 18 and "out of the program." I'm really excited to get a letter back from her!!

Chase and I are taking part of a HUGE playgroup anniversary party next week. They are expecting over 100 people. I'm going to take candids of the kids playing around and the families enjoying the sun (hopefully!). Later, the families will have the ability to purchase the photos from me, and to sign up for discounted sessions. I have a pretty big feeling it's going to go really well. I'm very excited about it.

Chase got an idea for a new window site. He has a feeling it's going to go really really well. I'm crossing my fingers for him because that's about all the support I can offer him as what he does is totally above my head.

More on Hunter...his talking has increased by leaps and bounds. He doesn't really know how to be quiet anymore. He is constantly making up songs, asking to call people on the phone, asking me questions, telling me what I'm wearing and what the weather is like and telling me all the places he needs to go (the zoo, Monkey Bizness, Taco Bell, Jimmy Johns, Saxon's house, Grandma's house, Gami's house, Opa's house, gymnastics, swimming pool, the grocery store, the dog food store, the gym).

The other day, a friend posted a blog on Out of the mouths of Moms. That night, Chase told Hunter at dinner "Nut, bacon doesn't sit."

Yesterday, Hunter was talking to me (nonstop of course) about something in the car. His friend, Saxon, wanted to tell me something and Hunter says "Wait Saxon! I'm talking to my Mommy!"

Hunter's been on a sandwich kick. He wants either PB&J or Grilled Cheese EVERYDAY.

Right now, Hunter is telling me it's snowing. I refuse to get up and acknowledge him because I refuse to acknowledge that it might possibly very well be snowing. We're ready for summer!

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week. (http://www.mycharmingkids.net/)

*I so didn't leave a load of laundry in the washer for three days so that yesterday I would have to waste energy, soap and water to re-wash what was in there. I am far more responsible than that.

*I totally haven't bribed my son with everything under the sun for the last 5 days trying to get him to use the potty. I am a much better parent than one who uses every form of bribery to try and see some success. P.S. The bribery is not working.

*My son has not sat on the potty for 45 minutes at a time just to get off, put on his underwear and IMMEDIATELY pee in them. Nope, my son really wants to use the potty and is super excited about it and would never do something like that.

*I did not just give into my son's request to have a Rice Krispie treat at 8AM this morning so I could write this post/edit a shoot from yesterday in some sort of peace. I am much better at micromanaging, multi-tasking and being a Mom.

*I did not write this post at 8AM this morning and then refresh MckMama's page every 2 minutes to see when her Not Me Monday post would be posted. Nope, I am certainly not that obsessive, nor am I procrastinating editing pictures every single time I refresh her page.

Well, that's it for me today. What have you not done lately?

Vote for Jetta and Miley!!

Rainbow Cake

Zoey's Closet

I recently found Zoey's Closet via Craigslist and I am so in love with her stuff! I wish I had a little girl for her pillowcase dress. I know next time I'm pregnant, I will be ordering things from her. So cute!!!

Look for yourself here:

http://zoeyscloset.blogspot.com/

Free Photo Session Give Away

I am happy to announce that I have teamed up with Denver Window Info to give away a FREE session!

Go here for your chance to win!

Not Me Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week. (http://www.mycharmingkids.net/)

There is no way I would spend $855 of our tax refund when it hadn't deposited in our bank account yet. Nope. I would never be crazy enough to spend our bill money to buy a camera. I would always do the responsible thing and wait until we actually had the money to buy my new toys.

I also would never spend an hour on the phone with the IRS this morning sitting on hold waiting to be told that our tax refund will in fact, not be there until NEXT Friday. Maybe. Because that's "just the way it is." Nope. I wouldn't waste an hour of my time to find out our bills still won't get paid this week.

I also would not go to the gym twice this weekend only to stop on the way home and get a giant slurpee from 7-11. Nope, I have so much more will power than that.

Speaking of gym...I would also never put off going and doing some cardio and instead take a 4 hour nap. No. That would be crazy. I would never do something so motivation-free like that.

I also would never leave a weekends full of dishes in the sink because I took a four hour nap instead of being somewhat productive. Nope. Dishes always come before naps.

I would never give up on my new year's resolution less than a month into it. Nope. I will always do my new year's resolution. My photos of the day are patiently waiting to be uploaded. Of course they are. I would never not document our boring days.

Congrats to The Gwendeloyn Strong Foundation!

Thank you to EVERYONE who took the time to vote for The Gwendeloyn Strong Foundation to win the Chase Community Giving contest. You can see the post about it here. Thanks to your votes, and thanks to Chase for extending the winners to the top 6. While The Gwendeloyn Strong Foundation did not win the first place award of $1,000,000, they did win $100K to put towards the cure of SMA.

I also want to thank Kendra for her incredible words, and for having the strength to take so many with her on her journey through SMA, and to continue to take us along as she grieves the loss of her angel, Makenzie. Through Kendra's words, Makenzie has inspired so many people out there, and I am very grateful for having the chance to get to know Makenzie's family.

P.S. I know I need to update with a "picture of the day" post. The pictures are here, I just need to get the post up. I will. Eventually.

Not My Husband Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I like to pretend that I am relatively perfect (ha), so today's Not Me, is really a "Not My Husband."

My husband did not make me stop watching TV last night so he could test out the new Roku for work because he needed to bring it back in today and then leave the Roku, it's box, cords, and remote laying on the living room floor.

My husband did not leave his beer bottle, full can of Dr. Pepper, water glass and empty Mountain Dew can laying on the coffee table today so that I would pick it up. Nope, my husband ALWAYS cleans up after himself.

My husband did not use the last of the dog food yesterday and then not fill up the container so that I would not have to do it this morning when I'm rushing around like crazy trying to get Hunter and I ready for our day. Nope, my husband ALWAYS fills up the dog food container when he empties it.

My husband did not complain about how messy my car is and not offer to clean it up for me since he knows how much I hate being outside when it's cold. Nope, my husband ALWAYS offers to clean out my car.

Please Vote!

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Hey Everyone -

This could be the most important thing you do today. Help find a cure!

Through the power of blog, I have recently become acquainted with a beautiful and inspiring woman who recently lost her 4 month old little angel, Makenzie due to a rare form of SMA. Before getting to know Kendra and her family, I knew very little about SMA, so I'm going to explain really quickly for those of you who do not know. SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) is a genetic disease that kills more babies than any other inherited disease. While these children are born perfectly healthy, it's usually only a matter of months before their bodies start to fail them - and once it starts, it does not stop. These poor babies will need 100% assistance in eating, breathing, and swallowing. 50% of them die before they reach 1. 90% before they are 2.

I urge all of you with a Facebook account to vote over the next week to help them earn the money to find a CURE for this horrible disease that is killing otherwise healthy babies.

To vote, go to: To vote, go to http://VoteForSMA.com

Thanks for passing this along,

Holly

Here is some more information below:

“Researchers at UC Irvine are really REALLY close to a cure for SMA, but they need funding to push it towards FDA approval. JP Morgan Chase Bank has committed to donating $5 million dollars to non-profit organizations and through a Facebook voting system, the voting for the BIG prize $1,000,000 (yes, one million) starts today, Friday, January 15th, 2010. We are asking that everyone go to the polls and vote for GSF so we can win and donate the money to end this cruel disease.

This is important for one main reason, $1,000,000 towards SMA research could actually END THIS DISEASE. Not "get the ball rolling" on research, not "hope for a cure," but actually end it. And, most importantly in my eyes, it could save the lives of children who currently have SMA. The research that is so close to FDA approval is one that could affect babies who already have SMA, and could completely remove them from symptoms.

Here are some facts:
Dr. Kierstad (UC Irvine) has dedicated his life to spinal cord injuries. He has already successfully performed a lab experiment on mice that allowed the previously-paralyzed animals to literally get up and walk. He is now focusing on SMA research. It is his belief that a groundbreaking surgery could allow the body to re-build the proteins that are missing in children with SMA.

Money is holding back a cure. Other diseases, such as breast cancer and AIDS, have massive amounts of funding and research behind them, but "cures" are still unknown. The "cure" for SMA is just around the corner, but nothing can be done until the funds are there to continue the research.

SMA is the #1 genetic killer of children under two years of age, and 1 in 40 adults (unknowingly) carry the gene to pass it on.

Voting is open (Jan 15 - Jan 22) and each person gets one vote per day. This is an effort sheerly driven by people voting: the GSF needs every single vote it can get. So, please, please, please, PLEASE vote and spread the word to every person you know.”

Pants on The Ground

1-8 thru 1-15

1-8:

We've started playing a lot of games lately. On top of all of Hunter's games, we've been showing him how to play Yahtzee. He is a very skilled Yahtzee player and can get straight after straight. We need to take him to Vegas...

Oh, and his Yahtzee skills are only enhanced when wearing his Power Ranger mask.

1-9: Hunter has been OBSESSED with taking pictures lately. Sound familiar? Chase blames me..I'm not sure why. Anywhoodle, Hunter is always asking me to take his picture, and is constantly taking pictures of both Chase and I. The only problem with his little camera below is that the flash is UBER bright and Hunter holds it UBER closer to your face.

1-10: January wouldn't be complete without a bath picture. Nutty loves his baths.

1-11: Continuing with things that Hunter likes, he's also totally obsessed with oranges (and the color orange). He would eat 12 (or more) a day if I let him. What's even better is the way he says orange. It's like "Owwannnngee."

1-12: Last Tuesday, it hit nearly 60 degrees, so we took advantage of the unseasonably warm January weather by heading to the zoo. It was beautiful, and we had tons of fun. Saxon and Hunter were SO into it this time. They loved talking about all the animals, what colors they were, what sounds they made, etc. It was really fun!

1-13:

The next day, we headed to the museum with Mandy. Two days in a row without naps turned out okay for Hunter, but, Mommy's not ready to give up naps yet, so Hunter will continue to head to his room at 1PM on most days.

The museum was a lot of fun. Hunter, like at the zoo, loved talking about what he was seeing. It's fun watching his vocabulary develop.

Oh Mandy...

1-14:

I taught Hunter how to spray whipped cream in his mouth. This is a skill I believe all three year olds need to know!

My kids!

My nephews (and son) are the best...

So is my niece...

And my niece and nephew in Arizona are not forgotten...I just don't have any new pictures. Dawn, you should work on that.

Not my child Monday

*My child did not decide on the first day back to school that he wanted to sleep in whereas all during break, he got up early.

*My child did not dump his Fruit Loops all over the living room rug this morning.

*My child did not ask the new girl in school today why she was not a boy.

*My child did not throw a mini tantrum walking out of ToysRUs because I told him we needed to go to Target to buy his toy instead.

and last but not least...

*My child did not just look at me and say "Daddy is the best" when I'M the one who got up early with him, helped him pick up his Fruit Loops, took him to school, and then took him to ToysRUs and Target and let him buy two new toys.

January 1-7

January 1st:

We spent New Years Eve at Chase's Dads house, so it was nice waking up that morning to a delicious breakfast of blueberry pancakes and bacon.

Hunter helped us pack up our bags by hanging out in the laundry basket. Do you see that pink thing? That's my new Snuggie - even though Chase hates it.

That night, while Chase took pictures at his friend's wedding, I hung out with my parents and sister. We played Spoons for a few hours...

My sister is really nice...

January 2nd:

After a lazy day at home, we met The Anderson crew for dinner at C.B. & Potts. If you ever go there, get some Loaded Waffle Fries for me...YUM!

This is Chase's cousin Lucy. She's 2 weeks younger than Hunter, and is uber cute with those chubby cheeks!

January 3rd -

Hunter had $55 MORE to spend today at Wal-Mart. We bought a new book for his Bugsby reader (very cool if you have young kids...), and Nutty picked out some cool new monster trucks. So today's picture of the day is Nutner and his new trucks. He still has $35 to go to buy some new boat accessories for his Fisher Price Imaginex boat (also a very cool toy for little boys.)

January 4th: Okay, I'm not a liar, so I'm going to confess that the picture of my Mom and Hunter was taken today (Wednesday). My mom grew out her hair specifically so she could cut it and donate it to Locks of Love, which she did on 1-4. The first picture is her braids that are ready to donate, and the second one, taken today is of her new short do! Cool, huh?

January 5th:

Hunter and I spent Tuesday in Franktown with Hunter's friend, Saxon. They love to play each other, and I truly think they consider each other best friends.

January 6th:

I ventured beyond our normal eating habits of pizza to make Eggplant Parmesan on Wednesday night. Chase was totally thrilled, can you tell? Let's just say that Chase ate pizza rolls for dinner, even though Hunter and I thought the Eggplant was delicious! Doesn't it look good??

Hunter is pretty much a huge copy cat. At least he's a cute copy cat...

January 7th:

Again, at Saxon's house. Sometimes, it's necessary for me to put the kids in lock down.

Whoo hoo for successfully completing my first week of my New Year's Resolution! Let's see if it can continue through week two!