Sweet Libbie

There is no stopping our little Libbie. In many (most) ways this is a huge blessing ,but in other ways it's a curse! Since we've been home from China the poor girl has spent most of her time in a cast/casts. We finally got her orthotics worked out and tweaked and she was just rocking along... then at Hoot's birthday she managed to get in the bounce house with some bigger kiddos and she fractured her left tibia. It was considered a buckle fracture and not a compound. She walked on it for a week because the ER didn't detect the break. However at the end of a week of limping along, I called her WONDERFUL doctor at Shriners and sure enough it was broken. We just got the cast off a little over a week ago. Her Doctor told me she probably wouldn't walk on it for a few weeks. He wanted her to use her walker and his words were to "Keep her out of harms way!". With The Doll, this is much easier said than done. She is quick and stubborn. She wouldn't have anything to do with that walker... So day before yesterday she was on the play ground at school and was hit by a kickball in the left leg... she took a fall and cried but acted like she was okay. I noticed right away that she wasn't walking the same as she had been during the week. I am praying we haven't re-fractured her poor little leg. She has no muscle or fat on her left leg so there isn't much to soften a blow. I started having a pity party tonight and just feel so tired. Tired of dealing with casts, and trips to the hospital. Tired of the falls. It's emotionally draining to have a hurt child. When she falls its BIG and takes a long time to rebound. She is so fragile, but so independent and determined to do EVERYTHING on her own. She doesn't know that she has physical limitations.. which, like I said is a blessing most of the time. So were headed back to Shriners tomorrow for x-rays and I am PRAYING that it isn't broken. As I wallowed in my pitty I think God lead me to my friend Kim's blog.. 3Peanuts. I haven't had time to read blogs over the past month so I hadn't kept up with what was going on with little Ivy. My party is over and I'm asking that you join me in prayer tonight for Ivy and her family. I never link it right so just copy and paste. http://sammonsfamily7.blogspot.com/2012/10/is-there-cause-for-concern.html

More Than A Month

I think this may be the longest dry blog spell I've had! It's been more than a month and I have been MIA! Between, school, homework, part time job, and photography sessions... I have zero time! After Libbie broke her leg on Hoot's birthday I just haven't seemed to catch up. My house looks like a zoo, I basically live in my car and I stay up until weeeee hours of the night editing photos! I think this is a very busy time for photographers in general and then after the holidays it slows... I'm taking family photos now for Christmas cards and I've done homecomings and newborn sessions. I did a session in Houston this week for a mom entering her baby in a photo contest for Children's Place or Gap (I can't remember). He was a doll and it was a lot of fun. But my busy busy season won't start until November when I start decorating houses. I took on two new clients recently and may be flying to Dallas for another client (friends with my mom). We will see! I think I'm going to take December off after I finish decorating trees and not take any photography sessions until January. I need a break and I want to enjoy the season with my family. I am truly blessed and God has provided in ways I could not imagine. I never ever expected for my photography hobby to take off the way it has. I still feel very much an amateur, but I am learning so much along the way. Every time I shoot, I figure something out about my camera or my lens or what I could tweek to make things better. I struggle with sharp crisp images so I've been working on that a lot. I like the softness that a lot of my images have, but I really want to be able to create sharp images. My husband is a saint and my in laws have helped me so many times when I need the kids picked up or I need to drop off so I can shoot a session. Without them I would not be able to pursue this passion. Lambert helps with laundry and shuffling kids. I am beyond blessed. I miss my blog friends. I haven't posted nor have I stalked. There just hasn't been time. I do post on FB at http://www.facebook.com/illuminate.lambert. thought I would share some of my work! Enjoy First Maternity Session Brothers Baby Boston An American Family!

Super 8

Hootser turned 8 and we celebrated with a super doooper party. No party is complete unless we spend the night in the ER... we can check that off our list this year. All went well until Super WaWa (aka Libbie) had a POWERFUL collision in the moonwalk with Wonder Woman (aka cousin BB). WW landed on SW's leg and we were almost certain it was broken. After a long night and an x-ray we learned the bone was not broken, but badly bruised. We can handle that PRAISE THE LORD!! I was praying that we wouldn't need surgery. We'll head in to Shriners tomorrow so her doctor can take another look. She can't bear weight on it at this point, but thankfully it isn't broken. Hoot had a FANTASTIC time and at one point during the party he told me he had the best parents ever and he loved his life... how great is that?? I can't beleive he is eight years old. It really does seem like yesterday we were racing to the hospital to deliver him. He is still the sweetest and kindest little soul that he was the first time I held him. When I tell him he's getting too big, he always says, "but not too big to snuggle with you mom." I hope he says that forever... I know he won't, but oh I hope those days are in the far far future... Happy Birthday Hoot! Mom and Dad love you to the moon and back!!

Mortify your Teens

If I only had a teenager right now! We've been shooting some weddings and a couple receptions so I've recently learned a few new dance moves... I haven't listened to mainstream radio for about 13 years... (i know i'm old) so... I don't know any of the hip songs teens are into these days. I shot a sweet sixteen party last weekend and about died at what the kids were dancing to. I don't know if the words are vulgar because I could barely understand them,( i really don't think there were any offensive words) but if you want to totally (impress or humilate) your teens... I highly suggest you checkout these two Youtube dance videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRBLmogRL4c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewufRwrayTI sorry I still don't know how to insert a link :( just copy and paste :) old school now... neither of these dances are too hard to learn. Both sets of grandparents were breaking it down with the teens... you just have to get loose and then have your teenagers invite some of their cool friends over and break out your new moves. it might be a good idea to dim the lighting and crank up the music... it's a much cooler effect this way. i have cracked up just driving down the road thinking about how funny the adults looked working these moves. I even caught myself "moving like bernie" down the hallway today as I put away ironed clothes. I crack myself up! The bernie dance I'm told is based of the 80's movie Weekend at Bernies.... it's perfect! I apologize in advance if either of these viedos offend anyone. Not my intention. Hope you get a great laugh.

Galveston Wedding Part II

No time to narrate... still busy editing other sessions.. just finished the galveston wedding so I thought I would share a little. kids are back to school.. Hoot turned 8, haven't had party yet... and i'm slammed! Loving it all! Please be gentle with any critical advice on the wedding shots... i'm still learning and have a LONG way to go... that's why I'm cheap!

Galveston Wedding

Lambert and I shot a wedding in Galveston last night. The bride is from Arlington. She called me last week because her photographer had to cancel at the last minute. She found me through a friend of a friend of a friend. So we arrived at the wedding location which was in the backyard of a beach house in Surfside (right outside Galveston). It was a very intimate wedding with just a handful of guests. The back yard was right on the beach. The location was great but we were completely blown away by how beautiful these people were! First, the children.... they could be Ralph Lauren models TODAY... they were the most gorgeous people I have ever seen. The groom looked identical to Tim Tebow. Lambert was in awe of how similar he looked to his favorite football hero. Anyway, I had to share this photo. I haven't edited any pics yet because I'm so back logged with other families that I need to prioritize. BUT... I had to share this one. This kid just plopped down in a beach chair on the deck and looked at me. This was the result... STUNNING!!!

Not Slowing Down

School starts for us in a week@!! HOLY GUACAMOLE!! It seems like summer flew by at lighting speed. Hobby Lobby has their Halloween and some Christmas out and so does Homegoods! Where did it go?? We made a journal this summer of all the fun things we did together. At last summers end Hoot said we were very boring and he didn't get to do anything fun.... so we journaled... EVERYTHING! I'm shooting a wedding Galveston tomorrow evening (can not wait). I did this little mini session last week and the photos turned out great. I've been taking a photography class, but I haven't been very good with my homework assignments. I've been helping out at Hoot (AND LIBBIE's) school this last week so I'm excited to get out the camera tomorrow. Wawa's uniforms are so sooooo cute on her. Hoot is ready to get back to school too. Everyone is ready but me! (as always) Beautiful!

Excess

You can't take it with you! I've been thinking a lot lately about excess. Funny that everywhere I turn I'm being faced with my conviction. Two weeks ago I listened to a message about giving generously and how Americans have so much that we need air conditioned storage units to store our excess. I've only watched the tv program "Hoarders" once but it's been on several times this past week as I've turned on the tube to watch the Olympic games. Last week my sister was down and she looked in my dining room which was filled to the brim because I am "reorganizing" and said, you may be a borderline hoarder... I had lunch with a good friend who just finished reading a very powerful book about letting go of our stuff and giving generously. I haven't read it but I do feel it was a gentle nudge from God through my friend. I consider myself a "collector". I love stuff and when I buy stuff it's usually vintage and I get it for a "good" deal. I really have no use for it, but I love its beauty and the story it tells... Bologna...I tell myself that. Really I just love my stuff. I have a very hard time looking at something and saying that is beautiful, but I don't need it... I say I love you, I must have you now before you get away! Listening and Doing... it's easy to listen to a message or read a word from God and say amen... I need to do that... but the doing it part... Not so easy. I've been in my dining room this morning thinking about what I could give away, what I have never used and probably never will... It's soooo hard. I have junk everywhere. My house is so cluttered with treasures I've never used. It's time!!! I have a love affair with chairs. I won't mention how many chairs I've purchased, recovered or slipped and then have no place to put them. I think I have 14 extra chairs in my house that need to go. I feel overwhelmed with the stuff... and dishes... OMG I can't count how many sets of vintage dishes, ironstone ware, christmas dishes, easter dishes, halloween dishes, fall dishes and so on... it's a problem folks. I'm on a mission to declutter and give away a lot!! I usually have a sack full of stuff for my sister because she is a single mom and we have similar taste. I'm going to weed out the closets and haul stuff to the women's shelter in our community. I'm going to fervently pray for God to work on my heart so that this is not an excruciating process. I'm going to cling to these verses: Matthew 6:19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. Matthew 19:21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Mark 10:21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

Surfs Up

Hoots principal invited us to go surfing today. He has a very cool surfer head master. We love the beach but we've never attempted surfing. Last year Hoot was viciously attacked by a sea lice (a tiny jelly fish creature) in his most sensitive area so we hadn't talked about ocean sports since that event. He did enter the ocean earlier this year, but only for a breif time. When Hoot heard that it would be with the head of school and his WAY cool older sons (9 and 10 years old) he was sold. We got up early and packed up the truck Galveston bound. Hoot is like his dear old mom in many ways but he really inherited my stellar athletic abilities (or lack thereof). After a couple frustrating hours the following events took place. If everybody had an ocean across the USA... Then everybody'd be surfin, like Californi-A A bushy bushy blonde hairdo.... surfin' USA! The water looks shallow here, but it wasn't. He rode it all the way in!! Tell the teacher were surfin', surfin' USA!! WIPE OUT!! I don't usually go in the water, but i was so excited to capture these photos. I have tiny bites all over my legs. I'm certian it's a flesh eating bacteria. I've bathed and may spray myself down with lysol or windex... they kill everything.