I'm still here! Consolidated update

I'm alive! I know I haven't written in a month but I just plain didn't feel like it. My life has been kind of all over the place and I just haven't had the urge to write. I'm not even sure where to start with all of it.

Early in December Anthony had ear surgery. Two years prior to that (almost exactly two years to the day) he had ear surgery to put in tubes because he got frequent ear infections. The tube in his right ear never fell out,  and actually turned sideways blocking the drainage. We gave it a few months to try to allow it to fall out on its own but it didn't happen. So the dr went in and took it out. Easy peasy. He seems to be doing better and has a follow up appointment with his ENT specialist tomorrow.

Christmas was hectic and wonderful as usual. The kids were spoiled rotten, my husband spoiled me rotten and I got him a few small things then two worthless pieces of paper that I paid $200 for. I got him hockey tickets but thanks to the lockout, the game I got the tickets to got officially cancelled just a few days before Christmas. So basically I owe him a Christmas present still.

Our new years was pretty uneventful. My mom took my kids and we went to a friends house where I drank a little too much and had a headache the next day. Happy New Year!

The least fun thing I have to update on is my own surgery. The day before Halloween I went into my OB/GYN for my annual pap. I was shocked when two weeks later he called me to tell me it came back abnormal. They reassured me on the phone that it was "barely abnormal" and "just above average" and they were sure it was nothing, but they scheduled me to come in three weeks later for a biopsy anyway, "just to be safe." I was confused and scared because just one year prior was when I had Noah and had my post baby exam that showed nothing, so how could something happen so quickly? And honestly, that question still lingers, we still have no idea how it all moved so fast. I went in for my biopsy as scheduled and exactly one week later I got a call from my doctor saying that the biopsy "came back more abnormal than the pap did" and that I had high-grade moderate dysplasia. That means I had pre-cancerous cells growing on my cervix that needed to be surgically removed. If you have low grade, mild dysplasia normally the plan of action is to just watch and let the body correct the issue itself, but mine was high grade, moderate which meant that the cells needed to be removed before they turned into cancer. So we scheduled it then and I had my surgery on Jan 10th. During the surgery they took more cells from deeper inside the cervix to ensure that there weren't more cell and that they weren't further progressed than the biopsy showed. I go in to read the pathology report and get my post-op exam this Thursday.

So 2012 ended and 2013 began with a little bit of health issues but I have full confidence in both my doctor and in Anthony's doctor that everything was taken care of and settled in both our surgeries. I'm ready to put it all behind us and move forward.

Moving forward for me means more school, and working on my photography. God willing and hard work put in I should be done with school in about a year and a half at the most. I realize I'm behind about 90% of my high school graduating class in getting my degree, but I figure better late than never, right? Then I got a gracious offer from a talented friend to build a website for me and my photography and I may take her up on it. (IF the offer still stands, that is. ;) We'll swap, pictures for a website!) I've been taking some pictures for friends and family, trying to build up a portfolio basically. I really need to decide how serious about it I want to be basically. I would love to go full speed ahead and try to launch a whole business but I don't know how realistic that is. First of all, the market for photographers in San Diego is pretty saturated, and I feel like no matter how much effort I put out I'll still be just part of the crowd. Second of all its not like time is on my side, in a sense that.. I don't have any. I would only be able to shoot on weekends and even then I would be sacrificing time with my family (Which is something I don't get a ton of) to do these shoots. So I think the plan right now is just to get the website built, get my portfolio built by offering cheap shoots at work and photographing friends and family and just basically do it on the side. If I seem to catch attention and business comes in, then I'll think about getting more serious about it. If not, then I'll just keep taking pictures of my family and whoever happens to ask.

Fall/Winter pictures

It's the time of year for Christmas cards and family pictures! Because nothing says I love you quite like giving someone pictures of yourself, right? The concept of pictures in/on Christmas cards is a little bit lost on me, except for when given to family members that rarely see you or your kids. But its a "thing" and my family all seem to love it, so we divulge and we took our Christmas pictures this past weekend.

We went up to a really pretty park. It has a railroad track running through it and has a ton of seasonal trees that give off a lot of leaves. It photographs really well. Well enough that there were about ten other families there taking family pictures the same time we were. I wish I was kidding or exaggerating, but I'm not. There was a lot of "watch out, we're gonna be in the background of these peoples pictures" or "just a sec there's someone in the background." But luckily everyone knew what everyone else was trying to do and was mostly courteous about trying to stay out of each others way.

I love photographing my family. In my completely unbiased opinion, my boys are pretty freakin cute and easy to photograph so its fun. The downside of it is that I'm never in any of the pictures. I have about 486,542,878 pictures of my boys together and my husband with them but about 20 of me and the boys and like 3 of the four of us together. I used the self timer to jump in a few of them, but I look a little beat from first taking pictures and the toddler chasing that entails, and then from running to try to beat the timer and get "posed" in time.

The shots I got of the boys were pretty good. I was really sad though, I got some really really cute ones of the two of them when we first got there, only to realize my 1yr old who was trying to play with my camera the night before had switched me from auto focus to manual focus and all of my favorite ones were not in focus. I was able to get a few that were in focus but the boys were over that spot so we had to move on. Sad me. Our day ended early when Anthony got stung by a bee and was in no mood to continue taking pictures. Through the timer beating, the bee stinging, and the manual focus I was able to get some really cute shots. So now, I share them!

This was my favorite spot, that was first out of focus then the boys were over it. As Anthony is demonstrating here.
 

 

 

Hey look! I'm in one! Messy hair and all.

 

After posting these an old friend from high school contacted me about taking some pictures for her family. So not this coming weekend, but the following I'll be taking pictures of someone elses family for the first time! Wish me luck!

Taking a leap?

Photography has been something I have always really enjoyed and appreciated. A few years ago I bought a DSLR camera and for years I simply used the camera on auto and was confused as to why the pictures weren't awesome like other people's photos were. Hesitantly I will admit I gave up. I basically stopped using my camera and it sat in my hall closet like a really expensive paper weight. Until about a year ago, I decided I wanted to dust it off and make an effort to actually learn how to use it. How novel, right?

I am no where near a professional photographer, and really, I'm not sure I ever really need to reach that level. I really have no desire to shoot in manual. But I like to think that I can take some decent pictures of my kids. Over the last year my skills have come leaps and bounds from where they were.

While I've always loved and appreciated photography I don't think there was ever a time in my life when I wanted to be a photographer. I've always wanted to be able to take amazing photos, just not necessarily as my career.

Now that being said, let me contradict myself. I'm thinking of offering up some family/kids photos to some of the families at work. Why? I don't know. To make a little extra money? (I mean a little. I would be charging next to nothing, since I'm not actually a photographer) To prove that I can? To see IF I can? To take photos of someone other than my kids? Or maybe deep down in there some part of me does want to do this and wants to see if I can. Who knows.

Now, Please be honest. Post your comments anonymously if you feel you must, but please look at some of these photos and tell me if they're something you would pay for.

<edited to add> I noticed some snarky comments on facebook after posting this and even though I don't know this person, it was still upsetting. It's hard for someone to completely open themselves up like this. So if you have some criticism at least make it constructive.

I can haz punkinz?

I spend far too much time in the humor section of pinterest. Unfortunately for my husband he has to hear me mutter the word "ermahgerd" way too often. I give credit to his genuis mind for this little piece of heaven right here.

 

Pumpkin patch!

In 2010 we made our first trip as a family to the Bates Nut Farm pumpkin patch. When Brandon was a kid he would go with his family every year and we have inherited the tradition. This year was our third year making the trip out there, and even though it is indeed a trip to get there, we always enjoy our time. Its a huge pumpkin patch with "big macs" that you pay per pound or your average sized pumpkin for a set price. There's rides and mazes and a little store where you can buy home made jams and all sorts of goodies. The weather was cool and drizzly, the boys were well behaved, and we got some good pumpkins. I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking!



My kid is crazy

I was that mom. I made me kids wear matching sweaters

Nono trying to move one of the Big Macs

Look at this stud muffin!

Coolest kids ever

family portrait

The boys runnin in the pumpkin field

look at this cool guy!

 There is a stack of pumpkins, a little picture prop they have out every year. The first year we took a picture with it just because it was there. But we've taken pictures with it every year since. It's kinda cool to look back and see how different your life can be just a year later.

2010 - our first trip out to the pumpkin patch. Ant was almost two and so small and cute and innocent!

2011 - Notice the little tiny newborn Noey here! This year it was super hot and miserable.

 

2012! We made a point to plan our trip around the weather this year, no more hot pumpkin patch trips!

Im embarassed to admit that im so out of shape, my legs were sore from squatting down to take pictures of my kids. But thats the ugly truth, people.

One year photos

My little tiny newborn Noey bear baby is turning a year old on Saturday. I'm not sure how this happened, surely I didn't give him permission to grow up so fast. But alas, he is growing anyway and this Saturday we're going to celebrate! Before our big celebration this weekend I wanted to get his first birthday pictures taken. With Anthony we took him down to a photo place in the mall to get his pictures done thinking it would be fun to do it professionally. The pictures ultimately turned out cute but were not near the level I was expecting, especially for the money we paid. So for Noah I decided since i'm in the process of learning my DSLR camera better and I just got an awesome new lens for it, that I would just do the pictures myself. I spent some time on pinterest (of course!) getting a few ideas for props and poses then loaded up and headed out to the park where his party is going to be.

The pictures really turned out well, and I'm really glad I did it myself. But anyone that has tried to shoot a one year old knows, its not easy. AT ALL. They're squiggly and squirmy, they get bored easily, they get distracted easily and any 'poses' you have in mind you may as well kiss goodbye. I saw a really adorable picture of a little baby who was sitting holding a solitary balloon. I LOVED it! The balloon popped within 5 minutes. I'm not sure why, but every single balloon we brought with us popped.

lol right after the balloon popped. You can even see a chunk of balloon falling in front of his feet

We had a lot of these, when the balloons were still intact at least. He didn't want to take pictures, he just wanted to chase balloons.

We had a few of these. Eating grass.

And a lot of these, not paying attention. I mean, a LOT of these.

But somewhere within the 400 pictures I took I found quite a few good ones.

I love this little man so, so much. Even though he's only been around a year, I can't quite imagine my life without him. Our life makes so much sense with him in it, we feel complete now. He's the perfect contrast to his brother, and his favorite playmate. I can't wait for the years to come. Happy early birthday my Nonos.

Fair time!

It's that time of year when the fair rolls into town! Bringing with it all the rickety rides and fried food you could possibly imagine. Since being together, Brandon and I have made a habit of going every year, and this year was no differnent. This past Saturday we loaded up the kiddos and made the trek down to the fair. We enjoyed fair food (portabello mushrooms stuffed with gouda cheese, wrapped in bacon and grilled! DELICIOUS!), browsed booths full of TODAY ONLY! sales, went through some exhibits, and rode a few rides with Anthony. In 2008 when I was pregnant with Anthony we decided to take some photobooth pictures. I was only about 4 months pregnant and wasn't showing enough to try to get a belly shot, but we knew that Anthony was there. Every year since then we have taken photobooth pictures. It has evolved into a tradition that no one planned, but that we love so much. I love seeing how much our family has changed each year. In five years we've gone from just two of us in that booth to this year cramming four of us in there! Let me tell you, it got hot quick up in there.

2008-2012 of photobooth awesomeness!

ebony and ivory

My boys are just under three years apart in age. I always heard about how siblings are always so different from each other but I guess I just never really got it. My sister and I are practically polar opposites but I still didn't really get what people meant. Until I had a second kid. Noah is a completely different baby than Anthony was. Anthony was colic, Noah was calm. Anthony drooled like a mad man, that kid could soak the front of a shirt in 5 minutes flat. Noah barely drools, even when he's teething. Ant was walking at 9.5 months, Noah barely started crawling at 9.5 months. Anthony was a little tiny stick figure of a baby, Noah is a chunka monka. Anthony has curly blonde hair, Noah has straight brown hair. The list goes on and on.



Seriously, how can they both look like dad but not at all like each other?

They amaze me in that they both  look SO MUCH like their dad, yet somehow look nothing like each other. Honestly I wouldn't even guess them siblings if I didn't know them.  How can they have the same parents, and both resemble their dad so much and still look nothing alike?! Little magicians.

I always knew that Noah kinda resembled how Ant looked as a baby, but I never realized how much. Until today when I was looking through old pictures on my Facebook and realized that even though they don't look alike now, when I look back at pictures of Anthony at this age, Noah looks just like him. A little chubbier and brunette, but the similarities are so present. Present in that you can actually see similarities in them!



These two babies could almost pass as siblings! ...if they existed at the same time. But alas, Baby Anthony took these pictures in 2009 and Baby Noah took them in 2012. Maybe when Noey grows up a little more he'll start to resemble Ant a little more. Until then, I have these two little tricksters, who both come from the same parents, both look like their dad, but somehow look nothing like each other.  I love these little tricksters so much.

Impromptu Fathers day pictures taken last night :)

My boys

There's something about being a mom of boys. I am severely outnumbered at home, even the pets are boys, but I don't mind. It isn't unheard of for my son to be found in the yard with a superhero costume on. In fact, it's quite common. Being in a house now and having a yard has been valuable beyond measure. We spend so much time out there, stealing vitamin D,  just playing, running, jumping, chasing, laughing. Boys need a yard! And I need my boys.



Epic basketball battle between daddy and Super Anthony



Stupid auto-focus. I really wish It would have focused on him instead of the wall. Either way, I love this picture.



This was actually taken at the zoo, not in the yard. But I love it either way.

These pictures were taken with a Sony A200, shot in aperture mode, f/3.5, ISO 800 I believe? They look a little grainy to me, im not sure why. Maybe I have my ISO too high? I really want to get a lens with a higher aperture, I found one for a really good price but, despite the great price I just can't bring myself to spend that much! For now, I oogle it. Wanna oogle too? http://www.amazon.com/Sony-50mm-Alpha-Digital-Cameras/dp/B0029U0X24/ref=lh_ni_t