late night randoms.

it's late, i'm tired... but i want to blog.  sounds like the perfect setting for a random post with bullets, no?

--> so i asked about "the walking dead" on my facebook page & you guys spoke up loud, saying it was definitely a must watch.  so i watched.  and watched & watched.  i just have a couple more episodes to go til i'm all caught up & holy crap it's intense!  i am crappy at suspense so i may or may not have read ahead to see what happened with some episodes before watching them.  a girl has to prepare herself for some of that stuff, am i right??  let's just say, when babies/kids/moms are involved?  i'm a puddle of sappy uncontrollable mush.

--> guess who's winning at the holidays already?  this girl!  my christmas cards are ordered, the decorations are up, i've already worked halfway through a bag of peppermint bark, parker asks for christmas stories before every nap & we've watched elf three times already.  totally winning.

--> i decided i can no longer be trusted with cookie dough.  i was making a half-batch & then portioning it out to last a week.  so, in other words, i was eating a half batch of cookies, by myself, every week.  ugh, why is cookie dough so freaking good??  it's not fair.

--> elliot has decided sleep is no longer something he's into.  last night he was up four times between midnight & five am.  my sanity is definitely suffering.  i can't tell you how many times i've told him he's lucky he's cute.

--> this is the first picture i've shot that is half way decent of my boys together.  i really should attempt it more often because it's really not that hard to get parker to cooperate, you just have to promise candy.  but that's totally worth it, right??

--> fact:  i could stare at this picture all day.  these boys make me so, so happy.  and that's really easy to say right now since they're both currently sleeping.  it's dreamy.

--> i'm gonna put together a holiday bucket list.  it will involve lots of hot chocolate, lots of crafts... including making paper-link-countdown-chains, christmas cookies & homemade ornaments, lots of christmas lights-looking, playing secret santa for someone in need, an advent calendar, lots of classic christmas movie watching & lots lots more.  what's your favorite christmas tradition?

elliot in the sink.

i'm happy to report this squishy little baby is in the 95%-tile for weight.  to celebrate?  i bring you squishy baby sink-bath pics.

family pictures.

what do i even say to introduce these pics?  i'm slightly obsessed with them.  my homie stacy from stacy jacobsen photography did these for us & i'm convinced she's some kind of wizard.  i was sure that due to the rain & wind & two wiggly kiddos we were gonna experience family picture fail.  but uh, no... i LOVE them.  

i so rarely get to be in front of the camera with all three of my boys, in a shot that is further out than arm's length.  i think it is so important to capture "mom" in the picture every now & then so my boys have something to look back at years from now to know i was there.  that's why these pictures make me so happy.  because now i have something that immortalizes this time in our lives... when parker was a squirmy goofball & elliot was a ball of squish, when we lived in seattle & braved family pictures in the rain, when i was an exhausted overwhelmed mom of a 2.5 year old & three month old & sam was doing more than his fair share to keep it all together.  this is our life right now.  it's not always glamorous but when i look back at these pictures i might think it was.  we look happy.  we are happy.  and now i have these pictures to remember this time forever.

and bonus?  i showered and curled my hair that morning... it may have been the first time that's happened since elliot was born.  but let's just pretend i look like this everyday, mmmk?

iPhone photo dump... because i'm still here!

dudes, it's been a while & it's time to unload some halloweeny-baby-cuteness-fall-time-goodness.  it's a real thing.  per the uge, we been busy.  these two boys keep me busy & when i'm not playing mom or wife, i'm playing photographer.  it's family picture season, yo!  but busy is good.

what's new this last week?  elliot is a couple days short of three months & p-ray is a busy crazy two & a half year old.  i absolutely love these two little monsters.  it's still so weird to me that i have two kids!  that they are MY kids, i made them in my wombs & they are my offspring.  so weird, right?  i mean who thought i should be trusted with TWO of these things?  it's crazy talk.

well that's about all i have at this time.  my brain is tired & my pillow is calling out sweet nothings to me down the hall all the way from my room.  i mean, i shoulda gone to bed an hour or so ago but i just got done watching two episodes of "the walking dead" and anyone who watches that show knows you don't just flip off the tv afterwards & jump into bed.  no, you gotta watch a little late night comedy after that to erase images of zombie from running around all night in your head.

and now i have to think of something else to talk about so i don't sit here & continue to think about zombies.  oops.

how about the two adorable kiddos that fill up 90% of the pictures below?  i like them.

i miss blogging.

dang, i used to be a really good blogger.  like, i was creative & my posts were topical & thought out & more than just "here's my chaotic life."  i miss that!  i miss doing crafts & steppin' out posts & recipes & silly little random posts that were about me & not necessarily even mom related.

and you know what?  i think this stuff is all on the horizon.  life with two kids is mellowing... elliot is sleeping more & i'm finding this newborn-new-mom-fog is lifting a little.  i'm feeling a little more like myself these days & i'm chomping at the bit to start doing stuff.  to start getting in shape {for reals!}, to start cooking new things, to start diy-ing again & to start dressing in things other than yoga pants & hoodies {maybe}.  i'm excited about what the future holds.  i'm feeling like i'm the most inspired at this time in my life than i have ever been!  with photography, with decorating & what i want in my home, with healthy-living & fitness, with my wardrobe & of course with the life i want to live with sam & our two little boys.

good things are on the horizon, i can just feel it & i am so, SO excited.

plus?  i get to hang out with this guy all day... and that makes everything pretty awesome.

it's Halloween! let's iPhoto dump.

happy halloween friends!

and to all my east coast readers, i really hope you're somewhere safe & dry & you weathered the storm alright.  i am completely hooked on watching sandy coverage & cannot believe the devastation over there... thoughts & prayers your way!

so yeah, it's halloween & this will not be a halloween themed post.  that will come after i take hoards of pictures of my babies in their costumes, which i JUST finalized yesterday.  yeah, i'm that mom this year.  we didn't even carve pumpkins!  you guys, i'm doing good to fold the laundry & shower occasionally, carving pumpkins just wasn't on the agenda this year.  but next year?  for sure.

don't get me wrong, things are going great these days.  elliot is sleeping a 6-8 hour stretch each night, waking up once to eat & then back down til 7 or 8.  it's GLORIOUS!!!  yes, i think the heavens just opened up & sang hallelujahs.  i heard it, i swear.  and?  oh my gosh, i fall in love with him more & more every. day.  he is just so sweet & happy & he smiles & coos & has my heart wrapped around his little finger.  i just want to eat him up!  i love my little baby.

i've been keeping busy with the ol' photog business.  i kinda just sat on it for a bit the last year due to the pregnancy/baby, but now it's time to hit it hard.  so i've been busy rebuilding some of my branding & advertising & working on editing from my latest sessions.  so that's been fun.  seriously, i LOVE all things related to photography & my photography business & would be happy sitting in my office all day doing business things & editing & shooting sessions too, obviously.  so that's been keeping me happy busy in those times when kiddos are sleeping.

pictures of me working on photography stuff just really isn't that exciting though, so you'll find that 99% of my iPhoto pictures are of p-ray & elliot because they're basically the cutest.

happy halloween!!