CHEESE!

This is what happens when Grandma & Grandpa & Aunt Becky & Aunt Yujin all come in to town. Now instead of just talking on the phone she holds it RIGHT UP IN YOUR FACE and says..."say cheese"

Pay No Attention to the Baby Under the Carpet

No Seriously. This is the scene that i came home to after a night of "Martini's & a Movie (sans movie) with the girls.

No Seriously. This is how G fell asleep. THIS was the position she chose. Apparently SOMEONE suggested it was bedtime, someone was watching baseball and someone was giggling at her rolling under the carpet and then...

No Seriously. This is where she slept...until i got my fill of giggles & pictures in as well :)

Happy Birthday Baby!

Dear G,

HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY! I really can't believe that my sweet lil baby girl is T-W-O. Although i don't know who i think i'm teasing because really...your growin like a weed. Mentally not a day goes by that you don't crack your daddy & I up. And physically, that lil lioness mane and those loong legs & arms crack me up every morning when i wake up with them all wrapped up around me.

This spring has been so much fun with you. I'd say our number one thing to do this year is take care of our plants and sew. It's so much fun to see you interested in watering our plants and at the farm 'comeon guys' helpin out as much as, if not more than, some of the adults.

For your birthday we went to brunch with Grandma & Grandpa and came home to PRESENTS! Your new shiny bike was by far the biggest it and I'll take a lil credit for my fun spin ~ spin ~ spinny dresses. After a lil nap Auntie Yuj & Auntie Becky came to for dinner and to PLAY. G got some awesome princess dress up stuff and we just laughed and laughed. We also sang happy birthday THREE times complete with candle blow out and relighting. Who can resist a request of 'one more time mommy?' on a birthday!?!?

Your a light in my life that I never dreamed would shine SOO BRIGHT. Some parents talk about how in awe they are of the love for their children ~ I've never been so shocked and I guess i'm lucky that way...I always felt TONS of love growing up. But i wasn't prepared for how a 'hi mommy' or a lil chubby hand on my chest could just make me melt and make all the ugliness of the day disappear.

I love you my lil buttercup. Thanks for letting me see the sun shine ~ even on the darkest of days.

Love,
Mama

Happy Mothers Day!!!

and i had a good one indeed! Admittedly saturday started off a bit shaky but that was VERY short lived and the rest of the weekend was fantastic!

Saturday we went to 'our' farm again. This time we had some friends drive up with us. As silly as it sounds it was fun just having other folks in the car to chat with. Made me feel young again. The farm, as always, was awesome. We toured around and saw how things are progressing (even with the absurd rainfall) and did a little more rock harvesting. But then we reaped the rewards: 3 dozen eggs, chives, and rhubarb. Afterwards we went to our real garden and just sorta hung out / day dreamed for awhile.

Sunday was MY kinda day. It was amazingly beautiful out and i didn't change a single diaper!!! On top of my wonderful gifts, we got to hang out & I did some sewing all day which was clearly awesome. I made G one of her birthday dresses & a pair of pants. We definitely stocked up on our vitamin D. It may have made Pete-a-lee a bitch twitcy not leaving the house, but it was truely my kinda day!

New baby smell

I really can't believe it. I JUST got back from a beautiful homebirth of a sweet 6lb 12oz lil baby girl. I had let some folks know that i was interested in doing some photos of a natural labor and a student I substitute taught for was interested.

This afternoon i met with them and we just chatted. 'Baby' was a little over a week late and mom didn't think it had an exit plan any time soon. Retrospectively interesting ~ i stayed far longer than i expected just chatting with them and hearing about some anxieties over the past week. It was a great fun & friendly meeting and upon leaving i COMMANDED the baby to come out. Well...7 hours later ~ contractions started.

I showed up at 3:30am and was out by 6:30. It was filled with many highs and a few lows, but ultimately ~ resulted in a perfect healthy baby. No Zimbabwe.

It was pretty interesting ~ just about 1 year and oh...350 days ago i was sitting in a bedroom holding my brand new baby. On both this morning and that ~ the birds were chirping after a fresh rainfall & the air smelled so sweet. Such a timely reminder of how much our family has grown in two years ~ and how precious life still is.

Mother’s little helper! (and…Daddy’s too)

So our little Pnut wants to be a part of the action no matter what we do. Sometimes I just want to get things done but then I realize she just wants to help, so even if it takes a little more time it’s worth it. Just watching her smile as she struggles to carry a small bag, or my grill scraper, or the cooler; yes she grabbed the handle of our quite large cooler with wheels and walked out towards the truck! She just really wants to help and be a part of everything and it’s awesome.

Friday was grilling night. Jen set outa blanket and opened a bottle of wine (Our new favorite, Pancake Cellars 2007 Big Day White, small price with a big yummy taste), and I fired up the coals. It was a beautiful night and as the sun was setting, Jenn read while I started to grill the squid. Pnut was at the picnic table with the plates from the cooler and was setting them out for each of us, along with forks and knives too! Jen’s and mine on one side of the table and hers across from ours. All the while muttering mommy, daddy, ME…mommy’s pate, daddy’s pate, ME pate.

Saturday we were back out at our "farm" to weed and pick up rocks so that we could harvest Asparagus. Yep...she was right next to Mom and Dad picking up rocks and tossing them into a large pile.

Fast forward to Sunday and we were cleaning or doing something other than watching our little girl. She was entertaining herself as usual and I hear plastic and clicking and she’s muttering again. I had to see what was up. She had found the plastic cups from the night before and had set out 3 on the coffee table. With an empty water bottle shewas “filling” up the 3 cups for Mommy, Daddy and ME! Amazed and pleased that our little G is happy, content, and filled with love for her family. I wonder if we can keep this up all the way through her teens. A father can hope.

Elephants use dirt and hay as a natural sunscreen

So why can't G???

At least this seems to be her theory. Of course this weekend was extra messy with a trip to 'our' farm to harvest the rock gardens and gather some asparagus. (ohh and for those of you who remember my oath...FRESH DOESN'T STINK! i don't know how or why, but thanks to Pete-a-lee who pointed it out. Men, right?!?)

Ok so back to Pigpen. I know we were at a farm, i KNOW we gardened, but seriously...seriously ~ how does it get everywhere? Including Mom?

and why? Why is is sooooo important to keep my lil gringa SLATHERED in sunscreen when all it does it attract dirt from miles and miles away? HELLO G ~ your DAD IS CUBAN & ITALIAN ~ and your brother and sisters ALL tan nicely.

Not that i'd let you tan at barely two years of age...but a mom can dream right?

April Adventures!

This month we had not one, but TWO adventures.

The first one was more of a mommy & daddy adventure! Can you image?!?! Yes, I can assure you ~ they DO exist! Anyhoo - my brother got married and with his fiance ~ (now better known as 'Aunt NINA') had they had the most fanflippintastic wedding weekend. For three nights in a row we got to play (and by play I mean drink) And although i can proudly say I survivied...it wasn't as easy as it was when i was 20. Not by a looong shot!

(watch out ~ the next shot is pretty riske) -- haha or not.


THEN the weekend after we drove down to the Sheandoah Mountains to visit Peter's sister & family. It was an awesome day trip. Complete with mountain views, swimming and tempting Vera Bradley bags. Although I didn't take a single picture while we were there. I did manage to snap a few as we were heading out the door.

Coo Coo for Tutu's!

So i bought this FLUFFY pink tutu on a whim at a second hand shop because i thought it would be a really cute photography prop. Never in a million years did I imagine that i'd have lil girly girl who was that kid who wore silly stuff. EVERYWHERE. No seriously ~ EVERYWHERE.

I actually wake up and coordinate her weekend outfits so the tutu doesn't look quite so ridiculous. Of course its not just day-time wear either. It makes the perfect accessory for bedtime as well.

My Life.

My Oath

I, JennalaMommy, do hereby solemnly swear that i will no longer serve asparagus until EVERYONE in this home is 100% potty trained. So help me God.

School Pictures

So today is PICTURE DAY at G's school. I bounced back and forth on how much I cared. Ranging from not.at.all to ~ she's missed every other picture day and it would be fun to see what comes from it.

Sooo last minute Peter reminded me and i whipped out the iron. Zoom zoom zoom ~ toss on the dress, add some pigtails per request, and we're off with cargo pants to change into later.

BUT WAIT. She looks soooo cute! I HAAAD TO GET A PIC. Channeling my inner G i feel i can claim "I DIT IT!"


But no matter what, they don't make me smile 1/2 as much as this one does.

in a minute...

Anyone think we took too much time getting ready???

Not THAT kinda bunny!

So we were playing around with G's bunny ears the other day (perhaps in anticipation of a photo shoot?!?!)

Little did we know she has aspirations of being a...bunny.

Not really the kind we had expected though.

Ummmmm...

Ummm... Ummm... Ummmm... I have a little girl! No longer a baby, but a little girl that gets nervous and says "ummmm" ALL THE TIME NOW. I presume this is one of her (numerous) bad habits she picked up at daycare. But, like all the rest, I know it should be a bad thing but it seriously just makes me giggle.

Me - G, what do you want?
G - Ummm... Ummm... (picks at lip a bit) Umm...
Me - G honey, you can point if you don't know the word.
G - Ummm... Ummm... (picks at lip a bit) Umm...
(a few more rounds)

P - she wants chocolate, she saw me eating some
Me - G do you want chocolate?
G - Ummm... Umm... yea mommy, CHOP-a-LIT!

Apparently i'm the BAD parent and she knows she's not getting it from me. Often at least :P

and a gratuitous pic of G just for fun!

Happy SPRING!

So March 20th not only marks the birth of a lil sis but the FIRST DAY of SPRING!

With each passing equinox and solstice Pete-a-lee and I seem to celebrate each more and more. Perhaps its because we love to cook and planning a theme dinner is acutally a lot of fun for us ~ perhaps its because we like organics and in paying more attention to what we eat, we're thankful for new seasons & tastes as they arrive ~ perhaps its because like any holiday its less about what someone else says it is and more about what you make of it.

Either way ~ spring rocks!

While P was up getting the grill going, G & I made a new wreath for the front door. Sans picture, it has beautiful spring themed blossoms and 3 eggs tucked warmly inside the vine. Then for dinner we had grilled lamb & asparagus with a salad complete with flower blossoms and poppyseed dressing. Desert was a cupcake for G (i love that after then intial bite of icing ~ she flipped it over and only ate 1/2 of the cake.) And P and I had a rhubard & stawberry tart (almost glueten free - we ran out of almond meal)

After dinner we pulled out my favorite flower pot (mothers day gift from G last year) and planted some cat grass. Apparently its supposed to sprout in 3-5 days, but ummm that was fri and we ain't seen nuttin yet.

Chicken???

So apparently ALL we ever eat in this house is chicken. Or at least that's the world according to G. Occasionally she'll break out a "fisssshhh" in her vocab, but for the most part its "kickin" ("chicken").

Though she does / did know eggs well. She LOVES her morning eggs. However after the latest trip to the farm and picking up the eggs FROM the chickens. The girl is thoroughly confused. Now EVERYTHING is chicken and last night we got in a debate (yes I debate with a child who's not yet two) over chickens vs. eggs.

Ultimately she won.

OUR Farm!

Hee hee.

So Saturday morning was GREAT! We woke up, drove out to our farm ~ which really isn't that far away ~ had breakfast at a nice restaurant ~ and acutally got to the farm on time! AMAZING :)

First, we were given a tour of the greenhouse. Were told about the relatively new wood burning steam heating system (vs. the previous propane heating system that blew up like roman candles in the night) About how some of the 40,000 seeds had already been lost to frost, but were on order from another farm and would be arriving soon. April 15 is the estimated plant date for seedlings and seeds alike. Then in May we'll be invited back for a pick your own lettuce day!

Next, we walked back down towards the main house and learned a little about the history of the property (his wife's family previously owned) and about how the farm works. Of course G was far more interested in the animals and even i have to admit i fell in love with their dogs. So much so that i even googed and found that there are a TON of sweeties recently rescued not far from our home. To which Pete-a-lee dryly replys ~ "yea, that's just what we need in here"

THEN...it was down to the chickens. IT WAS AWESOME!!! Ok. Well *I* thought it was awesome. Peter didn't exactly dig the idea of having to dive underneath a tent with a bunch of birds to gather the eggs and once G stuck her hand in a broken shell, shrieked, thus causeing the closest birds to flutter ~ she wasn't so thrilled either. But it was really really cool. We got almost a dozen ourselves, then later on picked up a few more that were harvested the day before.


Peter altimately found a hoe (not me) and an alternate route to the eggs.

We even scored a GOOSE EGG.

Then we walked back up the hill. We were shown the bee hives and new bees, a few hive boxes that had been destroyed by bears and the humerous tales of their destruction. The herb garden and...A PEACOCK!!! They have the most beautiful peacock.

Then after all that we came home ~ i showered and was off to photgraph a Bat Mitzvah. It was quite an incredible day. If your interested in more of the pictures click HERE.

So in summary. I want a farm. With bees, a great pyrenees and a peacock for mothers day. Pete-a-lee I hope your reading this :)

Could it be???

I can't believe that I almost let March slip away from me. 2 months and I've already forgotten my new years resolution?!?! Bad Jenn!

Anyhoo, thanks to a great e-mail i recieved this morning I think I have a plan. We're going to visit our farm!!! (and by our, I mean someone else's entirely) We're part of a CSA for the summer and will be getting our veggies, fruits and some eggs from them on a weekly basis.

I just got an e-mail inviting us out to check out OUR chickens laying eggs (and get a free dozen) see the 40,000 growing seedlings in the greenhouse, get a tour, take a hike, collect eggs and if you really want ~ drive posts into the ground for a new hoophouse, or help pick up their new crop of rocks :)

I've got to be back in town for a BIG photo shoot, but how can we pass this up?!!?

(can you tell i'm excited??)

Practice Makes Perfect

So I've got a few photo shoots coming up in the next 30 days. Some BIG ones. Soo in addition to a couple new lenes (GULP) and other fun gear stuff ~ i've been working through the basics again with a tutorial. Its amazing how *lost* one can get in playing with the big stuff ~ that you loose sight of photography 101.

Its a beautiful day out ~ the windows are open and i'm following my tutorial...striaght to the park.


Photography may get better with time ~ but i think the subject started out pretty darn perfect from the beginning.