Friday Randoms

I'm really glad my husband doesn't get all weird and macho about things. Like he didn't care one bit when I told him I wanted to get Noah a play kitchen. He doesn't care that Noah has been watching Angelina Ballerina clips on his iPad. Or that Noah found a red crayon and pretends to put lipstick on himself and me. lol. Frankly, I think if his favorite color happened to be pink, Brad really wouldn't care. I love that about him.

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Speaking of ballet... you guys have to watch this.

In the beginning of the video, a guy named Silas Farley is talking. And while it seems silly to be all, "I know him!! I know him!!"... that's totally what I'm doing. I was/am good friends with his oldest brother (who played pro basketball in Europe) and have known his family since I was little. I give his momma hugs regularly in the hallway at church. His other brother? He started as a freshman for Notre Dame's defense (football) last year. Clearly, this family has zero talent. haha.
Anyway, I just think it's super cool to see him being so successful, especially knowing his family had very humble beginnings. And I remember him being the only little boy in our church's dance ministry. See what happens when dads don't get hung up on stereotypes and instead encourage their kids' talents? They end up being amazing. 

Also, families like theirs sometimes make me feel like this...

via

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I've decided that I have zero problem being thankful and also celebrating Jesus' birthday simultaneously. I also don't have a problem if people like to be thankful and celebrate Jesus separately. So stop peeing on my flowers.

Somewhat related: If you move down South, please don't make fun of the rest of us for getting excited about a few snow flurries. Also, don't whine and complain about it. That's like me moving up North and making fun of everyone for wearing flip flips in 50 degree weather. You know, "because y'all don't know what real heat is!"
You could be stuck in your house for a week if you were back up North or West or wherever you're from. I think you can handle maybe 24 hours of Southerners losing their ever loving minds over the pretty white stuff. Let us build our snowmen from snow dust (hey, we're resourceful), stock up on milk and bread, and pull people out of ditches with our big trucks. We'll calm down eventually. :)

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I took a brain test last night. Apparently, I use both sides of my brain equally. Which really, that kind of makes sense. Sometimes I have a hard time tapping into the creative side of my brain, and other times I can't seem to be logical if my life depended on it. So basically, I'm constantly on the verge of an identity crises. ;)



That's all I've got.
Happy Friday!!

adventures in wedding photography

I second shot for a photographer friend of mine over the weekend at a wedding. The couple was super cute (and the bride was sweet), the reception area was pretty, and the bridal party was a lot of fun... it really had the potential to be perfect. But because it was not my wedding, and because I don't want to accidentally offend anyone, everyone will remain anonymous (so no pictures)...

So here's the ridiculousness that ensued: 

- I tried to get a cool shot from above of everyone dancing at the reception. The problem? I stood on a FOLDING chair. You can figure out what happened next.

- At one point, every single groomsman was twerking on me. I screamed.

- One of the groomsmen apparently had a crush on me. He stalked me all night, asked me to take a selfie with him, and told me to add him on facebook (thank the Lord he didn't even know my name).  Me and my friend stayed together and she refused to let me walk to my car alone afterwards.

- They put a keg on the dance floor and proceeded to turn people upside down to drink from it. I don't have much experience with keg parties, but I kind of figured women in dresses wouldn't want to participate. I was wrong. So very wrong.

- The groom kept trying to dance with my friend while she was working, and the bride kept having to rescue her.

- By the end of the night, the whole bridal party was so gone that they didn't even bother doing a fun exit. That actually made me a little sad for the bride. But she looked like she was having a good time. haha

The plus side? I took home free cake. :)
And also made lots of hilarious memories with a new friend.

Randoms on a Tuesday

I was taking a walk the other day, pulling Noah in his wagon, and got whistled at... several times... and heard the words, "one hot mom". By a TEN year old.

It's one thing to get stuff like that from adult men (have some class, dudes). But to get it from a kid? Took the creepy factor to a whole 'nother level. I mean, I'm cool with being a hot mom. But seriously, teach your boys to keep those comments to themselves. It's just weird and made me really uncomfortable.

However, these same kids think that Brad is the coolest dad they've ever met. They continually ask him to come play basketball and tell him about their lizards. That part is really cute.

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My hair has lightened a little more over the course of the last week or so. I'm borderline blonde now. A trip to the salon (to a color expert) will be happening as soon as my roots start to show. Until then, I'm seriously considering getting some of that brow tint stuff.

I mean, I don't hate it. But I like my dark hair. I'm too quiet and reserved to be a blonde. lol

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Brad and I will be leaving Noah for the first time ever in a few weeks. And it's making my stomach turn. I know he'll be fine. He'll be with my parents, and they're going to be staying at our house at night, just so he can stay in his own routine.

We're both in a wedding Labor Day weekend, Brad being the best man, so there's no way out of it either. We've decided to approach it as a "quick romantic getaway" to Raleigh. Time just to ourselves is long overdue, but it still doesn't stop me from worrying about how Noah will do.

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Our back yard is infested with these tiny little bugs called thrips. I've lived in this area my whole life, and I've never even heard of these things before. They're these tiny (like microscopic), orangey-red bugs that usually just hang out around gardens and flowers. Except, we don't have a garden this year (other than a couple of herbs). So they're hanging out in our grass.

They don't really do anything, they're just super annoying. They jump on people and bite, not because they eat people, but to see if we're actually something edible. Oh, and insect repellant doesn't work on them. I have no idea what caused them to choose our back yard. The only thing I can come up with is that, apparently, they like the color blue. And Noah's kiddie pool is blue... hence why we get bit every time I take him out there to play.

Unfortunately, they're really hard to get rid of. So we have several plans of attack, but it has me wishing Fall would get here quick this year.

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I decided that, this year, we're not going to have a "friend" party for Noah's birthday. After talking it over, Brad and I came to the conclusion that we could take the money we'd normally spend on a party and put it towards taking Noah to do something he doesn't normally get to do. Other kids know who Noah is, but he just doesn't have friends the same way other kids do. And while he does well at parties, it's still a little stressful trying to get him to open his gifts, blow out candles, play with the other kids, etc. I'd rather just let him go out and have fun.

We're still going to have several family parties, so he will definitely be celebrated. And instead of a party, we decided we're going to take him to a local aquatic center where they have a big toddler/kid waterpark type thing. He's so into swimming now, that I think he would love it.

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Noah has made it very clear that he wants a bike. He watches in amazement as other kids in the neighborhood ride their bikes and is constantly playing clips on his iPad where the characters (usually Arthur) are riding bikes. We let him try one out at the store recently, and he didn't want to leave it. He doesn't quite get the concept of pedaling and steering, but he wants to really badly. He's obsessed with the pedals (which is my one reservation about buying a balance bike instead). I don't think it would take him very long to get it (he's almost there) once he's able to actually practice consistently. Yesterday, he had a massive meltdown, because we wouldn't let him try to ride Brad's old adult sized bike that's in the garage.

I love that every year, we always know what to get him for his birthday, even though he doesn't technically "tell" us.

the worst salon experience ever

So I know I said I'd be back last week. But frankly, I was having a bad few days. And while, yes, sometimes it helps to blog about it... it's also good to just keep quiet sometimes instead of whining on the internet. Especially if others are going through an even worse time.

I mentioned how I hit a jaguar.

A couple days later, my hair was dyed orange.

My cousin has been doing hair for 10+ years and recently moved to a salon about 15 minutes from me. The fabulous Jess was going to be doing our family photos at the end of the week, and I wanted to get a few highlights and some layers put in. Nothing crazy or super difficult.

I went in Monday, showed her a couple of (realistic) photos of what I was thinking, and she went to it. We had a good time catching up, giggling about husbands and kids, discussing Noah's issues, schools, etc. She did my highlights, took off the towel, and HOLY CRAP ON A CRACKER MY HAIR WAS NEON YELLOW. I mean, just the highlights were. But there were a LOT of them. They weren't just blonde. They were blonde blonde.

Thankfully, because she is my cousin, I didn't mind speaking up. It also helped that I was thinking of our photo shoot and how I didn't want to be a blonde for our forever pictures.

Here's the thing. I have black eyebrows. Too much blonde, and I just look stupid. So she suggested we use some toner to take the highlights down a notch to more of a honey color. She explained how it won't affect my natural color, just take the blonde down. So we stressed, talked some more, washed my hair, took the towel off... and MY HAIR WAS ORANGE. Picture dyeing Carrot Top's hair a lighte shade of reddish blonde. That was my hair color.

Apparently, she doesn't work with virgin hair much. My brown color? Yeah, totally natural. Other than highlights, I've never actually dyed my hair. So the toner took my natural color up to an orangey-blonde color.

I wanted to cry. She thanked me for not crying, kept her cool, and tried to figure out where to go from there. She told me there's no way I was leaving her salon looking the way I did. So she took a dark brown dye to try and get me back to my normal brown color.

FOUR hours later, and I had light brown hair with some blonde highlights and orange untertones. lol.

To say this wasn't what I had in mind is an understatement.

I keep getting compliments on it though. Our buddy Chase came to stay with us again the next day, and the first thing he said to Brad (in a thrilled tone) was, "Dude! You got her to go blonde!" Punk.

It's not terrible, but it's not my favorite either. It's just different. I'm all for doing something new and fun, but I like it to be when I'm expecting it.

The only shot of it I have at the moment was with instagram, so it's not a great example. But you get the idea. It's not bad, just a lot lighter than I'm used to.

I guess every girl is supposed to have at least one salon nightmare experience, so I've officially had mine...

some realizations

I hit a Jaguar the other day. It was just a little fender bender, so we're all okay. I've only been in two minor accidents, and the other was back in college with a BMW. What made the whole scenario even better was that the guy kept telling me how much his car costs. Apparently, I just have great taste. Go big or go home.

via



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Parents have to deal with onslaughts of opinions all of the time. Usually from random friends that aren't in their daily lives or, even better, complete strangers. So take all those opinions about your typical kid that you've heard over the years and multiply it by like 5000. That's life as a parent with a special needs kid. Especially with autism, which can be kind of vague considering how wide the spectrum is. People don't get that each kid with autism is different. I get messages and comments all the time recommending such-and-such because it "cured" so-and-so of his particular form of autism. Those are the days when it's tempting to delete my Facebook account. :)

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I've decided I like being a "small" photographer. I have zero desire to be insanely popular or highly sought after. Kind of like with blogging. I like my own space. I like not having the crazy amounts of stress and pressure that come along with high-maintenance clients. I'm blessed in that I don't have to work in order for us to survive. And because of that, I can focus the majority of my energy on Noah. My time with my family is precious to me, and if I feel like a job isn't going to be worth it? I won't take it. I like having that freedom. I don't ever want the joy that photography brings me to be overshadowed by the stress that usually comes with the business side. I want to continue to learn and grow, but have it be on my terms. I want to continue to document my own kid's life in beautiful pictures instead of only documenting others.
And like with above, there are a lot of voices that I've had to learn to ignore in the industry. I've had to take a break and think about what I want out of this. What works for me. And right now, for this stage in my life? I want to keep it small.

Don't get me wrong though. Small doesn't equal inferior. I want to be good. Really good. But "good" and "popular" don't always have to coincide. I don't measure my success by the way the rest of the world looks at it. I don't need to book 50 weddings a year or travel the country in order to consider myself a good photographer. If that's how others are measuring the success of their business, that's totally cool. Nothing wrong with that. That's just not my prerogative. My biggest success is sitting next to me watching Bob the Builder.

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I'm ready for a new week.
One where I don't get in any car accidents, accidentally screw up, get PMS-y, be given guilt trips about my kid, and slack off on working out. And maybe one with a couple of sunny days?

Happier posts coming soon.
Just needed to let my heart breathe a little.

randoms

I find it very odd that my kid keeps watching what I call the "cancer episode" on Arthur. Seriously. Over and over. It goes into detail about what cancer is, how it's not contagious, the teacher loses her hair... a lot of it. I often wonder how much he actually understands. Maybe he'll end up being a boy genius and find the cure for cancer.

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The boy is obsessed with Thomas again. Like everything is "Tos! Tos!" I was going to throw him a "Mud/dirt party" for his birthday, but now I'm rethinking it. He had a Thomas party last year, so it seems redundant. But when your "non-verbal" child walks around singing, "da da da fweeeends" (Thomas theme song), it kind of makes me feel bad if I don't throw him another Thomas party.

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You know how you see people on Pinterest, and they pin like everything? And you think to yourself, "You are NEVER going to use that picture of grumpy cat again..." Except? I do. When I'm having a rough day, I go through my "When You Need a Laugh" board. Never fails to brighten my day. I also use my boards to plan meals, get inspired before a photoshoot, find a new hairstyle... So yeah, it's useful. For me at least.

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My 16 yr old sister is addicted to watching Full House right now. Pretty sure uncle Jesse has something to do with it. :) I don't think she was even alive when that show was on. I feel old now.

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Just a heads up that my blog may be a little extra quiet next week. My man is turning the big 3-0. One of his best friends (and okay, I'll claim him as one of mine as well) is coming into town to stay with us for the week, and we'll be doing lots of fun birthday type stuff. Plus it's 4th of July week. And if you followed us last year? Our family loves us some fireworks. I may be kind of quiet here, but I'll be on instagram, I'm sure. I'll do my best not to completely blow up your feed. I make no promises though.

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Have a fantastic weekend! Follow my blog with Bloglovin

judgemental honesty

My bud Jess did a post yesterday, admitting to things she judges others for... including posting nakey toddler heineys on instagram, of which I've been guilty of recently (at least I don't post on FB... who knows what kind of creeps would see them then, haha). And she has a point. Even though in an ideal world, judgmental thoughts wouldn't exist... we're human and can't help it sometimes. Anyway, it actually looked kind of fun. So here are mine:

1. Toddler pageantry. I think it's creepy and weird. No 3 year old should be made to look (and act) like she's 18. I'm sure there are decent pageants out there that aren't all Toddlers and Tiaras'-ish, but I just feel like there are so many other extracurricular activities that would be much better than teaching your daughter that her main value is in her looks and how well she can walk in heels. Don't girls have enough to deal with as it is? Why add to the list of reasons she'll need therapy later in life?

2. Moms who feed their babies soda. Do I really need to elaborate?

3. Certain types of girls who change their FB profile pic 23502349508 times a day, all slightly seductive selfies and all looking exactly the same. Dude. Vain much? You probably think this post is about you, don't you, don't you? (<-- 3 brownie points for anyone who gets that).

4. Know-it-all's. I judge them for having the incessant need to correct everyone and make sure they look smart/superior. Actually, this one leaves me torn. Part of me feels sorry for them for having such obvious insecurity issues, but it also makes me wish that they sleep in a bed of Legos.

5. Parents who take their kids to the park or some other family based activity type place and spend 99% of the time on their phone... either playing on it or talking on it... especially when their kid asks them to push them on the swing or play with them. I get that some parents just need a break and hope this will entertain them for 5 minutes. But going on and on and on to your girlfriend about your ex that's a big liar and just got out of jail? Yeah, let's save that for another time...

6. I judge the Olsen twins for starting the duck face trend. They're super cute, but man, that one was a real disservice to the online community and the general population.

Anything you care to admit to judging others for? ;)