Fall 2012

It's hard to believe that I have a 2 year old now!  This birthday was definitely harder than his first.  I think it's because I had so much going on around his first birthday and this birthday I was able to really focus on what was happening.  A while back we won a photo shoot from a photographer.  It was a contest on Facebook.  I was so very excited, but when the time came to take pictures I had a little boy who was avoiding the camera like the plague.  When we chose the location I did not realize that there was a park nearby.  He kept trying to get over there to play.  I can't really blame him.  Over the course of our engagement and having children we have had 2 wonderful photographers who have provided us with some amazing photos.  I was a little leery of a new photographer, but she had some great photos on her Facebook page.  This new photographer was not good with my boy.  The baby girl was great, but the photographer did not bring any props or blankets so we have no pics of baby girl by herself.  By the time we left I was exhausted, Jackson was crying and I knew I would never call this photographer again.  Josh kept reminding me that this was free and we would probably get at least one good photo out of it.  Last week we got the disc of photos and there are probably 150 images on the disc and there are maybe 10 that I would consider using for Christmas cards.  I probably wouldn't put these pics up in my house.  I was pretty bummed, especially since she kept reminding me that I needed to refer my friends to her.  I thought about writing her and telling her I was a bit disappointed in the photos, not to be mean but just to let her know.  I couldn't figure out how to say what I wanted to say without being nasty so I didn't write anything.  Below is a photo that was included as part of our "edited" images.

I like this picture of Jackson, but there is a giant smudge on it.  What am I supposed to do with that?!?!

Here are some other fails:

My eyes are closed and Josh is the only one who is looking at the camera.

I'm talking, Jackson is eyeing the park, Hayden is eating her hands, but thank goodness for such a good looking man who continues to smile and look at the camera.

Here's a few that did turn out alright:

I get that we had a toddler who was very uncooperative, but I guess I just wish she was more professional.  I won't mention her name, but should you need a photographer in the East Valley of Arizona you should go to Jennifer Jones Photography or Shannon Worley Photography.  They are both wonderful women and amazing photographers and we have had great experiences with them and had I known better I would have gone back to them for our Christmas pictures.

In other news, Jackson turned 2 a few weeks ago.  We went to the farm and he loved it!  

We had a small party with family and a few friends and it turned out great!  I think that since I have 2 children now I have become a lot more relaxed about things and have quit being so up tight.  I still am neurotic about some things and I still love a great schedule, but now I'm more willing to put the schedule aside if it means this mommy can have a moment of peace or chat with some girlfriends.  I definitely secluded myself when it was just Jackson and I at home all day and now I know better.  Not having a schedule for one or maybe two days a week will not hurt anyone!  This was a lesson I had to learn on my own and even though other moms would tell me those exact words, I had to figure it out on my own.  Being a stay-at-home-mom can be extremely lonely!  There are still moments when the enemy gets in my head and tells me that there are no other people in my exact situation and no one can relate to me or wants to be friends with me since I have 2 crazy kids.  I definitely have to take captive EVERY thought!

My sweet girl is just that, sweet!  She is such a great baby and was a great sleeper until she got sick a few days ago.  I feel like I'm running on adrenalin some days, especially when I stayed up late last night to see Breaking Dawn Part 2 with friends from church and then got to bed at 1am, she was up at 2:30 and then our day began.  I know I need to let her cry it out, but I'm not ready for that.  She hardly ever cries, so it's hard to hear her crying.  For now, she can come to bed with me and we both get sleep.  

We started giving her baby cereal a few weeks ago and she hates it.  She starts making faces before the spoon even gets to her mouth!  She's getting better, but she's just not a fan.  It's so strange how 2 children with the same mom and dad can be so different.  Jackson loved baby food pretty much from day one, he didn't really chew on things when he was teething, he didn't bounce in the exersaucer, he smiled and laughed at everything.  Hayden is the complete opposite of that.  She is very much a mommy's girl, but I kind of like that since Jackson was never really clingy to me.

There is so much coming up with the holidays, my grandparents moving here from Texas, my parents moving, me possibly going back to work part-time, this is going to be an exciting few months!!