my daily happiness

There are moments throughout the day that I enjoy the most--it's the ones that make me laugh.
I have been blessed with two goofy kids who crack me up constantly.

It's to the simple moments that make me smile and make me love them just a little bit more than what I already do that I am so thankful for.

Their imaginations and their creativity grow every single day. 

Their sense of independence suddenly turns against me because they don't need my help.

 
I love Andrew's and Prim's bond now. He loves her and just wants to pet and hold her all the time.
Any time lunch comes around, I ask Jonah what he would like to eat and he says "sanwich" or cereal.

And as always, he always takes 2-3 bites and is done. 

And Andrew suddenly has a fascination with showing his masticated food.

Jonah learns quick. Like I've said before, he's a copycat. If a cat plays in its toy, then why shouldn't Jonah?

And recently, our family has grown. Now we are parents to two stray cats.
Prim, you already know, and introducing, Rue.
Who completely won my anti-cat husband's heart.
Prim & Rue. Lovingly called Primscicle and Rue-ster.

We had a bit of a problem when we first brought Rue home, but after a week, they now play like they're best friends and Prim's claws have suddenly retracted towards the kids a lot.

Oh I love my little family, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Now this is good parenting folks--my kid thought he would help me by washing dishes and using half the bottle of dish soap. WINNING!

Fall festivals are abound this time of year and were happy to get invited to the Elementary where the cousins attend. Obviously they had a blast. I loved watching their hearts fill with happiness and hair get matted down with sweat.

And who doesn't LOVE silly string?!

Like I said, these kids crack me up. 

My serious, muscley Spiderman and my little gun & weapon builder steal my heart.

Seriously, it's all she does. Except at night. She runs wild with Rue.

Jonah, taking after big brother, loves to turn upside down.

And this dude who is ALMOST camera shy, always surprises me with the sweetest of smiles when I least expect it.

That's what it's all about. That happiness.

Life is much sweeter with some photo-props.

the "I'm-a-Mom-and-I-have-a-fancy-camera-and-I-have-a-new-photography-business-now" boom is happening faster than a teenage obsession with Justin Beiber nowadays. 

It's totally ridiculous--the business boom, not the pop fan infatuation--but if people excel at it and make good money from it, then more power to 'em.

I, fortunately, don't plan on making a business out of it. Too much pressure, too much business. I'm artsy-fartsy people, I don't have a left-side to my brain.

So please, just enjoy the images below for what they are: FUN TIMES with FAMILY and FRIENDS.

 Yours truly with my handsome, smooch-ey-licious husband. 

 

This guy (my great-uncle) reminds me of that annoying Six Flags old guy that dances around in those commercials...you remember 'member? 

I've been editing these for a few weeks now and managing the lighting WAS incredibly hard! 

When I did my Thanksgiving Photo shoot, which was outside, I still managed to botch them up with some high ISO settings which made them all grainy! So lesson learned there.

But this time we had to be inside and the lighting was awful! It was cloudy and rainy outside, so it made things even worse...I even borrowed a flash from a friend of mine, but I'm no pro and I couldn't figure out the right settings.

Maybe the 3rd time will be a charm?! Who knows but I guess it just takes practice, and maybe more hits & misses. 

What have we been up to?

Peek-a-boo! Andrew's been hiding from you!

Hello! I should really split this post into two parts but I won't. 

This whole post is about my kiddos. You don't like it, go click elsewhere.

I've been thinking, I feel sorry for all the close relatives that miss out on this picture goodness. 

Those people that don't care about checking up on one's blog but really should, since they're supposed to be family...I mean after all, it's why I blog.

We might not live close but through my pictures, you can watch these boys grow right before your eyes. And when you fail to have any contact with me, you fail to have contact with these goobers.

I'm posting all these pictures because they remind me of the little things we enjoy together, the important things.

As a photographer, I tend to get caught up with settings.

As a mom, I tend to get caught up on milestones.

And as a blogger, I get caught up on what's my next post.

Well, right now, I'm stopping to smell the roses.

If I didn't appreciate every little booger they pick, every scrapped knee they make me kiss, every shriek of joy they make, and every laugh they give me, I don't know what kind of mother I'd be.

So prep yourself, enjoy, Right-click & save, it's all good....

Friends

More friends

That's all folks!!!