I've been working on my project 352 - meaning one photo a day for 352 days - 1 year. I'm trying to get caught up like a mad woman and have been using my 105mm macro lens in the process. My nifty fifty (50mm 1.4 lens) is in the shop getting a tune up. It's normally like my right arm in photography so with it being gone, I need to use other lenses for certain jobs. Although I'll be VERY glad to get it back in a week or two, I'm having a ball with my other lenses. My macro lens is another one of my favorites aside from my wide angle lens. The macro lens is perfect for getting detail in a subject that normally isn't picked up by regular lenses. It is great for close ups - just like Kenidi's eyelashes in the image above. I swear that girls eyelashes look like she is wearing mascara 24/7. They are amazing. I captured that shot while she was sleeping the other day. Beautimous. I'm going to cut them off and glue them to my own someday. LOL!
The above shot is one of my favorite platters. It came from my favorite store, Z gallery, and I keep it on the ottoman in our bedroom with magazines and what not in it.
Speaking of books/magazines, these are some of my favorite coffee table books in our living room. Notice how Indy is never far from my heart. :)
The next shot is just a finial accessory from our great room. I loved the detail the lens picked up in the top of it when I directed the focus toward that area.
This one above is the bamboo runner on our dining room table. The detail in the string that ties it all together is amazing. The macro lens never disappoints.
And here is a chocolate zebra blinged out pillow that looks pretty cool under the macro lens as well.
Here is a bamboo style vase turned sideways...
This is what Kross sees when he looks up at his moving mobile in his crib each day...
And last but definitely not least, this is my daily habit, almost 7 days of the week each week...
Every morning I take Brennen to school, just because. He could ride the bus but he likes riding with Mom better. Why you ask? Well it quite possibly has something to do with the Starbucks we get together each morning before class starts. There is a Starbucks "almost" connected to their parking lot at school. Need I mention that there is a Dunkin Donuts right there too? LOL! We get our morning drink - both decaffeinated and non fat - and then sit together in the parking lot with the sunroof open and the windows rolled down, just chit chatting. It's my time with Brennen that I can count on to help him open up to me. We talk about his school work, we talk about his friends, we talk about life, you name it...we discuss it. We also find that time a good time to jam out to tunes that we both share an interest in. Yes, we've been known to rock a little too loud to Pink's "Raise your Glass" or the Script's "For the first time" type tunes during our 8:30am trip to Starbucks. Then on the weekends, Brennen, Kenidi, Kross and I make the trek back to Starbucks and get not only all of us something but also Daddy. It's safe to admit that the Starbucks staff know us and our orders by heart. They knew when Kross was due, were excited when he was coming, and are happy to see or should I say "hear" him when we roll thru the drive thru every morning. See...little Mr. Kross has an issue with stopping. He loves to ride in the car but should we stop for even a second, he gets ticked. Therefore, when we stop at Starbucks to order, little man ain't happy. LOL! And just for fun, I wanted to share a couple of out-take shots from the shoot I did with a Christian band not too long ago. We did the shoot out in the middle of an open field over in Ft. Myers. It was a great secluded location that allowed us to capture what we were after without being run out of anywhere. Per the words of my friend Megan..."This was a band shoot with four awesome guys and one clever concept. This endeavor was a true collaboration and lots of fun. Band member Josh, came up with the idea/look of having tea in a field." Not your usual thought when you think of a band image but it turned out great. This was the first chance I'd had to use my new alien bee light set up and I loved how the shots turned out with the lighting. The set up can cancel out the sun and leave you with beautiful images and no harsh shadows on faces, etc. due to the time of day or sun in general. Sooooo worth their weight in gold. I'm thankful for my fellow photography light guru's here in Florida...Alvaro, Matt, and Jose who taught me how to use these bad boys. Without them, I would've been clueless. I'm also thankful for a wonderful husband who purchased that light kit for me and surprised me with them at Christmas. :)
I have to admit that I was a bit concerned when the band requested a table in a field and tea time. LOL! I was scared to death on how it would turn out. In the end, their idea and their props helped make this shoot a real blast. And the lights, oh that light set up really gave them a rock star look. LOVE! I'm honored to have been able to work with them. If you live in the SWFL area, please be sure to check out "For a Season." They reside in the Ft. Myers and play in and around the Southwest Florida area. They'll be at Germain arena in Estero on February 5th.
Have a FAB weekend. I'm off to prepare for a shoot tomorrow.
As some of you know, we lost a beautiful friend of the family last week. Kylie Elizabeth-Marie Baird (Schilling) was only 23 years old. We got to know Kylie and her husband, Jake, because they were employees of Brent's at the office before we moved out of state. What I remember most about Kylie is her huge and I do mean HUGE, beautiful, smile. She had one of those smiles that was impossible to not be touched by.
When Brent called me last Wednesday morning, shortly after he had left the house for work, to tell me that Kylie had passed away in her sleep in the middle of the night early that morning, I lost my breath. I was unloading Kross from the car and was on my way into a doctor appointment. Ironically, it was a doctor appointment to have a complete physical done. I was feeling pulled to get in and get looked over this year so that I could have a base line as I started a new year and new goals for a healthy life style. I had been worrying a lot about my heart condition, my parents and their health, where my life was headed if I didn't make changes physically concerning my health and so on. I was on my way into the doctor to take the first step in making big changes. I have run out of excuses and with a PFO heart condition as well as a small heart murmur, I am STUPID for not living a healthy lifestyle. Just stupid!
When Brent told me Kylie had passed away and that Jake had tried desperately to save her via CPR, for a moment I was hopeful regarding what his next words would be. I learned that he was actually successful at resuscitating her only to find out at the hospital that she was without any brain activity, brain dead from the loss of oxygen. Jake had awoke to discover her not breathing and tried incessantly to save her. I was crushed. It was just more confirmation to me that life is so very short. So very fleeting. I love the verse (Psalms 39:5 NLT) that reads like this: "You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath." When you think about it, it's so very, very, true. We've had several passings in or around our circle of family/friends this past year and it's sad that it takes those special people passing to kick our butts into high gear and start living for eternity rather than the temporary. It's sad that we have to loose someone important to us in order to remember that WE ALL have a date with death sometime in our lifetime. And for some of us, it will be sooner rather than later. It's sad that it takes their passing for each of us to suddenly remember how important and priceless life really is yet we always go back to our same old ways within weeks of a tragedy like this only to be reminded again with the next loss.
The gut wrenching part to Kylie's story, for those who didn't know her, is that she was a brand new Mom. She had just had her first child 8 weeks ago. He's only a mere two months old. Just two months old. Her baby boy is only two weeks older than our little Kross. I look at Kross and cannot fathom his life without a mother. Let alone my other two children. Jake and Kylie's baby boy, Judah Jeremiah, is without his Mother here on this earth. On an even more sad note, Kylie's own mother died just 8 days after giving birth to Kylie's younger sister several years ago. With both her mother and with Kylie, the autopsy's are inconclusive. The doctors are unable to make sense of any of it and both of their cases are left with more questions than answers. Now Jake, Kylie's husband, is left to raise Judah alone. There are no words. Just no words.
My point for this blog post today was to share a video with you. It's a video of Kylie's pastor speaking last Sunday and delivering a sermon that has to do with the new year and just how short life really is. Whatever your faith, beliefs, or religion, this is a great video to watch. It's about 40 minutes long and you really need to listen to the whole thing in order to benefit the most from it. At around 19:29 minutes into it, the pastor brings up Kylie, discusses her short life on this earth, and gives you some insight as to what a beautiful and influential girl she was. Definitely make sure you watch that part but also try to sit down, take 40 minutes for yourself over a soda or cup of coffee, and watch this video. It's worth the time. I promise. You can find the link by clicking HERE. And for those of you wondering, Kylie is a friend from Indiana. They are from Greenfield, Indiana and their church looks and sounds FAB if any of you are looking for a new church home in that area. The pastor appears to be a young guy with a great way of delivering a sermon with meaning. Some pastors loose me and therefore I can't stay focused. I always look for pastors who explain it to me in Lehman's terms. This guy did a phenomenal job of that. I also loved his use of word pictures. (the value of life in relation to how some value money)
Kylie was an avid and very faithful reader of this here ol' blog. I know she is in heaven amazed that her photos are on here today because she always made such a big deal about my blog and how much she loved it. It breaks my heart that it is due to her passing that I post her gorgeous and beaming smile on here today. I soooo wish it could have been for a different reason-surrounding different and more joyful circumstances.
Life is short people. Get yourself in line. Work on your health. Hug the ones you love. Mend broken relationships that are meaningful to you. Forgive those whom have wronged you and either choose to connect with them again or just leave the forgiveness at just that. Forgiven! Life is short. Life is fleeting. Focus on the eternal - not the temporary. Look at your hand right now. Seriously...look at it. Our lives are only as long as the width of our hands. Think about that each time you look at your hands in the future. Use that verse as a word picture - a reminder to live for eternity and not the temporal.
In the meantime, please lift Jake and baby Judah as well as Kylie's father and sister up in your prayers. I have a ton of prayer warriors who read this blog and I know I can count on you guys to help pray for this family.
Dance high in the clouds with your Mother Kylie. Dance.
Kylie Elizabeth-Marie Baird
October 9th, 1987 - January 12th, 2011
PS...The bank where Kylie now worked is taking up memorial contributions which can be made to any Ameriana Bank in Judah Jeremiah Baird's name. (Kylie and Jakes 8 week old baby boy)
So many of you have written to me and requested that I post some recent beach images due to the cold, snow filled, winters all of you are experiencing. Therefore, while taking a walk on the beach today with my Mom, Brennen, and Kross, I decided to obey ya'll. Unfortunately, I didn't take my REAL camera with me today which I was kicking myself for later. However, I did manage to snap these images with my iphone4. So...please excuse the poor image quality. I did the best I could with what I had at that moment. A lot of you saw the CNN article a few days ago where it showed that there was snow in 49 of the 50 states at that moment. Needless to say, guess which state was the only state without snow on the ground at the time of that report? Yeap, you guessed correctly. Good ol' Florida. It's just another reason why I love it here. NO SNOW. :)
As I sit here on this warm and beautiful South Florida evening, I hope these pictures help warm all of you up at least a tiny bit. It was 75 and jaw dropping "gaw-jus" here today -- as it is on nine out of ten days here in the Naples area. Brennen, Kross, and I piled in the car and headed over to meet my Mom at the beach. I used my Moby Wrap with Kross and took him for his very first walk down the shoreline. He slept the whole time while I protected his little head and face from the potent sun. We hit my favorite "Secret Beach" area and enjoyed the seaside scent and the crashing sound of the waves.
In one spot of the beach, the area took on a mystical look. A hazey and yet oh so gorgeous appearence. Stunning stuff! One of God's many great gifts - the ocean at its finest.
Brennen loves to climb and jump on the pillars that are embedded in the water. All while trying to scare the birds off. They don't scare very easily in case you hadn't noticed. LOL!
After we soaked in a good energetic walk on the beach as our form of todays exercise, we took off to the restaurant called "The Dock at Crayton's Cove" for lunch. It's a quaint little place on the docks of the bay where lots of really kickin' yachts park and chill for quick stays.
I had some crab stuffed mushrooms that were out of this world. The dipping sauce that came with it is sure to ruin my attempt at eating somewhat better right now. I have 7 baby pounds left to loose so I know my creamy dipping sauce that I slathered my mushrooms in this afternoon didn't help any. I'm on a mission to make some life changes this year as far as my health. There have been several deaths around us lately that remind me just how fragile life is and that it even takes the young. I have three children who need me and I need them. I'm out of excuses and am getting real with myself this year. I went so far as to make a physical appointment with a local internist here in Florida. I wanted a base range as far as my cholesterol, my glucose, etc. as I started out. Thankfully, all of my numbers came back well within the normal range which made me good but I still have some major food changes to make. My eating habits suck and I'm the first to admit it. Although I steer clear of meat, never salt my food, etc., I make up for all of that with my fair share in sweets and pasta. With the Italian running thru my veins, I'm a true carb addict. Breads, pastas, sugar. Yeap, that is me! That lifestyle has to go and I'm ready to start working on it. I meet with my dietician this week and am ready to be whipped into shape. Brennen has been on a huge health kick for a while now and has really been a huge inspiration to me. I have his 7th period consumer science teacher to thank for that. And because of it, I've backed Kenidi off cheeseburgers, fried foods, etc. as much as humanly possible because although she is as skinny as a rail and truly needs extra meat on her bones, I don't want her veins and arteries paying for our unhealthy eating habits at such a young age. It's a long shot but everyone has to start somewhere. Hello Whole Foods. Goodbye fast food.
For now, I'm signing off to watch the golden globes - only to watch Robert Pattinson be a presenter. HA! Can't miss him now can we???
Much love, Angie
PS...A post just isn't a post lately without an updated photo of Kross. Therefore, here are a couple to tide you over. :)
In keeping up with the promise that I would continue to blog about my favorite baby finds since Kross's birth last month, I couldn't continue sharing items without sharing these incredibly beautiful baby name blankets first. Beings that I am a "sewer" myself, I really appreciated the uniqueness of these blankets when I stumbled upon them on ETSY. In my height of the AGD days, we designed and made many baby blankets. However, none were as cool as these in my opinion. Kelly, from Petunia's, has been phenomenal to work with. Beings that I am always impatient, I requested rush items on these blankets each time I ordered one. And each time, Kelly had the blankets done and shipped out to me within two days of my order. The larger KROSS blanket took longer to order due to the rare name fabric but it still arrived sooner than I expected it to.
The smaller two blankets are car seat/stroller blankets for the little ones to play with. They are both somewhat folded up here in the pictures shown but they are the perfect size for your babies to hold onto. (15 x 17) The pink one is a baby gift for my dear friend from high school, Sarah, and her new little girl Lia. Lia Allison was born just one month to the day after Kross. Both of our pregnancies were a surprise to us and both of us are considered AMA (Advanced maternal age) when talking pregnancy. That means we are 35 or older. LOL! Sarah and I changed the AMA title to "Awesome Mom Again" instead though. We thought it was way more fitting for the two of us than that cruel term of Advanced maternal age. :) I wanted to photograph Sarah's blanket before sending it off to her so that you could see the variety that Kelly from Petunia's has to offer. These stroller blankets are gorgeous and so very soft and cuddly. Kelly calls these "Little fluffy" blankets in her shop.
The above blanket that Kelly made Kross for when he was born is one that we get TONS of compliments on when we are out and about. I throw it over him when he is in his car seat and stroller. Many people have stopped us to question where we got it. I absolutely L-O-V-E it. Kelly calls this one the NAME GAME MINKY BLANKET in her shop. Both styles of her blankets are just so very different. If you have a new baby or need a unique baby gift for a baby shower or something, these would make for a great gift item. Pay Kelly a visit by going to her ETSY store located HERE. Her customer service is phenomenal and her products are absolutely adorable. Thanks Kelly! We love all of our Petunia's items and will definitely be back for more in the future.
And last but definitely not least, this knit blanket you see above with Kross's name and birth date on it is an item that Brent's cousin and his wife sent us as a baby gift for all three of our kids. When our children were born, they gave us one of these blankets for all of them. Julie, Brent's cousins wife, has a Mother who is extremely talented in the knitting department and she makes these for us. Julie's Mom is named Judy and we can't thank her enough for always making these beautiful heirlooms for us. The blanket has Kross's name on the front side and his birth date on the back side. We kept these blankets in Brennen and Kenidi's rooms until they got bigger. Now they are inside their memory trunks for safe keeping. I am so glad to have Kross's now as well. A HUGE thank you to Brady and Julie for incredibly awesome gifts to us such as these blankets each time we had a new baby. We really appreciate it you guys. You are too, too, kind to us. :) If this style of blanket is of interest to you, let me know. I can contact Judy to see if she is up for making "more" for others. :) (Judy resides in Indiana but I'm sure the blankets could be shipped if you reside out of state)
And speaking of the memory trunk that I mentioned above...
This is what it looks like. I have three trunks like this...one for each of our children. I just got Kross's in the mail last week. I made sure to order his right away as we already had his birth memorabilia stacking up and the items needed a place to be stored. These memory trunks are where I keep their accolades from school, sports, etc. I keep old report cards, awards, art projects, their yearbooks, their baby items such as hospital bracelets and blankets/clothes they wore home as a newborn. Also in there are their first hair cut boxes, their lost teeth - you name it - its in there. The trunks are nice sized - (22 x 14 x 13.5) and keep all of your sentimental memories nice and neat. I'm an extremely organized person and I like to be able to find things when I go looking for them. These trunks are great when you want to quickly find and peruse thru old childhood memories related to your babies. The memory trunkcomes from a company called "Once upon a family." If you've never heard of them, check them out ASAP. They have amazing products that help you remember those meaningful moments in your life. You can visit their website HERE.
I hope these items are something that interest you guys. I love all of them and totally recommend the sellers to each of you. The quality of the products above are superb. You can't go wrong with any of them. Happy shopping. Tell them Angie sent ya'!
I love photography. Many of you know that already. It's my job, my life's passion, my cherry on the sundae of life - totally! There are so many memories about Kross's birth that I wouldn't have if it weren't for photography. All of these images I'm blogging with today were taken by my friend Megan. Megan is one of the two photographers who photographed our birth session for us the day Kross was born. These images were all taken by her and I couldn't be more pleased with each one. They are priceless to me. Priceless I say. The top image was of my first moment to lay eyes on Kross thru the nursery window as they wheeled me out of the recovery room following my c-section. I get so sentimental when I see this shot. It melts my heart over and over again as do all of the pictures Megan took. For example, the image below...if you look closely, it is of Brent leading Kenidi's hand over to Kross as she meets him and touches him in person for the very first time. I remember him telling her to be "gentle" as we always remind her to be. Kross is skin to skin on my chest and wrapped tightly inside my hospital gown. It's a family moment that I would have never seen like this had Megan not captured this moment via the camera. Oh yes...Photography ROCKS!
This next shot below is of Brennen with his iphone. He captured this picture of Kross thru the nursery room window and had it displayed proudly on his phone. Megan snapped that moment as he was showing it off. Good stuff!
And my Mom...well this is her as she laid eyes on her new grandson for the first time...
Megan captured raw and unscripted emotion. Again, it all just melts my heart. The next image is of my Dad and Step mom looking thru the nursery window with Kenidi and Brennen (at Kross of course). I love that Kenidi is on her tip toes here...
This one below is of my Step-Mom, Cathy, with Brennen. Loved this shot of the two of them. Soooo good! It was so very early that morning yet they both are smiling from ear to ear. Good times!
And again...below...nothing but excitement, laughs and smiles from both my Mom and my Step-Mom together on that early December morning. I'm so grateful for the amazing family that I have...
And here is Brennen looking in on his little bro in the nursery...
One of my other most favorite photos of this day is this simple one that Megan captured within a split second in time. If she would have blinked, she could have missed it yet her eyes were wide open and taking every movement and emotion in while behind her lens. This one below is of my Dad holding/touching my (very swollen and puffed up) arm following the birth itself. I plan to have this one framed and place it on my desk as a constant reminder that my Dad is ALWAYS there for me. ALWAYS. Not that I would ever really need a reminder but I just love the image THAT MUCH! The shot is one that only him or I would understand yet it speaks volumes for the definition of what kind of father I have. I love you Dad!
And the same goes again for this moment she captured of Kenidi holding my hand. Again, I'm so very swollen and puffed up beyond belief. However, no matter how horrible I remember myself looking by that point, this picture means the world to me. It literally makes my heart swoon.
As I peruse these images, I am so thankful for photography, for Megan's talents and her friendship, for my incredibly awesome family, and for the undeniable truth that there is a God. These last few images below are proof of his existence and his amazing creations that only HE can construct...
And at 5.5 weeks old now...he is truly our little Legend...
And lastly, while I'm raving about my parents and loving the photos of my husband as well as them up above, let me praise them all a bit more. Thanks to Brent and to both sets of my parents (my Dad and Cathy and my Mom), I have a new toy...
Their generosity and their Christmas gift cards to the camera store made me a very happy girl this weekend. I love you guys. Thank you for always spoiling me rotten!
I've been meaning to post this for a while now and kept getting side tracked. I wanted to give kudos to Brennen's school for how they treat honor roll students. Brennen has remained on the honor roll all year and part of that reward is a visit with the principal where he gives the kids a certificate and their own personalized academic performance id card. I loved the idea of the one on one with the principal and his praising of their hard work but I really love the idea of the academic performance card. Reason being...on the back of the card are tons of discounts and freebies to local restaurants, game stores, bowling, ice cream shops, etc. on it. See below...
In order to keep their academic performance card, they have to remain on the honor roll the whole time. I think this is a great incentive for these kids. We didn't have anything like this when we were in school. (not that it would have helped me make the honor roll either way - LOL!) The point is...the kids really seek affirmation and praise and this is a great way to remind them one more time that their hard work pays off. Brennen loves wearing his card and using it when and where he can. Kudos to his middle school for such an awesome reward for their honor roll kiddo's.
On another note, back to my promise of posting my favorite finds regarding pregnancy and baby related items. Up next...my diaper bag. I searched and searched for months for the diaper bag that was the "do all" of diaper bags. I finally decided on this black Juicy Couture one. Now, I'm normally not a fan of Juicy Couture handbags at all. They just don't do anything for me. I must be too old for them or something. Who knows? Either way, they've never tickled my fancy in the past. However, this bag is one that I found at a baby boutique here in Naples. I'm so very glad I went with it over any of the others I looked at. I went with the black color because it matches our stroller and car seat. It's called their "stroller bag" because it actually hangs and fits around the handle of the stroller. LOVE THAT! That way it isn't taking up your shopping bag space in the strollers basket area. :)
The photos don't do the size of this bag justice. It is massive. Love that part about it too. It's dimensions are 14w x 15h x 5d. The bag also comes with a coordinating juicy couture changing pad, bib, receiving blanket, and burp cloth. There is so much room in this bag that I have yet to come close to filling it to capacity. I even put my purse belongings in there (wallet, keys, make up and so forth) and it's still roomy.
There are three interior top zip compartment areas in the main part of the bag, plenty of outside pockets with magnetic snap closures as well as zippered pockets on the back side of the bag and slip pockets on the front. There are also interior wall pockets and zippered areas as well. Tons and tons of room I tell ya. TONS!
Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom both carry this bag if you are in the market for one. I wish I could have found bags as great as this one when I had Brennen and Kenidi. I remember going thru several different diaper bags with both of them because I couldn't find the "perfect" one size wise and functionality wise. Diaper bags have come a long way in 8 years. :)
I'm off to watch the season premiere of Jersey Shore now. Yes, we watch that train wreck of a show. It's addicting and has totally sucked us in. Love me some Pauly D. LOL!
I wanted him to be able to see the birth certificate with the official name on it.
He's joked about the "Anthony" name for sooooooooo long. As many of you know, that is "his" middle name. As I discussed early on, he has called any and all children - no matter whether a girl or boy - by the middle name "Anthony" for years. He would say to Kenidi..."Kenidi Anthony" or to Brennen..."Brennen Anthony" - even though it wasn't their middle name. We've laughed about it for many, many years. I knew that if God ever gave me another boy...I would want to name his middle name "Anthony." And so he did. Therefore, I did. I knew my Dad would love having a true family member named after him. Thankfully Brent agreed to my wishes when it came to Kross's name. We knew his middle name long before we ever picked out his first name. LOL!
The birth certificate above is proof. It's not like we didn't know that anyway but seeing it on paper - in black and white - makes it overly official in my opinion. When I opened the package and read Kross's birth certificate, I just had to chuckle. As I read the name...Kross "Anthony" Seaman, it brought a huge smile to my face. My Dad goes by the name Tony - short for Anthony - his middle name. As I read Kross's name on the birth certificate, I beamed when it was confirmed via that document that he now carries my Dad's namesake.
LOVE THAT!
One day Kross will hear the stories regarding how many children, including his own brother and sister, had to be called "Anthony" by his Papa before he finally was able to seal the deal for all of them. He has assumed the role of the official "Anthony" that my Dad has wanted for as long as I can remember. As my Dad's daughter, this makes me proud.
