Angelica Grace Designs

FOLLOW ME ON MY NEXT JOURNEY...ANGIE SEAMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

2011-10-08T14:18:00.005-04:00

Hi all. I'm so sorry for the delay in posting here lately. I've come to the conclusion that I'd like to have one blog and one blog only. It's very difficult for me to keep up with my photography business blog as well as this personal blog here on the AGD site. Therefore, I've decided to make the official announcement that I've closed down my AGD website due to my photography business taking off far more than I ever could have imagined. My photography passion leaves me no time to sew the boutique clothing or design jewelry anymore as I always did in the past. Having a new little one also puts a damper on those plans. So...I closed my AGD website and will now be closing this blog too. I plan to leave it up and running so that others can always go back and read how it all began. However, from here on out...I'll be blogging full time over on my photography business blog which can be found by going HERE. I'll be blogging not only business there but personal as I always have.

Thank you to everyone whom has stuck by me since July of 2006 when I first opened this little spot on the web. Your encouragement, support, prayers, comments, compliments and so on have allowed me to become who I am today. For those of you who never judged me but yet loved me for who I am as well as who I am not...well...I cannot thank you enough. Thank you to my loyal AGD clients for buying my designs as well as for becoming my friends. Angelica Grace Designs was formed during a time when I needed an outlet - back when we were first learning of Kenidi's special needs diagnosis. AGD and all of its supporters carried me thru the trenches many times when I wanted to curl up into the fetal position and quit. You guys kept me going. Each and every one of you. And yes...even the select few negative n/ellies. You too...pushed me to keep crawling and to keep my head toward the sunshine. Thank you for the drive to be better, the determination to prove others wrong, and the ability to look back and smile - better yet - "grin" from ear to ear. In the end, here I am today. Still swimming.

This little part of my world has seen me thru the birth of my children, the birth of two businesses, the re-birth of many personal issues, the re-birth following a move across 4 states, and the many trials of just everyday life in general. Angelica Grace Designs was and always will be my "baby." I'm very proud of all that AGD accomplished in it's short time. It's very surreal to know others are wearing your designs clear across the country and even across the globe. My international clients are just as important to me as my clients located in the United States. I love all of you and always will.

So for now...I ask that you join me on yet another chapter - a new journey. Well not new but you get the point. I ask that we not say goodbye but yet that you stick by my side and watch with us how the next book will unfold. And should you ever find yourself with a need for photography, you know where to find me. Again, I'll be HERE (blogging personal and business together).

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. Hope to see you on the flip side at Angie Seaman Photography. Much love, Angie

PS...Once on the Angie Seaman Photography blog, there is a way to sign up/subscribe to my blog there just as many of you always had here. Go to the navigation bar on the top of the page and find "subscribe." You can enter your email address there and opt in for an email including my most recent posts - everytime I post. :)

KROSS - 9.5 months (NAPLES, FLORIDA CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER)

2011-09-13T14:25:00.010-04:00

Have you ever in all your life???

Granted...I am WAAAAYYYY biased but come on. Do those little chompers just make your heart skip a beat in the way they do mine? Probably not. Either way, I just had to share.

I opened the front door, let some natural light shine straight in, and then clicked away with Kross sitting in our entry way this morning. I wanted to get some 9 month shots and document him for this month as I do every month. He wasn't in the greatest of moods but you'd never know it here. That kid is such a ham. I'm taking full advantage of it too because one day soon...he'll detest my camera. I'm sure of it.

Speaking of clicking away, I did a fun retro pin up shoot this past weekend with some photographer friends of mine. It was a fun day and of course the clouds and crayola blue skies were there to "represent." :)

Of course the images are processed to look like an old time retro pin up girl calendar. It was different for me and totally out of my ordinary way of shooting but boy was it fun. A local Inn here in Naples allowed us to shoot at their location near the beach. Just shooting with my favorite photography peeps and challenging one another with something different was the best part of it all. The models were great to work with too. They were such troopers in that heat. It was blazing out and there were times where I had to sit down with a bottled water because I felt like I was going to hit the ground and pass out. Not good. I survived though and we trucked right on thru that Florida heat.

Suicide doors on this old car...crazy cool...

We got to use one of the rooms for some of the images too. It helped cool us down - air conditioning - YAY!

I'm so grateful for how well my photography business has been going here in Florida. I've worked very hard to pound the pavement and make a name for myself. It's a daily process - one that takes lots of work - but it has paid off for me and I pray it continues to do so. I'm thankful for the relationships I've established here. Those relationships have lead me to jobs where shooting for magazine spreads are consistently part of my line up now.

Albeit intimidating to work in the editorial world, it's challenging yet rewarding as well. And yes...I'll admit that it's a gratifying moment to skim thru a magazine while sitting in a doctors office and find images you've shot within it. Grateful indeed!

With that said, my clients and those relationships mentioned above have lead to a full and very busy season for me in the coming months. I'm pretty much booked thru the end of the year with the exception of a few random openings for tourists that stumble upon me. If you're coming to Southwest Florida at all in the next 6-8 months and were wanting portraits taken by me while here, please schedule in advance. I don't like having to turn people away. It breaks my heart. Therefore, hit me up as soon as possible and we'll solidify your place on my calendar. To all of you whom have helped propel my business in Indiana as well as here in Florida, I cannot thank you enough. It means more to me then you'll ever know. Seriously! I honestly couldn't have done it without you guys and all of your word of mouth referrals. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

With that said, I'll sign off with a pretty little instagram image from my weekly phone dump. I took this while driving thru one of our outdoor mall areas a few days ago.

PS...If you haven't stopped by my Angie Seaman Photography blog lately, pop on over and see what all I've been up to. :)(ANGIE SEAMAN PHOTOGRAPHY) Happy Tuesday my friends. Much love, Angie

FRIDAY PHONE DUMP

2011-08-26T11:49:00.006-04:00

It's Friday again. That means it's phone dump day. I've started sharing a few photos taken with my cell phone throughout the week here on my blog. The above shot was taken just this morning. Kross and I got his other two siblings off to school and then we hit the beach for a little "sugaring of our toes." Kross has it down to a science. No need to teach that certified beach bum how to do up the beach. He's mastered it already.

When we got there, I was carrying him and a big beach bag. I looked down and saw the shadow of my legs and captured my big ol' Mommy yoga pants flappin' in the sand via the reflection. Snapped the moment.

Although Hurricane Irene was originally heading right for us, it turned right and suddenly started veering up the East coast of Florida in stead. The beach was quiet and serene this morning. The water was dirty, sand brown, but the clouds and sky were still and beautiful as ever. You can tell a storm is brewing somewhere though. Mother ocean was roughed up, brown, and clearly ticked off.

The black and white version adds a bit more drama...wouldn't ya say?

This is what the sky really looked like...crayola blue as always...

Without rain though, there are never any rainbows. For any of you who know me well enough, you know that is one of my favorite quotes and has always been listed on my facebook page too. We are still in what is considered the "rainy season" here in South Florida. That means it rains at least once a day for about 30 minutes to an hour and then dries up and becomes as beautiful as it was before the rain. After one of those downpours off the ocean the other night, I captured this rainbow as the skies began to clear...

My favorite time is after the storm passes when the whole sky opens up and the brilliant orange colors pop out and shine this gorgeous golden light down on us...

When I came out of Dillard's the other night, the whole place was lit up like an orange fire ball. You can see that yummy golden light creating palm tree shadows on the front entrance of the mall in this shot below...

GAW-JUS! Love me some golden hour light. The light right before the sun sets. Amazing stuff

I always love to shoot in the morning around here too. More amazing stuff. I took the image below straight out the roof of my car the other morning as Brennen and I sat and ate our Starbucks oatmeal right before I took him to school. Yes...lucky for him (and me) there is a Starbucks almost in the parking lot of his school. Dunkin donuts too. Shame. Oh the shame. LOL!

The sun flare was magnificent on this morning and my iphone LOVES sun flare. Anytime I can capture some flare with my phone or my real camera, I'm all over it. I believe that sun flare is just another gift to us from God. Embrace the flare. :)

For now, I'm off to go finish editing some sessions. Can you believe that my brand new laptop is already in the shop? Won't hold a charge. The charge jack/port won't work when I charge it with my cord. Dang the bad luck. I swear laptops hate me. Yes, I said the word HATE as much as I "HATE" to. HA HA! I'm cursed when it comes to these computers. They are my work horses and I truly work them to death. Literally. Anyway, it's gone for two to three weeks so I'm back to editing in my office which I detest. So does Kross. That little dude is on the move and wants to be everywhere but holed up in my den right now. He has life so rough.

Have a great weekend and check back next week. Lots happening on the photography front. Lots of good news. Lots of cool shoots. Life is good. Love you guys.

Angie

KROSS, THE BEACH BUM (NAPLES, FLORIDA CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER)

2011-08-17T14:05:00.004-04:00

In the hustle and bustle of our travels back and forth to Indiana, I realized this week that I hadn't taken any photos of Kross for his 8 month anniversary. So...I we headed out the door last night to watch the sunset at the beach and to snap some "beach baby" shots of Kross. Needless to say, Kross was stoked. I'd love to know what he was looking up in the sky at in the top image and what he was thinking at that moment. If he could talk, I believe he'd be saying "Power to the surf" in this shot below...

Beings that Kross was born with the love of the beach running thru his veins, there is no doubt that he is a certified beach bum by DNA association due to his Mother being a beach bum at heart. So when he began sugaring his hands and toes in the sand the moment he got there...I knew he felt right at home. What I would have given to have grown up on at the seashore, on the coast, in the warm gulf waters with the wicked white surf.

It's a good darn thing a little sand ingestion never hurt a kid before because Kross ingested enough last night to feed a small army. Well ok...maybe a small bucket load anyway. LOL!

As a friend of mine said, he looks like he just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar here...

Like..."Who me???"

I love this boys smile. He can light up a room in an instant with these looks...

I think one of my favorite parts to the evening were these shots though...the blackmail shots of the future...

He was waving to passing beach-goers in this shot below. They were cracking up that he was "nek-ed." He kept on smiling and just kept waving to all of them like it was no big thang. :)

OK...I lied. My favorite part of the night was this moment...when Brennen was swimming with his baby brother...

God is good!

Until next time...Angie

PHOTO DUMP, GRATITUDE LISTS, & AN UPDATE ON KENIDI

2011-08-10T17:44:00.013-04:00

I've been obsessed with the instagram app on my iphone4 recently. I love being able to snap a shot, throw a filter & quick border around it and then instantly share it with hundreds or even thousands of others all at one time. Technology today never ceases to amaze me. With that said, I have a blogger on my daily blog reads that I love and I noticed she is doing a "phone dump" of her photos once a week. I thought this was a great idea. For those of you who haven't ever friended me on facebook, you miss out on A LOT of photos I share on there that never actually hit my personal blog. So...I thought the weekly phone dump from time to time would be great to do as well. I figured I'd share some of the photos I've taken via my cell throughout the past 7 days. The top one above was of my Dad holding Kross in his irrigation sprinklers the night before we left Indy. I love that shot. It reminds me of an old vintage image from years gone by or something. The joy that both of their smiles bring to me in that one photo is indescribable. Thank you camera phones!

The next shot is one that I snapped out of the car window as we left the Indiana state line in our rear-view mirror last Friday evening and crossed over into Kentucky via the Louisville bridge. Brent always laughs at me when we pull out of Indiana after our visits there. He tells me that I cry from the time I leave my Dad's driveway until at least Louisville each trip. Truth be told, he's probably right. It never helps when my Dad sends me texts such as exhibit A...(sorry Dad...I know you dislike when I share your texts but word pictures always help tell a story waaayyyyyy better. As a blogger, my job is to tell a story the best way I know how. That involves sharing your awesome words too. Nothing is sacred in our family, I know. LOL!)

Do you see now why a daughter might cry her heart out all the way from Indy to Kentucky after receiving a text from her dad telling her that he misses her already and that she needs to move back home? I must mention that he sends these each time I leave - before I'm ever even out of his neighborhood. See why I love him so much??? It's very clear what an exceptional father he is, isn't it? I know I brag on him a lot but really...this type stuff just confirms it all. I cherish my Dad's text messages. I should've listened to him when he tried to give me the box of Kleenex's from inside his house as I left though. I assured him that I had plenty of baby wipes in the car to use should I need them. Always heed a Father's advice. Always. Even when it comes to a simple box of Kleenex's. Dad's are always right.

At some point in the 18 hour drive back to Naples each time, I finally regain my composure, put away the Kleenex's and regroup. I sit and watch the sky, the clouds, the sunshine or rain as we drive that horrific drive back to Florida. I have high hopes that reciting what I'm grateful for (crayola blue skies, puffy white cotton ball type clouds, the golden sunshine, etc.) in my head throughout the drive will help pass the time quicker. It never does. Eighteen hours is still 18 frappin' hours. No matter how you look at it...the drive sucks. Bottom line. The only time it starts to get better is on the 2nd day - when you're about 45 minutes from home per the Navigation screen that you've been watching the whole 18 hour trip like it's the movie Twilight or something and Edward is secretly placed within the screen somewhere. See...you also begin to get delusional along that drive too. It's a serious side effect. Anyway, back to my point. You roll down the windows and begin to smell the sea salt air. It's a fo' sho' sign that you're in the home stretch now. In no time, you look to your right - and then to your left - only to see scenes like this again...

Moments later...you are driving over the ocean and the sun is setting...reminding you of that gratitude list that is forever embedded in your brain at this point...

Eventually, you pull up in the driveway and are never so glad to get out and touch your feet to the ground in all your life. You hit your bed that night still reciting the gratitude list..."sunsets, Starbucks, my parents, my friends, my kids, my own bed, air conditioning, palm trees, the salt life, my camera, my eyes to visualize shoots, pringals new honey butter stix, the fact that I didn't have to kill my husband this trip because he finally decided to stop at a hotel rather than drive straight through, and so on. Home is good. Real good. However, I have two homes. One where I lay my head every night and one where I lay my heart. You can guess which is which.

The next morning, I always jump up to watch the sun rise over the pond behind our house. It has a magnificent way of shining the most beautiful honey golden light down on the water as well as the tips of the palm tree leaves. The colors as the sun rises are amazing around here. When you live just 5 minutes down the street from the ocean, everyday is amazing around here. Even on the days when the enemy sets out to ruin your gratitude list or your "peppified spirit," you can still manage to always find something to be thankful for. A-L-W-A-Y-S!!! Like being able to stand under palm trees each and every day.

Even when it's raining on the palms and your power is out in your house due to the storm, life is still amazing and the palm trees are still beautiful.

Yes, life is good.

On a final note, before signing off tonight, I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who posted here on the blog last week, privately emailed me, called, texted, facebooked, etc. in regards to Kenidi's situation. I had no idea that my post last week would provoke such an outpouring of support. It breaks my heart that so many of you are experiencing similar trials in your own lives. On a positive note though, your words of encouragement, advice, and your own experiences helped our family beyond imagine. You guys armed us with so much knowledge that we didn't have previous to my post. Your own journey has helped prepare us for ours. There are no words to thank you guys for your love and true concern for our Kenidi. We are 4 days into her new medicine (Tenex) and unfortunately haven't noticed any positive changes. She is extremely tired because of it and can barely keep her eyes open most of the day. The doctor warned us that this would happen in the beginning and so did some of you who have your own children on this particular medicine. We are hopeful that her body will adjust to the dosage soon. We were told to give the prescription three weeks before we made a decision to switch to resperdal. So...we will give it 2.5 more weeks. It's still very early and we are still very faithful. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. We'll go to plan B at that point. For now though, I know without a shadow of a doubt that all will work out as it should and that like always...God is leading the way. Again though, thank you to each of you for continually being so supportive of our family in the past 5 years since I began this blog. I always know I can come back here, to my online cyber-space friends, and find encouragement and advice thru this blog when needed. All of you are on my gratitude list.

Much love, Angie

PS...If you'd like to friend me on my personal Facebook page, you can do so by clicking on the following link: ANGIE ON FACEBOOK If you would like to become a fan of my Angie Seaman Photography fan page, feel free to do so by clicking this link: BECOME A FAN I'm always posting new session images there that you never see here on my blog. I also post "casting calls" for models that we need for certain creative shoots there too. It's a great place to keep an eye out on all of the Angie Seaman Photography happenings. No matter what...I just appreciate your support. :)

MY HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED

2011-07-29T16:58:00.006-04:00

If Kenidi could verbalize her feelings right now, I'm guessing that these days she'd be packing Kross a suitcase and waving by to him as she booted him out the front door. She loves and adores her baby brother with all her heart but I honestly believe she is just now beginning to realize that he is here to stay and isn't going anywhere. In the beginning, he was like a new toy to her. We had small issues but she was pretty gentle with him from the get go. Because we have slowly but surely been noticing more aggressive behavior from Kenidi over the past year to year and a half, we knew that Kross's arrival would be touch and go with her as well. Over the past 8 months since his birth, I've watched her go from gentle to down right violent with him. We can't sit him down or look away from him/her for even a split second. Her aggressive behavior has not only expelled over and onto him but onto us and other people as well. We battle her hitting, kicking, spitting, biting, pinching, etc. What was once just a melt down when we went to leave the beach or a park is now an everyday occurrence and has caused our normal "out and about" life to come to a screeching halt.

As I sit down to type this, my heart hurts when I reflect back on how much Kenidi's demeanor has changed over the past year and a half. She really is a totally different child. We can no longer fly on airplanes or travel period because of the outbursts, aggression, and publicly displayed melt-downs that involve just about anyone within a 20 mile radius of us. We can't take her out to eat at restaurants or stroll along and hold her hand thru the mall anymore. If she is out and about, she has to be strapped into her special needs stroller. There is no rhyme or reason to her madness. We used to think it was an attention issue but now we realize these are uncontrollable outbursts where she will lash out at anyone within her reach. I was in denial for a long time...just believing and hoping it was only a phase. Ya know...the kind of stuff they pick up at school and bring home??? However, the behaviors have only increased. Each day she is growing bigger and stronger and it's becoming harder and harder for me as well as everyone else to manage her when she lets loose. I tell you all of this because just as I have in the past 5 years since beginning this blog, I'm writing to find therapy in the moment. By the time the evenings roll around each day, I'm physically and mentally wiped out. I've had numerous days of emotional spells where I just finally burst into tears from the exhaustion, frustration, and utter heartbreak as I watch our daughter act out in ways she is unable to control. Ways we aren't able to control anymore either. Kenidi is still the loving, affectionate child she's always been. However, there is a side to her personality now that is tough, harsh, and dangerous.

I had a neurologist in Miami last year witness a melt-down of hers and his exact words to me were..."You know there is medicine for this?" I walked out of his office, pushed open the handicap doors to the parking lot, looked at my Mom and swore to her with fury in my eyes that I'd never go back to that doctor again. I can remember how angry I was with his words. I couldn't believe he would suggest that I needed to medicate my child. Almost a year later, I now wish I would have headed to his advice then. I was in denial.

So...a big reason for our trip back to Indy this time was to have Kenidi seen by her Riley doctors here in Indianapolis. Brent and I took her and both kids this past Tuesday morning to her appointment with her neurologist. He was also the geneticist that ran the tests on Brent and I right after we were told of Kenidi's diagnosis back in 2005. After two hours in his office, Kenidi had reached her limit and was exhibiting full on meltdown behavior by the time he saw us. She proved to him, the child psychologist on hand, as well as a student resident doctor that she had the strength and ability to take everyone of us in that room on and then beat the hell out of anyone she had the chance to. It's sound rough and it was. Thankfully though, because what she did in front of the docs, we didn't have to do too much explaining. It was clear that medicine was necessary. I left the hospital that day with mixed emotions. I was feeling defeated, deflated, and like a failure as a Mom. I had prayed for so long that I could "fix" her without medication. Her appointment Tuesday was confirmation that there was no longer anytime left for my attempts to "fix" her. This was our reality and something had to give. Our family life is suffering because we can't venture out like we used to. Brennen pays the price for that. Kross someday might too. The thought of how much things have changed as Kenidi's demeanor has changed is gut-wrenching. There have been talks of taking vacations without her, dinners out while she stays home with a sitter, etc. It all rips my heart out to the core. She's our daughter - part of our family. She should be experiencing these journeys, these memories with us.

In order to begin the new medication, she had to go for an EKG first. The doc wants to start her out on Tenex. (sp?) If there are any of you out there who have any experience with this drug and children, please email me. I'd love to hear your feedback. The EKG was done today and now we wait the results of it to make sure it was normal before she can begin the tenex. If the Tenex doesn't show positive signs of working in the next two weeks, they are going to move on to the big guns as they called it. Risperdal. Risperdal is used to treat strong and irrational behaviors. It's scary. Both medicines are. I have no idea what the future holds but I'm praying with every fiber of my being that these medicines do more help than harm. Only time will tell. My how things have changed.

So...in my usual attempt to always find laughter and positivity in my life...I saw a photo on pinterest today and decided to do our own version of it with Kenidi and Kross. I grabbed my camera and used it as a therapeutic tool. The end result is what you see below...

I'm giving all of the glory to God - as always - for this journey. I've prayed to him with my expectations of healing for Kenidi. I've pleaded with him to grant us peace within our family and mainly within her little body. I'm no longer in denial and realize that this is the only option left. We are left with no other choice but to help Kenidi thru medication. I'm hopeful that these meds will work. Please pray with me over the coming weeks as we embark on yet another foggy journey in the Seaman family. God is leading our hands and giving me - and us - the strength to keep putting one foot in front of the next. For those of you with special needs children, I know you understand this TOTALLY. I owe my family a HUGE thanks for helping me to combat the meltdowns Kenidi has displayed since arriving in Indiana. I couldn't have made it thru the past 2 weeks without them. Transition is horrific on Kenidi's little system. If you take her out of her routine, you can expect all hell to break loose literally. God love her...

Thanks for listening to me today. I know it's been a long time since I've "dumped" on all of my readers like this. Sometimes you just need to purge everything that is floating around in your head though and today was my day. As you all know, I purge via writing. I journal to heal. Always have - always will. Yes, my writings have put my family on major display at times in the past but I don't care. It's my life. It's my truth. It's me being real. Take it or leave it.

Thank you God for being my Rock. My savior. Literally. You've heard my prayers and you know my expectations. Please heal my baby girl.

In him, Angie

FAIR TIME WITH THE FAM

2011-07-27T20:29:00.001-04:00

Despite the helldacious heat here in Indiana, we decided to brave it all and head out to the county fair a couple of nights ago. Ironically, the heat wasn't so bad and we even found several pockets of shade to stand in as we stuffed our faces with the FAB fair food that graces the concession stands there each year.

Of course I was there armed with my camera and managed to snap some very simple but oh so colorful shots of our surroundings. We even saw the typical crazies. You know...the ones who ride those ridiculous rides like these...

The crowd was down considerably because people are willing to tackle the heat here this year. So...it left tons of room for us to roam. I am always amazed at what types of foods they come out with each year. This year...the shocker was deep fried kool-aid. Yeap, you heard me. Kool aid. Come again???

There is deep fried everything at the fair. Even deep fried cookie dough. Now we're talkin'...

My favorite part of any fair is just all of the colors. There is so much color in life if we are just willing to look for it. At the fairs though, they throw it in yo' face. Like here..."Take some pink! Take some purple! Oh and how about some orange and bright sunny yellow too!!!" POW! POW! POW! Color is everywhere there and you never have to "search" it out. You'd have to be blind to miss the vibrant punch of the color wheel at any fair.

Lovin' these old school shades that I stumbled upon at a random table for sale. They're makin' their come back. ROCK ON!

Of course we all had to win Kenidi every stuffed animal under the sun during our journey there.

It's comical to me that I participated in that considering how many stuffed animals I pitch on a yearly basis out of my kids rooms. Kenidi has this set of baskets at my Dads that they keep stocked with toys and coloring books for her. Every hour on the hour...she dumps it all out. And every hour on the other hour...my Dad and I pick it all back up and place it where it all goes. You see...I get my OCD issues from him. He has always taught me that everything has its place. Therefore, when there is stuff laying out all over the floors...it makes me shake with distress. Almost darn near convulsions really. I told my Dad the other day that I wished I had a video camera of him and I picking that junk all back up and putting it away every two seconds and then Kenidi just returning the favor by getting it all back out again. It's a constant game to her. So...not only does my poor dad have the usual sprawled out all over his floor now...he also has cheap ol' fair toys dumped all over the place too. To know him is to know that it's silently killing him inside. However, he'd NEVER say it. LOL! He just keeps picking it up and putting it all away again. Speaking of my dad...check him out...this was at the fair the other night too...

Love that man!

Both him and Brennen played some games while there. In the words of my dad during this moment below..."Gimme' some dddaawwwggg!"

Kross did exceptionally well in the heat that night. He was obsessed with our water bottles. The pictures say it all...

Love that shot of Brennen and Kross with my step-mom Cathy. Kross is trying to be sneaky and steal her water bottle there. Too funny! I love his face in this shot below...

Kenidi Grace loved the sights. She played skee ball (sp?) and threw the balls in the fish bowls. My aunt and Brennen both won fish so now my Dad has two new family members in his house as well. LOL! Kenidi also played the water duck game and loved that. It's great to see her being able to participate in the stuff we all do.

I caught Brennen in the middle of his corn dog (BARF!). He wasn't very happy about it either...

It's hard to believe half of our trip to Ind is already over. We only have another week and a half here before we head back to Naples. I've enjoyed lounging around the pool with my best girlfriends, dinners and daily vegging with my Dad and Cathy, and shooting my photography sessions that I've booked while here. It's been a FAB trip thus far. I've got a girls night out planned with my friends this Friday and several more shoots to do before I head out. I'm soaking up all of the goodness that Indy has to offer before I have to say my "until next time's."

Speaking of until next time...until the next blog post...keep smiling, look for the color in life, and enjoy these summer nights. I'm off to go consume some more cotton candy.

Much love...Angie

THE GRISWALDS ARRIVE IN INDY

2011-07-18T17:50:00.007-04:00

We made it to Indy. The fields full of Queen Anne's lace were standing tall to greet me when we crossed the state line. People often ask me what I could possibly miss back in ol' Indiana - aside from the obvious friends and family - now that we live in paradise everyday. One of my answers is in the image above.(taken with my iphone4) I miss the fields full of wheat and the fields peppered with wild flowers in the summers. I miss the butterflies and bumble bees that run rampant on top of them. (They make for great macro images) This particular field will be used as a backdrop in one of 5 photo shoots that I have while in town this time. I can't wait for the golden evening light to shine down on this spot. It's going to make for gorgeous images with my clients.

Of course the 18 hour drive sucked - we drove straight through this time which was NOT planned. The five of us almost killed each other in true Griswold style before all was said and done but once we made the decision to just keep driving...we all regrouped, had some Starbucks, and trudged forward with great success in real Seaman family fashion. As I always like to say...all was good in da' hood. :)

In the short two days I've been here, we've been able to visit with both of my Grandma's who are ailing. I had worried I'd miss being able to see one or both of them before I got home the next time. By the grace of God, both are hanging on strong and I loved being able to touch both of their hands yet again. My Grandma DeNease - my Dad's Mom - also got to meet little Kross for the first time on Sunday. Another great grand child for her. Although she can't see, I made sure she was able to feel the smooth touch of his soft baby skin in her hand. Life - it's such a precious gift, isn't it?

Aside from the 5 photo shoots I have lined up while in town, I am planning lots of visits with my girlfriends of course. We also have lots of doctor visits while here. Ya know...those favorite doctors and my dentist that I refuse to let go of just because I live in Florida now. I try to get the kids in and myself to see them anytime we are here just to keep us current in their patient files. LOL!

I hope all of you are enjoying your week thus far. Until my next post and the next flood of Indiana images, stay safe and smile. Smile lots!

XOXO, Angie

THE COLORS OF KEY WEST

2011-07-09T19:44:00.004-04:00

You guys all know how very much I love "color." I love any kind of color in life - but especially when it comes to my photography. When my clients have been asked to describe my images before, nine times out of ten, they all use the word "colorful" somewhere in their descriptions. I love that. I strive to make my images stand out with color being a top priority. So...when we were vacationing last weekend in Key West, I tried desperately to soak up any and all the colors of the island that I could while there.

One day we rented the electric golf cart looking cars and roamed the island. I thoroughly enjoyed that part even though it was 250 degrees out. LOL!

The nooks and crannies within Key West were a photographers dream. They had tons of "grunge" areas to use as backdrops which was right up my alley. I also loved the Ernest Hemingway look of the decor, homes, environment, etc. The history and nostalgia there is simply amazing. I also loved that they have a street named after me right off the famous Duval Street...

Even their Walgreen's in Key West is colorful...

I am normally not a "Key Lime" lover but I did try some chocolate dipped Key Lime pie on a stick while there. Uuuhhmmm...can anyone say HEAVEN?

We saw lots and lots of characters around the island. Some weren't suitable for the eyes of my kiddo's so I was constantly burying Brennen's head when I'd see something he shouldn't. These were a few of the innocent yet funny characters we witnessed...

Spider man on a bike & a bar stroll group...

I can't imagine what those dudes looked like after hitting all those bars that night that were listed on the back of their shirts. Ha ha!

Grandma Debbie and Papa Ron were a huge help with the kids this trip and especially while Brent and I were at the wedding festivities for Chad and Sherry.

Our hotel was the 2nd oldest hotel on the island. It definitely showed that wear and tear inside the guest rooms. The lobby and restaurant however, were gorgeous. Here is a shot of the library area in the front lobby...

This guy and his dog were on the street each day. The sunglasses on the pup crack me up...

Last but not least, I also left my "clean eating" for one of these dudes while there. $5 cookies and boy were they worth every single penny. I had a sugar cookie (without sprinkles) and it truly hit the spot. Heaven again!

Thank goodness we were only gone and in Key West for several days. Because of food like that, my clean eating attempt was J-A-C-K-E-D with a capital "J." :)

We had a blast in Key West but I don't know that I'd voluntarily go back anytime soon. I saw it and can now say been there - done that. It's definitely a party town and I'm past the age of partying at this point. When you have kids and travel there with them, it's a totally different experience. LOL! Either way, it was good to have seen it. I've always wanted to go there and now we can say that we've been. Other than the ghost tour and seeing Hemingway's house up close and personally, I don't feel like I'm missing anything by not going back there for a while. I think the drive there and back killed the hoopla for me in regards to the island itself. That drive was brutal. Brutal I say.

Now I'm back home with the suitcase cleaned out but laid open once more. Time to start packing again. We head home to Indiana for three weeks come this Friday. YAY! Can't wait to see everyone back home. Until the next update, have a superb weekend.

Much love, Angie

CHAD & SHERRY'S KEY WEST WEDDING (NAPLES, FLORIDA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER)

2011-07-05T20:49:00.005-04:00

A quick sneak peek - basically just to confirm how much this past weekend ROCKED!

We came, we saw, we conquered Key West. And me...well I conquered my fear of shooting a wedding ceremony. Yes, I survived and the bride and groom have the wedding pictures to prove it. :)

Stay tuned...lots more to come as I begin editing the images from my dear friend Sherry's wedding. I'm beyond honored to have been asked to be their photographer on their special day. The hardest part was controlling the tears from behind my lens during the ceremony. It was tough to be the "photographer" when you're so emotionally invested in the people who are actually getting married. I kept fogging up my view finder because I was such a sap as they recited their vows to one another. What a stunning pair they made!!! CONGRATS Chad and Sherry!

I can't wait to share the rest of your images with you and your loved ones. We love you guys!

For the rest of you, check back soon. You don't wanna miss these. Much love, Angie

KROSS & KEY WEST

2011-06-30T14:32:00.005-04:00

Kross will be 7 months old this Saturday. He's got two very visible and extremely "sharp" teeth. Yes, I know this first hand. OUCH! He's also sitting up on his own and has been for a while now. I need to put him on the floor more so he can try getting to the crawling part but we have so much tile in the house that it worries me he's going to bang himself up. I miss carpet in the Midwest. LOL!

I shot a couple quick photos - these photos - of him this week just to document his age. He is such a Ham, isn't it? I could sit around and snap shots of him all daggone day long. He's a hoot!

It's Thursday and I'm packing like a mad woman for our trip to Key West this weekend. I'm shooting a destination wedding in the Keys for a dear friend of mine this weekend. It's for a friend of mine that I've known since middle school. I'm only doing it because it's "her." Ha ha! I am not fond of weddings at all and have no desire to shoot weddings on a regular basis. I've turned many away to date. I just don't feel comfortable shooting someones most important day of their life up to that point. Not only that but a wedding is a weekend affair. It's major time away from your family on the weekends when you're a wedding photographer. Between the rehearsal dinners, wedding the next day, reception into the night, etc. -it just isn't my cup of tea. I'd much rather do a shoot that lasts 1-2 hours and then be back home with my family again. Much less time and wayyyyyyy less stress. LOL! So...my friend lucked out. She will be the only one to ever see me shoot a wedding. Let's pray I don't screw it up for her and her soon to be husband.

My in laws are flying into Naples tomorrow night and are driving down to Key West with us. We are making it a little family get-a-way. My mother in law and father in law will be there to watch the kiddo's for us anytime I'm working the wedding festivities and Brent is with me. Thankfully, my sweet friend Megan, has agreed to come along as well and be the 2nd shooter for me this time. I need as many eyes and cameras as I can get for this day. We've waited for Sherry to get married for a loooonnnggggg time. I want to ROCK her images out and make them unique and different for her special day. Megan has a lot of my same shooting styles. We make a great team! :)

So, we head out for Key West on Saturday (our first time ever there) and I plan to get some great images of not only the wedding but also of the sights - as a tourist - while in town. I'm excited to see the change in scenery and witness first hand what Duval Street is all about. Good times for me and my camera. :) I'll be sure to share plenty once we return. In the meantime, have a great 4th of July holiday and be safe. Much love, Angie

We sure do love this boy!!!

CATCHING UP

2011-06-22T10:57:00.004-04:00

Here I am again...Mrs. blog slacker. I have things I could be blogging here and sessions that have yet to be blogged over on my photography blog too. I'm way behind. I guess that is what happens when you're having too much fun. Time gets away from you. :)

The above shot was a photo I took the other day of all three kiddo's. Needless to say...the shoot was a bust. Total bust. Kenidi wouldn't quit kissing Kross - which in turn ticked him off. Brennen was whining something about how on earth "was I going to photograph special needs child and a new baby all at the same time." I was sweating like a pig when all was said and done. I finally gave up and settled with this shot. Because this is our reality. This shot reveals our life. It's keepin' it real at its finest. LOL!

As you can see, Kenidi had a major meltdown at the end of the process so I of course just had to document it. I love this girl!

Speaking of her and meltdowns, I just had to document this one too. We went out boating on Father's day and we had Miss Drama Queen on board all day. One minute she was fine and the next minute she was a basket case. Did I mention that I love this girl???

Brennen spent some of his time fishing off the boat that afternoon. Here is a shot of him in action as well as one looking all grown up...

Kross loved every minute of the wind rushing thru his half bald head as we skimmed the surface of the ocean. Both him and Kenidi love to keep moving - to go fast. Neither of them are "stop and fish kinda' kids." LOL! That doesn't help Brennen much. :( At one point Kenidi through Kross's sun hat overboard. We tried to go back and get it but it sunk way too fast. Therefore, I had to drown his little white head in sunscreen. This is what the back of his hair looked like from my angle...

Loved it!

Kenidi celebrated her 8th birthday this weekend. She had a ball. Here she is sporting some of her new gifts...a doctors coat (she loves going to the doctor - doctwo as she calls it). Then she had on her new sunglasses and her rock star studded leather bracelet all while singing into her new microphone. She was such a hoot that I had to capture the moment. Four days later and she's still wearing the doctors coat around and hurting my ears all day long with the microphone. LOL!

That little pairing of photos really sums up Kenidi to a "T." I still can't believe she is eight already. Like Brent said today, she'll always be our little baby girl. :)

I got out with Brennen recently and took some shots of him in an urban grunge type setting. I look at him and can't get over how "teenager-ish" he is looking. Certain glances, certain facial expressions, etc. really give way to how much he is becoming a young man. Then again, like Kenidi, he'll always be my little boy. This photo proves it...

Here are some other shots from our morning together...

Annnndddddd...it wouldn't be a shoot with Brennen without one of these shots that follow my words "Just one more Brennen - I promise just one more..."

Yeap, that is a photographers kid for ya...fo' sho'!

Speaking of Brennen...congrats to him for making the honor roll again for the 4th straight time this year. He worked so hard and nailed his grades every nine weeks. We couldn't be more proud of him. He pulled off another honor roll at the end of this semester like a pro. Guess all of our threatening him paid off. (no xbox, no computer, no phone, etc.) We are such mean parents. :) Way to go B-Ster. We love you rock star!!!

Last but not least, I had to share this shot of Kross experiencing birthday cake & ice cream for the first time ever on Kenidi's birthday. He fell in love. I laughed until I cried. I couldn't feed him fast enough. He was squealing at me like a stuck pig - wanting more, more, more. It was hysterical!

For now, I'm signing off. We are re-decorating Kenidi's room this week in a mustard & gray color scheme so I'm headed in to finish that project up. We booted Audrey Hepburn & the whole Tiffany & Co. theme out. It was time for a change. I love the new look thus far. Here is a sneak peek...

Yumminess!

Happy Wednesday y'all! Much love, Angie

PHOTOGRAPHING A "MIG 28" (A.K.A. Kenidi Grace)

2011-06-07T11:45:00.006-04:00

It's Tuesday, June 7th and I'm waiting on the kids to get home from school. They both half days today with only two days of school remaining in the year (those being half days as well). I know Brennen is excited to be done for the summer. He has exams all this week so he is working extra hard to end the year with a bang. We were invited to his awards banquet the other night where he took home extra honors for being 1 of 7 top scoring students for language arts in the 6th grade. I still have no idea where that boy gets his smarts from. It didn't come from Brent or myself. LOL! We are extremely proud of him for his hard work and continued drive this year. Pulling straight A's is something I NEVER did as a kid - even in elementary school. LOL!

I took Kenidi out for a photo shoot last week. WOW! What a site that was. If someone could have video taped that escapade, we could have surely landed a reality TV show instantly. Brent told me to take her to an open field to do the shoot because that way when she ran from me, she could run and not risk getting hurt. So...I thought that was a grand idea. We went to a new field that had beautiful white flowers blooming up all around her. I got her up at 6:30am in order to get to the field in time for the gorgeous morning light shortly after sunrise that day. In a nutshell, the field was wet which proved challenging as she attempted to sit down every few minutes in dirty mud patches. Considering the fact that she was wearing this cream dress in part of the shoot, that would not have been a good look. She continued to keep running, and running, and running. I tried desperately to keep up with her and lock my cameras focus on her eyes in order to assure a sharp and crisp image. However, because she wouldn't stand still, I got very few. That girl was like the energizer bunny. I was out of breath five minutes after we began. I told my Mom that I felt like the Top Gun guys - chasing a mig - trying to lock focus on her. But with each step she took, I felt like I kept hearing "Negative Ghost rider - the flight pattern is full." LOL! It was craziness. I won't even begin to try and describe the act that it took to get her BACK to the car once she ran thru the said field - to the far opposite side of that field. I ended up having to carry her back to the car - all the way back to the car - thru a muddy, bumpy, wet field. My back was broke and I was a sweaty mess by the time we reached the truck. Keep in mind that we live in South Florida so it was like 900 degrees by that point. HA! Can anyone say "nightmare?"

One thing is for sure...I'm glad I did it. I'm glad I risked my out of shape body chasing her thru that field. It had been so long since I was able to photograph her because she just won't stand still for me anymore. I wanted to get some shots of her before we cut her hair back off again too. It's time for the angled bob again. Long and stringy just doesn't work well for Kenidi. It's always hanging in her face, has no shape, no style, etc. She ROCKS the angled bob so we are taking her back in this week for a new "do." She is growing up and getting so big - so very quick. All of our kiddo's are. Kross turned 6 months old this past week. Where did the time go? Brennen is a big 7th grader now. He'll be in high school before we know it. Insert sad face here. :(

I'm off to tend to the chaos that ensues as school ends each year. Speaking of the energizer bunny, she just came in off the bus. Kross's last few days of freedom are slowly slipping away this week. Hee hee! He has no idea what he's in for all summer long. I'm looking forward to long hot days, tired nights, and sand in shoes that prove a summer day was well spent. We have a trip to Key West coming up at the beginning of July and will also be traveling back home to Indy for three weeks come mid July thru August. Good times ahead!

Hoping all of you are enjoying your summer thus far. Until the next post...Angie

MISSING MY ELECTRONICS & MY GUR-FRENS

2011-05-27T15:25:00.003-04:00

Hi friends. Happy Friday. So glad to have made it thru this past week. My laptop came back from the shop only to have to go right back the very next day. Lovely! The rumor from Best Buy is that as of next week, I'll be going in to pick out a brand new one due to all of the trouble we've had. YAY! I just want a working laptop - that's all. My iphone went down this week too. I lost all of my contacts and phone #'s as well as over 400 photos from the past year alone. It's my fault. I knew better. As a photographer, I'm ashamed of myself for not having backed up those images like I would have on my computers. Bad Angie! Either way, Apple gave me a brand new phone so I'm starting over now. Please email me your phone # and email address if you are a close friend or family member. I lost everything and need to re-update them all.

Kross and I did a little "on the fly" photo shoot together the other morning. He is really turning into such a Ham. Now if I could just get Kenidi to cooperate in front of the camera anymore. I'm planning a shoot with her in the coming weeks but I'm still looking for the perfect ensemble and accessories for it. Stay tuned. I'm gonna remind that little princess of ours how she used to ROCK IT in front of the camera back in the day. Hopefully she will obey and cooperate with me for the session. Wish me luck. LOL!

I had a great time with my girlfriends who came in town from Indy this past weekend. They were here for four days and it couldn't have been more relaxing. I truly loved having them here with us. Such fun. I can't wait to get home to Indiana for those three weeks in July and August so that I can chill with all of my peeps again. I've missed them so very, very much!

On a side note, come take a peek at the photo shoot I did recently for the gorgeous Miss Lindsay. It was one of my favorite shoots to date. Here is a sneak peek...

To see the rest of my favorite images from her session, click HERE

Lastly, for my anonymous friend from Scarbourough/Ontario Canada who loves to drop by my blog and and spend all of her miserable life critiquing my spelling and grammar mistakes, see if you can unscramble this one... ISKS YM SAS!

Gotta' go repent now. Hope everyone has a STELLAR weekend! Love you all to bits!

Angie

WHAT IN GOD'S NAME HAS HIT THIS HOUSE???

2011-05-19T02:41:00.013-04:00

It's 2:40am and I'm up - wide awake - with a 5 month old sound asleep on my lap, an almost 8 year old princess in the bed asleep with Daddy (keeping my spot warm for me) and a 12 year old in his bed, sick yet again. It's been a helldacious week here in our household and it doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. Kross's face in the above photo gives way to the feelings were are spewing in our house these days.

Brennen was home sick on Monday. High fever and vomiting. He went back to school Tuesday feeling somewhat better. Tuesday afternoon while holding Kross on my tummy during my eye-brow arch at the salon (he likes sitting up on my belly when there), he rared backwards, arching his back and hyper-extending his arms as I clutched his little hands. He rared back with such a quick forceful movement that it immediately resulted in this God awful sound. I heard a POP! Not a good POP either. I knew right away what had happened. Two hours and several hundred dollars later, the doctor at the Emergency room had popped his elbow back into place like a pro. It took all of 2.2 seconds which is good considering how Kross was NOT happy about it. Can you blame him? They call it "nurses maid elbow" and I know it fondly because the same thing happened to Kenidi when she was a toddler. She was holding my hand as we stepped off a curb together. She pulled one of those "I'm gonna drop to the ground and make Mommy carry me" stunts as she was stepping off the said curb. By doing so, she went down and I was still holding her hand - which resulted in that same familiar POP. While at the ER with her that time, they told Brent and I it was very common in babies thru toddlers. I guess it happens a lot as their bones are growing and locking into place. The doc here in Naples told me the same thing when we were there with Kross on Tuesday. It was awful. This child never screams but that day - he whaled. I felt like the "suckiest" mom on the face of this earth. There goes my Mom of the year award. :(

Once his elbow was back in place, he was a happy camper again - instantly.

I wish I could say that our night got much better from there but it didn't. While in the ER with Kross, Brent calls to tell me that Kenidi's school had been trying to reach me at home. She was apparently in class vomiting. Needless to say, she came home sick. High fever just like with Brennen the day before. I was supposed to go out with my photography friends that evening but began questioning whether I should just stay home at that point. I got home and no sooner did I utter the words..."Boy I hope Kross doesn't get what you guys have" did little Mr. Kross himself puke all over me. I knew then that it was God's way of telling me..."STAY HOME ANGIE!" And so I did. I couldn't bare to leave Brent home fighting that fire with all three of them sick. I cuddled with my sweet babies and prayed that God would heal them both. Today was a better day for Kenidi. She seems to be on the up and up. Kross has some congestion and a runny nose but no more vomiting. However, que the 1:30am wake up from Brennen as he is making a mad dash to the bathroom because he is vomiting again. WHEW! I'm clueless as to what bug has taken over my kiddo's but I'm praying it exits our household FAST!

I have two of my girlfriends coming in from Indiana this morning. I pick them up at the airport at 9:30am. It's 3am now and I'm still wide eyed and awake. Go figure. It's the Mom in me that can't sleep. I keep going in to check on Brennen and make sure he's ok. Amongst the chaos this week, he's learning how to swallow pills for the first time ever. When he has a headache or has been ill in the past, we always gave him tylenol melt-a-ways. Well they've apparently taken those off the market now. It's no fun trying to co-erse a sick 12 year old to swallow tylenol pills while they are in the middle of being so ill. I tried all kinds of tricks. In the end, he broke them in half and chewed half of them on the way down. Gross!

I'm hopeful that the lysoling I've done and disinfecting I've embarked on will be good enough to rid our walls of the germs before my girlfriends arrive. I definitely don't want them (or me) getting sick too. No. no. no. Speaking of the sickies, my laptop is in the shop because it has the sickies too. It's been gone for a week now and I seriously feel like my right arm has been removed. It won't be back for another week to two weeks so I am basically going into convulsions as I wait on its return. Talk about torture. This is one of those times in life when you really find out what you're made of and how strong you really are. LOL! Just kidding! Ok maybe I'm not. :-) Either way, I need the next two weeks to cruise by so that my laptop can come back home to Mama realllllllll quick! I have photos similar to this one to edit...

Mama likes editing best on her laptop instead of my desk-top even though I realize it's a no-no. Since when have I ever been one to obey the rules anyhow?

For now, I'm off to snuggle with my boys while my princess is resting peacefully. I'm trying to be quiet so that I don't wake everyone but of course we always become a total klutz when we try to traipse thru our houses like mice. Don't we? You know, tripping over the sick 12 year olds shoes and backpack. Dropping silverware in the sink even though you tried to place it in there gently and ever so softly. Let's face it - being up and wondering around any house at 3am is never good for the additional occupants in your home. I'm thankful I have a fan club here and that they forgive me - a lot!

Have a FAB Thursday! Much love, Angie

MEGAN'S PHOTOGRAPHY HEADSHOTS - NAPLES, FLORIDA PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-05-08T21:28:00.001-04:00

I had the special honor of photographing one of my B/P/F/F the other day. That stands for "Best Photography Friends Forever." It's a fun term that one of our other fellow photography friends coined for our group. This particular photography friend shown here today is one of two who came and photographed Kross's birth for me at the hospital when he was born. Megan is a dear friend, a sweet soul, with rockin' style, and an edge for creativity that is like no other. We share the same photography passion and therefore we have a bond that only few understand. LOL!

Meg is gorgeous and has a fabulous personality. I love how she constantly goes out of her way to welcome others and to make them feel like she has known them forever in their first meeting together. She has a great way of taking the edge off of situations where you'd typically be somewhat nervous. Love that!

Megan needed some professional head shots taken for her photography business. She wanted to use some of the shots within her website. I was honored and humbled when she asked me to do the session for her. Once reality set in though, I began to shake in my boots. I get nervous enough just photographing people who know nothing about photography at all let alone when it comes time to photograph a fellow photographer, a friend, a peer.

Needless to say...as the day drew closer to our shoot together, I got more and more nervous. When you photograph another photographer, they know what you are doing, why you are doing it, how it should look, etc. I wanted to make sure I found the perfect locations for what she was after and I wanted to make sure the pictures ROCKED for her.

Thankfully, Naples has lots of great nooks and crannies that went along with the theme of what Megan wanted. Because we live in paradise everyday, it wasn't hard to find some beautiful locations that were pleasing to the eye and sophisticated in appearance.

I took a ton of shots but these were some of my favorites that I quickly went thru and edited to share. Beautimous Meg! Beautimous!

It's such a priceless gift to have found friends here in Naples whom you can share your same passion, business, and so on with. We are able to bounce ideas off each other, share secrets of the trade, teach one another and learn from another. It's such a valuable relationship that all of us have and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Don't you just love Megan's blue hair??? There are only a select few people who could pull that look off in a classy way and she has done it.

The year round colors in Naples are nothing short of amazing. Everything is gorgeous in the back drops here. As much as I love color in photography, the scenery in Naples really helps add to that must have color that I always search for in my shots.

I had a blast shooting this session for Megan. Lots and lots of laughs were shared. I've got some FAB out-takes of her too. Good times! :)

Thanks for including me in this experience with you Megs! It meant the world to me. Really!

I hope some of the shots will work perfectly for your website project and the goal you were after.

Love ya to bits girl! Thanks for being such a dear friend to me. Hugs, Angie

A CUTE FEDORA & AN EVEN CUTER LITTLE BOY - NAPLES, FLORIDA CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-05-02T11:53:00.003-04:00

Every once you a while, you get a client who gives you a challenge when it comes to collecting smiles during a session. With that said though, every once in a while when that happens, you can still make the best of shoot because said client is just so adorable that smiles don't even matter. This particular shoot recently played out just like that. We met the family downtown for an urban grunge shoot and found the best stand alone building for our backdrop. It couldn't have been anymore perfect. Following those shots, we headed across the way to a perfect little alley that offered up some great lighting and shaded areas due to the taller downtown buildings. Little Z-man here was so cool and so adorable that him not wanting to smile didn't affect his images at all. In fact, he gave me a more RAD look to work with by not smiling. I love how these turned out given the lack of smiles. It's something about the awesome hair, big gorgeous eyes, pouty lips, hole in the jeans, and the rockin' skateboard that played a significant role in his overall look. Such a heart breaker already even though he's only a mere five years old.

If you have a little one that you'd like to embark on a fun urban grunge session with, feel free to contact me. I've recently located lots of cool new locations that I'm just dying to try out.

Happy Monday! XOXO, Angie

A BRAND NEW LOOK!

2011-04-21T17:24:00.003-04:00

Just a quick note to announce the new look and new branding of Angie Seaman Photography. I spent a great deal of time with my web designer over the past couple of weeks re-vamping my website, blog, twitter page and adding a new facebook fan page to the Angie Seaman Photography collection. I poured my heart and soul into this new look so I hope all of you like it.

I wanted a fresh and colorful new look that represented my style. Crystal, my web gal, did a phenomenal job, (as always) in regard to bringing my visions to life. Thanks Crystal. I love ya girl!

Feel free to drop by our new facebook fan page and "like" our page. I'll be doing a big contest there starting tomorrow with a FAB give-a-way. Jump in on the fun. We'd love to have ya.

As a side note and FYI...I'm also offering a $100 print credit included in any session fee when you book a shoot with me. That is a limited time offer in celebration of the new branding so get in on it while the gettin' is good. Feel free to email me directly at Angie@AngieSeamanPhotography.com with any questions.

Lastly, this is the last week to sign up for my online beginner photography class and my online beginner photoshop class. If you'd like to register for either one of those classes, you can do so by going HERE and clicking on the "classes" page. Good times! Until the next post, have a ROCKIN' week! Much love, Angie

PS...Blogger has been giving me fits lately. My account is acting up and not letting me publish posts here on the blog. I've had to go to alternative measures to get it posted. I'm hoping they get this glitch fixed soon but blogger never seems to fix anything fast. Boo! I'm also missing blog comments that come through. Some of you have emailed me asking if I got your comment here on the blog and apparently I'm not getting all of them. Another BOO~! Again, I'm hoping all of these issues receive some attention quickly. In the meantime, thank you for your patience. Love you guys! :)

PRODUCT LINE - ANGIE SEAMAN PHOTOGRAPHY, NAPLES FLORIDA PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-04-18T12:00:00.005-04:00

you know that Angie Seaman Photography offers a wonderful product line for all of your photography needs? When you book a session with us, not only is your experience top notch all the way around but the products we offer to our clients are top notch as well. We've searched high and low for the best vendors and suppliers in our market. We've researched and sought out the best of the best when it comes to album designers, custom labs, etc. All of that makes your experience with Angie Seaman Photography even that much more enjoyable and exciting.

Our studio offers custom padded photography albums that are so exquisite and so gorgeous that you just never want to put them down. You'll find yourself thumbing thru these albums time and time again.

Not only do we offer these spectacular items but our turn-around time on getting the order back to you is like no other. We are known for being the best around regarding superb customer service with lightening fast turn-around times on your products. If you're an impatient individual like myself and want things that you purchase, like yesterday, then Angie Seaman Photography is the studio for you. If you'd prefer to order a custom photo covered hard back book filled with your images over a custom padded photo cover album, we've got those too.(see first photo above) Same great quality, just a tad different look and feel. I like to joke and call the custom "albums" the Rolls-Royce of albums. But then I also joke and call our hard cover books, the Ferrari of all hard cover photography books as well. Point being...both look elegant, sleek, and high class. Both are totally eye catching too. It's merely a matter of personal preference. When you purchase a slide-show of your session or a disk of your session, we also offer custom photo covered DVD and CD cases. These small but statement making products leave your memories tucked away safe for years to come and they do it in a fun and oh so personal way. Love! If you're looking for a photographer to help turn your memories into treasured pieces of art, I'm you're girl. We are offering a $100 print credit with all session fees for a limited time. Schedule your session with us ASAP and get in on this current and very rare special. Have a FAB week. We look forward to working with you. Much love, Angie

ISABEL - NAPLES, FLORIDA CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-04-11T10:20:00.006-04:00

I had the pleasure of photographing an adorable little girl named Isabel this weekend. Her and her Mom drove all the way over to Naples from the East Coast of Florida for our session together. Isabel is seven years old but in a photographers world, she is wise and mature beyond her years. She ROCKED the shoot and was such a natural. As you can see from her images, the child is gorgeous!

It always helps too when you have a Mother who knows how to ROCK out her little girls outfit choices too. Isabel's Mom was a real pro at the style part. Way to go Mom! I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Christina and Isabel and am so honored that they would drive all that way for a session with me. I can't wait to work my way thru the rest of the session with Isabel so that I can see the rest of her amazing images/looks. We changed outfits three times during her shoot and her hair changed as well - thanks to her Mom who knows how to ROCK out some hair styles too. I could have shot with her all day had we been blessed with the time. :) Thank you Christina and Isabel. It was great spending the morning with you. Isabel, thanks for making my photography work look so beautiful. You are gorgeous sweetie! :)

xoxo, Angie

KROSS ANTHONY SEAMAN - 4 MONTHS (NAPLES, FLORIDA CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER)

2011-04-05T20:40:00.000-04:00

Little Mr. Stud-man, Kross Anthony, is 4 months old as of this week. It's crazy to me that this wee lil' one of ours is already four months old. He's really come into his own personality now. He's smiling, belly laughing, cooing, gooing, melting our hearts by the minute. And as for any concerns or worries that I might have once had regarding him being born with the same condition Kenidi has, well he's put that to rest. This baby boy has a ton of strength. No low muscle tone here. When I put him on his belly, he is already army crawling across the floor. He's scootin' on his belly like nobodies business. Aside from that progress, he still has the one tooth trying to bust through on the bottom as well. The amazing thing is just what a happy baby he is. Rarely does he ever cry and if he does, its generally at night in his car seat now or if I should leave him with someone he's not overly happy to be with. LOL!
In other randomness, our whole house is recovering from being sick. That Indy trip and the cold temps there really kicked our butts. I was so out of it this weekend that I finally broke down and went to the doctor which is soooooooo out of character for me. Kenidi and Brennen are healing up now and Kross's ear infection is on the mend. What a helldacious week its been. WHEW!
Speaking of doctors, I am having to go back to my cardiologist here in Naples tomorrow morning and get hooked up to another holter monitor. When I was in Indy, I had an appointment with my regular cardiologist and she was concerned because my pulse was racing again and they couldn't get it to come down. It was another episode of synus tachycardia that I'm so very, very familiar with. The weird thing is normally I can feel that when it's happening but on that occasion, I had no idea. Therefore, I'm off to be tested tomorrow for another 24 hour period to see if my heart is running at that pace all day or if its in spurts or what. The goal is to find the root cause and get it corrected. I'm praying it was just a fluke thing that morning in Indy and that my test will reveal good news. Can I ask that all of you keep me in your prayers as well? I'd greatly appreciate any you can take the time to send up.
And just because I'm so very proud of him...I wanted to send a shout out to my ROCK STAR son, Brennen, for making the honor roll yet again this nine weeks. He came home with straight A's and a 4.0 GPA on his report card today. He's worked so hard since moving to Florida and getting acclimated to a new world here. Brent and I are extremely proud of his drive, determination, and will to succeed. His teachers are all constantly bragging on him and telling me what a great kid he is and how glad they are to have him in class. He's been recommended for some honor classes next year but we are having long discussions on whether or not he should accept those offers. I personally don't want him to have to spend his whole life studying and stressed out. He has enough work now so I worry that putting him in the advanced classes will make it even that much worse. We've got some time to mull all that over though. I don't want him feeling pressured one way or the other. CONGRATS on all of your awesomeness B-Ster! We love you so very much and are elated at your accomplishments!
For now, I'm off to go work on some new branding and designs for my photography site. My web gal, Crystal, is in the process of helping me re-vamp and freshen up my photography site, blog, etc. It's been 2 years since my last change up and you know how I like to keep things new and vibrant. I'm excited to share the new look with you guys once it's all completed. So many great things are happening here in Florida for me and my photography business so I want to make sure I stay ahead of the game and always "awake" when it comes to knowing and "nailing" my personal style. I believe that in order to stand out in this industry, you must know and "own" your style. Branding is a huge part of that personal style. So...stay tuned for a new, fresh, funky, modern, yet sophisticated look. In the meantime, my classes are starting back up again at the end of this month. If you are interested in beginner online photography classes or beginner photoshop post processing classes, go HERE (on the classes page) to sign up. I hope all of you are having a FAB week. Until next time... Angie

OUR INDY TRIP - BACK HOME FOR SPRING BREAK

2011-03-29T12:53:00.001-04:00

We traveled back home to Indiana last week for our Spring Break. Our kids spring break vacation was a week before the Spring Break for kiddo's in Indy. When there, we got to introduce Kross to everyone that had yet to see/meet him. That includes his great grandma Dixie. Dixie is Cathy's mom (my Step-Moms Mom) and the closest thing to a grandma I've ever had. This photo above was taken the moment Grandma Dixie got to lay eyes on Kross for the first time. He was in a crabby mood because we'd been in a car for almost 10 hours at that point but I still love the photo. Cathy is the one passing him off to her Mom. I will always treasure this shot. This is a perfect example of the power of photography. This image "moves" me.
Speaking of moving me, the next image below does the same. It's of my Dad - laying on the floor one evening talking to Kross...

Grandma Debbie (Brent's Mom) got to experience Kross's crabbiness one afternoon as well. I love this picture of her though and wanted to share it. It also helps show that Indy wasn't all that cold while we were in town. The first 3 or 4 days we were there, we had temps in the 60's and 70's. However, the final two days we were in town, it did drop back down into the 30's - reminding us of why we love the Florida weather so much.

Our drive to Indy from Naples was pretty pleasant. Other than having a hard time finding a hotel to stay overnight in once we got half way there, all went smoothly. We eventually did find a Marriott in Atlanta that had some open space but that wasn't until 4am Saturday morning. We were beat by that point and would have slept in cardboard boxes had we not found a place soon. We got up a few hours later - around 11am - showered - and hit the road again. We reached my Dad's house by 8pm Saturday night. (about 24 hours after we left Florida).
Our drive from Indy back to Naples was a different story. Need I use the words...helldacious, horrific, & torture to describe the trip home? It was all that and then some. Before we ever left my Dad's house, poor Kenidi vomited all over his kitchen. We contemplated ever leaving that evening because we didn't want her getting sick in the car. (especially because we ordered a new vehicle several weeks ago and it came in thus allowing us to pick it up when back in Indiana) I didn't want Kenidi getting sick in the new ride nor did I want her to have to ride 18 hours while feeling ill. Luckily though, we believe she must have eaten something bad because after she threw up and got it off her stomach, she was right back to her normal self. We said our ~~goodbyes~~ "until next time's" and took off from my Dads around 7:30pm Friday night. I promised my Dad I wouldn't cry that time only because he is scheduled to come see me in Florida at the beginning of May. Needless to say, once I got in the car the tears rolled. Yes, I lied. :) Good thing I was able to hide in the backseat as we pulled away. Thank God also for illegally tinted windows on the new vehicle - "Florida dark" as Brent calls it. About 2 hours into our trip, the great state of Kentucky welcomed us with 2.5 hours of bumper to bumper traffic. By the time we made it thru that rat trap, I was ready to kill someone. It wasn't a pretty site. I kept trying to get Brennen to roll his window down and ask one of the semi-drivers beside us when the traffic jam was going to end because I knew they'd know from their buddies up ahead who had already gone thru it. However, he wouldn't do it. (even though he watched the car in front of us ask the semi truck next to us) I was in the third row backseat with Kross and not near a window. However, at that point, I was ready to jump out the nearest window and bail. Brent told me that the "devil" came out in me. He was right. Again, soooooo not pretty. Being car sick from that third row seat doesn't help a girl out either.
We got thru the traffic jam in Kentucky, made it to Atlanta and were on the hunt for our hotel. Unfortunately, the navigation in the new car took us to the wrong address which added an extra hour onto our trip. The devil was about to rear its ugly head again. Ending up in the hood - in downtown Atlanta - at 6am - is not my idea of a good time. It was a bad, bad, night. I had to pray for God to cleanse my soul afterward. I was doing a whole lot of repenting in the shower that next morning. LOL!
We made it to our hotel by 7:30am and we were paranoid that the kids wouldn't sleep once we got in the room. We pulled those hotel room shades though and you couldn't tell whether it was day or night. Believe it or not, by the grace of God, both Kross and Kenidi as well as Brennen slept from 7:30am all the way until noon when I got up to get my shower. I was shocked. Guess it goes to show how tired all of us were. We cleaned up and left the hotel with a late checkout at 1pm that afternoon. The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. We made it home by 10pm Saturday night. It was so great to step out of the car and feel those warm Florida temps blow across my face again.
I felt bad for Brent the whole way though because he drove like this...90% of the trip...

Some of you don't know that Brent has recently had to undergo eye surgery on both of his eyes. He had a torn retina in one eye and when he went to have it repaired, they discovered that his other eye was already detaching itself from the retina as well. He has lost most of the vision in his left eye so we are praying that the vision returns over time. The eye doctors have said it could take up to 6 months before he'll know how much vision he will get back. It's been horrible for him. We went thru the mountains in Tennessee and it started pouring down raining. He had such a hard time. Not only that but he kept scaring the ba-jeebers out of Brennen and I because his peripheral vision is so jacked up right now. I kept asking him to let me drive but of course he couldn't relinquish control to his wife (a.k.a Mario Andretti). Truth is...he didn't want to be present when I set a new track record. #ChickenLittle

Kenidi always does great on long car rides which is really surprising. She has had an extremely tough week because of all the up-rooting and change during our time away. However, the car ride is always a pleasant one for the most part with Kenidi Grace. She loves to watch her videos or color while riding. We recently got her an ipad after speaking with her teacher and learning that she uses them at school in tech lab and loves them. We downloaded the same apps that she uses at school and let me just tell ya...it was the best money ever spent. She loves it. With her special needs, we've found a ton of great apps that really help her. I'm on the hunt for some sign language apps now so that our whole family can learn some additional signs for her. We feel like the more sign language she knows, the more it might help her speak verbally in the long run - as backwards as that sounds. Kenidi rode like this pretty much the whole way...Miss long legs...

That girl loves her DVD head sets. She'd wear them around the house if we'd let her. Hee hee!

And Kross...well he was a perfect angel on the drive there and back as well. I couldn't have been more pleased with him. I was so worried that he would scream the entire way because he hates his car seat so much. However, most of the trip he spent like this...

Goodness I love those little toes and those fat little fingers. Unfortunately Indy gave him a going away present. We just got back from the pediatrician where we found out he has a 100.1 fever and an ear infection. Dang you Indiana weather!!!

And speaking of Indiana weather, check out how much Brennen loves the cold, gray, dreary look of Indy. And that thing he is wearing...it's called a COAT. (a.k.a - Cold Outside Again Today) I don't even own a coat anymore because I got rid of all mine last Fall beings that we never use them down here anymore. Just looking at the environment outside Brennen's window in that above picture reminds me of how much we really do live in paradise here in Naples. There just isn't any comparison. Living here and living in Indy is literally like night and day. Thank goodness we have awesome friends and family to make our trips back and forth to Indiana worth it. :)
This Coca-Cola sign below is in my Dad's garage. I walk by it a 100 times each time that I come and go while at his house. Each time I see it, I smile. Reason being...that little note on the corner of the sign...the one that reads "I love you Dad..." - well I wrote that years ago.

I honestly can't remember when it was that I wrote that on the sign but I know it was forever and a day ago. The crazy thing is that my Dad has left it there ever since. Never erasing it. Makes me smile. It's amazing how the little things of "home" always make you feel so good inside. Although the trip from Indy back to Naples was a nightmare and I now have two sick kiddo's because of the weather (yes Kenidi has a deep chest cold and runny nose now too), it was all worth the time that I got to spend with my family and my friends. I soooooo love you guys!

XOXO, Angie

BEACH SESSION - NAPLES, FLORIDA BEACH & FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-03-28T12:31:00.003-04:00

If there is one thing that intimidates me as a photographer, it's groups. Groups of people for a session. Beings that I live in a tourist area where the beach is many peoples location of choice for photography backdrops, I end up with "groups." Many times, just like the family shown here, you get calls from a large family wanting images which include their mom, dad, brothers, sisters, grandparents, etc. When I get those calls, my body starts to shiver and shake with not only excitement but also intimidation. Shooting groups of people, especially with children involved, is tough. Very hard to say the least. Add the harsh sunlight coming in off the gulf waters on the beach and you've got your mind made up before you ever arrive to do the job that it could be a potential disaster waiting to happen.
Thankfully though, once again, I didn't allow my negative thoughts to win and instead this particular shoot turned out to be a blast. Que Allyson and her family. She wanted images taken of her and her siblings as well as their children for their parents. Their family ROCKED! All of them. They knew exactly what they wanted, how they wanted it, and didn't mess around when we were attempting to achieve it. Allyson knew when to quit, when to push on with the kids, and when to call it a day. I absolutely loved working with her and the rest of her clan. Not only was this family gorgeous but everyone was a ton of fun too.

Allyson's family is from Miami but they were in town in Naples for this session. Her two boys look like something straight out of a Gap ad. And her sisters little one was too cute for words. What a happy baby - full of smiles.

The above shot was a candid, spur of the moment shot, between a Mother and her son. LOVED IT!

Above Allyson is with both of her boys. Such little studs! :)

The entire family was gorgeous. I couldn't have taken a bad image of them had I tried.

This last shot shown below was one where their entire family was trying to get Allyson's one little guy to smile. I love how relaxed yet energetic they all are here. It's probably one of my favorite shots of their session. Very candid and very real. Family is a gift and this family is truly blessed.

A huge thanks to Allyson and her family for the opportunity to work with them. I had a ball with you guys. :)

Lastly, on a totally different note, you can probably guess that we are back home from Indiana. We got in late Saturday night. Although a very short trip, it was well worth the time spent with family and friends. I have a few photos to share with you from our Griswold adventure and will be sure to post those in a day or so. Stay tuned. In the meantime, have a FAB week. Blessings, Angie

BE STILL MY BEATING HEART...

2011-03-16T15:44:00.006-04:00

I feel like I never get the time I want to photograph Kross. We are always on the go or I'm always photographing a client or editing images from a session or doing some other task that needs checked off my to-do list. Well today, I decided I was staying home and making the time to take some shots of him. Thankfully, he willingly participated. I timed it right - just after his late morning/early afternoon nap. He is such a happy baby so these shots were easy to get. :)

And for my "Jersey Shore" lovin' friends...this pair of images are for you. We love our Jersey Shore in this house. Now Kross has a tee to prove it. Actually, I'd rather have a Pauly D shirt for him instead but I have yet to find one of those. Anybody seen any?
Kross's hair color is just like what Brennen's was when he was this age. It's that strawberry blond. My Mom said it looks like we put "sun-in" on it. LOL! His eyes are just as gorgeous as Brennen's too. Same with Kenidi's. You can definitely tell that they are all related to one another. Love my kiddo's!

Speaking of Brennen...we celebrated his 12th birthday with a party on the beach this past Sunday. It was a gorgeous day and the boys that attended had a ball. I enjoyed sitting on the beach, watching the boys play in the sand and surf, while pouring over some of my favorite magazines.

I'm currently in the process of packing for our trip back to Indy. We leave this Friday evening and should be in Indiana by late - late Saturday night. It takes 18 hours to drive there but we break it up into a two day process because of the kids. We haven't flown the last couple of times because flying with Kenidi has become quite a chore. Now that we have a new baby, flying with both of them would be even more hard on all of us. Rather than get ejected off the plane in some random city, we've decided it's just easier to drive. LOL!

I'm leaving 84 degree weather to tred back to gloomy ol' Indy but it's all worth it just to see my parents and my girlfriends. I'm hoping it stays in at least the 60's while we are in town.

In the meantime, I'll leave all of you with the above image. For those of you heading this way for Spring break in a week or two, this is what is waiting for you. For those of you staying home in the cold and/or rain, we are thinking of you. :)
Much love, Angie

TOTAL RANDOMNESS

2011-03-09T19:20:00.005-05:00

You'll have to excuse me...I've been a bit tied up. A little preoccupied with taking photos of my babies. A bit busy just soaking up the title Mom and photographer all in one. I've grabbed some candids lately. Random shots that I've had a quick second to capture. These are a few of the random ones.

Kross has been sucking his thumb lately. I've expressed to him that only paci's are allowed in this house but he's already rebelling and defying me. He's totally out of control. LOL!

I took him for a walk thru the park the other day. Each time I seem to capture a shot of him, someone points out how he always appears to be flipping me the bird. It's happened so often that it's really becoming quite comical now. He's DEFINITELY the child of a photographer. Ha ha!

In other moments though, he totally hamms it up when I get the camera out. Cracks me up.

The shot above is a photo of his baby album that I designed the other day. It came in the mail yesterday. Can I just say L-O-V-E? It is now one of my most treasured posessions. I can't put it down. I just continue to keep thumbing thru it over and over again - remembering that early December morning just three short months ago. Thank God for photographs. What an amazing gift we have with the art of photography, eh? Moments frozen in time forever. Priceless moments.

Speaking of being a photographer, how do ya' like my new cell phone case??? Too cute, eh?

And these three vintage cameras...well Brent surprised me with them and brought them home to me the other day. I took this photo of them and then had it made into a 20x30 canvas for our great room. Again, can I say L-O-V-E?

In my free time lately, I've been a leach at this place...sprawling out over my laptop, my camera, and an iced cold carmel machiatto on their coolest of cool white leather couches. It's a quaint lil' place that a client of mine introduced me to. A swanky new coffee shop here in Naples called "The Brick." It's located on 5th Avenue in downtown Naples. Very European and very posh. Love, love, love. I especially love their beautiful chandaliers throughout the place. GAW-JUS! Pure yumminess!

This next week is going to be nuts for me. I've got several shoots to do, a mentor session with a client tomorrow, dinner with friends Saturday evening, Brennen's 12th birthday party at the beach on Sunday and then next week I'm prepping for our trip back to Indiana come Friday. Yeap, we are headed home for Spring Break - to the cold and fridgid temps of Indy. Brrrr! I don't even own any cold weather clothes anymore. I have to shop for some while there. Crazy, eh? When it's 85 degrees here in Florida - like it was again today - you eventually throw out all of your winter type clothes because they just sit there in your closet - never getting used anymore. We'll be home for a week visiting friends and family and introducing baby Kross to all who have yet to meet him in person. We then return to Naples on the 27th. On the 28th, we have our dear friends Tamara and Joe arriving in town with their son Derek. (Brennen's best buddy from back home) We'll be spending the week with them while they are here and in Florida for their spring break. We can't wait to see them again and introduce them to Kross. :)

So...life is going to be crazy busy in the coming weeks. I love it that way though. I'll be in touch via a blog post or two before we head out of town. Before leaving for Indy, I'm dropping my laptop at the shop for yet another repair so that it can be getting fixed while I'm traveling. Therefore, I won't be updating the blog while we are in Indy. I'll catch up once we are back home though. Hope you guys have a ROCK STAR weekend. Huge hugs...XOXO, Angie

THE LAUNDROMAT SHOOT - NAPLES FLORIDA ENGAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-02-28T11:46:00.008-05:00

I have had this "dream" of shooting in a laundromat for a very long, long time. I've yearned for the look of beat up old vintage dryers and the rows and rows of washers in the backdrop of one of my shoots forrrrrr-evahhhh! When I moved here to Naples, I couldn't get over how many old and rustic laundromats were around in the off beaten paths - the uncharted areas of town. I began my search several months ago for a laundromat that would allow me to shoot there. Unfortunately, a lot of the owners were all men and had no desire to participate in a having their establishment as the backdrop of a shoot. It wasn't until we stumbled upon an owner who happened to be a female that my luck changed and she approved the shoot. Que Maria, the owner from Suds and Duds here in Naples, Florida. I owe her my right arm for helping me make my dream of shooting in a laundromat come true.

Thankfully, I also had very willing clients. No, they didn't meet in a laundromat. There are actually already married to one another as well. This was just a fun location that was different and unique, out of the box, and totally out of the norm. I was fortunate enough to find such willing participants for this idea. Que Brandon and Angela. They live here in Southwest Florida, in the Ft. Myers area actually. Angela was all for making the trek from Ft. Myers down to Naples for me. We hooked her up with Maray Delgado, a make up artist who worked her magic on Angela for the afternoon. Maray's website can be found HERE. I've lucked out recently on having the men in my shoots be extremely cooperative. Brandon ROCKED this session with Angela as if they had done this all their lives. Like they were professional models or something.

Angela and Brandon were married just this past November. Therefore, they are true Newlyweds. So....when we said "kiss one another," they had no problem tackling that mission. LOL!

Yes, this laundromat even had the old school "rollie carts" as my friend Megan likes to call them. Fun stuff!

Something a lil' steamy... :)

The lighting inside this location was gorgeous - as you can tell by the shot below. There was so much natural light beaming thru the front window of the laundromat that it could have been deemed "criminal."

I absolutely love how Brandon is gazing at Angela in the image below.

And this shot...the shot where she is grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer all while he carries that wonderful grin...priceless! Their laughs throughout this session were sooooooo amazing. Nothing looked forced - they have such great body language - great chemistry together!

This shot above??? Let me explain. I stepped outside the laundromat to check out the lighting from outdoors if I were to shoot from there into the inside. They didn't realize I was still shooting so in turn...I captured this totally off the cuff and candid moment between the two of them. It is one of my favorite shots from the whole session. I love how you can see the inside as well as the reflection of the outdoors on that one window.

They look like something out of a magazine in the shot above.

ABOVE: There is that chemistry again. :)

Such a HOT couple! My girlfriend said the image below looks like an ad for Sunglass hut. :) We broke out the alien bee light kit for those shots and totally canceled out that harsh sun on their faces. Amazing!

And this next picture below, I was standing inside the laundromat, they were outside. I took the shot from in between the "Suds and Duds" lettering on the windows.

At one point I walked around back and found an old bike with vintage handlebars. I knew right then that we had to find the owner and put her on the handlebars for a photo. Thankfully the owner was inside the laundromat and agreed to let us borrow his bike for the shoot.

I snapped this one thru the foggy dryer door...

And this last one...well it was taken outside as well. The sun was beating down and I was trying desperately to find a spot on the wall of the building which would show both of their shadows together. Thankfully with Brandon's help, we found a large enough light spot and pulled it off. How cute is this???

I loved everything about this shoot. The location, the clients, the final images. It all was pure RADNESS as I commonly like to say. Thank you to the laundromat owner, Maria, to the make-up artist, Maray and to the clients who helped make this happen. Good times! Good times!

Much love, Angie

EVENTS, PARTIES, & PICTURES - NAPLES, FLORIDA EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-02-23T15:58:00.003-05:00

Do you have a party or event approaching that you would like to have documented in photographs? Don't have time to travel the party and take photos yourself because you're the host? Do you prefer to enjoy yourself and relax during the party or event instead of having to snap pictures the whole time? If so, then you need Angie Seaman Photography.

Angie will travel to your location and photograph any and all respectable parties, events, fundraisers, charity functions, etc. For details, availability, and pricing, please visit Angie's website by clicking HERE. A huge thanks to my clients Elise and her husband Dave for these images that I took at his 50th surprise party recently. Great couple, great party, great fun! It was a real pleasure working with you guys as well as your friends and family in attendance.

Much love, Angie

THRU GODS LENS - NAPLES, FLORIDA PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-02-17T16:42:00.008-05:00

I haven't done a "Thru Gods Lens" post in a long time. Therefore, I'm making up for that today. Every now and again, I love to just take my camera out and about with me to capture what we'd normally consider the mundane yet they are Gods greatest beauties. Lately, since trying to stay on my health kick, Kross and I have been hitting the pavement - getting outside and walking. This morning I went to the beach access which is just straight down the street from our house. This particular beach access has a walking trail - a long one - that winds back in and around into the brush on your way out to the beach. I love it there. It's so serene and peaceful. The shot above was one I took as I walked thru the trail. The sun was trying to peek thru the thick brush and reach us. I had to stop and capture its power. :) And the shots below...they are what the walking/jogging trail looks like as you make your way out to the beach...

It takes about 15 minutes to walk this trail until you reach the beach. And then of course another 15 minutes to walk back. They actually have golf carts that run back and forth on the trail - taking you to the beach and back to your car should you not want to run or walk the path. Kross and I need the exercise though so we walk.

I noticed the sap or whatever this was on the tree below as I walking by on the trail...

Then, off in the distance, I noticed the small cob web on the tree below. The top image shows it from my view and the bottom image shows it as I saw it when I used my lens to zoom in on it. I love all the bokeh in both shots. Some small and some large...

The tree below just caught my eye because of the hole in it...

As you walk the path/trail, you cross over a bridge that spans across the back bay area. You can see some of the big high rise hotels and condos off in the distance as well as observe people kayaking in the bay itself. You couldn't pay me enough to kayak in that area but hey...some people love it.

And after you make the trek thru the trail, it opens up into this paradise. Pure white sand. Blue sea waters. Pelicans lingering among the vast ocean. And brilliant blue skies with the prettiest of pretty white puffy swirly clouds strewn here and there.

I took these last two shots below with my iphone so that I could post them to facebook on the spot. (Thus the small size) Love the leading lines of the boardwalk straight into the shoreline. GAW-JUS!!!

There is a tiki hut here - next to the beach. They have an area where you can sit down to eat and drink and just enjoy the sounds of the waves rolling in. It's a beautiful sight.

Needless to say, this is just another one of the perks to living in Naples. They not only have gorgeous beaches but they have stunning walking/running trails too. The only down fall is having to pray the whole way thru them that a snake doesn't drop out of one of those trees onto my head. LOL! I've got issues, I know. ;0)

Much love, Angie

CHRIS & ROCHELLE - NAPLES, FLORIDA ENGAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHER

2011-02-14T18:17:00.004-05:00

I typically don't share many photography session of mine here on my personal blog much anymore. Most times I only share the sessions on my photography blog now. However, this session was too fun to not share here as well. I had a boat load of fun photographing fellow photographer and friend, Rochelle and her fiance, Chris for their engagement session recently. They had me cracking up the entire time. And the best part, her soon to be husband ROCKED this session like a real pro. If there is one thing I detest, it's when I photograph men and they whine like babies during our session together. Ninety percent of the men I work with hate getting family portraits taken. You generally have to beg them to smile or at least fake it as best they can. It's extremely frustrating! However, with this shoot, Chris and Rochelle laughed together and genuinely had a great time with one another. It was so refreshing compared to the normal mans reaction. So...big kudos to Chris and his superb attitude during the shoot. :)

The location where we shot the session was crazy busy. There were people all over the place. People walking, people driving past us, people looking out the windows in restaurants, etc. We didn't have any privacy whatsoever. You can imagine the onlookers when the shot below played out in the grass. We gave them something to talk about - fo' sho'!

The awesome thing about the southern tip of Florida is that it is warm and colorful here year round. Case in point with the flowers behind them below...GAW-JUS!

Living in a tropical climate and being able to shoot year round AND have your clients lay in green grass any month of the year is da' bomb!

We were loosing light fast here in the shot below but it still made for a cozy image...

This corridor with the lights at this particular location just ROCKS!

Oooohhhhhh the smooches! :)

I'm known for never leaving a photo shoot without at least one shot of the shoes. These red mama jammas were no different. They were begging for "their" moment. As my friend Megan said, I owed it to the shoes to photograph them. LOL!

Love that her Rock and Republic jeans were stitched in red to match the shoes. Can someone say total RADNESS???

A little dippity doo and some more laughin' too! One of our photographer friends coined this laugh below the "JC Penny ad laugh." When we are trying to get someone to smile, we tell them to do the JC Penny laugh. Once we explain it to them, it eventually works like a charm. Ha ha!

Rochelle and Chris are a gorgeous couple. Stunning is more like it. I couldn't have taken a bad photo of them had I tried. Not possible. Totally adorable!

Thank you Chris and Rochelle for being such troopers during our time together. I know without a shadow of a doubt that your wedding is going to be beautiful! :)

If any of the rest of you out there have a need for a photography session, call or email me now. My schedule is booked out like crazy and continues to keep filling up like a spreading wild fire. Spring break dates are going, going, .....

xoxo, Angie

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

2011-02-11T10:43:00.000-05:00

I took this image Saturday morning as my three kiddo's were all huddled in my bed. It was a very impromptu moment which left me with not enough time to focus my camera, set my custom white balance, or arrange my settings in general. I saw it happening and just shot it. Needless to say when I tried to make them re-inact it, it didn't even come close to the original. So...I accepted that this was one of those photography moments when you kick yourself over and over for not being "ready." Moments within this life do not repeat themselves. Hard fact to swallow but so very true. This couple of seconds in time was a perfect example.

Sorry I have been so incredibly MIA here on the blog lately. I promise I haven't forgotten about all of you. My business has picked up so much here in Florida since coming off maternity leave and I'm just trying to keep my head above water while taking on as much as I can. Along with normal photography sessions, the magazine shoots each week as well as the current beginner photography class I'm in the middle of teaching again, I also have another private one on one mentor workshop that I'm preparing for coming up this Monday. Busy is not the word. I'm thanking God though for every second that I'm running like a chicken with my head cut off. I'm so thankful for the business and how the Naples community has taken me under its wing and helped me "fly" when it comes to my business here. On top of the community that has welcomed me so much, I'm also thankful for the photography friends I've met here. We learn so much from one another and laugh like there is no tomorrow when together.

These friends share my same passion and therefore photography runs thru our veins from our head to our toes. We live it, breathe it, sleep it, eat it and so on.

The girls of the group and myself met for dinner the other night. It was a night full of jaw busting laughter to the point that my face still ached the next day from our time together. (We missed you Rochelle!)

And during the once a month "creative shoots" that the 8 of us get together and do, boy do we get creative...LOL! You know...like...Charlie's Angels creative. :)

Goofy is more like it. Hee hee!

You get the drift. Two words sum it all up. "Good times!"

And aside from this crazy hectic schedule, I've also spent most of my time diving into a new healthy way of life in the past few weeks. As many of you know, I don't eat read meat. However, in the past 3 weeks, I've taken the challenge to go full fledged "vegan" too. For those who get confused by the two "Vegetarian/Vegan" words like I used to, Vegetarian means you don't eat meat of any kind. Vegan means that you don't eat anything at all from any kind of animal. No butter, no cheese, no milk/dairy, no eggs, etc. So on top of my vegetarian lifestyle, I've added becoming vegan to that line up. Although tough initially, it's becoming easier and easier to stomach as the weeks pass. I've hooked up with an adorable dietitian here in Naples who lives and breathes the healthy way of life herself and she has helped teach me a ton in regards to this new way of living. I'm discovering incredible foods I never thought to taste before. I'm finding that I have a ton more energy and that my body feels lighter in general. I have a very long way to go but I'm exciting about the good start. As a heart patient, this type lifestyle just makes sense for me. I've also slowly but surely incorporated this new way of life into the plates of my kids too. I realize I can't force this on them but I'm hoping with time it will rub off on them too. And any chance I get to feed them or Brent Vegan food, I'm going to do it. :) I'm excited about what lies ahead and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I'm doing the best thing for my body. Not only is it healthier but just reliving the shows I've seen recently in regard to how the meat/dairy/eggs gets from the slaughter houses to our plates is enough to cause me to never eat that way again. To say I've had a life altering shift in my ideas surrounding food and health would be an understatement. I've had my face plastered in the pages of these books and more...

It is truly amazing the alternatives we have to the foods we eat everyday when going full fledged vegan. I've found amazing blogs with incredible recipes. I have visited multiple health food stores and found things in there, with the help of my dietitian, that I never knew existed yet they are delectable. Thankfully, we have a little VEGAN restaurant down the way from us here in Naples. They too have incredible food for lunch and dinner. The shift has been a total positive all the way around. In less than two years since becoming vegetarian, my cholesterol went from 194 down to 162. I'm stoked to see the additional changes that will take place now that I've gone VEGAN.

So...lot's happening around here lately. Tons. I'm signing off now to prepare for my Mother in law who arrives here in town tomorrow morning. Tomorrow night we have dinner downtown off 3rd with good friends/neighbors, and Sunday I have an engagement shoot yet to prepare for as well. I love staying busy. Stay tuned for lots of new photos to come. I'm wwaayyyyy behind and slacking in that department. However, they are coming. I promise! :)

Enjoy your weekend! Much love, Angie

RANDOMNESS

2011-01-29T13:48:00.010-05:00

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.

Much love, Angie

LIFE IS FLEETING!

2011-01-20T11:35:00.009-05:00

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)

SOME LONG AWAITED BEACH IMAGES

2011-01-16T20:09:00.005-05:00

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. :)

MORE FAVORITE BABY FINDS

2011-01-11T16:36:00.007-05:00

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 trunk comes 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'!

Much love, Angie

I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY

2011-01-10T10:21:00.008-05:00

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!

XOXO, Angie

TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL

2011-01-06T21:17:00.003-05:00

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!

Enjoy your night... xoxo, Angie

IT'S OFFICIAL - HE HAS HIS "ANTHONY!"

2011-01-03T17:32:00.005-05:00

This post is for my Dad.

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.

I love you Dad.

THEIR NEW SIDEKICK

2010-12-30T21:21:00.004-05:00

As I said when posting the above photo on Facebook the other day, I don't think Kross was too happy about being Brennen and Kenidi's new sidekick at that moment. At least you wouldn't think so anyhow. LOL! Actually, he was more ticked off that I sat him down for 2.2 seconds - just long enough to capture that picture. Yes, he is S-P-O-I-L-E-D with a capital "S!"

Either way, I wanted to share the Etsy shop/seller where I got the adorable little lap tee from that he is wearing. Beings that I am sharing my new "favorite finds" in the baby department this week, I knew I had to share this one too. I love personalized items and this shirt really made me smile when I saw it. It came from Irena over at SimpleWear. Not only was Irena willing to add two names to the shirt for me for both siblings to be included but she had excellent customer service and lightening fast shipping. I couldn't have been more pleased with my order from her. She carries very cute personalized onesies for little ones. They would make a great baby shower gift or new baby gift in general. You should definitely check her store out. Oh and her prices...very reasonable. This little lap tee was only $16.50. Gotta' love a good deal and a great gift all wrapped up in one. Thank you for everything Irena. I'll definitely be back for more in the near future. :)

And before we sign off, here is just a candid shot of Kross snoozin' the other day. He loves his little lamb bouncy seat. Fun fun fun! Until the next favorite find post, I hope everyone has a very Happy New Year and stays safe on New Years Eve tomorrow night. We'll be celebrating downtown on 5th Avenue for the evening. Praying the new year brings you lots of happy days and many wishes granted! Much love, Angie & family

THE PUJ TUB

2010-12-29T17:10:00.000-05:00

I promised each of you that I'd be sharing some of my new "favorite finds" in the baby department over the next few posts. This just happens to be one of those posts devoted to a new favorite product that we are using here in the Seaman household since Kross's arrival. It's called the "Puj tub." If there is one thing I detest it is big bulky things that take up way too much room in my house. Thus why I was on the search for a decent baby bath tub this time that wasn't the size of Texas. Que the puj tub. The puj tub is not only light weight and little enough to fit in any size sink successfully, it is also storeable - completely flattened and non-invasive when it comes to taking up space.

As you can see by the image below, Kross loves his Puj tub. This is him getting his bath the other night in my bathroom sink...(Ignore the white balance being off in my camera for all of you photogs. LOL!)

The pictures below are ones I found on the internet. They give you a great idea and visual word picture on how this awesome baby tub works...

This tub feels like a rubbery foam material. It can be hung when storing (which is how we store it) and then it folds up and clicks into place when ready to use it.

The series of shots below show you how to place it in the sink when ready for use. It takes mere seconds to click it together and get it ready for use. LOVE!!!

I personally love how the tub conforms and cradles your baby allowing you to wash him/her with both hands free. You can store the tub by hanging it on the back of a door or something when finished using it. The water dries off of it within minutes due to the foam material. The foam protects your little one from the cold feeling of a normal plastic baby bath tub. This tub was an incredible product for a c-section mom like me. It allows me to bathe Kross without having to bend and lean over a tub following my surgery. This tub is suitable for newborns up to 6 months.

Again...Kross is happy and content in his. That makes Mama a happy girl too...

The puj tub will run you approximately $30-$40 new. I found ours online and am so glad I decided to go with it over any other bath tub.

On that note, I'm off to finish some laundry. We discovered a great app on my iphone today called "white noise." It has a blow dryer sound which helped put baby Kross right to sleep today. That one app allowed me time to do laundry, unload/reload the dishwasher, shower, take the Christmas tree down, etc. It was a God send. So...while we are discussing some of my newest favorite baby finds, check out the white noise app if you have an iphone and a new baby. It's amazing! Now, if there was just an app to keep his big sister quiet while he is sleeping, we'd be doing GREAT! LOL!

I'm also off to lather up in aloe vera lotion. Two nights of tanning after having not tanned in 9 months left me looking like a total Florida tourist right now. That or a lobster that escaped from the bottom of the ocean. I AM FRIED! And before anyone jumps my case about it...I only tanned for 10 minutes each night. Needless to say, this tanning spa has great - very strong beds - and I am one pasty white ghost. Put the two together and you have a "tourist" look going on. Sooooo not pretty. Nor does it feel good on your back, legs, and stomach when trying to sleep. Add a scratchy nursing bra to the equation and life really sucks. It's a darn good thing I remembered to cover my incision site with my towel and my nipples with my nursing pads. #Iamasmartgirl! Ha ha!

Much love, Angie

ODDS & ENDS

2010-12-27T20:33:00.004-05:00

What a great photo of Daddy (Brent) and Kross together, eh? Kross was just about to doze off for an afternoon nap following the opening marathon with the kids Christmas gifts. Christmas was nothing short of amazing. It was truly our best Christmas ever. The grandparents spoiled our kids - and myself - r0tten - not that I'm surprised. I keep telling them I'm going to disown them if they keep this up. Unfortunately, they still don't seem to listen. I missed being home with my Dad and Cathy again this Christmas but thank goodness for Skype. We were able to "see" them on Christmas day and my Dad was even able to show us the snow falling outside via his computer screen. Technology today is simply amazing.

We celebrated our Christmas as a family of five that morning and then my Mom came over that afternoon and we celebrated with her as well. Someone left me a blog comment the other day asking if my Mom still lived here in Florida near us. The answer is yes. She lives about 15 minutes from us. Unfortunately we don't see her as often as we'd like due to her work hours but it's great knowing she is so close either way. :)

Of course we had a real Christmas miracle that afternoon as well. I cooked! Yes, you heard me correctly...I cooked. As many of you know, I don't tend to cook much in this house. It's rare - very rare. However, I couldn't stomach the thought of more turkey or ham on Christmas day so I opted to cook some lasagna for our Christmas dinner. It totally hit the spot!

I went to the "electric beach" tonight for the first time since February. It felt soooooo good to have a little faux vitamin D warming my skin. Color does fantastic things for ones soul. I am so pasty white from having been preggo and not going to the beach in the last couple of months due to the incredible heat here in Florida. My pregnant self couldn't stomach that heat without getting nauseated. Now that I've delivered and I'm feeling better, I hit the tanning bed and bought a package to get me thru the next couple of months. Boy just that one session did my body good. I reallllllllllyyyyyy needed it. LOL! i also really need the "gym." Ha ha! I have two more weeks before I can get back to regular exercise following my c-section. I'm sooooo ready to tackle that too. I feel good about 2011 and I'm planning to make some big changes health wise.

Lastly, on another note, many of you have asked me to share some of my recent "favorite finds" surrounding baby items that we've found to be helpful now that we have a newborn in the house again. I know it has been forever since I've done a "favorite finds" post. Instead of doing one massive feature with tons of items in one long post, I thought I'd feature one item per blog post for a while. My first item that I wanted to feature is our stroller and car seat travel system.

I don't like giving reviews on things I don't use so please know...the things you see featured here are things we actually use and really have had great luck with. This stroller and car seat are one of those products that I could rave on and on about. Beings that I hadn't been pregnant in 8 years, I really took the time to research all of the products we bought this time. I spent hours - literally - pouring over strollers and car seats. In the end, I ultimately decided on this Chicco set. The pattern was one that we couldn't get from the stores. It had to be specially ordered online but it was a very simple process. The pattern is gorgeous and one that we've gotten stopped about a lot already or had just random compliments given about it. The stroller itself is extremely light weight which I love. It also has great upper compartments within the tray and cup holder area. It has a very spacious basket area underneath for big packages. Love that! The car seat is wonderful as well and also houses a superb base for the car. Brent really liked the fact that the car seat base has a leveler inside it to ensure that the base and car seat are level once installed. My favorite trait of the travel system itself is the fabric and color scheme. I really like the silver, black and yellow together with a hint of white. This set normally runs around $330 but I happened to find it online a bit cheaper at Babyage.com. Click HERE for the direct link. Babyage was a fantastic company to work with. They shipped the stroller and car seat to me within the same day of me ordering it. I had the whole kit and caboodle within 2 days. I was thoroughly impressed with Babyage and their prompt shipping/customer service as well as their prices. I will definitely be ordering from them again in the very near future. If you are in the market for a new stroller or car seat, check out chicco's keyfit 30 travel system. And should you be in the market for any new baby items in general, check out babyage.com. They won't disappoint!

For now, it's almost 10:30pm and I'm signing off and headed to zzzzzzzz land until Kross tells me otherwise. Stay tuned for more "favorite baby finds" to come in the next few days. Until then, enjoy your week. Much love, Angie

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2010-12-25T00:01:00.002-05:00

And then there were five.

FIVE.

What a difference a year makes.

Nine months ago I never even knew I wanted him. I never realized that I needed him. God apparently did though. Now that Kross is here, we can't imagine our lives without him.

Who would have guessed that Kenidi would ever be a big sister? Honestly, I never thought I'd see the day. It just wasn't in the cards for us - so. I. thought.

We've got three rock stars now. When I look into my rear view mirror in the car these days and see three children in the back seat instead of the usual two, I'm still blown away by it. I'm in shock that I'm a Mom of THREE at this point. Amazing stuff! I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm crippled by gratefulness this Christmas. I'm weak with emotion - raw emotion - regarding how mysterious God works. We are so very blessed.

We are joyfully welcoming our newest rock star this CHRISTmas season...

This is Kross's birth announcement. It couldn't be more fitting in my opinion.

It's 9 minutes after midnight on CHRISTmas day. This "Santa" is behind in her wrapping. I must sign off and finish a few more presents that need placed under the tree before my three rock stars wake in the morning. :) From our home to yours, may this CHRISTmas be your best & most joy-filled CHRISTmas ever. I know without a shadow of a doubt that it is for us. Happy birthday Jesus! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

In him,

Brent, Angie, Brennen, Kenidi & Kross Seaman

MIA - MISSING IN ACTION

2010-12-22T19:50:00.005-05:00

I think this was probably the longest I've ever gone without blogging. Can you tell that all of my "new baby help" has gone back home and I'm trying to find a routine now that my lazy butt is on its own again? Yeap, after being waited on hand and foot by my Dad and Cathy as well as my Mother in law, Debbie...my world is being ROCKED as I dive back into real life again. Brent's mom went home last Saturday so Brent and I have been learning to hold down the fort on our own yet again. I know this sounds crazy but I swear having three kids is waayyyyyy harder trying to stay organized with 2. LOL! I feel so out of whack and as if I am chasing my tail constantly to try and keep up. With two kids, I had this party down to a science. But for some strange reason, now that we have three kiddo's...I feel totally out of control and sooooo NOT organized. Maybe that feeling of nailing a routine will come eventually but right now...I suck at running this household in an efficient manner. Hey...on a good note though...at least I was organized enough to get my wall art finalized with three gorgeous 16x24 canvases of my three blessings from God (shown in the top photo above). These are proudly hanging in our great room. I managed to get those ordered not only for our great room wall but these same three photos now grace my Dad and Cathy's entry way wall and Brent's Mom's wall in her house as well. The grandparents wanted canvases of their grand kids and so they got them. When it comes to fulfilling those wishes, I clearly don't suck! I followed their orders and efficiently had those puppies shipped and delivered to their doors within a week. They received them a couple of days ago and all was well with the world. Each grandparent loved them. I'm sooooooo glad!

These pictures are some out-takes that I took of Kross in the past week. Over exposed and totally not professional quality but I still had to share them. I have a ton more pictures to come but these are the only ones uploaded to my computer thus far. Between trying to finish my Christmas shopping, finish the wrapping, and just stay awake in general due to late night newborn feedings, my butt is dragging. I just now managed to get over to the nail salon tonight and get my wretched nails filled in after 3 weeks of them looking like I took a sledge hammer to them. It was my first chance to break away and get them whipped back into shape after being on post baby lock down for 21 days. I had planned on going tanning for the first time tonight too but I found myself missing some lil' 8 pound short boy after only an hour of being away. My nail appointment was enough - I had to rush home after that because I was going into convulsions due to withdraws of being away from that little hunk of newborn sweetness. I'll tan tomorrow. :)

I took Kross to the store with me today to finish some last minute gift buying and we ended up getting mobbed by all of the "snowbirds" that are here in town for the winter. Every 3 feet, one of the elderly stopped me and ooo'ed and awwww'ed over him. They were all so very sweet - one gal even telling me that he looked like something straight out of a magazine. Needless to say, albeit worrisome because of germs, they made our afternoon. I now understand why the pediatrician warned me about just staying inside though.

As I type, I take every few minutes to stop and stroke this cute little guys ear. It's so soft and so precious. He's asleep in my lap as I blog. I think about Christmas this year and what a beautiful gift God has given us. Who would have ever guessed that HE would be our present for 2010? What a gift he is! Another over exposed image but just had to share...

Christmas is going to be spectacular this year. I've got everything I've ever wanted laying right here in my bed with me right now. All three of my kids are sprawled out and lounging with me as we watch "Eclipse" for the 1000th time on Apple TV. OK OK...well maybe one thing is missing - one person I'd like to have wrapped and under my tree this year - but I don't want to be greedy. Robert Pattinson would be a nice added extra if God really wanted to bless me this year. HA HA! Edward under my tree would really be the kicker to a FAB year, wouldn't he? Boy oh boy...you can tell my strung out postpartum brain is really fried at this point, can't ya? Hey...a girl can wish, can't she?

Speaking of awesome guys...my husband scored some brownie points this Christmas. He got together with two of my photographer friends here in Naples (Thanks again Megan and Alvaro for beings so sneaky with him) and found out which photography light set I'd been dying to have and then ordered that said light kit as a surprise for me this Christmas. I am now the proud owner of the Alien Bee 1600 flash unit as well as an innovatronix battery back-up for it to use on location during my shoots. I realize this doesn't mean jack diddley to most of you but lets just say that the hubs scored some major brownie points for this set of gifts. :) I can't wait to get out and use it.

Speaking of said awesome spouse, we are hunkering down getting ready to watch a different movie on apple tv for the evening. Speaking of movies, if any of you are on Christmas break and want to watch some good shows while off, rent "The Town" with Ben Affleck. It's an incredible movie - LOVED it! We just watched it twice over the weekend. We also saw the movie called "DEVIL." Although somewhat freaky, it leaves you thinking long after the movie is over. It centers around sins in life and how forgiveness can change things. I wouldn't call it a "scary" movie but more less one that just kind of freaks you out a bit. On another note, I watched "The other guys" this past weekend too. I thought that movie was as stupid as stupid gets. I wouldn't waste your time seeing it if you haven't already. Dumb! Just plane dumb! I love Mark Wahlberg and Eva Mendez but was so disappointed in their roles in that film.

Until the next post...Merry, Merry Christmas to each of you!!! XOXO, Angie & family

NEWBORN FINGERS & TOES -- NAPLES, FLORIDA NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-12-14T10:15:00.005-05:00

It's Tuesday morning. Around 10:30am. I'm watching Kross sleep beside me on my bed. He loves my pillows. He curls up like a little rolly polly bug next to them and hunkers down to zzzzzzzzz land as if sleeping was like hitting the lottery for him. Brennen and Kenidi are at school. Brent's Mom is up and about working on more of our laundry for us as it seems this house has nothing but laundry now. It's almost like someone suddenly says..."Oh you are a family of five now - well guess what - that means five times the laundry now too." BLAH! God knows how much I detest laundry. I avoid it like the plague. I'm good about getting it into the wash and into the dryer but folding it in a timely fashion and putting it all away is my weak side. I suck at that part. Suck really bad!

Today is the first day that I've finally felt like the real "Angie" again. The antibiotic the doc gave me over the weekend is definitely working and my swelling is almost completely gone now. I actually have ankle bones again and my toes no longer resemble snausages dog treats. Life is good! Although exhausted, I'm feeling much much better. I get released to drive again come Thursday. I can't wait to put Kross in the car and just drive down the street, along the coast/shoreline and smell the beach filled sea salt air again. I'm like a trapped rat right now - ready to go all rabid on anyone willing to go head to head with me. I don't like to be held down nor do I like to be out of control. I suck really bad at that in life too. I'm a "do-er" - not a sitter/squatter. Thursday can't come soon enough.

Because I love the perfect imperfection of scaly newborn skin, toes, and fingers...I thought I'd share Kross's lil' hands and toes today. He is such a shrimp - so very tiny. His fingers and toes are no different. In the pictures, he looks wayyyyyy bigger than he really is. Even my Mother in law commented on how tiny he was compared to what she was expecting after seeing his pictures. They always say the camera adds 10 pounds. LOL!

Speaking of that, I got to watch a slide show video of Kross's birth session from the hospital yesterday that my friend Megan made for us. She took all of the images that she captured and rolled them into an amazing video for us coordinated to music. It is truly the most beautiful slide show I've ever seen. She captured so many things that I would've missed with my own eyes that day had she not been there. I watched the video over and over again. I bawled like a baby. Not only were the images of Kross's arrival spectacular but I loved the shots she captured of things like my Dads hand holding my arm immediately following the surgery. A zoomed in shot showing nothing but Kenidi's hand locked with mine in the hospital bed. Shots like the one where Brent leaning is leaning over me in the hospital bed with a huge smile on his face as he stroked Kross's face for the first time. She captured some of the most heart wrenching tender moments amongst my family and I that I've ever seen. Brent watched the slide show from work and quickly emailed me back with an email that just read only these words:

"Crying...with Kleenex. You look beautiful! KK and Brennen are so precious."

I got his email and cried some more. That was after I'd already literally cried my eyes out while watching the video alone the first 50 times. He was right - Brennen and Kenidi were absolutely precious in the slide show images. Especially Brennen - watching over Kenidi while they awaited their baby broters arrival. He is such a nurturer with her and it really showed - A LOT - in this slide show Megan made for our family. It was like raw footage of the beginning of a life merging with those who've come before him (my parents, my other two children, his Daddy, etc.) Megan captured images and angles that helped to tell the story in a fabulous and very sentimental way. I wish I could share it with all of you but my big as a house appearance should be spared. No really. I was three times my size in those images - swollen to the max. I'll keep that video private for now. Maybe someday. I got on the scales this morning for the 2nd time since giving birth. I have 12 more "baby pounds" to loose before being back to my pre-preggo weight. However, the havoc wreaked on my bodies appearance in general will take months to return to normal. Months with a whole lot of walks on the beach and a whole lot of clean bland no fun foods. I'm up for the challenge though. I have to get some head shots taken for my website, for the magazine I'm doing work for and I've also done a stupid thing by promising Brent that we will have a family portrait done this year with the five of us. He is demanding that we get one done and I had to fold and comply. He's right - it's been too long since I've been in front of the lens myself. I'm ready to own that and make good on my promise to him. It's a scary thought - one that makes me want to vomit. However, I gave my word.

I'm working on more new images of little "K-man" as well as Brennen and Kenidi. Now that I'm feeling better, I'm working on images for our Christmas/New Years cards as well as for Kross's thank you cards. My lab that I use for my client orders recently ran a Christmas special over the weekend with a huge discount code so we went canvas-ordering-crazy in our house this week. I'm finally getting my portrait wall pulled together of my kiddo's. I can't wait to share it and the canvases in general. My parents even ordered three new canvases of each child during the sale. They saved a ton by doing it when I placed my orders so it was a win win for them. Keep in mind - I'm an only child so my kids are my Dad and Cathy's only grandchildren. They wanted photos of each of them for their great room walls. I'm excited to see them hung up in their house when we go back home next time. (Hopefully over Spring Break if the planets align properly) :)

Kross is still sleeping so I'm off to finish paying some bills while I have the down time. Fun stuff - bill paying. Highlight of our lives, eh? As they say, life must go on. Enjoy your Tuesday. I'll be back with more pictures soon. Much love, Angie

ONE WEEK OLD - NAPLES, FLORIDA NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-12-11T14:53:00.011-05:00

It's Saturday afternoon. I just said good-bye to my parents as Brent walked them out the door to take them to the airport. They are headed back to Indiana today. Needless to say, I'm an emotional wreck. After a year of living here in Naples - apart from them - you'd think it would get easier to say "until next time" but it hasn't. If anything, the departures get worse. Of course it's bad today because I'm dealing with postpartum hormones that make me crazy sappy too. My Dad and Cathy were such a huge help over the past 11 days. Cathy did every stitch of laundry in my house the whole time and even wrapped all of my Christmas gifts for me that I had shopped for so that I wouldn't have to bend over and wrap them myself following my c-section. Her and my Dad made multiple trips to the grocery store for us as well as Target - getting food and such things as newborn items for me that I needed for Kross. They cooked for us at least once a day - sometimes twice a day while here too. Food like homemade dumplings (one of my favs), Cathy's famous chicken salad (another one of my favs), her chicken burritoes that ROCK, and so forth. In a nutshell, we are completely spoiled now and will be going thru some serious withdraws as they make their way back home to cold Indiana. I miss them already. My heart aches to have them here with us all of the time - to watch Kross grow - just like they did every week with our other two children. I have tremendously involved parents and the same goes for their grandparent roles. Unfortunately they won't get the chance to watch Kross grow as they did with Brennen and Kenidi. In the meantime, AMEN, Hallelujah, and thank you God for Skype! :( My problem is that not only do I have very loving and supportive parents but I also have "fun" parents. I mean how many other Dads do you know that will walk the "maxi pad" aisle with their daughters and laugh with her while she jokes about how gross "pads" in general are and how I don't have a clue which ones to buy for the "after child birth" fun. We laughed together as I told him that I should've sent Brent in here to buy them for me just to embarass him. :) How many Dads do you know that will help talk their daughters into a hospital suppository when she has gas pains so bad from surgery which kept her constipated and unable to barely move following a c-section. My Dad talked me into it and gladly left the room when they came in to administer it. LOL! Just keepin' it real peeps. Not only that but he walked the hospitals hallsways with me during those first few times they had me get up and walk following the surgery. He walked slowly and supportively with me - as he always has - during those night time hours when I was trying desperately to feel like "Angie" again so I could go home a day early from the hospital. How many Dad's do you know that you can nurse/breastfeed in front of and not feel "weird." I'm close with my Dad - very comfortable with myself and my life around him. Why? Because he has always put me on such a pedestal as his daughter. He helped give me the self esteem and the self confidence to reassure me that I am good enough in this world. On a funny note, he had me "autograph" all of the magazine layouts/spreads that I've photographed for recently and have had published. He wanted his own copies to take back to Indy with him. I signed one of them like this: "To my buckethead Dad...thank you for being my biggest fan!!! I love you so much! ~Angie"

My Dad makes me feel worthy. He lets me know how much I am loved just by his constant show of encouragement and support for me. I can't thank him enough for teaching me that "I've got this." (whatever "this" might be from day to day in this world.)

As you can see, I finally got out my camera yesterday and managed to snap some images of Kross by himself. It was the first chance I've had because of a lingering fever and flu like feelings since this past Monday. After a quick follow up at my OB's office on Thursday, she determined that the fever isn't from my surgery or incision and that it could either be a normal virus coming on or the start to something surrounding breast feeding. Earlier today, after the last 24 hours of a very sore throat and raging hot/cold, hot/cold, hot/cold chills and such, the doc called in an antibiotic for me in hopes of curing strep throat if that is what I have. Brennen and Kenidi had it last week so it only makes sense that I could now have it as well. Of all times to get sick. UGH! I go back to the OB on Monday to get the results of some blood and urine tests that they did as a pre-caution. Either way, Kross is great - and is such a good baby. He is becoming more and more alert with each passing day. His beautiful blue eyes make my heart melt and the love our other two kids have for him is just priceless. I've said it before but I'll say it again...we are so very blessed!

Due to feeling so crummy, I haven't blogged or photographed much at all. I'm hopeful the antibiotic I started today will take care of that and heal me right up. I got in some really cool newborn photography props yesterday and I'm dying to use them with Kross. That child really has no clue what he is in for. LOL! #PhotogMama :)

We found out that the pediatrician thinks Kross was weighed wrong at the hospital the day he was born. When he had his first follow up visit this week, his weight was 7lbs. 14 ozs. I knew he didn't feel like my other two 8 lb. babies did. He is such a little peanut - so very tiny compared to what I'm used to. He's nursing well - although still struggling to latch on pain free for muah! I'm confident that he will "get it" eventually. For now, I just press on - grinning and bearing it - when he does latch on. After a few seconds, he is where he needs to be and it doesn't hurt as bad. We are tag teaming it together - so far so good. The pediatrician said he has the "Kurt Douglas chin." Too cute!

As Brent dropped my parents off at the airport, he was also there picking up his own Mom, Debbie, for her arrival. Perfect timing! Debbie is now here and will be here helping us from tonight thru next Saturday. I don't know what I'd do without all of their help. I'm so thankful for all of them. My Dad just called to say that they got to see and talk with Debbie briefly as she was getting off the Indy plane and they were getting ready to get on it. The plane she flew in on is the plane they fly back on. Deb left cold weather and snow for sunny Florida today. My Dad and Cathy are unfortunately leaving here and headed back to that arctic Indiana chill.

For now, I'm off to go dry my eyes, wipe off the mascara that I've cried off from my Dad's departure, and veg with the family now that my Mother in law is here. I will be glad to bust out of this house come Thursday when I'm released to drive on my own again. I'm going frappin' stir crazy at this point. I also don't want to take Kross out and about for another couple of weeks at least. Therefore, we've been totally cooped up. Thankfully, I'm braving a photography shoot with my fellow Photography Naples peeps this coming Saturday. We are photographing a band on the streets of downtown Ft. Myers. It's going to be a new challenge - photographing a band - and I'm sooooo up for it. It will be my first shoot since my c-section so I'm praying my abdominal muscles hold up nicely for the event. I've missed being able to lay on the ground and shoot from angles while on my stomach sooooo bad for the past 9 months. No matter what...I'm just ready to get out and photograph again. Poor Kross is taking the brunt of my down time. He'll detest the camera by the time he is 2. LOL!

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend. Much love, Angie

PS...Just when I finally quit crying and get all of the mascara off my face, my Dad texts me this...

Round 2...Crying some more. :(

KROSS ANTHONY SEAMAN IS HERE!

2010-12-06T22:13:00.001-05:00

He's here!!!

Kross Anthony Seaman entered this world at 7:38am on December 2nd, 2010. He weighed in at 8 lbs. 11 oz. and was 20 inches long. The above picture was taken on the way home from the hospital Saturday while in his car seat. Yes, my doctors ROCKED and gave me a pass to go home a day early. I was only there for the typical 48 hours instead of 72 as usually enforced with a c-section. The pediatrician and my OB had to approve my departure after only 48 hours in the hospital given that I had a c-section. I was so thankful. Being stuck there - away from my other children - is tough. Baby Kross and I were extremely happy to bust out of there early. :)

I've gotten so many emails and so many facebook posts with questions so I'm going to try and touch on all of them. First off, we've been bombarded with love and support from all of you. We can't begin to thank everyone enough. I was in tears at one point as I sat reading all of the posts and CONGRATS messages from you guys. My heart is so full at this moment and all of you really helped me get there. I apologize for not blogging sooner. The hospitals internet was down for 2 days while I was there. JUST MY LUCK! I went thru some serious withdraws during that time. I couldn't even get the emails off my phone because we couldn't pick up a working wifi in the hospital. It was such a pain.

I got to the hospital at 6am last Thursday morning. By 6:30am, the nurse I had got my IV in my wrist on the first try and I was a happy camper. THAT NEVER HAPPENS! I told her that she was my hero fo' sho'! LOL! At 6:45am, they had me walk back to the OR - in a gown that didn't fit my huge body which left me almost showing my backside to everyone I passed in the hallways on the way there. It wasn't a pretty sight. I promise you. I hopped up on the OR table and of course the room was freezing. They made Brent wait outside until after the spinal was administered. And who did I get for my spinal anesthesiologist, a "training student." Oh yes...you read that right. The person who gave me my spinal was a resident in training. Talk about anxiety. The young man had a hard time getting the needle in the area where it was supposed to go in my back but thankfully the head anesthesiologist was there to help him slow down and re-work his steps - eventually accomplishing what we all came there for. I was SURE that I'd either end up with a spinal headache or some sort of freak out once the numbing began after his inability to land the spot on the first try. By the grace of God though, neither of the two happened. Funny enough, during the process of him trying to get the needle in the right spot of my back, I looked down and realized I still had my iphone in my hand. The OR nurse looked at me and said, "You gettin' ready to call somebody?" We all just started laughing. It was too funny. They took my phone and handed it off to one of the nurses as they laid me down and stretched my hands/arms onto the boards beside me. Thankfully this time my hands weren't locked down during surgery.

Due to my heart condition, the team of anesthesiologists had a bit of a time getting my heart rate under control before they began the surgery. They wouldn't allow Brent into the OR until they got me stable. After adding several doses of additional medicine into my IV line, they assured me they had me stable and where they wanted me. I was beginning to get nervous because I could hear everything they were saying above my head and I think that only made matters worse. Brent was eventually brought into the OR and was able to sit down beside me - up by my head. He stood up a few times to grab some photos over the curtain like this...

Sorry for the gory shot. I know some of you weren't expecting that and are about ready to kill me now. LOL! However, what an amazing picture. This is literally Kross's first breath of life and Brent captured it. Although gross, it makes me very emotional when I see it. My stomach is filleted open like a fish here but I move quickly past that and on to the emotion his little face exudes as he enters this world. God is soooooo good!

The doctors had him out of my stomach within 10 minutes of being in the OR. Once they cleaned him up a bit and weighed him, they brought him to me. I was instantly in love - as all Mothers are when they see their children for the first time. I was able to kiss him quickly and then they took him and Brent up to the nursery together. I remained in the OR until they were finished stitching me up. It seemed like that part took an eternity. All the while, I was praying for God to make me more comfortable on the operating room table. The spinal was something that scared me a bit and I'll admit that I was fearful of it and it's effects. I had moments of feeling as though I couldn't breathe very well but it was more so due to being congested rather than the symptoms of the spinal. I was given oxygen to help that feeling subside but at times I felt it only made it worse. Once they finished in the OR, I instantly began shaking. It was that uncontrollable shaking from the anesthesia. That lasted in the recovery room for about 30-40 minutes before it went away. They had every warming device on me possible. Brent was able to come down into the recovery room with me for that hour. My memory of all that is vague. The whole process was like an out of body experience for me. The anesthesiologist even played Christmas music off his ipad in the OR during my surgery. Therefore, the song Silent Night will never be the same for me ever again. As that song played along in the background, my mind wondered into this surreal place - listening to the OR machines beeping and the doctors talking about Christmas gifts they've gotten their family members as they cut me open & sewed me back up. I stared at the ceiling and all of the surgical "blue" shades in the room for the longest time as the Silent Night song drug on and thought...this is like something out of a movie. Like I'm not really here. It totally felt like an out of body experience as I concentrated on praying that God would make the process go quick and that he would help me to remain calm even at times when I felt it was possible to have a panic attack on the table. The power of prayer is an amazing thing. That mornings events proved no different. Between all of your prayers and mine as well, God walked calmly beside me and I survived the ordeal that I had dreaded for 9 long months.

This image above is one I just had to share. It was taken by my friend Megan in a photojournalistic approach. The shot is of Brennen - looking thru the nursery room window - anxiously awaiting the moment when he gets to hold his new baby brother. Megan's image shares so much emotion here. I just love everything about it. His reflection in the glass, his emotion that is so prominent and so forth. I'm very thankful that Megan and my friend Rochelle were there to be my "eyes" that morning beings that I wasn't able to see these moments myself. What they captured on camera for our family are priceless memories and many of them I would've never seen had they not been there to document the morning for me. Thank you Megan and Rochelle. Both of you ROCK! I can't wait to see the rest of the images you guys captured. :)

We are now home and three days into this new reality of becoming a family of five. How sweet it is! My parents are here and I'm in heaven. The picture below is one I took yesterday while Kross slept on my Dad's chest for almost 2 straight hours. He was so very comfortable there. To see my Dad with him melts my heart. As all of you know, Kross now carries my Dad's middle name (Anthony). We were thrilled to honor my Dad with this surprise when we learned I was having another boy. Dad keeps calling him "LT" for fun. (Little Tony. My Dad goes by the name Tony.) Speaking of his name, I'm so glad to hear all of the awesome comments about Kross's name. You guys really expressed how much you love his name and how different and unique it is. I am so thankful to hear that the name we chose was a huge hit. Many of you have asked for me to explain how we came about that name. Truth is, I've had that name in my head since Kenidi was born. If Kenidi would've been a boy, she would have been named Ashton Kross. However, she turned out to be a girl so we went with Kenidi Grace. :) I've always loved the name Kross though and basically just came up with it because of my love for crosses. Many of you know I collect crosses and somehow that name just clicked for me when I thought of it one day about 8 years ago. I also felt like it could be my own way of giving glory to God for such an amazing blessing. The love for that name never subsided and it turned out to be an easy name that Kenidi could pronounce as well. Therefore, it just stuck. We felt like it was a good fit. So...Kross Anthony Seaman it is. Not only does Kross fit his look well, but he carries the name "Anthony" very well too.

Unfortunately, I'm moving very slow at this point. I'm still very sore from my incision and my legs and feet are swollen up like an elephant. No joke! They are HUGE. I put a call back into the hospital today to ask them about the swelling being so bad still at 5 days out. I'm hoping it is all normal and that it goes away QUICK! I can't stand that swollen up feeling. Because of being so uncomfortable, I've had very little time to capture many images. However, I'm hoping to change that this week. I've got lots of newborn props I hope to try out on Kross and also plan to do an impromptu shoot with him and my other two blessings from God int he next couple of days. I will share all of them once I get them taken and uploaded. I can't wait to share Kenidi and Kross together. Kenidi is madly in love with her baby brother and refuses to leave his side. Same with Brennen though. We actually fight over who gets to hold him next. Ha ha! Yes, he is already waayyyyyy spoiled. Kenidi has been very motherly to him and helps me pat him on the back when he needs burped and does things such as hold his hand while I'm changing his diaper. She is in heaven. We've noticed her having a couple of "emotional" moments here and there when the attention wasn't directly on her but those come and fade fast. Overall, she is doing very well with his permanent status. Brent and I are trying very hard to keep her up on the pedestal she is most familiar with and the top priority we've always made her. We sent photos to her teacher at school today of her with her baby brother as well as some photos of just him alone. Her teacher emailed me already today and said they put the photos up on the projection screen so that she could show off her new baby brother. The teacher said Kenidi "beamed" when she saw the photos come up. Again, God is soooooo good to us. Although exhausted, I'm still standing after these first few days. I'll slowly adjust to this new normal and hopefully get in a new routine that flows well for our family. Most importantly though, I couldn't be happier than I am at this moment. My God is a BIG BIG God and I'm proud to serve him.

Thanks again to all of you for your prayers, cards, calls, emails, well wishes, CONGRATS, gifts, flowers, etc. Your words have left me very emotional and so very thankful for each of you. Stay tuned. I'll be back soon with a new post and lots of new images to share.

Much love and many thanks. XOXO, Brent, Angie, Brennen, Kenidi, & Kross

COURTNEY - SENIOR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER, NAPLES FLORIDA

2010-11-30T17:10:00.004-05:00

Of course I had a ton of shoots right before leaving on maternity leave last week. And now that I'm "officially" on leave, I've had a massive amount of calls from clients wanting to book sessions before the end of the year. Apparently the magazine spreads I've been doing are catching some attention locally and it has helped send lots of new clients my way. It kills me to have to delay sessions for people due to my current state of being 9 months pregnant with a c-section scheduled in just 36 more hours. I feel so out of commission and it drives me crazy not being able to control all of that. I love my clients and I want to work them in as much as possible. However, I've hit that spot where it isn't an option for at least the next 3-4 weeks. Grrrr! The good news is though, in return for my hands being so tied with business, I'm fixing to get a newborn placed within them that will help keep my mind off the business I'm stalling. :) What a gift! I'll take that exchange any day.

I had the honor of photographing Courtney a week or two ago and thoroughly enjoyed my shoot with her. I thought I'd share some sneak peeks of her session here on the AGD blog as well. We did a bright and early sunrise session at 6:45am and the lighting couldn't have been anymore gorgeous at that moment.

It about killed us to get out of bed and start that early but boy was it ever worth it in the end. Amazing isn't a strong enough word for the gorgeous sun rays that beamed down over the top of her at that hour.

I love the above shot. I love it soooo much that I've decided after I have this baby, I'm cutting up a cute pair of jeans and working some magic on them as Courtney had on her own. LOVE LOVE LOVE! Her jeans were to die for. Can you tell I'm dying to get out of these maternity clothes and back into some ROCKIN' style worthy jeans again? WHEW! It's been a long time. :)

During the session, we ironically stumbled upon some very cool backdrop items that gave her images a grunged up feel. I was in heaven. Bring on the beat up lockers, the trash, the old broken down chair, etc. It really added that much more character to the location. So fun!

Again, the early morning sunshine/rays ROCKED our socks off.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to work with you Courtney. I had a blast. Can't wait to do it again sometime.

As for the final countdown to baby Seaman's arrival, we are in the homestretch now. I've run ragged - like a chicken with my head cut off - over the past two days trying to get everything done before my parents arrival from Indiana tomorrow evening as well as before I head to the hospital Thursday morning. I'm happy to report the the only things left on my to do list are a meeting at Kenidi's school tomorrow, a nail/pedicure appt. after that, some last minute Christmas shopping and then on to my pre-op appointment at the hospital tomorrow at 4pm. Once I'm done with the pre-op, I'll be picking my parents up from the airport. YAY!

I doubt that I'll have much time to blog tomorrow so if I don't, please know how much I appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers that are rolling in from all of you. Brennen has graciously offered to update my facebook page ever so often for us on Thursday morning with minute by minute accounts of all the action. If you aren't a friend of mine on facebook yet, feel free to friend me HERE. In the meantime, I hope to be able to update the blog later in the day Thursday with a quick picture or two. The hospital has confirmed to us that they have spotty and very limited internet access. Therefore, I'm praying that it will work for us during the three days I'm stuck there. :) Either way, I will update all of you just as soon as I possibly can. Thank you again for your constant encouragement, love and support for our family. There are no words to express what my blog family means to me.

In him, Angie

OUR LAST 4 NIGHTS AS A FAMILY OF 4

2010-11-28T20:41:00.006-05:00

Kenidi has been exceptionally clingy in the past week - more so the past couple of nights. I'm convinced that she senses his arrival is very near. Brent commented last night on how she had fallen asleep with her arm around my big ol' pregnant belly and her face tucked snugly right into my chest. She was belly to belly with me and I couldn't bare to move for the longest time. I didn't want to alter her position. I've always said that she is my "cuddle bug" - sometimes we say "snuggle bug." She knows it too. Kenidi is definitely our affectionate child - to the extreme. She gives hugs and kisses throughout any given day as if she was getting paid for them. It melts my heart in ways I can't even begin to describe. Since being pregnant and growing this huge belly of mine, she will kiss my belly a 1000 times a day and say the babies name as she pats me there. (Yes, we chose a name that she can say easily) It is the cutest thing ever. Little does she know just how much her world is about to get rocked once this baby arrives.

I got all emotional the other day thinking about how hard Brennen took "her" arrival when we had her. He had been our universe for 4.5 straight years. When Kenidi came into this world, it rocked Brennen to the core and he went into a withdrawn spell for a couple of weeks following her birth. He eventually snapped out of it and fell in love with his little sister but it left me broken hearted initially. He didn't take her permanent placement in our family well at all in those first few days. We worry with Kenidi even more. Given her special needs issues, we can't talk with her about her feelings the way we did with Brennen. She will only see this new baby getting all the attention and become frustrated at the thought that she is lacking some of it now. I plan to work really hard on making her feel just as included and loved as ever. In my heart of hearts though, I know that there is no way to protect her little feelings completely. She is my baby girl. Always will be. Even though she is 7, she functions more like a three or four year old verbally. Therefore, Brent and I always have a hard time remembering that she really is seven years old. She still seems like our baby girl even with her growth and beautiful accomplishments as she ages. The picture above is one I took of her last Fall when we still lived in Indiana. It's amazing just how much she has changed in that short years time. It's proof that they grow so very quickly. This new baby will do the same. The time will fly by just as it has with Brennen and Kenidi.

My heart is aching for the effect this new little one will have on Kenidi but then again, I know God had a plan when it came to the creation of this baby. Baby Seaman #3 is coming for a reason. His entrance in our lives is something God feels we need and is purposeful. I trust the good Lord above completely and know without a shadow of a doubt that he'll help us conquer this new journey and the transition with Kenidi and her new baby brother just perfectly. I'm not naive to think that the first month or two isn't going to be tough. However, I'm convinced, like Brennen - she will love her baby brother with time and eventually not be able to imagine her life without him.

In the meantime, as we relish these last four nights together as a family of four, I intend to squeeze her tight and take advantage of the love she gives unconditionally. As I type, she is fresh out of the bath, smelling like a new baby herself with a hint of coconut scent to her. (her shampoo) She is huddled up next to me, on my right arm, yawning as she watches Edward and Bella in Twilight on our master bedroom TV for the 600th time. Kenidi enjoys repetition. She thrives off routines. Cuddling with her mama is part of her nightly routine and I will soak that up for as long as I possibly can. In a few short days, she'll be snuggled up next to me as I nurse her new baby brother. I'm looking forward to those new connections amongst the two of them as well as with Brennen and his baby brother to be. That boy is pinging off the walls with excitement. He cannot wait for this new little ones arrival. I'm eager to see their expressions the first time that Brennen and Kenidi meet him. Be still my beating heart...

Thank you God for this unexpected blessing we learned about 9 months ago. Thank you for the beautiful daughter you gave us 7.5 years ago. And thank you for the handsome son you gave us almost 12 years ago. I'm so proud that you chose me to be their mother. Thank you for your continued gifts in life Lord. You take such good care of us all. I know you are watching over this baby as he spends his last few nights in this tummy of mine. I know you will work your magic thru the hands of the doctors in the operating room come Thursday morning. I know you will protect our 2nd sons arrival and bring him into this world happy and healthy. I know that you will give me the calm, the peace, and the strength to endure this surgery and the recovery that comes along with it. Bottom line, I'm confident that you are here. Here with us. Here helping us prepare for the journey that we are about to embark upon. Chapter 3, 524 is about to begin and I can't possibly imagine how we'd write that chapter in our book without you Lord. We owe all of the glory and all of the thanks to you.

In your grip now more than ever, Angie

‎5...CINQUE, CINCO, CINCI, CINQ, FIVE.

2010-11-27T11:56:00.009-05:00

Five. Just five more days. Cinque, Cinco, Cinci, Cinq. Five. As one of my fellow photographer peeps put it...I'm so bored while waiting this out that I'm now learning how to count down the days in foreign languages. LOL!

Who would've ever guessed that when I wrote this post back in April of this year, that we'd get to this moment in time, with only five days to go - so quickly? I swear this pregnancy has flown by at a lightening fast rate. I can't believe I'm saying that considering how miserable I've felt in the past couple of weeks but the truth is...it really has flown by. I've hit that pivotal point where I'm ready to "evict" this kiddo. At 38 and a half weeks, I feel he has "baked" in there long enough. It's time to smoke this baby out of his hole. LOL! I'm glad he has decided to hold off on his arrival until this week though. It makes it much easier on my parents to get here - as expected. They fly in this Wednesday evening and I'm just as excited to get them here as I am to get our lil' man here. :)

Brennen put the baby swing together for me on Thanksgiving. He wanted to do it all himself and he did. My Mom supervised him while she was here but he assembled that thing like an ol' pro. After we did that, Brent dug the Christmas tree and decorations out for us. We spent the evening putting the tree up together and getting the house Christmas ready. I wanted to do it all before I go into the hospital this week because I didn't want to mess with all of that once I was home and barely able to move. My goal is to knock out all of my Christmas shopping in the next 5 days as well - so that it is completely done too. I realize I'm asking for a miracle here but that never stopped me before. It's worth a shot and I'm going to attempt to accomplish it all in between all of my other scheduled appointments. Hair, last OB appt., nails/pedicure, a good ol' waxing, school visits for Kenidi next week, grocery shopping, a pre-op appointment at the hospital and so forth.

We have to be at the hospital by 6am Thursday morning. My c-section is scheduled to begin at 7:15am. I hope to be out of the OR by 8am and in a recovery room until 9am. From 9am on...I should be in my postpartum room and enjoying our newborn. I have two of my photography peeps coming in to take photos of the big day for us. They are braving those early morning hours and getting there where I'm wheeled back to the OR at 7:15am. I can't begin to express how grateful I am that they will both be there documenting the arrival of our 3rd little one and for the fact that they are going to be my "eyes" while I'm missing beautiful moments because of undergoing another c-section. I'm sure they will have gorgeous images to share and I know they plan to post "some" of them on facebook. Therefore, if you are a friend of mine on facebook, keep a look out for them. And of course once I'm able to move myself, I'll be taking my own pictures and will do a post here on the ol' blog as soon as humanly possible. I plan to have Brent or Brennen update my page on Facebook as much as possible that morning. For those who are friends of mine on FB, you'll get step by step accounts of what all is happening as it happens. I'm praying that I won't be so drugged up that I can't enjoy that first day or that I'm not dry heaving and sick like I was with my last two c-sections (for hours following the surgery) to where I can't soak all of those first few hours in clearly and coherently. Speaking of praying, any prayers you guys can send our way over this next week would be phenomenal. I'm extremely anxious about undergoing the spinal this time and having to endure that surgery and recovery process yet again in my life. I've been praying that God will give me an unbelievable amount of peace that morning and the days leading up to the birth. If all of my prayer warriors can pray for my peace and sense of calm as well, I'd be forever grateful. I know many of you have already begun emailing me and posting little notes on my FB page letting me know that you are praying for our family in the coming days and that you can't wait to see photos of our little guy. I can't thank you enough for your prayers and for your words of support, love, and encouragement. There is no way to put into words what all of your friendships mean to me. Cyber driven or not. Hundreds of you have been a part of our lives for many many years - long time and loyal, faithful, blog readers. I realize this moment in our lives is just as big an event for all of you as it is for us. Because of that, I'm so thankful and so blessed by each of your caring, prayerful, and kind demeanor's. Your hearts are huge and we are definitely feelin' the love. Thank you so very much for being here for us during such a joyous occasion. We can't wait to share "him" with all of you come Thursday. :)

I hope to blog a few more times in between now and then should time allow it.XOXO, Angie and Baby Seaman

BLACK FRIDAY PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS SALE

2010-11-26T10:31:00.002-05:00

It's black Friday and I'm in the mood to give some cool deals on some rockin' classes. As most of you know, I officially went on maternity leave as of this week. My c-section to deliver our 3rd little one is this coming Thursday morning, December 2nd. Therefore, my online beginner classes as well as the photoshop classes I teach are on hold until January. I figured that would be enough time for all of us to get thru the holiday season as well as time for me to recover before teaching engagements begin again.

So...if you are at all interested in the online beginner photography class that starts January 24th, click HERE and go to my "classes" page for details. The class is normally $159 but due to it being Black Friday, I'm offering $20 off the class price making it $139 for the 4 week course. If you want to sign up/reserve a spot in the class, shoot me an email directly at Angie@AngieSeamanPhotography.com and I'll send you a pay pal invoice requesting payment.

If you are interested in taking the next LIVE beginner online photoshop techniques class, I'm offering $10 off the normal class price of $99. Thus making the price $89 for today only (until midnight tonight). That class is a one night class that takes place on January 26th. If you'd like to register for it, email me directly at the above email address and I'll send you a pay pal invoice for the $89. You can read about details surrounding that class on my website - on the classes page.

Please note: These discounts are only good thru midnight tonight (11/26/10)

Therefore, get in on the deals while you can. Each class is limited to only a specific number of students. Reserve your seat in one of them or in both of them before they sell out. Happy shopping!

Blessings, Angie

PS...I'll be back soon with a regular blog update. Still here - no baby yet. 6 days and a wake up to go - as Brent said. :) If you aren't my friend on facebook yet but would like to follow the count down over this last week as well as be the first to see pictures of baby Seaman when he arrives this coming Thursday morning, feel free to friend request me by going HERE. Not only will you guys be the first to read the step by step accounts of my morning and the birth itself but you'll be the first to hear the news, see the our new little one in pictures, as well as be the first to find out his name. LOL! Aren't you excited now???

ANNUAL BARN DANCE CHARITY EVENT

2010-11-17T15:39:00.005-05:00

This past Saturday, I worked an event for Kenidi's horse therapy facility. (hippotherapy) They were holding a HUGE charity event to raise funds for their riding program. There were VIP's of all kind there and it made for a great night of fun. Of course I was all about photographing the event for them because I hold such a big place in my heart for their staff and the program itself because of what it means to Kenidi and our family. I can't share all of the photos that were taken with you but I thought I'd share a few detail shots with ya just because the set up was so gorgeous that night.

I removed/photoshopped out their company name off the above sign for security reasons of course but I still wanted to share this image due to that brilliant blue sky that night. It was stunning out. The weather here in South Florida is a very comfortable 84 degrees - give or take a couple - with no humidity now that the Fall season has hit. The evenings are simply stunning.

They had a silent auction at the event and I donated a complimentary photography session. It's always fun to watch the bids rise on the items. Not only did they have a silent auction but they had a live auction that was just as fun.

Along with that, they had a mechanical bull ride...

(The beautiful Miss "C" riding the bull - the daughter of a sweet friend)

There was food galore - everywhere.

Then, the entire sand floor of the barn was covered with temporary flooring for the ROCKIN' dance floor where the attendees jammed to impeccable tunes by the band delivering the tunes...

As you can imagine, there was plenty of line dancing at the event which meant lots of cowboy attire/hats and some of the "raddest" cowboy boots one has ever laid eyes on...

All in all, there were around 500 people in attendance at their annual barn dance charity event...

Which required lots of volunteer work from their staff and others who gave their time to help out...

We are so very blessed by this facility and it truly is the highlight of our daughters life. It is the one thing that brings her massive joy in life and the one thing that she looks forward to and talks about every week. She loves riding her horse there...(Dotty) and these people present for the event all understand why. It's an awesome program with amazing volunteers. Each parent pays only $10 a session for their child to ride there in comparison to the $180 a session we paid for her to ride back in Indiana. BIG difference! As you can imagine though, with that little of a riding fee, they depend and rely on donations and volunteers.

Thank you to everyone who volunteers there and thank you to those who work there to provide such a rewarding experience for our special needs kiddo's. We adore all of you and will never be able to repay you for the happiness you've brought to Kenidi's life since starting her riding sessions there. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

xoxo, Angie

S-L-A-C-K-E-R

2010-11-15T17:56:00.000-05:00

Nope...no baby Seaman yet. We are still here - big, HUGE, and moving reaalllllyyyyy slowwwwww. It just dawned on me that I haven't blogged in a week. I'm such a slacker. You can tell I'm a little busy getting ready for our new little guy to arrive, eh? We have 16 days until he makes his grand entrance into this world so needless to say, I'm a bit frantic at this point. I've been working my tail end off with photo shoots and events so that I can stay busy and keep my mind off the nervous jitters. With each shoot I do, my feet and back pay for it royally because of how far along I am. I shot for a charity event this past Saturday night and must have looked miserable or just "bad" overall. I had some lady walk past me and go..."you poor thing." I didn't know whether to feel good about her sympathizing with me or be hormonal and ticked that she clearly felt like I looked like some "poor thing." LOL! I laughed with her and moved on but it haunted me the rest of the night. Every 10 feet someone stopped me and would say things like..."You are having a baby, right?" I would answer with..."I sure hope so!" :) If not then I'm getting ready to give birth to a small country of hippo's. You can tell they are scared to ask in case I'm not really pregnant. One of these times I'm going to get brave enough to joke with them and tell them "No" when they ask if I'm expecting. I'm dying to just see the follow up look on their face if I were to tell them "no." Yes, I'm mean and hormonal. It's a good thing I only have 2.5 weeks left or my practical jokes could get real bad. Hee hee!

I have a couple more magazine shoots to do in the next two weeks and then another creative shoot this Saturday at the crack of dawn. After those, I should be able to take it down a notch and just wait out the big day. I want to keep moving because in the back of my mind I know I'm going to be home bound for several weeks - unable to drive or get out at my leisure as I normally would. So...I'm taking advantage of being able to run around like a chicken with my head cut off and am totally relishing in how great my abdominal muscles feel right now considering how they are about to be sliced open - end to end - in 16 more days. Gross I know. The thought of not being able to get up and down out of chairs and/or my bed on my own for a bit after the c-section makes me cringe. The idea of having stitches in that spot again makes me sick at the mere thought. Having to look at the incision site for the first time following the surgery is always the worst. It takes mental preparation for me. Lots of it! I'm asking all of my prayer warriors to please just pray for me regarding a safe surgery - a fast recovery - and of course a very healthy baby. We are down to the wire friends. I still can't believe how fast these past 9 months have gone. The staff at Starbucks is fixing to miss my morning drive thru visits for oatmeal and an iced carmel machiatto every morning. LOL! They know my order like the back of their hand. Decaf, nonfat, and 2 brown sugar packets with my oatmeal. They too finally got brave enough to ask if I was expecting the other morning. I've only been going there EVERYDAY for the past 6 months. My oatmeal craving has been too strong to deny and they've got the best. It took them this long to finally ask me if I was pregnant. I explained that yes...I was...and they've helped soothe my cravings during my past two trimesters. According to one of the staff members, I'm known as the "brown sugar lady." I guess there could be worse names in life, eh? :0)

This week is set to be a busy one. (what's new?) It makes the days go by so much quicker to stay busy so as I said...I'm totally ok with this schedule. I can't believe I haven't run this kid right out of me yet but he clearly likes his womb. And I like him staying there until December 2nd because I want my parents here in time for his arrival. It's awesome to know that my Dad and Cathy will be here before I know it. They come in on the 1st of December and I'm so ready to see them and spend those next couple of weeks with them. My Dad is even bringing me some boxes of coco wheats from good ol' Indy. For some reason, the Florida grocery stores do not sell coco wheats here. Criminal I say, Criminal. Brennen and I have been craving coco wheats for a year now. And yes, speaking of a year, can you believe that on the 20th of this month - this Friday actually - we will have lived here for one year already? Crazy how fast that time has flown too. 12 months, 9 months, man a lot has happened in that short little time frame. God's plans are amazing aren't they?

Happy Monday evening everyone! xoxo, Angie and baby Kr_____

(only 16 more days and you guys will finally learn the name of our new little guy to be)

FAMILY BEACH SESSION - NAPLES, FLORIDA FAMILY BEACH PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-11-08T19:23:00.010-05:00

I know I said that I was going to try and keep my photography blogging separate from my personal blogging but sometimes it is just too tough. Sometimes you have sessions that you just "have" to share because the families or clients were so great to work with. This family beach session that I did in Bonita Springs a couple of weeks ago is no different. They were a great looking family with an adorable little boy that was such a hoot to watch on the beach. He loved the sand and the water as do all other kiddo's his age. These are just a handful of my favorites from the session...

I loved these images so much that I decided to order some sample canvases of them as well as update my business cards with a couple of them.

As you can tell, it was just another beautiful night here in sunny southwest Florida when we did the shoot. The beach was stunning as always and made for a gorgeous back drop.

By the time I was done with the shoot, I truly looked like I had just had an accident in my pants. I had been sitting in the water and sand - right at the break in the shoreline - in order to capture these adorable smiles from this cute little boy. I wouldn't have had it any other way. He made my job so fun that night.

Mom and Dad worked well together when it came to getting these shots. What a team!

When I was going back thru my images from this particular session, Brent saw the above shot of the Dad with his little boy running toward the birds and said..."That is such a cool shot!" And again last night, Brent reiterated how much he loved that one in particular.

And this shot below...I just fell in love with it. I don't know why but I have. I adore the way he is hanging on to his Mommy & she is there to protect him from falling into the waves. Something about it just really symbolizes the love, loyalty, and protection between a mother and her son.

And the sunset in the image below...WOW! Paradise everyday!

There is something so captivating about family sessions on the beach. Some of my own personal favorite family photos were taken here in SWFL on Sanibel Island at the beach.

If you are traveling to this area and would like to schedule a session with me for family beach photos, feel free to email me directly at Angie@AngieSeamanPhotography.com

If you are local and would like either a beach session or a shoot done on location elsewhere around town, look me up. I'd be honored to work with you and your family. I travel to Ft. Myers, Cape Coral, Marco Island, Bonita Springs, Sanibel Island, & Naples of course. If you are outside of those areas listed, shoot me an email and let me know where you do reside. Sessions outside those locations are an option for an additional traveling fee.

A huge thanks to the "R" family for allowing me the opportunity to capture some of their family memories on the beach. I had a ball working with them!

Blessings, Angie

CREATIVE SHOOT - NAPLES FLORIDA FASHION MODEL PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-11-08T13:56:00.005-05:00

Nothing fuels the creative juices like shooting with fellow photography friends.

One of my favorite things to do is get out and shoot with my photography buds here in Naples. It keeps the inspiration going and keeps your creativity fresh. Yesterday was no different.

Four of us got out and shot together - pulling in a 1920's theme for the day. Melinda's brother in law loaned us his 1929 Nash vintage vehicle as a RAD photography prop for the afternoon. It made for a great backdrop and had people walking up off the street to get a closer look at it. It definitely drew some serious attention. Well that, the 4 big alien bee lights we had set up around the car and and of course the beautiful model we had as well.

I love the fashion girls who know how to move without being told what to do. They are naturals at this modeling thing and they move with ease, grace, and pure confidence when on a shoot. Mariana behaved in this same way yesterday. She was UH-MAY-ZZZINNNGGG!

The two male photographers we had with us in our group kept calling her a contortionist. She could pose and get into positions that didn't seem humanly possible yet still make them look like she was meant to be that way. Crazy cool!

Mariana ROCKED that 1920's theme but toward the end, her hair came down and she ROCKED it yet again...

Her coat matched the car perfectly. It was a must use. (even though we have gorgeous palm trees overhead in the background. LOL!

Loved the gritty 1920's processing of this one. It was the perfect "action" for what I wanted to convey in the photo. It nailed that era in a dramatic way.

A big thanks to fellow photography peeps Melinda, Matt, and Alvaro for helping to make this such a rockin' shoot. I can't wait for the next one. A few of us have actually pulled a group together that will meet once a month for creative shoots like this as well as to help further our learning of photography together. With so many master minds in the photography world here in Naples, I'm just thanking God I landed amongst all of them. They are a huge support system to me and many of them have become great friends of mine since moving here. Our first meeting together is this Thursday evening and I'm hosting. Figured I'd better volunteer to host first before Baby Seaman arrives in the next 23 days. Speaking of baby Seaman, his crib arrived on Friday and is now beautifully put together. Brent tackled that job on Saturday and did a fine job of it if I do say so myself. I've ordered some custom bedding and was assured it would arrive before he does. Therefore, I'm on pins and needles waiting to get it in the mail within the next 3 weeks. I can't wait to see what it looks like once we get it all in the crib. We have the mattress in place and the new angel care baby monitor ready to go. My hospital bag is packed - aside from make up and things I use here at home everyday - which will go in at the last second. His diaper bag is packed and ready to go as well. The car seat and stroller arrived last week too. We haven't put the car seat in the car just yet because like the crib, Kenidi thinks it is hers and that she needs to climb into it all the time. We knew that was coming though. LOL! Laaawwwwdddd help us! When this baby does arrive, we are all in for a really nutty few weeks until she gets used to him being around for good.

Until the next post, enjoy your Monday.

xoxo, Angie

NO PICTURES PLEASE!!!

2010-11-04T14:50:00.004-04:00

"No pictures please! No pictures please! The paparazzi just needs to back it up!!!"

Yeap, this is what I envisioned Baby Seaman saying as the nurse photographed him again at our 35 week ultrasound appointment this afternoon. As you can see in the photo above, he is holding his left hand up in front of the camera almost as if he is hiding from it. Like Mother like son, eh? Wonder where he gets his camera shy-ness from??? LOL!

All was well with baby and I at my appointment today. My OB said I'm making this too easy on her. I'm praying that things continue to stay uneventful over these last 28 days. I've never had ultrasounds this late in the game before and it is amazing how much they look like real babies instead of skeletal aliens on the ultrasound screen. He had changed and filled out so much just from last weeks appointment even. The nurse got a great face shot of him today (didn't get a photo of it though) and he was so formed and perfect that I sat there trying to decide who he looked most like. The image was almost like a 3D image. It was very clear - his cheeks and little face were very prominent and so easy to see. He had his eyes closed almost as if he was sleeping although he was moving around at the same time. It was crazy to me that the picture was so clear that we could see that his eyes were indeed closed. The nurse pointed it out and I just sat there floored and shocked at how perfectly I could see him. He was adorable. Perfect in every way. And the hand shot above...now how cute is that chubby/chunky little hand with all 5 fingers? LOVE!

Gotta' run for now. We are headed to Kenidi's horse therapy for the evening. Hope everyone is having a grand Thursday thus far. Good news is...tomorrow is Friday. YAY!

Much love, Angie

SO PROUD OF HIM!

2010-11-03T09:53:00.004-04:00

So proud of this dude!

When I got home from my Ft. Lauderdale photography seminar at 1:20am last night, this report card (shown below) was waiting for me...

All A's except for one B in math. Just like his Mama, math is not his most favorite subject. He made the honor roll for his very first report card in middle school. Brent and I are so very proud of him. That boy has worked so extremely hard this year - harder than I've ever seen him work actually. He puts in hours upon hours of homework time in the evenings. Although the middle school has been a huge change for him and all the other 6th graders who entered those doors this year, he is handling it like a pro. To say that I am beyond thrilled with his determination and his attitude toward school right now wouldn't even begin to scratch the service. Rarely does he complain - he just does all that needs to be done.

Brennen...you already know how proud of you we are. We've told you before but I'll say it again...YOU ROCK! You have tackled middle school like a champ and I'm so very excited to see you growing with and and embracing this new environment you are in. You are such a blessing to your Dad and I - such a gift from God. You carry lots of weight on your shoulders - more than most 11 year olds - due to the demands of a special needs sister at home. However, you continue to impress us with your love and support for her and how you help us whenever needed. Kenidi adores you and so do we. I know that your new baby brother will love you just as much. Only 29 more days before you get to meet him. You are the epitome' of what a big brother should look like. Strong, determined, loyal, loving, helpful, hard working, etc. Your baby brother will have huge steps to follow in but steps that reflect an incredible mentor for him. He is going to be so blessed with you and Kenidi as his siblings.

Thank you Brennen! Thank you for helping us in the ways you do and thank you for not allowing any of that weight and responsibility on your shoulders to get in the way of how awesome you can be in life. Thank you for being the best son any parent could ever ask for. ROCK ON STUD MAN! Keep up the hard work. It always pays off in the end.

We love you so very much! ~Mom, Dad, Kenidi, and your baby brother KR_____.

PUBLISHED!

2010-11-02T13:10:00.003-04:00

Published!

The first set of images in my first ever magazine spread have been published. The November issue hit stands a week or so ago and Brent brought me home a copy yesterday when he opened it up and found it at a local doctors office.

Although a nerve racking experience beings that I've never shot for a magazine before, I'm so very thankful for the editor and publisher at this magazine who believed enough in me to bring me aboard their contributing team for shoots like this. I was a nervous-nelly the first few shoots but am slowly but surely feeling more and more comfortable within this environment.

I have another spread that will hit news stands at the end of November and will be in their December issue. I'm looking forward to working with these individuals even more so in the future. I'm praying these experiences will lead to a lot more opportunities of a similar nature. It's so strange yet so very fun to see images I've taken laid out in a Florida magazine which holds thousands and thousands of subscribers. I'm hoping this will be another great avenue to continue getting my name out there in regards to photography needs here in Southwest Florida.

Notice I have no head shot with my bio on their contributors page (1st photo shown)? Guess I'd better grin and bare it when it comes to getting in front of the camera sometime soon. The idea of having to do that for an updated head shot makes me cringe. Thank goodness I know lots of photographers here that are talented with photoshop. LOL!

Thanks to all of you who encouraged me on facebook and via email, etc. when you knew I was scared to death prior to shooting these magazine sessions. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support and your help in making me realize that I COULD do this. Thank you for believing in me when I didn't believe in myself. All of you ROCK!

For now, I'm headed out the door to meet up with 5 of my fellow Naples Photography friends for a seminar on the East Coast of Florida pertaining solely to photography. We'll be traveling together to Ft. Lauderdale tonight for a workshop together put on by the great Clay Blackmore. It's sure to be a great trip although I won't be hitting my bed again until around 1am tomorrow morning. :(

Until tomorrow... ~Angie

NEED AN EVENT PHOTOGRAPHED? (NAPLES, FLORIDA EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER)

2010-10-28T22:16:00.001-04:00

Do you have an event or function that you need photographed? A birthday party, a charity ball, a baptism, etc.? Ever had a want for a "photo booth" at your event? Well if so, hit me up. Not only do I specialize in family, children, maternity, seniors and engagement photography...

I also specialize in event photography as well. If you have a party or event of some kind that is quickly approaching and would like to have a photographer on hand to capture all of the "fun" and "candid" moments from the day/night, I'm your girl. :-)

Email me directly at Angie@AngieSeamanPhotography.com with your photography needs. Details and pricing for my event photography sessions can be found on my website at http://www.angieseamanphotography.com/. I'd be honored to come shoot for your special party, charity, or function. Blessings, Angie

34 WEEKS DOWN - 34 DAYS TO GO

2010-10-27T14:01:00.004-04:00

Making his 34 week debut...Baby Seaman at his finest. A full on face view looking straight at us. They don't get any better than that. This was the latest ultrasound photo from my 34 week OB appointment this morning. As usual, he was in there moving all around just as I feel him doing each day. His heartbeat was nice and strong and his size was measuring right at 34 weeks (which must have plateaued out because he is measuring right on target now rather then bigger than normal as he was at my last visit).

With 34 days to go, I had lots of questions for my OB this morning. It's amazing how much I've forgotten or just plane blocked out from my last two pregnancies. So much has changed since my delivery with Kenidi 7 years ago. The main thing I was concerned about was the fact that I am having to get a "spinal" with this c-section rather than an epidural as I had with both of my other c-sections. I've heard from some people that spinals are a bit scary because they numb you further up into your chest and down making it feel as though you can't breathe. I read somewhere where one gal literally couldn't swallow on her own so they were having to suction her mouth out for her during the process. That didn't sound fun to me. Therefore, I questioned the doc on why the spinal over the epidural. She assured me it was just a deeper and quicker working anesthesia. She said it wears off faster and just makes more sense for c-sections now days. I asked her about the horrific spinal headaches I hear about after having spinals done and she said they are rare but if that happens, they do a patch on the area and correct it so that the headache subsides. I just know I don't want to be laying down flat for 8 hours following my delivery. I also let her know that I don't handle pain medication and/or nausea medication very well. I hate feeling groggy and doped up - resulting in me sleeping off and on the whole first day following the c-section. Then, I don't like the medication that they give me for nausea either. Most times it never works and I end up dry heaving over a bed pan while holding the 500 stitches across my abdomen taunt and safe with a pillow because it's so painful to get sick after a Cesarean. The first day after my c-sections are never fun. Truthfully, the first day just downright sucks. When you want to be visiting with your family and friends (visitors in the room) as well as cuddling with your newborn, I can't because I'm either puking or sleeping. It drives me crazy! I'm praying the OB gets the combination of meds right and that I can enjoy this process more than the last two. And she said if all goes well, I should be up and walking about 8-12 hours after the surgery and also able to take a shower with help the very next morning. Keep your fingers crossed for me that all of this stands true.

I'm swollen up - more than I'd prefer and my blood pressure was a tinge high when they took it today. No signs of pre-eclampsia though - just the typical "end of the road" pregnancy symptoms. They told me to watch my blood pressure at home and call them right away if it got any worse. I truly believe it was just a bit high because I had to run to keep up with the nurse that walked me all the way back to the OB room from the ultrasound room. Like my husband, she walked at the pace of a marathon and I was really huffing and puffing by the time I got to the room and she took my blood pressure. I knew it was going to be high because I could feel my heart beating out of my chest while she was taking the reading. She took it twice and it had come down to 132/80 the 2nd time so it was definitely calming down the longer I sat there and caught my breath. I have a blood pressure cuff here at home though and will be monitoring it closely in the coming days. My OB didn't seem concerned in the least.

Oh and guess what...Baby Seaman decided he would try to cooperate and has now turned head down and ready to go. No more transverse or sideways laying kiddo. YAY! Although this makes no difference because I'm having a c-section anyway, it still helps me comfort wise and takes a bit of the pain away now that he is where he should be. I asked the OB what would happen if my water broke and I happened to go into labor before my December 2nd c-section date. I curiously questioned her on whether she'd still do a c-section in that case or whether we could try and go for a VBAC. No chance. C-section it is - no matter when I go into labor. BLAH!

The really cool news is that I am now on weekly visits to the OB and I also found out that I'll be getting a weekly ultrasound each time I go all the way up until delivery day. How crazy is that. This heart stuff with me has really caused them to keep a close eye on the pregnancy thus resulting in lots and lots of ultrasounds which makes me a happy girl. I love seeing that little man on the screen - even if he is kicking at my belly button which in turn makes me feel like I could go thru the roof. Belly buttons are sensitive anyway - let alone when your skin is beyond stretched out and he is in there tap tap tappin' away.

Well, I'm off to go edit some images from the family beach session I did in Bonita Springs last night. Praying the ugly black snake that was hiding and waiting for us in the sea oats on the beach isn't showing his sneaky serpent face in any of the images. Guess that is why we should follow instructions and stay out of the sea oats, eh? That works for me. Seeing him in there pretty much cured me of trampling thru those from here on out. And yes, if I could have gotten my car on the beach, I would have run him over - fo' sho'! Unfortunately that wasn't an option though. Aside from the family session, I have some awesome shots to share with you guys from the senior sessions I did this past weekend. I hope to get those up and posted real soon too. I had a blast during that senior shoot out and couldn't be more thrilled with the images that came from it all.

Hope all of you are having a wonderful hump day. Enjoy your evening. XOXO, Ang

BRENNEN - A MODERN DAY JAMES DEAN

2010-10-25T23:20:00.006-04:00

Last night we hit the beach. Just Brennen and I. I love those one on one moments I get to spend with him. They are far too rare these days. I took him to run some photography errands with me this weekend and then we stopped off at an impromptu dinner at Chili's. I love how he opens up to me when it is just the two of us. Not to mention the chocolate molten cakes for dessert that get us both pinging off the walls. :)

I took these shots of him while we were at the beach last night and I can never get enough of his eyes and eye lashes. Those things are lady killa's. No joke! They are the window to his soul and just so happen to be gorgeous all at the same time. When I posted this photo of him on facebook, a friend wrote and said "WOW! He looks like a little James Dean here." I hadn't noticed it but now that she said it, he does. Of course when I told him that, he had no idea who in the world James Dean was. I tried explaining that he was the "Robert Pattinson" back in the day. That helped a bit I believe. LOL! However, I went googling old vintage photos of James Dean and stumbled upon this one that has always been one of my favorite ones...

He is one handsome young man if I do say so myself. He is also one very excited big brother whom is counting down the days until his baby brother finally arrives. Brennen has begged and pleaded for a baby brother since he was at least 5. It's been a long time want of his and it's finally coming true. He is so excited that he keeps a countdown tracker on his iphone with how many days we have remaining until baby Seaman's birth. As of today...we have 35 days exactly. Five weeks to go. Thirty five more sunsets until life changes drastically for us yet again.

When I look over these images, it's hard to imagine that one day soon he'll have a little brother to frolick in the sand with and teach how to surf/boogie board in these beautiful Florida waves. One day soon I'll be taking photos of not only Brennen and Kenidi but of a new little guy together with them as well here on the white, sandy, shores of Naples.

In the meantime though, I'm going to relish in these one on one moments with Brennen like the dinner out this weekend, the photos at the beach last night, the funny times in the Halloween store as we shop for his little sister a costume and the life size "Jason" from Friday the 13th scares him to death. Again, he had no idea who "Jason" was. Friday the 13th, "Freddy" from nightmare on Elmstreet and the "pinned head" Hellraiser dude were all long before Brennen's time. It's just one more confirmation that I'm getting old. Really old.

Brennen is actually helping me out with a photo shoot this evening on the beach. I have a scheduled client/family that I'm doing a beach session for in Bonita Springs tonight. We'll be back on the beach together again - only this time - he is my helper - positioning reflectors and such where I might need them. The boy has an eye for photography. He really does. He impresses me when on shoots together because he sees things and opportunities that even I have yet to see. I love his extremely creative mind. He has always been that way too. Creative with everything. This morning, after getting his little sister on the bus, we hopped in the car early and headed down to Starbucks together. We had breakfast there, jammed to a little bit of "Bruno Mars" tunes and then I drove him to school. It's mornings like this that I enjoy so very much. I'm thankful that he comments on how he likes doing it as well. In a few short years he'll have his own car and be driving his own self to school. Those early morning breakfast dates out with my handsome son will be non-existent. For that reason, I'm soaking them up like a sponge in the sea. I'm treasuring those little dates just like I do the gorgeous Florida sunsets. You can never have too many. You will never tire of them - no matter how many times you've been present within their beauty...

Thanks to my stud of a son for entertaining me with his presence this past week. I love you dearly...with all my heart...to the moon...to the sun...and back.

Love Mom.

WE ARE DOING THE PEE PEE DANCE!!!

2010-10-21T15:57:00.007-04:00

Above image found on Internet

For two years, I have prayed and prayed that Kenidi would become potty trained. Given her special needs, we've been warned that she might not have the muscle control to handle pottying as a normal child should. Brent and I knew better. For two years she has given us glimpses of hope that she completely understood the process and what it was. However, for two years she has continued to need pull ups and even thicker diapers for night time hours because she refused to go on the potty. At the end of kindergarten, her teacher (Mrs. Alison) had her going on the potty but by the end of the school year, she became spooked by the toilet and totally quit going on it. It took us at least 8 months before she would even consider sitting down on it again.

For two years we've tried bribing her with candy, books, DVD's and even tried helpful tools such as the "potty watch" to try and have her make the connection. In turn though, she has had zero desire to get out of those diapers and had continued to remain quite comfy in them from what I could tell. At the beginning of the school year, Kenidi's now teacher asked me what our main goal was for her this year. I expressed to her how badly I wanted her potty trained. I told her it was hard for us to work with her at home for 4 hours a night to then go to school and wear diapers all day while there. I told the teacher - well really begged the teacher - for help. I asked them to work with us - for Kenidi's sake - while she was in their care. Her teacher told me this was a request of most all the special needs parents in the class this year and so therefore they would really be focusing on this while in class. I was hopeful but in all honesty had heard this from her last two teachers so I didn't hold my breath. All I knew was that I had a newborn on the way and the thought of having them both in diapers together was draining. My goal was to get Kenidi potty trained one way or another so that I had just the one baby in diapers - as he should be.

Fast forward to the past couple of weeks. Low and behold, Kenidi's teacher has been sending home notes with her progress on the potty situation. She had noted that Kenidi would go here and there on the potty - not consistently but she WAS going. This was HUGE considering how at home she still refused to sit on the potty for me. Ironically we had a conference with Kenidi's teacher yesterday morning. She had emailed me asking if I wanted to come in and talk with her before the baby was born in the next few weeks because she had some ideas to help us transition Kenidi for her new lil' brothers arrival. Brent and I were all about it. We know we are going to need all the help we can get preparing Kenidi for this newborn that is fixing to take over her throne. LOL! We met with the teacher - whom we LOVE by the way - and she had some brilliant ideas to help us transition Kenidi with not only the new baby but with other things that typically cause her melt downs as well. For example, leaving places that she doesn't want to leave. (i.e., the beach, the rocking chairs at Cracker Barrel, the carousel at the mall, etc.) Her teacher was a wealth of info for us and we couldn't have been more pleased with the meeting. She explained to us that Kenidi was the most advanced in her class and that she was a highly intelligent child who is just trapped inside a body that can't fully verbalize via speech yet. She said that she was confident if we could get her talking more that it would rid away some of the behavior/melt down issues. We totally agree! We can't wait to try out some of the new ideas she gave us when leaving places that Kenidi isn't ready to exit yet. While there though, I expressed to the teacher how puzzled I was that Kenidi was going to the potty at school intermittently but that she wouldn't go on it here at home. Que the "pee pee dance." It was at that moment that her awesome and totally RAD teacher stood up and began to do a dance and sing the words to a song titled the "pee pee dance." I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was hysterical. Here she was - this 50 something year old woman showing dancing and singing in front of two grown adult parents to the theme of peeing in a toilet. She explained that when Kenidi goes potty at school, they bring her out of the restroom and the whole class then celebrates with her by singing and doing the pee pee dance together. As most of you know, Kenidi has mad skillz' in the dance department. The child can move and groove like no one I've ever seen. Even her teacher yesterday commented on how well she can "move." LOL! Therefore, her reward of getting to do the pee pee dance has clearly left a lasting impression on her.

Yesterday, following our conference with her teacher in the morning, she came home with a note from school stating that she had stayed dry all day long and for the first day ever - pottyed on the potty every single time with success. I was thrilled. I was so thrilled that I said to myself..."SELF...this is it. Today is the day. Today is the day that we are going to run with this potty training thing and make it stick. So we did. Kenidi got home from school - still dry - so I took her to the potty. When I asked her if she wanted to go potty, she told me no. But when I told her we'd do the pee pee dance if she went on the potty for me, her eyes lit up and she marched right in there on her own. Needless to say, she went potty on the potty immediately. We danced around that bathroom, high fived, shook our hips, gave two thumbs up, and literally screamed with excitement. I don't know who was more excited - me or her. (or baby Seaman in my tummy) I then proceeded to take her diaper off and put some big girl panties on her. Hanna Montana ones with guitars on them - because she LOVES guitars. In a nutshell, she stayed dry the rest of the evening going on the potty a total of 6 times before she went to bed at 9pm. She then proceeded to stay dry thru the night - woke up this morning and willfully went back to the toilet and pottyed again. We were yet again doing the pee pee dance at a bright and early 7am in our house this morning.

I proceeded to email her teacher with the good news this morning and told her that I'd owe her my "life" if this success stuck with Kenidi and it ultimately meant we were well on our way to being potty trained. I worried all day today about how she was doing and if she was still dry after all this time. I couldn't wait to get her home, rip open her backpack and read the daily notes from her teacher in regards to how she did.

She rolled off the bus at 3pm today - backpack in hand - and I literally drug her into the house so I could get inside it and see what it said.

And this my friends, is what the teacher wrote to me today...

Since she has been home, she has been in big girl panties and pottyed twice on the potty. I'm like a crazed lunatic right now. I've got the pee pee dance memorized so well in my head at this point that I find myself getting ready to stand up and do the dance after I pee even. No, it isn't a pretty sight - however - the pee pee dance is working. If someone had video taped Brent and I in the past 24 hours doing the pee pee dance with Kenidi, you guys would all vote to send us to the looney bin at this point. We look like complete idiots but Kenidi loves it. She never wanted candy, toys, books, etc. for pottying...she just wanted to dance. That is the only reward that has stuck with her and one that she continues to sign that she wants "more" of.

Of course it is still too early to make any promises but right now...this house is rockin' out to the pee pee dance and will continue to do so if that is what it takes to successfully potty train this beautiful little girl of ours. Stay tuned... this story is to be continued. In the meantime, please pray to the heavens that Jesus allows this to be the end of a very long and painful 7 year journey for not only Kenidi but for us as her parents as well. We've known all along that she was smart enough to do this and that she had the muscle control to compensate for it even though she suffers from low muscle tone (hypotonia).

Big high fives today... Angie

BEAUTIFUL SIGHTS

2010-10-18T13:39:00.001-04:00

I had the honor of photographing a family of five here last night. This is "The Estuary Country Club" here in Naples. It was our backdrop for this particular photo session. I couldn't have been more excited and more pleased with the look of this setting. There were so many different nooks and crannies to explore and use for photography backgrounds. I loved it. And did I mention that it turned out to be a spectacular evening with an absolutely stunning sunset. You know that kind of sunset that is nothing short of one big humongous large round ball of pink and orange fire??? Yeap, that kind of sunset. It was phenomenal.

This is actually a golf course and I had to fight my way to these pictures at the end of this session because I was standing on the 18th hole and some golfers really wanted to hit their balls. In fact, I'm sure that they were probably aiming for me if truth be told but I managed to get off the course without getting nailed by an oncoming golf ball. I refused to leave there without a shot of this club as the sun was approaching its "cotton candy" sky appearance. I had visions of the grounds keeper and security guards having to carry me off the course kicking and screaming if I didn't accomplish what I wanted. :) The family I photographed was perfect in every way and was a true pleasure to work with. I'll have their images up on my photography blog in the coming days. Feel free to check out that blog from week to week as I'm always posting recent sessions there. I've decided not to post the sessions here on my AGD blog and instead keep both businesses/blogs separate. It's just easier that way.

And speaking of photography, I snapped these candid shots of Kenidi yesterday as she was getting out of bed. Her new permanent teeth are coming in and they just crack me up. They look so big compared to her baby teeth. I was trying to capture her smile and those new "teefers!" And who doesn't love such cute little pale white tootsies??? I am in love with her little toes. Still so tiny and scrawny. :0)

The week ahead is going to be a busy one. I have two shoots lined up for the local magazine here in Naples again this week. I am also shooting for Kenidi's horse therapy facility tomorrow morning. On Wednesday morning, Brent and I are meeting with Kenidi's teacher to discuss some ideas on how to make her transition a bit easier for when baby Seaman arrives. Her teacher has some ideas and has offered to share those with us in hopes that it will cushion the blow a bit when Kenidi learns this new baby is REALLY coming home to live with us - FOR GOOD. LOL! We think she might be acting out here in the last week or two due to the hustle and bustle as we prepare the house and our lives in general for this new baby. I'm sure she is sensing my anxiety and stress over the future with her AND a newborn under the same roof. Therefore it's probably playing out in her behavior now so more than ever. To say this is going to be interesting is an understatement.

On Friday evening we have dinner plans with friends and on Saturday, you will find me pinging off the walls with excitement. My Naples photography friends and myself are all participating in a Senior High shoot out where we'll be photographing seniors (in high school) on Saturday afternoon and on into the sunset that night. We have a really cool location lined up where we will be shooting. I can't wait to share the event itself and all of the images from it with each of you. So fun!

I hope each of you are having a wonderful start to the week. Stay tuned for lots more to come as this week rounds out. Much love, Angie

PS...To my "anonymous friend" from Scarborough, Ontario...

You might try Googling the word "sitemeter." It's a really cool web tracking feature that technology has blessed us with today which happens to be great for website and blog owners such as myself. It helps to ensure that "anonymous" people do not remain so "anonymous" for long. Oh yes...IP addresses get revealed, locations of those anonymous wanna-be's and sooooooo much more. Technology is a FABULOUS thing. It's so fabulous that it allows me to see your ever so frequent visits to my blog and your curiosity into my life. Not only that, but it allows me to know who you are when you attempt to post anonymous things on my blog. Have a superb evening my friend. Wink wink! :)

YOU MIGHT BE IN THE 3rd TRIMESTER WHEN...

2010-10-15T17:12:00.008-04:00

In the past 2 weeks, I've had three different women comment to me - out of the blue - "How great my ankles look for being this far along." Wellllll...aren't they just sweet as suga'! I didn't even know women checked out pregnant women's ankles. Did you guys? Unless someone points it out to me, I'd never think to look. With us being in Florida, I wear dresses almost every day just to keep from getting over-heated. I guess my ankles are quite visible due to my legs being exposed. Problem is...I soooooooo don't feel like my ankles look great for this stage in the game. In fact, when I walk thru the house during the day or night, I envision this theatrical sound of what King Kong sounded like as he stomped thru NYC in that movie and trampled the entire town - crushing buildings and cars with one step of his foot. Yeap, that's me - that is my third trimester. With 6 weeks and 6 days to go, I am totally shamu with feet. No joke. I moan and groan with every movement made to the point where I'm sure it appears to an outsider as though I'm dying. And when I switch sides in bed at night...God for bid you have to hear what kind of noise and process that takes. We are talking action-adventure soundtrack. You think I'm kidding - but I swear I'm not. I don't know that our big king size bed can handle my big king sized butt much longer.

The other night, Brent was laying beside me with his hand underneath my belly. (I was laying on my right side. Baby Seaman was kicking up a storm and rolling over like nobody's bin-ness'. Brent wanted to feel him and in doing so, he got the shock of his life. At two different points he belted out..."Oh My Gosh!!! Oh My Gosh!!!" He couldn't believe how prominent the kicks were and just how powerful the lil' man was inside there. He's like..."That is almost like an alien trying to get out from inside there." At that moment, I was reminded of Sigorney Weaver in the movie "Alien."

Oh yeah...that is totally what this child looks and feels like when he gets to rockin' and rolling in my tummy. I was cracking up at Brent and his shock over how powerful he was. He asked me if I remembered Brennen and Kenidi being that strong when I was pregnant with them and yes...I do. This baby is no different.

Not only have I definitely hit the uncomfortable stage but I've also definitely reached that hormonal stage now too. The other day I was walking thru a restaurant wearing a shirt that read "Rockin' my bump." As I was headed to the restroom, I passed by a table with about 5 women sitting at it - they were maybe early 30's in age. One of them proceeded to read my shirt allowed with a very condescending tone. I heard her say..."Rockin' my bump???" You could tell she said it to be a smart ___ but didn't in turn realize just how loud it rolled off her tongue. She clearly never intended for me to hear her. However, I did. It was in that moment that the ol' Angie DeNease came back inside me. I refer to my younger era as Angie DeNease - the days of high school when I was considered body guards for all of my girlfriends. Angie DeNease was the girl that took no crap from anyone and if you so much as looked at me wrong or dared date a boyfriend I once had - you were screwed. Yes, that was "Angie DeNease." I'm soooo not proud of that girl. In fact, I'm extremely embarassed by her. My temper back then stemmed from the genes that my mother passed down to me. My Mom was the chick you didn't mess with when she was younger too. I have vivid memories of my Mother in street fights where my Dad would have to pick me up, put me on his shoulders, and walk away to get me away from the action and what I was witnessing. It wasn't a pretty sight but that was life up until I was maybe 8 years old or so. In fact, my Mom STILL carries that gene and it has caused her some embarassment in her day as well. I have haunting memories of being 7 years old and getting thrown into a thorn bush by an older girl during a fight outside in the neighborhood I lived in with my Mom. When I got home to my Mom, looking for comfort as I poured blood from every square inch of my body from the thorns that were now embedded in my skin...instead of comforting me, she took one look at me, grabbed my hand, slammed open the front door and marched me right back down the street to the girl who did it. Needless to say, I lost the first round with the thorn bush but didn't loose the 2nd round as my Mom stood there almost as if she was ringing a bell in a fighting ring. She wanted me to let this older girl know who she was really messing with. From that day forward, I was taught to never, ever let anyone see fear in me. Never ever let anyone whoop my skinny scrawny little butt and to never be afraid to defend myself when necessary. Truth is...that life lesson created more of a bully in me than teach me anything of worth. I have found myself apologizing to many, many girls that I tortured in high school due to my behavior back then. In fact, that behavior today would land me in kicked out of school and probably in juvenile with the way bullying and fighting is no longer tolerated in schools. Am I glad that my Mom taught me to fend for myself and never be afraid of anyone? Yes. However, that lesson was taught the wrong way in my opinion. No worries...my Mom knows how I feel about all this now. Rarely do I ever feel that temperament come out in me like it used to back in my younger days. Thankfully I've grown up, matured, learned the value of forgiving, and tried to steer as far away from that genetic temperament trait as possible. And needless to say, my kids are being taught differently. Wayyyy differently. LOL! Anyway, as I was saying...I rarely sense that "Angie DeNease" (my maiden name by the way), come out in me like that anymore. But when the girl at the restaurant loudly expressed her need to make fun of my shirt that I was wearing the other night, she almost got a quick glimpse of the old Angie. I told my Mom - when talking to her about the ordeal later - that I hadn't felt that feeling in years. This chicks condescending tone stopped me dead in my tracks - right in front of her table - with her and her 4 other compadres' awaiting and watching my next move. Naturally, my stopping on a dime and the look I proceeded to deliver to her after she made her comment caused her sudden grave concern. She immediately knew the damage she had done and by the look on her face, she needed to come join me in the restroom to clean herself off. When all was said and done, she looked at me and every so nicely said..."Oh I'm sorry - I was just reading your shirt." Uh yeah...sure you were! I don't know if she thought she was safe because a pregnant woman would most likely not "throw down" with her or what. Truth be told...she should reconsider before ever getting ready to make fun of an 8 month pregnant woman given our raging hormones at this stage in the game. I calmly regrouped and gathered my composure again and then began placing one foot in front of the other as I headed back on my way to the restroom. I had to laugh because I can only imagine what kind of psycho I must have looked like to each of those girls. I mean come on...there were 5 of them and only one of me. They could have easily jumped me and whooped my butt without a second thought. But at that moment, the old "Angie DeNease" in me didn't even think that far. All of a sudden...I was 7 years old again and a pit bull on a leash getting ready to be turned loose on someone who had taunted me and poked at me to the point of no return. Amazing how childhood memories stick with you even all these years later.

So...in a nutshell...you know you are in the third trimester when you're ready to knife someone for even looking at you the wrong way. It wasn't one of my proudest adult moments in life and was one that I had to repent about later. (once my nerves had settled back down and I realized just how hormonal I was at that particular moment) I guarantee you that the woman who crossed my path with her condescending tone will think twice though before she ever goes to mock a pregnant chick again. And when I came back out of the restroom and had to pass their table to get to mine, I noticed that low and behold...every single one of them had left. Gone. Just like they had seen a ghost or something.

On another note, at my OB check up this week, I got medicine for the heartburn and I'm so proud to say that my pain and issues surrounding heartburn are totally gone. This prescription is working like a charm. It took about a day to get into my system and begin working but now that it is...I'm in total heaven. They gave me a medicine called protonix. It's safe during pregnancy and it makes me a happy girl again. I go back to the doc on the 27th where we will get to see our little guy on the ultrasound screen yet again. That also makes me a happy girl. I started putting some things in my hospital bag and in baby Seaman's diaper bag last night. I figured now was a good time to get that process started. As I was packing for the two of us and our hospital stay, the butterflies started again and the whole process was ever so surreal. Six weeks and six days.

Even with only 6.5 weeks to go though, with the way I feel at this moment, I'm totally ready to tell my OB that it's time to "smoke this little guy out of his hole" as if he were a mole or ground hog running rampant thru my yard. Let's get this show on the road. :0)

xoxo, Angie & baby Kr_____

BLUE SKIES, TURTLE CLUB VIEWS, & BABY SEAMAN CHAT

2010-10-11T18:47:00.011-04:00

(Image taken with Iphone 4 camera today)

This was the view out the roof of my car yesterday afternoon. As many of you know, I love the white clouds against a brilliant blue backdrop in the sky. It helps when the suns rays are peeking thru and beaming down as well. Makes for great sun flare shots in the photography world. :) I snapped this shot with my iphone as I was parked in a parking lot. It was too gorgeous out not to. Love me some sky scapes.

Today I spent lunch at the Turtle Club restaurant on the beach with my Mom. We celebrated her birthday which was yesterday. It was another gorgeous day and we had an absolutely stellar view. The food was great and the ambiance/environment of overlooking the shore line made it all even better. My Mom even commented on how she felt like we were on vacation while there. Brent always says that we live in "paradise" everyday. Being by the ocean over lunch confirmed that feeling once again. Hope you enjoyed your day Mom. :)

The above shot was our view and my lunch - the "Crabcake Toastie." YUM! YUM! YUM!

On to another subject...baby Seaman. Imagine that, eh? With only 7 weeks to go until his arrival, I was elated to see his personalized baby name blanket show up in the mailbox today. I took a photo of the blanket and cropped out a small area so that the whole name wasn't visible. I figured I'd keep you guys in suspense until his birth day in regards to what his name is going to be. Y'all know how much I love to drag out surprises. LOL! Hopefully his name will be one that not too many of you have heard of before. The front of the blanket has his name on it and the backside is made of minky dot fabric. It's so very soft. I can't wait to wrap him in it.

With that said, I've had a recent request to blog about some of the cool or cute things I've found for him. There are only a few because gosh knows...there isn't near as many cute things for boys as there are girls. However, I do have a few favorite finds fo' sho'. I hope to be able to pull together a blog post featuring them here very soon. In the meantime, I am so thankful for my readers who continue to send me cute things or rad websites that have cool things for little boys. If you happen to see something that you think I should know about or that you think I'd like for baby Seaman, by all means...send me the link. I need all the help I can get after dressing a girl for the past 7 years and an older boy.

Right now, I'm off to get my sons hair cut. He is beginning to look like that Monchicchi monkey picture I posted last time. Hope all of you are having a fantastic Tuesday. Tomorrow it's off to my 32 week check up at the OB again. These appointments are flying by. He is going to be here in mere weeks. Something to the tune of 45 more days or so. WOW!

Much love, Angie