KROSS, THE BEACH BUM (NAPLES, FLORIDA CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER)
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...
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.
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
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...
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!
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!
KROSS ANTHONY SEAMAN - 4 MONTHS (NAPLES, FLORIDA CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER)
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
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. :)
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
