The Ward Family

A Busy Weekend.

2012-02-11T11:21:00.000-08:00

It has been a crazy, busy weekend! We left for Ogden on Wednesday for Jory to do some tile in my parents house. I drove back down on Friday because I had a wedding consultaion in Draper, an accountant Friday night to do our taxes and then today I woke up EARLY for an Engagement Session and then I have another session this afternoon. After that session, I'll head up to Ogden to go be with my family, get my boys, do another photo session up there and we'll head back down tomorrow night I think. Jory has done an AMAZING job at my parents house. They are THRILLED and can't stop saying thank you enough. Truly, it looks AMAZING!!

Anyways, so I am back home in-between sessions and working on business stuff. It hasn't been 24 hours and I truly miss my boy! I can't wait to see him tonight. Hugs and kisses are on the list! I walked in on him in his room one day sitting on his bed reading stories again. Oh how I LOVE that he loves stories!!! When I was younger, I LOVED to read (I still do, just don't have as much time) so I am excited that my cute boy likes to read as well. I sure hope it stays this way. Oh... as I was going through these images and dying over their cuteness, I was CRINGING that my boy had his SHOES ON, WHILE ON THE BED!!! Seriously, big pet peeve! Why I didn't take them off, I'll never know! HA HA HA HA!!!

Featured!! The LDS Bride

2012-02-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

I was so excited when The LDS Bride informed me that they had featured a wedding of mine on their blog! How exciting! This was such an amazing wedding that I got to shoot out in Nauvoo and will forever be so grateful for the experience and opportunity!! Thank you LDS Brides!

Super Bowl

2012-02-08T00:15:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I am making a post about the Super Bowl, but when I saw these images I swiped off of Ashley's blog, I couldn't resist! Besides, we DID have fun and the food, as always, was DELISH! There truly isn't one thing that Ashley can't make that is isn't SO YUMMY!! We stuffed ourselves sick, watched the game and just hung out! Actually, I didn't watch the game cuz first of all, I really do hate football and secondly, have you met my son?? He is all over the place!! As this is normal for his age, I should be happy to consider him normal. Right? ha ha ha!! We went over to Cali's house and Lincoln was in HEAVEN running around with all the kids in their huge house. It surly doesn't help that he is super curious and VERY mischievous.

I look rather large in this side profile. I REALLY gotta stop slouching!! However, it shows Cali (who I think is adorable) and it shows the cooking/food madness-which is my favorite part of the big game day.

Here's me and Ashley with CUTE little Hens! I swear I adore this boy more every time I see him.

Hmmm... I just don't know what to think of these two sometimes! lol! I guess they are just so in love or something. Look how cute my Lincs side profile is? LOVE IT! The 3 Musketeers!

Seriously, Lincoln LOVES Cort. He gets SO excited whenever Cort comes over. When they go out into the garage or outside together, Lincoln BAWLS because he wants to be included with these two SO BAD! He follows them around everywhere and will actually let (and reach his hands) Cort hold him. It seriously is so cute!

Reading

2012-02-05T13:19:00.000-08:00

I walked into Lincs room to find him laying on his bed reading a story. It was the CUTEST thing EVER!! He is always surprising me everyday with his cuteness. I am always thinking he just can't get any cuter or his personality just can't get any bigger. But... it DOES! And I LOVE IT! When I was pregnant with him, I started collecting books for him. I wanted my baby to be smart. I truly believe that if you read to your children, they will be smarter. Every present event, he always gets a book on top of his toys. It is paying off because he LOVES stories! Sometimes we catch him quietly looking at his books. He sometimes falls asleep to me reading him a story. Today we read stories of Jesus before nap time. I seriously cherish these moments with my boy. I mean SERIOUSLY!!

Just LOOK how ridiculously cute this boy is!!

Lincs LOVES these PJ's. I have no idea where they came from except that they were a hand me down. One night we had put some Pj's on him and he found these ones and brought them to us to put on instead. The first time he wore them, he was obsessed with the monsters on his feet. Hilarious!

Ok, so maybe this is a mean image to post of him because of his face, but we were DYING of laughter when we saw this and hope you do too! SOOOO CUTE!

Amen...

2012-02-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

I found this quote on Pinterest the other day and I just couldn't agree more with this quote regarding some elements in my past! However, if I could add in abuse and unfaithfulness, I sure would! Life lessons learned the hard way my friends! =D

Sleep

2012-01-30T09:24:00.000-08:00

I LOVE sleep. I always have. Lincoln can be totally opposite of me in this regard! When he does sleep, he always looks so very peaceful and cute. Lately, he had just been GIGGLING in his sleep. He did this yesterday at church when he fell asleep and again last night when he fell asleep watching a movie. I have no idea what he thinks is THIS funny while sleeping, but I love when he does this! So dang cute! Here's a cute one I got of him sleeping in his big boy bed.

This next one is a while ago. I was out front working on some things and Jory and Lincoln had been in his room playing. After a while, I noticed things had gotten really quiet. I went back to check them and found this...

HOW CUTE IS THAT?!?!?!?!

My Cute Boy is TOO cute!

2012-01-26T13:22:00.000-08:00

I love this boy. WITH ALL MY HEART!

A Lazy Sunday

2012-01-22T21:51:00.000-08:00

We had a fun weekend! Grandma Tammy came down to visit and it was a blast. We were suppose to have a Ward girls weekend, but no one else came. Too bad, we had an amazing time. Of course Friday I cleaned ALL day. Lincoln would be in one room destroying something while I was in another room cleaning. This was pretty much how my day went! Tammy pulled in later in the evening and we hung out and talked till one in the morning. Jory wouldn't let us go to bed. So we of course slept in the next day. When we finally woke up, we made a delicious breakfast and then headed out to Rod Works to spend out Gift Cards from Christmas! We had a lot of fun in there and it was HARD to decide what to get! We ended up getting some super cute stuff and were super happy about our purchases. We then headed home to pick up Lincs and Jory. We headed to the mall to use a gift card at Gymboree. I found some CUTE clothes for Lincs when he gets a little bigger. Afterwards, we headed up to Heber to see our friends AMAZING new place. On the way up, the weather started getting bad and I just had a scary feeling about going up cuz I KNEW the drive down wouldn't be good. We had such a nice time seeing our friends. Karen gave us a tour of their beautiful home and then made a DELICIOUS dinner for us-but when does she not make delicious food?

On our way home down the canyons, the roads were BAD!! Jory lost control of my car and we REALLY thought we'd never get it back. I truly thought we were going to crash and have all the other cars behind us crash into us as well. This is the third time in my life I THOUGHT we might die! It was so dang scary! We finally made it home ok after what seemed like hours.

Today we all just laid around and rested after we went to church. It was so needed. Me and my cute boy had a LONG nap together. He snuggled in close to me and slept for FOUR HOURS!! Defiantly worth celebrating! Anyways, time for some fun images right?!?! The other day I was playing around with camera settings, WB and just trying new things. Of course I was practicing on this little man! He just can't get any cuter right?

Life With Lincs

2012-01-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

Lincoln LOVES playing in his Dad's fish closet. This is no exaggeration here folks! If he gets his mind SET on playing in there, there is just NO distracting him or calming him down when you tell him no. Sometimes, it's super annoying. Last night, he wanted to play in there SO BAD. We both told him no and he bawled hysterically for a long time! Somehow he finally calmed down and we looked over to see what he was doing and we couldn't stop laughing the rest of the night! He found his Curious George stuffed animal and took him over to the door of Jory's fish closet, he put him over his head and put the monkey's hand on the door knob to try and get George to open the door for him! It was SOOOO FUNNY!!! Smart little kid eh? I wish we would have taped it or at least gotten a picture of it. It was the CUTEST thing ever!! Jory seriously laughed so hard the rest of the night.

Anyways, here is a CUTE pic of my little stinker to get you by.

Dash's Quilt

2012-01-17T20:58:00.000-08:00

I REALLY wanted to make Dash a quilt in time for his baby shower. That didn't happen. So I figured FOR SURE in time for Christmas. After all my car drama, Lincoln getting one cold/flu after another and with his little surgery, making a quilt was just being a little TOO ambitious. I decided to make a post on FB to see if anyone would be willing to do some trade photography to whip up this quilt. One of my friends from Canada said she would do it. I jumped on board before she had time to change her mind. I am SO HAPPY I HAD HER MAKE THIS QUILT!!! I absolutely LOVE how it turned out. So much, in fact, that I kept debating on wether or not I should even give it to my sister. I knew that since she didn't have anyone to make her a quilt, I just had to. :( I was a little sad to give it up. I mean LOOK how adorable
it turned out to be!

See what I mean? I have since decided that I want to get back into sewing, invest in a GOOD sewing machine and start making beautiful quilts like this. How could I not right? I'll probably be wracking up my minutes talking to my mother in law a lot re learning everything. ha ha ha h.... It'll be worth it!

Thanksgiving Point Wedding Expo

2012-01-15T17:38:00.000-08:00

A lot of family and friends have been anxious to see how my booth turned out. I was so happy with everything. Jory worked REALLY hard and made this amazing wall for me. I am so grateful. Didn't he do an amazing job?? I had SO many compliments on it at the fair. I had a few photographers that told me they were super jealous. Not going to lie, a little giddy. One of the vendors at a reception center told me that she had seen a lot of photographers try this wall, but had not looked as good, professional or classy as mine. HELLO!!! It seriously MADE MY DAY!! Then she brought me a piece of DELISH chocolate cake. I totally thought life couldn't get any better. Really though, all the credit goes to Jory. I just showed him what I wanted and he took it from there. I slaved on the albums, prints, priclists and worried that no one would book me cuz there are just too many photographers. Jory stressed about this wall and it took a lot of work and patience doing this.

I am so grateful for all the support I had through this experience. Besides Jory building this wall and listening to my ENDLESS "woe is me-I'm not going to book a thing," and helping me pick which images to blow up and which albums to show case-cuz truly I changed my mind over and over again-there were a lot of people helping out! Cort came and helped set everything up, took down and let us borrow his suburban and trailer. He also helped Jory and I (try) to push start Jory's truck. Of ALL DAYS FOR IT NOT TO START!!!! We pushed that damn truck down the street, around the corner, down our hill. It wasn't a pretty site and Jory and I were irritated. It never did start either. Jeanie and Ashley were both so amazing to help out and watch Lincoln. THANK YOU LADIES!!! Things would have been a nightmare if he would have been there. Melissa came down after everything was set up to do my hair, so for that I am also grateful!!

Anyways, here is how it turned out...

Thanksgiving Point Wedding Expo

2012-01-11T14:56:00.000-08:00

As I have mentioned several times, I have been super busy getting ready for my Bridal Fair THIS WEEKEND!! It will be amazing. There will be a lot of amazing vendors there as well. If you are getting married or on your way to getting married, you NEED to come out and see me here! I will be offering an AMAZING Wedding Special that you won't want to miss out on!!

Being Looked After

2012-01-10T23:43:00.000-08:00

The following email was in my inbox this morning....

Hey there friend. I've been meaning to respond to your blog posts from a while back. I read this scripture tonight and it made me think of you...

And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs...and this will I do that...ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.
Mosiah 24:14

I know the stuff with your car is super crazy and I can only imagine how stressful Lincoln's surgery was. I hope you are seeing brighter days. Love you dear friend.

I have read and re read this scripture so very many times! I LOVE this scripture. I love how the Lord works in mysterious ways and through others. I NEEDED this email and this scripture. I NEEDED this reminder. It was the perfect reminder of the Lord's love for me and how he NEEDS me to have friends like her. He knows WHY I need her in my life and it is not by coincidence that he put me where he did and when. I believe that with ALL my heart!!

Last week while I was getting ready for my bridal fair, I was feeling rather discouraged because this is how I help take care of my family so I don't have to put Lincoln in daycare to go back to work. This is seriously one of my greatest fears. There is A LOT of amazing competition here with photography. It is an over saturated market and on this day I was feeling rather low and incompetent. I went to get the mail and there was a little card in the mail from one of my bride and grooms from their wedding I shot last month. They couldn't think of how to properly thank me for the wonderful work, patience and kindness I had shown them. They were so beyond happy with everything I had done for them and that they planned on referring everyone they know my way and having family pictures done by me each year. I can't lie, it made me tear up as I read it. It truly was EXACTLY what I needed in that moment. Once again, AMAZING how the Lord works in mysterious ways.

So yes dear friend, it is people like you and my dear clients that help me to see brighter days! How do I make it through with out all your love and support? It is impossible!

Then there are just the small things in life that you just gotta make you laugh. Like this quote...

Why I think this is just so hilarious, I'll never know. But I just couldn't stop laughing. I am a quote junkie and this one is saved on my board of quotes on Pinterest! But sometimes, it's hysterical quotes, friends looking out for us or just baby kisses that can help you make it through a hard patch in life. Lincoln gets me through more then I realize. He makes me laugh so hard. Sometimes, this happens when I shouldn't be laughing-like a public tantrum. I can't help it though. I'll work on it, but probably not.

Christmas Tree

2012-01-09T17:29:00.000-08:00

Is it starting to feel like Christmas on this blog? HA HA HA HA.... I had every intention of posting these last month, but clearly that just got away from me. I decided to take a different approach in photographing our tree this year. After seeing all the Utah trendy trees, I was a little embarrassed about ours. I have to keep reminding myself that life isn't about keeping up with all the Utah Trendy People! We got what I thought was going to be the perfect bushy, full tree. It looked gorgeous while we were at the tree lot up in Logan. We got it home (and the top part had broken off-so it looked a little silly) and put it by the window, only to discover that our tree took up A LOT of room in our living room! I mean A LOT! Opps... so we ended up re-arranging our whole living room to make it fit and to make sure I wasn't suffocating as well. It was a nice tree and looked better with the lights on. Lincoln loved it and really, that's all that matters to me these days! Anyways, I was in the mood to try something a little more artistic and thought it would be best to take it out on our tree. Either way, I LOVE how they look! And yea, I realize there are some out of focus and yes that was done on purpose!

His Favorite Toy

2012-01-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

Linc's got this Mack and Lightning McQueen set from all this Aunts and Unlces plus cousins on the Bennett side this year for Christmas. This was the first present he opened and wasn't interested in anything else that day!

Our party was too chaotic and apparently Lincoln felt the same way. I guess you could say he just needed some peace and quiet to play with his new found toy. Geena took this image of him in Camilla's kitchen. He had picked up his new toys where we were all at and went into the kitchen where he could play all by himself on the floor where no one would trample him.

Too cute...

PS!!! Lincoln will be TWO in 3 months today!!! CRAZY...

Like Father, Like Son??

2012-01-05T22:27:00.000-08:00

This image was from sometime this summer. I have no idea when. Actually, judging from the PJ's, it may actually be from the fall. We were up in ID and the boys had gone to bed before I did. I walked in and found them sleeping like this. Do you think they are related at all? ha ha ha...

One of my goals this year is to spend more time on this blog as it is my only journal anymore. Our friend Ashley had hers printed out into a REALLY nice book. I plan to follow in her footsteps and print ours too. I was going through all my photos on my Laptop and found a HUGE folder of pics I took of Lincoln over last year. Geez... So I will be posting a lot coming up and it will be from, well I don't know when, but I PROMISE they will be CUTE!!!

I have been slaving on this Bridal Fair and it's starting to come along. I have one week till the big day. I am praying that I can book several weddings as this is the best way for me to help out and still stay at home with Lincs. I LOVE photography, but I love my boy MORE! Pray for us!

Waiting For Mom!

2012-01-04T21:59:00.000-08:00

This fall I was out doing a family session up the canyons. Since my car has had non stop problems for months, Jory and Lincoln have had to be my little chauffeurs on many occasions. I was up in the mountains shooting while they stayed in the truck on the side of the road waiting for me. When I came back, this is what I found...

I thought is was HILARIOUS!!! Not to mention the CUTEST thing I'd ever seen! Lincoln loves his dad's truck-or any car for that matter.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-02T23:17:00.000-08:00

We had a nice, but VERY busy Christmas this year. It was the Bennett's year for Christmas and I was pretty excited for that. Four of my siblings live up in Ogden and they were all going to be around this year. Not to mention, my new little nephew is here! So stinkin cute! Christmas Eve, we spent the morning at our house finishing our wrapping, watch Christmas movies and getting everything ready to head up north. Man, it took forever to get everything ready, packed and loaded. We finally got on the road in the later afternoon. We went and picked Jessica up and headed to moms. I was SO happy Jessica came! I miss her so much.

The house was nice and festive when we got there. When I walked in, I saw that my mom had set up a nativity set the size of Lincoln and I knew we were going to have some trouble! I told my mom that I hope her nativity was made out of plastic cuz that thing would be destroyed within the first 5 minutes of us being there. She didn't to mind. I guess she remembers what life was like with 7 kids. We then unloaded everything and put our presents under the tree and got ready for dinner.

My mom doesn't do her Turkey dinner on Christmas Eve like a lot of people do. She does hers on Christmas Day. I honestly don't remember what all we had for dinner that night, but I do remember the Green Bean Casserole she made. It was AMAZING!!! I had never had it before and to be honest, I STILL hate green beans, but THIS was delicious! After dinner, my mom asked if we would help wrap her presents. Me and Jess of course wanted to help out. It was fun to wrap presents and watch Christmas movies together. We of course had family drama in the middle of all that mess, but what is the Holidays with out it right? I tried to put it out of my head and remember my cute boy and how much fun we would have with him the next day. We ended up wrapping till almost 1:30 in the morning. MOTHER.... next year, you need to get an early start to all that! ha ha ha ha!

Lincoln LOVED that nativity set! He was surprisingly gentle with it and didn't break anything. Thank goodness. He would poke his head through the little manger and just look at everything. It was pretty dang cute. One of our family traditions are Christmas PJ's! I LOVE the ones we got him this year. Thank you Gymboree! He looked so stinkin cute in them too. He never tried to get into the presents under the tree either. He just didn't care. He was more entertained with the nativity and my parents dog. It's so funny how much he loves animals.

The next morning we woke up before 8am. In Jory's house, you wake up at like 6 or 7am. This is always a bummer for me. No one in my family ever wakes up before the sun comes up to open presents. We never have. We've always adored our sleep! Lincoln however, is an early riser. So we got up with him and opened our stockings together while we waited for everyone else. Lincoln peaked in his stocking and saw a hot wheels in there and got REALLY excited. We opened it up for him and he headed straight for the table with the Nativity set and started driving his car in and around it. He seriously had NO interest in anything else from his stocking. Well, except the OTHER Hotwheel car! ha ha ha!!!

SADLY... this is the ONLY pictures I took on Christmas day. S.A.D!!!

We finally had to wake my family to open presents. Lincoln was a spoiled little boy. My parents got him a TON of stuff. When he unwrapped his big package of Hotwheels, he was SUPER excited and didn't care about anything else he got (well, until we got home anyways). Afterwards, my mom made a delicious breakfast of muffins, fruit and quiche. Oh how I LOVE quiche!!! We then got ready and went to church. My mom said sacrament was only suppose to last an hour. Oh no... it was over an hour and a half. Way too long for Lincoln but luckily he fell asleep. It was a really nice meeting and I am really glad we went. Afterwards, we had to hurry home and get ready to head over to Camilla's house for a "sibling party"

We then went back to my parents house and had a turkey dinner with them. Can I tell you HOW full I already was by this point?? But my mom had taken the time and care to do this for us, so I forced down some more food. It really was delicious though. It all was! And what is the holidays without gorging yourself sick right? THEN... we packed everything up and headed out to Almo. Holy crap, we were TIRED!! It was a two hour drive up there and we pulled into the sticks about 9pm. I just wanted to go to sleep. We had a little gift exchange with them when we got there. Grandma Tammy got Lincoln a really nice WARM winter coat. I was sooo happy because he really needed one and he was too big for his other one. We stayed up a little longer talking with Tammy after that and finally I just went to bed. I couldn't handle keeping my eyes open any longer.

The next day we hung out with Tammy and Cami for a while and ate the other Quiche my mom had sent up with us to share with them. I don't think they liked it as much as I did though! ha ha ha!! Oh man, it sounds SO good right now. I am starving! Around lunch time, we headed down to Josh and Dayle's house to have another little gift exchange with them. Crazy Christmas I tell ya! We spent the rest of the day hanging out, playing WII, eating and taking all the crazy kids outside for a run around break. We talked till 9pm and then decided to just head home instead of waking up early to drive back home. It was midnight before we pulled into our drive way.

Although we really did have a great Christmas, it was TOO busy! From what I've heard, it was for a lot of people. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that Christmas fell on a Sunday this year and for those of us that go to church, it was one more event to attend. Not to mention a lot of people have a lot of family and being Christmas we want to be able to see EVERYONE! Next year, however, we will NOT be having a busy Christmas. It was just too much and I found it was hard to feel the Christmas Spirit. Granted, we will be in ID next year, so I know it won't be as crazy. Jory and I talked about how the Holidays are suppose to be relaxing and sitting around ENJOYING your family, binge eating and just doing nothing for the most part. This year it was too much running from one place to another. I think Christmas is suppose to be more simple, stress free and not to mention drama free! Next Christmas, it IS my goal to take more pics Christmas Day!

Christmas Project

2011-12-30T23:26:00.000-08:00

I made this for Christmas for Lincoln's Grandparents and his Dad. I LOVE them! I made two because I couldn't make up my mind on which one I liked better! The other one is on my portrait blog.

Lincoln is still doing great! He hasn't thrown up in almost two weeks now. We hope he keeps this up. He has been enjoying his new toys but still has cabin fever. I took him out for like a minute the other day hoping he would FEEL HOW cold it was. Of course the plan back fired on me. We got outside and he gave a huge sign of relief and was the happiest little boy EVER! Dang it...

I totally forgot to post about Christmas! Maybe I will try again tomorrow. It has been a stressful week over here. Our car has just been a MESS trying to figure everything out and it took a weird turn for the worst the other day. Sadly, I have learned over and over again, that you just can't trust anyone. I have also been trying to get ready for a huge bridal fair in the next two weeks. It's hard to figure out which images to blow up, what size, how to to arrange them, how to decorate your booth, pricing, price lists, designing them, business cards, ALBUMS (this is by far my most favorite thing to do!) and the list just goes on! It is A LOT of work! But I have all my albums done and ready to be submitted and I THINK I have all my prints ready to send off. The problem is I keep changing my mind and second guessing myself! AHHHHHHH!!!!!

Other then that, we are doing ok. Our house looks like it could be on the show Hoarders. So please, no one stop by to take pictures cuz if you submit them, we might end up on the show. First thing that needs to go is our bushy Christmas tree! There is no room to put Lincs toys anywhere! One of these days we will get it all organized! I hope...

Lincs: Christmas

2011-12-27T12:45:00.000-08:00

We had a REALLY NICE Christmas this year! We just got home late last night and have been forcing ourselves back into the swing of things. Normally, I am quite ready to be done with Christmas, but this year I am not. I am a little sad it's all over. Maybe it's because I have cute boy and life in general is just more exciting with him. Who knows... Either way, super fun, super busy and we are EXHAUSTED from it all! I have been busy getting ready for an upcoming Bridal Fair, and some other fun things going on this January. I will blog more about Christmas hopefully tomorrow though as I do have a few pictures. For now, I wanted to post these STINKIN cute pics of my cute boy. I took them several weeks ago and am dying over them! He never fails to make me smile, happy or want to be a better mom. And... he is still doing so well! That's MY boy!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T14:02:00.000-08:00

Jory's brother was awesome and offered to take some family pics for us if I set it all up with the posting and the camera settings. I think he did quite well. We had really wanted a different location because down here in Utah County it all been done! I printed our cards on Pearl-Linen paper and seriously... COULDN'T BE HAPPIER with how they all turned out!

We hope you all have a VERY Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I know a lot of our family and friends have really struggled this past year (scratch that-the past couple of years) so when we say have a Happy New Year, we TRULY mean that!

Lincoln's Surgery

2011-12-22T22:46:00.000-08:00

Today was Lincoln's big day-his little surgery! We were told not to give him any food or Liquid after midnight last night. I already knew this would going to be a LONG night. We asked our good friend Cort to come over and give Lincs a blessing. There is just something so AMAZING about the Priesthood. I love it. What would I do with out it? I wish I could remember what it even said and it was my intention of writing it down, but that just got away from me all together. It was a beautiful blessing and we are grateful for Cort and his willingness to give blessings!

Lincoln woke up around 3:00am wanting his Bubba. We clearly couldn't give it to him and just hoped he would fall back asleep. Nope, he surly did NOT! I think he finally passed out about 6:00am. We had to get up at 7:00 to get ready. It was seriously such a sad morning. I wanted to cry and throw up all at the same time. We got to the Riverwoods Medical Center at 8:00am and checked in. I figured we'd do paper work for 15 minutes and then they would take him back and prep him. They didn't call us back till after 9:00am and they didn't take him back into surgery till 9:30am. Do you KNOW what it's like with a 20 month old baby who is hungry and bored out of his brains? The Anesthesiologist came and talked to us and then took Lincoln with him to put him under. Lincoln of course was just bawling and so sad. I think this was the hardest part for me. They put Jory and I in a room to wait for him. Much to my delight, Jory found a station that had Prison Break on it. Heck yeah! Except, I totally fell asleep. It seemed like less then 15 mins later, the nurse came back and said he was almost done. So fast....

Dr Heras came back and told us he did really well. However, she said that when they went in to put his tubes in, they found his ears were red-which means another ear infection was on its way. I felt so irritated that he just keeps getting them! She also informed us that his vocal cords were really swollen and he failed his hearing test. Again,I was so sad. I just wanted him to be fine. But, she was happy with how everything went and suggested maybe looking into food allergies if his vomiting continues. We are taking him into her office tomorrow to do another hearing test and see how that goes.

They finally brought my cute boy into me when he was waking up from everything. Cort warned us that he was going to be crazy fussy. Holy crap... no kidding! It was awful!! There wasn't a THING we could do to calm him down! I hated feeling so helpless. The poor kid was STARVING and guzzled half of a glass of juice. When we came home, we stopped at Wendy's for lunch since we both knew making lunch just wasn't going to happen. We got Lincs a milkshake and he started pounding that too. When we brought him home, he wanted a Pedia Sure and pounded that right down as well. It took him about 2 hours of being crazy before he calmed down. Then he was back to being our Lincs. He was ripping down the hall and smiling. Crazy kid... Jory and I ended up passing out in the living room. I was on the couch and he was on the floor. Lincoln was playing with his cars next to me and when I had woken up, I saw him laying next to his dad sleeping away. FINALLY!!!!

He has been doing AMAZING tonight!!! He kept wanting crackers and other little snack foods we normally can't get him to eat. It was such a happy evening! He had been saying the word "no" before his surgery, but after he says it a lot more and more clearly. He just sounds more clear all together. We are so very happy and feel blessed that we were able to have this done for our son.

Mater

2011-12-21T17:21:00.000-08:00

Lincoln LOVES Disney's Cars. I think that has been one of his top favs for quite some time. During this Christmas Season, we were driving around and right by our Target, there was Mater!! We HAD to take Lincoln there. I am sure we were more excited about it then he was. When we got there, Jory covered Lincoln's eyes and wouldn't let him see him until we were in front of him. When he uncovered Lincoln's eyes, it was quite apparent that Lincoln knew this truck. He gave a shy little smile for only a moment and then was done. He was more intrigued with all the passing cars. Awesome! Oh well, it was a lot of fun anyways! Luckily, we took some cute pics while we were there. I am getting better at just taking candids of my boy!

Tomorrow morning is Lincoln's surgery at 9:00am! I am excited to have him get this done, but nervous for him and I understand that sometimes things just go wrong. Please pray for my boy! Heck, pray for me to be able to keep it all together. It's been a rough month and I am rather emotional these days! HA HA HA HA!!!!

Temple Square

2011-12-20T21:23:00.000-08:00

About a week ago, I shot a wedding at Temple Square. It was SO beautiful. After the wedding was over, Jory, Lincoln and I went back to see the lights. I always love going to see the lights at Temple Square! They always amaze me every time. We didn't last long because it was cold and we are trying to keep Lincoln as sick free as we can. Plus I was exhausted from shooting all day. I LOVE shooting weddings-I truly do, but they REALLY take a lot out of you by the end of the day. This is why Jory had the camera more then I did and there are more pics of my and cute boy together! For once, I wasn't the designated photographer! HA HA HA!!!

We walked up to the popular granite stone to takes some pics of each other holding Lincs and this girl asked if we'd like our family pic taken. Umm.... WHERE did this good Samaritan come from! Who ever you are-THANK YOU!!

Little man was OBSESSED with the water!! He LOVED it. Then he started shivering cuz it was a cold night. That's when we decided the family event was over. We had him wrapped in blankets in his stroller, but he wanted to run free as usual!

Lights

2011-12-19T19:57:00.000-08:00

I saw the cutest image of this little boy all wrapped up in Christmas lights and really wanted to try it out on Lincoln. I knew it wouldn't turn out nearly as cute considering Lincoln is a stinker when it comes time to taking his pictures. He screamed about 15 seconds into and didn't want anything to do with the whole situation. But still, it was fun! The only light source I used was the lights wrapped around him and the glow off our Christmas tree lights. There were a few cute ones that turned out and I have learned that at his age, ANYTHING is better then nothing right? But cute Christmas stuff to come.

Christmas Time!

2011-12-18T18:35:00.000-08:00

Since it's a week before Christmas, I figured I should blog some Christmasy stuff! The day after Thanksgiving, Jory usually helps his Dad out at the tree lot. We decided to try and do a little Christmas Shopping while we were up there. While in Wal Mart, they made an announcement that Santa was in the Garden section and you could have a picture taken with him and get a free 5x7. Ummm.... ok! So we took Lincoln over to have his first picture with Santa and of course he BAWLED!!! I was so sad. I did NOT want to be in the picture at all since I CLEARLY wasn't dressed for the occasion-or any occasion for that matter! But I still wanted to have my son's picture with Santa. I think this is just hilarious though. Typical Lincoln! Jory and Lincoln went to Logan last night and I miss my boy SO MUCH! They will be home soon though and I can't wait to give him hugs and kisses!!

So stupid cute!!

The Gateway

2011-12-17T19:02:00.000-08:00

This is has been a rough month over here. With being sick constantly, cars breaking down, job situation and the lack of the Christmas Spirit due to all the above, we have had a hard time getting excited about Christmas. We have done a few Christmas things as a family. Last Saturday, I shot a wedding up at Temple Square. Since my car is pretty much a goner, Jory and Lincoln had to tag along yet again. We figured we'd see the lights and head over to the Gateway. We didn't stay too long at either one since it is butt freezing cold and we're trying to keep Lincoln healthy for his upcoming surgery. Either way, it was nice to get out and DO SOMETHING! It is always so beautiful up at Temple Square and I never fail to feel the spirit when I am there! Here are some pics we took at The Gateway! You'll have to excuse the picture overload. We hardly ever go out and have fun-let alone take pics anymore, so we have been trying to be better at that! Lincoln HATES to be in his stroller anymore because that means he's not a free spirit exploring everything on his own. And he wants to do everything on his own anymore it seems! We thought this pic was hysterical!

We have always loved going to The Gateway, ESP at Christmas time. Then you get a little boy that is full of adventure and does NOT want to be in any of the stores because there is less room to RUN! So we've come to conclude that shopping and eat out is needing to be a Lincoln free zone! LOL!

Equal

2011-12-15T13:43:00.000-08:00

***PLEASE NOTE**** I did NOT post this image because of the man's naked chest, but rather I LOVED the message from this. SERIOUS, it's perfect! I am all about women's rights. I was also taught growing up that in the marriage a man and a woman are equal partners and that is how you should be treated. I always saw my Dad helping my mom with the kids, around the house and making meals. After all, marriage should be a partnership right? Anyways, this message is beautiful to me! I truly am grateful to be raised the way I was in this aspect. Love you Mom & Dad!

Sick Day

2011-12-14T11:28:00.000-08:00

The one thing you are never prepared for is middle of the night vomit sessions with your kid! We had gone Christmas shopping last night and came home to put Lincs to bed. Jory stayed up working on a fly rod and I did some work for clients. I finally went to bed about 1:30am and Jory came in about 2:00am. At 3:00am, we were awoken abruptly by Lincoln VOMITING!! Oh it was AWEFUL!!! But when it is not? We had first thought it was him just having a vomit episode that he gets so often, but this stuff was STINKY-worse then normal. Jory got in the tub with him and I got him out to get him dry, dressed and back to bed. Then... he started throwing up again! Yeah, this wasn't an episode AT ALL! This poor little man continued this every 10-20 minutes for almost 4 hours!! It was so very sad. I am not exaggerating here, I did 4-5 loads of laundry during the night. We went through EVERY blanket and towel in the house. He has no clean clothes left either-those are still waiting to go through the wash. Clearly we learned after 2-3 outfits just to let him run around in a diaper!

He FINALLY fell asleep at 6:30am. We both went to sleep and at 8:30am, I was jolted out of my sleep, yet again, by my mechanic calling to tell me he figured out what was wrong with my car, but he doesn't know how to fix it and has researched it and can't find ANYTHING on how to fix the problem. AHHHHHHH!!!! It was NOT going to be a good day at all. I was so depressed!! Around 9am, Lincoln woke up and was bawling for his Bubba (his sippy). He was STARVING. ??? Of course we were both nervous to give him anything, but he wouldn't stop crying-he was so sad! So I put a tad bit of apple juice and watered it down. He GULPED that sippy like it was no body's business. He started perking right up. He wanted more though, so we gave him a tiny bit more.

Then came the runs... geez! We put him in the tub again and gave him a little more water and put him to bed with a movie on. When I went back to check on him, he was laying on his stomach just smiling away. Once again... ??? He wanted to get down and he started running around playing. Then I KNEW what was next! YEAP... sure enough, he puked down the hallway! Thank goodness for hardwood floors eh? :) That has been the last of it so far. He's is playing around the house acting like my cute boy. Not that I'm not grateful or anything, I'm just saying this isn't like ANY stomach bug I've ever had!!! We are praying that we don't get it as well, but it was a bad one, so we are just planning on it coming in the dark of the evil night!

PS-Sorry if this is graphic and gross but since this is my journal and this IS the events of the day, I had to record them! Hey, at least I didn't photograph this event! lol!!!!

Look to the Light

2011-12-12T23:43:00.000-08:00

Unfortunatly, sometimes it is only through our deepest, darkest hours that we turn to the Saviour for help and comfort. I have been guilty of this more then once. I am going through this right now in fact. Sometimes, however, when we are at our lowest point (or we just FEEL like we are there) we don't always feel him there and we feel utterly alone. I have never in my life been inactive from the LDS church and nor do I have ANY intentions to either, but sometimes, I do feel like he isn't there or doesn't care. I believe these feelings are normal and we all go through them at some point in our lives. I have felt like I have been slipping through the cracks on so many levels for far too long. The other night when I was talking to my mom about everything, she told me she felt strongly that he was watching over me closely. I WANTED to BELIEVE her so bad, but I didn't. It seems like everything is just going wrong and I. AM. DONE! This evening, I remembered a talk someone gave years ago where he point blank said, "Christ isn't the one that turns His head from us, we do that on our own." Ummmm... yeah-pretty much right?

It started with a small and simple prayer for ONE beautiful picture of my CUTE BOY. I KNOW he heard that small, simple and lame prayer. But HE KNEW HOW important this aspect of my life is. Everytime I shoot a session, I pray that I can do a beautiful job and a lot of times, I DO feel him there. Whenever I kiss my cute boy (which is more then not) I have a prayer of gratitude in my heart because I KNOW it was Him who brought me this boy at the time He did.

I have started to take this one step at a time to rebuild faith and confidence in MY OWN ANSWERS to prayer. I may not always be on my knees praying, but my heart seems full of prayers lately. I can't do this alone anymore-my plate is too high and my heart is so full of things that shouldn't be there. I know I have to give some of this burden to Him. I NEED Him. And so do you.

The following video is one I found while blog stalking that inspired this post. It is BEAUTIFUL and so heart felt! Even though we should look to the light all the time, sometimes it's just gotta start from somewhere...

I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did and are enjoying this beautiful Christmas Season! :)

Hmmm...

2011-12-09T23:34:00.001-08:00

Well then.... YIKES!!!

Lincs First Horse Ride

2011-12-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

So clearly I am not very good about blogging things as they happen. In fact, I have no idea when this even was! It may have been in Aug... ??? Either way, it is better that I blog about this then my current car drama!

Whenever this happened, we had gone up to Almo for the weekend and Lincoln became fascinated with Grandpa's horses! Every time we go there, he points and points to the horses until we take him over to see them. It doesn't matter how cold or dark it is, Lincoln wants to see those horses. So Jory decided to take Lincs on a horse back ride and he was pretty scared. I don't think he liked it that much. Still... we got some CUTE pics of him on them right?

After looking at these again, I remembered his horrific hair cut while we were there. Clearly his hair was WAY too long! So we asked Aunt Cami to give him a trim. Both jory and I had to pin him down. Cami worked FAST and I was quite impressed with how fast she could work. Close towards the end, Lincoln had been screaming so hard that he started gagging and dry heaving. He threw up a little and then we decided the hair cut was OVER. Jory picked him up and held him close. Next thing we know, Lincoln throws up ALL over/down Jory. It was a LOT of throw up too. We started cleaning him up and I couldn't handle the smell-I thought I was going to start dry heaving myself! So we didn't get the hair cut done! He looked pretty silly for a while. ha ha ha...

Dash's Birth Story!

2011-12-06T13:31:00.000-08:00

I seriously have ALWAYS wanted to shoot a birth story. I don't know why, but I think they are amazing! Of course, most women don't want a camera in there taking photos every step of the way right? I know I wouldn't have wanted one there. Now... I DO!! I told my sister I wanted to shoot a birth story of her boy. She just raised her eye brows at me like I was a whack job! I kept telling her how beautiful some of them can be. I think I almost had her convinced.

However, us Bennett girls like to go out with a bang when it comes to deliveries. Apparently c-sections is becoming our specialty around here. Sadly, she went for the same reasons I did. After being induced and being in labour over 15 hours, water breaking and progressing from a nothing to a 2 in that amount of time, she was wheeled in for a C-Section. This brought back A LOT of memories and emotions for me. I was FREAKING out inside. I was SCARED for her. I tried to keep my emotions in check and put on a brave face for her.

Everything turned out BETTER then we expected and she was a rockstar at recovery! Her sweet little boy is here and I have LOVED taking lots (and I mean LOTS) of cute pics of this little man! Here's what we got from that day!

The Davis Hospital is beautiful...

I think it's pretty much safe to say that she is smitten with this cute little boy!

Prayer & A Cherished Photo

2011-12-04T18:40:00.000-08:00

During General Conference this past October, President Monson told a story of his laundry and the five dollar bill. He talked about how worried he was that five dollar bill would be taken while his laundry was being done at the cleaners. He said he prayed that it would still be there. Although it was just a small and perhaps a dumb thing, because it was important to him, it was important to our Heavenly Father. He challenged us to do the same and to remember that we are important to Him.

I LOVE photography. I LOVE beautiful portraits of my boy. These things are important to me. However, once Lincoln hit 12 months, he has been stinker to try and take any photographs of him. If we're outside, all is just lost! He will run and run until we drag him kicking and screaming-this is not an exaggeration here. I have wanted to take some beautiful pics of Lincs for a long time but SERIOUSLY have been dreading it. A few mornings ago I called up the Hancocks to see if I could borrow their studio. As I was getting ready I told Heavenly Father I just wanted ONE beautiful picture of my boy. JUST ONE!! My prayers were answered-so simple and small to anyone else. However, Heavenly Father knew HOW important it was to ME. For this, I am so very grateful! We got several GREAT shots, but I will just share one of our top favorites!

Dash Riley Trillo

2011-12-03T23:54:00.000-08:00

Meet the newest Nephew of the Bennett Family...

Dash Riley Trillo
11.22.11 6:00pm
6 lbs 20 inches

Welcomed with Love,
Nick & Camilla Trillo

Bennett Grandkidlets:
4 stinkin cute boys
1 feisty beautiful girl!

Happy December!

2011-12-01T09:57:00.000-08:00

I think it's time for an update on this blog eh? I am so busy keeping up with my other blog that I seriously neglect this blog and I truly feel bad about it! This is pretty much MY journal and I want Lincs to be able to look back on this as his journal too. Life is too busy for us all and we need to slow down, but it seems like we always say that but then we keep getting busier. What can we do to slow down a little bit? I DO know an answer to that.... GET SICK!! HA HA HA HA!!! EVERY TIME we go to Almo, Id (and never to fail) Lincoln ALWAYS gets sick. ALWAYS! It drives me up the wall. We always end up at the dr.'s or insta care when we get back. This time, it was both Lincoln and I. When we got home, we took him to the dr.'s cuz I just KNEW he had an ear infection. Sure enough, DOUBLE ear infection! Time to see the ENT-I am done with ear infections! Both my friend and sister in law told me to see the same dr and had a great experience with her, so that is what we are going to do! Poor kid...

We had a nice Thanksgiving (besides me not feeling well). My mother in law Tammy is an AMAZING cook and made a delish meal-never to fail on that one too. She also had a Bingo game with prizes and a craft. It was so much fun!! The boys usually watch football most of the day and if you are like me and despise football, then this was more then welcomed!

The next day, we headed to Logan to help Base out with the tree lot. Normally I have always enjoyed and looked forward to the tree lot, but now that we have a very active little boy, it was too much for me. There were a few moments I truly thought I was going to loose it! Lincoln also had a massive vomit episode while Jory went on an errand. There we were out in the cold with vomit ALL OVER US! Lincs had it up in his nose, eye, ear and hair. I don't handle vomit real well and I was ready to just go home by this point!! But those Ward boys like to help out their dad so we stayed and toughed it out! Dayle and I braved taking out the chicklets to go shopping and that was a riot! Like any small kid wants to stay in the buggy and behave! Give me a break! They want to run free and wild!! Which doesn't exactly work well you know? At any rate, it was GREAT to get back home and back to the routine of life-so to speak!

OHHHH.... My little sister Camilla had her first baby right before Thanksgiving!! But that deserves a post all on it's own thought right? I am beyond thrilled for them! She is going to be the best mom ever.

And what is a post with out some pics though right? Back in October, we tried to take some family pics up in Idaho. Josh was more then willing to help us out and he did a GREAT job. Lincoln was a PILL and was freaking out the WHOLE TIME!! As Jory was carrying Lincs into the field, I turned around and saw this...

How do you not snap away right? Jory took a few of me and Lincoln together as well. LOVE THEM!!! I will post more of the family pics later as well. There are some cute ones and like I said, Josh did a GREAT JOB!

Aren't those just BEAUTIFUL?! I LOVE candid shots of me and my cute boy! I need to blow some of these up and hang them in my house. Seriously can't get enough of them!! =D I am still head over heels, obsessed with my cute boy.

We put up our beautiful tree from Base's tree lot the other night. It is bigger then I thought. We eded up having to rearrange our whole front room in order to make it all fit! ha ha ha!!! But it's looking like Christmas around here! LOVE IT! I will take pics soon and post them!

2011-11-18T21:35:00.000-08:00

I am obsessed with Pinterest and it's turning into a situation!! It's this fun website where you find cool ideas for photography, cooking, baby stuff, quotes and more. Seriously, I LOVE it! If you are not on it, you should be. I found this little quote thing tonight and loved it so I thought I would share. Oh an update on Lincs... sorry Tammy! He is currently running around with no diaper trying to escape Jory cuz he doesn't want to have his diaper put back on! Ha ha ha ha!!!

You can check out my Pinterest board here...

http://pinterest.com/sherward/

Brushing Our Teeth

2011-11-17T22:05:00.000-08:00

I have recently made a change in my life. I use to be a Crest girl ALL.THE.WAY!! Then I tried a specific Colgate brand and was hooked! My teeth feel SO fresh and clean. May sound lame and boring to most, but this is a huge deal to me! I find myself brushing more cuz I love the feel of how clean my teeth feel. Tonight I was brushing my teeth when Lincs walked in and was watching me. I handed him his little tooth brush and he INSTANTLY popped it in his mouth and started to "brush his teeth."

I WAS SO DANG PROUD!! It was a "run and grab the camera," moment!!!! LITERALLY!! LOL...
He then wanted my tooth brush as well as his. I know most people think this is gross, but after witnessing 3 year olds having all 4 of their upper teeth removed because they were so rotten and having 4 root canals and 4 crowns IN ONE SITTING, I am more then happy to share my tooth brush with my boy! This PROUD mom took several photos OF COURSE.

In other news, Lincoln's first real word is NO. Imagine that. We have been told no by him quite a bit lately. Then again, that's probably the only word he ever hears us say to him to! HA HA HA!! Still, pretty cute when he shakes his head no while saying no. I'm sure the cuteness of it will wear off quite soon!

PS-A VERY HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY MOM & DAD!!!
Oh... and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dear, sweet cousin Ang! Love & miss you!

Lincs Ready for Church!

2011-11-13T22:35:00.000-08:00

My house is just dark and dreary I've come to conclude! Not a lick of nice natural light and then we had to go paint dark colors. WHY?? I always get so mad whenever I try and take pics in my house, so I hardly ever anymore! Sad but true. Today I put Lincoln in his new, first ever church outfit. I have been dying to get him some REAL church clothes since I was pre go with him. I finally could afford a little outfit for him! I think he looks quite dashing! Although... we were really struggling with that set of hair of his!

This first image makes me LAUGH! Love his face!

See what I mean about his hair? OUT.OF.CONTROL!!!

Watching him run is also very funny to me-I don't know why but it just is!

This weekend I had 2 weddings, a stomach bug, a baby blessing and it was my turn to teach primary. So yeah, my house is in its worst shape EVER! Anyone want to come help clean and organize with (for) me? Well Tammy, since I'm sure you might be the only one that reads this blog anymore, it looks like this comment was meant for you! HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!

Lincs has many hilarious facial expressions and I LOVE THEM ALL! After I shot each wedding this weekend, I just wanted to go home snuggle with my cute boy. And we did. And we watched Elf.

We're not sure which language he's speaking these days, but he knows exactly what he's talking about! For now, we'll just call it "Lincolnese" And its about the cutest thing EVER!!

Spring Flowers

2011-11-10T08:56:00.000-08:00

To be perfectly honest, I don't know if I've posted these images yet or not. I LOVE them though. I started looking back through my posts to see if I had, got bored, gave up and decided to post regardless. I seriously can't even tell you how crazy life has been this month again! I have two weddings this weekend. It will start slowing down next week though! I miss spring. I LOVE Christmas, but I hate the cold. I took these images around spring time when my friend Laura came to visit. Of course, if I've already posted this, you already know eh?

Busy, Busy, Busy

2011-11-06T23:14:00.000-08:00

The title pretty much sums up our life these days. It's been busy and on the go non stop! Lincs is still growing like a weed and super cute and I highly doubt that will change anytime soon! ;) Here are some photos I found while cleaning up my computer. I can't get enough of his cuteness! There is no doubt in my mind that I am the luckiest lady to have this little man in my life!

Daddy's Truck

2011-11-01T21:29:00.001-07:00

Lincoln LOVES to be in his Dad's truck. I mean he REALLY loves it. He likes to pretend he is driving. We let him hold the keys and he knew right where to put them! Pressing all the different buttons kept him entertained forever! I am pretty sure he could play in there half the day and be just fine. I finally took some pics of him playing out there and I am so glad cuz they are so dang cute!! Love this boy and I do know HOW lucky I am to have him.

I am pretty sure that we are going to have a hard winter this year. Lincoln hates to be cooped up in the house. I need to find some fun things we can do this winter that can keep his mind off of wanting to go play outside in the cold. He is going to be one sad little boy for sure. What do you do with your kids during the winter?

Baby Parts

2011-10-28T07:48:00.000-07:00

I love macro and since I can't afford an actual macro lens, I got a reversed macro adaptor part for me camera. It seriously is soooo hard! I was practicing on Lincoln while he was glued to the idiot box one afternoon. I love every part of my baby and got some sweet stuff. I wish he would sit still a little longer though.

Tomorrow Lincs and I are going to Ogden to see stay with my sister for the weekend. Camilla is having a boy in December and her shower is on Sunday. Seriously, I am so excited and can't wait to see all my sisters!

Stats & a Bubba!

2011-10-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

Lincs LOVES his Bubba (sippy)! When you ask him if he wants one, he'll get pretty excited. Sometimes I don't work fast enough so he tries to take matters into his own hands and help make the process of making a Bubba faster. Sometimes we have messes and sometimes we have screaming when I don't let him help me. He was laying on the floor drinking his Bubba and looking so dang cute that I had to capture the moment.

Lincs is now 18 months and busier then ever! I am still completely smitten with my boy! He is so stinkin cute and VERY mischievous! His first day in nursery was fun. He played quietly with all the toys by himself but then was SO SAD when it was time to clean up. Singing time was just a no go. He didn't want to sit in the chair like all the other kids. No.... he wanted to run around the circle smacking all the kids (in a fun loving way) and banging his hands against the tables. Then there was snack time... He ate a few gold fish but then decided that throwing his cookies at everyone would be far more fun-as would dumping his water on the table and splashing in it. Quite hilarious, but not!

Today we went to see Dr Clayton. He is FINALLY back on the charts for his weight and height. He's what we recorded today....

Weight: 23.4 (15%)
Height 31 inches (20%)
Head: 42 (70%)

He had his shots today. Always the worst part. It took 2 of us to hold that boy down. He CRIED and was just shaking!!! I felt so bad! But at least he doesn't have to go back till kindergarten! Overall, he is doing really well and I still can't believe he is mine. His cheeks and lips are still worn out from all the kisses he keeps getting. I just can't get enough of my boy!

Busy Boy

2011-10-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

Lincoln LOVES being out in the shop with his dad. He just loves to be with his dad period. One evening he was out with Jory in the shop and Jory came running in telling me to hurry and grab my camera. Lincoln was sitting underneath with Jory's dog just hanging out having himself a great time! So cute. The rest of the evening I followed him around shooting different things he was doing. Man, this kid is just SO BUSY! These pics pretty much speak for themselves.

Macro

2011-10-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

Over the summer I was out shooting with a girlfriend and she told me I needed to test out her Macro Lens adapter. I think yes!! I thought it would be so easy and amazing. It was HARD! Unlike auto focus, you have to manually focus your subject by moving back and forth while practically kissing the subject, all while holding as still as you can. These images are not all super focused but it was still awesome to learn something new which I do plan on doing again. I want to be able to do artistic photography for myself and as my own creative outlet. Wish me luck!

Lincoln's First Date

2011-10-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

I took the Tracy Family pictures about 2 weeks ago and Jory and Lincoln were there helping me get those kids to laugh. Afterwards, we were talking and some of the kids had put our babies (who are about a month apart) in this little car. It was so stinkin cute! They both LOVED it!

Lincs took his date out for a Bubba and then on for a romantic drive.

Crystal Girls

2011-10-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

While doing a bunch of mini session up in Idaho, I took some pics of our nieces. Seriously, the shoot lasted maybe 57 seconds! We got what we could and got some cute stuff!

A Tender Moment

2011-10-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Idaho to shoot a ton of mini sessions. Of course, I was dying to shoot my sister in law Cami's family pics. Seriously, anytime I do a session with her in it, they always turn out stunning. As I was shooting some of BJ and Brayklee, I saw and captured this moment.

I am beyond in love with this image!

A Very Touching Talk

2011-10-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I read this talk on my friend Laura's blog. It was nothing short of beautiful and very touching. She has always been an inspiration and an example to me. The whole way through, I was very choked up. I asked if it was ok to post this on my blog. I always want to be able to go back and know that I have a copy of this beautiful talk.

Kearney 3^rd Ward Youth Fireside; August 2011:“You never know what will happen.”

Nothing could have prepared us for the death of our infant son. He was born just 3 weeks before his due date—he was considered full-term. There was no indication that anything would go “wrong” during the 8 months he was in the womb. I went to the hospital because I was having contractions. I was hooked up to a machine so the nurses could monitor our baby. He was in distress and needed to be delivered right away. My doctor was paged and they wheeled me into an operating room where our son was born by Cesarian section. We got to see him briefly before he was transported to another hospital. The next day we learned that he had suffered damage to his brain due to infection in the womb and that his body would not be able to perform several functions on its own, including breathing. We knew fairly quickly that we needed to remove him from the ventilator so that he didn't have to struggle anymore. The next day I was recovered enough to be with him. We were in a private room, surrounded by family the day our son died. It was very peaceful, and not nearly as traumatic as you might imagine. We knew in those moments that his life had a purpose—his time on earth was brief, but he gained all he needed to return to our Father in Heaven: a body. I don't think we ever asked, “Why us?” Because of our faith and our knowledge of the gospel, we knew our son's death was a part of Heavenly Father's plan. “Tragic things happen to good people. God does not cause them, nor does He always prevent them. He does, however, strengthen us and bless us with His peace, through earnest prayer.”—Rex D. Pinegar, “Peace through Prayer,” Ensign, May 1993, 67.

We prayed a LOT. It was difficult sometimes to know what to say, or how to express the hurt and grief we were feeling, or how to ask for the things we needed—like comfort and peace...and most of all, hope. But we prayed anyway; saying whatever flowed from our mouths and combated the adversary in convincing us that prayer was fruitless. Prayer saved us from falling into that proverbial pit of despair. We focused on the love of our Savior. We were reminded time and again, that we were not alone in our sorrow.

We received so much support and love from our friends, and family, and our ward family. Cards came in the mail with uplifting words. Members of our ward family brought us dinners. Friends and family mowed our lawn. So many people attended our son's funeral—it meant so much to us to see the warm faces of those who cared for us all in one room. Our ward family provided a meal after the funeral. It was nice to sit and rest, and eat while recovering from the physically and emotionally draining day. We felt their love for us in every detail.

Thomas S. Monson said, “Whenever we are inclined to feel burdened down with the blows of life’s fight, let us remember that others have passed the same way, have endured, and then have overcome.”--“Meeting Life’s Challenges,” Ensign, Nov. 1993, 68. There were people that came to us and told us that they too had lost a child. They gave us hope. They made us realize that others had gone through the trial we were experiencing...and had survived.

For comfort we frequently listened to talks given by leaders of the church. Our favorites were talks by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin. He spoke to us directly, it seemed. Whenever we were sad, we heard him say,“Be assured that there is a safe harbor. You can find peace amidst the storms that threaten you. Your Heavenly Father—who knows when even a sparrow falls—knows of your heartache and suffering. He loves you and wants the best for you. Never doubt this. While He ... does not always intervene in the course of events, He has promised the faithful peace even in their trials and tribulations.”—Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Finding a Safe Harbor,” Ensign, May 2000, 59

An article in the Ensign by Elder Bednar reminded us that, "Learning by faith and from experience are two of the central features of the Father's plan of happiness."

I can tell you, no matter what, it IS a plan of happiness. There were very sad times, and I sometimes asked, “Is this hurt worth it?” But I was comforted by Psalm 30:5, "...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." This reminds me that our sorrows will be but for a moment in the eternal scheme of things.

We are here to learn by faith through experience. We knew in our pre-mortal life that not all of those experiences would be happy ones. Some of those experiences would feel as though our heart had been broken beyond repair. We would truly be tested.

Why did we agree to this? Because we are promised, if we come to earth and live righteously, that we will have an abundant life-- that we will be resurrected and gain eternal life. We will return home and glory in the presence of our Father in Heaven, who created us and be united with our families to live with them forever.

Our son is not on earth with us, but he is ours forever. Heavenly Father knew it was worth it for him to be here--even for a short time. He is a bright spot in our lives and reminds us that even small things bring great wonders.He is a constant reminder to us why it is so important to live in accordance to the gospel. We want to be with him in the Celestial Kingdom, so we must be our best selves each day.

The following scripture was read in Sacrament meeting about a year after our son died. It expressed, in part, what I gained from going through this trial.

Doctrine & Covenants 78:17-19 reads:Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours. And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.

Losing our son was difficult, but the knowledge I gained has saved me from giving into despair and has strengthened my faith in a very fast, sure way. I know that Heavenly Father has blessings beyond measure prepared for me. I know that I cannot bear all things by myself, but that I have my Savior to lean on. I know that the riches of eternity are mine. And I know that receiving all things with thankfulness allows the blessings to shine through the hard times. It's an awesome feeling-- to know without a doubt that your trials are the building blocks of your faith.

Our journey has been one that we only survived through our faith and trust that Heavenly Father knows us and has a plan for us. I may never know why things have gone the way they have, but I can say that I am a blessed mom to have all of my children a part of me forever because of the promises and blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Lincs the Stinks

2011-09-21T23:23:00.000-07:00

Tonight my mom called to see how I was doing. Lincoln and I were snuggling in my bed watching "All Dogs Go To Heaven" and having a tickle fight. She could hear him giggling in the background and kept saying how much she missed him. She begged me to post some more pics of him, so for my mom, that is what I am doing.

I took these pictures while we were up in Idaho. I had shot pics of everyone else's baby and figured I should take some of Lincoln. I am not going to lie, I was really dreading it because Lincs is a STINKER and has his own mind. Well, the results are in and sure enough these pics speak for themselves...

Graycee & Casady

2011-09-20T00:22:00.000-07:00

Here are a few images from our nieces photoshoot. To see more, click on my SW Portrait link.

Laura & Her Girls at Timp Temple

2011-09-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

Here's yet another long over due post! Oh well. Laura and her girls DROVE FROM MISSOURI to come visit us back in June. I admire Laura so much and she truly is one of my most cherished friends. I also admire the fact that she drove by herself with her two chicklets! Yikes... It was nice to see her and see how much our babies have grown. We went to the temple one Sunday after church with our girls. We had so much fun. Pictures to die for...

Oh Laura, I miss you all ready!!

Easter

2011-09-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

Yeah I'm a little behind on this post. Oh well. On Easter Sunday we took Lincoln to the Mt Timp Temple and walked around. It was the most beautiful day of spring I swear! It was so peaceful and the lighting was amazing. Lincoln has such a fun time walking around as fast as his little legs would go. He looks so much younger to me in these pics. What a cute baby!

More of Almo

2011-09-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I don't think I've EVER taken so many pics while in Almo! I have lots more I'm working on too! There's just so many cute ones I don't want to leave out. Gavin and Autumn LOVED all the kittens out there and if they weren't riding the horses, they were struggling those kittens! So stinkin cute eh? I found some more pics of Lincs on that mower and had to post them. Yeah... I am one of THOSE moms!

Grandpa's Riding Law Mower

2011-09-10T00:07:00.000-07:00

Lincoln LOVED grandpa's riding law mower. I mean he was obsessed! Seriously, it was so fun to just sit and take (A LOT) of pics of his different expressions and excitement. He seriously just cracks me right up-love it! I couldn't leave out a single image. Way too cute!

Moments with Mom

2011-09-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

I love capturing tender moments that moms share with their kids. Nothing melts my heart more. Ok, so when my kid FINALLY goes to sleep might have to top that one. While we were in Idaho, my father in law took our friends and their kids out on what seemed like many rides on his horses. The Peterson kids were in HEAVEN! Autumn was a pro as soon as she looked at the dang horses! As I was busy taking pics of Graycee and Casady, we saw them coming up the road on the horses. How could I resist? I thought, what a sweet moment this is! I love being able to take time out of busy life and just BE A MOM! I know Karen is one busy woman, so I know this was a special time for her. I also know that when her kids are older, they will CHERISH these photos! Who wouldn't want photos of themselves with their mom just hanging out?

Aren't these darling??

Almo Part 1

2011-09-07T00:10:00.000-07:00

A week ago we went up to Almo for Brayklee's bday. It was a lot of fun and Lincoln had the time of his life! He's just a very few pics I took. I'll post more as well. Lincoln LOVED Grandpa's tractor SO VERY MUCH! He also loved seeing the horses. He even let Grandpa hold him and take him over to the horses. Grandpa let all the kids ride horses, Lincoln was too scared to be on the horse, but he just wanted to look at them regardless. He was such a little free spirit up there. Jeff and Karen's family joined us on our trip and I'm pretty sure their kids were in Heaven too. Lol.. It was for sure a fun weekend away. Look how beautiful my boy boy is! Oh man, I don't think I can ever get over HOW MUCH I LOVE HIM!!

Pretty much one of the most disgusting pics I've seen of myself but it was the ONLY pic of me in Almo, so I had to document for my boy.

The next two pics are quite disturbing. Lincoln has some CRAZY hair that was so ratted and I couldn't fix it. I even tried putting conditioner in his hair. Did not work. Just look at that poor hair... It has since then been cut! I was getting nervous it was going to turn into dreads any day.

Eating

2011-09-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

Not a day goes by that I thank my Heavenly Father for this CUTE boy. I truly think I am so blessed to have HIM in my life. This morning again, he woke up, sat next to me and smiled. Then he bent down and gave me a kiss on the lips again. I was still sleeping, but Jory was giggling the whole time and it was just so sweet! Today Lincoln and I got in the car and went scouting for photography spots. We walked for a long time, but it was so nice to just spend time with him. We both love going for walks. We went to the prettiest place in Lehi. I can't wait to shoot there!

I did a photo shoot of my little nephew Parker tonight. Oh man is he so cute! I got home and even though I wasn't hungry, I forced myself to eat something. Lincoln was just watching me so I put him in his high chair and pulled out a fruit cup. He was SO HAPPY!! He loves peaches! This time, I remembered the bib! He gobbled those things up so fast. I put a few other things on his tray to see if he would eat those, but he could only see those peaches. At least you could say we are progressing.

I am so in love with these pics!!! His little face and those BEAUTIFUL eyes are so adorable and I just can't get enough of them!

This Morning...

2011-09-02T15:12:00.001-07:00

I woke up to Lincoln kissing my lips and giggling. He was so excited and proud that he had learned to give a real kiss that he kept kissing me and giggling about it. What a cute way to be woken up! Too bad it was still a little dark out eh? LOL. LOVE my boy!!!

Happy Friday!

2011-08-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

Today we're leaving for Almo, ID. Our niece Brayklee just turned one, so they are having a party for her. Should be fun. I should be packing and getting ready, but instead I have been emailing Dayle, blogging while sitting around in my G's. Good times my friends.

Here's some more pics of Lincs and his Dad. I know it seems like my kid never wears clothes, but the last posts where he was just in his diaper were all from the same evening. He is ONE BUSY boy and I didn't want to put all these pics in one post. Too long and BORING! Enjoy...

Licorice

2011-08-23T07:37:00.000-07:00

One day, while I was working on my laptop, Lincoln was sitting next to me on the couch chomping away on some licorice. He and I LOVE Twizzlers. Oh man, they are so dang good! I got carried away in what I was doing and remembered he had been sitting next to me. I looked down to find this...

He had fallen asleep leaning on me, eating his licorice. HILARIOUS!!

Today Lincoln and I are going on a play date with my friend Katie and her son Kyson. I'm pretty sure Lincs will have a lot of fun. We're going to have a little picnic at the park. Lincoln LOVES the park, so he'll be so happy the whole time. Later on this afternoon, we are going to see Dr Clayton to see how he is doing on his height and his weight. I'm sure he has gained some weight because he is downing those Pedia Sures like it's no body's business! Problem is, he won't drink normal milk and still won't really eat. What a stinker...

Lincs & Jor

2011-08-21T16:46:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad last week is over! It was non stop craziness! I shot at least once everyday, had two weddings and worked a few days for Baby Bella. We are going to be going through some changes around here and it could get crazy. I am quiting Baby Bella (very sad about that-it just isn't working out) and will be pushing SW Portraits full force. I want to be able to be at home as much as I can with Lincoln during the day. We'll see how things go! Pray for us k?

Here are some pics from a few weeks ago with Lincs and his dad while being outside. These two are just two peas in a pod. I have lots more coming of the two of them so stay tuned!

Oh and before I forget... Lincoln has figured out how to take off his diaper on his own. Lately, he's been doing this in bed. Last week, he was laying down in bed next to me and I had been dozing off. All of a sudden, I could SMELL pee. ??? I looked over and Lincoln had taken half his diaper off and had peed to the side of of him on the bed. This morning, he just full blown taken his diaper off and was running around the bed and peed-yet again. Yeah, he'll be keeping clothes on AT ALL TIMES from now on. Grrrr... I'm sure I'll find this story funny later on down the road though.

The Water Hose

2011-08-16T23:04:00.000-07:00

When you go to a Art Gallery, you will find pieces that are inspiring, moving, emotional and one that you just tilt your head and say, "Hmmm... I just don't get it," and move on. But I DO love going to stuff like this.

However, they ain't got nothin on this series...

Hilarious right? We DIED laughing watching him, but then laughed HARDER when we saw the pictures. Blessed digital cameras!

This boy LOVES to water the grass (er, or the weeds I mean). He gets so serious about it too. Tonight after watering the grass and making puddles cuz he had over watered some spots, he lost his balance and landed in one. So funny...

The Orchards

2011-08-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sure Lincs Grandmas are dying to see pics of the cute boy. I have soooo much to blog about. Hopefully I can do more of him this week. No guarantees though...

A few weeks ago I was doing a photo shoot and Lincs was with me. I know, doesn't sound super professional but Jory had to work and it's just how it had to be. Anyways, after the shoot I wanted to try and get some pics of this little stinker in the Orchards. I LOVE orchards. But of course Lincoln doesn't cooperate when it comes to pics anymore! lol... Either way, I think they're still pretty cute.

Happenings

2011-08-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Jory went on a fishing trip with his BBF Cort. He actually just walked in the door. Whenever he leaves, it ends up being a challenging weekend. My car starting having issues yet again. If anyone finds a red Dodge Stratus in Utah Lake, I had good reasons! I also found some mice. Lincoln had a hard time sleeping last night and was up more then he wasn't. I tried to go to sacrament but ended up chasing Lincoln around the church-just ask the Davis family. I wanted to try and get some church in as I hadn't been in 2 weeks cuz of Steph's wedding. I miss church when I don't go. We left after sacrament cuz I just wasn't feeling well. By the time I got home, I felt SICK-like stomach flu sick! Lincoln finally took a (short) nap and was ready for some fun when he woke up. I can't believe HOW much energy he has for a kid that doesn't sleep that much. I am just drained. I mean HOW do people find the courage to have more then one kid??

Lately I've been trying to get him on a more strict schedule and we're working on our eating habits. He's slowly getting better. He downs about 2-3 pediasures per day. Hopefully he's gained SOME weight by now. Lincs and I have been going on walks every night together. He LOVES going for walks. Nothing makes him happier. When I ask him if he wants to go for a walk, he perks right up and says, "GO!" and bolts it to the door. Cutest thing ever.

I still have been so busy with photography. This week I have 2 weddings, a family, an engagement and several baby shoots/kids. It will be a crazy week, but I'm super excited about how busy I've been this year. It truly has been the greatest blessing ever!

Tonight Lincs and I had some grapes and rice for dinner. He was so upset I wouldn't give him my fork! He saw me eating with it and he wanted to do the same. So I gave it to him and he was such a happy boy!

I have been taking pics of funny things he's been doing and I'll post them soon.

My Sister

2011-08-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

Steph and JD got marries last Sunday. It was a beautiful wedding. She looked amazing and he looked so handsome in a tux. I wasn't allowed to post any of her bridal images until after the wedding since she didn't want him to see the dress until she walking down the aisle. Considering Steph NEVER wears dresses, this was a HUGE deal! My sister is so stunning in her gown. No worries, I will be posting LOTS more sometime soon! =D

Adoration

2011-08-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

I am really not obsessed with my best friend or anything, but tonight I am working on her family pics. They are SO BEAUTIFUL and I just couldn't wait to share one. Either way, I adore this family with my WHOLE HEART! Still miss you girl!

Miss Her So Much!

2011-08-08T22:29:00.000-07:00

I have been working HARD to get caught up on all my sessions, but mostly on the wedding I shot out in Nauvoo. I came across these pics today and they tugged on my heart strings. I LOVE this girl. She is amazing in every way! We have been dear friend for almost 10 years! When I moved back from Missouri, leaving her (and Laura) were the HARDEST things ever! I've missed them both so very much since then. This year, I have been SO blessed to see Hillary twice! It's been amazing and every time I am around her, I love her more and am sad that we live so far apart. At least we took a few of us this time.

And don't mind our crazy hair... If you've been out to the mid west, you know HOW unbearably HUMID that place gets. Blah! It was hard to breathe a few times.

Loved These!

2011-08-07T12:05:00.000-07:00

I love the sun glasses my cousin Ang bought for Lincs. He won't wear them though and it seriously bums me out. While driving home from a shoot, I looked back to see Lincoln sleeping. I just couldn't resist putting the shades on and taking a few pics of him. SUPER CUTE, eh? This boy is turning out to be such a free spirit. Sometimes it's pretty cute, other times...

Improvising

2011-08-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a super stressful day. Jory and Lincs were still gone and I had a wedding and was hosting my sister's bridal shower at my house. Why might I schedule both those in the same day you might ask? First of all, it was the only weekend all my other sisters were available so I was trying to accomedate them since I had already had this wedding booked. Turns out, it was just too much for me! I woke up early, cleaned my house, baked my goodies and got ready. My two sisters showed up an hour before I was suppose to leave for my wedding. We headed out to pick up a 20x30 print my mom ordered of the temple and then we were going to meet my sister at the party store. When we came out of the store, my mom started to FREAK OUT! Her tire was totally FLAT! Sooooo not what we needed. Nick & Camilla came to help and dropped me off to head off to my wedding. I got there, did some fun wedding deatail shots and as Emily (the girl that I was shooting with) and I were waiting, I realized I had forgotten to put my mascara on. Luckily I had a spare tube in my camera bag. But wait... what was I going to do for a mirror? No worries, I had it covered...

Emily thought this was hilarious so she hooked up her fish eye lens and started shooting. We both were giggling pretty hard about the whole thing. It was quite difficult to keep a straight face while she was shooting.

Sunglass Fun

2011-08-01T22:31:00.000-07:00

Jory and Lincoln made it safely home yesterday evening from Red Fish Lake. It was SOOOO good to see my baby. When he saw me, he smiled at me rather shyly. He reached for me and hugged me close for a long time. I really almost cried. I love, love L.O.V.E my boy. It's been good to have him home! I have been editing like crazy and wanted to find some pictures of Lincoln while he was gone to cheer me up cuz I missed him so much. Look how cute this boy of mine is!

Nothing like some HILARIOUS pics of Lincoln to brighten my day right up! Poor little guy hasn't been feeling well today. He woke up making dry heaving faces and had the throw up burps. By the time Jory got home, he finally did throw up in the back yard. He went to sleep early tonight, woke up and ate a little bit and went back to bed. It sure is hard to be the mother of a sick boy.

Off the Grid

2011-07-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

I know this is a family blog and all, but last night I got a comment from one of my dearest friends on Facebook that kinda nailed how my life has been. She said how she knows when I get super busy because I fall off the grip and I start posting a lot of amazing photos. LOL... I totally feel like I have fallen off the grid! Jory and Lincoln went with Jory's family to Red Fish Lake this week. I was soooo excited to be at home by myself for about 5 days. I thought it would be very peaceful and relaxing. Maybe, just maybe, I'd even go out with a girlfriend one of these nights. Well, that I will! Only... it's to team up to shoot a wedding! I have shot 38 babies again this month at the hospitals, gone to Nauvoo, shot sessions on my own almost every other day and today I am shooting a wedding while hosting a shower for my sister inbetween the bride's ceremony and reception. This week, it's been pretty much every day sessions-one day it was mulitple sessions. I am in NO WAY complaining here-just simply stating the facts. Yesterday I cleaned up my house, stayed up late editing the wedding from Nauvoo-not even half way done of course. I made chocolate covered strawberries for my sister's shower today, ran a ton of errands, printed and picked up orders for my wonderful brides!

Right before I left for Nauvoo, I didn't have anything on my books for July and I was a little nervous. I came home and my books have been filled clear till almost the end of August. Last week, I booked two weddings in one week. ??? AWESOME! At the beginning of this year, I had this feeling that it was going to be a good year with photography. That it has! I have been so dang blessed! I was worried that I would have to go back to the Dental field and I didn't want to do that because they work long hours. I have been so happy not to have to go down that path! So now that you are caught up on my crazy life, let me share with you what I have been up to! (well, just A FEW anyways...) ;)

The Chip Series

2011-07-21T23:22:00.000-07:00

Here's some art work for the grandmothers soul...

This evening, Jory threw some chips on the patio while we were sitting outside because they just looked funky. After Jory left and it was just Stink Bugs and I, he saw them laying on the floor. Surprisingly the dog hadn't wolfed them down yet. Lincoln was quite intriqued...

Off he goes to check out the chips.

Better taste them just in case...

Oh yikes, not sure if I like these mom!

Yeap, pretty sure I am NOT going to keep these in my mouth! I can't believe my Dad wolfs these nasty suckers down so fast! Blah...

These are just sick mom!

How's that for cuteness? Today was Lincoln's first day feeling like normal since last week. He's still not eating hardly anything. I took him into his Pediatrician this week and in two weeks, he's lost half a pound. He was pretty worried about it and wants us to come back in a month so he can monitor his weight. Lincoln weighs 19.3lbs right now and is only 29inchs. He said if he doesn't get his weight up soon, it will start to stunt his growth. He gave us a Rx for Pedia Sure for the next 6 months. We went and picked up the 3 different flavors they have so he could try them all. Of course I had to do a taste test to see what they tasted like. The Strawberry was pretty good! I don't see how anyone can like that chocolate flavor! Yuck!

He hasn't been a huge fan of them yet. Man, I hope this gets better.

SLC Library

2011-07-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this library. I haven't been there often as we don't go in that area often, but this place is amazing! I did a session in this area last spring and as they were running late, I took advantage of shooting the library. I posted this series in B/W on my portrait blog as well. Sometimes, you just gotta take time and doing something for yourself!

Crappy Week

2011-07-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

It all started Sunday night coming home from dinner from a friend's house. We were driving home and had made it to Lehi when the car died on the freeway. Yes. AGAIN. I was so mad. It was really late and we sat in our car baffled not knowing who to call. I told Jory we just need to make some friends cuz we don't seem to have any! Jory called his BFF Cort and luckily they were driving back from their trip to Idaho. They were still in Ogden however. I got on the phone with Melissa and asked her to see if she could find some numbers of a tow truck to haul the piece of crap away. There was only ONE person that answered his phone and he said it would cost $125. REALLY?? Are you insane? Not even 10 MILES?? Cort and his family arrived to take me and Lincs home. We got there around midnight and by this point, I was just ready to THROW UP!

The next morning, Lincoln had woken up acting like he had the stomach flu, my babysitter had called last minute saying she couldn't watch Lincoln at all this week and we both had to work and were down to one vehicle. Oh man, I could tell this was going to be a bad week. Jory said I just needed to stay home with Lincoln today since we didn't have a sitter, he was sick and we only had one car. However, it just doesn't work like that. People in the real world unfortunately don't care if you're having a crappy day. So I told Jory we would just have to go to work in shifts. Since I only had 3 babies to photograph, I went first cuz I could shoot them, come home and do my editing and uploading from home. My car was ready that evening and it was only the fuel pump that went out. I say "only" because last time it was the engine. Still, close to $700 dollars later (including the towing bill) I was bummed out.

Tuesday, Jory went with some Rock Solid boys to Canada to cut (or maybe the right word is mark) corn mazes. I knew I was in for a long week because I ended up having to cover a shift for a girl that got sick, work 3 days, shoot 2 night and find a sitter for Lincoln. Our stake girls camp was this week so my options were very limited. Keep in mind I have like no friends these days so I was already limited! ;) All week long I was frantically searching for a sitter and super stressed about it.

Work this week has been CRAZY! I ended up shooting 18 babies at the hospitals. I truly love this job and would love for it to work out, but I miss my boy and I miss being a mom. Some people say it gets easier to leave them as time goes on. Well, for Lincoln and I, it hasn't. We belong together you know? Because of the instability of him being with a lot of different people this week he doesn't really know, he's been having MAJOR separation anxiety. My house is as trashed as it can be down to the sticky (I mean SUPER STICKY) floors and there's not a lot I can do about it because he is scared to be with out me right now. My mom was here yesterday and was in awe about my floors being so gross. After spending the day with us and seeing Lincoln freak out anytime I got up to just go get something, she realized WHY my house looked so bad.

Friday morning I woke up and was getting Lincoln ready to take over to my sister in law's house. I was determined it would be a good day. As I sat down to eat my cereal, I noticed that it was NOT cold at all. I was, once again, baffled at what was going on in my life! I went to the fridge and much to my delight ;) found out that somewhere in the night, the fridge had stopped working. AWESOME!!! This was JUST what I needed. I was beyond depressed by this point and decided to just leave the house. I couldn't deal with it! I went to work and shot six babies and left to work from home. I was super bummed that most of the moms kept telling me how poor they were and that they couldn't buy anything (keep in mind this job is commission only). I kindly let them know if they didn't want me to shoot, it was ok. They INSISTED that I still shoot pictures even though they weren't planning on buying any. Weird...

I went to pick up Lincoln around noon and Geena mentioned he had not been a happy boy. I felt SO bad! She has enough stress already and has 3 kids she's looking after. I went home thinking he'd cheer up, but he just didn't. Finally, I stuck my finger in his mouth and sure enough, there were THREE molars coming through. Yikes! I guess that explains it.

I was suppose to shoot a wedding Friday night, but with Jory gone and not really having many options as far as sitters, I had to let the wedding go. Good thing I was only assisting another photographer! It would have been nice because I miss shooting weddings and with my credit card about maxed out with fixing both cars and having to purchase a new camera (old one was breaking down), I REALLY could have used the money. In the end, it was better that I stayed home. Lincoln needed his mom. We spent the evening cuddled, watching movies. We went for a evening walk to help calm my nerves (I'm pretty sure I've walked close to 10 miles this week to help calm me down) and when we got home, Lincoln was out cold. Oh good, a few minutes to myself! I decided to try and do some editing since I have PILES to do. When Lincoln woke up, he was acting weird-almost lethargic. He was also really HOT. So much for being calm right? He wouldn't hardly move. I tried to take his temperature (which was nerve wracking trying to keep your 15 month old pinned down). The best I could tell was that it was 102% But really, I've never felt him so dang hot before!

He finally went back to sleep at about almost 1am. Blah... At 6am Saturday morning, he was up and ready to go. I knew my mom was coming down for the day to visit which could only mean one thing... Pedies and Kneaders Day!! Oh how I love my mom, she is so generous! That and I think she took pity on me after seeing my boy not doing well and my gross floors. We went to Kneaders first cuz we both were just starving, then we headed to the mall for some delicious pedicures. Oh man, it was wonderful. It's amazing how a pedicure can just brighten your day. We went and picked my sister up to do some wedding planning and went back to kneaders to see about a wedding cake. Apparently Lehi doesn't do them. We figured while we were there we might as well eat again. And that we did. I seriously never get sick of Kneaders!

Jory finally came home later Saturday night. He went to the grocery store to pick a few things up and get us a Red Box movie. I so very much needed a movie made for adults!

This morning Lincoln still was just laying around acting weird. He drank some milk out of his sippy cup and not even a minute later threw up on our bed. We both felt so sad for him. He's been like this all morning too. I am truly praying for this week to be so much better! You know when you just go through a bad week, you just need something good to happen to you? That's where I'm at right now.

Chores

2011-07-14T23:26:00.000-07:00

I'm sure my brother will be barfing that Lincs has been running around in his diapy so much, but it is bloody hot around here and this boy can NOT keep anything clean longer then a few minutes. I know this is how boys are, but it's secretly driving me CRAZY! Anyways, Lincoln is learning about chores pretty quick these days. The next post you'll see him doing dishes. I am going to have this kid trained so dang fast! I want him to grow up to learn that it is important to help his wife (and mom) around the house. I don't believe it's just the woman's job to take care of the cleaning and cooking. Jory learned that very early in our marriage and has been quite helpful with the household chores. Kids will learn from their parents habits.

It was a beautiful night when I took these pics. He was so dang cute flopping around that hose. I have some more hilarious ones to post later. There's also some fun ones of Lincs and his dad to post too that I know my mother in law will love! So stay tuned Tammy!!! =D

Dishes

2011-07-14T23:18:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, that's right... we make Lincoln earn his keep around here! ;)

He is quite an adventurer these days. He loves to climb and explore. We were cleaning up one night and Lincoln had figured out how to climb on the dishwasher door. Normally this is a no no for me, but since this was the first time, I allowed it long enough to get some pictures. He sure loves to play with the dishes though! Crazy kid!

This Summer...

2011-07-14T23:12:00.000-07:00

Has been a busy one! I have been shooting more then ever and have had a lot of friends and family come visit! It's been amazing. Right before I went to Nauvoo, Laura brought her girls out for almost a week. It was great to see her! Here is a few pics the Sunday while she was here. Of course I have LOTS more, but it's already too late and I have to work tomorrow morning. Blah...

Bangs & A Tie

2011-07-12T22:22:00.000-07:00

I have been insanely busy. I have been shooting every day this week and have shoots all weekend for the next month. Not to mention, my car died yet again on the freeway Sunday night. We had to tow it yet again. I was beyond irritated. Anyways, I cut bangs. I haven't had bangs like this since Senior year back in 1998! Still getting used to them... My girlfriend Jeanie gave me some ties for Lincoln to wear to church. Aren't they so dang cute??

Dear Aunt Cami

2011-07-07T21:10:00.000-07:00

I think you should come visit and SOON. My mom loves taking photos and is dying to do some family photos of you guys in the Orchards. Here's what you are missing out on...

Are you packing your bags to come see us now? I really miss you!
Love,
Lincoln =D

JD & Steph: Engaged

2011-07-06T22:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some more Engagement photos of my cute sister and her fiance. If you follow my blog and Face Book page, you'll have seen a lot already. But it's my sister you know?

To see more of this session, check them out here http://srwportraits.blogspot.com/

Steph got her dress a few weeks ago and it is INSANE! I can't wait to shoot her bridals. She is going to be one smokin hot bride! I designed her announcements the other day. They are so pretty. Maybe I'll post them soon.

Just In Case...

2011-07-05T19:33:00.000-07:00

You were wondering what we had for dinner,

It was CLEARLY Spaghetti! So messy, but SO delicious!

Cute

2011-07-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

Lincs was having a rough day. We both were. Him and I were cranky due to a bad cold we had. I needed a few minutes to calm myself down cuz I could feel myself about to loose it. I put Lincoln down for a few minutes and when I came back in to check on him, this is what I found. Kinda cute...

The Boys!

2011-06-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

This was also taken months ago and I think it is by far my favourite of the boys. So very tender!

Too Cute!

2011-06-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

Laura and her girls are here visiting from MO. It has been so much fun to have them. And... we've actually been taking pictures. This afternoon after church, she took this CUTE picture of Lincoln with her camera phone. I LOVE it!

Stinks & The Dog

2011-06-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

Truly, I don't like animals. AT. ALL. I can't pretend that I like the dog that lives here. I can't pretend about a lot of things these days. However, Stink Bugs LOVES that damn dog! He was so cute with him (or her) the other day. Halie was trying to eat Lincoln's Goldfish. These days, that's one of the few things he'll eat! Anyways, here's some stinkin cute pics of my cute boy. He's still quite the busy boy these days.

Two CUTE Cousins!

2011-06-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

Have you SEEN my cute little nephew?? Oh my gosh, LOOK at that CUTE face! I can't stop looking at this picture of him!

Geena asked if Parker could try out our Bumbo to see if he even liked it. Oh... but he did!! She took a couple pics of the two boys together. CUTEST thing EVER!! I'm so glad Lincoln has a boy cousin close to his age! I'm sure hoping Camilla has a little boy too. Too much fun. I'm pretty sure big eyes are a dominating gene here. They both have them and I LOVE it!

Anyways, aren't these way too cute of our boys? LOVE THEM!

My mom asked if Lincoln was grabbing Parks ear in this one. He's actually not. We're trying to teach Lincoln to "be soft," so that is what he is "practising" in this picture!

This last one just cracks me right up! Those facial expressions on both of them are just hilarious.

Some Favs

2011-06-15T21:58:00.000-07:00

I took these a few months ago and L.O.V.E them. I plan on making them huge in my house someday. If I can figure out where to put them! Starting to run low on wall space here...

A Beautiful Evening Out!

2011-06-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

My very BEAUTIFUL Stephanie sister is getting married this summer. We are all so excited. JD-her finance-is perfect for her and treats her well. Tonight, we went up the canyons and did some Engagements. Oh how I love how they turned out. I started editing them right away because I'm so excited. That and their wedding is less then 2 months away. Anyways, isn't this gorgeous of the two of them?

We went to this CUTE little Forrest to take some more (I know, Forrests in Utah? I am shocked myself my friends!) and Lincoln was NOT happy that Jory put him down. Look close at that little MAD face!

Steph took a little family snap shoot of us while we were there...

Of course I had to have one of my and Steph. I LOVE this pic of us. We haven't had a picture done of us in a long time.

Jory took the pic of me and Steph while JD held Lincoln. Here are the results of that one....

ROFL!!!!!! Isn't that just hilarious???

We then let the two love birds go cuz he was quite anxious to get to his game. I asked Jory to take a few of me and my cute boy together. I think they turned out too cute! I'm REALLY into my vintage processing right now so we'll all just have to deal with it! ;)

One of the boy and his dad...

Lincoln had quite had it by the time we got back to the car. He was hungry and tired. He kept smacking his cheeky for some reason. Cute...

That ended our beautiful evening. I'm so happy with the two new locations we found tonight. It's amazing how taking 5 mins to take some images of your family can bring a smile to your face. I'm so glad we stopped to do this. Taking too many pics is something I never regret. EVER. I will be posting more from Stephanie's session soon!!

From Today...

2011-06-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

Today Lincoln figured out how to take off his diaper. Oh boy... So he was walking around like this for a while...

Oh well, it was hot today. I mean HOT. Besides, that is ONE CUTE BUM right?

Lincoln was intrigued with his Dad's sun glasses. My cousin Ang had bought some for him as a gift while she was down visiting. So cute... We tried to get him to wear them, but oh how hard that was! Super cute though.

At least in this one you can't tell he is fighting us on the hat and glasses!

I am glad this week is over. It has been a BUSY and HARD week. I worked a lot and shot a wedding on Friday. Wednesday we went to a funeral up north some where for one of Jory's uncles. I hate going to funerals. I mean who doesn't right? But it feels like since I married Jory I've been to more funerals then ever. Blah... I hope I don't have to go to one for a long time! On top of all this, Lincoln and I have been sick all week. Jory kept telling us it was just allergies, but turns out my brother and his family have the same thing. So not fun! It's 10:45pm and I'm pretty sure I'm teaching Laurels tomorrow. Sadly, I just remembered this. Oh man, so much for crawling in bed and watching the idiot box!

Next week will be just as super busy with working and lots of shooting. At least there won't be a funeral though. Today all my fabulous sisters went to SLC cuz my little Snuffy sister is getting married and was in search of a wedding dress. Steph is a total tom boy so I figured that she would pick something very simple with no bead work. Oh no, she picked something so girly and with elegant bead work. It is SO GORGEOUS and she looks stunning in it. Just wait for the bridals, I know I can't! I'm so anxious to get out and start shooting! We're shooting Engagements tomorrow and I'm sure she will look so beautiful. Alright, enough rambling! Time to go get my lesson prepared. I sure hope it's not about Eternal Marriage. If I have to teach that topic one more time, I am going to stick a fork in my eye!

Me & Him...

2011-06-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

My good friend Emily asked if she could take some pics of Lincoln for her portfolio. Ummm... TOTALLY! She really wanted to do some in the Orchards while they were in full bloom. We set out and Lincoln was quite nervous about it all. I had asked her to take a few of me and him together. I think she did a BEAUTIFUL job. He wouldn't do it by himself hardly at all, so that was a bummer. Thanks Emily-You are amazing!

Back Yard Fun!

2011-06-03T12:54:00.000-07:00

This morning we snuggled in bed and watched Curious George. He got this movie for his bday from his cousins. Oh man does he LOVE this movie. Whenever that cute little monkey comes on, he just SMILES and looks at me grinning like it's no ones business! Then he constantly has to watch me to see if I'm watching. He claps his little hands together and giggles. He's starting to dance to the music on the idiot box as well. Way too cute. This is one of my favourite things to do with my boy. Oh how I love to snuggle that boy!

Seriously? More outdoor shots? Of course, that's MY boy! He hates wearing shoes-pulls them off and throws them (which is really sad cuz I bought him the CUTEST shoes ever from Target that he will NOT wear!)Can you tell how happy he is to be outside?

I love this last one of him. Just happy as can be! I know what you are all thinking, get that kid a Tetanus Shot! Ha ha ha ha... already on it!

At Least I Have Him!

2011-06-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

Truly... I think I might loose my mind tonight! It has been one of "those" days where NOTHING has gone right. AT. ALL!! The other night I came home to find my laptop in ruins. COMPLETE RUINS! I took it over to my brothers house to take a look at. Come to find out that my laptop has 7 HUGE viruses. Yuck. How they got there, who knows! So I figured I'd be cooped up in my office the next few days editing there, but now I can't seem to get my Photoshop to open. I am just beyond irritated!

Anyways, Lincoln and I spent some time at my good friend's house today and he was just the happiest boy EVER! He would roll around the (carpeted) floor, run around playing and in between ADD moments he would stop, smile at me and run over and give me a hug. How does life get better then that? It was the only thing that brightened my day. We came home and had lunch outside and he helped me eat my cheeseburger. Yes, you read that right! I did eat a cheeseburger today. It was a beautiful day today though. Since I am still playing catch up, here are some more pics. These were taken several months back when we went to Idaho to do a bunch of shooting. We were at one of Jory's cousins house and while we were waiting for them to do a clothing change, I went to check on the babes. Oh how cute is my little boy! Look at that beautiful chubby face. I couldn't resist taking some shots of my own cute, cute boy.

I LOVE tender candid moments like these...

That cute gummy smile makes me just giggle.

The Boys Outside

2011-06-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

Oh man... Lincoln just LOVES to be outside ALL THE TIME! Last night I went to my friend's book party and Lincoln was cranky the whole time cuz he just wanted to be outside. When I finally took him out, he was so DANG happy! Lincoln especially loves to play with his dad and Jory's dog outside. They love to throw the ball to the dog and watch her catch it. Lincoln thinks it's sooo funny!

Doesn't Lincoln look so stinkin cute in his (Canada) red Columbia jacket? I picked it up at the Columbia outlet in Park City for $12!!

The boys and that damn dog who will probably out live us all-just to spite me. Lincs loves animals though. Don't all boys? Anyways, he always has such a fun time when he's outside and truly is his happiest. It should be an interesting summer for sure! I'm sure when it gets nice (if it ever starts to get nice around here) we'll be outside more then we won't!

Upgrade

2011-05-31T14:45:00.000-07:00

It was defiantly time don't you think? =D

Lincoln-2 months (I can't believe he was EVER that little!)

Lincoln-13 Months (I can't believe how fast time has gone by!)

Lincoln still struggles with his crib. He's gotten a lot better though. For a while we would put him in his infant carrier because he seemed to like to sleep in there. Not that we would ever put him in there during the night of course, but just during the day for his naps. He slept longer in his carrier then in his bed for some reason. Clearly, he is too big for it now though. Yeah for Costco and amazing prices on big baby boy car seats!

Into EVERYTHING!

2011-05-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

I was (trying) to clean an organize one day when I walked into my room and found this...

Lincoln had sat on the laundry pile and found a big role of Christmas ribbon. It had four different colours on it and there WAS a lot on there. He was having a blast pulling it off and just playing in it. Crazy kid... I've found it hard to clean these days with him being so curious. I will be cleaning one room and he'll be in the next room getting into something or throwing toys around. My mom always said that toys are not a mess and I agree with that. I can handle the toys being everywhere, it's just the other stuff!

I busted him and he just didn't seem to care. I guess we've given him so many hugs and kisses that he just knows that we love him no matter what.

Back Then...

2011-05-28T19:38:00.000-07:00

Lincoln loved Tubby Time. Now, he screams bloody murder if you try and put him in the tub alone. I don't get it and man is it frustrating! These were clear back in January or February. I can't remember... I walked by the bathroom and this is what I saw...

Too cute right? So I quietly grabbed my camera and came back to take some more pics of him.

As soon as he saw me, it was all over and he started booking it over to me. Probably just wanted to nurse again!

That's ok, he's pretty dang cute!

Today I had two AMAZING photo shoots. I was panicking this morning because it was suppose to be an overcast day and when the couple arrived to our location there was no clouds and it was just super harsh lighting. So we moved onto another location. They are a GORGEOUS couple, so together we pulled it off. This evening I had a family shoot and I am SO EXCITED for how they turned out! Oh how I LOVE the Orchards!!! I have a sister in law that I'm dying to shoot her little family in them! So Cami... COME VISIT ME OK?? Any ways, I am BEYOND exhausted now. What a day!

New Year's Eve-Day

2011-05-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

We really don't do a lot of fun things around here. Pretty low key family. This was clear back on New Year's Eve Day. Lincoln was only like 8 months old at the time. Yeah... that far behind on posting. He was at a point where he just wasn't interested in toys at all. He loved playing with weird miscellaneous things. That day, it was the cracker box. He must have freed one from the box cuz a little while later I heard him sucking and smacking his lips. I guess he got a great taste of that salt eh?