Moment Junkie....

This website is my newest obsession.  Moment Junkie.

(Careful, it's addictive).

If I were to seriously consider wedding photography....well, all day long, I would chase pictures like this....

 (Alice G. Patterson Photography of Central New York)

and this....

(Orange Girl Photographs in Banff)

and this.....

(Dixie Pixel of Tennessee)

These pictures capture why families and friends come together to celebrate.  These are the moments that make the memories.

Moment Junkie posts a new picture every morning, that I get to enjoy with my coffee.  I love it.

Two Years and Counting....

Yesterday marked the two-year anniversary of my blog.  (Happy anniversary to me.....)

I've written 245 posts, uploaded thousands of pictures, spent countless hours typing and editing, and somehow gained a few regular readers along the way (other than just my mom - no offense, mom.)

It's all a little mind-boggling.  It started quite innocently, with this post and a crazy-long to-do list.  Now, it's become a true labor of love.  Both the pictures and the writing.  The blog has been a wonderful record of our lives these past few years. It's given me an opportunity to really make a go of this photographer thing.  It's allowed me to write my way through some tough times.  And, it's given me the chance to connect with family far away, as well as new friends I would have never met had it not been for the blog.

In short, I've loved it.  Loved. It.

So much more than I ever could have imagined.

BUT.....

Having said all of that, I must admit that it has also been a complete pain in my backside.....

This blog is A LOT of work!  Who knew??

I spend hours and hours each week posting to the blog, and goodness knows, I really don't have that kind of free time. Plus, I don't post nearly as often as I'd like.  Take this past week for example.  I'm mortified that there were nine (yes NINE!) days between posts.  That is utter failure in blogger-ville.  It breaks all the blog-o-sphere rules.  And of course, during each one of those nine days, I'm thinking "I gotta post, I gotta post...."  The pressure is on.  But sometimes actually having the time to sit at the computer and write is impossible. 

Right now, I feel like a bit of a blogging basket case.....

Yes indeed - - happy anniversary to me. 

I'm not sure what is next for the blog.  I'd love to do so many new and exciting things with it.  But who am I kidding?  I can barely keep up now.  In the end, I just want to do it well, and sometimes I feel that I don't.  How do people do it?  How do people find time for everything??  I'm at a loss.....

(See, here I am, working things out on your time again.  Aren't you glad to have shared this little moment with me!)

But despite my ranting, I know that having this little corner of cyber-space has been a gift.  Regardless of how much time it takes, and regardless of how many people read it (besides my mom), it makes me happy.  And we all deserve to do things that make us happy, right?

Plus, I couldn't possible "un-blog" myself now.  It has become part of who I am.  The blog ideas run through my head all the time.  I actually think in blog.  (I know - - weird.  But true).  So, of course, I will continue to make the time. And, I'll enjoy it, dammit.....

My thanks to anyone and everyone who stops in from time to time.  I am honored that you share a little piece of your busy day with me.  Feel free to say "hi" in the comments below.  Let me know you are here.  It makes my computer desk a little less lonely.

P.S. Today it was 84 degrees and sunny in Jamaica.  A girl can dream...... 

Freeze

Some days - well actually most days - I'd like to freeze time. Not for very long. And certainly not to try and stop my dear ones from growing up or from becoming who they are. I've come to terms with that part of motherhood (and somehow, it really does keep getting better)....Nope, I simply want to stop the clock and catch my breath. I'm not asking for much - simply an extra few minutes here and there.  It's just that sometimes my brain needs a chance to process all the "amazing" that is whizzing by at warp speed....

Frankly, I'm totally blown away by this whole mama thing.....By all the things Henry and Anna say and do everyday. By the little looks they give me and by the music I hear in their voices. So many things are going on, all at once, and I know this time is so fleeting....

For me.....trying to appreciate all of it - well it feels like mama-overload.

Bottom-line: I want to REMEMBER - - All.Of.It. The subtleties and the in-your-face craziness and and the hilarious things they do that make me double over laughing. I want all the sweetness and silliness to make an indelible impression in my brain. I want to be able to pull it up again 20 years from now. Someday, I want to share these things with their kids.

But darn, it just goes too fast. I'm afraid I'll forget.

And so I write....

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Yesterday after preschool, Anna and I decided to get a car wash. From the back seat, she laughed when I told her how she used to cry and cry at the car wash when she was a baby. "But now I am big and I like it," she said, feeling proud that the fear was gone. It's goofy, but Henry loves the car wash too. I think there is something about the rhythm of the water and the surprise of the next cycle. And of course there's the kid-enticing colored soap. "Mom, it looks like a rainbow," Anna said as the orange and blue and green bubbles streaked down our windows and left a brief fruity/soapy smell in the car. Anna squealed "I wish I could eat it up."

"What do you think it would taste like?" I asked.

Anna flashed me a completely perplexed look, wondering why I was missing the very obvious.

Flatly she said "It tastes like rainbow, mom."

Well, duh.

From now on, I will never forget what a rainbow must taste like.

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A few nights ago, Anna asked for a bedtime snack.

"Mom, can I have a glass of milk and a Pop Tauwt" (Translate: Pop Tart).

Of course, we didn't have Pop Tarts, but I made dear Anna repeat her request two more times anyway. I needed to hear it. To let the sound of the words drift a little further into my brain.

"Pop Tauwt mama, I'd like a Pop Tauwt."

I know that pretty soon those "R" sounds will develop for her and Anna will say Pop Tart. Just like everyone else.

So, I want to remember. The perfect 4-year-old way she pronounces her words. I want to remember it when she is 27.

(For the record, Anna had bluebewwies for a snack that night).

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Sometimes, if he is the first kid up in the morning (which is rare), Henry will find me, usually at my desk working. Still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he'll crawl into my lap. It doesn't happen often anymore. He's seven and barely fits with his long, lanky legs. But if he folds up just right, it's a perfect snuggle.

I want to remember the weight of Henry on my lap. The feeling of him scooting and squirming to find the right spot, even through his legs keep falling off the sides. And I want to remember his quiet morning voice, telling me that he had a good sleep....That he is ready for his day.

I can't let those sweet moments get away.

And so I write. And I take pictures. Trying to savor just a little more of the sweetness. Helping me to remember.....

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I realized that I never posted more than a few of the pictures from my own photo session with Henry and Anna this Fall. I wrote about it, but that was it. So here are a few of my favorites.

With these pictures, THIS day has become permanent. I won't forget.

Latest Edition

Last month, I had the privilege of meeting little Harper Bowie. She is sister to Brennen, who you may remember from HERE and HERE.

By all accounts, everyone seems to be adjusting quite well to this awesome threesome becoming a fabulous foursome. And of course, why not. Just look at this sweet baby girl.

With this session, big brother Brennen officially became my most photographed kiddo (besides my own over-photographed dear ones). I am honored!! Sandra is always so sweet to me, sending me the kindest emails that I save in my "special" email folder.  So I can read them again.  And again.  Particularly when I'm doubting myself....

Lately, that means I pretty much read them every day!

So in this next shot.....while everyone was getting set for another photo, little Harper decided to bust-a-move....Looks like sister's got a little soul. 

Thank you for sharing the afternoon with me, Ben and Sandra. I didn't know it was possible, but it's true.  Your family has become exponentially more beautiful.

Our Fabulous Year 2011

2011 was filled with lots of big moments and little moments. It was a wonderful year.

One of my favorite little moments happened just hours before the clock struck twelve on New Year's Eve. As we've done the past couple years (ever since Henry came along), Ray and I celebrate the New Year at home with the kiddos. We get a few pizza's, and a few movies. We indulge with root beer floats and noisemakers and backyard fireworks. And we yell "Happy New Year." A lot.

Anyway - - after our faux countdown and a New Year's toast with sparkling grape juice ('round about 10 p.m.), Ray and I headed upstairs to tuck the kids in for the night. After teeth were brushed and PJ's were on, we ended up piling on our bed, telling stories and laughing for a few more minutes before it was lights out.

At one point, we were stacked up next to one another, side by side, and Henry yelled "It's a family sandwich. Mom and I are the bread."

With Ray and Anna squished in the middle, I said "Papa is the cheese." (I thought it fit quite well!)

"And Anna is the ham" Ray added, which was perfect too.

Without missing a beat, Anna yelled "No, I'm not. I'm the celery!"

Of course. Celery.

See. That's exactly what I love about my life. I never quite know what might happen next. But whatever it is, there's a pretty good chance it will be something wonderful....

Plus, who knew that I could love a celery and cheese sandwich so much.

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Once again, I've put together our annual family slideshow, recapping the fabulous year that was 2011. Last year I posted the abbreviated version here on the blog, but this year, I didn't have time to create a short and a longer version. So, here is the whole kit-and-kaboodle. (do people still say that??)

My guess is that my mom and sister will be the only viewers. But, that doesn't matter. It's for posterity anyway.

Our Fabulous Year 2011 from Debra Pexa on Vimeo.

Here's to a fabulous 2012. And to a lot more celery and cheese sandwiches!!