Fall

It is officially fall.

The persimmons told me so.



As a child I knew it was fall when Grandma and Grandpa would make us go across the road with them to pick up persimmons. Although I never have acquired a taste for them, I never had a problem tagging along to collect the goods so that Grandma could make the pudding that people enjoyed so much.

Persimmons were even a deciding factor in where we located our house. When we picked the spot we discovered 3 trees and I was adamant that we would not cut them down. My decision was solidified after Grandma tried them and let us know that they were the "good ones."

Last year I didn't get too many persimmons. By that point I had a very round mid-section and couldn't get close enough to the ground to pick them up. But this year it's a different story. I'm picking persimmons. And I'm teaching Ethan how to know which ones to gather with his chubby little fingers.

At the rate that they are falling, Grandma should have plenty for a pudding by this weekend. And there are plenty more waiting to drop to the ground. Ethan and I just have to make sure that the deer and rabbits don't beat us to them.

Finding Happiness

So it has been a rough day. That may very well be an understatement, but that's where I'm going to leave it.

I'm just trying to remember that I have to find happiness in the little things that seem mundane, but that make my life purposeful.

My first bit of happiness was stopping to pick up Ethan. I love the excitement of his "MAMA" as he comes running when I walk in the door at day care and the following display of his work from the day. I enjoy (most of the time) the chit chat of him and Bryson "talking" on the way to Grandma's to get Elijah. And I love feeding Elijah after our first cuddles of the afternoon.

Then the boys and I head home to do our thing. Cuddles, play time, food, baths and bed with some cleaning thrown in. It's exhausting and I get bogged down and frustrated at times. Like today. But one or both of the boys will do something to remind me that I am lucky to be their mom and that I mean so much to them. Today was Elijah's turn.

After he had eaten and Ethan was off playing, Elijah decided to practice his pulling up skills. He's doing very well, which is good since he isn't trying to become mobile by crawling. While he was "standing" he decided that it was conversation time. And, I must say, that he is a very animated communicator.

And I swear I hear words mixed in every once in a while. Tonight I heard "mama" and "hey there."

And then he let me get a good picture of his fresh pearly whites. FINALLY! The child is stingy!

Even though the day was extremely rough, I know that I have to get up and do it all again tomorrow because there are two little guys that need me.

But really, I believe I need them more sometimes. They keep me going.

Thanks Ethan and Elijah. I love you boys more than you'll ever know!

The Simple Life

There hasn't been too much going on around here lately. We've just been living the simple life. I took the GRE on Saturday as a result of a crazy idea I had in the spring when I decided that I want to go back to grad school. I did ok, not great. I'm just glad to have it over. While I was in the 'boro Ronnie took care of the boys and as a result, Ethan didn't get his nap. Here he is on the couch Saturday night after sitting down with a cup of milk to watch cartoons. It didn't take long at all for him to pass out cold. He barely opened his eyes as Ronnie carried him to the bed later on.

Elijah is still sitting around like a big boy. And he still refuses to crawl. I'm waiting on him to just start walking around one day. So here's a picture of him since I can't post without sharing one of him too!

And finally. The evening meal at our mad house is usually very unorganized and usually involves something frozen or canned. Unless it works in the GT Express or toaster oven, chances are that it won't get cooked. Most of this is my fault: I'm extremely tired when I get home, then I have to deal with the boys on my own, I didn't get to the grocery store, and the list goes on with excuses for not cooking. However, yesterday Ethan and I went to the grocery store and got several things to prepare for yummy cooked meals. Since Ronnie was not here for supper tonight we tried one that he probably wouldn't like anyway. (He is SUPER picky, but not very critical of the things I make for us to try when all or most ingredients are on his approved list.) I found a recipe for Chicken Bundles and decided to try it. Of course I didn't have all the ingredients so I substituted and added mushrooms (Ronnie's second to least fave). I think they look really cute and they tasted pretty good too!

I think that's all I have tonight. I'm going to go get my icy chocolate milk from the freezer, make Ethan go to bed and watch some silly TV show before I crash. Good night all!

A New Blog!

I created this blog as a place to share all the crafty things I thought I was so great at making. But along the way life happened and I really haven't had as much time to make anything, let alone share it on the blog. However, as life was happening I began to share more about the most wonderful creations I could have ever had a hand in...my boys!

At the moment I am hoping that this photography thing takes off for me. That I can capture memories for several more families, and that I can make at least a side job out of something that I absolutely love! I don't know where the road will take me, but I'm more than ready to find out.

So I've said all that to say this: I want to keep this blog about me, my family and my crafts (if I ever get around to them again). This has become a great place for me to document the little things in our life that I will enjoy reading in the future. So I have created a new blog for Melissa Kidd Photography. I didn't want to jump the gun by creating a new blog or naming a "business," but I want to keep things separate. And ready to go just in case! The link to the new blog is to the right. I don't have too much there yet, but I wanted my readers to know about it.

Hope you're having a great weekend and that your work week flies by!

Sweet Baby Payton

I met Miss Payton and her parents yesterday afternoon. She is the first newborn that I've taken pictures of (other than my own kiddos) so I was a little on the nervous side. But I had nothing to worry about as she was so sweet and perfect! Here are a few shots of the little doll!

LOVE these cheeks! Her sweet peepers!

Such a cute family!

Her tiny hand.

And let me just say that I absolutely LOVE this one!!!

Thanks so much for allowing me to capture these memories for you all!

Scrub-a-dub-dub

There's a baby in my tub! Bath time has become a fun time with Elijah. He loves to splash water to see the waves and hear the sounds. He and Ethan have come to enjoy their tub time together as it is a happy time full of laughter and smiles. Enjoy!

I'll be back very soon to share a sneak peek of a newborn I shot this afternoon!

Bubbles

Ahhhh. Last Thursday afternoon was a beautiful one. And, yes, it has taken me this long to finally blog about it. Fall is in the air. You can feel it in the chilly mornings, the toasty afternoons and the perfect evenings. You can see it coming in the beautiful skies and in the golden turning of the leaves. And since we needed some outside time, the boys and I headed outside for a bit last week to enjoy the day.

This was my view as I lay on my back listening to the joyous sounds of my boys playing.Then Ronnie got home and tried his best to entice Elijah to crawl to him. Daddy loving on his Little Man.

My Big Boy.

Then came the bubbles.

And with the bubbles came funny faces, laughter and perfect happiness!

I'll be posting some pretty cute bathtime pics next time....we'll see how long it takes me.

On another note, I am looking forward to not one, but two newborn sessions in the next week or so. And there are a couple of good friends interested in family shoots. If you're interested in a session, please contact me! I would love to photograph you or your family!

More of the Callicutts!

It's after midnight! Why on earth am I still up?! I'll tell you why. I downloaded some photo editing software and started playing around. Then Ronnie made me stop so we could go out to eat. It was very yummy! But after we got back home and got the boys to bed I started edited and creating collages of my sister's photo session and I just couldn't stop! So I'm writing this blog while they upload for her on facebook. Here are some of my fun creations!

















Leave a comment and let me know what you all think about these.

Also, I plan to post some fun pictures of the boys from last night! Stay tuned.

Good night!

Exited!

I am so excited! I know my pictures aren't the greatest yet, but I really want to work on getting better and I have had several people ask me to capture their families! So, a huge thank you to all of you that are willing to let me use you as guinea pigs. I'm looking forward to finding new locations and having the opportunity to work with all of you!

On another note, my baby is sick. Brenda and Gram Jackie took Elijah to the doctor yesterday. He has a double ear infection and the crud. He's on antibiotics and we're back to the fun nebulizer! But, he now weighs a whopping 16 pounds! He's finally growing.

Ethan is still enjoying "school." That's what he calls it anyway. He's learning to write letters, numbers and his name. He's growing up so quickly!

Well, that was a quick update! Take care!

Callicutt Family

My sister entrusted me to take some pictures of her little family this evening. I think they turned out pretty good. Amanda, here's your sneak peek!

Let me know what y'all think!

More Practice!

Let me say that I have a wonderful husband! Ronnie humors me by aiding in all my crazy whims. So yesterday was a picture-filled day. We walked through the woods carrying baskets and blankets to get the pictures in the last post. Then as we got ready to go to his parents' house, he helped me load up more props: the rocking chair he got when he was one, the baskets and blankets, and some of Ethan's tractors that we didn't even use. When we got to their house, he dug out this case and found one of the kid's wagons to use. He's such a sweetheart! So, if you're up for more pictures....here you go!

Thanks for looking! Leave a comment and let me know what you think! I like to know who's stopping by and I would love critiques and new ideas!