~slacking is a habit... our crazy life and our incredible gift~

so... apparently i decided to make slacking a permanent hobby of mine seeing as it has been almost a year since i posted anything on here BUT i truly have a great reason(s) for joining the slacker hall of fame! first... we found out we were moving (yay!) so the packing commensed... then, after all the packing was done we were house searching and ready to pick up and go, we find out that we weren't moving after all... seriously. so all the unpacking slowly started happening (not nearly as quickly as the packing and with much less excitement). next, the BEST thing we could imagine happened... we found out that we were expecting! the amazing joy i felt can't even be explained, it was incredible and needless to say i began to think of things other than posting random thoughts. there was of course work, dr visits, work, trips home, the holidays, car trouble, work, more dr visits, and lots of other fun stuff mixed in there to help avert my attention. finally (and more than likely needless to say) nine months later -may 16, 2011- after some preeclampsia, sickness, dizziness, exhaustion, and a surprisingly short pushing period our gorgeous little gift from God came into this world. cooper maddux was 7lbs 20.5 inches of beautiful little man, who completely rocked my world (and continues to do so) in the most incredible way. his daddy and i couldn't have been happier to have our newest little blessing in our arms. so... our little man is now our big 11 wk old (tomorrow) man, who has brought a whole new definition to what i had previously thought love was... mommy-hood is the best time of my life, i got to fall in love with a little angel and fall in love with my husband all over again. amazing. needless to say, i haven't had much time, nor did i want, to think about anything other than maddux. anywho, i am currently trying to convience myself that i can make a comeback and begin to post in a semi consistent manner again soon. we will see what happens... :)

photo credit- kate mckinley photography

random picture of the day

nothing makes me smile more than seeing you smile at me :)

our new baby:)

well, i found another reason to be a blog slacker... about 2 months ago our sweet kitty, abbey, got really sick. she started acting funny suddenly one day, we rushed her to the vet only to find that she had developed diabetes (which apparently cat's can develop almost overnight) and her kidneys were shutting down. the vet did everything that she could do but in the end, she didn't make it... it was awful. we were all devastated. miles will still randomly ask if abbey is still in heaven, he loved that cat. anyway, we have had a really hard time with loosing her and wondering if and when we would get another kitty. we had started looking for one to adopt, rescue, etc. and of course each and everyone we found in the paper or on the internet was adorable and worthy of a home but we just had to make sure it was the right time and the right one for us. i was looking in some ads just the other day and saw a listing for a 7 month old (approximately) black little guy that had been found and needed a good home. he was said to be good with dogs (which is necessary because we have a furry bundle of fun named jaxon that would have to be compatible with him), great with kids (also VERY important), very fun loving, and sweet. i don't know why but this just said to me that i needed to call. i talked to dave about him and we decided to give the lady a call. when i called i found out that this lady had been walking with her daughter and a friend from the neighborhood when across the golf course they spotted this little guy. he was hurt, dragging his back leg but still yet pulling himself toward them just to rub up against their legs and meow... she said that he was so friendly and sweet that she couldn't just leave him there. she picked him up and took him straight to the vet. he had apparently been attacked by another animal and had a huge gash in his back leg which required a few staples and antibiotics, but was healing nicely. she said that she, her daughter, her neighbor and both families were so in love with him that they just had to find him a good home. she has 3 dogs, one of which is not cat friendly so she just couldn't keep him but volunteered to have the rest of his shots done and have him neutered if he found a family. we decided that we had to be that family. i went the next evening to see him by myself (dave had to work). he had just had his surgery and was still a little groggy but as soon as i squatted down he walked straight past the other ladies and straight to me, i knew we had to take him... so we did! we have had him for 3 days now and he is doing wonderful, he is playful, loving, and very curious about everything around here. we are slowly introducing he and jaxon so that they won't either one be in culture shock but overall it is going great. he has new everything and we are working on putting some weight back on him, he is so so skinny. the only problem we are having is that we just can't seem to find the right name for this sweet new addition to our family!

i'm back!

i have been a total slacker here lately... first it as vacation, which was awesome... then our niece maddi stayed with us for her final week of summer before back to school.... then my sis and her hubby came back to pick up maddi and celebrate their 22nd anniversary! now, unfortunately it's back to the real world... :( in the last almost three weeks i have been lucky enough to only work about 5 days total, which i have to admit i have started to miss the photography scene. anyway, today is my first day home, doing stuff around the house, alone, mind wondering, trying to decide what needs to be done first and getting ready to run errands. it's a good feeling to be home, not that vacation wasn't amazing but sometimes you just need to get back to the familiar, back to boring, and back to our awesome select comfort mattress! my preoccupation as of late has been all of the pictures that i took while we were there... i think i finished somewhere close to 1,100. i know, i know, that's ridiculous even when you don't know that i probably actually took around 2,500 but in my perfectionist mind its a necessity to delete the imperfect ones. until i can get through all of our pix. i'm making this a short one but i will be posting random pictures from vacation and of the adorable men in my life very soon and probably frequently for the next little while. happy wednesday!

the precious smile of the most incredible, happy little man, who steals my heart with every single grin...

headaches, hot days, and happiness

i have been a slacker... between trying to get all of our stuff packed up and the awful sinus headache that i have had for the last two days i haven't gotten a chance to post any pointless ramblings... sad i know. so, after a night of very little sleep and waking up a million times with my lovey headache, we are up finishing all the little details, double checking that we haven't missed anything, and getting ready to hit the road to florida! yay! as much of a process as packing is and as much stress as getting ready to go on vacation puts on a person... i am so happy! i can't even wait to get there and start enjoying every second with my boys! spending time with them never seems to get old. well, for now i have a few things to finish and then we are on the road to hot days, lots of pool time, water parks, sea world, family time, and happiness! :)

the many faces of miles

I just couldn't resist...








somtimes you just feel like roaring... am i right? :)

the last day is always the longest

so our vacation starts tomorrow (even though we aren't leaving for orlando until sunday morning) which means that today was the last official work day before vacay. my day consisted of random jobs, running about, and discussion on what upcoming weddings we were shooting when i got back into town (i work for a photographer). my hubby, on the other hand isn't quite as lucky to have such a simple day of tying up small loose ends and getting ready for the vacay ahead... he is a mgr at a large retail store, his hours vary day to day and week to week so everyday is something different. today his scheduled hours where 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. which is all fine and dandy except for it is now 9:33 p.m. and the poor guy still isn't home. 12 hr days aren't anything new to him... for that matter neither are 14, 16, or 20 hr days. he works himself to death! he is just one of those guys who tries to do things the right way, give it all that he has, and do right by people which unfortunately isn't the same attitude that some people have which often leaves him (and his huge heart) picking up the pieces of all that is neglected by others. the other thing is that he is really amazing at his job, i mean really good at what he does... i don't say this because i'm biased (which i am) but i say it because he truly is. he is that guy that will sacrifice for the good of the business, put in long hours to make sure that things are taken care of and never expects for anyone else to lend him a hand, regardless of how much or how often he has helped them out. i am so proud of him for the kind of man he is, for the sacrifices he makes daily to provide for our family, it is beyond amazing to me how he does it sometimes. anyway, i digress, i just prayed that today would be a day that he would actually get off work on time (which he never does) and get to come home and relax for a little while, soak in the idea that he doesn't have to lift a finger at work for the next 9 glorious days... but... that doesn't seem like it is going to happen for him tonight. so back to the point... why in the world is it that the last day of work before a vacation seems to last an eternity? i mean whether you actually have to work a full day or just have a few things to get done before you walk out of the office, it always seems like it drags on hours longer than normal. wow... i sound like the biggest whiner. anyhow, the point is, (if there is a point) that we tend to live in the moments that we want to be in and magnify the negativity of those moments that we would rather pass somewhat quickly. if we really sat down and looked at the "last day at work" before vacay, it may have been slightly more stressful because you have to tie up those loose ends and make preparation for the time you will be out but is it really that much longer than a normal stressful day? the answer is yes... and its awful. i worked really hard to convince myself that our minds make it worse, and to some extent they do but in all actuality it sucks. well, now that i have ranted and raved i will get off my soap box and wait patiently for my sweet hubby to walk in the door, all the time knowing that i will have him all to myself, well myself and little man, for the next 9 days and that is a fabulous feeling:)