I heart faces: blue

The theme of this week’s I heart faces photo contest is “blue”… after staying up late working on this blue eyed girls pix, I had to enter this week!  Loving this pix of my blue eyed niece, Hallie!

 

Pam

Yes, it’s Me…Monday

It’s Monday.  And this is my life!  While “Not Me, Monday is incredibly fun, It takes too much mental energy to turn it around some days!! 

Kiahna and I are snuggled up in our lazy boy chair, with my new lap top as I type this morning!!  We are both loving this!  She likes to sit on my lap while I work at the computer, so this makes her smile this morning for sure!!

I am so thankful for my parents helping me out and getting me this new computer.  The old computer is back in the house too.  It has a new/used hard drive installed and will work great for the kids to use! 

The old computer was built in 2001.  It is not equipped to run photo editing programs & deal with large photo files.  The difference in the speed of this new computer is mind boggling!!  I am so impressed, and while it is NOT a Ma*c as many have expressed I should have purchased, it is a De*ll.  And I love it!! 

The photography business is busy!  I have lots of pictures to edit from shoots I did while I didn’t have a computer.  I have posted some new photos on my photo blog, and will be adding more throughout the week as I get them edited! 

I have two more shoots this weekend & a few more pending appointments! 

The weather today tells me that fall is coming and it is going to become more difficult to find beautiful days to take outdoor photos.  I have NO IDEA what I am going to do when I can’t take outdoor photos.  But, since it’s God business, I guess He will have to show me!!

I do find the need to find better balance of my time.  It was hard not to play with my new computer this weekend while the kids were home, since I just picked it up on Friday afternoon.  In the future I hope to spend my weekends on the computer less, and just taking the photos as needed. 

The other thing I am finding is that working on photos until late in the night, after the kids are in bed, does not leave me very relaxed when I try to fall asleep.  I have a hard time shutting down my brain.  Last night, after working until 11, I laid in bed unable to sleep.  Finally getting up and making some tea & praying for awhile & then falling asleep after midnight.  Not ideal for 6 am wake up.

Searching for God’s balance in this new venture!  His ways.  His plans.  His vision.  Show me the way!

JAMES, got accepted to his first college!!!!  We are very hopeful that it will work out for him to go to And*erson U in the fall of 2010.  We are still working on what plan “B” will be, if financial aid doesn’t come through for AU. 

Meanwhile, he is very much enjoying his Senior Year of High School.  Enjoying his work on the school newspaper.  Doing some photography for the yearbook/newspaper.  Playing lots of Football, no catches this week left him feeling pretty bummed on Friday evening.  We lost too.  It was not a good time.

Someone gave me this picture of one of his catches from another game…

Pretty cool shot! 

I took him and 2 of his friends out for a senior picture photo shoot this weekend!  They are hilarious…

ZACH got his drivers permit last week!!!!  I am thankful to have been through this before & to find myself not quite as stressed out about it!  Although, this child is much different than his brother, and I hate to think a bit more confident & sure of his “ability”.  Fun, fun!

In Zach’s game last week he laid on the ground for awhile holding his leg… really scared me….

It is a horrible, horrible feeling to see any player on the field unable to get up.

Turned out he had been stepped on & it "hit in a tendon” causing the pain.  He didn’t play much the rest of the game, but he did get in some.  Enough to make a TD, but then have it called back on a penalty… blah!  Wasn’t his night!

This picture is hilarious!  Not that he got tackled of course, but their legs!  Maybe I could win something with this!!  LOL!!

LEAH, oh Leah… 12 is so much fun… I can feel myself getting dumber by the day… today she wore a shirt that she pulled out of the dryer, wet.  I had just put in in there 15 minutes ago.  She insisted that “it was the only thing that matched”  uhg, uhg, uhg…

Growing pains.

Cheerleading seems to be going well.  She is making some new friends, learning a lot. 

I helped & chaperoned at a middle school dance awhile back.  The cheerleaders were the ones sponsoring the dance.  So, I was in the kitchen selling food, along with the cheerleaders rotating in and out.  My girl always seemed to want to help out in the kitchen during the slow songs (which was fine with some of the other girls!)  She was avoiding being asked to dance!  So cute!  I am just fine with that!!  I am sure that line of thinking is limited in it’s days!

LUCAS is doing well!  Playing soccer, playing with friends, working hard at school.  Struggling with spelling words… he would love to get his hands on “whoever came up with how to spell these words!”

JADON is doing pretty well too.  Kindergarten is going pretty good. His mid-term came home looking positive.  I have been in his classroom volunteering once a week and he is very happy & has lots of friends.

He has had a few (3 last week) of peeing in his pants at school.  I don’t get it.  We do have an appointment with a specialist that our pediatrician set up from last summer’s appt.  That isn’t until November though. I know that sometimes kids pee their pants because of emotional things.  I don’t know if this is the problem and we should be pursuing more counseling?  If any physical problems are ruled out and the issue continues we will have to start counseling again.

He is upset because I threw away his old shoes!  The bottoms were 1/2 of and there is a hole in the toe.  He loves them so much because they are velcro & his new ones are tie.  Velcro seems harder to find and more expensive this year, anyone notice that?  I just couldn’t pay that much for his shoes.  I have found him 2 pair of used shoes & he still wont be in the tie ones… anyone want a nice pair of size one boys shoes.  worn once?  sigh….

My dad told me about something Jadon told him a few weeks ago.  They were eating some candy and my dad picked up a candy, pretended to read it, and said, “this one says, give me to grandpa”.  Jadon picked up another one, pretended to read it, and serious as ever said, “this one says, give it back.”

He is a never ending adventure!

KIAHNA is going to 3 days of preschool now!!  Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday!  Very exciting!  I don’t think that things are going perfect with her at school, but they are going better as far as I know. 

The school is helping break her finger sucking habit.  (and I am thinking after what we have been through who cares!!!) but they don’t want her to suck them, germs ya know, so we are trying to help her stop so she doesn’t get in trouble for it at school.

I took her shopping last week!  We had fun shopping for cute bargains!  I love finding things on the clearance rack & at lightly used shops!!   I really love it when the two work together!  Like this jacket I got at Once Upon a Child (used clothes) and this dress I got on the clearance rack at gap! 

I was also loving the prices at TCP!

We had our own little fashion show when we got home!  (see the tag sticking out of that last one!)

It was fun to go shopping with her, have lunch, lunch conversation!  Like, “Mommy?  If I was candy, would you eat me?” 

We have been having many interesting conversation about babies lately too.  She spent some time with friends who are expecting a baby in December.  She informed me when she got home that “sometimes the baby kicks!”  And she wanted to know if she could have a baby in her tummy & if it could kick her?

Kiahna is trying to figure this all out in her own Kiahna way… sometimes it is quite interesting, uncomfortable, & embarrassing!  Trying to sort out adoption & birth & mommies.  She has been asking people with babies “did that baby come out of your tummy?”  and “who’s tummy did that baby come out of?”  my favorite is the one she said, “who grew him?”.

How’s that for a nice long Monday update!  Our week is full of more football & more photos, and of course the usual laundry, cleaning, cooking…

A reminder that in celebration of ONE YEAR of posting “Gonna Miss This… Moments”, I am giving away a prize if you play along this time!  You have all week to get a post written and link it up with mine!   So go write YOUR Gonna Miss This… Moment!!

Pam

YOUR Gonna Miss This… ONE YEAR!!!! WITH GIVEAWAY!

It’s here!!  WEEK 52!! ONE YEAR of being intentional, and finding something from the week, season, year to focus on. 

Have you joined in yet?  This is the week to do it!  This week ONE participant will win a gift certificate for $20! 

The certificate will be for pretty much anywhere you want it to be for!  So, basically it is $20 bucks!!

WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO WIN!?! 

PLAY ALONG!!

It’s that simple.  Winners will be entered ONE time, for the link they leave in the MckLinky   It must be a link to your blog & THIS WEEK’s YOUR Gonna Miss This Post.  You must mention my blog in your post.  I will leave the contest open for one week, and post the winner with next weeks’ post!

You can use the code on my sidebar to enter this little picture on your post if you want…

Now for my 100th post…

Posts can be about simple things… they can be about licking off the cake batter… or they can be about making touchdowns… this week… mine is about making touchdowns!

FOOTBALL!!!

We are attending 2 or 3 games a week these days, people… and loving every moment of it!!!  Ok, maybe not the heat so much… or the coming coldness… or the injuries… or the scare of injuries… or the blurry pictures… but you get it.  We are living it!  We are loving it!

Last night’s newspaper said that James “has 10 catches for 228 yards and three scores”  (making him our lead receiver)

He has scored in the last three games!!  And I have been there to take pictures!!

 

I have learned something about photography… it’s quite deep and insightful… ready??  Pictures taken on bleachers where 100’s of people are jumping up and down, come out blurry.  Yup.  You heard it here.  Deep, I tell ya, deep.

I’ve asked James if he wouldn’t give me some sort of signal when he is about to make a catch so I can sprint down to the sidelines and get a good clear photo… you know, so I can also still sit in the stands most of the game an socialize.  

He rolled his eyes at me.

Humph.

Tonight is a BIG game!  It is against our closest school!  Big rivals among friends and family!!  (for sure since our coach’s father is one of the assistant coaches for the other team!!) 

It hope it will be a fun, good, SAFE, game!  Good sportsmanship, and Good attitudes (fans included!!!) :) 

I hope that James scores again!  I hope that no one gets hurt on either team… the beginning of the article in the newspaper quoted the other team’s coach as saying, “I don’t remember two teams being as beat up as AC & SA are right now”.

Be safe out there tonight boys, have fun. Play hard. & BE CAREFUL!! 

Oh and…

B-E-A-T BEAT THE STARS! 

BEAT THE STARS!

FIGHT!!

:)

Ahem… sorry.. had to say it!!

Pam

**************

Don’t forget there is a prize this week for playing along!!  But, I believe the biggest prize is yours when you make it a habit to find something to treasure out of every week!!

“Don't cry because its over, Smile because it happened!”
Dr. Seuss

Wondering when...

I am wondering when things are going to come together for me to have a computer in my home again... the way things look right now I may be getting the new & the old back around the same time... the end of the week...
Meanwhile, I have been tempted to throw in the towel and give up on the whole idea of doing photography as a way of supporting my family...

Feeling like I am in over my head.

Not understanding why there are so many glitches!

Saturday I was totally losing it.

I went to pick up my external hard drive...

My recovered photo files had been downloaded onto it.

I took it to this computer (my parents) and plugged it in.
So excited to see my pictures again! So excited to share some on my photo blog and here.

And disappointment.

Some of them are there.

Most of them aren't.

No one was available to help me understand why this was happening.

I was crushed.

I had paid to have them recovered. Paid more than I wanted to pay. & now this.

Plus, I realized that I had saved many of the photos I had edited too small.

Much work awaits me when I do get a photo editing system & computer going again.

What am I thinking?

Can I do this?

Is this crazy?

I had another photo shoot scheduled for Saturday evening. Feeling about as confident as a pea, I went ahead with it.

Got to the location.

Was blown away by the beauty.

Was blown away by God.

Was blown away by His favor on me.

It has been a rough start... but He is providing the way.

Teaching me.

Letting me learn.

And leading.

This is HIS idea... of that I am sure.

I am incapable on my own... of that I am VERY sure.

He will have HIS way in where this all goes. That is a fact.

Pam

(yes, all of these were taken at that location... I'll have lots more when I get my computer up & photos edited!!)

YOUR Gonna Miss This... Moment... Week 51

This is the 51st week I have done this carnival! With any luck next week, when we celebrate a year of this carnival, I will be on my new lap top & at my own house!! I hope many of you choose to continue to or decide to join in with us in this! It is a blessing for us all! So, go ahead, write your post & join us!

It's Homecoming week around these parts! It's been a lot of fun!! Yesterday is was "nerd/crazy day"! Leah slipped out with the older two boys before I thought about a picture, here are Lucas & Jadon before school!! I didn't realize that Jadon's bow tie looked so much like a bikini top until this picture! HILARIOUS!!!

Zach and his friends took part in "sledgehammer volleyball"... the boys have teams and the girls are their coaches. The night before there was "powder puff football" the girls played and the boys coached! Zach's team was called "team chicken" (I don't know why) but the girls made their shirts and Zach's said on the back "chick magnet" They lost both of their games, but they had a lot of fun!!

James team was called "average joes" and they lost both of their games too! I was glad that I went and took pictures of them having such a great time!

Tonight is the football game, proceeded by "kids night" where the varsity football players and cheerleaders spend time with the elementary kids painting faces, signing autographs, teaching cheers & hanging out!

Middle school has a dance before the game. High school has a dance after the game.

I am going to the middle school dance to chaperon in a little while.

Lots of fun. Lots of memories!

I am gonna miss these days!

What about you? What will you miss?? To Link your post back to mine you can use the easy hotmail code found in my sidebar under this picture!

Sometimes I'd like to forget...but then how would I remember?

Today is a day to remember.

"I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago."

Psalms 77:11

Remember God's Faithfulness to our family.

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Hebrews 13:5

Remember that He has walked through every event, every pain, every trauma, every heartbreak, every betrayal, every hurtful word, every tear, every laugh, every smile, every moment... by our side.

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze."

Isaiah 43:2

He has "Kept" us in the Palm of His hand.

"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."

Psalms 91:4

It's been 4 years today that HSSH left.

The details are painful.

The reality is hurtful.

God is big.

Yesterday, when I realized that today was the anniversary date, I mentioned it. Someone told me, "you are such an example".

"Example?" was my thought. Of what? How to survive living he*l and live to tell about it?

In another conversation with a friend, she asked me what I wanted that example to be. My answer? I want the example to be that God is Good. All the time. No matter what. I want that to be the example.

God has gotten us through the past 4 years.

God has brought healing where I didn't believe He could.

God gives me Hope of a future.

God fills in the gaps as I raise these kids.

God provides for our needs.

God comforts, heals, protects, speaks, leads, & guides.

He gets all the Glory.

All.

Today I remember that when everything I knew was shaken to the core. God was faithful.

Pam

Please say a prayer for my computer & my new business

Last night I started working on the pictures from the two photo shoots I had this weekend. I downloaded them all to my computer AND ERASED THEM ALL FROM MY CAMERA.

Suddenly the computer froze.

I had to unplug it to get it to shut off.

When I went to turn it back on the button stuck.

I left it go.

Praying that it was only the button and that it would work in the morning.

This morning I used a tiny screw driver to get the button unstuck and got the computer on.

But, It won't boot. I keep getting an error screen.

I am praying that this is just the button and not the hard drive.

I had not moved any of my work from the past week to the external hard drive so it would all be gone.

I just took the computer in to be looked at.

I am using my parents computer to post.

I did order my new computer at the end of last week. But that doesn't get back the work I had on the other one does it.

What a way to start a new business.

"I am sorry, I lost all your pictures. Can we do that again??"

"oh, and here's your money back"

GRRRRRR!!!!!

Last week, I got a phone call from a ministry that I have worked with some. The lady told me that at 4:00 in the morning she woke up and heard God tell her that she needed to ask "Pam to take pictures for their upcoming benefit".

She continued to pray about it and told me she feels that God is calling me to take pictures.

I am very thankful for this opportunity and excited to have this kind of prayerful support!! FOR SURE!!

And now to have these computer problems. It feels like a war against me. Again. No surprise there.

So, pray that all my files are safe and sound!

And I promise that I will back up all files before I delete from my camera from now on!!

Learning some hard business lessons, aren't I.

I'll add that to the one that says, "always make sure they have your sell phone number and I have theirs"

Thankful for friends who are letting me work through these growing pains on them, but I still want my pictures from that shoot back!!! :)

Thanks!

Pam

YOUR Gonna Miss This… Moment… Week 50

Welcome to another week of YOUR Gonna Miss This… Moments!  Your chance to write down the moments you will miss and share them with us here!  I hope you decide to join me!

Some weeks it is easier than others to come up with something to be missed… Elementary school open houses?  Not so much.

Melting on metal bleachers watching football?  Not so much. 

Having to tell your children then can’t do something they really wanted to do & with someone they really miss.  Nope.  Not gonna miss any of those things.

Now… having a child in elementary school and hearing all the chatter of who plays with who… watching them learn and discover… treasures for sure.

Watching kids cheer & play ball… absolutely, maybe one day the frying on the bleachers will be a distant memory!

I will miss the kids being able to be outside on these late summer evenings… open windows… crickets…

Everywhere you look around here the greens are fading to yellows… bright spots of orange & red are beginning to form…

It’s gonna be a beautiful fall…we are gonna miss you green summer…

Pam

If you take your mom to the park

If you take your mom to the park she will bring her camera.

And if she brings her camera she will want to take your picture.

And if she takes your picture she will ask you to smile.

If you smile a few more times she will let you play on the slide.

When she lets you play on the slide she will push you on the swing.

When she is done pushing you on the swing she will want you to smile a few more times so she will bribe you with ice cream.

When she bribes you with ice cream she will ask you to smile just a few more times.

When she gets you your ice cream she will take you home.

 

When she takes you home she will make your pictures beautiful on her computer.

If you take your mom to the park.

Pam

Tie up the dogs & lock up the kids!

I continue to spend quite a bit of time working on my photo editing skills & building my portfolio!  If you have not yet been to my new photography blog Moments... by Pam, I invite you to do so!

If you have already been over there, you should know that I continue to make changes, even to older posts as I edit more pictures and learn more!  So browse through them again if you like!

I am shopping for a new computer to make it possible to work with picture files & photo editing materials.

I am trying to figure out a price system for this new job of mine.

…but mostly I am just feeling very blessed that you all like my pictures and that I am gaining some customers & some confidence in this!

Thought you might enjoy these out-takes…

Why you want to tie up your dog before a photo shoot…

And then there are the extra kids… this one is hilarious!!  Kiahna just couldn’t resist climbing on too!!  Check out the boys’ faces!!  ROFL!

Pam