Christmas 2010: Ice Skating…

merry christmas from our family…

 

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!!!

Pam

An Update

I can’t do it all… did you notice?  Blogging has definitely fallen to the bottom of my “to-do” list.  I miss it.  But, I just can’t do it all…

To post one big long update or to post a bunch of small ones??  Hum… well… one big long one sounds easier…

Things have slowed down for the winter months with my photography.  Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  I began to feel a little burned out towards the end of the fall photo season.  It’s very hard to keep it all balanced.  I don’t feel that I did a very good job at balancing.  Something I will keep working on. 

Very thankful for all my customers this past year.

James got home Friday night for Christmas break.  Passed all his first semester classes (one by just a hair, yikes!)  Going back for next semester will involve the beginning of track season, indoor first & then out door.  Should keep him very busy.

He went through some hard times a little before Thanksgiving, not sure if he had made the right choice for the right college for him.  I think he’s worked through it (I HOPE) and will stay there as long as he can afford it. (scholarships & grades have to stay in place!)

Zach… well I could go on & on…I feel like he has come through the past couple weeks for the better.  I think he is seeing life a little differently.  Seems to have a better outlook on life.

The Bla*ke family appears to be doing as well as can be expected.  They are very thankful that the accident that Kurt had, a little over a week after Kipp’s death & a little over a mile from the place he died, didn’t turn out any worse than it did.  Kurt slid on the the ice & went right into the highway and hit the back end of a semi.  I just can’t imagine.

Back to Zach, his attitude at home has improved (most of the time), at school I am not so sure (got an email from a teacher), on the basketball court seems to be excellent. 

He had 14 points 3 games ago, 11 the next game, and I am not sure how many last night.  He had a good game though.  (even though they lost the last 2 by 1 point).  He is playing JV.

Legally, he should be able to get his drivers license on January 8th.  We will see.  He has a “new” car, he took me out and “taught” me how to drive it yesterday.  It’s a stick shift.  I haven’t driven one of those since we lived in Germany before he was born!  It was interesting, (he doesn’t even do that well at it) but I let him tell me how to do it all… so funny.  I think driving a stick shift must be a guy thing, way too much effort for me!

Leah’s doing pretty good.  We have our teenage moments, but for the most part it’s good.  She’s hilarious.  For example she recently put her face*book status as “in a relationship with frosty the snowman”.  And “hasn't lost her mind, her imaginary friend stole it and is asking for a ridiculous ransom of a thousand crayons for it! :(“

They had their middle school winter semi-formal…

These girls love to get dressed up!!  So much fun to watch them, the boys sure don’t get into it like the girls do!

Things are good with Lucas, I am enjoying these days with him… before hormones come in and ruin it all… sigh… he’s one great kid, that’s for sure.

Jadon is doing very well also.  His AD*HD is being controlled very well with medication at this point.  I am extremely thankful.  If you would go into his class, his classmates would tell you “Jadon never gets in trouble, he hasn’t had to pull one flag!”  (FAR CRY FROM WHERE WE WERE ONE YEAR AGO!!!!)

He’s had a couple of Christmas programs at school…

Rudolf in his class play (leading the pack)

And the 1-3 grade music program…

Hallie, Jadon & Kiahna

Kiahna has good days & bad days. 

She lost her second front tooth recently…

We got test results back from the specialist & many things were ruled out… leaving us with one answer for her issues.  She has all the symptoms of someone who was exposed to drugs or alcohol in the womb.  The label is called FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome).

Facts about FAS can be read here.

This fact is one of the hardest to swallow…

“FASD is the leading known preventable cause of mental retardation and birth defects, and a leading known cause of learning disabilities.”

It’s a very sad reality.  Someone made choices that caused this.  It’s part of the process of working through this.  Forgiving.

In our near future, I am waiting on a book & cd’s I ordered to come in… we have an appointment with a new counselor (one I have to pay for out of pocket)… we will have a new case conference at school to update her IEP.

School hasn’t been going very well.  I wonder what the best thing is to do for her.  I worry about her self esteem. I desire to see her blossom & flourish. 

Looking forward to Christmas!  The kids go to school until Wednesday this week… then they are spending Thursday with their dad (I don’t know if Kiahna will go, she hid so she wouldn’t have to go the last time we tried to get her to go along with the other kids). 

Friday we will be with my family at my parents.

Saturday we will have Christmas at home.

Leah & Lucas are going on a ski trip after Christmas with campus life.

Then after new years we are going tobogganing & to a hotel with my family.

Should be a fun busy time for us all!

Thanks for reading…

Love,

Pam

Pray.

I woke up this morning to the news that the son of some good friends was killed in a car accident.

Kipp is the second son of Cary & Amy B*la*ke. 

I guess I met this family when I was a junior in high school', and they came to AC as a teacher and a secretary.

From there, I started babysitting their youngest 2 boys when Zach & their youngest, Kurt, were only 1 year old.

Zach and Kurt are very good friends.

Kurt has really been struggling lately with life choices.

Zach likes to follow.

Amy and I have had lots of long talks lately.

Amy & Cary were on a trip with their 3rd son this weekend when tragedy struck.

Kipp & Kurt were working at the school cleaning after the ball game.  They headed home.

Kurt went to a friends house, but had a bad feeling about his brother so he called him.  No answer.  Went looking for him. 

Kurt and “a lady” (at this point Amy doesn’t know who it was) found Kipp in the field dead.

They say he might have slipped on some ice.  Rolled his car 3 times.  Died “instantly”.

I took their family photo last fall…

I took them when I was first starting out, and I have been wishing all day that they were a little better quality.

Amy had ordered a few proofs but hadn’t gotten around to making an order of some larger photos for the family… I ordered her some this morning, I hope to have them framed before the viewing.

I took Zach over there for a couple hours today.  I spent some time talking to Amy. 

This is so hard.

I asked her what I could do for her,  she said “Just pray, You’re my prayer warrior”.

Trying to live up to that…

Mostly it just been groans and tears today…

Please pray for this family this week.

And hug your kids & tell them you love them.

Pam

Cyber Sales at Moments…by Pam

I am excited to announce that I have some sales running this week!! 

1.  First sale is for my customers who I have photographed in the last year only.  If you place an order before Friday of this week (December 3, 2010) they can receive 10% off your order & free shipping.  Maybe you still haven’t ordered prints from our session, or maybe you need a few more as gifts?  Now is the time!! 

Go to your gallery, place your order in the shopping cart, enter the code “CYBERMONDAYSALE” in the box when checking out to receive your discount. 

Just my way of saying Thank you for your business this year!! 

 

2.  Second sale is for anyone!!  My note cards are 25% off on Etsy.  Click here to go to my Etsy site & order! Enter the code “MBPONETSY25OFF” to get your discount when you are checking out!  I have the summer cards and the winter cards available!! 

  

3.  Third sale is of the seasonal prints Summer Prints & Winter Prints, I have a variety of sizes available & more can be done upon request.  I can do custom printing on these prints.  Each print comes on a single weight board with luster coating.  Framing is available online under “framing & mounting”  Share this sale with a friend, on face-book, twitter, blog, or call them on the phone!!  Once you’ve shared the sale, leave me a comment & I will send you the code for this sale!

4.  Gift Certificates are available for sessions next year!  Receive 10% off your print orders with the purchase of a gift certificate now!

Let me know if you have any questions!!

 

Pam

Sunshine 2010

Zach is at his first formal dance tonight…

Sunshine 2010

 

 

 

I had never met this girl before tonight, they are only friends.  Her name is Alexis. 

Zach got a haircut today, he looks young!

Pam

Just a little nap…

Kiahna is taking a new medication.  We just increased the dosage.  One of the side-effects is that she is sleepy.  It’s supposed to stop after a few days (if it doesn’t we will lower it again).

She was really asleep.

Teacher said she wasn’t sleepy in school today though, so that’s good.

Pam

The blog post I don’t have time to write

If I had time to write a blog post today, which I don’t. I’d ask for you to be prayerful with me for my children.  Their dad is turning 40 this weekend.  His wife called and is wanting to pick up the kids to surprise him on his birthday.  So, they are planning to be with them on Sunday for a few hours.  Nice gesture.  They haven’t went with them since a few hours after James’ graduation, and before that last Christmas.  It’s hard.  I am trying to have a good attitude.  Trying to do the right thing.  That’s taking God’s Grace for sure. 

James has a big test today.  Big enough that if he fails it could really hurt his future at the college he is at.  Please pray for him.  He doesn’t communicate very well with me, I hope he is studying.  He says he is.  It’s a hard stage in life for me with him.  One I am still adjusting to.

Zach is just struggling tremendously.  So much attitude.  So many poor choices lately.  He has me extremely concerned.  Praying that he has discernment to see truth & not believe lies.  To make better friend choices.  To say “no” when he knows he should.  All things he hasn’t been doing so well at. 

Kiahna is not doing all that well in school.  She is having problems doing what the teacher asks.  That just doesn’t work.  Teacher is doing great with her.  We are trying another medication.  Just praying for the wisdom to know how to help her.

Praying for my kids teachers, coaches, people around them to see where my kids hurt & where their behavior is about that hurt more than just choosing to be bad.  Praying that God is the Father to the fatherless as He has promised.  Praying for the truth.  Praying God’s plans played out in my kids lives.  Praying that what the enemy intended to kill, steal, & destroy from us is used for God’s Glory in each of us.

Even that “hopeless” man who is turning 40 this weekend.

 

Pam

Family Photo: Gone Wrong

It is not advised to try to take your own family photo.

It is not advised you set it up and let someone else in the family click your family photo.

It is not advised to  have ornery kids.

 

 

 

I need to hire someone to take my own family’s photo.

Good grief.

Pam

Fall Break

Last weekend we to visit James at college… took a hike… enjoyed the beautiful fall weather…

Leah helping Kiahna when she was “done” walking…

Huge leaf… mad girl. 

I think that walking stick is a little large Lucas…

No photos of James.  How did that happen?

Zach went on a trip with Campus Life instead of going with us.

Not in a real good place with Zach right now.  Prayers appreciated.

Pam