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April 19, 2011
No baby yet. BUT here is my NEW photography website!! It took me forever! Check it out
and let me know what you think. Maybe you're in the gallery!
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April 14, 2011
Oh. My.
So. Where has the last TWO MONTHS gone?? Sorry to anyone still hanging
around here. You know the story, and if you know me on Facebook, you know
how crazy things have been! Onward we march though!
Well, I find myself 9 months pregnant here. Due in 11 days. No baby yet. After
tomorrow I might cry everyday he isn't here! Both Noah and Oliver were 10 or 11
days early, so every day after than is going to seem LONG for sure. Tomorrow
is my last day babysitting though (and it's a half day), and I am done with photog
sessions until May 5th. Even though I do have 3 more sessions I have yet to edit,
I am almost done! Then I have a nice 3 week maternity leave before we start it
all back up again. But just for a week or two and then we are off on our Outer Banks
beach vacation!!!! CAN'T WAIT! Well, let me specify. I CAN wait for the 13 hour
drive with a two toddlers and a newborn....yikes! That is going to be an adventure
for sure. I think we'll manage though, and once we get there, it is going to be such
a nice relaxing vaca after a VERY hectic few months. Between being a wife and
mother, babysitting a toddler & newborn, doing GOBS of photography work, and
my spring online grading.....oh yeah, and being PREGNANT...I haven't had a lot
of time to breathe lately! But it has gone by quick and everything is winding down
and coming to a close, so that is wonderful. I enjoy being busy, but I suppose you
could say I may have signed myself up for a bit TOO much during the end of a
tiring pregnancy. Nevertheless, I can see the end!
This little guy is doing great. Still very active and crazy. Giving me lots of false
labor which is just MEAN. I never had any of that with my first two, so he has
certainly taken me for a spin. This whole pregnancy really! He better be a really
good baby that's all I know. Making his mama go bonkers! I feel good. Huge of
course. But I am proud that I gained 10 less pounds this pregnancy than my other two.
I like to think it is the last 10 that always is the hardest to come off! We'll see about that.
The weather here is (slowly!) turning, and we are enjoying a few more bits of sun.
We cleaned up the yard a bit and the boys are having a blast playing outside again.
The fresh air is just so nice! Feels great to be able to get them all out of the house.
The house will be up for sale (hopefully) by the end of May. Yeah, one more thing
to add to our full plates, right? Thankfully though the agent doesn't think we have to
do much of anything to it before we sell (besides emptying half of it out! We have definitely
outgrown this place). We'll be praying it sells this summer and we can begin our next
adventure around Fall. It will be sad to leave though. Knowing our 3 babies were
conceived here and brought home here...I am sure I will have a bit of a cry when we
walk out the door for the last time. I'm getting a little ahead of myself here though!
My new photography website debuts shortly, as in, the next couple days. I finally
found the time to work on it and it is just about finished up. I have a busy summer ahead
of me, which I am excited about! Booked up through May and June and sessions are
booked in every single month of the rest of the year....wow! I'll be paring down a bit
though come June, limiting my schedule quite a bit and becoming more exclusive. It will
help me slow down and continue to enjoy my hobby. Which is always good for everyone.
So. That's it. The boys are growing like maniacs and life is sunny and bright! I am so
thankful for all of my blessings. Here are a few photos from our life recently. There are
lots more, but I just can't seem to find time to go through them all...
Hopefully I'll be back SOON with baby news!!
February 14, 2011
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
Between being 7 months pregnant, watching 3 toddlers all day, managing a small
business, and keeping my house moderately clean, this site sure has taken a back
seat lately! Plus, honestly, I really haven't taken many photos of the kiddos.....it's
winter, there aren't tons of things to photograph sadly. BUT, it IS valentine's day
and we have done a few fun things recently, so I figured it was a good day to post!
First off, YUM! Here is our breakfast from this morning. We usually always have
cereal and fruit (and coffee!) for breakfast, but today I was feeling festive! Plus Noah
woke up in SUCH a fantastic lovey mood, totally feeling valentine's day, so I wanted
to continue the fun. We gave the little men of the house a beanie baby teddy bear and
a tiny box of chocolates. They were over the moon about that for sure. Especially
since we let them have a piece before breakfast!
Noah was so sweet, he said to me today, "Happy valentine's day mommy. I love that
God gave you to me!!" That just melted my heart. Such a sweet boy. Both boys were
so sweet and made sure to share their little valentine's with Charlotte too. Precious kids.
Noah shared some valentine's with his sunday school class yesterday and since I love
them, I thought I would share the idea!
Cute right?? All I did was have Noah pose with his fist closed, his arm out to the side
just a tad. I used Photoshop to add the text, arranged 2 photos on a 4x6 and ordered
one hour at CVS. I cut a slit on the the top and bottom of his hand, slid in a lollipop,
and VOILA! Way too much adorable! He was so cute handing them out to all his
little 3 year friends, telling them, "That's me giving you a sucker!"
In other Ekstrom family happenings, Grandma Ekstrom spent a week with us this
past month and the boys had such a wonderful time. They love her so much and really
miss her now that she lives in Baltimore. We took the chance to head to the children's
museum while she was here, and although I only took a couple photos, thought I would
share.
In terms of baby news, I am...oh what...30 weeks now. AGH! Just 1/4 of the way
left! And actually, both my boys were just about 2 weeks early, so who knows.
It could be just 8 weeks away! Oh my. Am I ready??? Well. I am ready to not be
pregnant anymore! And I am ready to get lots of baby kisses. And ready to see
how excited Noah & Oliver are going to be. AND ready to share this little man's
name...BUT definitely NOT ready for the craziness that comes with having a
newborn & 2 toddlers/preschoolers! Although, our Outer Banks beach vacation is
planned for the end of May so I AM looking forward to that. 13 hour drive with a
newborn, 1.5 year old, and 3 year old.....sounds good to me! Really though, I am
doing well and we are all looking forward to meeting this little guy who kicks,
punches, and jabs me all day!
Photog stuff is going well. I am in the midst of changing gears. Coming this Spring
are new rates and less sessions. I have just been SO busy and really, I have no desire
to make this a career or JOB. I don't want to be booked every weekend, I do this
because I really love it. I really enjoy it. I want to make sure that it stays that way, so I'll
be slowing things down a bit (and really, great timing for the baby), and becoming a bit
more exclusive. New website on the way, new specials, and a fresh new outlook
on the direction I'm heading. Exciting! Thank you to all my loving friends who have
been so supportive and encouraging!
Well, I'm off to wrangle some children, read some books, do some crafts, and help
make their valentine's day special! Then tonight Steve and I are heading on our
valentine's date, my treat to him is going to see "True Grit"! It doesn't matter to me
what we see or do anyways, just so long as I get the love of my life to myself for
a bit. I love you Steve!
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January 29, 2011
HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY NOAH!!!!
Well here we are, 3 years after this little man made us a family! His birth showed Steve
and I just what unconditional love means. His smile has brightened our lives and lifted
our spirits for 3 whole years now. WOW. It is sort of ridiculous to think of how the time
has so quickly blown away. He is such a wonderful, fun boy! He LOOOOOVES his brother
Oliver so incredibly and is always calling him his buddy and telling me about how much he
loves his friend Oliver. He loves his 2nd baby brother just as much and he isn't even born
yet! Kissing him, talking to him, saying goodnight, and ALWAYS including him when he
talks about our family or prays before bed. He constantly is telling me how he wishes he
could come out NOW. Noah is just such a baby lover! Such a loving big brother.
This morning, when he woke up, the first thing he said was, "I'M 3 NOW!!!" He was just
thrilled! Last night we took him to Chuck E Cheese for dinner (our bday tradition) and he
and Oliver were over the moon! They had an absolute blast playing together. We have
never been there in the evening, the other couple times we've been we've gone at lunch,
so it was a BIT crazy! But it was definitely worth it to see how much fun they had. Today
we had his little birthday party, and man was he excited. We chose Buzz Lightyear as the
theme since that is his all time favorite character, and he was pumped! Steve (yes STEVE)
decorated his birthday cake (till 2:30 am last night), and it was such a hit. I gave up the reins
this year, and he did a great job! I baked it and he frosted it (which was definitely the hard part).
We made things easy and just ordered pizza and made a fruit salad, but it was plenty for
a 3 year old little dude. He loved everything! He so enjoyed seeing all his family and friends.
Being that we have such a large family, we only invited a couple of kiddos, but it was perfect.
They all played well together and Noah just really enjoyed the day. A perfect party for
a wonderful little guy. We are all SO tremendously blessed by this sweet boy.
So, here are a few shots from the day. Most the photos of the party are not quite right
because my camera settings were all off from the day before, but you get the idea.
Trying to climb up to his gifts!
The spaceship ball pit from Aunt Heidi & Aunt Hayli, definitely a hit!
Uncle Josh, Noah's new spaceship tent from Uncle Jonah & Courtney (Heidi & Hayli as well, we got 2!) and Papa.
Happy Birthday to our sweet sweet baby boy (don't let him hear that! He's a BIG BOY). We love you!
Created with Love by Heather 2009