Too Many Interests, Not Enough Time

I know we are all trying to find more hours in a day, but seriously, if anyone finds them....let me know!  I have way too many interests right now and not enough time to participate in them all.  Ugh! 

For starters...oh I hate to say this....I haven't been to line dance class in 4 months.  Yeah, I know...how am I surviving, right?!?!  I miss it.  But it just never seems to fit into our schedule and I don't feel like it should take priority over some other things.  Someday I will be able to get back into it. 

Speaking of dance, I have always wanted to take adult dance lessons (not that kind)....and wouldn't you know it...Rylee's dance center has adult ballet and modern lessons!  Woohoo!!!  I finally get to take formal dance lessons!!  Been wanting to do this for years!!  But wait, it cuts into time with my husband one of the nights (which I don't get much of), and the other day it cuts into time that my husband needs to get items checked off the "honey do" list.  Grr....someday.  Someday, I will get to those dance lessons.

Fitness.  I love a good work-out.  I have a favorite right now....called PiYo...a blend of pilates and yoga.  I look forward to my work-out almost every day.  But, sometimes I can't fit it into my day because I have higher priorities.  Someday, I will get to work-out every single day if I want to. 

Reading.  Oh I love reading.  I love it so much, I just bought a new "reading chair"....off limits to anyone not holding a book ;)  I haven't been able to do much of the type of reading I most enjoy (fiction and memoirs) because I've been reading so many reference type books that relate to all of the things I've been interested in lately.  And even then I don't read near as much as I would like to, because reading takes away time from my kids....and I mean all of my time from my kids....I forget about them when I'm deep in a book...and will find them finger painting on the walls!  Okay, that never happened...but it could, so I just decided to put the good books down for awhile.  Someday.  Someday, I will get back to reading more. 

Photography as you all know is my newest, and most time-sucking interest.  I have been reading a lot of articles, blogs and books on photography and taking my camera out for practice whenever I can.  I have found it most efficient if I just bring my camera with me everywhere I go (like a good photographer should, right?) and take pictures anytime the mood strikes me.  This has made my drives a lot longer than they should be....there are lots and lots of photographic moments when you are driving the back country roads!  Even though I really want to take advantage of every learning opportunity I can, I have already had to say "no" to a couple of classes because they just don't fit into our schedule.  I also usually have to miss the prime lighting times (sunrise and sunset) because I'm tending to kiddos.  Someday, I will have more time to attend classes and take pictures when I want to.

My kiddos.  Of course, they are my number one priority when planning my time.  And there are so many things I want to take my kids to do, but half of them we usually have to pass up because there just isn't time for them, or not the best time for us. 

Date nights.  Hubby and I know that date nights are super important and we would love to have more of them, but planning a sitter and finding energy to have fun after a long day/week is sometimes more work than it's worth.  Someday.  Someday, we will go on dates regularly.

Friends.  I have so many friends that I need to catch up with.  There is nothing like good, uninterrupted time with friends.  Unfortunately, I often put friends at the bottom of my list.  Sad really.  But someday, I will get to seeing my friends regularly. 

Oh, someday.  When is someday??  I hate to wish away time so that "someday" will arrive.  I also understand that we shouldn't wait for "someday" to get here, because we aren't guaranteed another day of life.  It's really important to take time for ourselves...we can't take care of others if we don't take care of ourselves, right?  But, when you have a family they are just as important and sometimes we don't get to do everything we want to do because we put them before ourselves.  But....when I figure out how to add more hours in a day....I will be able to do it all :)  So far this week, I have found a new hour in the morning....it's before the kids get up.  I get my work-out and shower in before I have to take care of priority #1. 

Oh, did I mention my blogging....I would love to have more time to type more blog posts....but.....priorities.  Speaking of priorities, THANK YOU for reading my blog instead of cooking supper for your family, or whatever else you should be doing right now :)

Happy Friday, Friends! 

The "photography bug" is hitting this house hard

 

Photography Progress

I bought my first DSLR camera in February of this year and had planned to just take pictures of my own kids with it, figuring it would pay for itself in just a couple of years (pictures are expensive!).  After a couple of "photo shoots" with my kids, two of my super crazy friends asked me within the same week to take pictures of their families.  EEK!  I almost said "no", but after thinking about it for a little bit I decided to give it a shot.  I realized it would be great practice, and the best outcome would be that I actually enjoyed it....which I did!!! 

The first family photo shoot  I did was on a very sunny Sunday morning out at our house.  Sunny days are not great for photography....shadows and squinty eyes!  I was pretty nervous to start with, and then adding the bright sun made it worse.  We got some good pictures though. 

 

The cute boys are 2 and 4 and actually smiled quite well!  Photographing kids is tough, since sitting still isn't something they are good at...let alone getting them to look at the camera and give you a real smile.  These two did great! (a little ice cream bribery may have helped)

 

 

One thing I'm learning is that the photographer always has to be ready to shoot...candid photos show real emotions...like this cute mother-son playfulness.

 

 

Thank you so much to this wonderful family for trusting me to take your precious photos!!  :)

 

Family photo shoot #2 included this super adorable little gal!!

 

 

We did this shoot at a park in Winterset (probably one of the most photographed places in Madison County, if I had to guess).  It was a sunny day as well, but we found plenty of shady spots.  I was equally as nervous for this one as I was with the first family, but I eventually relaxed and had a lot of fun.  They are such a cute little family and we had some neat backgrounds.

 

 

Thank you to this Beautiful family as well for asking me to take your pictures!!

 

After I completed both of these photo shoots and received compliments on the finished products, I evaluated how much I really enjoyed taking other people's pictures.  For myself, I loved the challenge it gave me.  Other than juggling all of my rug rats' demands on a daily basis, I don't do very many challenging things right now and photography is a fun challenge for me.  I also found that I really loved trying to capture some great shots for the families to be proud to display in their homes. 

 

After realizing how much I really enjoyed taking photos of my friends' families, I decided I wanted to try some photos that don't include children so I could focus more on technical things, rather than spending time trying to get a child to look at me and smile.  Some friends of ours recently got  engaged and I approached them about taking their engagement photos.  Luckily for me, they said "yes" :)  They also happen to be the cutest couple I know, and who wouldn't want to photograph these beautiful faces?!?!?

 

 

We took the pictures at a rickety little park in a teeny tiny podunk rural town.  I'm sure they thought I was crazy when they first pulled in and saw the place.  There really were quite a few great spots for pictures here though.  Unfortunately, it was another super sunny day and we all had to do some maneuvering to keep shadows and squinting at bay as much as possible. 

 

 

He made me get in the water to shoot this one ...thanks J, for that challenge :) 

 

They like to kiss ---- A LOT ;) 

 

I had SO MUCH fun with this shoot.  They made it so easy, as they are very photogenic and both had some great ideas...and it helped that they are so crazy in love :)   

 

 

Thank you two SO VERY MUCH for being "guinea pigs"!!!!

 

I realize I have a long way to go to perfect my photography, but I'm super excited for that journey.  There is so much to learn!!!  I'm finding that the photography world is so willing to help and there is an abundance of resources.  I have found a camera club to join, as well as online blogs and forums, and am watching for classes in my area all the time.  I'm super excited for a photography event at Living History Farms this weekend where I will be able to take 5 different classes and then get outside to practice!  Hopefully the forecasted rain holds off! 

 

Thank you again to all 3 of the families who helped me discover how much fun photography can be! 

 

Have a great day, and don't forget to SMILE :)

 

 

 

 

Sleep Like A Baby

For some reason my husband and I rarely checked on our first born after we put her to bed each night.  I seriously cannot remember a single time that I ever went in and checked on her in her room before I went to bed at night.  It makes me sad that I didn't, because my favorite part of every day in the past 14 months has been going in to check on Wyatt to see what kind of crazy sleeping position he is in.  I don't so much check on him to make sure he's okay...it's more just for one more laugh at my silly little guy before I end my day :) 

Sometimes James and I will try to guess Wyatt's sleeping position before we go in....those are usually the nights that he is in the most random/awkward positions that make us giggle.  I just don't get how babies can sleep in so many different places and in so many different positions...but as long as they are sleeping, that's all that matters most of the time, right?? 

I also find it so heart melting to watch him sleeping so peacefully...which also makes me sad that I never watched Rylee sleep (I do now, but she sleeps with her eyes half open and it's super creepy).  Every night I think to myself, "I need to get a picture of this moment"....and then I decide that it's one of those special things that's better kept as a picture in my mind only.  However, the funnier ones do get an occasional real picture :)

 

And when James is gone for work, I send him pictures of what he's missing.

 

 

It really is such a beautiful thing to watch your child sleep.  I wonder what they are dreaming about and what their body is preparing them to do the next day.

 

In addition to sleeping, my second favorite time of day is seeing their cheery faces when they wake up in the mornings.  Rylee is usually a ball of energy and already has so many plans for the day...and usually asks me the most random questions right away, instead of saying "Good Morning" like normal people.  The other reason I love first thing in the morning is because they haven't frustrated me yet or caused me any stress :)  And....they look so dang adorable with their "just woke up" faces :)

 

I am so blessed to get to see my children's beautiful faces all day, every day and watch every move they make.....but there is just something so much more special about watching them sleep and wake up.  What is your favorite time of day with your children??

I Like Your Shoes!

Yesterday I was at Jack Trice Stadium (the only place to be on a Saturday in September, right?!) using the restroom before the game started.  As I approached the sinks, I noticed that a girl washing her hands had very cute yellow Nike athletic shoes on.  As I got closer to her, I debated whether or not to tell her that I liked her shoes.  "Ah, what the heck", I decided.  I tell her and she smiles big and replies with a "Thank you."  I felt good that I said something.

Then, as I am washing my hands, a girl walks up to the sink next to me and tells me she likes my sweatshirt.  This was the 2nd compliment I had gotten on my shirt that day, which made getting it 60% off even more awesome!  I smile back at the girl (who had the brightest smile ever) and tell her "Thank you" in the most sincerely cheerful voice I have.

I walked out of the bathroom thinking two things:  1) That was the happiest public bathroom experience I've had and 2) Compliments are so uplifting, whether giving or receiving them!

In a world of "not good enough" and so much judgment towards each other, I think we can all benefit from handing out more compliments.  I mean, who doesn't like to receive a compliment??  You never know when your nice comment to someone will brighten an otherwise dreary day they may be having.  Maybe your compliment is just the boost the person needed in some way.  Or perhaps, your comment will initiate a conversation that turns out great in so many other ways. 

My daughter gets told what pretty hair she has nearly every time we go somewhere.  She doesn't like the attention and I know that someday she will complain about her hair (because most of us do), and I so wish that I could bottle up all of the compliments she gets and replay them all back to her when she tells me she wishes she had curly hair instead.  Speaking of daughters...paying compliments to others in front of your children can only teach them something positive too.  I can't quite put in words what that would be...but I'm sure it's good ;)

The next time you find yourself thinking, "I like that person's ____"...go ahead and tell them!  If nothing else, it will make you feel good :)