My Sweet Boy...

I was in the back of my son's Sunday School class on Sunday just observing the organized chaos that comes when trying to instruct a herd of children squished into ties and tights. It was so interesting to see the different personalities, interests, and behaviors of such a large group of kids. I watched my Caden, thinking how incredibly handsome and grown up he looked. Six years old and he has a heart of gold. Things come tough for him sometimes. He is in first grade and has been in speech therapy for over a year, did six months of occupational therapy, and we are trying to get a proper assessment of a few other difficulties he faces. Everyone says how incredibly bright he is but focusing is such a challenge for him that it doesn't always translate on paper and he is starting to become aware of that. I worry over him constantly. He is so kind and sensitive but also really tough. He still wants snuggles and hugs and is quick with an "I love you". He sees the best in everyone and I want so badly for the world to only see the best in him. I am so afraid that the world will beat him down for not fitting into some predetermined mold. Tonight, remembering Sunday, I rest a little easier. Caden was talking to the boy next to him and the kid looked at Caden and said mockingly, "you talk like a baby". My first instinct was to jump up and correct the behavior, comfort my son, and undo any damage that he might have sustained, but before I could even move, I heard my son reply, "no I don't. I talk like Caden".
I felt like crying. First, out of pride that my boy was so self assured that he was not flattened by unkindness, but also out of sadness because I can't hold the unkindnesses of the world at bay.
Children come into the world completely confident in their beauty, their perfection, their divinity. It is a physical ache to know that the world will try to beat that knowledge out of them. I knew it would happen, but I didn't expect the assault to happen so quickly. Six years old. Shouldn't he have a couple of more years untouched?
Like I said, I was so proud of the way my son held up against the small attack, but how often is he attacked in little ways that I don't see? A physical ache. As I write this I want to crawl in bed with him and whisper in ear how much God loves him, how much his family loves him, how grateful we are that he is ours, how funny and kind he is, how smart and inventive he his, how he is the best big brother his sisters every could have asked for, how he can do anything he sets his mind to, how he talks just like a Caden should.

You know how some people have lapdogs? The kind of dog that waits in anticipation for the moment your tushie makes contact with the couch so that he can jump up and claim his rightful position warming your lap? You see that dog knows that as he dozes you will idly stoke him for as long as you sit there, not even really conscious of doing it. This happens over and over again until the dog has got you so trained that when you sit down in a lapdog free home you find yourself feeling oddly empty and your hands awkwardly unoccupied.

I don't have one of these:



I have a dog, and while he would love the chance to worm his way onto my lap, that position is already occupied by one of these:


I am realizing that the same principals apply to a laptop as a lapdog. The minute I sit down I pull this little baby onto my lap where my fingers idly stroke key after key for as long as I sit there. I can't seem to help myself. Even when I sit down to watch TV with my husband he has to snuggle up to me and my silver little beauty, much to his chagrin. It has gotten so bad that I put little Apple on my night stand so that I can work on her when I wake up in morning and before I start my day with the kids. In my defense, I am a great multi-tasker. I can fully enjoy whatever sitcom we are watching (although my computer stays at my desk while we watch "The Office". That kind of humor deserves your full attention) or follow the thread of a conversation while I edit photos, design marketing pieces, or check my e-mail. So I decided that I would be fully present to everything going on around me on Thanksgiving. I was hostessing so I was busy all morning cooking and making sure everything was set out just right. Then dinner started and I was so touched by the conversation and beauty of the people who sat around me that my thoughts stayed right in that moment. After dinner came some clean up, some singing around the piano to welcome in the holiday season, and game time (we set out card games, board games, and art projects on card tables throughout the down stairs so people can break off and do what ever activity appeals to them). I sat on the couch just to take it all in and watch contentedly as the people I love most engage and enjoy one another's company, but I was only content for a few minutes. I became restless and my hands felt awkward and useless as they just sat there. My lap missed the weight and warmth of my MacBook. Ohhh, how I longed, how I itched to just quietly pull it out and scan the black friday ads or respond to a couple of client e-mails, or to order my new backdrops. I almost gave in. But then I would have to admit that I can't go one whole day with out my laptop and I think that would say something really sad about me, so I resisted. Oh, I missed it, I missed it bad, but I did it.

Because I was able to do it on Thanksgiving, I decided to go one more day, just to solidify that I truly am well balanced. Friday was a special day for me anyway. When Jon asked me what I wanted for my birthday (which was the 23rd) I told him that I wanted a day off. I just wanted a day where no one made any demands on my time or attention. I wanted to sleep in, eat cheesecake for breakfast, shop at my leisure, take a nap, get a pedicure, read a book with no educational or professional merit, shop some more, and just be totally selfish with my time. It was awesome. I looked forward to it all week. Then, the morning of, I packed up my laptop and thought to myself that it would be a good day to get caught up on some business stuff undistracted. I reasoned that I love what I do, and that it wouldn't really be at odds with the sentiment of "Shama Day". In reality though, I just wasn't comfortable being away from my laptop for two whole days. How well balanced it that? So I put my laptop bag back in the closet and walked resolutely out the door.

I have to admit that before I went to bed last night I had to make sure she was charged up and ready to start today with me. For practical reasons, I tell myself, because I am doing all my holiday mini session this weekend (I am blogging in between shoots right now) and I will need to download photos throughout the day, but really I just missed her. It is the same way a lapdog person misses their snuggy warm mutt when they've been separated too long.

Come One, Come All!!!

Shama Lea Photography Studio Grand Opening!!!!

Saturday, Nov 21st 

Open House: 6:30-8:30

245 4th Street Suite 506 (roof top reception)

Bremerton, WA 98337

I have been immersed in preparation for my photography studio's grand opening. I am so excited by this event, and I have to admit, a little nervous. I can't wait to debut this lovely little space and share with everyone what I have been working on. Please come by and enjoy some great refreshments (the event is being catered by "Having a Ball Catering" and I can tell you that at least your mouth will be having a ball), fun music, great conversation, all the while enjoying a beautiful roof top view of the city and marina. I am giving away a door prize every half hour including gift certificates to a day spa and dinner at Anthony's. I am also offering exclusive discounts on print products, as well as offering 10 Holiday Card Sessions (this is a 30 min mini session to take a family photo for your holiday cards this year. The session comes with 25 custom designed holiday cards) at an amazing price. So, come one come all. Make a date out of it. You can pop by the open house, please your taste buds, book yourself a photo shoot, then take your honey to see Twilight. What better way can you think of to spend your Saturday night???

What is wrong with this picture???

Why are my tomatoes splitting like this??? Do they need more fertilizer? Are they getting too much water or too little? I don't understand because they have been producing so beautifully for the last couple of weeks. In fact they are such champion tomato plants that I am giving away tomatoes every couple of days. I just can't eat them fast enough and I don't want even one tiny perfectly round red orb to go to waste. Any suggestions on what can be done to save these poor plants?   

Stacy's Maternity Shoot

Here are a few pictures from a maternity session I did with my good friend Stacy. She was such a fun subject and was such a good sport about trying different poses and locations even though it was freezing out side. I had a really hard time narrowing down the ones to post because she was so great in all of them. Thanks Stacy for such a fun shoot!! By the way, I have no idea why this is all underlined nor do I have any idea how to change it. I will save that for another day.I couldn't decide which belly picture I liked better because they both have such different feels to them. In the end I couldn't cut either one. 

My New Business Site is DONE!!!

I have been pouring my heart and soul into redesigning my business website. It is a labor of love because I really wanted it to represent who I am as a photographer. After hours and hours of wading through color schemes, fonts, layouts, and designing and redesigning my new logo trying to figure out what felt like "me", I called in my sweet husband. I did this for two reasons, 1-there are times that he knows me better than I know myself, and 2- all things technology based come easier to him. So with my love by my side and Jon sitting next to us (by "us" I mean me and my Mac) we toiled away all weekend long and are both proud to launch: www.shamaleaphotography.com

I decided to do a redesign along with changing the name of my business from "Moments Photography" to "Shamalea Photography" a few weeks ago but have stalled because of the work involved in making a change over like that. I loved Moments photography because to me being a photographer is all about capturing those little moments that are authentic and convey a sense who a person is, but there are so many other photographers using that same name or a variation of it that I felt lost in the crowd. It occurred to me that my parents gave me a beautiful unique Irish name and that nothing could represent me better than that. I also figured that after having my name mispronounced, misspelled, and misunderstood my whole life, it was time to let it be celebrated a little, poor abused name :). I am still working on the blog, but I was just so pleased with the way the website came out that I couldn't keep it under wraps any longer. And Jon is so bursting with pride at our creative venture together that I was barley able to keep his finger from inching towards the "publish" button before the finishing touches were complete.  So check it out and let me know what you think. shamaleaphotography.com

PS-if you know any seniors who are interested in getting senior portraits, I still have a few senior rep slots available. A senior rep receives a free senior shoot and lots of incentives for referring their friends to shamaleaphotography. I am looking for energetic, fun, charismatic seniors who would benefit from being a senior rep. I only do a handful of these shoots a year so if you know someone who fits the bill have them e-mail me as soon as possible: sl@shamaleaphotography.com

Danali is one month old!

Here are a few photos from Danali's one month shoot. She was so sleepy that she wasn't even bothered when I jostled her about in a field and in the forest. I think she has resigned herself to the fact that her mother is a little nutty, especially when there is a camera in her hands. This was the first shoot that we have done together that didn't involve tears, hers or mine. She is now my favorite subject!

Three week old Danali...

This baby truly tortures me- when she isn't being the most delightful light of my life. As she is our last baby I wanted to make a really concentrated effort to photograph and document her infancy so that it didn't slip by in the craziness of everyday living. So I have done a photo shoot with her every week as she turns a new week old. EVERY time I pull the camera out my sweet snuggly girl turns into a crying pooping mach

ine. She hates being naked or uncovered in any way. In the photos where I am holding her you can see that she looks truly disgruntled even in sleep, and in the photo where she looks like she is sleeping alone my friend Monica is wrapped in a black cloth (what a good friend) and holding her because my darling girl acted like I was neglecting her whenever I tried propping her up against the back drop alone. So this is what I came up with from that shoot. 

My day at a glance....

7:30 am- Get kids up, dressed, fed, snack packed, and off to school #1. 10:30 am off to school #2 for open house. 11:30 am run to the post office to mail a bunch of stuff (not an easy task with a baby hanging off one arm and a toddler in tow who has no fear of traffic). 12:30 pm dog to the groomer. 12:45 grocery shopping (we we are out of everything). 2pm home for Ella's nap. 3:15 pick Caden up from school. 3:30 pm give both kids snacks and quick house clean up. 4:30 pm soccer practice. 6pm make and clean up from dinner. 8pm help get kids showered and off to bed. 9 pm start working on photography web site/blog (I have changed my business name and am really excited about the blog I'm working on, more to come on that later) and stay caught up on my editing. 12 am feed and change the baby off to bed. 3 am feed and change the baby and hopefully only be up for a 1/2 hour (but the last two nights it has been more like 2 hours on and off). 6 am another round of feeding and changing, and then I get to sleep until 7:30am and it starts all over again. I need to go because I didn't budget for time to write this blog, nor do a see a moment to take a shower or nap, and by the way I see that I didn't feed my daughter lunch or pick the dog up from the groomer. *Sigh*

Two week old Danali

Our sweet little Danali is two weeks old. We took her in for her check up and she is doing beautifully regaining her birth weight plus a couple of ounces weighing in at 6 lbs 15 ozs and 19 1/2 " long. Here are a couple of photos from her two week photo shoot. She has been such a delightful baby. We are having so much fun being her family. 

We love snuggling this tiny little love. 

I love her big eyes. They are so expressive. So often she will just gaze up at us with such trust and innocence that my heart swells. 

I love that I was able to capture her smiling. She is our most smiley baby awake and asleep. She often smiles when Jon sings to her which makes him feel like a million bucks. 

I don't want to forget a moment of her infancy so the camera is out all the time. I am feeling a small sense of panic that it is all going to go so fast, like I am going to turn around one day and gasp because she is already 4 months old, then 6, and before you know it we will be celebrating her one year birthday. I think that it is because she is our last baby and I want to savor every moment.

The Fruits of My Labor...Literally

I planted my very first garden this year. Jon made me large planter boxes, I consulted with my aunt and grandma (the gardening experts in my family), I bought starts at the Poulsbo Farmer's Market, I fertilized, I watered, I loved, and in return all I got was heartbreak. My dog dug up one of my gardens three times, effectively killing my lettuce, spinach, and cucumbers. I fought slugs who launched an attack against my herb garden, my strawberries, and my string beans. Just when I though I had won the battle the birds spotted all my beautiful red strawberries and another battle was waged. The sun burnt up the majority of my sweet peas and my daughter decided to pick the flowers that would be my bell peppers. But today, today, I won the war!!!  I ventured outside and guess what I found, fruits and vegetables. Ripe and beautiful. My tomato bushes are laden with big tomatoes, most green, some red, my zucchini bushes have little zucchinis on them, the bell peppers are green but growing, there are a handful of strawberries every time I check on them, and I was able to harvest a dozen peas and string beans. The crop is small but the feeling of pride is large. My kids kept saying, "we are great gardeners"! I have to agree. 

Welcome Danali Jean Bartlett!!
6lbs 12oz
19" Long
Born at 5:08am

Our little girl is here. She is a doll. I can't get enough of her. I love to just sit on the couch and lay her against my shoulder and nuzzle her little head and neck. She has been the easiest of my babies, so far anyway. She hardly cries, she sleeps for 3 1/2 hours at one stretch and 4 hours at another at night, and just seems so content to be in our home. The kids adore her and the dog follows her around like her little sentinel. We are so blessed.

She was sure anxious to get into this world. My water broke about 2 am on Tuesday morning, 7 hours before my scheduled induction. About 2:15 the real contractions began. I left for the hospital around 4 thinking that I was probably in for a long couple of hours of labor since Caden was born 23 hours after they broke my water and Ella 11....I was wrong. I was dialated to a 6 when they checked me, even before the IV was placed and medical bracket on, 15 minutes later they checked me again and I was at an 8, and 15 minutes later she was born. My support team (comprised of my mom and dear friend Monica) made it just 20 minutes before she was born. I'm so glad that I had them there standing along the side of me and my sweet husband. Jon was great as he coached, calmed, and encouraged me. There were a few moments of panic when I felt overwhelmed with the pain and the speed at which everything was happening but Jon just stayed focused and talked me through it. In the end, the nurse and a CNA delivered the baby 20 minutes before the doctor arrived. Danali was beautiful and healthy so they laid her against me and left the room. It was such a special feeling in the room. We just marveled at her and loved on her for an hour and a half. She nursed right away and immediately seemed to sense how wanted and cherished she was.

So life is settling down here for us. I was sick the first couple of days after delivery, not able to eat or drink much (we think it was due to all the hormonal changes) but yesterday it kind of leveled off and I started feeling stronger again. I am looking forward to starting this week. Jon has the next two weeks off so we are going to get some things done around the house plus do some fun family outings. Feel free to come snuggle on our little one if you want. I'm not one of those that stays in isolation for two weeks after a baby is born, in fact I am going a little stir crazy. Overall, life is happy, we feel overwhelmingly blessed with our beautiful baby girl and the joy and sense of completion she has brought to our family. We are so excited by the next chapter of our lives, raising these three children, and just enjoying life as a family of five.

My water broke!

I have been in bed two hours and my water broke. This is such an different experience for me because both my other children were scheduled in inductions and the doctor broke my water after hours of hours of Pitocin. We are staying at home as long as possible but this baby will definitely have an August 4th birthday. Contractions are every 5 minutes apart so I am going back to bed to see if I can bank a little more sleep before the main event takes place. 

How does August 4th sound for a birthday?

Look at this belly. That baby is ready to come out. Tomorrow is the big day. Because of blood pressure issues they moved my induction up a day. My bags are packed, the house is clean, a detailed schedule is on the fridge for those caring for my kids, and blogging is being done. Check, check, and check. 

I took a few maternity pictures of myself on Sunday to document this, my last pregnancy. I should have called in the professionals (aka Katie) but I am seriously awkward on the other end of the lens and didn't want to torture anyone with the task of photographing me. I am much bigger than I was with Ella so I am curious to see how much this baby will weigh. Caden was 6 lbs 3 oz, and Ella was 5lbs 2 ozs, so even a 7 or 8 pound baby will be quite a shock to my system. Any guesses on her weight? The ironic thing is that I have been so miserable with this pregnancy that I have just wanted it to be over. Now that I am on the eve of that happening, I am feeling a little sense of loss. I wanted so much to enjoy this pregnancy. It is the last, we worked so hard to get pregnant and stay pregnant, and I wanted to be all glowy and full of maternal bliss. Instead I have been sick the entire pregnancy (just this morning I was on the bathroom floor trying to convince my contracting stomach that there was no more food left in me to throw up and that dry heaving really didn't do anyone any good) and I starting having contractions two months ago. I am so uncomfortable and don't sleep at night and when I do I dream of the time that I will have my body all to myself again. Its odd now that I am feeling sad about it being over. 

So little one, please come into this world safely. I have done all I can to get you here and we have this one last hurdle to jump together. I can't wait to meet you and hold you. Love, your mom.

T-4 Days!!

I went into my doctor's office yesterday with a prepared list of reasons why I think it is time to induce labor. It was a beautifully prepared list, typed and everything, with my top 3 arguments for induction along with ideas of how we could start my labor, just in case he was fresh out of ideas of his own. I was ready thanks to two nights pouring over the internet on how to induce labor. 

In the end though, the list wasn't necessary as my blood pressure was really high and the doctor was concerned about the baby's heart rate. Personally, I thought he should have read through the list just to be polite and perhaps humor me a bit, but he didn't seem so inclined when I mentioned it, in fact I'm pretty sure he thought I was joking about said list, so I casually tucked it under my hospital gown until I could slip it back in my purse unobserved.  

He tried scheduling me for an induction on Monday, but apparently a lot of other ladies have lists as well, because Monday and Tuesday were booked for scheduled inductions. The earliest he could get me on the schedule was 7am Wednesday morning, with a note to the hospital that if one of the scheduled inductions delivers ahead of time they are to call me and get me induced. I did an NST on Friday and the baby's heart rate varied just as it should (I think when the doctor was listening she was being difficult just to show support for the whole 'exiting mom's body sooner rather than later plan', what a doll) and I have to do another NST on Sunday. 

So, I am counting down the days. Suddenly there seems to be so much to do. Grocery shopping to be done, bedding to be washed, new born clothes that need tags removed and washed, floors that need to be vacuumed, pumping gear to be tested and readied, the list is never ending really. Is the baby going to care if any of this is done, probably not, but I can't seem to sit still even though I am exhausted. The doctor encouraged me to go into labor any time so I have upped my activity level trying to push things along but all that has happened is that I contract on and off all day which just wears me out. The MD assures me that every contraction is serving a purpose, but I think he is just pacifying me. As of Friday I was 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced, that hardly seems worth the effort of contracting for the last two months! 

So my friends, my next post will be laden with photos of our baby. I can't wait to meet this little person, to hold her in my arms and kiss her little baby face. I can't wait to see my husband cry and fuss over her minutes after her birth. I can't wait to introduce her to her older brother and sister and watch as my family becomes complete and whole.  

What makes a rainbow...apparently a broken nose!

Last night I was reading this seemingly benign book to Ella. When we were done I asked her turn off the bedroom light and she wanted me to do it. I was feeling all drowsy and pregnant so I put on my thinking cap and suggested that she hop like a bunny to the light switch. She bounced down the length of her bed, turned off the light, started hopping back, then turned and just flung herself backwards. It was so sudden and unexpected that I didn't have time to lumber out of her way. A moment later she was all indignant that I bonked the back of her incredibly hard skull with my face, more specifically my nose. I heard a sickening crack, willed myself not to pass out, and tried not to let any blood get on Ella's favorite snuggle blankie.  
I stopped the bleeding and told Jon that I thought I had a broken nose. There were no tears...at that point. The pain really came when I looked in the mirror and saw this.... 
Do you see how bulbous and crooked my nose looks? It swings to the right. Jon kept saying, "it doesn't look that bad" and I replied, "this is my FACE, 'not that bad' isn't an option!!" It was also concerning that I couldn't breath out of one nostril. So off to the ER I went while Jon stayed behind to finish putting Caden and the little assailant (aka-Ella) to bed. The very nice doctor talked with me for a few minuets while he gently probed my nose. He asked where I thought it was broken and when I pointed to the most painful spot on my face he grabbed, pulled, and shifted with out warning. (The moment was captured by my ER buddy Monica on her cell phone. My sweet friend showed up in the ER waiting room with a Dr. Pepper and a People Magazine in hand just to keep me company). After he was done setting my nose he asked how it felt and I said that I felt like hurting him. In reality I needed a moment to pull myself together so that I didn't embarrass myself by crying in front of the cute doctor and my picture taking friend. There wasn't much they could do so they referred me to a specialist who I will follow up with on Monday. Sleep was a little uncomfortable last night but okay and today the swelling is down and the bruising is really minimal. You can see that there is some bruising across my nose and I have a small black eye on the left but really I can't complain about looking too injured. What I can complain about is the fact that my nose now has a bump. Again, Jon tried to console me by saying that is really isn't that noticeable and I again reminded him that this is my NOSE not my ear, or a knobbly finger, but the center piece of my face, and I want my smooth ski jump like nose back, not a ski jump nose with a mogul. Not to mention that my nostrils are different shapes and sizes now. I'm so nervous that since the swelling isn't that bad that what I'm looking at is what I'm stuck with. I guess we will see. So I guess the moral of the story is to be careful of your bedtime reading material because you never know what cute little woodland creature based story will land you in the ER at midnight. 

Running out of room....

So it has come to my attention that there are not many photos of me on our family blog pregnant. For those of you who have harassed and teased that I am camera shy and unwilling to document my changing belly here are a few photos that clearly show off the the "baby bump". Although at 8 months pregnant it is hardly a bump. In fact when the doctor said that I may have up to 6 weeks left of the pregnancy I just kept thinking, "I am out of room!!" I can feel this baby from pelvis to rib cage. I feel like my stomach is in my neck and my hips are barley clearing door ways. I guess the only option is out, and out, and out...oh boy. At this point I am intrigued and awed by the pregnant body.
I really don't mind being full and round aesthetically, I think the pregnant body is adorable...on other women. Because when it is you, you have to not only look pregnant, you have to feel pregnant. The lack of pictures is more an indicator that I am always holding the camera, not that I don't
want to document the process of bigger and bigger yet. The clothing options get more limited and you will notice that the curling iron is pulled out less and less often, but to those who have razzed me (and you know who you are) I will do better about making sure that I am more present in our family blog.

Here I am at 6 months, hair down and looking reasonably comfortable. Little does this Shama know what is waiting for her two months down the line.

Summer Events Calender

If anyone is interested I made up a calender of mostly free events including: festivals, fairs, concerts, movies and other summer activities here in Kitsap County through the months of July and August. I went to a bunch of web sites and looked through my "Kitsap Adventures" book (the 2009-2010 edition is on sale at Costco for $12) to put the calender together. It only contains the things I thought might be interesting to my family but there is something to do nearly every day of the week. The things on the Sunday slots are just ideas for the week that you could fill in on any day. Just click on the calender and it should become full screen so you can print it out. Let me know if you have any problems or if you don't understand my abbreviations.

The Fourth and Fun in the Sun!!

We had a great fourth of July in Tacoma with the Anderson Family. We spent the weekend boating, bike riding, and carnival going. We were at an event called "Freedom Festival" on Fort Lewis. It was a big carnival with food vendors, bounce houses, and an amazing fireworks show.
The bounce houses were by far the kid's favorite feature of the day, although it was REALLY HOT. They would run and jump and come out beet red and sweaty yet ready for more. Kids are crazy. I would find the shadiest spot possible and nurse my ice cold water as I kept track of all the shoes and made sure the kids were well hydrated and sun screened. Jon, on the other hand, had to help Ella through some of the larger bounce houses. Bless his heart. I can only imagine the smell of dozens of sticky, sweating, children bouncing off vinyl walls and smashing into each other.



This was Ella's favorite bounce house. Mainly because it was the little kid one and practically unused. She felt like ruler of the roost, which suits her just fine.

We have also enjoyed lots of time in the front yard pools. We bought a new one before I could find the one from last year so we now have two. The kids think it is the coolest to jump between the two pools. I have the fondest memories of summers spent getting wrinkly from hours spent in our back yard pool. It occured to me that my kids are going to have the same memories and it made me feel so connected to my mom. It took me nearly two hours to clean out last year's pool, find the compressor to blow up the two pools, set up the "wash the grass off your feet before jumping in the pool" tarp, get out the lawn chairs, apply the sun screen, and prepare snacks for the day so that the kids could eat out side thereby tracking in the least amount of water and grass. By the time I was done I was exhausted and happy to just sit in my lawn chair and watch them "swim" and show me their "awesome moves". As I sat there I felt so grateful to my mother who too thought all the energy and fuss was worth the memories made in a back yard pool.

This is one of Caden's "awesome"

moves and this is Ella "swimming".

It really has been such a fun summer so far. I was nervous that me being 8 months pregnant would limit our summer fun but as long as I plan an activity every day the kids seem happy and the day doesn't drag on. Even if it is just a small thing like finger painting the back deck then hosing it off after ward and playing in the water or going to the park and playing and having a picnic. Thank goodness for all this beautiful sun shine!