Things I Adore

So yeah, my man is back. And if I had any doubts, my level of exhaustion is a great big I-can't-seem-to-get-enough-sleep reminder. Hahaa. No one can waste a day like my man can! "Hey babe, let's run to the store real quick..." actually means, "we're going to be gone all day, so be prepared for that, ok.."

This is a challenge since I work from home when I'm not actively on a photo shoot. And if I don't schedule things in advance, it doesn't get done, so it's been hard to make business a priority as of late. Seriously, no complaints here, but I'm starting to feel the effects, and my entrepreneur self is like, "Hey! When was the last time you checked your work email?" or "Oh hey! You've got 14,000 personal / work photos to edit and organize. Get on that woman." Sheesh.. lay off boss woman. Hahaa.

Anyhow, there are times when I am so tired or of being out or my tightwad self is like "NOOOO" and I get a bit grumpy about our easily wasted days (ok, they're not really wasted, we always have fun and I love being with him no matter what, but productivity level is low). Like I've mentioned, here, here, and here, we're working on priorities and responsibilities, because when it comes down to it, we're a family that loves to play hard.

Then as we both are recovering from a full work day of cutting tree rounds, loading and unloading them, and yet, we still manage to take care of one another's needs, I am quickly reminded of how happy my fiance makes me. Seriously though, we are bruised, beaten, tired, and weak. These trees were huge and we got tasked out by Jeremy's mom, for her friend, to take care of them after they were cut down (so that she would have what seems to be an endless supply of firewood). Needless to say, my work ethic is just as good as any hard working man, even if I'm not quite as physically capable. So I kept up with him the entire time, and even when his buddy came with a big flatbed truck, I still kept up to get the job done. Photos below.

When you tell your friend of your latest project and they show up with a 24' flatbed truck - you know you have amazing friends!

As the title explains, Alyx and Kate are going through what seems to be a huge growth spurt, and while I wish I could slow it down, there are so many things about them both I absolutely adore!

Alyx:

• He spends summer vacation playing with his sister, like there isn't a six year age gap between them.
• He is undoubtedly the happiest kid during his swim lessons.
• He loves his parents more than any kid I've ever seen.. Always telling us, "You're the best mom and dad ever!"
• This boy is so smart! His observation and memory is incredible.
• He LOVES his sister, and takes care of her always.
• I love how his mind works. There are times I feel as if I can literally see his mind working, processing, and figuring things out.
• He always tries to keep up with us. I remind him he doesn't need to, but he likes having an agenda too.
• He loves to cuddle with me.

Kate:

• What she learns on a daily basis is a constant reminder of our influence on her. I love that.
• She often repeats what we say, and we're always like, "Did she just say that?!" because we're surprised she caught on (not because we said something bad).
• She LOVES her big bubba more than life.
• She always wants to swim with Alyx, but when it's time to physically get in a large body of water, she's terrified.
• She can be so shy, but there are times she loves to greet people and I love the sweet reactions she gets.
• She is still my cuddly baby.
• Listening to her sing is the most precious thing in the world.

I know I could come up with dozens more things I love and adore about my kids, but these are the things that stand out to me at the moment. I'm in shock my baby boy is entering third grade, and Kate is half way to her third year of life. While I often wish I could slow their growth down, I feel so blessed to watch them grow, and never really feel like I want to go back to that time, but more that I appreciate it. I've been going through a HUGE baby fever phase though - I feel like everyone I know is getting pregnant, having babies, or just had babies. I'm quite certain our baby-having days are over, but this is the first time I've ever felt this way, and it's a little crazy. In return, I appreciate my two littles even more, and love life with them all that I can.