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Hello. I’m Here. Barely. August 23, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Family, My Handsome Husband, Parenthood, Thoughts , 9comments

Hello internet.

Hello Pam.  Thanks for noticing my absence. :)

Honestly, I’ve got nothin’.

I’ve just come away from a  very, very bad week.  The kind that changes your life FOREVER.  (So you know, heavy stuff.)

To top it off, I was extremely busy with photo shoots last week (check my photo blog cause I’ve been posting there) which was great, but a bit stressful given our lovely week.

Sometimes life SUCKS.  BAD.

A few days ago, I photographed the kids of the dentist who fixed Hannah’s teeth.  During casual conversation with him and his wife, I started crying.

HELLO.  PEOPLE.  CRYING ON THE JOB.

Totally not cool.  Did I mention I don’t know these people?  Yep.  Just met the wife 30 seconds before the shoot and I’ve only seen the dentist while he was working on Hannah’s mouth.

What can I say, I’ve been out of sorts.

I have no juice.  I have nothing to write.

I have audibly reminded myself like a trillion times, “It’s not the challenges you receive in life, it’s how you handle them.”  David asked me why I kept saying that (out loud, to myself mind you) and I told him, “BECAUSE I NEED TO HEAR IT.”

In an effort to help, many people try to think of someone else they know who’s situation was worse than yours, and how things turned around and there was this beautiful ending . . .

Well, let me tell you folks . . .  IT DOESN’T HELP.

I’m not interested in comparing crappy situations.  Those heart warming stories (while nice and all) do not make me feel better one iota.  I know people are just trying to help, but seriously . . . JUST.  STOP.  IT.

I just want to be heard by people I know and trust, and then in some weird twisted way, I feel SO MUCH BETTER when people say. “Seriously, that DOES suck.”  What can I say?  I’m a woman who wants to be heard; the “problem solving” conversations are not helping.

Interestingly enough, earlier in the week I came across this video which I bawled throughout:

And you know what?  I have the most important things in place in my life.  I have a wonderful husband, two darling, healthy kidlets, a  supportive family, and I know God has not forgotten about us.

I have no idea what his plans are though.

A Little Announcement . . . August 9, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Family, Parenthood, Photography, Pregnancy, Thoughts, Utah , 3comments

So, I must announce . . .

THERE IS NO NEWS IN THE LESHER HOUSEHOLD.

It was clear to me after I wrote about feeling legitimately sick (the contagious kind that started with Hannah, then went to Dallin, then David, then to me, then to my mother-in-law) that some of you thought I might be dealing with a stint of morning sickness.

Well, let me tell you, if there is anything that reminded me of how much I hate having the non-contagious flu (morning sickness) it was that sick day.

UGH.  I am so not ready for baby #3.  And honestly, who says there will be a baby #3?  Two is good, right?  We’re a family of four, plus a dog (with plans of getting another Whippet within the year) so we are good.  For now anyway, and maybe forever.  Who knows.  All I know is pregnancy is a killer, and there is NO WAY, I repeat, NO WAY, I can care for two little needy people when I can’t even take care of myself.  Pregnancy equals: trying not to die of massive migraines that last for weeks on end (I literally had a migraine when I was pregnant with Hannah for FOUR WEEKS, and if that doesn’t make you suicidal, then I’m not sure what will!) and trying not to loose more weight in the first four months (by vomiting up everything I put in my mouth) than I will gain the last five months.  Somehow, parenting two little people while I am a beached whale, slowing dying on the floor, doesn’t sound like a plan for success.

So, there you have it.  I’m not pregnant.  Not now, not tomorrow.

Glad we cleared that up.  :)

Gosh, so much has been happening lately.  I’ve been busy shooting, which has been great, but has left me little to no personal time.  I love it, and I’m working on balancing my life as a wife, mother, student, and working mom.  It’s been a transition to balance my family and my professional life, especially since I’ve been out of the working world for five years.  Luckily for me, I love what I do, and 90% of my work happens after my kids are asleep.

In other news, my niece, Jess, got married a couple weeks ago.  I photographed her wedding, and enlisted the help of my good friend, Luone, to help me since I actually had to be in some of the shots.  See the wedding pics here.  I had a slammed packed couple of weeks with family fun, (lots of family in from out of town) but now things have calmed down a bit and I should be back to regular posting.

Don’t hold me to it though, the pressure might make me pop, and I don’t think I could handle that right now!  :)

Check Out My Photo Blog! July 21, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Family, Photography, Princess Hannah , 2comments

My niece is getting married this weekend, so my family is coming together.

This is my younger sister, Allison, and her family who flew in from Wisconsin for the big event.  I photographed them earlier this week, so check out my photo blog to see more from their session.  :)

I’m slightly jealous of her fabulous hair color.  I know she paid for it, but still . . .

Also, for those of you who are interested, I posted a tutorial on how to photograph fireworks on my photo blog as well.

On top of having a wedding this week, and spending lots of time with my family, we also have two birthdays (David and Hannah) and I’m not sure who’s more excited for Hannah’s 4th birthday, her or me!

A Snap Shot of the Last Few Days July 20, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Family, Little Man Dallin, Parenthood, Photography, Princess Hannah, Utah , 3comments

Here is a string of somewhat unrelated, snap shots from the iphone over the last week.  I don’t always want to lug my camera gear around, so every once in a while, I snap pictures on the iphone.  Not always ideal, but hey, I took pictures, right?

Every Monday night this summer, we have attended concerts in the amphitheater.

Sometimes, Hannah gets really into the music, and feels compelled to dance for everyone.

It’s adorable.

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When Pigs Fly . . .

I can’t say that statement to my kids to drive a point home because they pointed out a pig in the sky on our way to a parade!

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I can only imagine how our kids are going to react when we take them to Disneyland someday . . .

Because these little carnival rides had them bursting out of their own skin in excitement.

Check out Dallin’s face!  I swear he’s having the time of his life . . . he just hasn’t told his face yet!

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I love this picture . . .

Nothing. and I mean nothing, makes my heart explode out of my chest like this.  I love to hear Dallin yell, “HAND” to Hannah.  Oh. My.  Heck.  They hold hands all the time when we’re driving.  This makes the trip pleasant for everyone.

Dang.  Why do kid have to be so cute?

Jessica’s Bridal Pics July 14, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Family, Photography , 2comments

I shot my niece’s bridal pictures a few days ago.  I posted several images from this shoot on my photo blog if you want to see more.  (Hint: go see them!)

Bear Lake Part Two July 12, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Family, Little Man Dallin, Photography, Princess Hannah, Trips, Utah , 1 comment so far

Remember how I went on vacation and had a million pictures to sort through?

Well . . . here are a few unrelated, pictures from our trip.  :)

This was the view of the lake from our beach house.  The kids had plenty of grass to roll around on, and there were PLENTY of mosquitos who made it their life’s mission to feed on our blood from every pore on our bodies.

I’m not a fan of bug spray (it’s too sticky and stinky) but I lathered it on like it was Love Spell lotion from Victoria’s Secret to keep the bugs away.

Dallin’s favorite part of the trip was the trampoline.  He HATED the sand and cold lake water, so the only real fun he had (besides hanging out with me all the time, which goes without saying, is super fun) was jumping on the tramp.

Gosh, I think of this kid as a baby (because he is!) but dang, he’s looking like a toddler!

The kids loved jumping and seeing me under the tramp.  Check out the size of Hannah’s feet!

Brent rented this little number for about an hour, which was probably the greatest hour of Hannah’s vacation.  But let’s back up here . . . do kids really know what vacation is?  I mean, isn’t her WHOLE life ONE BIG VACATION?

This is my eight year old nephew, Andrew (or as Hannah, refers to him as, “little boy”) demonstrating his mad back flip and back twist skills.

And this is Katie showing off her hand stand trick.

After seeing these tricks, Hannah confidently stated that she was going to demonstrate a back flip, back twist, and hand stand on the tramp all by herself.  Then, she looked over at me and said, “Mommy, can you help me?”

Bear Lake Part One July 9, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Family, Parenthood, Photography, Thoughts, Trips, Utah , 2comments

My extended family had a wonderful vacation together at Bear Lake, which is about four hours away on the border of Utah and Idaho.

We rented an eight bedroom beach house to accommodate seven families which equated to 28 people.  It was a lot like being in a nice hotel with lots of common area to move around in, but at the end of the day, you share a room with your kids which is not my favorite way to sleep.  I seriously don’t know how kids can share a room.  I mean, I shared a room growing up for several years (probably until I was 12, then I got my own room) but I don’t know how anyone gets any sleep when two little people in the same room don’t sleep the exact amount of hours!  I know I have great sleepers, and I’m talking about how one child sleeps 11 hours and one sleeps 13 hours, so some of you are throwing eggs at your monitor reading about my sleeping woes while on vacation, but seriously, Dallin really needs his extra two hours of beauty rest!

Hannah LOVED the beach.  Why wouldn’t she?  She’s from the Caribbean!  The water was a nippy 50 degrees (or less!) and the weather only topped 75 degrees (too cold for my blood!) but she loved every minute of it just like she did two years ago when my family went on this very same vacation.

She was very busy making sand castles and watching her uncle Brent go in and out of the water doing various water sports.

Oh.  My.  Heck.  I could just kiss her face off.

Dallin on the other hand . . . hated the sand and the freezing cold water!

Do you see this chair he’s sitting in?  He did not get off this chair for SIX HOURS.

Yes.  You read that right.  SIX WHOLE HOURS.  This is where he ate, jumped, socialized, and took a two hour nap on my lap.

Making sure my kid was safe at the beach was a no-brainer for me in this great baby-sitting-chair.  :)

This is Katie and Hannah.  Hannah thinks she is 12.

This is one of my nephews, Luke.

Brent and his sailboat.

This is another nephew, Aaron.

This is my niece Becky learning how to windsurf.

Hello Brent.

This is Hannah and Becky on their canoe adventure.

David missed this day at the beach, but Hannah sure had fun with her “too many friends” anyway.

Hot Air Balloon Race July 8, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Family, Little Man Dallin , 1 comment so far

We LOVE celebrating the Fourth of July in Utah.  Parades, picnics, fireworks, and of course . . . hot air balloon races!

I was really excited for the kids to see 30+ hot air balloons blown up at once.

I just knew they were going to love it!

OK, so they didn’t exactly love it.  Dallin was terrified of their bigger-than-life-size dimensions and only wanted to admire them in the sky.

We still loved it and will continue the tradition to watch the hot air balloon races every year we happen to be in Utah on the 4th.

Hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day!

Hard at Work Playing July 5, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Family, Utah , 1 comment so far

I’ve been playing.  A lot.

I have laundry piled up, photo shoots I need to edit for clients, and more than a million pictures to sort through.

For now though, here are a couple of pictures from our trip to Bear Lake.

Hannah and her cousin Katie (who she thinks is four like she almost is).

This is part of my family who made it up to the lake.   We are missing six siblings, their spouses, and some cousins.  Do you love my raccoon eyes?  Yeah.  Remind me to take off my sunglasses the next time I spend hours at the lake.  :)

We enjoyed the hot air balloon race in Provo and we had high hopes that the Coca-Cola balloon would launch, but the winds were too high and several of the balloons deflated.

Big bummer.

Stay tuned for more fun images of Bear Lake and the balloon festival!

Also, check out the post on my photo blog for some tips on reflected lighting and to see a self portrait of my hubby and me.  :)

Happy Birthday Pa! July 1, 2010

Posted by Emily in : Family, Utah , 2comments

Happy 74th birthday to my dad!  We are all (several of my siblings and my parents) celebrating at Bear Lake this week!

(All pics taken in my parents’ backyard.  I used to love playing in this cabin when I was a kid.)

Happy July 1st to all of you too!