Video of the Shortest Commercial Runway in the World! (It’s on Saba of Course!) August 10, 2010
Posted by Emily in : Saba, Thoughts , 3commentsMy friend, Rebecca, posted this video on facebook and it made me so homesick for Saba! Gosh, I really miss it there, and I’m not looking back with rose-colored glasses either. I really loved living there while I lived there.
When you watch this video, please note the crazy landing and imagine me 10 hours into labor with Hannah, chartering a private plane to get me off the island so I could deliver her on St. Maarten. Then, try to imagine me flying back to this island with a three day old baby, (held in David’s arms) post c-section.
All I can say about the landing is OUCH.
Enjoy!
A Little Announcement . . . August 9, 2010
Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Family, Parenthood, Photography, Pregnancy, Thoughts, Utah , 3commentsSo, 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! :)
Fearless Dancer August 3, 2010
Posted by Emily in : Princess Hannah , 1 comment so farHannah’s ballet group performed a number from Swan Lake last week.
Oh my heck. It was beyond cute.
Of course I video taped it as well, but uploading videos on my blog is so complicated to me. Unfortunately, it may be a while before I get the video on here and you can see for yourself how much this little one likes to dance. Even after the dance was over, Hannah lingered on stage, performing an “interpretive” dance for the audience.
This child is fearless.
And extremely adorable.
The Party July 28, 2010
Posted by Emily in : Parenthood, Princess Hannah, Utah , 6commentsA very special somebody just turned four . . .
I may have gone a little overboard planning this party, but how could I not? Hannah is just so dang ADORABLE.
Big tent? Check.
Good food? Check.
Barbie cake? Check.
Warm water in the pool? Check.
Lot’s of friends? Check.
Yes. Oh yes. I made this cake. (Stop snickering right now, you know I have culinary skills when I apply myself.)
Turns out, doll cakes are pricey, (OK, pricey is relative, so pricey for a “recently graduated from medical school” family) so instead of buying one, (I may have gasped at the price at the bakery, but after I made the cake, I would have charged five times that much!) I decided to make one.
How hard could it be? Seriously?
One very unsuccessful bunt cake later, I ended up buying two angel food cakes and layering them. Decorating was the easy part, getting Barbie the right height without chopping off her body, was the difficult part.
Everyone had a great time, and I heard the cake was delicious. (I felt like trash that day, so I didn’t eat one thing. Just looking at Hannah’s cake made me want to vomit.)
Hannah is one sweet little girl and she had a fabulous time with her “too many” friends.
Happy birthday Hannah!
Check Out My Photo Blog! July 21, 2010
Posted by Emily in : Family, Photography, Princess Hannah , 2commentsMy 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 , 3commentsHere 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.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
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!
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
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!
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
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?
No Fear of the Dentist Here July 19, 2010
Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Parenthood, Photography, Princess Hannah, Thoughts, Utah , 2commentsGoing to the dentist is usually the most traumatizing experience of our young lives. Most of us have a physical reaction to the sound and smell of THE DRILL.
Oh. My. I think I’m going to barf right now.
Last week, I took Hannah to the dentist to get a cavity filled. You know what I was thinking, “LUCKY ME!”
She had to get ONE cavity filled. One cavity mind you.
When we walked into the office, Hannah was elated to find toys, and people to talk to. When they called our name, Hannah skipped over to the dental assistant and promptly said, “My name is Hannah!”
She then hopped right into the chair and crossed her legs, settling back into a comfortable position. I kept thinking, “Oh my, she has NO IDEA what’s in store!” And then I started to panic, thinking that I WOULD be the parent she looked at as the one who deceived her! The one who took her to her doom! The one who ruined her sweet innocent life! Oh my heck! Why was I on dentist duty? There are two of us! Hello? Where is David when dental duty calls?
The dental assistant told Hannah she needed to take a picture of her teeth, and Hannah smiled and said, “My mommy is a photo-grapher! She takes TOO MANY pictures!” She then held up all ten fingers and blinked them several times to convey her message.
Looking at her x-rays, Hannah needed FOUR cavities filled.
Seriously, I was all, could you just hand me the gas and put me out for this session? Heaven help this dentist.
The dentist walked in, chatted with Hannah, put the gas on her, and went to town. She watched Cars (the movie) on the flat screen panel on the ceiling . . . relaxed as a cool cat.
Quiet as can be, and giggling at the movie. Not once did she un-cross her legs from her comfy position. After the dentist gave her a couple of shots, the dentist asked her a question and she said, “No thank you.”
WHAT? Where is the trauma? Where is the fear? Is she not going to grow up hating and fearing dentists like the rest of the world?
40 minutes later, her mouth was as good as new.
As I walked out to settle my $995 bill, the girl behind the desk told me I was not going to be charged, and that the services were complimentary.
Oh. My.
I don’t fear or hate the dentist anymore. In fact, I quite like him! Thank you Mr. Dentist for taking pity on my life as the wife of a recently graduated medical student, and thank you Hannah for making his job so easy and tipping the scale in our favor.
Gosh, and I was just starting to think that life basically sucked and that most people were selfish jerks.
Well, shut my mouth.
Speaking of mouths . . . here are some notable comments from Hannah in the last few weeks:
“Why Did the Easter Rabbit bring me a broken movie?” (The DVD she got for Easter is scratched.) He SHOULDN’T DO THAT!
“Mom! You can just drop me off! You don’t have to stay!” (I took her to visit the kindergarten class my sister teaches and Hannah was mortified that I was hanging around. She totally thinks she’s as big as all the other kids, and who taught her it’s not cool to have your mom go to school with you?!)
“Mom, if you told me a lie, we would have to talk about it.”
“My tears are too wet! I can’t even talk!”
“Mommy, if you die, then daddy will marry a really nice step-mother.” (WHAT THE HECK?!?! David and I have NO idea where she came up with this.)
“I’m not a doctor. Only daddy is a doctor. I’m just a super hero.”
“Mommy! We can’t forget to pray! Heavenly Father will be so sad if he doesn’t hear my sweet little voice! Mommy! YOU. SHOULD. NOT. FORGET!” (I almost forgot her night time prayer during one bed time routine. Heaven help me to never forget again!)
“Look! My tithing built that temple!” (Hannah, confident the Draper temple was built on the 80 cents she paid in tithing last month.)
“Mommy are you not perfect? Are you just a parent?”
“The life-jacket-police said I was too little to go down the water slide by myself. Why did they say that? I’m big enough, and I have BIG muscles!”
“Daddy . . . is this Colbie Callet singing?” (Listening to a song on the radio, which indeed was Colbie Callet)
“Waking you guys up is my biggest job. IT. IS. REALLY. HARD. It makes me so tired, that I have to go back to sleep!” (Hannah explaining the disadvantages of being an early riser.)
“I want to get on Barbie.com! Oh! Oh! And Nickjr.com too!” (WHAT?! Maybe no more TV ads until you’re 18!)
The 13th Anniversary . . . SERIOUSLY? July 17, 2010
Posted by Emily in : My Handsome Husband, Parenthood, Princess Hannah, Thoughts , 2commentsToday is our 13th anniversary.
I don’t think any other sentence could make me feel older. (OK, don’t start offering suggestions, I’m just sayin’ . . .) 13 years. WOW. Seriously? Where has time gone?
One of our favorite movies is The Family Man (2001). When we saw it in the theaters 10 years ago, I vividly remember a line Kate (Tea Leoni) said to Jack (Nicholas Cage): “How can you look at me like that? Like you haven’t seen me everyday for the last 13 years?”
I remember thinking, “Man, they have been married FOREVER!”
Well. Here we are friends.
We kicked off our anniversary last night by going to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. Apparently, 10,000 other people had the same idea. Still, our seats were good and the entertainment was amazing. We then enjoyed a walk around downtown barefoot. OK, now before you gag and throw up a LOT in your mouth, just know that LOTS of other people decided to go barefoot as well . . . I should know better than to hoof it all over town in shoes not conducive to walking long distances. My feet felt so much better on the warm streets. David on the other hand, is always barefoot, so this was just a normal night, for him . . . walking around downtown SLC barefoot.
We came home to our sweet sleeping children, and thought about drifting off to sleep ourselves until . . .
BLEH! BLEH! BLEH!
What the heck?!
Hannah started vomiting! David stayed up with her all night while she vomited every 15 to 30 minutes while I got some shut eye. I knew I made a good choice when I picked my spouse!
Up next? David’s birthday, Hannah’s birthday, Jess’ wedding, Pioneer Day, and one big family party. (Not to mention four photo shoots next week! EEK!)
And that’s just the next seven days.
Oh boy!
I look forward to many more anniversaries with the one that God made for me!
Jessica’s Bridal Pics July 14, 2010
Posted by Emily in : Family, Photography , 2commentsI 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!)
Fireworks! July 13, 2010
Posted by Emily in : Photography, Utah , 4commentsWe have taken our kids to five parades in the last four weeks. Half way through the parade last Saturday morning, Hannah looked over at David and said, “Daddy, this is boring. I’ve already seen this.”
Fortunately, she loved the carnival and is already a roller-coaster-junkie. (I took lots of pics on the iphone, but who knows when I’ll get those pics off the camera to post on this site.)
Saturday evening, I shot my niece’s bridal pictures, and got home in time to pick up David to go on a little “watch the fireworks” date. There is an amazing lookout point just minutes up the street from us which was perfect for watching the fireworks.
Lucky for us (this is my positive spin on the situation) the fireworks didn’t start until after 11:00 PM, so David and I had a lots of extra chat/snuggle time waiting for fireworks to begin.
I have wanted to photograph fireworks for a while, and had a fun time experimenting with long exposures. I will post a tutorial on how to photograph fireworks on my photography blog in a few days. It was interesting (to me at least) to learn what worked, and why it worked.
For now, enjoy the fireworks show in American Fork! What kills me, is how it looks like the fireworks are being set off on the temple grounds!
