It’s been years, I believe, since we’ve really celebrated the day of loooooooove.
This just means it will be a big surprise, right?

(Good thing he doesn’t read this blog.)

Part of making this gift gave me a reason to go through some of my files of the two of us.

I love these two:

How lucky am I that I not only have a hottie,
but a hottie that will goof off in front
of the camera for me.
*swoon*

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I got to pull the Auntie card and photograph her over the weekend.
Lucky me!
And I get to do another session with her and the entire family soon!
Lucky me again!

Here are some of my faves from her newborn session.
Prepare for your ovaries to ache
(if you have ovaries.  If you are reading this,
don’t have ovaries, but suddenly find them aching,
please go to the doctor! )
She’s just THAT cute.

It was nice.

Middle Row:
It was also a tad scary because our youngest was very sick.
Her fever got very high at one point.
Everything was fine in the end, but it made this momma bear worried.
(This is where Papa Bear would say, “What DOESN’T make you worried?)
She slept on a chair in the living room and missed out on all the excitement of ringing in a New Year.
There is always next year.

(In one image, you can see Paeton trying to make her laugh
though you can’t see Aryah)

Bottom Row:
I taught our oldest daughter to finger knit.
She loved it.
She whipped up a cute little scarf in about an hour.
She gave it to her Nana.
I love to loom knit and think it will be easy for her to learn, too.
It’s our next project.

We put up a bird house this summer.
John picked the spot and didn’t realize it would be smack in the middle of my view
for my ‘Views from My Back Porch’ photos I love to take.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
At least it is fun watching the birds.

Dearest Tatum,

My oldest daughter, my first girl, my beautiful little lady.
I love you.

I love your blossoming creative side.
You can spend hours with your new journal and colored pencils.
Drawing.  Writing.
You remind me of when I was a little girl.

I love your delight in all things magical.
You still believe in magic and faeries and all those things I love.
Believe as long as you want.
(I still do.)

You are growing up so fast and have opinions on fashion and hair.
When did that happen?
Can I stop it?

I love your smile and your laugh.
I love the way your eyes light up when something clicks or you get an idea.
You. Are. So. Smart.

I’m sorry your birthday letter was so late.
That’s what I get for having you just before Christmas. 

Thank you for being mine.

I love you.

Mommy

Today I’m posting a few of my Resolutions.  Maybe it will help me stick to them!

 1.) Blog More

This one is pretty easy to explain. 
I want to establish some sort of regular blogging schedule to help me blog more.
Each year I say I want to blog more, but this year I want to find ways to make it easier on me and
to help me keep up with it.

2.) Take More Photos of the Kidlets

Back when Paeton was born, I was starting on my 2nd attempt at a 365.
I also did one for the kids.
I have a photo a day of the first six months of her life.
That’s pretty awesome.
I haven’t decided if I want to do something with more structure, like a 365 or a 52 week project,
or just make a sort of loosely structured project.
Whatever I do, more photos will happen!

3.)  Better Organization for Personal Photos

I’m soooo bad about my personal photos.
I tend to dump them in random folders with names about what I took,
but this makes for a very rough time when I want to do something like…

4.)  Finally Catch Up on my Own Photo Books

One reason I’m so behind is because of my problem in number 3.  It’s hard to go through and collect
images for a yearly book when you can’t find what you are looking for.
Seriously, how hard is it for me to just dump them in folders by month?
I can do that, right? 

5.)  Make a Photo Book of my Past Fave 365s

I have a lot of favorite images from my past 365 attempts.  I’d love to put them into a book and then make another
book JUST for my current project.
The one that I’m actually going to finish.
You can see it here

6.)  Take More Photos Together with my Love

I have some really awesome photos with John.
I want more.
I want enough to fill a book.
I want us to be able to celebrate our 50th anniversary looking through book after book
showcasing our love.

7.)  Live More.  Laugh More.  Love More.

This is something a fellow photographer Sarah says.
She has a lovely outlook on life.
Makes perfect sense, yes?

Some things I forgot to mention and that are not photo related are:

a.)Make a blanket.
I want to knit an afghan or make a quilt or both.

b.) Organize this house
I’d like to paint it, too.
Make it more a home.

c.)  Start Writing Again
I used to write all the time.
I was the girl with a journal in her hand and a story in her heart.
I’d like to find her again.

There are always others, but for now, I’ll leave you with this sweet image of my baby as she was first starting to feel sick.
She needs me to love on her right now.

A small look back at what happened with RLP this year.
I did a lot of boudoir this year, too, but can’t really show all that hotness.

And I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you to all my dear clients. You guys are the reason for all these beautiful photos. You guys are amazing.

Yes, it has been a pretty great year.
I’ve said hello to some new babies,
celebrated  with couples getting married,
and spent time with some fabulous families.

But it has also been a bitter sweet year.
Emilie, the amazing mom in the above photo, lost her fight with a brain tumor this year.
I want to spend 2012 living the legacy she left behind.
“We should all be so in love with each day.”
Don’t think that is a beautiful way to live?
I do.

See you in 2012, my friends!!

I’ve mentioned my 365 self portrait project  a few times.
Yesterday’s photo was taken after a bunch of
random shots of this tree in our front yard.
I really adore it, especially when the sun shines through it.

Every year I say I’m going to take some photos of it and I never do.
I’m glad I finally did.

There is one branch, just one, that turns red while the rest is gold.
I love that little branch.

The top right photo is the one that I ended up picking for the day,
but I really like the one on the left, too.

Winter is almost here.
brr.

You. Crack. Me. Up.

Your imagination, your cute little voice, the stories you tell.
All of it makes me giggle
and makes me oh so happy
that you are mine.

You are my snuggle bug.
More than the other three,
you are more than content to
curl up in my lap,
sit at my side,
get in my way while doing chores.

Your big, huge smile
lights up my life.
It’s contagious.

I love the way you are a little shy at first in new situations.
I love the way you twist your mouth into funny, awkward shapes
when you are embarrassed or unsure of how to act.

Your full on laugh and big accompanying smile
is one of the best things in the world.
I dare anyone not to grin
when you do it.

You are so kind and sweet.
It makes my heart happy.

You make my heart happy.
Every. Single. Day.

Happy Birthday, Paeton-Head.

Love,
Mommy

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I think she is.

You came as such a surprise to us with your early arrival.
It was scary and exciting all at the same time and in the end we had
this tiny, itty bitty baby who stole our hearts.

Life with you has been so interesting.
You are much more wild than
your sisters.
That in itself is pretty funny because
I thought Paeton was
going to be our wild one.
I was SO wrong.

Your will is so strong and
your determination rivals even
your father’s.

There is never any doubt if you are upset.
You are happy to let us know.
And when you get in trouble,
you are quick to try
and pucker up
to smooth it over with a kiss.

You are a wiggly
snuggle bug
who loves to crawl into my lap
and bury your sweet head
into the curve of my neck.
It’s one of the best feelings in the world.

Much to my utter dismay,
you can find a way to scale anything.
A favorite past time for you
seems to be seeing just how
many times you can try to get in the spice cabinet.
Our kitchen has smelled of
curry on more than one
occasion.

Another ‘delightful’ thing you just
ADORE
is finding markers or pen
and scribbling furiously
over every inch of exposed skin.
In fact, you
are currently painted in shades of red
and black that is
s l o w l y
rubbing off from the last
encounter with permanent
marker.

I love you, sweet baby.
Forever and always.

Mommy