My Sweet Bee

He's such a child of extremes...he can be the biggest stinker, and then turn around and be the kindest heart (and visa versa). He gives the best hugs. He loves to sing. He has an eagle eye that can spot a box of cookies on the top of the cupboard from across the room. He's a master manipulator, a drama queen and an entertainer. And he is never boring!

3rd Birthday Part 2

Since we spread out the birthday celebrations here are a few more photos from our visits with Grandma and Grandpa and ShiShi and Nana and Papa...














They enjoyed the candles quite a bit.








So we re-lit them a couple of times just for fun.
Which equals quite a bit of spit on the cake.
And The Bug almost catching his hair on fire.








But the cake was worth it in the end!

'Letting' Go

I actually have many things to post, but this one has been brewing for a while so I might as well be out with it.
And it kind of goes with yesterday's post and Mrs. M's most recent post...
On 'Letting Yourself Go'.

Now no one likes ugly sweatpants or the same hairdo since high school. BUT.
I have a big problem with the idea that I have 'let' myself go in any way, shape, or form. Like I wouldn't rather look good and rested and actually be rested and rational at any given moment. And be cute in stylish clothes with clean well-behaved children at my side.
We could all go shopping together and buy new outfits instead of trying to sneak a few minutes here and there or try to pick something up at the grocery store without trying it on or try to go to a mall with them only to fight with them every step.
I would much rather be paying to get my hair done on a regular basis rather than paying for diapers.
I would love to have the energy to bounce out of bed at the crack of dawn and exercise/shower/blow dry and curl my hair before I wake my husband with the smell of fresh brewed coffee and french toast for the family.
BUT I DO NOT.

I adore my children. I'm lucky to stay home with them. But it's harder than anything I ever imagined.
Some woman are much better than I am and do much better than I do. And I constantly aspire to do more/do better. I have not given up. But thanks for asking.

And I do think it will get easier as time passes. That's how I cope.

But let me assure you.
I 'let' nothing go. I feel like it was ripped out from under my feet and I fight to get 'myself' back every day.

That is all.

And The Award Goes To...

We watched the Oscars last night. And while it's a lot less exciting when you haven't seen any of the movies it was mildly entertaining. I have to admit that it made me want to do something glamorous. Or look glamorous. Or something.
But then it just made me think that there should be some kind of awards in the 'mom business'.
Many professions have recognition or awards. My husband has won awards for his work.
Why not us???

Not in the context that it's any kind of contest. Just the recognition of work well done.

And yes, there's Mothers Day, but that's really in the hands of children.

We could be nominated and voted on by our peers. The people who really understand what's going on. And then we'd all dress up and go out and have a big party and shower each other with accolades. Just to let each other know we're doing a good job.
And the categories might be something like...

Mother who had to get up with the baby every 2 hours all night but still managed to feed her family relatively healthy meals the next day.

Or Mother who took 3 kids under 3 grocery shopping and managed to actually buy a few groceries.

Or Mother who had 3 kids in diapers with a touch of the flu who changed a bagillion stinky diapers in one day. And didn't gag or dress them in garbage bags.

Or Mother who wanted to just give up and hide in her room reading a book by herself all day, but DIDN'T.

You get the idea.
If you know a mom, show some love today.
If you are one, I would nominate you!
What category should you be nominated for?!

3rd Birthday Part 1

It seems I have an aversion to birthday parties. Not all parties. Just ones that involve a houseful (my house full) of toddlers cracked up on sugar. Because they don't need any extra cracking. Believe me.




But it also seems that even a house full of family is too much. It's all chaos and no real time to visit. So I tend to break up these events into smaller, more manageable pieces. At least that's my thinking.


So we had a great time with our friends over for a special playdate.













We had treats.








And balloons.
(CH and I decided we're getting the kids balloons for Christmas because they were SO entertaining)








And the kids ran around like crazy and had a blast.
Hmmmm...this is sounding suspiciously like a real birthday party...



What more could two 3 years old want?

Heart

Ok, one more valentine...
And then I have some birthday photos to edit and post.

My Bug

I have this constant impulse to make everything completely even with my kids. Especially the boys naturally. If one has something, then the other must have the same or at least equal to it. I feel that way even with photos. If I get a really good shot of one, then I try really hard to get an equally good shot of the other. Well, it just doesn't work that way most of the time.

I have even felt guilty for taking a lot of cute shots of The Babe.

In reality, the boys have two years of 'capturing every moment' ahead of her and she deserves her own attention too. So I'm over it.

The Bug has been notoriously more difficult to photograph than his brother. He doesn't like it much if I try to get a smile, and is just uncooperative to boot.

So when I managed to get these shots of him in his room I felt

they were quite special. I haven't quite managed to get the same thing from The Bee yet, but I will keep trying.

In the meantime I feel lucky to have these...

Valentines

Happy Birthday

to my 3yr old Valentines!

Feelin' It

Sweet like candy...

One More...

The Sweet Pea Princesses

Girls, Girls, Girls!
For once the boys were outnumbered in our household. At least for a couple of days last week. The kids had a fabulous time together. It was like they were long lost friends. Which they kind of are. Only they probably don't remember much.
They boys called out 'come play, come play' as soon as they got in the door.

And it didn't feel like it had been a year and a half since we'd been together. Which is the best kind of friends to have.
If they are lucky they will be lifelong friends, like Mrs. Sweetpeas and me...









It was super fun to take some photos of pretty little girls.













Playing around with textures here...SO.FUN.

Princess Pancakes

The Babe had a terrible night. I lost track of how many times she was up. But then just when I was dragging my bleary eyes out of bed she fell back asleep. For A COUPLE OF HOURS. How nice for her!
In the meantime her daddy made pancakes for breakfast.








And some special ones just for her.





I was ready to head out first thing this morning to get some errands done, but you know, the Princess has to eat breakfast...

Five Kids?

Here is a glimpse into our week at the twomittens homestead...

That's five kids.
Youngest - 8 months
Oldest - 3
That leaves 3 two year olds. Although 2 of them are almost 3.
And the 3 year old is almost 4.

You do the math.

On The Move

The Babe is crawling! She started last week. She finally figured out how to go forward. Look out world. Well, mostly look out brothers. Now she really can get your stuff.

And she's got another tooth through as well. I knew all that drool had a purpose. Another bottom biter. That makes 6.

We are veeery busy here at the mittens household. Will post more pics soon...

I Loooove This Face

Even though it's slippery drippy with slobbery snot right now...poor baby.

A Contest

Update: Check out the winners! There were some fabulous entries. Always inspiring!

Sorry, I'm not having one. Although maybe I should...
Anyway. I purchased some actions from Nichole a while back and have been practicing with varying degrees of success (trying to get the feel for them).

She had a contest to kick off her new website, so I thought I'd enter. Really just for practice and to see if I could come up with anything. It was fun.
There are some amazing photos. Go take a look...

Organic and emotional?

My Illustrious Career

Ha. That makes me laugh.
I routinely check out a lot of photography blogs. The vast majority of them are moms much like me who love to photograph their kids/family/weddings and such. It seems like many of them started taking pictures of their kids and a hobby developed into a passion, and so on and so on.
It made me think that my own journey is really quite backwards.

First I went to art school. I had a lot of fun and got to try a lot of different art techniques. It was actually before digital and we didn't get much into any computers. They started that the year after. I did take photography classes and spent time (many late nights) in a darkroom. I have a lot of respect for photographers who have mastered that craft. It's very labor intensive. Although digital work can be too, but 'dryer'. (no trays of chemicals to dip into)

Oddly enough my initial hands-on experience came from working in a chain portrait studio. With an extremely simple studio setup I got to practice just taking pictures without having to really worry about the camera. That's when I got the bug. It was such a thrill shooting a roll of film and then rushing to have it developed to see how it turned out. This is where digital is such instant gratification. Which I love!
Then I graduated to a privately owned studio where we used a medium format camera in a controlled studio (the lighting was pretty much set), as well as weddings on location. I learned a lot there and got to work with some interesting photographers. They were pretty 'old school' but it was good experience. Mostly. We were always having mechanical problems and I ended up getting burned out creatively. I had enough.

Then I got a job at the phone company. Oddly enough I'm a terrible phone person but it was the most fun I've ever had working, at least for a while. Maybe meeting my Charming Husband had something to do with it?

So now I am home with my kiddos. Which is certainly more interesting than a crappy office job (prior to my maternity leave).
I've tried to learn as much Photoshop as I can. Which is basically a grain of sand in the Photoshop desert. I love digital work. It's so rewarding.
I try to keep learning things all the time. Especially about the mechanics of photography. Lighting is my current area of learning. There are so many aspects.

And I'm still hoping that sometime in the future I'll figure out something I love to do AND get paid to do it.
Perhaps some form of photography since there isn't much demand for paid massage recipients, ice cream eaters or luxury vacationers.

Baby Girl 8 Months

It has been a busy month for The Babe. She has been busy eating, sitting up and scooching under things and into the sides of her crib, slobbering, squealing, and doing little baby yoga.










She's really good at downward dog.









And in case you get the idea she's all rainbows and sunshine she also pulls hair, kicks, bites, and spits. Not hucka loogies, but mostly raspberries. And if you are inclined to think that's cute you obviously haven't had to clean sweet potatoes out of your hair lately.
I heard a mom say one of their family motos was 'you always hurt the ones you love'.
So I know she looooves me.




She has also become a bit more difficult to please. She used to smile if you just looked at her and now she expects some kind of entertainment or she will look decidedly unimpressed.








BUT, in spite of all that, she's still scrumptiously deliciously yummy enough to eat! And mostly rainbows and sunshine.

35 Months

So, for the first time ever I'm going to do a bit of a separate update for the boys.
Weird, I know.
It just seems that while they still do almost everything together, they need some time/space to themselves too. They can't fight if they're not together!
It's not that they fight constantly, because they play together all the time, but they certainly know how to bug each other too.
And they do have very different distinct personalities, which are fun to discover and observe. They also appreciate a little one on one time.


The Bug.
He is often seen trying to carry/hold every toy car in the house in his hands or stashing them in his room. He now uses a basket or bucket to carry them from his room to other parts of the house. Do not try to remove them or your ears will crack and bleed from the screams erupting from the small boy.
The cutest part is the way he lines them all up at bedtime. He loves them.












The Bug has started enjoying singing now too. His favorite is the theme from The Wonder Pets. He likes to sing very loudly, what's gonna work? TEAMWORK!











The Bee.
The Bee carries on in his dramatic, yet lovable fashion. He is quite good at playing hockey and basketball (which he calls soccer for some reason). They like to stand on little chairs to reach the basketball net, which is also little. But The Bee can actually throw the balls in himself.











He still likes to sing and will sing along even if he doesn't quite know the words!
He's good at making things up. If something isn't the right size...too big or small...won't fit. It's too fit. Always something new with this kid!

Baby Blue

Well, more like aqua...
I just downloaded a bunch of pics from my camera and I have a bunch of editing to do and monthly updates for the boys, but I couldn't resist this one of my babe.
And don't you worry, there's plenty more where this came from!

Hibernation

I'm often surprised that so many days have passed between posts. I feel like I'm posting more often, but I guess not...

My optimistic fresh energy January feeling has waned. I am feeling weary and unenthusiastic. Not that I'm not still somewhat optimistic. At least in my head. I just don't feel like doing anything about it. In fact, I'd just rather not do anything.

Perhaps it is the fact that my sons have taken their melodrama to another level. I suspect they are hanging on to the few remaining weeks of their 'terrible twos' with renewed vigor. To go out with a splash. The whining and crying(raging) when things don't go their way and the incessant 'mineminemine' from The Bee is tiresome.
And what are the threes? The Superfantastic Terrificalicious Threes I hope.

And The Babe is still getting me up several times a night. She probably has a baby pool going on how many minutes it takes me to stumble out of my warm cozy bed and get to hers. On demand! Run Mommy Run!

But let's be realistic. My melancholy must surely be blamed on the writers strike!
Reality sucks.
(If I have to see Gene Simmons and Donald Trump on my tv again I'm going to poke my eyes out)

The Bee Says...

We've been having dried figs as a snack lately. The kids like them, especially The Bee. Although he calls them 'pigs'...??
I say 'ffffff...figs'.
I think he's catching on.
He now asks for 'ffffff...pigs'.