A beautiful tear jerker...

Turn my music off at the very bottom of the page!

It might be a crazy life...

So, I've been busy. Too busy to post posts with lots of words. So I hope you're happy settling for just pictures lately. Here's a peek into my crazy life...

Parenting

You know those annoying parents that think they have the best kids in the whole world? Well, I'm one of them. To me, my little girls are the sweetest, funniest, and most adorable humans that have ever lived. Lillian is 7 months old now and is on the move. She truly amazes me. She's incredibly determined to keep up with Addison. She is sitting up, crawling, and eating solid food like a champ! In just 3 more months Addison will be 4 years old. I can't believe it. Really, how does that happen? One day I found out I was pregnant the next thing I know I'll be sending her off to school and watching her get married. She has been extremely perceptive when it comes to understanding her Daddy's deployment. I have told her that Daddy is gone helping other people right now. Being the selfless 3 year old that she is, she is happy that Daddy is helping other people right now. I'm so thankful that I have help from my family while Mark is gone. I don't know what I would do without them. God intended for parenting to be a 2 person job, not 1!

Mark

He has officially been gone exactly 110 days. I have not talked a whole lot about Mark's deployment mainly because he told me I'm not allowed to! Obviously, posting the details of his deployment would be some sort of breach in security. Ughh.. I hate for subjects to be off limits! I can tell you that he is safe somewhere in this region right now.

I have gotten to talk to him a little, he's been able to call me for 15 minutes at a time, about every other day. Sometimes I get the calls at 2:00 a.m. because of the time difference. It's a strange feeling not knowing exactly where he is, what he's doing, how he's feeling, what he's thinking. He's so far away. I can't just pick up the phone and call him or text him. I have to rely on my faith and trust that he's okay. I pray everyday for him to come home to our family and for his safety. I can't wait until the day that I get to hug him, give him a kiss, look into his eyes and tell him how much i love him. I'm not going to sugar coat it. It's the hardest sacrifice I've ever had to make. BUT I believe in something bigger then all of us. I believe that this is his plan. I believe in the United States of America. I believe that freedom is not free and must be fought for. Most importantly, I believe in my husband. It's because of people like him that we have the freedoms that we have today in this country. For the past 110 days I've thought about freedom and how much it's taken for granted. Milton Acorda said it best "Without freedom, no one really has a name."

School

Out of all of my classes I enjoy my photography and business classes the most. I love learning! I actually should be studying for my exam on Monday instead of blogging right now!

Photography

So, I'm not a pro or anything but I sure have fallen in love with photography. My friend Ashley said to me last night "Isn't it crazy  how one little thing (pointed to my camera) can change your life so much?" I agree with her 100%! From the first time I pressed the button on my DSLR camera I was hooked. I especially enjoy street photography like this....

I have now idea how far it will really take me or how I'll come up with the money to buy my dream camera but I can dream!

Working out

The number one problem I have with working out is that I'm not consistent. This week I actually went to the gym twice! Not as much as I would like to go but it's better then not going at all! I still need to lose another 10 pounds and another 10 after that to be at my goal weight. I always feel so much better after a good workout, I also think it helps me get a better nights sleep. Today I did an "Amp'd Abs" class. Basically it's 15 minutes of nothing but crunches. I am going to feel it tomorrow!

....But it's our life!

* see no evil * hear no evil * speak no evil *

My best friend in the whole world. Ashley (yes, we have so much in common that we even share the same name). No matter what she's always there for me. I took this photo of her in Deep Ellum tonight and had to share right away. :)

Lillian Kate: 7 months

The Bamberger Family

Tiffany and John have a sweet little girl, Brooklyn, that's only a couple months older then my Lilly. I just love the ages 6 - 12 months old. Everyday they discover something new and they reach so many milestones. Brooklyn was looking adorable in her tutu, skull and cross bones t-shirt with a big flower on her head!

The Pumpkin Patch at the Dallas Arboretum is a beautiful place to take fall photos. If you're interested in booking a Mini Pumpkin Patch Session click here for more information!

The Steffe Family

The Steffe family asked if I would go to their house and take some some casual shots in the backyard and around the house. I had a lot of fun and I think the kiddos, Ava and Drew, were very comfortable in their own home. They are expecting baby number 3 in about a month! Beth looks AMAZING!

Pumpkin Patch Sessions: 30 minutes for $30.00

Today the Pumpkin Patch opened at The Dallas Arboretum! I did a full session with a beautiful family and their 9 month old daughter, Brooklyn (sneek peak coming soon). The pumpkin patch was amazing and got me in the fall spirit for sure. :)

I would like to offer a mini pumpkin patch session to those that are interested.

Who: Bring your little ones dressed in their costumes, tutus, or your favorite Halloween/Fall themed outfits!
What: A 30 minute session including 15-20 fully edited images, burned and mailed to you within two weeks of session.
When (updated): Saturday, October 3, 2009
Time: 12:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Where: The Dallas Arboretum Pumpkin Patch
Payment: $30.00 Cash/Check due at the session. You will also be responsible for paying admission to the Arboretum + $5.00 for parking.

To book a time slot please e-mail me at thenavywife@gmail.com. I will respond in the order the e-mails are received. Hope to see you there!

Here is a peek of the pumpkin patch. I took these pictures this morning!

Oprah is coming to Dallas!!

I'm a HUGE Oprah fan! Today it was announced on WFAA (a local news station) that she is scheduled to tape a show at Dallas Fair Park on October 12th. Read the full article here! I want to go so bad! :) :) How cool would that be?

The Siebert Family

My dear friends Kelly and Keith have the cutest little blonde hair, blue eyed, little boy named Gavin. I did a session with them at The Dallas Arboretum and decided to pick up a few watermelons along the way. It made for some super cute Watermelon Patch pictures! Maybe one day I'll find a real watermelon patch to photograph! Enjoy this sweetness... 

The Mayes Family

Meet the Mayes family! I met Carla and her family through my old job at KBIC. Carla and her husband, Lawrence have six beautiful children. I was a little nervous about doing this shoot because it was the first time I had ever photographed a large family. I surprised at how well it went and I'm so happy that I was able to freeze time through these pictures of Carla's kids. Like many families out there, it had been years since they had had their pictures taken together.