A fun Day

Pregnancy

How funny life is. There is nothing that changes your life as a woman more than pregnancy and children. The first time everything is so exciting and new. You dutifully run out to get the "What to expect" books, you ask your doctors all your concerns. You NEVER forget to take your prenatal vitamins, you eat well knowing that it all feeds your growing baby also. You count each week to the day and record every little change and movement. You don't even really mind the kicking once baby gets bigger and more powerful because it is all so magical.

Then you hit the last three weeks and you can't sleep, you can't breath, you can't stand it anymore. Then you go into labor and you swear that you will never do this again!!!

Then they hand you this little bundle of joy, and all of a sudden your hormones hits the ROOF!! Not only are we fooled into being fine with no sleep, and endless crying. But changing diapers ever 5 minutes, because that is how often newborns poop! And then we are further fooled as your baby gets older and a little more easy to manage and we go through this certain phase of amnesia and we decide to DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN!!!

So, here I am 32 weeks. Thank goodness I only have 8 weeks left. Unfortunately my doctor told me I can't be done yet! So I guess I wait it out...and "enjoy" the kicking, sleeplessness, awkwardness, waddling, back pain after standing for 5 minutes, and all the other unmentionables that the joys of motherhood brings!!!

Recent Events

This is what my daughter wanted for breakfast this morning!!!
A bowl full of olives! So weird

We went to the cabin for conference and my heart sang to be in the mountains where it was so nice and COLD! I am so tired of being hot I could scream. Fall certainly took it's time getting here. But I am very grateful it has.

Audrey figured out already how to manipulate the system. Aly noticed no difference in pulling two people around the kitchen floor. What a trooper!

A couple months ago mom and dad brought home this fairy costume, Audrey wanted nothing to do with it and threw it across the room. I snuck it on her this morning as we got dressed and as you can see, it is too small! But, I thought ever girl needs a magic wand so we spent the morning having craft time. She helped me cut the ribbon and put it all together. She is very good at saying star "tar", and bell "bawl" and loves to gingle it around!

Labor Day weekend we had all the Graf's over for a super yummy crepe breakfast and swimming. Josh slaved over the stove till everyone had their fill. I kept asking him if he wanted someone to take over, or water, or a fan, but he pulled through it!

I want to apologize to the world of dog lovers. I just don't get it, but I suppose I am glad that there is another level of companionship in the world. I just wish it weren't so dirty, loud, hairy, and smelly! And that didn't run over my little daughter!

By far Audrey's favorite pastime is to look at "pi-chures" I can almost never get anything on the computer done without her walking up and incessently repeating this word till I let her take over and run the screen saver for her of all the pictures. She can sit there forever and just watch!

Our biggest news of the summer is that Audrey took swimming lessons and it helped her to learn to swim totally on her own (with the swimmer floater) Call me crazy but for a 20 month old that is pretty impressive. She is amazing at it. I swear that overnight it all clicked: to kick, use her arms to keep herself upright, and direct herself, and is totally confident. I don't even really have to watch her. The one downfall of the experience is that by going to the rec center, we think Audrey caught something or was exposed to more chemicals than her little skin could handle. She broke out in this awful rash everywhere that took weeks to get rid of. She was amazing though and never scratched it. If we ever were looking at it she would knit her little brow together with a very concerned serious look and say "owies".

Audrey's second favorite pasttime is now watching Pooh! She gets the little bouncer chair and sets herself up with pillows and blanket and milk or juice and watches it on my laptop. Super cute, till she got a little too atached to it and wanted to watch all the time. I think we have broken the habit though of asking all the time at least.

Wagasky Family

Pretty Much two of the cutest things ever! Although Mackenzie was not SUPER helpful we managed to get this super cute one!

Leonard Family Shoot

Couple from my latest baby shoot.

this baby is actually only 6 weeks old!

Am I pregnant or what?

So Audrey and I have been kind of sick the last couple days and on top of being uncomfortable and pregnant it has led to doing almost nothing for the last couple days!

I have recently started watching that show on the travel channel Andrew Zimmern where he goes at eats all the grossest and most weird foods in other countries!

So my question is that every time I finish watching that show, no matter how disgusting something was I always want nice crispy savory chicken wings. Is this because I am pregnant or because I am more open to certain types of travel and food that others might not be? Or does it mean nothing at all? Just thought I would ask.

Recent Cuteness

Just a couple pages from some cute events in our lives

Weddings

It occurs to me that I have not posted my latest work. I have been fortunate to have a fairly steady stream of work this year. Nothing huge by any means but I have probably shot at least one thing a month. I think that is still pretty good for doing absolutely no work to promote myself. I have done two weddings this summer. Although by far I couldn't tell you why anyone on the planet would get married in Vegas in August.

I shot by brother in law's wedding in June.And I shot a wedding for a son of a lady in my ward. Here are some of my favorites.

PAUL AND KAREE GRAF-JUNE 2009

MY FAVORITE ARTSY SHOT

MY PERSONAL FAVORITE OF THE TWO OF THEM

FRANKLY IT IS A PHOTOSHOP MIRACLE THAT THIS PICTURE LOOKS SO AMAZING. THE SUN WAS SO BRIGHT AND THE SHADOWS ACROSS HER FACE WERE JUST AWFUL. THANK YOU PHOTOSHOP FOR BRINGING OUT THE TRUE BEAUTY OF THIS SHOT! ISN'T SHE STUNNING?

ADAM AND ALICIA WALTERS- AUGUST 2009

THIS IDEA CAME TO ME THE NIGHT BEFORE IN A SLEEPFUL STATE OR DREAM NOT SURE. BUT IT TURNED OUT AWESOME EH?

STILL NEEDS A LITTLE WORK I THINK, BUT THIS LONE CLOUD SHOWED UP AT THE EXACT MOMENT WE NEEDED IT AS WE HIT THE FRONT OF THE TEMPLE. AWESOME!

Us just chillin

Nothing super exciting happening around here. Just praying for the heat to end soon. So thought I would entertain you all with some funny Audrey stories over the last little while and updates. Funny stories first.

Yesterday Audrey was naked in a diaper most of the morning and at one point reached behind her back and slid her hand into her diaper. Then out came the hand pretty much covered in poop. EW!!! So gross.

Today I walked into the dining room because I was headed in there to do some sewing. And there sat Audrey perched almost on top of the piano. She had climbed up onto the level above the keys and was standing there kind of holding on looking at the family tree mom has sitting there. HAHA. It was so funny to look over and see this little girl that is not really big enough that you notice her right away, but definitely out of place on the furniture. She looked a little sheepish and thankfully didn’t try to get down herself. I think I got there pretty soon after she had gotten herself up there so I don’t know if she would have tried to climb back down or what. I guess it is pretty straightforward steps kind of. But it could have been bad if she had fallen.

I sometimes let Audrey play in her crib for a while after she wakes up....ok every day pretty much. It is her her time. Well yesterday she was playing and then I heard her crying. I thought for sure she had finally learned how to climb out of her crib and fallen or something awful. NO no, she had been twirling and dancing in her bed and had just fallen over and bonked her head on the side of the crib. She had thrown everything out onto the floor to make room for her escapades and was having a grand ol' time. I even left her in there while I searched for the camera to video it and she kept on dancing. Not only was she dancing and twirling, she was singing to herself. And it was no little one note here or there. She drawled on and on, singing a whole baby talk song to herself. It was quite cute!

Audrey loves to sing songs and will make me sing them over and over again. She has little things she does for each song to tell me that is the one she wants.

She has learned to jump off the ground. Normally not something you think actively about teaching your child....But I guess they have to learn it all somehow

I usually sing primary song to Audrey as I put her to bed. She now knows the tune to I am a child of God and will sing with me for at least the chorus if not more. It is very hard not to laugh at how cute her little voice sounds.

Audrey knows and can say and identify all of her colors. We are working on numbers and the alphabet now. She is pretty good at it. Is this normal or is she ahead of her time? Anyone know? In fact, when she eats fruit loops (which she loves) she will hold them all up to make sure she is getting the right color before she will put it in her mouth! Yes baby, it's yellow!!! She does this with yogurt and things too, she needs me to confirm it's identification before she will put it in her mouth. Very inconvenient with things that have a tendency to fall off the spoon!

Audrey is getting to be a pro at feeding herself. yesterday she wolfed down oatmeal so fast I was almost worried. It is still best to be clothes free for these events however or, we have to change. She doesn't always understand the whole, "keep the spoon level Audrey" instruction quite yet.

MY NEWEST CUTE(KIND OF) CRAFTY PROJECT-DIAPER CARRIER. I STILL NEED TO ADD A SUPER CUTE BIG BUTTON TO IT THOUGH

MY CUTE GIRL READING WITH HER FAMILY

AUDREY LOVIN ON SOME NOODLES

HOPE THIS MEANS SHE WILL BE SMART!

THIS IS ACTUALLY HOW SHE SAYS "TWO" BUT IT LOOKS MORE LIKE SHE IS GIVING ATTITUDE TO THE CAMERA! :)

Random

Found this picture randomly as I was downloading an old card. I shot this as a total test shot with my finger reacting to the first light I saw. Sorry it isn't great composition hence it being through the window and there being light in the background. I never managed to catch another bolt the rest of the night. Crazy huh?




These are just a few cute ones of my little one with the new wide angle lens I got. Not sure if it is as wide as I would like, especially for landscapes....but we are testing out on a wedding tomorrow! That should be a good tell!

You like the nice bruise she gave herself by headbutting her dad? I don't know where she gets it!