{2013} In Words and Pictures

This year was huge and minimal, at the same time. I set out to take it easy on the photography front this year, and I think I managed it quite successfully. I had numerous weekends throughout the year for family time, which was awesome. It seems like in previous years, I had to mark off weekends on my calendar just to get some family time. I wasn't interested in doing that again this year, so I was a lot more selective in my bookings, and I didn't advertise nearly as much. Some might not call that "successful", but I do. One of the great things about having your own business (especially when it's your second job and you are the boss), is you can make it whatever you need it to be. This year, I needed it to be less.

 

I also started out the beginning of the year diving into the braces adventure. This, in itself, has been exciting and hell at the same time. The prospect of having a better smile and straight teeth sure snowed me into this decision. Ever since then, it has been a ridiculous battle and has left me wondering if I made a seriously wrong move.

 

 

 

 

 

Carter also completed his second year of ski school up at Bogus. He had a great year and really advanced to a point where Eric could take him on longer runs after school without totally burning up his legs.

 

 

We also added Annie to the family.  She was not really expected, but definitely welcomed. She has a great personality and just turned a year old before Christmas. She has been so fun and the kids love her.

 

 

We also spent numerous spring and summer evenings doing this:

 

 

 

 

When May arrived, we had three big events on the calendar for the month:  Disneyland, a visit from Dana, Veronica, and Easton, and my surgery.

 

Taking Carter to Disneyland while he was 5 was something I had promised him for a long time. It was time to pay up! We had such a fun time with him. I can't wait to take Kendall.

 

 

 

 

It's always a busy time when Dana and Veronica come to visit. We try to cram in as much as we can and try not to totally monopolize their time since they have other friends and family to see. Ok, so we DO try to monopolize, but don't blame us!

 

 

 

My surgery was something I hadn't really anticipated when it came to the braces adventure. I didn't even know it was an option, that's how little research I did. But definitely ranked up there as "worst case scenario". My surgery was towards the end of May and has significantly altered my mouth. My top jaw is officially 9mm wider, which doesn't seem like that much until you apply it to your mouth. I can definitely see a difference in the bone structure of my face, though I guess it's hard to really get a feel for it with the braces there. I guess I will wait another year and a half before making my final assessment as to this process.

 

We also spent a ridiculous amount of time near the water this year, which was definitely a good thing. A healthy dose of sun is good for the soul.

 

 

 

 

 

June was a very sad month for us as Eric's dog, Brittney, passed away. We took a day trip to the mountains to give her a very nice final resting place. I can tell Kya has been lonely ever since Brittney died, so we plan to get her a friend some time next year.

 

August brought a very exciting event - Carter started kindergarten! It was such a fun day for him and he has really excelled. I am so proud of him!

 

 

August also brought Kendall's first camping trip. It was a challenge with her, but for the most part, she had a great time!

 

 

I tried to get the kids up into the mountains a few other times, but one more day trip before it got too cold was all we got. My parents were camped out near Boiling Springs, so we went up for the day and had a great time.

 

 

 

Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic:

 

 

 

Roller skating party:

 

 

I also took my own day trip to the mountains. It was everything I needed on that day. Perfection at its finest.

 

 

My spunky child:

 

 

 

Christmas card photo:

 

 

We also had the chance to (FINALLY) see my brother pop the question to Veronica! They were down here for Christmas for the entire week and he waited until they were in Boise to ask her the big question. (she said yes)

 

 

Christmas Eve Eve:

 

 

Christmas Eve:

 

 

I took the two love birds out for an engagement shoot - more of that coming soon!

 

 

So, now on to 2014. I plan to continue with the fitness routine - I may have lost 40 pounds, but I have more toning to do. Also, this is on the agenda:

 

 

Roatan, Honduras. Booked and ready for my arrival!

 

Here's to a fantastic 2014!

 

Happy New Year!

There's a Lesson in Here, Somewhere

As a parent, some lessons are very easy to teach. Others are more difficult. We had a life lesson Friday night that was one of the more difficult ones.

 

Let me set the scenario for you:  we were at my dad's side of the family Christmas party. Two of my cousins have little boys who are not very well-behaved. That's putting it nicely, trust me. The two little boys fought constantly all evening - two times included fist fights and the boys had to be pulled off of each other. They are four and five years of age. I had a really hard time letting my own kids play with these boys because (1) I didn't want my kids hurt or involved in some sort of physical altercation, and (2) I flat out didn't want my kids learning that type of behavior or thinking it was acceptable. The two boys were destroying the host house, running all over the place, not listening, fighting, etc.

 

During one of the adult games, I saw Carter standing in the kitchen, holding his head and crying. I went in to ask him what was wrong, and noticed he had blood all over his face. Instant panic. He had a cut above his eye and I immediately thought "stitches". I called over Eric and my mother to take a look and we all decided that stitches weren't really needed. I asked Carter what happened and he said one of the boys punched him in the face. My temper instantly went to boiling point because everyone in that house had been trying to diffuse those boys all night long, and now my child was injured. First thought - I wanted to swat that kid. Second thought, I wanted to punch his mother because of her poor parenting. I know....kids will be kids. But in this case, I am choosing to place a significantly larger amount of blame on the serious lack of parenting by my cousin. She did, eventually, make her son come over and apologize to Carter. Carter told him "next time, let's not do that." I was very proud of him for that simple statement because I truly believe using your words instead of fists during a fight will always make you victorious.

 

 

 

Upon telling this story to numerous friends and family members, the first reaction from most people included comments such as "well did he punch him back?", "did he kick him in the nuts?", etc. I think my generation is the last included in the "eye for an eye" philosophy in life. Everything now is so politically correct, which, frankly, is annoying as hell. Whatever happened to hitting back? When I was growing up, I was raised with three boys. We were taught to hit back. It's what you did! If someone hit you, hit them back. If you hit someone first, you can expect a shot right back. And if you ran off, either my dad or uncle stopped you to let the other person take their shot. It's just how it was. The one rule was that you never punched someone in the back. That's it. Everything else was fair game.

 

So that's the lesson we decided to teach to Carter, after thinking about it overnight. We sat down with him and told him that sometimes, you just have to defend yourself. If someone else hits you, especially in the face, you hit them back. He was pretty surprised that we were actually telling him it was allowed, and we explained that if you are defending yourself, you won't get in trouble with us. Sure, there might be other consequences (like, if it happened at school, etc.), but if you are truly defending yourself, it's fair. It's a hard lesson to teach because you don't really want to condone violence, but you also want your child to defend themselves should the situation arise.

 

You may not start the fight, but you will sure as hell put an end to it. Simple as that.  And if someone punches you in the face, Carter Ryan Davis, you give 'em one right back. ;)

The Middle of Christmas

We typically have a good split on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We spend Christmas Eve with my family and then we have Eric's family over on Christmas Day. Christmas Eve was such a hoot with all three kids opening their gifts. They were all so excited!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas morning, before Eric's family comes over, we have our own family time where the kids get their gifts from us and Santa. All Carter wanted this entire year was a "pretend" bow and arrow. Santa couldn't let him down!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tea, anyone?

 

 

Kendall LOVES babies. This one walks and I got her a little play stroller to push around the baby. I think she has worn grooves into the carpet from pushing baby around so much!

 

 

Two can play this game, mom! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Day

 

 

 

 

 

Stay tuned for Dana and Veronica's engagement shoot!