Dream Big or Go Home

If you could have any job in the world, what would it be? I'll tell you what mine would be - White House photographer. Here's why that job is supremely awesome.

• First and foremost, I'd be taking photos in a photojournalistic style all day and getting paid for it.
• I love some parts of politics. This job would allow me to be a part of politics without having to be a politician. I could sidestep the nasty fights, the fake stuff, and the confrontation, but still attend State dinners, debates, and happenings in "the situation room." 
• I'd be not only observing history in the making, but also documenting it!
• I'd get to meet and/or photograph some of the most powerful people in the world. (I almost said most important people but that's a matter of opinion - to me, the most important people in the world are my family and close friends)
• It would be the perfect blend of using my artistic talents as a photographer and being a part of something highly intellectual.

Now, I realize I am nowhere near ready to be White House photographer now (plus, that job is not likely to have a "mommy friendly" schedule) but who knows where I'll be in 20 years! Maybe on Pennsylvania Avenue ;)  Check out the White House photo stream on Flickr - very cool.

Photo by Oliver Denke via Google Panaramio

Now it's your turn - If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?

Three Wishes

So I'm having a tough week. I think I'm having a delayed reaction to being back at work and being away from Ava. Last week was filled with activity - I was catching up on things at work and anticipating the arrival of my family for our weekend together at the beach. This week it's really hit me. I also feel like it's harder this time than it was with Addison. Maybe because I'm not sure if we'll have any more babies, or maybe it's just a natural withdrawel from being with someone 24/7 and then having that time drastically reduced. I'll get through it and we'll be back to smiles and sunshine soon, in the meantime, say a prayer for me because getting choked up every 10 minutes is not good for my mascara.

I saw someone post "3 wishes" on their blog recently and thought it was cute. I asked Uncommon Husband what his 3 wishes would be and he said "I only have one wish, $1 billion. Everything else in my life is perfect - I have a great marriage, healthy little girls, etc. so all I need is megabucks so we can just do all of the things we want to do." I told him that was against the 3 wishes rules (leave it to me to create rules for other people's wishes) that's almost like wishing for 3 more wishes! Here are my 3 wishes for today ...

1. A new house. Some days I feel like I am totally fine with where we are, other days I feel like the walls (or toys) are closing in on me. Since it's a "wish", let's go ahead and make it my dream house with this kitchen inside ...

2. A personal chef. Curtis Stone would be acceptable (haha) but really any chef will do. Healthy, delicious meals waiting when we get home, healthy lunches packed for everyone ... yes please!

3. A 2 week vacation in Hawaii, complete with a nanny. I want a vacation but I don't want to spend another moment away from my babies. Having a nanny (or two- since we're wishing, I might as well be greedy!) along would allow us to be together and relax as a family but also give us freedom and let us relax! Someone else can make breakfast while I snuggle with my girls (Curtis Stone would obviously also come with us, who travels without their personal chef?)

Chaos on the move

This weekend I learned that when you go on vacation with a 2 year old and a 3 month old, you don't really go on vacation, you just move your chaos elsewhere. I also learned that just because you're on a "staycation" and only 30 min from home, you need to plan as if you're going on a regular trip. We forgot several important things and 30 minutes is just far enough away for it to be inconvenient to go back and forth! Luckily we improvised and made it work. We really had a great weekend overall, it was just a new experience being on a trip with my siblings and suddenly we aren't the "kids" anymore. We had to fix bottles & lunches, build sandcastles and bath babies. The days of laying on the beach or couch with a book are gone for now but only for a short while. Soon enough, the little cousins will be old enough to play together and we can relax a little more (if this is an illusion, please let me remain blissfully ignorant). For now I'll take the chaos because as crazy as it is, it's also the happiest chaos I've ever seen!

Weekend Pics

We had such a great weekend! My siblings came down to surprise our grandmother for her 82nd birthday on Friday and we spent the weekend all together. We went to Bern's Steakshouse for dinner (I know, 3 times this year!) and stayed in condos on the beach for a few nights. Saturday was Uncommon Husband's birthday and he went on a golf trip for the day while we hung out at the beach. Although taking a "staycation" took more coordination than I imagined (more on that tomorrow), we had a lot of fun and made wonderful memories!

Ten on Tuesday

1. I am addicted to Pinterest. It's so much fun finding great stuff, creating pin boards and looking at what others are pinning. Love it! I think I'll follow Blue Eyed Bride's lead and share some of my pins later this week.

2. Did you watch The Bachelor last night? As much as I love that show, this season is seriously bad. When Ashley & JP started skating last night, the husband declared it the worst show on earth (for about the 10th time)

3. My house is a mess. Last night I looked around and thought to myself "I feel like I am living in an episode of Hoarders!" There's stuff everywhere and sometimes I wonder if there's even any point in cleaning up after a 2 year old.

4. Yesterday, one of the teachers at daycare said the Addison is "such a little lady." I hadn't met her before yesterday but she is now my favorite teacher ;) (not really, but in that moment she was!)

5. I have decided that now that I am back to work, meal planning is no longer optional - it is absolutely necessary. There simply won't be any time for last minute dinners. I better stay organized, otherwise we'll spend a fortune on takeout!

6. We have a wonderful stay-cation planned for this weekend! We are renting condos on the beach with my siblings and going to Bern's (omg, a-mazing!) to celebrate my grandmother & husband's birthdays!

7. Have you noticed I never use the word "hubby?" I just relaized my distaste for it when I typed, then deleted, it in the lines above.

8. I am getting back into photo shoots again starting this weekend. Hopefully I can find the right balance between fun and insanity with photography now that I have 2 children.

9. I am tired today. We've been trying the Moms On Call method of sleep training and so far, it's not working that well. That said, we have no been following it to the letter, I was trying to avoid buying a new white noise machine, but I broke down today and ordered one on Amazon. Ava was sleeping well before but still waking for a feeding in the middle of the night. Now that she's 3 months, "they" say she should be able to sleep all night. It took 8-9 months with Addison and I am determined that we'll get there sooner this time (famous last words). If you are a Baby Wise believer, I've been down that road and it didn't work for us.

10. I took this photo of Ava last week and when I compare it to a similar pic of Addison, I think they look sooo different. That said, lots of people seem to think they look alike in person! (Why is my blog making all of the pictures I upload these days look like crap?!?)

In the words of Dora

We did it, we did it, we did it - HOORAY! (yes, I realize I just started a blog post with a Dora song, what can I say? These days it's stuck in my head all of the time)

Today was the dreaded d-day. Ava went to daycare and I went back to work. It went much better than anticipated. Just like last time, the anticipation was worse than the actual day. I went to see her at lunch, got smiles, and the day was over before I knew it. Although I feel like there are not enough hours in the day - we have playing to do, baths, dinner, bottles to wash, lunches to pack, laundry (when will we sleep?!?)- I'm glad to be moving into the next phase so we can find our new rhythm and routine. I have lots of blog about but this last week I've been soaking in time with my family and that's what is important!

Since I started this post with Dora, it's only appropriate that I end with Dora. I looked over at dinner and laughed out loud. Naked Dora enjoying Addison's corn on the cobb ... (totally random pic, I know!)

Ten on Tuesday

1. Addison's birthday tea party was adorable. I could post pictures all week from that day alone

2. Those Elmo cupcakes were worth their weight in "platinum," she's been talking about them for two days :)

3. I took some pictures of Ava today, she's so sweet and calm - I adore her!

4. I am up and down about returning to work next week. As of last night, I've decided to stop thinking about it and enjoy every day to the fullest without letting the anticipation ruin my week. Last time the anticipation was the worst part anyway. Plus, I have so much to look forward to beyond just this week including 2 "staycation" weekends coming up in a condo on the beach!

5. This weekend was so much fun. In addition to celebrating my little one's birthday, we celebrated another friend's 3rd birthday and spent an evening with some of my favorite girls.

6. I was feeling guilty about not taking enough pictures of Ava but then I looked in my "pictures" folder on the computer and realized I have tons of pics, I just haven't had time to even look at all of them. I need to start spending time getting those organized and order an album.

7. Sometimes I wonder whose child Addison is (kidding of course!) She LOVES dogs. Me, not so much. She doesn't like cake, cookies or sweets. I could eat those things exclusively.

8. I just got totally sidetracked on Facebook and now I have to go to bed. It's 8 on Tuesday :)

Two years

Sweet Addison is two years old today. IIt has gone by in a flash! While 2 still doesn't seem that old, when I look at the pictures from her birthday last year, compared to this year, it's dramatic. Last year she was still a baby. She wasn't walking, she was only talking a little bit, and she looked like a baby. One year later she's running around, talking up a storm, and looks like a toddler. We had a tea party (just like last year) at my grandmother's house yesterday and it was so much fun. Today I sent mini Elmo cupcakes to school which according to my husband "are worth more per ounce than platinum". Anything for my little sunshine though!!

Absolutely Adorable

My nephew is as cute as they come. We had lots of family time last weekend with three babies under one roof. It was fun and a little bit chaotic! I so wish we lived closer to this little love bug

Too Tired Tuesday

I am way too tired for ten on Tuesday tonight. We drove home today and it took 8 hours - yeeow!! It wasn't my favorite day. As much as I love my family, I am glad we won't be making that drive again for several months. Until then, they can come see us ;) My pics from this weekend are a little sketchy by my standards, I think I lost my photo mojo for a couple of days but it happens. Hopefully I'll be back on my game this weekend for Addison's (second) birthday celebration!

We picked blueberries again this year. Addison was a week shy of age 1 when we went last year and wow, what a difference a year makes! This year she was running and stuffing blueberries into her mouth as fast as she could pick them. Her sister on the other hand was not a fan, I'm lucky I got any pics at all, she was crying in the baby bjorn while I snapped these quick shots.

We also attempted to get a pic of the three cousins together - that was comedy. Maybe next time everyone will smile :)

Travels with wee ones

Traveling with little ones is not for the faint at heart. We are at my parents house for the 4th of July weekend and I alternate between thinking this is a wonderful trip, and thinking it's the craziest thing we've done yet. Basically, anytime we get in the car again it turns into insanity. Addison thinks my parents house is as much fun as Disney, they have toys galore, pop up tents, wagons, and all the attention she could ask for. It's a blessing and a curse that my in-laws are only an hour from here. It's good that we can see both families in one trip but the hour there and back, combined with spending time with his huge family in usually crowded warm houses, it a little hard on Ava. I am reminded this week that she's only 10 weeks old and still needs a lot more than Addison at this stage. Last night on the way home I said to uncommon husband "I wish my parents were drinkers, I really need a drink right now!" But all is good and I'll be back with pictures tomorrow. For now, more family is walking in the door so I have to run and play!