The Photographer's VIP Pass...

I am a photographer, you all know that.  I'm going to tell you why being a photographer comes with a VIP pass.  I catch moments with my camera that I would likely otherwise miss because I am always looking!  Before I started taking pictures as a hobby I simply took snap shots.  Now I am trained to be looking for the moment and for the beauty that is everywhere every day.  These images are from my sister's wedding that just took place last fall.

After the wedding everyone left to go to lunch, but I got to stay and hang out with the bride and groom.  I had the VIP pass.

Later as everyone else was rushing around setting up the reception I got to take in the beauty of it all by capturing images of all the details.  Again... I had the VIP pass.

Last year my best friend had her fourth baby after an eight year break.  It was kind of a big deal.  This session was just me and her laughing and having fun.  No stress, no expectations, and no kids!  (hahaha)  Again... I had the VIP pass.

Just a couple of months ago my precious niece was born and because I held the VIP pass I got to spend an entire afternoon with her and her mother while she was still tiny and squishy. (doesn't her little chin just melt your heart?!)

And then there are moments like this that I happen to catch because my camera was already out and ready.  I have the VIP pass because I'm The Mom.

 

I'm grateful for discovering a love for photography because it has opened my eyes to the amazing moments that surround me every day.  Some moments are more frame-worthy than others, but all of them are precious and worth capturing!  I have learned that when I stop long enough to just admire the wonder that is around me my heart no longer has room to feel sad or overwhelmed.  Instead, all I feel is gratitude and happiness.

 

Love you Like Crazy!

 

Amazeber

 

 



Living the Real Life Fairytale...

Real life... What is that anyway?  Is it what you see on the news feed of Instagram or read about on blogs?  Maybe.  However, I know that when I spend too much time looking through other blogs, surfing Pinterest, and scanning Instagram I start to feel a little less than awesome.  How do all of those women seem to keep their homes in perfect order, have happy shining kids, and never have a hair out of place?  They do all this while being crafty and creative and I bet they have a hot dinner sitting on the table the second their hubby walks through the door.  Ha!  They probably even wear a cute little apron that they sewed themselves and maybe they even serve dinner wearing heels... 

Okay, okay.  Maybe that's NOT real life.  However, for me, THIS is:

Yep.  That's my house.  My four kids pile up garbage next to the trash can.  I don't have a laundry room so my room serves as the place to separate and organize the clothes.  My kitchen is being remodeled and so I have a living room filled with tubs and no way to bake or boil.  I use a skillet and a crock pot most nights to make dinner.  (And no, I don't wear an apron or heels)  In fact, I kneel down on the floor to cook because I have nowhere else to prepare the food.  My bathroom sink serves as a kitchen sink.  All six of us squeeze into one bathroom every night and every morning.  By the time I get to shower there is only ice cold water left.  I know what you are thinking...

Dang! That's glamorous!  Well, you are RIGHT!  It is!

This picture was taken on my property.  This beautiful model is my daughter.  This looks like a fairytale, but it's my life.  I took these pictures just as I got home from being gone all day.  Sophia was in the middle of her schoolwork but the sun was setting and I just couldn't resist making the best of the moment.  I could have made dinner right then.  I could have started another load of laundry.  I could have gone upstairs and started my own homework.  Instead, I took a half hour to play "fairytale" with my daughter who is growing up too fast among the lush grass that will soon be dry and brown. 

Real life isn't always pretty.  It's messy and sticky and loud and CRAZY!  Sometimes real life is far more than beautiful... real life can be breath taking.

I decided today that instead of comparing other people's fairytales to my own that I would just love the one I'm living.  I will smile and I will move forward every single day.  Inside my house you will find piles of laundry, four screaming kids, a wonderful husband, and a lot of love.  What more could I ask for?

Love you like Crazy,

 

Amazeber

Why I Do What I Do...

So... I'm one of those crazy homeschool moms.  I stay up all hours of the night scouring the internet for great lesson ideas.  I study three different curriculums for three different grade levels and no longer read books simply for pleasure.  Every second of my day is called for before I even get up in the morning.  My kids are with me always, and no, I don't have "quiet time."  This all sounds pretty crazy and hectic and maybe you are wondering why I do it.  To understand that you'll need to know the story...

 

These handsome fellas right here are my men, and that beautiful face to the right belongs to my oldest son, Brenden.  Brenden IS the story.  He is one of the happiest kids you'll ever meet.  He believes that everyone is his friend.  He's smart, funny, loyal, and pretty much awesome from every angle.  However, in fourth grade he suddenly started getting F's in school.  The kids began picking on him relentlessly.  Brenden came home within his first month of fifth grade and told me that: "he wished that he was good at sports instead of drawing so that kids would like him."  Well, that was just the beginning.  My once happy kid who was full of life began to hate himself and compare himself to everyone else.  We decided to change schools in order to get him into a bigger district that could offer more in the way of programs to help him.  That was a terrible year.  He was diagnosed with ADD "Inattentive" and was put on medication.  The medication made him sick.  So, then he became the weird kid who threw up on the bus... and in the classroom... and in the school hallway.  So... we switched medications and then he became the weird kid who fell asleep at his desk.  Because he couldn't stay completely seated during class he was put in the back of the room.  Because he was at the back of the room he couldn't pay attention so he doodled.  Because he doodled he was denied any recess and had to "sit on the wall."  This was Brenden's life every day.  My ADD child was trapped in a world that didn't understand him and certainly didn't care about him.  So, that is how I began homeschooling my children.

 

At first I thought that this was going to be a short term experiment with just Brenden and my youngest daughter Sophia (who was entering fourth grade and having some of the same academic signs of ADD).  Within one month of homeschooling I was hooked.  I fell head over heels in love with this new life.  I pulled my oldest daughter Paris out of the public junior high and brought her home to join us. 

 

My oh my.  What a stroke of GENUIS that was!

 

 



I am in my second year of homeschooling and I can honestly say that it is the most rewarding experience of my life.  My kids are best friends.  We laugh and learn together every single day.  I threw away all of the medications, and my son likes himself again.  His grades are great.  Now he is allowed to learn his own way.  He draws pictures to help himself figure out math concepts. He stands up at his desk while working, and that's just fine by me. I go through a wonderful charter school and so the kids are in a classroom once a week where they get to be with friends and I sign them up for all kinds of workshops and other classes too.  They have participated in Lego Robotics competitions, choirs, computer coding courses, and art workshops; as well as having attended countless plays, fairs, and festivals.

 

Now tell me, what better classroom is there than this?

 

So... why do I do what I do?

 

I choose this life because my kids are worth it.  Plain and simple.

 

I choose this life because no one loves my kids more than I do and they need to KNOW just how CRAZY awesome they are.  Yes, I am always tired, and there are days that I wonder if I am doing this right.  I fear failing them.  But... I press forward always because they deserve my efforts and because when I am old and ready to leave this Earth I won't care what degrees I earned or what jobs I had.  I won't care if my kitchen is clean. 

 

I will be surrounded by my children and their children because I invested in them.  They are my legacy, they are my crown jewels.

 

Love you like crazy,

 

Amazeber