My Dream Come True!

Today I was hired by Lifetouch Studios as a school portrait photographer! I am still so shocked I can hardly believe it. Everything about the job sounds absolutely perfect. I will be completely trained as a photographer (lighting, posing, camera operation, studio setup, people skills) and actually get paid to do it! Another huge plus is that I will get home around the same time as the kids get home from school and I will have all evenings, weekends, holidays and Christmas/summer vacations off to spend with my family. What more could I ask for??? I guess dreams really do come true!

A Blip In His Luck...

My brother Aaron has always been a daredevil. He climbs cliffs, jumps off bridges, rides motorcycles standing up, laying down and in every position in between. I think the only fear he's ever felt might be the fear of missing out on a thrilling experience. It has always amazed me that with as many crazy things as he's done, he's always remained injury free. That is, until last week when he was out for a motorcycle ride with some friends and he suddenly went down. Ironically, he wasn't doing anything particularly dangerous at the time except riding without an ounce of protective gear on (shame, shame on you!). Considering what the outcome could have possibly been, I think he came out pretty well. At least skin grows back!
OUCH!!!

Adorable!

Today we went to Hesperia to visit Constance, Brad and baby Jake. As you can see, we were AAALLL over the little fella.
But how could we help it when he has a face like this???
I have to admit, the little guy makes me feel a tad bit baby hungry.

Constance and Brad seem to be doing well with parenthood, but then Jake seems to be making it pretty easy on them. He's so easy going they've yet to hear him actually cry and Constance has to wake him up to feed him during the night or he'll sleep right through. It doesn't get much better than that!

The Jakester is Here!

My nephew Jake finally arrived Wednesday evening after being evicted from his cozy existence inside his mother's womb. He really had no interest at all in joining us all on the outside. It took about 16 hours of Pitocin to convince him to finally make his exit. Every inch of him was perfect, from his curly blond hair to his tiny purple feet. Unfortunately, due to hospital rules I was unable to witness his actual birth but I was able to spend time with Constance during her labor and come in soon after the birth. It was an honor to be a part of it.

Now I have to admit, with lots of embarrassment that no, I do not have any pictures to post of little Jake. My camera was sitting in the car because I hadn't wanted to lug it around all day and I thought I still had time to run out and get it before he appeared. We were quite surprised when Constance went from a dilation of "6" to pushing within an hour! Stay tuned though because this weekend we will be visiting Jake (and his parents) and I'm sure there will be some mad picture taking going on!

4th of July Visitors

We had such a great July 4th weekend! Aaron's brother Leif and his wife Jennifer came out and spent the weekend with us. They got here just in time for fireworks and stayed until late Sunday evening. The two of them are so much fun and full of interesting conversation. I love that they are great with the kids and give them so much attention. We all enjoyed having them stay and look forward to more visits.

Mraz Fan

For weeks I've been hearing this song on the radio that I just love. Every time it comes on I turn up the volume and shush everyone in the car. It was driving me crazy because I never could seem to catch the song title or the name of the singer. Now I know that the song is called "I'm Yours" and it is sung by Jason Mraz.

I'm Yours



After watching several Jason Mraz videos on You Tube, I can say I'm definitely a fan. I love his voice and the personality he puts into his performances. I especially like this:

I'll Do Anything

Anxiously Awaiting ...

This week we are anxiously awaiting a new member of the family. Little Jake Dallon is due on July 3 and we just can't wait to meet him. I am especially excited about this little boy's birth because his Mom has invited me to be there when he comes into the world! I can't even say how much it means to me that Constance has asked me to be a part of this. Constance was only 6 years old when I started dating her brother and seven when I married him. I've watched her grow from a tiny little girl into a woman and now I get to watch her become a mother. I couldn't be more excited!