A year or so later....

Wow...I just read my last blog. That seems forever ago! I had to chuckle when I read that I only wanted photography to be a hobby. It's true, I did. I never expected anything more from it. I am now the proud owner of April Sawyer Photography. That's right, I have a business license and pay my taxes...Well...I have a WONDERFUL assistant who takes care of all that for me. ;) That wonderful assistant would be my husband. I have been in the photography business for a little over a year. Last year I let it take over my life more than it should have. I tried to be superwoman and it almost got the best of me. I'm learning to say no, and thankfully, I have sweet photography friends that I can send business to when I just can't. School starts back tomorrow. My baby's birthday is tomorrow, too. I have so many thoughts running through my head that I figured I needed to get them out so that I could get some rest! Last year I was literally too busy to blog or do anything for myself. You want pictures? Sure! When? This week? Well, I'm busy, but I don't want you to go to another photographer so I'll bend over backwards and make it happen...Yeah...not happening this year. I'm not complaining. As a matter of fact, I am sometimes in awe of this new found talent. God is so good and I love being behind the camera. I had a good school year. Thankfully I had another year with my precious team teacher. I don't know what I'd do without her. She is my other half. She is a wonderful person, teacher, and friend. I am so grateful for her friendship and caring heart. She goes way above and beyond the call of duty in all that she does. She was definitely a strong support system for me last year. This will be our last year teaming together because we are building on to our school. The weekend before school got out, my bestie and I were flown to New York to shoot a wedding. Hopefully I can blog about that at a later date! :) It was a BLAST! This summer we went to Wyoming to visit Matt's grandparents. Get this..a 2 hour drive to Atlanta, few hours waiting at the airport, 3 hour plane ride, and 8 hour drive to Basin, WY....ALL WITH A (almost) TWO YEAR OLD!!!!!!!!!!! One day we will look back on the experience and wonder how we did it, but we did, and we had a great time. It was the most beautiful place I've ever seen. We saw "Old Faithful" at Yellowstone, Indian graffiti, and LOTS of land, mountains, and animals. The rest of my summer has been spent with my family. We went to the beach for a few days with my parents. It was Edison's first time and he LOVED it. He was also very well behaved, thank the Lord. :) Edison started sleeping in this summer. I never thought I'd ever see the numbers 9:00 on the clock when first opening my eyes in the morning. Now, instead of crying when he wakes up, he yells "MAMA!!!!" hahaha :) After getting up with him, I normally fix him breakfast and then we snuggle and watch a few episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Doc McStuffins. We've been pretty lazy and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Matt is on day shift and really enjoys what he is doing. Hopefully he will stay on day shift. Matt's mom has been diagnosed with cancer..Scary..She was diagnosed early on this summer but has yet to find out exactly where and what it is. Long story....Just pray. Edison is turning TWO tomorrow. What happened to my baby??? I love him so much. I know he isn't perfect, and I wouldn't want him to be, but he is so perfect for me. I love everything about him. He is my joy. He brings unimaginable happiness into my life that I didn't know was possible before him. Here is a little thing I made to remember him and what was special about him during this time in his life...

catch up!

I have a lot to catch up on! Good grief!

Edison is almost 10 months old. Where has the time gone?

Remember my post about photography classes and not planning to make any money off of it?? Well, I now own a small business called "April Sawyer Photography" and have made over $1,000.00 in just a few short months. Wow.

Ok, now let me back up some! :)

Edison sleeps through the night consistently. At his 9 month appointment he weighed 20 lbs 2 oz. He is in the 95th percentile for his height. He is tall and skinny! He is the sweetest thing! I taught him how to kiss on command at about 7 months. His Maw taught him how to clap at 9 months. I never thought he'd crawl. I had many friends have babies after me and their babies were crawling way before Edison could ever think to crawl. I called him my professional roller because he could roll anywhere he wanted! At 9 months, he finally crawled! I just knew he would start crawling while I was at work because he was already getting on all fours and rocking. One day when I went to pick Edison up from Mrs. Kristy's, right there in front of us, he started crawling! He waited for me!! He has also started holding his own sippy cup, giving high fives, and dancing.

He used to love anything we gave him to eat; now it seems he has become picky. He loves rice cereal in the mornings and he pretty much loves most fruits. At his 9 month appointment the doctor said that he could start having "gnaw"able table foods. haha

He is in size 3 diapers and 12 months clothes.

Mother's Day was an awesome day for me. It was baby dedication at church. 7 babies were dedicated! Edison slept through half of the dedication, but during his turn, he woke up. Luckily, he woke up in a good mood and flirted with the baby (Lottie) beside us. Both sets of grandparents were there.

Edison got his first hair cut this past Saturday. His hair had gotten so long that it was getting in his eyes. So many people told me to wait until he turned 1, but we couldn't wait that long! Matt's Aunt Glenda cut his hair. Edison did a great job! He didn't cry. He sat there and let her cut it. Towards the end he was ready to be a little more active, so Matt sat in the chair with Edison in his lap. I cried when she cut his bangs. As soon as she cut them he just looked so much older and silly me couldn't hold it together. I'm doomed when he goes to school, graduates, gets married, etc. He looks so cute with his new do!

I turned 25 on April 15th. My mom threw a surprise party with all of my closest friends and family. It was awesome! I had a camera cake :)

Speaking of cameras, wow...I never thought I'd venture into this area. Photography..it's my thing! I love it. I think about photography just about all day. Whenever I'm in the car, I look around and think of how I could turn it into a picture, or if I had a model, how I would use the scene to produce a beautiful picture. This wouldn't be happening if it weren't for my mom and Matt...and a little bit of talent, I guess. :)

I learned so much after my first photography class. I took a lot of pictures on the Saturday photography walk.

Is it summer break yet???

I'm exhausted. Taking care of Edison on my own at nights and getting him and myself ready and to our places on time is literally draining me. Yesterday I went to sleep around 6:00pm. I never heard Matt shower, get ready, OR leave for work. Edison woke me around 11, I gave him a bottle and he went back down until 5:30. I felt much better a rested today.

At 4:00, Edison had pictures made with Julie Hedges (wedding photographer). Originally, I decided we would not have "professional" pictures of Edison made since Matt got me such a nice camera, but in messages back and forth on facebook, she really wanted to take his picture. I knew I couldn't afford them so I kept backing away from the subject. In a recent message she sent, she said,"Dangit, bring that baby to me or I'm coming to get him!" So....I brought him...she, being the sweet heart she is, offered to GIVE me a cd of the pictures

When I dropped Edison off with my mom this morning, I stressed the importance of him getting a nap right before pictures so that he would be all smiles. I left work 15 minutes early and on the way to her house I called her. She told me that he had not had a nap in a long time. I just knew he was going to be tired/cranky. I met Mama and we rode together to Julie's. When we got there, Edison was just as happy as could be. He was such a good sport! I can't wait to see the pictures. Even though Julie is giving me a cd, no charge. I'm SURE I'll want to order more and book another sessions with her..and hey, maybe that was her intention in the first place ;) Either way, I'm glad we did it. I was thrilled with the newborn pictures Mama and I took of him when he was 4 days old. If you ask me, it was professional material. Now that he is 5 months, I'm glad we were able to get some more pictures that will be extra professional. Julie, if you read this...thank you. I'm sure I will be booking more sessions...haha

Tonight, Mama and I started a photography class. It's through CSU's continuing education program. The class is every Thursday, for a month, and then on Saturday, January 28th, we will have an ALL day long picture session that is hands on. We learned SO much about our cameras and about ISOs, aperture, and shutter. I think I'm going to take my camera to school tomorrow to play around. I'll take some of my students during "Friday Free Play".
By the way, I do not plan to become a professional or make money off of photography. I'm just taking classes so that I know everything about my camera and how to use it properly. :)

Tomorrow is Friday and Monday is a holiday! Thank you, Jesus!

I look back at this year and wonder if I could have done all of this on my own (teaching on my own). I am so grateful for my team teacher. She was there when I was on maternity leave and always steps up to the plate whenever there is a need. She isn't as straight-forward as me and I just hope she enjoys teaming with me as much as I enjoy teaming with her.

Edison is spending the night with Maw tonight...For some reason, I feel guilty. I feel as if I should be caring for him at all times. I understand that I have to go to work and therefore someone else has to watch him during those hours, but when I am able to care for him, I feel like I need to be caring for him. After our photography class, we came back to my parents' houses where Edison was (Uncle Go Go was watching him). I woke him up and was preparing to put him in his carrier. My mom told me I ought to let him stay with her. Previous times I have declined the offer. I think he was 3 or 4 weeks old the last time he stayed with her. I said yes. I have to realize that she WANTS him to spend the night and she WANTS me to be able to rest. I don't know what I'd do without my Mama....speaking of that, my best friend from Elementary school lost her mom. She had a heart attack in her sleep...how awful..and scary.. My heart breaks for her.

I also have a friend from high school who just had a baby about 2 months ago. He was born with a cleft lip/palate. He is so precious. He has many surgeries awaiting him in the future and my heart goes out to my friend and her husband. I. can. not. imagine. Nor do I want to imagine having to watch my child endure such awful things.

Matt's cousin is about 3 months old and the doctors discovered that he has cataracts on both of his eyes. He is basically blind. Again, my heart feels so heavy. I just can't imagine the worry and hurt that these mothers must feel.

I thank God for Edison and just pray that he will continue to be healthy...you just never know. Life is so crazy.

Well...I'm baby free tonight and it's after 11:00. I better take advantage of this sleep I'm about to get!

Night, all!

5 months!

Edison is five months old...wow, time is flying! So far, he has liked all of the vegetables that he has tried: carrots, squash, peas, and mixed veggies. He likes to play on his back on the floor, but gets mad when he rolls himself on his tummy. He only likes to be on his tummy if it's time to sleep. He started rolling from his tummy to back at three weeks old. At four months, he finally figured out how to roll from tummy to back. For the past week, he has been sleeping from 9:30 to 6:00. He is teething, but hasn't cut a tooth yet. I give him oatmeal in the mornings, and a vegetable at dinner time. He babbles the most when he is in the car. He has a toupee! Most of his hair fell out except right at the top! He normally drinks 6 oz every 3 to 4 hours. He is a very happy baby! He wears 6 months clothes and goes through a few bibs a day because of all the drooling. He gets a bath every other night and we use the night time stuff. Before bed,i put a little rice in his bottle to help him sleep longer.
He is waking up...

Back to work!

I went back to work today after a wonderful 2 weeks of Christmas break. It wasn't so bad, but my body will have to readjust. I've gotten used to waking up with Edison around five, giving him a bottle, and going back to bed for a few more hours. Now it will be give Edison a bottle a get ready and no going back to sleep. With Matt being on 3rd shift, it's a lot of work for one person. I feel for single moms. I'm glad to at least have Matt in the evenings. Tonight I really wanted to go to choir, but after being away from Edison all day, and rarely seeing Matt, I just wanted to be home with my boys. We didn't do anything special, but I was able to feed Edison carrots for the first time and give him a bath. I feel guilty every Wednesday that I'm not there, but then when I am,i feel guilty for leaving Edison a second time in one day. Once I get home, it's bed time for Edison and me, and Matt is leaving for work....Then I try to justify skipping choir. I was so loyal for so long. Do I go to practice, or do I spend time with my family? Tonight,i chose choice number two....

As I type, I have the cutest, sweetest smelling, cuddly little baby boy sitting beside me looking at the bright screen. Oh...I also have a sweet, furry, cuddly dog on my other side. Life is good.

Tomorrow the kids come back to school. Hopefully Edison will sleep well so that I have the energy for my other 35 kiddos!

Recap of Christmas 2011

Christmas was very special this year because Matt and I woke up to the greatest gift ever, our son. I know that gifts are not the meaning of Christmas, but nevertheless, gifts are given, and I gave and received some pretty cool things. I had a photo book made of Edison's birth for my parents, my Aunt Sharon, Matt's parents, and Matt's grandparents. As soon as I get over some debt, I plan to get another one printed for my Grandparents. I also had a personalized calendar made for my mom. Each month has a collage of pictures from that same month a year earlier. Matt's big gift was a banjo. I'm SO glad I got it for him because he is really enjoying it. He loves "The Office" so if you're a watcher of that show, you may remember the "rabies fun run show". I got him the fun run shirt that they wore on the office. I also got him some clothes, the book "Decision Points", and the 1st season of "The Walking Dead" on blu ray. My mom always goes above and beyond. She loves to give. She had Edison's coming home outfit put in a shadow box. She also got me a lot of other random things that I circled in some magazines. When we were kids, we would circle things that we wanted for Christmas from magazines such as Toys R Us. Many years later, she still has me circling things! haha...She got me some things for my camera, but most importantly, she got me PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES!!! To make that gift even better...we will be taking the class together! We are going to have so much fun! Matt got me a new lens for my camera and some other things for my camera. He also got me a remote control for my camera. On Christmas morning, we were able to take a picture of us with the camera remote instead of using the timer function on the camera...too neat! I made a breakfast casserole. I really wanted to go to church. I love going to church on Christmas. We didn't make it. :/ The pictures below are pictures I took using the remote! :)

It was a wonderful Christmas. I look forward to teaching Edison the reason for Christmas! Matt's dad (Pappy) blessed us this Christmas with new tires for my car. I needed them in a bad way and we are so grateful for that gift! Most of all, my favorite part of Christmas was sitting in my living room with just my husband and baby with wrapping paper all over the floor. I love my little family!

Resolutions? Nahhh

I never keep resolutions...Instead, I am making goals for myself for the year 2012. Want to hear?? Goal #1: I'd like to be better about blogging so that when 2012 comes to a close, I can look back over the year and remember. I'd also like to print it and put it in some type of book/journal. When things happen I always think I'll remember it...then, it becomes a faint memory and I can't remember what month the certain situation or memory happened. Goal #2. Within 5 months, Edison has already grown over 6 inches and gained over 8 pounds. It seems as if I blinked and he was sitting up and grabbing things! I plan to take a picture of him every day in the year 2012. So far, I've done good! Granted we've only been in 2012 for 2 days, it's a start! :) Goal #3: I don't plan to lose an X amount of weight, but I plan to eat healthier and do some fun workouts. Matt got me a Kinect for the xbox for Christmas. He also got me "Just Dance 3". It's a fun way to sweat :) I plan to do a lot of dancing in the comfort of my own home and maybe help lose a few lbs. :) Goal #4: Cook more! Goal #5: Learn to use my wonderful camera better. Goal #6: Print all the pictures that have been taken since Edison's birth and put them in a photo book. Goal #7: Plan the night before...Now that Matt is back on 3rd shift (11 PM-7AM) I am responsible for taking care of Edison during the night and getting him to the baby sitter's/Maw's house before I leave for school. In the mornings, I'm running around like a crazy person trying to figure out what I'm going to wear, what Edison is going to wear, what to eat for lunch, what to pack for Edison, etc. etc! It's too stressful and many times I am literally running out of the door...my "GOAL" is to have everything ready the night before so that I can save myself the stress. Goal #8: Give more. I love hearing stories about people paying for others in fast food drive-thrus or at restaurants. I have done that twice and it was a great feeling. It was also kind of funny to watch the lady's face as the cashier was explaining that her ticket had been paid. I also love receiving just because cards or those cards that are "Just thinking of you"...I'd like to do more random acts of kindness in the year 2012. I really wanted to have 12 Goals for 2012... Kind of silly, but I thought it would make for a good title...I can really only think of 8 things I really want to achieve in 2012. ...whatever :) Matt's grandparents came down from Wyoming. We haven't seen them since our wedding. Granddaddy's health is slowly declining and we wanted to make sure we got to spend time with him. The original plan was for us to go see them in Wyoming, but the plane tickets were going to cost almost an arm and a leg and probably a finger or two from the remaining hand! They came down instead. Matt and I wanted them to stay with us, but Matt's mom insisted that they stay with her. They slept in a camper outside Matt's parents' house. They came and stayed with us for 2 nights and it was great to spend the quality time with them. I am loving life with Edison. When I say God answered my prayers, he truly did. When I was pregnant with Edison, I prayed for things that I'm sure many moms pray for. I prayed for his condition in my womb, a healthy delivery, and a healthy baby. I also prayed that he would be a baby who was full of joy and happiness. I prayed specific things. I prayed that he would have his Daddy's sense of humor and be cuddly and affectionate like me. I'm sure that all moms want the best for their children. I just pray that he comes to know and love the Lord. I pray that we (Matt and I) will be able to steer him in the right direction to becoming a man of God. The first 3 months of his life were a little rough. He has gas and tummy troubles. He cried almost every time he took a bottle. I just knew he was unhappy. Around 4 months, it was almost as if a switch was flipped. He is THE happiest baby. He is so sweet and cuddly. He makes us laugh already and he's only 5 months old. Tonight before I put him in bed, I rocked him in his room and prayed. A lot of it was tears of thankfulness for what God has given me. I do not take for granted the child that is mine. He is a gift from God and I couldn't have asked for anything better. I love everything about him. I love all of the noises he makes when he eats and sleeps. I love the smile he gives me when I come to get him in the mornings, the smiles he gives me when I get him out of the car, and the smiles he gives me when I pick him up after work. All I have to do is look at him, walk by him, or touch him and he gives me the sweetest smile. I can't imagine life without him and I'm looking forward to what's to come! I've had a wonderful Christmas break with Matt and Edison. I'm sad to see it go, but summer break will be here in 4.5 months or so. Sorry if my grammar isn't always "grammatically correct". A lot of my blogging will be on my phone, and hey, at least I'm blogging! :) If you're reading this, I pray you have a wonderful new year. It has so many possibilities! Stay positive and try to see the good in all situations. Live, laugh, and love. Don't take the small things too seriously. Don't focus too far in to the future. Take one day at a time and make the most out of it. Spend time with your loved ones and stay away from negativity. Take lots of pictures! Life is fleeting. (I'm also saying all of this to myself!)