Mac Family

Baby #3!

Hey! Did I ever mention on here that we are expecting Baby #3? I have very difficult pregnancies, so I decided to wait until 20 weeks to announce it on my blog.

I suffer from hyperemesis gravidarum every time I get pregnant. It is a very rare illness/condition during pregnancy that affects 1/300 pregnancies and causes severe morning sickness 24 hours a day for several weeks, if not months. This time was the worst. Luckily, it ended (for the most part) about a month earlier than it did during the other two pregnancies.

It was very rough, though. All I did for almost 2 months was sit on the floor in my bathroom, wrapped in a blanket, and throw up around the clock. I hate throwing up more than anything. I threw up every 20 minutes on most days and every hour on the other days. I could not sleep. I did not watch TV, read, get on the computer, play with my kids, clean my house... I felt thankful just to be able to look at my kids each day when they got home.

I was miserable and could not function at all. I had home health care for weeks, which included IVs for 10 hours a day. This is what helped turn it all around (and gave me "junkie" veins!).

My pregnancies are so hard. Yet, we took a chance and tried for Baby #3 (more on all of that later). I love being a mom more than anything, and I did not feel "done" yet.

I love the end result!

We are now halfway through the pregnancy, and we had our big ultrasound today. I am still not feeling normal, but I am functioning. I still have some bad days, and I am still throwing up almost every week, but it is not for 24 hours straight. I am living on two different anti-nausea medications every day, and they work like miracle pills!

I have 140 days left...out of 280. The C-Section is scheduled for September 18. I will not return to work in the fall. We end our school year on May 29, and that means I will get a 6-month break from my teaching job! Yay! I will be a SAHM!

Reilly will be in all day, every day kindergarten, and Addie will be home with the baby and me. Addie will attend preschool 2 half days a week.

Life will be busy!

So...you're probably wondering if it is a boy or a girl. The whole family went for the ultrasound today. My guess was boy.

Let me just tell you that every summer, we give Dave a couple days away from all the girls in the house. It is his time, his mini vacation. I think now we will give him a whole week away from all of the girls in the house!

GIRLS RULE!

I would share a few of the ultrasound pictures, but what do you know? We do not have the capability at the moment to scan pictures. Tomorrow! I even have a good one of "the view." No boy parts! I cannot wait to hold my new baby girl...and take photos of her! I have lots of ideas this time around! I might be back to ask your opinions on names, too.

Soon!

Too tired to edit

I actually took many photos this weekend. It will take some time to go through them, though. My computer was finally returned to me Friday evening. It took us some time to get everything up and running again. Plus, it was a very busy weekend.

Friday night I just wanted to spend some one-on-one time with Addie, since she turned 3 this weekend. She gets so excited whenever Dave or I take her somewhere. She just wants to go with the parent who is leaving the house!

We spent time at a couple different locations. Then we ended up at a playground where she had so much fun! I love to watch my children just play. They love to swing and slide!

Addie is a very cooperative little girl. She is so good! She lets me take lots of pictures of her, and she will pretty much do whatever I ask her to do. It is pretty shocking after Reilly ignoring me and my camera for so many years. I will share some photos soon.

On Saturday morning, the girls had swimming lessons again. Reilly loves it. Addie screamed (and threw up) again this week, but it was not as bad as the first week. There was some bribery involved this time. She is very scared to be in the pool with a stranger. I tried really hard to talk her into just trying to do the activities. I hope next week is still better.

I attended the Tots to Teens photography seminar in GR this weekend. That was beneficial and really made me think about my children's photography and eventually using lighting. Sandy Puc, the photographer, charges $100 for a 5 X 7 and $150 for an 8 X 10. She is a national speaker who produces stunning work.

On Sunday, we had an informal birthday party for Addie with just us and the grandparents. It was so simple and nice. I was able to capture some cute moments. I will post a few of them soon. Since last July, I have made a conscious effort to simplify our lives as much as possible. I do not want my children to be spoiled.

Addie had a wonderful day. She appreciated her gifts, her cake, and her loved ones being around her. We did not go overboard on any of it. Her favorite present was from "Grandma with the Puppies," as the girls call my mom. She gave Addie a new purse (if only you knew how into purses Addie is right now!) filled with all kinds of girly items! Lots of lip gloss, pen tattoos, press-on tattoos, ponytail holders, crazy hair accessories, etc. Addie could not have been a happier girl! She does not go anywhere without her purse, her lipstick, and her "make-up!"

Addie is very much a girly-girl. She also received some mini Barbies and some Polly Pockets from her big sister. Reilly and I went shopping together so she could pick out a couple of gifts for Addie. Of course, Reilly knew she would be able to play with the new toys, too! I now have a 3 year-old and a 4 year-old. Little girls who love the same things right now! They both also received new bikes today, and they loved them!

Reilly especially loved her new bike. She was shocked that she received such a big present today, too. We want to be active this summer, so this is the start of all that. Tonight Reilly rode her bike while I walked with her. It was nice.

Just a nice, but busy weekend. This week, I have client orders to finish processing and place, a run to my pro-lab and Norman Camera, a big doctor's appointment on Thursday (and another big one on May 8). More on all of that later...

And...only 23 more work days before it is offically summer for us! My new blog will be up by summer...when I have more time! I will share photos on here soon, though!

Relay for Life--We need your help!

As you may already know, I am a volunteer photographer for The Littlest Heroes Project. This group of photographers gets paired with families of sick children for a free photography session. The families contact The Littlest Heroes Project who then links them to the nearest photographer in their area. Becoming a member of this team has brought great joy to my life.

I was inspired to join such a team after one of my former classmate's sons died from leukemia at the age of 7 in August of 2007. After following their blog and their story for so long, I knew I had to do something after being so touched by this little boy and his mom.

The Littlest Heroes Project has helped me feel like I am giving back to my community. Cancer is a very scary thing, especially when it happens to children.

Joshua is one my favorite little heroes and cancer survivors. He beat cancer and has impacted this world so much by sharing his story with others. Joshua has even been the guest speaker at several events! He is a wonderful young man!

Reilly just loves him, and if you know Reilly, you will know that she "does not like boys that are not Daddy." She calls Joshua her friend, though. So sweet!

Last year, I had the privilege to attend Team Joshua's Relay for Life event in Allendale. I snapped some photos and just hung out at this momentous event. Reilly met Joshua for the first time, and they became instant pals!

It is almost that time of year again. Team Joshua will be at the Relay for Life event in Allendale on July 10-11 from noon until noon. The team needs your help. I have a lot of readers at this point, and I am asking those who may feel in their hearts that they would like to make a donation to please do so. All of the money goes to the American Cancer Society.

I know that everybody's lives have been affected by cancer in one way or another. Even a $20 donation will be huge to Team Joshua. I will do my part by making a donation, asking people I know to donate, and attending the event again with my children...and of course taking some photos while we are there. If you could help us and make a donation to Team Joshua, they and I would be so, so appreciative! This is an event that I am all about.

I am very affected by the stories of children who have cancer. Joshua is a miracle, and my family has been bettered by meeting Joshua and his family. His mom, Amanda, is one of the most wonderful people I have ever met.

If you have been wanting to give back in one way or another, please consider making a donation to Team Joshua! It will make such a difference!

Here is the link:

Team Joshua

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

You may contact me if you would like to help out in any way or be involved in the event. It is truly an incredible experience!

Ten for Tuesday

Or something like that, as I have seen on others' blogs. Each Tuesday, the writer lists 10 random items or thoughts for the week.

Since I do not have my computer and my Photoshop, where I seem to spend much of my time in the evenings once the girls are settled down, I have more time to blog. I just cannot post any of my recent photos! Today I started feeling impatient. I will be calling about my computer tomorrow. I definitely want it back by the weekend.

1. I am tired of feeling penalized in this world for having a career and working hard. I just found out today that Reilly's graduation from preschool will be held at 9:00 in the morning on a weekday, right in the middle of a work week. Now I must make a decision. The obvious one is to not miss an event in my daughter's life. I also do not have any time left to take off from work due to my long-term illness. That means my pay will get cut if I miss work--and cut by quite a bit. Maybe I am crazy, but I expected graduation to be held after the work day ended.

2. Reilly is getting a little pen pal, or, as we say, a Pea Pal! We have paired up our little girls to send letters and little gifts to their new little friend on my photography forum. It is not all about photography over there! I am excited to do this with Reilly! She will love it!

3. We registered Reilly for kindergarten tonight. I can hardly believe it. I am a little bit frustrated with how kindergarten is set up, too, but who knows? Maybe I am just extra hormonal today. Maybe being an educator makes me question things too much.

4. I have an online Photoshop training tonight with one of the most awesome photographers from our forum (Anne). I cannot wait! It is not until 10:00, though, and I am already tired. It will only last an hour, so I need to hang in there. I have spent hours every day in Photoshop for months now, learning all that I can. It is so important in photography.

5. I will also be attending an all-day photography training this weekend. I have invested so much into my photography education. I believe it has made a huge difference. There is just so much to learn about photography. I want to be the best I can be, and I have learned to value how much I have invested into this hobby/business of mine.

6. Today, Addie woke up from a nap and told Dave, "I want to marry Mommy later." Then, as we were leaving Reilly's registration, Addie became very disappointed. She thought she had gone there to marry Mommy. So Dave quickly married us. Addie was happy, but only for a moment. Then she told us, "I want to take a picture." Too funny.

7. Is it the weekend yet? Does anybody else feel this way this week? Or every week? Is it summer yet?

8. We bought the girls new bikes. The one for Addie is one of her birthday gifts. We are waiting for a beautiful, warm day to surprise them with their new bikes...and of course take lots of photos. Maybe this Friday.

9. My friend Amanda has had a stressful time today with some worries. Any prayers for her would be appreciated. I hope you are doing okay, Amanda!

10. My girls love to play pretend. Lately, I have noticed that they pretend to make Crabby Patties all of the time! Dave lets them watch that show, not me. Spongebob is very naughty! I would rather read books to them.

Back to my homework. I hope everybody has a great week. I heard Friday is going to be the perfect weather day!

Playing catch-up

This is what I have been trying to do for the past few months--after being so sick for so long. Then I run out of energy by 9:00 each night, which means there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done. I used to stay up until midnight every night.

My computer became infected with a virus last Thursday, and I can barely stand living without it. Isn't that horrible? I am using Dave's laptop to get online and work on school work, but I cannot do anything with my photography right now.

I cannot share any photos with you, although I have been taking more of the girls lately in the evenings. I have to wait to process them.

I hope everything is okay. I was stupid enough to save some very important files on the hard drive...not my external hard drives. I have spent so much money on external hard drives to back everything up, and the last one I bought is almost full, so I risked putting some important files and creations on the regular hard drive recently.

Just my luck I would get a virus.

I am very hopeful, though.

I am halfway done with the girls' photo album from 2008, and of course, that is on the regular hard drive. I want my Photoshop back!

Hopefully in the next couple of days the computer will come back to me. I hate my Dell. I really want a Mac, but they are expensive.

Okay, that is my source of stress for the week.

This past weekend was wonderful! On Saturday, the girls and I went off to have some fun. We gave Dave a break!

We went to the mall. I wanted to shop, but that exhausts me, so we just hung out, ate, and saw a movie. They loved it!

I will share more later. This will be a busy week. The biggest event is Addie's 3rd birthday on Saturday. We will celebrate informally on Sunday. She told me she wants "a chocolate cake with pink strawberries." She is so much fun!

It is time for me to sleep now. Next week I will post some big, exciting news. I have just been waiting for the right time.

Blogging

I am currently working on starting a new blog. I purchased a tofurious template, and I am very excited to make this change. I still need some time, as I am so, so busy right now! Starting soon, though, I will be able to blog all of the time! Every day!

I have a long break from work coming up! I have hopes of taking lots of pictures and updating every night once my kids are in bed.

I am in the midst of the craziest time of the school year. The yearbook is taking up way too much of my time right now. I only have a few weeks to get the book done! I am spending hours every day working on this project.

I would like to have more control over who reads and looks at this blog once the new one is launched. There are some weird things going on in the blog world. I have even experienced some things I am determined to not experience again.

It just takes a few people to wreck it for many.

There are a few people who have made it that way for me. They are not nice to me IRL (in real life), but they sure are on here a million times a week. I want all of that to end. And no, I am not talking about my co-workers. A few of them usually email after posts like this one and ask me if I am referring to them. The answer is no! They will receive an invite to the new blog if they would like one.

It just seems to me that the people who like us the least and have to find the most fault with us are the ones on our blog the most!

Other fellow bloggers have experienced their photos and even their identities being stolen by crazy people out there! I have also had my photos stolen, but that is really easy to trace. That is what people do not get.

Anyway, I love blogging, and I plan to make a big fuss over my new, updated blog with the LARGE photos! I just need to get to that point. I am hiring somebody this week to help me make this official. The design part of it may take me a little bit of time to figure it out.

Like I have already stated, I love blogging. I like having a record of my life and the day-to-day life of my kids. I plan on turning it all into a book someday like many others have.

I love having readers and making friends in the blog world. I just do not want to deal with any of the nonsense.

If you would like an invite, please let me know. Leave a comment, or email me. I plan on making my next blog big and fun and bold! Come summer and fall, there should be a new entry almost daily! I really do love blogging!

Thanks!

Spring break

Last year, Reilly and I enjoyed a week in San Antonio, Texas...and 80 degree weather. The whole family would have gone back this year if life circumstances would have been different. Let's just say we have had a little change in our plans for the year.

It was, overall, a very relaxing break. I got a lot done off of my very long to-do list, but as the story goes, I still have much more to do.

I made progress, though.

On Tuesday, the girls and I went down to the town where I used to teach (where I LOVED living) and caught up with some old friends. I also went to my dentist that day, since I still go to my same dentist down there. It just gives me an excuse to see old friends every time! My friend Betsy watched my girls while I was at the dentist.

When I returned to her house, she told me the following about the kids: "They have played swords, guns, and knives!" WHAT? Yes, there was a boy present in the group of kids. The other day Reilly took the dispenser handle out of a bottle of hand soap, Addie grabbed it away from her and immediately and pretended it was a gun, then ran around the house "shooting" Reilly. I did not even know until spring break that my kids knew how to play guns...and swords and knives, apparently. Such sweet little girls I have!

On Wednesday, Addie got her first second haircut. More on that later. I also got my hair done for the first time in six months. Then I had a doctor's appointment later that day. Then shopping and running some errands.

On Thursday, we went on a field trip with Reilly's preschool class to the Frederick Meijer Gardens to see the butterflies. I have never seen it so crowded there. I was a little disappointed by that because it made it very difficult for taking any pictures. It was crazy!

I have taken a few pictures, but I have not gone through them yet. I have been so busy working and getting things done. I worked a lot on putting together my new photography website. It will be launched by summer. Lots of changes...

I am anxious for summer. I only have 33 more days of school left, and then I am on summer vacation! I love getting extended breaks.

That is all for now. We are all heading to bed. Spring break allowed us to sleep a lot! I have got to go calm these little girls down!

[Boring post. I am sorry. I will make up for it later...eventually. Promise. A nice shocking post or something like that].

Matt and Madeline

Remember the post about them I put up not too long ago? They will be featured on Oprah Monday. Just to let you know!

Matt's Blog

More newborn photos

Her work is stunning. This is Amanda Andrews, the other lady who conducted the photography workshop I attended last summer in Utah.

I am always amazed by her work. She has more of that cute little "sweet pea" that she and Holly photographed recently. I am so glad I attended their workshop. I learned so much, and it has really helped me with my photography. Photography is always about growing and learning. If you want to be inspired, visit Amanda's site:

http://www.amandaandrewsphotography.com/blog/

Update on my mom

She went home from the hospital yesterday morning. Friday she suffered a mild heart attack, although I consider any heart attack to be serious business, especially since this was her third one. She had a big one when she was 51, another mild one when she was 53, and now this one. It was a very scary thing for the whole family.

Late Friday afternoon, my mom had an angiogram, where they discovered one of the bigger arteries (not one of the two biggest ones, though) was 99% blocked in one spot and 70% blocked in another spot. She ended up with another stent in her heart.

She really got to the hospital just in time. My mom knows the symptoms of a heart attack, and once she thought she was having one, she called 911 immediately.

I really hope she works hard at being healthy. This was the scariest time for me out of the three because I cannot help but wonder how much the heart can take. This has been going on for many, many years, but it could have been much worse this time in so many ways. It could have been one of the other arteries; or she could have needed a much more serious surgery. She was very lucky that it was not any worse.

We have to be thankful for all of the time we get with our family and friends during this lifetime. I cannot imagine the world without my parents.