Will he ever get here?????

Okay, for the last couple of weeks it's been pins and needles in my house! Why you ask? Well, because we've been waiting on a very speical person to arrive...that of course would be our first grandchild "Baby August" as he's so affectionately called by the kiddos!

Now granted, first off before I say anything else, I do realize I'm completely impatient! I know that my daughter is only 3 days past her due date and this baby will come when he's good and ready. That however is not making me feel better! I wanna see him, I wanna hold him and I wanna TAKE PICTURES OF HIM!

Whew, okay I'm over that little rant, I definitely feel better now! Well, maybe not completely better, but better. I do however feel sorry for my daughter, she's so very miserable, anxious, ready for baby to be out, and all the other feelings that describes the thoughts and outlooks that a overdue pregnant person feels.

You know what's really bad, this might just be my fault. I was 10 days late with every one of the kids except the boys and that was only because they were twins and breech, so they did a c-section early due to dilation. I wonder as I sit and watch her miserably exsist if she's inherited that gene that makes babies wanna stay inside forever LOL :) My Mom was 10 days late with all of her kids, so maybe there is some logic to this thought process. Either way it sucks to be overdue, to be waiting and wanting to meet your new little one and nothing happen, you feel as though you'll be pregnant forever and trust me that's not a fun feeling at all!

So, here I sit waiting, which I find ironic considering the thoughts of being a "Nana" (yes, Nana, because I'm not a GRANDMA...I'm way tooooooooo young to be that!) wasnt something I was looking forward to in the sense that it is just one more reminder that my youth is slipping away faster than sand through a sive...wait....did I just say "slipping away".....yeah I guess I should've said "slipped" huh?! Yeah, the mirror never lies, although I wish it would just once!

Hopefully my next post however will have a picture of my new grandbaby....BABY AUGUST!!! Wish us luck!

Patience Is A Vertue...

We've all heard that saying right "patience is a vertue" and while that is true it's not a "vertue" I was blessed with! Which, in itself is kinda amazing since I do have 7 children and being a patient person should be a prerequisite in mothering. Now, dont get me wrong I'm not one of those Mom's who's constantly screaming at their kids because I'm impatient over things, no not at all. I do however find myself wishing things would move much faster than they do!

Perfect example...my oldest DD wants maternity pictures done. She's seen some maternity images done of her friends and is always so disappointed in how they turned out. Funny how living with a portrait photographer can rub off on others. She notices lighting and composition, the angles in which the images were shot and how things that should be in focus arent and always says to me "Mom, you could've shot that so much better" or "what was that person thinking" which always makes me feel good she has that much confidence in my work and ability, but also sad that her friends have mediocre maternity photos to document such a special part of being a woman.

Anyway, getting back to my point! So, she wants pictures done, and while she's really starting to show it's really not the right time to shoot these images. I told her we need to wait until she's at least around 32 weeks so the "belly" is really emphasized. She of course agreed and understands, but I however knowing this is the proper thing to do for maternity images am sitting on pins and needles to do this shoot! I keep talking to my Grandson saying "you need to grow for Nana so we can do pictures" which in itself sounds stupid I know, but I cant help it. I want her to have beautiful images to remember carrying him, to look back on in rememberance of the love she held for him before he was ever born. Those are the images I think that maternity shots are all about, and that of course is what I want to give her. I have all these ideas in my head swiming around with no where to go for the moment and it's driving me batty at times.

So with my impatience and artistic vision working hand in hand we decided to give it a shot (love the pun) and shoot a couple of images from the side, just to see my ideas in front of me, not just in my head (we all know things are most wonderful in ones mind, but tend to look completely different in reality) and shooting a bit also calms the "impatient" creative side of me as well.

The images turned out well and have calmed me down as I now know what will work and what wont. I still have all these ideas and visions on what the future images will look like, and will of course still continue to think of more things, but for now I'm happy with what we've gotten so far. Only about 7 more weeks until we can do the full blown shoot, so it's really not that far off and I really am looking forward to doing it. Hopefully others will love the images as much as I will love making them, then again as we all know in the photography world, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What one may consider "beautiful" another may not. Oh well, it's the way of the world and one we must all accept!

I suppose after I shoot the maternity session for her my next work up needs to be newborn images! I have some really great ideas for that session too...see...the wheels in my mind never stop turning!

What's Up Lately???

I figured since this blog has been so neglected and I'm trying to update as much as possible, that this was a perfect opportunity to write what's been up with this crazy clan lately! Nothing major, other than normal life changes (well normal for us I suppose, not everyone is like us) so here's the skinny on our family happenings!

As stated in the "Playing Catch Up" posting, we've moved back home to our house in Raeford NC and while we love being in our house with all the space and comforts of a larger than we're used to house, it's been an adjustment on so many levels!

I honestly never realized how much I enjoyed living within the Marine Corps community or how much living on base was a blessing. Not that living here in our house is a bad thing by any means, but getting used to being out in the country with no neighbors and having so much property for the kids to roam has been rather strange. It takes us about 25 minutes to get to the Army base here (Ft. Bragg) so going to the commissary these days is not exactly a hop, skip and a jump from our house any longer. That's taken some getting used to I must say. Prices is another thing that is just blowing my mind! Now, gas prices as we all know have been crazy, but I'm talking about just everyday needs prices, milk, bread..things of that nature. I suppose I was spoiled in being able to shoot down the street to the "C-store" and grab some milk and bread for a lot less than what I'm paying now (and to think I used to complain about the prices then) not to mention the "no sales tax" benefits from shopping on base, yeah well that is no longer a reality for us, unless I want to drive the 25 minutes to base (as I'm sure you can tell I'm not into doing that on a daily basis) so I pay the sales tax and higher prices for the convenience of shopping somewhere closer...it's just a vicious cycle for me and one I'm having trouble adjusting to...call me crazy!

On another front however we've had some great news. Jim was recently selected for Chief Warrant Officer 3, so he'll be pinning that one come August 09. We're all really proud of and excited for him! He of course was sweating the promotion board (as he does everytime) and was relieved he was selected. Frankly I'm not sure why he does this when it comes to promotions, I mean he really does his job above and beyond the requirements, not to mention he's always a giver of at least 110% to his job, his shop, the Corps and his fellow Marines, so the thoughts of him "wondering" if he'll be selected has always blown me away! I suppose considering he's a very humble man in nature, this shouldnt surprise me, but as always I am surprised at his feelings of uncertainty when it comes to things of this nature.

The kids are all doing well. Charity is enrolling in college for winter semester and expecting her first child come spring. OMG that actually makes me a "Grandmother" doesnt it? You see though I'll not be referred to as "Grandma" because I am WAY TOO YOUNG for that, so I'll be "Nana" to my little Grandson! Yep, that sounds much better dont you think? Anyway, he's due to make his appearance March 09 so we're looking forward to meeting this precious soul!

Tiffiany and Tara start their new dance lessons tomorrow. They will be learning "Scottish Highland Dance" and are super excited as are Jim and I. We've always loved that type of dancing, of course I love the Highland dance, and Jim loves the Irish Step dancing (can you tell from what nationality we each come from?) so the celtic culture has always facinated us and the girls are just beside themselves they will actually be a part of a "Celtic School of the Arts" here in town. They are looking forward to working hard so they can compete in the Highland Games in Boone NC this summer! Their Granddaddy (my Father) would be so proud!

So, as you can see we're still around and still a crazy clan as always. Never a dull moment in a family of 9, but even with the loudness, the hecktic schedules and all that comes with raising 7 children. I wouldnt have it any other way, because without them my life would completely meaningless!