{HOME} for Thanksgiving=UTAH

WE played in the snow. ate yummy food. went to The Lower Lights concert. cozy cabin for thanksgiving. visited with friends and family. black friday shopping. utah vs. byu game. stranded for two extra days due to the snow storm.

The only sad thing was that Ely had a last minute work emergency and wasn't able to come with us:( This also meant that we weren't able to get our Family Pictures done this year in time for our Xmas card.





















Thanks Danny and Carin for the last minute tickets:)

Balance

Im feeling sad today, don't know why. I think it started with the last leaves falling at my "go to photo shoot spot" tonight... things aren't beautiful anymore, another long Windy, Casper Winter to look forward to:(

I miss home, it's been 7 years. I try to stay positive but sometimes it just really sucks, it really does.

I miss my Uncle Peter who died a year ago, I wish some things could just always stay the same... like my mom being healthy and not having to deal with the HORRIBLE, awful disease of MS that sucks her strength and muscles and energy and patience away.

It's just been a bad week. We all have them. I can't seem to do anything right this week. My laundry never quite gets done, the house never quite gets clean, the kids seem to be fighting a lot, the puppy is always biting or scratching someone, Taylor doesn't like me right now, we got a bill for $1300 for property taxes that weren't included in our escrow, Ely's new CJ-7 wont starrt, I melted the kids Halloween candy (see pic below), never ending editing and it seems like every time I opened my email it was a client asking me to do something different to their pictures to make them "better". Totally goes with the job but sometimes when it's your art, it feels personal.

Im overwhelmed with "balancing" everything right now. Im trying to accept that just doing a little bit each day is ok.

And I've decided that I need to take and post pictures of my kids here, like I used to before it got crazy. I need to feel that passion again.

Tomorrow is a new week right????



As I posted on Facebook-
MOTHER OF THE YEAR AWARD goes to me for preheating the oven and forgetting I had hid the kids Halloween Candy/Plastic Pumpkins in it. COMPLETELY melted the pumpkins and candy.... Halle, who LIVES for sugar was HYSTERICAL even with all my promises of buying more candy and my hasty effort in making pumpkin cookies.

our new addition

Meet Miss Lily... our new Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy joining our house of utter CHAOS:) Im so sad that my cute little kids haven't quite made it to the blog lately.... lots of pics to come SOMEDAY.

Im very blessed and not complaining that my business has taken off BUT I must admit I've felt overwhelmed these past few months... something like 40 shoots in Aug-present. Im still figuring it all out for myself now that it seems Im a working mom (with no alone office hours). My body is starting to fight my usual "Night Owl" tactics and I swear the purple bags under my eyes will never go away:( Things will slow down soon.... as the cold weather hits.

For now meet the closest thing I'll ever have to another baby girl.
These picture were taken last week at the Breeders home, we just got her today and I swear she's already bigger

little miracle

I did a "Birth Story" for one of my longest and bestest (not a word but I like it anyway) friends in the world.

It was AMAZING to be a part of.

Anyone want to have a baby? Im there!

HERE it is.


xoxo
jen

San Diego

It was very strange to go back after 19 months. It was, well every kind of emotion. I did a lot of growing up in that place where we lived for nearly six years. It was the first time I had lived out of my state, away from my family, my comfort zone. We became a family of five there. We brought our babies home there. We met some GREAT people (and a few weirdos but we WONT talk about that). I was so thankful to see many of them. Oddly enough, my brother and sister in law just moved to SD last month. Maybe now we will visit more often... if we didn't drive them too crazy!















Ashton was born in SD but we moved when he was 3 months old SO this was his first time at the beach. For some reason he enjoyed sticking his head in the sand but would FREEK out if sand got on his hands.













I didn't do any photoshoots while on vacation so I stole moments from my kids when they would let me.








































*the girls



*my family