Accidentally on hiatus

I must apologize for the lack of blogging lately.  It's not that I don't have anything to say, it's that I just don't have the time to say it! I have been busy with life, loving on my hubby and girls, working, photographing, and just trying to stay sane.  Life is good.

Alex and Kathryn are both doing great.  We moved them back to the old daycare that is close to my work territory (but far from our house) and it was the right decision.  Although it is inconveniently located, we feel completely at ease with the people caring for our children, and Alex is being challenged and enriched on a daily basis.  She is so excited to go to "school" and she runs through the hallways to get to her classroom, happily screaming her teachers' names.  When I pick her up at the end of the day, she yells to her friends, "BYE BUDDIES!" and to her teachers, "I LOVE YOU THIS MUCH!!!!"  Even after eight weeks at the other daycare, she cried every single time I left her.  We are so happy with the move.

Kathryn is really coming into her own lately.  She is able to sit upright without support for a bit, she loves her exersaucer, and she is absolutely enamored with her big sister.  Alex can make her bust into a fit of belly laughs just by looking at her and saying "Hi Baby Kat!!!!" It is hilarious and heart-warming.

Alex's favorite things lately are Snow White, Snow White, and more Snow White. Which is really funny, because I'm truly not a fan of the "princess culture." I don't want to raise my girls to be princesses.  I hope they are intelligent, strong women who create their own destiny.  The Disney Princess culture teaches girls that they should wait for Prince Charming, rely on their beauty, and simply exist in society as an object to gaze upon.  So NOT what I want them to learn.  Yet, here we are, at only 2+ years old, and Alex is OBSESSED with all things princess.  Obviously I haven't gone out of my way to shield her from it, and I really don't worry that she will learn all of her life-lessons from the Disney movies, but isn't it odd how it has infiltrated our culture so much!  But enough about that.  I have a Snow White costume to  purchase! *wink, wink*

Other things that Alex loves are Play Dough, cooking with me in the kitchen, and playing outside.  She is definitely still her strong-willed self, and things have been very trying lately with tantrums and fits.  She screamed bloody murder in the grocery store checkout line today for NO REASON! I have no idea what upset her, but there was no calming her down.  I could not get out of there fast enough; it was pretty embarrassing.  Let's just say the time-out corner has been visited frequently in our house lately.    

I celebrated a birthday yesterday.  I took the day off work and spent a wonderful day with my mom and the girls at the pool and Rich spoiled me with a fancy dinner out last night.  He even arranged for the babysitter!

AliKat Photography is booming with business.  I'm limiting my photoshoots to one a week so that I don't take away much time from my precious family, but I'm booked out for eight weeks!  I'm even starting to get some paid gigs! Fun stuff! More than anything, I am just absolutely loving the creative fulfillment that it gives me.  It is the perfect balance between my day job and my creative side.  And I am learning so much with every single shoot.  The more I do it, the more I realize how much of a novice I am, and how much I still need to learn!  I am sure that I will be so embarrassed of these early images that I have taken in a few years, but how will I ever improve if I don't jump in and make my mistakes?!