My Little Boob-Tube

What on earth can entrance a 2 year old like this? It can only be one thing: Finding Nemo!



1st it was CARS
Now it's NEMO
What next?

Kevin worries that B might have A.D.D. because he's so all-over-the-place when we go out in public. But I assure him that kids with A.D.D. do not sit thru an entire hour & 1/2 movie. On our lap no less.

That's another thing, I love that Bubba sits on our laps. He's such a sweet baby. This morning I reached my arm in front of him and he leaned over and kissed my arm. Can you imagine?! So precious.

My First Gig!

Hey! Did I mention yet that I had my first photography gig?! I did! For a local real estate team: The Zia Group in Santa Barbara. It was so much fun. Of course they're all so great looking that it made it a super easy shoot but I must say, I did a pretty good job. Thankyouverymuch.

Edited: 100% of my earnings went to support our friends Matt & Heather Richter

Brody Bday!

Some of my favorite crafty bloggers always show pictures of their kids' birthday party supplies and favors so I'll follow suit and share the details of Brody's 2nd Bday Party!

We had the party at Chase Palm Park so the kids could enjoy the Santa Barbara Easter Egg Hunt. We have been practicing 'egg hunts' for a couple of months now so Brody got it right away! He took off and collected a ton of eggs and consumed a ton of chocolate. He even shared some eggs with other children. Very sweet!

Then we and the other 25,000 SB children who were participating in the hunt headed off for the play ground. It was a bit manic but the kids were having a blast and that's really what it's all about right?
Kevin set off for the carousel park to set up for the party. All 25,000 kids were headed to the merry-go-round about that time too but fortunately, they got right in line and didn't take over the lawn area where we were.

We bought this really rad bubble machine (the green thing in the pic below) at Coscto a couple of weeks ago and it was a HUGE hit! We had no idea! We hung out on the lawn, played with bubbles, ate food, opened a present or two and just enjoyed being around friends and other babies. It was great!

After lunch, cake and bubble-enjoying we all headed to the carousel for a whirl. By this time the line was gone and we were the only ones on it! Most of the kids loved it and the pictures came out great! The party bags (hand crafted by Rah Rah) included a money egg for the carousel plus some candy, a toy, bubbles, and play-do.

At first I was thinking, "Man. Who's idea was it to have a morning birthday party!?" but afterward I couldn't be more pleased. It was bit crazy but then it was nap time and we had the whole rest of the day still. All-in-all, a great day and a great celebration.

Brody loved playing and hunting and eating too many sweet treats all in one day! He also loved having so much of his family here. Thanks to Grandmama, Mor Mor and Papa, and the Mathi3 for making the journey. And to our dear friends the Wolds and the Hulseys for making the drive. We love you all so much and wish we had more time with you.

Happy Birthday, Bubba. You are such a prince and a such a joy to know. This year is going to be great!

Reflections

My Baby Boy is turning 2. How can that be? Weren't you just born!? When I see women from my PEP group with 2 year olds I always have to sort of stop myself from saying, "How can your baby be walking already?!" or something insane like that. Because in my mind, their baby is still a newborn! In my mind, my baby is still a newborn too. But he's not. He is a full-on two year old. Mr. Independent (commonly heard phrase: "Buhdoit" translated "Bubba Do It"). He throws tantrums - tho usually pretty short lived. He's becoming more cautious with his tantrums. Now instead of sitting down and throwing himself backwards and screaming from the pain and shock of smacking his head on a hard surface, he gently sits down and takes a few seconds to lie down on the floor....and then screams for a few minutes in protest. So silly. He talks constantly and usually in the first-person! Some popular phrases these days include: "Bubba open shut it"; "Bubba push Gabe"; "Dada at work in Hank" [Hank is Kevin's truck]; "Turn it down!" [to the passing by teenagers who turn their base all the way up...no idea where on earth he got that. Ehhem.] and something with the word 'dude' in it? He's been saying it a lot lately and the only thing I can think of is maybe he's saying a line from Finding Nemo. You know the surfer sea turtle? We love that part.

I could go on and on. For now, a quick list of my favorite things about Brody:
* his feet
* his voice
* spontaneous kisses and 'i love yous'
* his cheeks (both sets)
* when he says "hi" to any passer byers
* his run
* when he says "Bubba kared" [Bubba scared] b/c he is playing "boo" with someone
* when he plays hide and seek
* his laugh

Oh there are so many...maybe I'll add to this one or I'll keep posting new ones. Man, that kid. I just love him.

Fun Day, Good Friends!

One of my best girlfriends came for a visit today! Summer "Zoom" Mc. and her trio are in town visiting her 'rents in Manhattan Beach and they actually drove up to SB to see me!! It was so fun spending time with one of my favorite women. Summer and I have been friends since jr. high. We went to summer camps and Mexico missions trips together in high school. We smoked cigarettes together in college. We were in each others weddings. We have husbands and children and are officially grown ups. Ugh.

Truth be told, of all my girlfriends, I've always wanted to be most like Summer. Growing up, she had this rad house with a secret room right in her bedroom! And a pool. And had a cute brother with cute friends who swam in that pool :) She was a Homecoming Queen nominee in HS. She went to Baylor and was a sorority girl and dated really cute boys college (one of which I also dated later in life) and then she went and married the best of them. She has three gorgeous babies, a great house near San Antonio and a lot of other fabulous mommy friends!! Zoom has about the most enviable life ever. But the truth is that what I love and appreciate most about Summer is that she has faced her own share of anxieties and issues just like the rest of us. But thru faith and obedience has exhibited what being a woman of God really is. She is not afraid to talk about her limitations (her words) and makes a point of sharing what God has done and is doing in her life. She is strong and opinionated and adorable and wonderful. Love ya, Zoomie. It was so fun seeing you!!

Some of my favorite things about Summer:

* The way she pronounces her 'inging's - you have to know what I mean to know what I mean...youknowwhatImean?
* Her right eyeball
* Her handwriting
* Her amazing figure (very inspiring!)
* Her dedication to running and working out
* Her skills as a mother
* Her dry but very sharp sense of humor
* Her wisdom
* Her loyalty
* Did I mention her body?!?

Nightly Routine

Last week my scrapbooking hero Ali Edwards issued a little challenge for us - her loyal followers - to record our nightly routine. I love this idea as I'm really focused on enjoying every minute of Brody's toddlerhood (even thru the tantrums and blatant disobedience!). On a good night, here is how it goes...

5:30 - 5:45PM Kevin comes home and he and Bubba play while I get dinner ready. I look forward to this time all afternoon! The whole process of cooking dinner relaxes me. Yes, even the clean up!

6:00PM - Ideal dinner time. Dinner varies from pasta to chicken to homemade pizza to meatloaf. Traditional stuff. Brody usually dines on mac-n-cheese but recently has been eating what we eat. After dinner we enjoy some more play time and really try to get him active so that (1) he might get tired and (2) in case he has to poop!

7:00PM - Bath time! Brody's bath tub has a removable shower head. It's perfect for bathing toddlers. He loves spraying it everywhere and it makes washing his hair a little less traumatic. The bucket of toys include various bath books, little sea animal figures, empty bottles, balls for a basketball net that hangs in the shower, plastic cars, etc.

7:30 - 8PM - Brody likes to run around naked for a while. The other day he pee-peed in the potty for the first time! It was a big deal to Kevin but Brody sort of shrugged it off like, "No biggie". Sometimes we'll play Easter Egg (an attempt to get him familiar with the hunt game so that he gets it during Easter!) where I'll hide various animal figures all over his bathroom and he'll find them. He's REALLY good at it!

{the picture below is of Brody's 'Big Smile'. For some reason, his 'big smile' translates into a serious scowl. I thought I'd give it try!}

Sometime after Bath & Before Bedtime - Brush Teeth. He doesn't spit yet but he sometimes does a really good job of brushing his little baby face teeth.

8:00 - 8:30 PM - Read Books. When I put him to bed it's about 8:30pm. When Kevin does it, Brody is usually in bed by 8PM sharp. I love this time of cuddling and reading books. He's started rebelling against bedtime a bit but most nights he goes to bed pretty easily. Typically we read between 1-3 books/night. Then we'll turn off the light or let him do it and spend a few minutes saying nighttime prayers and singing songs.

8:30Pm (at latest) - Bedtime. There are two bedtime buddies Oso and Coco. We all give each other hugs and kisses and if necessary....tickle time. It can be traditional tickle time or involve the itsy bitsy spider (ee-bee-pie-dur) or the little piggies running all the way home. As long as it involves crazy laughter, we're good.

I'm only speaking for myself here. I think Kevin's book - bed process is slightly different. All I know is that when K puts him down it's usually quick and quiet. For me there is often about 5-10 minutes of screaming. At very rare times we'll have to go back up and calm him down.

8:30 - 11:30PM - TV, Surf, Read, Bed....we spend this time watching our favorite shows (we love you, DVR!) and checking/answering emails and catching up on our fav blogs. We go to bed as early as possible without being early enough every night and do it all over again in 24 hours.

Good times. Great times. Even when it's rough...it's all about the now. We wont have these times with Brody forever. In fact, when other babies come along...we'll never have these times with Brody again. Wow. So thankful for the routine. So thankful for the time!

Booger Story

You know that rubbery adhesive gook that they use to stick credit cards to paper when you get them in the mail? Well, last weekend in a moment of total insanity I showed Brody how remarkably they resemble actual boogers. To do this, I balled up the previously mentioned gook and stuck it to his face just under his nose. We laughed and tricked Daddy and then I thought it was over. Too bad Brody was shoving the gook as far up his boogie nose as possible! I realized the gook was missing about the same time I noticed his look of worry. I reached my finger as far up his little nose holes as possible but only got snot (as he had a cold at the time). Kevin was sure it came out but I was super concerned and kept bringing it up throughout our movie night!

Later that night during bath time Brody was crazy sleepy and something set him off into a crying fit. All wet and slippery he lurched out of the tub and cried into my shoulder. When he pulled his head up he left a huge gloppy mass of what we thought was mucus on my shoulder. For a moment, very disturbing but ultimately a total relief!

I learned two things from this event: (1) I have to always trust my Brody instincts and (2) teaching my child to shove things up his nose is very not good. To my defense, the day before Kevin taught him to eat lemon grass...something that lead to him picking and tasting all things green and leafy. Honestly....poor kid.

My Green-Thumbed Hubby

BEFORE (ABOVE)
AFTER (BELOW)

Check out our cute new garden! Kevin knocked this puppy out in one afternoon. [Edited: The image on top is how it looked when we moved in almost 3 years ago!]. This area used to be an over-grown jungle of weeds and ground cover and a huge lavender bush (bumble bee magnet). Now it's a lush and lovely area that reminds me just how amazing my husband is. Thanks babe, for your hard work!

Brain Wrinkle: "COol BikES"

Apparently....'nice' bicycles don't have kick stands. Whell.

Last weekend we went for a family bike ride for the first time. While Kevin was wrestling to get Brody in his bike-seat I innocently asked 'Where is your kick stand?'. He laughed embarrassedly and sort of glanced around to see if anyone heard me and said, 'This bike doesn't have a kick stand." Well. Well. Well. Excuuuuuse me! He went on to explain that typically the more expensive bikes (unlike my $53 mountain bike from Target) don't include this convenience. If I paid $400 for a bike it damn well better have a kick stand on it! I don't have time to be holding up my bicycle. Pah-leez. I'm all for kick-stands. I'm PRO kick-stand.

New Brain Wrinkle

Tonight I learned how to do this in Photoshop. I'm very pleased with myself to say the least. I've always wondered how this is done and wished I knew how! I'm a little annoyed at how basic a skill it is but I'm glad to know the skill nonetheless. Very clever. Very clever indeed.

Resolution Update

At the first of the year I made a few resolutions. One of them was to LEARN things and another was to do things that SCARE me!

I am learning a lot these days regarding photography and some photoshop so I tend to think that fulfills that particular resolution. However, today I learned something that I hadn't known before - rather than a skill. I learned that a female fox is called a VIXEN. Did everyone know that? Of course I'm familiar with the word 'vixen' but I always have only known it to refer to a bad-guy-sexy-woman. And one of Santa's reindeer. So that was a new brain wrinkle!

Our dear friends the Richters are full-time raising support so that they can serve with Athlete's In Action in Ohio. I think they are so amazing. Heather has really blessed my life this year. I am inspired by their desire to serve and especially by the humility they have to have to ask people to support them financially (and spiritually).

Ok - now for the scary part. During a lunch date with Heather I realized that I needed to introduce them to my boss (W). He and his family have such a compassion for missions and support many organizations financially. I committed to Heather that I would speak to W about meeting with them which was easier said than done. I was very nervous about how to approach the subject. Exactly how do you ask someone to meet with and/or give money to your friends? I did pray about it but I wish I had rehearsed (another story another blog)! Short version: I asked him to meet with Matt and he graciously agreed. I was way out of my comfort zone doing this but by God's grace I was able to connect two people who might be able to do great things for each other. Feels good.

Again with OPRAH!

I don't care what you say - Oprah is truly inspirational. I'm watching the Building A Dream: The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy. "When you change a girls life it's not just that life you effect. A family, a nation. I'm telling you...women are going to change the face of Africa." She's not the first to make this statement about women being the catalyst of change in the world and she certainly wont the be last but she is the loudest, strongest, most powerful voice in the nation right now and what she's doing in this world is absolutely historical. Our values and beliefs are often different but I find her immensely inspirational. I believe that one day I can be a part of bringing change to a life or two along the way. This is my prayer.

Heart Breaker

Sometimes you catch a moment, a glipse into the future. I look at my baby boy's face and I see a 15 year-old looking back at me. In this photo he's frowing because of the sun but I can just see the 15 year-old boy sick of his mom always shoving a camera in his face. Sorry, Buddy. This you'll have to deal with. I love you, Face.

Santa Barbara Saturdays: Take a Hike!

What is the point of living in or visiting Santa Barbara if you don't spend as much time as possible outside!?! There are countless hiking trails in SB for all levels of hiker. My favorite is Cold Springs trail to the waterfall. It's a level 4 out of 5 (see Sweetie...no wonder I have to take so many breaks!!) and at one point there is this rediculous boulder-climb that is nothing short of hysterically funny to watch people navigate (Hello, Sarah!).

The Knapps Castle hike is one I hope we get to take soon. Neither Kevin nor I have ever been to the castle but most of our friends have and have all said it's a fun date. I'm more of a dinner-and-movie type girl but like I said...what's the point of living in SB if you don't enjoy the beauty and weather as often as possible?! Honestly. Hiking with Brody will be harder now that he's too big for the backpack but there are pleny of nature walk trails and beach trails. We've cruised the Butterfly Perserve a few weeks ago and he was great. Unfortunately the monarchs were asleep but it was still great to be in nature with him and we hope to encourage him to appreciate and love this planet and the surrounds God has blessed us with. Amen!

For directions, difficulty, and reviews on local hikes check out http://www.santabarbarahikes.com/. Take lots of water and your camera.

Cheryl's Tip of the Week

Oh you must check out Cheryl's blog! Brody's little face is featured!! Her tip this week is what I've been working on for the past two weeks: creating a sharp focual point and blurred background/foreground. My little lens doesn't always get what I'm asking it to do (although, my lens mostly blames me!) but I've been able to get a couple of decent examples. I'm posting this pic mostly b/c I think Brody looks so freaking adorable but you may be able to see the blurred background. Yea me! I used AV setting at f5.6 because I didn't remember that you could use the macro setting. I'll be going there this week!

This pic is from our fun visit to Salt Lake City last week with the Wold family. It ended up snowing one day (which was totally unexpected) so Brody got to play in his 1ST SNOW! He loved it although he'd cry when his hands got too cold. How sweet is that? He and Kevin rolled around for a good 20 minutes and then we were done. Short but sweet! We are looking forward to his first actual ski trip someday. SO CUTE!!

Cheryl's Tip

Cheryl May is one of Santa Barbara's best photographers and a really rad girl. I just love her work and was fortunate enough to actually have a tutorial session with her this afternoon! She showed me how adjusting my apeture and shutter speeds will result in soft focus fore and backgrounds while keeping my subject in sharp focus. I'd NEVER used the Av setting on my camera before so this was very exciting for me. She also let me use her lens and let me just tell you...that was very cool!

So, today on her blog (http://www.cherylmay.com/blog/) she gave her first TIP. It was on the 'Rule of Thirds'. This basically means you want to avoid placing your subject in the dead center of the photograph. I've been putting my subjects off center for a while now and so this is total validation! I love the look of it but never knew that it was a principle. She did says something that I hadn't considered before. The rule also applies on verticle photos. Subjects eyes should be in the top third of the frame. This is cool. I don't shoot a lot of verticle pics but I'm going to be more aware in the future.

I got to photograph my girlfriend Nancy's daughters Katie and Sarah. Katie is 4 year's old and ready for modeling contract. To see all of the photos from this shoot check out http://picasaweb.google.com/chrystal.sturm/NarettoGirls?authkey=_a0XZXW6MzQ

Easy Philanthropy

We have a plan! As a way to make some extra money that is soley for the purpose of donating to charities and causes. I've posted an ad on Craig's List for local home sellers and real estate agents. I'll photograph their listings for $25.00! If I can photograph 20 houses in a month that's $500 I could donate! So great.

Additionally, Kevin spoke to a real estate contact of his who said that he would definitely use me and possibly get me an opportunity to present to his office. I'm so excited.

Recently I've learned (it's actually soaked in!) that the people who are happiest in this world are those who are following their passions. I love photography and gosh-darn-it I'm pretty good at it. If I can actually make money by shooting photos then I would be totally fullfilled in my career. Talk about waking up happy to start the day! YES!!

So, this is the start. Making money so that I can give money. I'm stoked. Hope you are too :) OH check out www.goodsearch.com for an easy way to donate to your personal causes!

The Power of Positive Thinking

"Giving up the hope that the past could have been different"
"Nothing new can come into your life w/o the FEEL of gratitude"
"Energy flows...where Energy goes!"; "Your energy becomes what you concentrate on"
"Everything is in the PRESENT!"

Yesterday's Oprah was really powerful for me even tho it's pretty 'New Age'. It was on The Secret. The Secret is really just learning how to use, hone, believe, internalize, apply the power of positive thinking. If we focus on all the bad in our lives or the world than we will eventually drown in a preverbial ocean of negativity (my words). BUT if we REALLY believe that things are good, we are good, and that we deserve good things, and I'll add that God is in control of everything and only wants good things for us! (1 Chronicles 17:26)....just think of the possibilities.

Our FEELINGS, THOUGHTS, ACTIONS determine our success in life. FYI success and celebrity/wealth are not the same thing. Success is being fulfilled.

Here are a few of the many negative labels I've given myself:

* I'm a mean person
* I will probably never be thin
* I am not a morning person
* I'm chronically late
* I don't deserve my amazing husband
* I'm just the idea girl...
* I'm a terrible housekeeper ;)
* I'm not (book) smart

I made myself all these things. These characteristics didn't come about as a result of the environment, life circumstances, bad decisions, my family, past relationships, etc. Because I think these things...I am. You know?

I've always known about the power of positive thinking. I've seen it in my mom my whole life. She has tried so hard to not let the tragedies of her life define who she is. She taught me this principle and I'm so impressed by her. Although she has yet to achive the greatness that I know she will one day attain...she gets it. I think it's time I start choosing to believe in this so called law of attraction. Positive thinking, yo. It's a big deal.

I like it. I'm gonna get the video. Good stuff...

Brewing...

I'm thinking about something. It's somewhere back there, in the back of my brain...working it's way to the front...slowly.

I want to support causes. Autism. AIDS Awareness. Breast Cancer. Missionaries. Women. Kids. Homeless. Mexico. Africa. India! Every day I learn about a new organization offering an opportunity to better this world and I do so little. I do so little because I of course feel like I don't have enough to give. Money, that is.

Is there a way for me to earn additional money to be used specifically for charitable causes? What do I enjoy and how can I make money? I'm loving photography at the moment. Being artistic through photography is an amazing outlet. What if I started a (one-man) non-profit offering ameture photography sessions for whatever price and all of that money went to my charity of choice? I saw a cool idea on-line yesterday for offering a service to realtors to take pictures of their list homes for them. I don't know...I'll have to research a bit. I would love to be able to give $500 every month to causes. Or just to have a growing nest egg so that when something big comes up we have the resources to give. Sounds fun!

New York, New York

Ah....New York. Kevin and I took our first No Baby Trip and it was to the Big Apple. We had such a blast. Kevin planned this trip to see the Millrose Games with his college track coach and mentor, Russell Smelley. We decided to make the trip a weekend event and are so glad that we did. The night that they were at the track meet I got to see A Chorus Line. It was wonderful. When I was in elementary school we had cable for about a month and I watched the movie about 25 times on cable. I also watched Zanadu at least as many times! It was so exciting to see it on Broadway. The next night Kevin and I saw a new play called the Drowsy Chaperone. The tagline for this play is "the funniest musical on Broadway" and that is NOT an understatement. It was laugh-till-you-cry funny. I was pointing, wheezing, and knee-slapping at more than one point in the play. Soooo funny. I had never heard of it but after seeing it I'm not at all surprised that it won 5 Tony's this year. Go see it! Besides the theater we did a lot of walking, shopping, eating, and hanging out. This picture is in the DUMBO area of Brooklyn after eating some amaing pizza. That's the Brooklyn Bridge behind us. It was cold and I was severly unfashionable in my big black $20 Foot Locker jacket but I was warm and that was a good deal. On our last night we stayed in the Murray Hill area of NYC in a super great little hotel called the Shelburne Murray Hill. Amazing hotel and we plan on returning if we can get the same amazing rate we got this time ($109!). I'm so looking foward to our next visit to NYC and I'm also planning a girls trip for sometime next year. Yahooo!