2008 March archive at Filtering Life

Archive for March, 2008

Let the good times roll

Published by Kelly March 30th, 2008 in For Kicks and Giggles, Our Biz-Nas and Photoganza. 17 Comments

Well me and bed rest are trying to get along but I just can’t seem to keep my feet propped up long enough to constitute “bed rest”. Oh well, I have definitely chilled out much, much more than normal Kelly would be given the fact we had guests all weekend and a trade show.

Our esteemed guests were none other than my New Jersey Hooker….Ms. Chrissy and her “too cool 4 skool” boyfriend Jay. A.K.A.- OUR LIFE SAVERS!!!!

I am not even kidding when I say they worked their butts off for us all weekend.

Starting from night one they were out on the porch cleaning frames, painting easels and packing up their vehicle and ours with all our trade show crap. Can I mention that we met Jay for the first time on Friday and there he was giving his time and muscles for the fruits of our labor. Jay you are AWESOME! I told them I would give them MAAAAAAD props on my blog because I was blown away at their generosity. WE LOVE YOU GUYS AND COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!!!!!

Not to mention they played with Chloe and Charlotte like they were being paid. Mama thanks you!!! I hope all my fattening food paid for you being our Kellan Studios roadies all weekend.

Jay, I just have to tell you that when I uploaded a picture of you to our flickr you got a super fruity comment from some guy saying that your “inner light was captured.” Ryan is GOOOOOD if he was able to do that with the click of a button. If you want your inner light back…let us know and we will ship it to you in New Jersey.

We miss you guys already. Apples to Apples and Wii tournament next time you are in town.

Oh and thanks for the gift for Bennett. Even though it was meant to be a joke, it is still pretty darn cute.

On to some Chloe pictures….Chloe….Chloe….Chloe….Chloe…Chloe (this is meant to be chanted)

Okay, twist my arm.

I just have to show you how she looks in an ultra perky ponytail. Every time I put one in her hair Ryan and I get a little freaked out because we start to see glimpses of what she is going to look like as a teenager, especially if she has a hoodie and jeans on.

She is apparently mesmerized by something on the computer…the face is hilarious.

We would also like to introduce two new members of our family…her front teeth. We call them her hippo teeth due to the insane gap and how round they are. They absolutely crack me up. It is SOOOO hard to get her to show her teeth, but if you say the word “flower” instead of repeating the word like a normal child she makes this demonic sniffing face….I had to shoot the picture fast…thus blur….but you can clearly see our little hippo baby.

Showing us her belly button while sustaining eye contact with Baby Einstein.

For those of you who care…because frankly we really don’t….we still do own Charlotte. Poor, poor, poor Charlotte. She is so neglected. Here is a rare cameo appearance and only because Ryan asked me to take a picture of her. She gets love from 7:00-10:00 pm each night (after Chloe is in bed..sad but true)

And just in case you are writing a book about Chloe. Our favorite thing to hear her say is Elmo…but she calls him “Ellllbow”. Strong second is “Wow”. She just walks around saying over and over…”Wow…oh wow…wow…oh wow.” It is wicked cute.

We are also very proud of her quest for perfect oral hygiene. We don’t naturally have great teeth in our family so it is nice to see her taking the initiative. She is pretty obsessed with carrying a toothbrush around and rubbing it on her teeth trying to break through. Some give teething rings, we give our child a toothbrush.

She even takes her platform for clean teeth as far as caring for her stuffed animals. Her heart…it is just solid gold I tell ya!

In honor of the 2008 baseball season kicking off today…Chloe represented her favorite team loud and proud.

Go SOX!!!!!!

That is your weekend wrap up. I am sure your eyes are burning from all the photos. Exploiting my friends and family is what I do best!

Stubborn is my middle name

Published by Kelly March 27th, 2008 in Bennett Wade, Confessions and Kellyisms. 19 Comments

stub·born /ˈstʌbərn/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[stuhb-ern] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective
1. unreasonably obstinate; obstinately unmoving: a stubborn child.
2. fixed or set in purpose or opinion; resolute: a stubborn opponent of foreign aid.
3. obstinately maintained, as a course of action: a stubborn resistance.
4. difficult to manage or suppress: a stubborn horse; a stubborn pain.
5. hard, tough, or stiff, as stone or wood; difficult to shape or work.

OUCH…..I mean I like to think of it as having a “persevering attitude”, can do and will do. But unreasonably obstinate? Well maybe a tad.

So you all know I may have a teensy weensy habit of over-doing it, not taking it easy, okay… being flat out anal. I hear all the time, “Kelly relax, let others help, don’t do so much, don’t lift so much, the dishes can wait…..yaddah yaddah yaddah.” No comprende! Unless magical elves are coming in the middle of the night then I need to get crap done. That is what Ryan is going to put on my tomb stone because I apparently say it so much, “Ryan, did you get crap done?”

So yesterday two of my girlfriends asked if Chloe and I wanted to join them on a walk at Black Water Creek. Ummmm….70 degrees out and we have been in the house all day…yes please! So off we went. This is the kind of trail that is paved, flat and marked every quarter of a mile. Let’s just say I have been dealing with a lot of cramping this pregnancy, particularly in 2nd and 3rd trimester. Most of the time it turns out to be gosh awful diarrhea or just straight up gas….but sometimes it is just that really intense menstrual cramp feeling.

I realized quite quickly…like one quarter mile in that I was not doing good. Mayday, mayday, this ship is going down. Not wanting to be a total wuss because they might be giving out a trophy at the end of the trail for chubby, out of shape, pregnant women…I kept trucking on. Picking up Chloe’s sippy cup for the gazillionth time, chatting and laughing all the while trying to control my breathing. With each step the cramps got tighter and tighter and tighter until I was convinced that 10 monkeys were inside my belly jumping up and down on every possible organ. The kicker is once you get a mile in….YOU HAVE TO GO A MILE BACK OUT. So I casually say that a mile is all I could hack and we need to get back. I was feeling every bit almost 32, out of shape and hugely pregnant with each agonizing step. I had pit stains down to my ankles and felt like the biggest wuss ever. I look over at my glowing friend, Candace, who is 25 weeks pregnant and did a spinning class at 6:00am that same morning and is barely breaking a sweat. Beeotch! (she knows I am kidding) I think my new rule is to find friends who are more out of shape than myself so I don’t feel guilty.

Needless to say, I was a mess by the time I got home. I could hardly move, let alone walk or raise my solid 27lb child from the ground into my arms. My amazing husband was the evening wench getting everything ready so that I could lay as still as possible on the chaise sucking down glass after glass of water. To no avail, I cramped solidly until I went to bed at 11, each and every time I got up to pee I thought I was going to die on the way to the bathroom as the weight of Bennett slamming down into my pelvis once I got off the bed. Am I being dramatic enough? Seriously, it was a killer night. First thing in the morning I still could hardly move and the cramping was ever so present. Ryan made the executive decision to stay home with me to help with Chloe. By 9:00 I decided to call the doctor. I don’t want to over react and I don’t want to under react….so better safe than sorry.

Long story short….after a rather uncomfortable pelvic exam (could her fingers be any shorter? I think her whole hand was inside before she hit my cervix!) I am NOT dilated, I am NOT effaced. I am a little soft, but no biggie. There will be no Bennett on the menu tonight, thank goodness. He needs to stay put for at least 2 more weeks..AT LEAST! I just freakin OVER DID IT…I know, gasp…..MEEEEEEEEEEEE, over do it? Be….what’s that word?????? Oh stubborn…..yeah, okay, guilty! So I was put on bed-rest through the weekend which is sort of a joke because we have a trade show on Saturday. But I have Ryan home today and he called in for tomorrow and we have company all weekend so I have extra hands with Chloe and another male to set up with Ryan on Saturday morning……so there you have it.

Don’t feel too sorry for me I am sitting on our porch on a 70 degree BEAUTIFUL day watching my husband bend over and wash the car…NICE….with a bowl of brownie batter just inches away writing a blog post. Maybe I could get used to the bed rest thing. Now please don’t leave me comments with your tales of whoa of over doing it and having bad things happen during pregnancy, I don’t want to hear it. I also don’t need a lecture, I have my own mom thank you very much. My hand is slapped, I am “taking it easy” as they say and I am thanking my lucky stars for my wonderful husband.

Excuse me while I shovel another mouthful of batter into my out of shape body.

Easter tidings

Published by Kelly March 25th, 2008 in Chloe Grace. 17 Comments

Well everybody is doing it. Show what your kid wore for Easter. We are no exception although Chloe is getting increasingly difficult to shoot due to her perpetual motion. This is after a long morning at church so you get what you get.

Oh and in Bennett news. I was negligent to tell you that now I am only measuring two weeks ahead instead of a month….but….they have me scheduled for an ultrasound next Wednesday to check things out. I am really excited to see Bennett this far along, but I know that he may be nestled too far down to see his face, in which I will be forced to ground him for disobedience as soon as he is born. Mama holds a grudge…mama wants to see Bennett’s face, Bennett WILL cooperate.

Back to Chloe….

most of these show her making her favorite face…”the lips” or her new Olympic sport….Chair carrying or scaling. She is obsessed with chairs right now. For me and all my throw pillows, this is quite annoying.

Happy Easter!

Still have my head in the sand

Published by Kelly March 22nd, 2008 in Photoganza. 12 Comments

I wish I had time and energy to write you a witty tale of all going on this week…but alas, I can only leave you with some photos. The business is in full swing and thus is commanding our time and attention.

This is sweet Lydia Grace’s official shoot. Ryan took some photos while she was in the hospital…but hospital photos can only show so much scope. I love taking pictures at the one month mark, already the changes are monumental and the strength in the neck is amazing allowing for some humorous, alert shots.

Enjoy this sugar coated sweetie! It makes me so excited about photographing Bennett in just a few short weeks.

She looks like a little plastic doll in this shot

Tired. Busy.

Published by Kelly March 13th, 2008 in Our Biz-Nas and Photoganza. 26 Comments

Equals no blogging. Yeah, I am afraid this blog may gather a little dust over the next few weeks as we are under the gun with our business right now. Oh and we are having a baby in a few weeks…so you can only imagine my recently released analness starting to tighten again. You know I love loose ends about as much as heartburn….so the house projects that just need “finishing work” all our Kellan redesign (stay tuned for our new website…SOOOO much better) new pricing guide, another ad due, a trade show and a wedding shoot all in the next three weeks…….GAG. Here we go again.

Not to leave you totally high and dry and void of Kelly love…because your fidelity means the world to me. Through thick and thin…pinky swear…wait for me!

I just can’t say enough about all God is doing in our business and how this allows me the freedom to be home and to update our
wonderful home as well as pay down our debts….anyway…we booked a bride a few months ago for engagement photos and a May 17th wedding. Well lo and behold, she won “Bride of the Year” through another magazine/guide from our area. It is mostly a local guide with maybe a 100 mile distribution area…but still. This means our photos will be used throughout because her article is the main spread. HELLO MC FLY!!!! Free publicity…yes please! The only poopy part is her wedding is 2 days AFTER the magazine goes to print, so none of our wedding photos will be in it. But check out some of the engagement shots Ryan and I took this week.

****Be warned…lots of photos! I can never narrow it down, especially when it is a couple who is really natural in front of the camera.

I love her reddish/brown hair, it just gives all the photos that extra pop! Me and color….LOVE IT!!!!!