Such a great weekend!

Well we did it, everyone kept all our surprises quiet, and we pulled them all off!! That was a feat all in itself!
Not only was Saturday Greg's birthday, but it was Mema's as well. We not only surprised Daddy with a fun day on Saturday and dinner with friends, but we surprised Mema on Sunday as well. We met the family up in Mercer at Benjamin's and had a great lunch together! I'm sure once the boys get a little bigger, family dinners are going to get tricky, but for now, it's still pretty easy.
Here are a couple pictures from this past week. What a fun week it was!!
I couldn't choose which ones I liked the most so I just made a slideshow instead! Enjoy!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

Tomorrow(Saturday) is Greg's birthday and we can't wait...we've been planning little surprises all week just to show him how much he means to us!!
It's been quite the week here, both kids to the doctor, and Fionn's teeth are really bugging him this week. Maggie was referred to an Orthopedic specialist because of some odd foot pain she's been having for a long time now. Poor little Fionn had his four month check up this week, all you mom's know what that means...more shots. He was not a fan, but took them like a champ. No shots are ever easy, but I think they are a little easier when they don't look at you like "why are you letting them do this to me mommy??" I can't look, so I usually get face to face with my kids and look them in the eyes, Fionn wasn't having that though, and smacked me and pulled my hair, lol. Maggie never ever did that. He really is momma's little baby, and I'll never complain.
It was picture day today at Maggie's school, and since she wears a uniform, I just naturally dressed her in that, NO ONE from the school bothered to mention that they can wear what they want for picture day, grrrrrr! It's so trivial I know, but I just hate that the school forgets to tell new families about these things. This isn't the first thing that we were not told about, so now I'm just a little grumpy about it. Her school bus ended up being over 20 minutes late picking them up, so one of the other dad's(who we know pretty well) offered to run home and get their mini-van to take St. Philip's kids down before they were late. We ran back to the house and Maggie got changed into something cute and then rode down with Mr. Worrell to school. What a long and hectic morning, i tell ya! But now the weekend is here, and there are many plans afoot that I cannot mention so that they stay surprises, but it's going to be a great weekend!!!

**before i leave, I'm asking for prayer for good friends of ours here in the burgh. Maggie's best friend Grace's little sister(Hope) had surgery today on her left foot. She is only two months old and was born with one club foot. This is just the first of many(surgeries) for her, poor sweet girl. I'm posting a picture of her that I shot two weeks ago in her Baptism gown, so you have a face to go with the name. I'm asking for prayer for her, and the rest of the family, as they have already been through all of this with Grace, and it's so hard on all of them. Thank you all for being such prayer warriors for them, and everyone else you lift up on a daily basis.***

Just a Thought...

I thought that I should add one more thing to the blog tonight in regards to my work....
I was just going to reply to one person, but thought maybe I should just post this for all of you and get it out of the way. It seems like maybe people don't know, our real friends and family, I've never charged anyone we care about my "client" prices, as a matter of fact, lol, they've not even paid a fraction of what my clients pay. If you want pictures taken I would be honored to take them for you! I'm not going to post the information here on what I charge for those sessions, it would just be silly, people don't need to know how my business runs!
Just email me for the details!!!

Pictures from the fair!

**never try to write captions at 3am, lol***

Struggling...a little less

I don't write much about what I do, professionally, or how it impacts our life. Frames of Infinity was always a dream I had stored away in the back of my heart, I never thought it would become a reality. Photography was something I always just loved, so I piddled with it here and there. Before I had Maggie I had no idea what direction my life was headed in, and most times it was not going in a great direction so photography was just a hobby.
Once Maggie came along, I fell head over heels with photography. I was hired at Picture People, and basically learned what I had to on the job. I didn't really need to know that much about actual photography, as long as i knew how to work my equipment there, and could capture those great smiles I had a large following.
Then we moved, and I became a stay at home mom. Greg knew how much I missed working, and knew how much I loved being a photographer, so he helped make my dream a reality. It's been a tough two years, I've had to go back and actually "learn" my camera, I had to realize through mistakes that I was no longer a "studio" photographer and learn to use natural light to my advantage. We didn't have the money to throw down to just jump in and get me everything I needed, so we've put it together a piece at a time. We're still putting pieces together and I'm loving learning to use all my new pieces.
The last few months though have been tough, emotionally, as I've struggled with if this is what I'm supposed to be doing. This is a very personal business, and if people don't like what I do, then it's just me putting myself out there, and when no one calls, it hurts. There came a point in the last few weeks where I considered just taking down the website, and forgetting all about it. Greg and I talked about it, I prayed, and prayed, and then waited. I decided to give it just a little more time, and if nothing changed, then that would be the end of it. The only photography I would continue on with would be NILMDTS and OpLove, as these are the places I've felt the Lord taking me to. I only discussed this with two people and put it in God's hands. My heart was heavy and sad as I thought of giving up what I love...then something happened...In the last week, WEEK, everything has changed. I have so many people contacting me that I actually have a calendar filling up. I'm crying right now as I type this...God is good. It seems that I am supposed to continue on this path for now, and I could not be happier.
I just want to say thank you to all of you that support us, believe in us, both of us, because our life wouldn't be the same without you. Greg and I are so blessed, and yep, we know it's not easy...but it will be okay!! As long as we're all together and have your love, we can make it through anything!

I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry
Psalm 40: 1
And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall real, if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6.9

Rain and wind, what a weekend!!

Well last Thursday we were off to the fair! Whooo hooo! It was a long day as we waited for Greg to get home from class so we could head for home. As poor daddy tried to nap Maggie went in our room crying to him that she wasn't going to get to ride the ferris wheel since it was supposed to rain, and she was sooo upset that she was "missin tha faiiiirrrrrr" yep, that's what it sounded like as she cried it out. You would have thought we were not going at all, geesh. We did not get home Thursday night in time to head down, but we got up bright and early Friday to go, and guess what......RAIN!! grrrr
We had hoped beyond hope that it would hold off, just for a little while, there was not a cloud in the sky when we went to bed Thursday night, but no, the rain came, just as predicted...
So instead we packed up and took Mema to Erie with us to run some errands. We went to lunch at O'Charley's(which is YUMMY) by the way, and then had to find Maggie a raincoat and get a rain cover for our stroller. We accomplished both, and by evening when we got home, it had stopped. So off we went to the fair. Maggie did indeed get to ride the ferris wheel, it was the first thing she rode with pop-pop, and then continued on to ride all the rides she was allowed to ride(including the one that spins you upside down) Pop-pop took her on that one, and she is now a little traumatized(and proud of herself at the same time) I broke in my new rainboots, all though i have to say, i don't think aerie had the Albion fair in mind when they designed them...They def. held up and I got my money's worth, lol, but my boots look nothing like the ones they have in their ads!!
Sat. morning came and yep, you guessed it MORE RAIN!! Fionn, Greg and I went and watched the parade with the Bolte's, while Maggie RODE in the parade with Pop-pop with the church float. It was her first parade, and she said she loved throwing out the candy. It continued to rain most of the day, and we did spend about 3-4 hours in it at the fair before heading home to dry out a bit. We ran some errands and then went back later that night for one last loop around and an apple dumpling. Fionn and I got about a gallon of water dumped on us from an overhang of one of the booths, so that was the end of the fair for us! I had hoped to show Fionn so much more, but the rain put a damper on that. He seemed to like the animals, and the sheep seemed to like him right back. He had more fun playing with Mema, Pop-pop, Aunt Shell and Uncle Bill. He tried to get a better look at Mikey, but Mikey wasn't having it just yet.
Speaking of Mikey, he was dedicated at church yesterday and it was quite a site to see the whole family there with him. What an honor it was to be a part of his dedication to the Lord!! I got to hold him again too, which was GREAT!! He's like a little feather compared to Fionn(who was sleeping in daddy's arms) Mikey would open his eyes every once in while and peek at me and then just go right back to sleep!
After we left Mikey's party we headed to my Aunt She's! It was time for Maggie to celebrate her birthday with grandma and grandpa! This was the first my mom and dad got to see her in about a month and a half so they had lots of questions for her about school! It was nice to get to spend a little time with them. I know it's hard to coordinate time with everyone, and I really miss seeing my nieces and nephew!! Maggie loves being with them as well, so it's hard on her as well!
We didn't get too much time with them, as Maggie had to get up early for school today(which ended up having a two hour delay) and we started for home just as the wind kicked up. It was quite a crazy drive home, but daddy got us here in one piece. Poor Maggie was so scared, when we got home the electricity was fading in and out, and she told us that our lightbulbs were all running out of electric! She was afraid to be upstairs in her room by herself since we were downstairs watching the game, so she slept on the couch next to daddy! We all seem to be coming down with some kind of head cold(even Fionn) so if could say a prayer for us, we would appreciate it. You know it's not going to be a good week if EVERYONE in the family is sick. Poor Fionn had all kinds of boogies tonight and he had no idea what to do!
I'll post a couple pictures from the weekend tomorrow, i better get to sleep myself!!

For Leah

I have never shared this with anyone before, it was mine. When we had our miscarriage last year Greg got me this little guy to remind me to hang in there. There was more in store for us. We had hope for our future, now matter how bleak things seemed at the time. Life just didn't seem fair. My sister gave birth to her son the same day I was losing our little one that had just came to be. What a long summer it was for us last year, babies everywhere, and Kristy I won't lie, when you announced you were pregnant last summer I broke down and cried.(You know how happy I was for you, and you of all people know how hard it is when you want to be happy for someone and at the same time all you want is your baby) It just never seemed like we would get pregnant again, and I was starting to question what God had in store for us. Now Fionn is here, and he steals my heart everyday, but there is one corner that is already occupied. We never got to meet you sweet baby, but we still keep you close!
Leah, you sounded desolate tonight...remember you are never alone and God does have more in store for both of you! Be strong!
**For the rest of my faithful blog followers, Leah could use all the prayer we can give her right now. You can read more of her story on her blog An Unfinished Life

Sleep alludes me...

So I knew going into our life here in Pittsburgh that life would be tough for awhile. We were starting over, and had to scrape the bottom of the barrel before we could start climbing back up. Well we scraped that bottom, a few times. I had hoped that Fionn's stint in the N ICU was the last that our family would be super stressed out...We're all be tested again though, and could use some prayer. Nothing is wrong between Greg and I, our relationship is still as great as it has ever been. It's our life as a family that is being stretched thin and we love just being together so it's hard on all of us.
Greg decided to work third shift starting last week, and I know it's what he has to do for now while working on his doctorate, but that's going to take another three years! It's only been one week and we are stretched thin already. Sunday's are his only day off, but he works overnight on Saturday's so he's still going to need to sleep at some point. Poor Maggie barely sees daddy now that she's in school and doesn't get home until almost 2:45pm and Greg leaves for work around 6pm. She's already at school most mornings when he gets home. Even Saturday mornings she gets up and is out the door by 8:45am for gymnastics and dance, so she's on the go. Tonight she was pretty upset at bedtime and told me that she just "missed daddy"
I know how she feels...i don't know what it is, if it's where we live, or what the problem is, but I cannot sleep when Greg is gone at night. I will not take anything to help me sleep because I need to hear Fionn (or Maggie) if they wake up and even if i do doze off i have horrible dreams and never fall into a deep sleep. Ever since the night when those boys cut through our yard this spring late at night and banged on our house I've been scared of where our house is located. Our street itself is safe(same street we've lived on since we moved to the 'burgh)and we love our neighbors, but something just leaves me unsettled. I can be home alone all day long with the kids and never have an ounce of fear, but as soon as night falls, something in me changes. I have not one ounce of fear when Greg is here, and have never really had a serious fear before, so this is all new to me. All I know is that i cannot possibly survive for the next three years with the amount of sleep that I am getting. If I can string together FOUR hours I consider it a good night...So I'm asking for prayer. You are all amazing, and I know this seems so trivial compared to what others are facing, but no matter what I try to think about, or pray about, nothing eases these fears. My biggest fears is that something would happen while I was sleeping, and I wouldn't be able to protect Fionn and Maggie and keep them safe.
I know that most parents fear not being able to protect their children, i just don't think it's something that stays in the front of their mind almost daily. I am so tired, it's after 3am again tonight and this is still early for me. The kids will be up at the latest by 7, and I have to be up with them all day again. At this rate, I'm going to be a bear tomorrow.
If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them. Just being able to sleep would help make things a little easier, at least then I can enjoy what little time I do get with him!
Thanks

Gettin Ready for the fair!

We finally got around to playing with mommy's new lights and got Maggie's 5th birthday pictures done!! She looks so grown up, it's hard to believe she's 5 already! Our big girl is liking school and is having fun riding the bus back and forth!
Maggie insisted that Fionn get pictures taken too, but he wasn't so excited about that plan. Big sister picked out both their outfits, lol. She is SO excited for the fair next week, she bounces just talking about it!! Albion, here she comes! Enjoy!

A Beautiful Bride and the little dancing queen!

On Saturday Greg's cousin Courtney got married so we all got to dress up and go celebrate! Maggie went home with Mema and Pop-pop Friday night and drove down to Meadville with them. Greg, Fionn and I traveled north Sat. morning and ALMOST made it to the wedding. Stupid construction! We got there just in time to watch everyone come out of the church and we got to see Maggie hand out the bubbles. She was so excited to help! From there we went to Riverside for the reception and Maggie proceeded to entertain the whole wedding. As soon as dinner was over she was on the dance floor waiting for everyone else to start dancing. Let me just tell you that girl danced to every song that came on, some songs she was the only one dancing!! She had a great time dancing with Courtney and her bridesmaids, and she even (with help) caught the bouquet. It is now located on the shelf above her bed where she can see it at night when she goes to sleep.
Greg had to work 3rd shift, so we headed back home a little early, and Maggie was still dancing when we left! Maggie stayed a little while longer with Pop-pop and then headed back to Mema and Pop-pop's!
Here are some of the highlights of the wedding:

Courtney and Joe...their first dance!maggie handing out bubbles!

Mema showing Gramma Sally how to make Fionn smile!

Aunt Lisa with Fionn at the RiversideMaggie with Little Gramma and Lizdancing with Courtney and Megan...this is where you could find Maggie most of the night!