Living Beyond the Monkey Suit

Sure enough...we moved on from the Monkey suit...it is true! Jamie picked these out at Target the other day and has been wearing them non-stop. We were at Sip and Kranz the other day and he had to take them off to play in the area...we had about 5 kids come up and try to take the little froggies. They are in high demand, I tell ya. At least he is more in the norm now, seeing how, not every kid is wearing a monkey suit with a banana attached:)
Just when we thought we had gotten into the norm....here we go again! Today is Power Ranger Day. And there is a persona and attitude that goes with this get-up. He is deep into character with this one. (P.S. why do the colors suck so bad on my blog...these are so dull:( With Power Ranger costumes and powers, you are also subject to wedgies!
He calls this "Blue Power" and he sprays it at you.
Power Rangers can still get hurt though, don't you know. O.K. he really isn't hurt here...he is crying because he fell and got his suit dirty (before you all get made at me for taking the picture before caring for him:)
The perfect Ranger bubble. I love today.

I don't necessarily remember the very first time that my Dad let me drive a car as a kid....but watching each of my kids sit on their Dad's lap as they drove up and down the culdesac with HUGE smiles on their faces struck a memory cord. All of the sudden, the smell of summer, my Dad's aftershave, and a new car smell came rushing into my memory slate. The picture wasn't quite complete, but it was a fun memory nonetheless. It was so fun to watch each one take their turn. Tré clearly has the upper hand with video game experience and age, and Jalena and Jamie are in a close race for the worst drivers ever!

No Fear!

Jake came out retirement this year to play in the IBL. He has played in this league in the past but has taken a break for a few years. Well, he is in shape again and rockin' it on the court. He now has a place to exert his energy and get out his frustrations instead of city league. The kids are having a blast going to his games....getting their faces painted, cheering, and best of all, getting autographs. I think they have each players autograph 10 times over. Last week they went to a camp held by the YMCA and Tré played B-ball, and Jalena learned a routine with the cheerleaders. I asked her if she got nervous at all, and she looked at me like I was crazy. The girl has no fear and she was great at the halftime show.



Check out her skills. They taught the 3 girls that showed up this routine in about an hour. The girls were on cloud 9 hanging out with the dancers and they were a great influence. Go Volcanoes! I know this is small but you get the idea. She is the one in the pink tank top, gre skirt in the front. Braided pig-tails.

Artists=Inspiration!

A couple weeks ago, Shannon and I went to visit Amy at the recording studio and I can't tell you how jazzed I was when I left there. My Grandma had just passed...then Willie...Dad in the hospital...needless to say I was a blubbering mess after seeing Amy. She always brings out the emotional side of things (in a good way). We had an absolute blast with her and her new band members...Brandon and Walker (I will put up some links when I get them). They are all amazing together and they are DANG funny. There is something about hanging out with artists of all types that I feed off of. I am throwing a guess out there that it is all the passion that they have and doing something in their life that they LOVE. Here are some of the emotions that I wrote down after hearing one of Amy's new songs....It's just brainstorming, but they are strong words. thanks Amy!
Passion, talent, proud, live, living, emotions, "pull me out". "I see you for all you are." Intensity, new, forever, relationship, friendship, Pounding heart, strength, power. I feel. I love. I am! These are the kind of words that only can be sparked when you are living in the moment and you take a moment to FEEL.
Here is our rendition of Jesh's picture of Amy on her website. (www.amyseeley.com)
Then in the same week, I worked on a project with Keegan Smith and I had the most hysterical night with him and his crew as well. He will be having a CD release in May that you're not going to want to miss(check out his myspace for details). These are a couple of the outtakes of the midnight shoot. I shot Keegan and his beautiful wife Angie a long time ago and she is expecting now!
This is the treat that you get for running into a talented musician at Starbucks. My kids think that I know rockstars....I tell them that they are right:)

Boys Turn

I know I just wrote to Jalena the other day, and it just so happens that I recently got video footage the other day that inspired me to write a note about the boys and their Dad as well. My Dad comes from an generation and a career that didn't leave a lot of time to sit and play with us kids...not to mention there was 7 of us!!!! We understood my Dad and savored every moment that we did get with him. Jake is a new generation Dad! I am not saying he is better than my Dad, he is just different. The videos below are a prime example of what he does with the kids everyday on some level. Thank you Jake, for being so hands on and for making parenting fun and fantastic! Jamison and Tré, I know that when you read this and see the videos, you will have memories of your Dad as probably being nothing less then your hero. I also know that you already feel and know how much he loves you and how proud he is of all of you. You both have your Dad's giving spirit and amazing personality and I hope you learn how to be a great Dad from him. I love you both! Love, Mom

The video above is one of my favorite catches of video ever. I am pretty sure that Jake holds the record for getting stuck in the most children's tunnels and apparatuses in the NW. 6'7" 2 hundo-something doesn't mix well with small spaces and playgrounds.

Monkey-Man

The difference between the first child and the third child is that I let Jamie wear a monkey suit for a week straight no matter where we went and Tré was only allowed to wear it on Halloween. He seriously has worn this thing day and night for about 5 days and I am not sure if we are ever going to get it off of him. When he takes on a character, he really gets into the role! You know what I find amazing....walking through Fred Meyer, the bank, and all the other public places....watching peoples reactions, or should I say lack there of. I mean, has our society become so numb and fast pace that we don't even react to the cutest kid in a MONKEY suit walking by them! He put a little smirk on some people's faces, and others stopped us to say how cute he was, but for the most part people just didn't react. Maybe we should try out his new boots frog boots with nothing else:)

More Twins!

Can I just say that I love this client! When my Grandma passed away and I had to go up to Alaska immediately, it would have been handy to have an assistant keeping things straight and calling any clients that I may have on the books. Especially a mother of twins that went to have her hair and make-up done at Dosha, drove all the way up to my house from deep Portland, only to find out that I was out of town. I felt so horrible and I was so nervous to do this shoot. Not only did I start things off on the wrong foot, but they were 8 month old twins...that is stress in itself. Well, needless to say, things went off without a hitch and I am blessed to know this gorgeous family. The twins stole my heart within minutes and here is a note that their Mom gave me that warms my heart...
"It was great meeting you, too. We truly had a blast at the photo shoot. You were completely right on with what you said at the beginning--that everyone has dreadful memories of childhood portrait sessions, but that you aim to make it a more positive, laid back, and natural experience. Well, you delivered! I was feeling really stressed out driving up to the studio with being late and nothing having gone to plan up to that point. Within 15 minutes of getting started with the shoot, I forgot my troubles and just enjoyed the spirit of watching my little cuties hamming it up for the camera." You know I have to keep it real here, so here are a couple of those not so perfect, perfect shots.

You should see this Mom with her babies. She is so soft spoken, patient and so in love. Her is a tender moment when her little girl was crying and you can just see it tear at her heart.
I can't tell you how many times hearts (in some form) show up in my pics. I love this one.
The last time in our life when cheese is a good thing:)