I did it! I have blogged every day in November…and I have posted one or more photos every day except yesterday. I believe that I will continue to blog every day. I really love to blog, and it has become a part of my routine every evening after the kids have gone to bed.

Today was my first day back to work. Everything went pretty well. It was fun to see and interact with the students, and it was nice to have adult conversations with other adults, too!

I missed Jolie! I could not wait to pick her up and just hold her. This morning, she was all smiles when she left for daycare (Dave’s sister is watching her)! She is such a happy baby!

I decided to weigh myself this morning on my first day back to work. I have not tried at all to lose the pregnancy weight. I think I will lose weight easily now that I am working again. I am just on-the-run more. I am exactly 10 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. I gained a total of 38 pounds this past time, so 28 pounds have come off without too much effort. The weight loss is just not my top priority. I want to start exercising again soon to be healthy. I am much more concerned about getting in better shape.

I am ticked that I cannot get on Facebook tonight. Just Facebook is being blocked by my piece of crap computer! We have another virus on here at the moment, and I believe it will be hours before we can remove it. This happens on a regular basis. Facebook is my one connection to the outside world in the evenings after my kids have gone to bed. I catch up with friends while editing photos or doing school work. I guess I will go to bed early tonight. I now get up at 5:00 a.m. each day! I hate mornings!

Today I am actually excited about the first snowfall. I have decided to take some creative photos of my kids while it is snowing and then send out a New Year’s card and letter. For the first year, I just feel so bored with coming up with a Christmas card. I have too many ideas, I guess, so I have just decided to do something totally different for once. We’ll see how this goes over. People will probably think that I’m a slacker! I still have plenty of time to send out a Christmas card, but call me a rebel. I’m waiting for the New Year!

This is what I am looking forward to for once! Snow! Here is Reilly last year…trying to blow bubbles. This year, we will have lots of winter fun! The girls are really excited for snow, too!

This is a topic I am sure everybody holds an opinion about–and most likely a very strong opinion–myself included. As a teacher who has had 3 babies in the past 5 years, I have been able to stay home with my children for a total of 2 out of the past 5 years between my3 maternity leaves and summer vacations. All 3 of my babies either began my summer vacation early (April baby)…or extended it (July and September babies). Reilly and Addie were back-to-back babies. One year I did not begin the school year, and the next year, I did not finish the school year. Such is the luck with babies who are only about a year and a half apart!

After I had Reilly, I had a friend say to me, “You’re going to go back to work after having your baby?” When I told her that I was indeed going back to work (after 5 months of leave…), she gave me a really hard time about it. Somewhere in the conversation I said something about making $, and she became really peeved with me and said, “So you’re choosing $ over your child!”

That comment has always irked me. Of course, it is also coming from somebody who has never had children in her life. I am not choosing $ over them; I am choosing to make $ for them–and our lives together. I personally believe that working as a teacher is a nice compromise between being a full time professional in another career and being a full time stay-at-home mom.

Each year, I have the whole summer to be with my kids. I do not think anybody can say that I do not spend enough time with my kids. That is all I do when I am not working. In the summer, I take my kids to many different places. We also spend our days playing and learning. Being an educator has provided me with many skills and tools to teach my own children.

Tomorrow I go back to work after having had another 6 months off. My time spent at home has been wonderful! There have been some stressful moments. I do believe I have a pretty good idea of what it would be like to be a full time stay-at-home mom. I have had many people–co-workers, family members, and friends make several comments to me recently about how they can totally see me being a SAHM. I take those comments as compliments.

I am not a super structured person. I have learned a lot about being a SAHM this past time around. If I did it full time, I would have to get much more structured. This time around, though, we did seem to fall into a routine, which was nice. Still need to work on my cooking skills!

Even though I go back to work tomorrow (my maternity leave has been unpaid), I feel blessed that I am able to work and still spend so much time with my children. I see my kids every day by 3:00. They go to bed around 8:00, so we have around 5 hours a day to be with them during the work week. I know many working moms who do not even get home until around 6:00 every night, leaving them with only a couple of hours a day during the week to be with their kids.

I also spend all weekend with them. I am not off doing my own thing during the weekend. Once in a while, I may have a photo session, but we are not leaving our kids with other people at all on the weekends. We rarely go out. I want to be with my kids as much as possible on the weekends. I think this year teachers have to report for 171.5 total work days…out of 365 days of the year.

I make a decent salary after 13 years in the profession for only working 9 months out of the year. In a few more years, both Dave and I will max out on the teacher pay scale, which, in our school, maxes out at somewhere between $60,000 and $65,000.

The best benefit of all, though, has been the health insurance. We have awesome health insurance. In today’s scary world with all of the health scares and the outrageous medical fees, I am very thankful for our health insurance. It may not always be this great, but so far, so good!

If I finish out my teaching career (I have 18 years credit for working after this year; I bought 5 years), I will be able to collect a full retirement pension at age 50 (if I quit, I will not get any retirement $ until I am 60) for the rest of my life. That will be $30,000 a year…forever…after 25 years of service. Most people I know do not retire until they are between 60-65 years of age.

If Dave becomes an administrator in the near future, then I would seriously consider quitting my teaching job and being a SAHM since he would make a lot more $, and we would be saving a lot of $ in daycare costs. However, I would pursue photography on a more regular (but still part time) basis. That would be the ideal life to me.

People like to say that $ doesn’t matter, but it does. I do not consider myself to be a materialistic person, but I do realize that being able to afford things in life makes life easier. I value being able to have my kids in lots of activities: dance, gymnastics, soccer, basketball, art classes, etc. I also think that people need to plan ahead in life: for their children and for themselves.

It is a good feeling as a female to know that I can completely support myself in life. Being a mom is my favorite role in life, but I have other roles I play, too.

If I had to work full time, all year round, until 5:00 or 6:00 every night, I would seriously consider quitting my career. However, teaching is much more flexible for raising a family.

I never really thought about being a SAHM until the past year or so. I really think being on Two Peas and meeting so many SAHMs who also do photography part time has shown me that it might be possible to stay home and still pursue a career part time.

This maternity leave has shown me that I could be a stay-at-home mom. Getting things done was definitely a challenge, but I grew used to our (loose) daily routine, play dates, games we played, and our time spent just relaxing. It has not been the most productive time of my life…

I do not think people could say that one way or the other way (or any way) is the better way. Different family situations call for different approaches…and people are all different. What works best for one family/woman would not work best for another. I personally love hearing about different people’s lives and the roles that they play. I accept when others do it differently than me.

In the end, I feel lucky to be able to work and be with my kids a lot. I am a little bit excited to go back to work tomorrow, but I will miss my baby and Addie, too! That is why every minute after 3:00 each day is so valuable to me…and all of the minutes on the weekends, too!

So…are you a SAHM…or a working mom…or both? Do you feel that women should not pursue a career during the years they are raising their children? Is that selfish? Like anything else, I believe there are both advantages and disadvantages to being a full time stay-at-home mom and a working mom.

What do YOU think?

***Also, my children have been watched by family members while we have worked…except for last year. A fellow teacher’s wife watched my kids, and she was WONDERFUL! My kids are social and love being around other kids because of their daycare situations.

Each year, I take photos of the girls for the Christmas card. It is actually a stressful event. I have taken photos for this year, but I feel that they are just so *posed*. I am considering sending out a unique New Year’s card and letter at the start of 2010 instead of the annual Christmas card.

The main reason? I feel bored with the same-old, same-old. I would also like some snow photos of my girls, and we have not had any snow yet.

Why do what everybody else is doing?

Here are some photos from the past couple of years of Reilly and Addie. Last year, we went downtown GR. I really loved these photos. I made a simple 10 X 20 storyboard, and it is on our mantle now.

Here is just one photo from the previous year. They look so little to me! I loved these little outfits from Gymboree! They have always been best friends!

Still thinking about what to do with photos and the card for this year…or for the start of 2010. I would love to wait until all cards are received…then send ours with updates of the girls.

I am longing for something new!

It is hard to believe that there was a time we did not have children. What the heck did we used to do before we had kids? We had a little bit of fun!  I cannot imagine life any different than the way it is right now…with my 3 children.

I have been doing a lot of cleaning and organizing while on maternity leave. I am trying to get this house super clean in time for Christmas. I have also been going through lots of photos. Below are a few photos I have found of Dave and me pre-kids! My, how life has changed!

Excuse the quality of these scanned images. This was before we went digital. I am just posting them for fun. I know I have many more, but I do not know where they all are right now.

This first one was taken by my friend Lara at the bowling alley. Back when we used to actually go out with other couples. Now we stay home and change diapers. Ha, ha! Notice the beer bottle…and whose side of the table it is on…I am definitely the innocent one!

Holy flash!

This next one was taken in the week before we were married. That’s why we were both tan. I don’t think we’ve been tan since. We were at some friends’ house, just hanging out. Keep scrolling down, and you tell me…who is the more mature one??? Wow, we look well rested!

These were our kids before we had kids (below)! The big one on the right died last summer of kidney failure at the age of 7. He was our favorite cat! We still have Crazy Maisy, though (on the left)!

Life has definitely changed! Tonight when I showed Reilly and Addie these photos, the only thing Addie had to say about Dave was: “He has hair.” Ha, ha! They love seeing old photos!

See, we used to be fun!

for many things. My children are at the top of the list. Six years ago today, I woke up, took a pregnancy test, and found out I was pregnant with Reilly. This was the fourth round of fertility treatments we had undergone. The first round had ended in a failed pregnancy 6 months prior.

Thus, Thanksgiving is an extra special day for us! We were so thankful and apprehensive at the same time! Now our little miracle baby is 5 years old! So hard to believe…but so fun at the same time!

My life in 2009 was filled with challenges, but I am thankful for those challenges because they have made me grow as a person. They have made me think long and hard about my life, and I feel that I will soon consider making a major change in my life that I believe, in the end, will be for the best. I still have lots of thinking to do before I make this big decision, but it is in the making.

I am thankful for my sweet Reilly, my fiery Addie, and my cuddly Jolie. Motherhood is my biggest role in life, and every day I realize that nothing else in my life is more important.

I am thankful for books and learning, although I do not believe that education is a means to an end, but an on-going life process. Reading brings great joy to our lives every day.

I am thankful for a husband who did everything, and I do mean everything, when I was violently ill last winter for over 2 months and had my head in the toilet 24/7 and IVs in my arms 10 hours a day. It was hell on me physically and emotionally…and on our family.

I am thankful for the arts, specifically photography and music. Reilly and Addie love to dance (on my bed) to a bunch of our favorite songs. They love music! I am thankful for all I have learned about photography. It is my passion in life beyond my family. I am thankful for my DSLR and Photoshop. Both allow me to be creative and move beyond the *routine* of my work life.

I am thankful for the clients I have had in 2009. I am thankful that most of them were repeat clients, some for 3 or 4 years now. I love seeing their families grow! I love photography!

I am thankful to have a career/job that pays a decent amount of money for only working 9 months out of the year, especially in these tough economic times. My job allows me to have a balance in my life as a mother and makes it possible for me to do lots of things with my girls I would otherwise not be able to do with them, and for them, if I did not work. I am thankful for my girls’ activities: dance, gymnastics, soccer, basketball, and art classes. Again, I am thankful I can afford to give them these experiences.

I am thankful for the other important people in my children’s lives: their grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, teachers, friends, and daycare providers. I am happy my children have been exposed to so many different people and experiences.

I am thankful for the events in my life that have made me strong and independent. Not all of them have been pleasant, but I believe that everything happens for a reason.

I am thankful for my friends, especially Kristen and Kristin…and the new friends I have made in the past year through my kids’ activities. I feel like I have some very wonderful female friends I can relate to and talk to about so many different things at this point. This is the first year I have felt like I have really connected with other moms! I have also loved the play dates!

I am thankful for my Internet friends, especially those I have chatted with a lot in the past year or two–friends from Two Peas and other photographer friends. They have provided me with adult interaction in the evenings (sometimes late into the evenings…) after spending most of my time with my kids or students. It is my only connection to the outside world on some days!

I am thankful for my high school students. They make me laugh every day. I love teenagers, and I have learned so, so much from them in the past 12 years. They have helped me grow, too.

I am thankful for some of the more fun things in life: Qdoba (mmm…), sushi, an occasional glass (or two) of Cabernet (the only “drink” I will drink), and mustard (seriously!). And Texas!

I am thankful for sports that provide a balance with the arts. I am thankful my children have and will continue to have many opportunities to play different sports and thus learn important life skills while (hopefully) having fun!

I am thankful for the inspiration that abounds in this world. For me, that means awesome photographers and designers. I love to be inspired and creative. I am also inspired by friends who set positive examples for others and by people who give selflessly.

I am thankful for another year spent with family at Thanksgiving. I am thankful for the health and happiness of my family. I am thankful for every minute spent with the most important people in my life. I am thankful for the many new friendships I have made in 2009.

It was a challenging year. The best event for us was the birth of Jolie. I debated for a long time whether or not to try for Baby #3. It is truly one of the best things I have ever done in my life! She is only 2.5 months old, but having her here right now at this point in my life has made me grow so much as a mom and a person. She has had a huge impact on my life…and helped change my outlook and goals in life.

I have been headed in a new direction since becoming a mom, but the birth of Jolie has really made everything much clearer for me. I now know what I want and need to do in life; now I just need to get there.

Here are Reilly and Addie at my parents’ house today. I caught them standing on Grandma and Grandpa’s bed (naughty, naughty…but such a great photo opportunity!) taking in the beautiful view: their house sits on a hill and overlooks a creek.

Reilly had on a huge, baggy dress!

Below are a couple of recent photos of Jolie (taken on Monday): Just quick snaps of my baby girl! She is the sweetest little baby! She loves to be held, and of course, I love to hold her!

Throughout the years, as I take photos of my own children, I am always striving to achieve ones that are *canvas-worthy*. I love canvases. In my home, which has 12-feet ceilings throughout it, I have a few 16 X 20 gallery wrapped canvases of my children displayed. I like the fewer, larger prints with the tall ceilings in our home. I am more into fewer, larger photos than many smaller photos.

Like many other photographers, I struggle to capture the best images of my own children. It is so much harder! The photos below are the ones I have as canvases in my home. The last one is the only one I have taken in the past 3+ years that I feel is canvas-worthy…I just do not want to pay to have it made into a canvas right now! I am not even averaging one canvas, per child, per year, but I keep striving!

This first one is my favorite photo I have ever taken of Addie in her life. She was 7 months old. I took it in our backyard in the late fall at the end of the day. I love her expression, and of course, I love her hat! I love the fact that this photo/canvas of Addie is one of the first things I see every morning when I wake up, since it is displayed on my bedroom wall. It makes me feel so happy to look at it!

This next one also hangs on my bedroom wall, on the opposite side of the room. This is one of my favorite photos of Reilly. She was just a couple of weeks shy from turning 3 years-old. She looks so much older to me in this photo than just *almost* 3. This was definitely not a posed photo; she just happened to turn and look at me one evening while we were on the beach. That evening on the beach with Reilly is one of my favorite memories of just being with her. I love being brought back to this moment every day when I wake up.

The next one (below) is also displayed as a canvas in our hallway on the way to the girls’ bedroom. I just love the moment. Two year-old Reilly had just woken up from a nap, so she was nice and sleepy and thus willing to cooperate for a photo with her baby sister!

It is hard to believe Addie was once upon a time such a little baby. She was almost 8 months old in this photo. They really do grow up so fast! They are sitting in a sled in our backyard. I think Jolie has more hair right now at 2 months old than Addie does in this photo!

Finally, at long last, I took a photo of Addie this past summer on the beach in South Haven (when I was very, VERY pregnant!) that I feel is canvas-worthy! This was a big moment for me since I had not been able to achieve a canvas-worthy photo of her since she was 7 months old! It will be a while before I order it, and I do not have any idea where I will display it in our home. I am just happy to finally have another photo of Addie that I love enough to turn into a canvas! My kids make me work so hard!

So there you have it: 4 photos in the 5 years I have been a mom that I have felt are canvas-worthy. I know I am very picky. For me, it is also the moment I want to preserve in time forever. The above moments are all special moments and memories I have of my daughters. There are stories behind them, and when I look at them, I am brought back to those moments in time.

I love these 4 photos! Of course, there are many other photos I love of my children that I have taken, but these are the ones I feel are worthy of being printed as canvases. I cannot wait to take that first one of Jolie that I feel is also canvas-worthy!

What a wonderful mix! Every child is a blessing! It is neat as a photographer to watch the same families grow, year after year. This is the third year I have photographed this family!

I love photography!

The whole family:

And one more: I think this one is so cute!

I recently photographed a family with 5 kids: 3 boys and 2 girls. Below are the 3 boys. Lately I have been wondering what it is like to have a boy… I’ll never know. Life with 3 girls is fun, but I sure have fun when I can photograph some little boys, too!

Here are 3 very handsome little guys!

Check out this little attitude! Far from a perfect photo technically…but it shows the real Addie! This was her *mood* that day. Out of the blue, she asked to wear one of her pettiskirts, and she wore it for a couple of days straight. She also insisted on wearing her boots. I am surprised they still fit her! I bought these boots for her almost a couple of years ago!

This was how she was dressed when we went to the mall that day. She attracted a lot of attention! Many people complimented her on her skirt. One lady said, “I like your tutu!” and Addie replied, “It’s not a tutu!” Total attitude on this day!

Of course, I am not prepared at all, but I still cannot wait! I love the season of giving and spending special, quality time with family! This year, I believe my two older children are old enough to really start understanding the deeper meaning of Christmas. I am excited about that!

I have never wanted my kids to be spoiled during the holidays or on their birthdays. I have seen too many people make these events all about material objects–and go completely overboard. Last year, we did not spend very much much money on Reilly and Addie at all. We did buy them some fun toys, and they shared all of them since they are both girls, and they are only about 20 months apart in age–nothing too expensive, though, and then we put $300 into each of their accounts (one of their accounts for the future…).

This year, I want to make it really special for them…and I do not mean by going crazy on spending. I just want to start some new traditions and thoroughly enjoy the holiday season with them. Last year, we baked cookies prior to Christmas with some of their cousins. Perhaps we can make a tradition out of that. I would also like to put more effort into decorating our house for the occasion.

I want to include Reilly and Addie in all that we do around here. I think I will start my shopping the weekend after I return to work. I think it will be fun to shop for some new Christmas ornaments and decorations with my two older girls…and to have them help me pick out presents for their cousins and baby sister! I also want to teach them about giving to others.

I love how my kids get excited about Santa Claus! It is so fun, and it just feels so magical to me! I just want our time together as a family to feel magical each year. Reilly loved setting out cookies and milk for Santa last year…and carrots for the reindeer. She still talks about it… Early Christmas morning, she woke us up, totally excited, saying, “Santa came! Santa came!”

Hopefully we can get some major cleaning done in the next week (wish me luck–Jolie takes up most of my time these days!) and then put up the tree right after Thankgsgiving.

Here are just a few photos from last Christmas…all taken on Christmas Day at my mom and dad’s house. I felt a little bit creative that day…and just so relaxed to spend time with family. I used my 50 mm 1.4 lens which is pretty good in low light situations. I hate using a flash. I never use a flash! I love the feel/mood of these. They bring back so many pleasant memories for me.

My parents’ Christmas tree: Which do you prefer…the clear or the colored lights? Dave prefers the colored ones, and I prefer the clear ones. We had colored ones at home last year (I have to give in sometimes!), but my mom had the clear ones at her house. The clear lights just feel so simple and classy to me. Thanks to Bobbi from Two Peas for teaching us how to take cool photos of our Christmas tree lights last year!

Here is my mom’s table she prepared for us last Christmas: She is really into entertaining and decorating! I wish I was half this good as her in this area! She goes all out!

Reilly–jumping on Grandma and Grandpa’s bed! Yes, I encouraged it…all for a photo opportunity! I always take advantage of getting a silhouette when I can, too! Winter looks so nice…from this perspective.

I love the mood of the one below. It is Reilly sitting on her Daddy’s lap with the glow of the Christmas lights warming up the whole scene. A special Daddy/Daughter moment: And yes…they are blurred on purpose. Like I said, I felt like being a little more creative last year while recording our memories. This year, I hope to do the same.

Reilly and my sister’s kids: Clara and Kyle. My mom had them engaged in a baking project that included pretzels, chocolate, and pecans! I loved the warm light from the fireplace and candles!

One of my favorite moments from the evening: Reilly, my mom, Tracey, Clara, and Kyle.

This year, we are celebrating Christmas at my sister’s house. I am hoping to capture many more special memories of our family. The kids cannot wait! I cannot wait! So much to do…