Along for the Ride

One Week Old

2012-01-31T12:39:00.000-08:00

Baby Dexter is already one week old and growing very fast! We went to the doctor yesterday and he is very healthy and has already gained some weight. He now weighs 7 lbs 13 oz. We decided we better take a few newborn photos because he's not going to be a newborn much longer. Here are a few of the photos we took yesterday.

We are all doing great. The most common question we've been getting is what does Piper think of her little brother. Piper doesn't want much to do with Dexter but she does like to run in and check on him when he cries.

Dexter Paul

2012-01-27T12:11:00.000-08:00

He's here! Dexter was born Tuesday evening. I'm not much of a writer so instead of giving you a whole long birth story I'll give you a quick timeline of our day on Tuesday.

10:00am I went into the doctor and had my membranes stripped.

12:15pm Had my first real contraction but didn't think much of it.

1:30pm My contractions started getting consistent but stayed about 10 min apart all afternoon.

5:30pm My contractions were very painful but 7 min apart so I called the hospital to see when we should head in. They told me to wait until they were 4 to 5 min apart.

7:15pm My contractions were still 5 to 6 min apart but I was in a lot of pain so I told Josh and Piper it was time to go in.

7:30pm We dropped Piper off at my aunts house.

7:45pm We arrived a the emergency room and my contractions were now 3 min apart.

7:50pm My water broke in the elevator on the way to the labor and delivery unit.

7:57pm Dexter arrived into the world after two pushes.

Believe me it was quite the experience. Dexter came out just in time for the doctor to run into the room and catch him. He weighed 7 lbs 11 oz and was 20 3/4 inches long. We are both home and doing well and Piper's adjusting to being a big sister. Here are a few photos from our stay in the hospital.

40 Weeks

2012-01-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

I made it to my due date. The little guy can come any time now, we're all waiting!

Recent Reads

2012-01-20T09:14:00.000-08:00

The Crazy Life

2012-01-18T11:28:00.000-08:00

I realized to day the only thing that has been keeping some what sane in these last few weeks of pregnancy is having a sense of humor.

Yesterday morning around 4 am Josh and I woke up to one of the last sounds any parent wants to hear. Piper had gotten sick and after 3bedding and pajama changes we decided that we better just sit up with her.

The poorlittle thing had no idea what was going on. I sat up and watched Bob Ross with her on PBS and she kept turning around to smile at me. By noon she was right back to her normal self but Josh and I were exhausted. We took turns taking naps the rest of the day. Amazingly during the whole ordeal not one of us shed a tear, but there were a few giggles.

This morning we had another good laugh. Josh has started giving Piper baths in the mornings. Today while filling up the tub Piper snuck in behind him and climbed into the tub in her pajamas. He had to call me down stairs to see what she had done.

Some days you just have to sit back and laugh because if you don't you'll just go crazy.

39 Weeks

2012-01-16T20:16:00.000-08:00

39 weeks down and one more to go. As you can imagine I'm so ready to be done. I just have to keep reminding myself the longer he stays in the healthier he will be when he comes out. He's been a tricky one. There have been 3 times now where I have had consistent painful contractions for more than 3 hours and then out of no where they just stop. He's like the little boy who played wolf. I'm so afraid that I'm going to be in actual labor and not know it.

At least I know no matter what we will have a new little baby with in the next 2 weeks. I'll keep you all posted on any new developments;)

38 Weeks

2012-01-09T19:44:00.000-08:00

I thought today was for sure going to be the big day but baby boy and my body had other plans. As of Thursday I was dilated to 2 centimeters and the baby had completely dropped. The past 2 days I have been having constant braxton hicks contractions and last night I thought they were switching over to the real thing. I woke up today feeling great, and I've only had a few contractions. I guess I shouldn't be to upset since my due date is 2 weeks away but man am I ready to meet the little guy!

63 Degrees On January 5

2012-01-05T20:21:00.000-08:00

We had to take full advantage of the warm temps today. Piper and Josh took a bike ride to her favorite park. When Piper got home she was excited to play with her yellow hammer, broom, and her little bike.

Can some one explain to me how a yellow hammer can make a little girl so happy.

Piper the Big Girl

2012-01-04T20:25:00.000-08:00

We had Piper's big weigh in today. Since she only gained 2oz between her 15 month appointment and 18 month appointment our doctor wanted us to bring her in when she turned 21 months to make sure she wasn't losing weight. We are proud to say she gained a whole two pounds and weighed in at 21.3 pounds today. She finally past the 20 pound mark but still at the very bottom of the growth chart.

The other big news of the day is Piper took a nap today with out her nuk! Josh and the nurse at the doctors office made up a silly story about a rooster needing the nuk for his baby chicks. Piper fell for it and told us she wanted to "help them" because they are "cute". I was pretty proud of her so I let her have ice cream for her afternoon snack.

So far tonight after a few tears and lots of hugs she has managed to go to sleep without her nuk. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the night goes.

My little girl is growing up.

37 Weeks!

2012-01-03T19:44:00.001-08:00

That's right I've made it 37 weeks which means I'm full term! I could pretty much go any time.

I'm feeling huge and uncomfortable and I feel like the baby is about to fall out of me at any moment. Unfortunately I really haven't experienced any other signs of labor.

I have to say for the most part we are ready for the baby. His clothes are washed, our bag is packed, all the baby stuff is out of storage, all the important baby stuff has been purchased and the car seat is ready to be installed.

We also found a stroller that works with our car seat and has a jump seat for Piper. Piper thinks the new stroller is "Great!" and has already tested it out.(Please ignore the mess in the photo below. This is how Piper's play room looks and the end of every day.)

The only thing we're still trying to finish up is painting and organizing currently Pipers/soon to be baby boy's room. I know we would both feel a ton better if the room was ready before baby came home even though we plan on having him sleep in our room for the first couple of months.

It's hard to believe baby boy will be here in just a few short weeks!

31 photos from December

2011-12-31T22:07:00.000-08:00

I did it! I completed my goal of taking a photo everyday this month! I have now been going strong for 4 months! I have to admit many of theses photos have a bit of a snap shot quality to them. Many days I hiked up the ISOs and let the white balance do strange things just so I could get my shot in. This month I focused more on documenting memories then taking the perfect photo.

I also decided to let Piper be the star of the show this month and made sure she was in each photo. December was her last month as an only child so I felt I better make the month all about her.

Sorry, some of the photos are in a strange order, I was having uploading issues:/ Hope you enjoy my 31 photos from December 2011

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T19:53:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone is having a Happy and Safe New Years Eve. It's hard to believe that 2012 is just hours away.

We aren't doing much for New Years this year. Josh works at 3:00am, I'm 8 and a half months pregnant and Piper is 21 months old so we are having a very low key New Years. As a matter of fact I am the only one up and from the looks of it I will be ringing in the New Year by myself.

We did manage to have a little fun today though. Piper and I made 2012 crowns. Piper wanted pompoms on her's but I stuck to just jewels on mine. We also had a popcorn and pizza party tonight for dinner along with sparkling grape juice followed by a dance party in Piper's playroom.

I thought just for fun I'd do a side by side of last years and this years New Years. Piper's has really grown and I may have a few more wrinkles.

2011 was a very good year and I have so much to be thankful for. I'm so excited for 2012 and to welcome a new member of our little family!

Happy New Year!

Christmas Part 2

2011-12-30T20:34:00.000-08:00

We just wrapped up our second round of Christmas fun. Since I'm not able to travel this Christmas Josh's mom and dad made the trek out to Sioux Falls to visit us. It's always so nice to have family come visit. Piper also loves all the attention.

It's hard to believe the next time we see our family it will be to celebrate the birth of baby boy!!

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T21:22:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I can't believe it's already come and gone. I have to say that this was a unique Christmas. This was our first Christmas in Sioux Falls, it was a brown Christmas with the temp getting up to 50 degrees outside, we hosted Christmas because I'm so pregnant I'm no longer allowed to travel, and it was Piper's second Christmas and in many ways it was all about her.

Here are a few more highlights.

Piper spent time playing with each new toy as soon as she opened them.

Piper got a train set from Santa and I think it sent her into a moment of shock.

Josh got the only gift he asked for, a shirt with a picture of James (my sister's boyfriend) on it.

Piper played with with her train set a good chunk of Christmas day.

She also made time to play with a few other gifts.

James played his first ever game of cribbage.

Piper made everyone in the house come watch her play with her train set at some point during the day.

Today we were able to take a trip to Falls Park for lunch at the cafe.

It was so much fun to have family here for the holiday. It was also much fun to celebrate Christmas with a 21 month old. Many memories were made, and many new traditions were started.

Recent Reads

2011-12-21T18:56:00.000-08:00

35 Weeks

2011-12-20T19:27:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already been 5 weeks since the last time I posted a belly picture. If I let another five weeks slip by the baby may already be here.

I'm nearing the end folks. I've reached the point where finding a comfortable sleeping position has become impossible. Luckily this time around once I do manage to fall asleep I seem to stay asleep. This baby moves more than Piper did but he doesn't do the dolphin kick at 4am like Piper used to do, thanks goodness!

I still have lots to do to get ready for baby. I hope that within the next week I can wash baby boys clothes, pack my hospital bag, clean up baby's bassinet, and get baby's car seat out of storage and ready to go. With the holidays here we'll see if I'll be able to get any of those things done.

I'll try to keep you all posted on any baby news. Just 5 weeks to go!

Little Messes

2011-12-17T20:36:00.000-08:00

Josh had to work tonight so Piper and I were on our own for dinner. I threw together an easy meal for the two of us that only took around 15 minuets or so to cook. Piper was a good girl and was busy reading books while I cooked. I took a look at the living room after we were done eating and tried to wrap my head around how one little child can make such a big mess in such a short amount of time.

Seriously, what's the mess going to look like with two kids!?!?

In other news I am now 34 and a half weeks pregnant and feeling huge. It doesn't help that Piper has started calling me "Big Boy". Yep in her eyes I must look like a giant blob.

Oh well, only six more weeks to go!

Last Trip to Minnesota

2011-12-15T19:54:00.000-08:00

Josh, Piper and I just got back from our last trip to Minnesota until after the baby is born. We packed a lot in and I didn't take nearly enough photos but I thought I'd share some of the highlights.

Piper got to...

bake cookies with Gaga.
go to a party at her aunt Kathy's house.
play at the Edinborough Indoor Park.
celebrate Christmas with her cousins.
go to a very unique book store.

Josh and I tagged along and had lots of fun too.

We are happy we were able to squeeze in one last trip before I'm 36 weeks and not allowed to travel. We also managed to see a lot of family on this trip back. It's hard to believe the next time we cross the South Dakota/Minnesota boarder we will have two little ones in the back seat!

Monkey School

2011-12-06T21:26:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Piper and I made our second trip to the zoo this week so we could attend Monkey School. Both of us love the little toddler classes at the Zoo. The whole way there she kept yelling "Monkey School!!!"

While we were waiting for the other children to show up they had us do a fine motor skills activity involving a lump of play dough, one uncooked noodle of spaghetti and cheerios. This activity kept Piper's attention for some time and I'm going to make sure I put it in my bag of tricks.

She also made a monkey mask that she was very proud of.

They brought in a chinchilla for the children to pet and Piper was a little afraid of it. She just gave it a quick poke instead of a pet.

I have to laugh a bit because she gets super excited to pet snakes and lizards but when the animal is cute and cuddly she's gets scared.

Last but not least we went to visit the monkeys and lemurs in the monkey house. Piper loved when the zoo keeper let us know which one's were the moms and dads, and which ones were their babies.

Monkey school was a ton of fun and I can't wait until our next little class.

Recent Reads

2011-12-04T20:53:00.001-08:00

Breakfast With Santa

2011-12-03T20:34:00.001-08:00

We took Piper to the Zoo today for Breakfast With Santa. We all had a lot of fun. Piper was a little shy about sitting on Santa's lap but she stayed composed and was able to tell him she wants a tea set for Christmas.

There were lots of things to do at the zoo today. We ate breakfast, we got to pet lizards and snakes, we watched a puppet show, we visited the animals and Piper also made a Christmas Peacock.

Also a trip to the zoo wouldn't be complete with a ride on the carousal.

I am so impressed with the Zoo's children's programing. Piper and I are actually headed to monkey school at the zoo later this week and we can't wait:)

30 Photos from November

2011-12-01T07:46:00.001-08:00

I'm going to admit right off the bat that this was not my strongest month. I was sick for a good chunk of it and I've also been feeling really really pregnant. There were many days that I thought about not taking a photo but I managed to take one everyday. I knew it was better to take a bad photo than not take one at all and I am so glad I stuck with it! I even appear in a few photos this month. We made a few attempts at a Christmas card photo and I might share with you later this month which photo we ended up using.

Next month my only goal is to take a photo everyday no matter what:)

Falls Park

2011-11-29T11:49:00.001-08:00

Last evening after going out to eat for Josh's birthday we decided to head to Falls Park to look at the Christmas Lights. Piper was in pure amazement of all the lights and we were pretty impressed ourselves. It was a beautiful night and both Josh and I were kicking ourselves for not bringing along the tripod. I did manage to take a few photos and I'm sure we'll be making at least one more trip down there before the holidays are over.

Happy Birthday Josh

2011-11-27T21:01:00.001-08:00

I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you!

O Christmas Tree

2011-11-26T20:16:00.001-08:00

Well I have to say our Christmas Tree is pretty pathetic. I bought this cute little tree about 9 years ago when I was living in my first apartment. It's been a great apartment Christmas Tree but I think it's time to upgrade.

Piper thinks it's the greatest thing ever. She even calls it a big tree but even Josh will admit that our tree is pretty lame. Now the questions is to run out and get a new tree now or wait until after Christmas for when they are all on clearance.

I'm Thankful

2011-11-24T09:38:00.001-08:00

This has been quite the year and I have so much to be thankful for. I look back at where we were a year ago and it's hard to believe how much we've been blessed.

I have a beautiful, healthy family!

I have a little baby boy on the way!

We have a home of our very home in a great neighborhood in a wonderful town.

It's been a great year and I am so thankful.

Yard Work

2011-11-22T19:23:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Josh worked on finishing up some final yard work. Piper of course wanted to help her daddy, but....

she has become quite independent. She decided that she wanted to water the plants herself. I was able to catch the progression of the tantrum with my camera. Oh the mood swings of a 20 month old.

30 Weeks

2011-11-18T19:03:00.001-08:00

30 down only 10 more to go. I have to admit the last two weeks have been a couple of the hardest weeks of this pregnancy so far. I'm starting to get big and uncomfortable. On top of that I've been dealing with some stomach issues that really have been wearing me down. My doctor thinks it's just a virus and my body is just having a extra hard time fighting it since I'm pregnant. I've felt pretty good the last couple of days so hopefully I'm getting better.

Josh and I also got to take a tour of the hospital this week. It's exciting and nerve wracking to think in just a few weeks we'll be spending some time there. It also brought back memories of when Piper was born. I have to say except for the pain of labor those are some of my favorite memories.

Speaking of Piper, we took any early morning shopping trip to Target today. Josh had worked the overnight so I thought I better get Piper out of the house so he could sleep in and I also had a Target gift card to use. I loaded up on diaper pail liners, mint M&Ms, and a few other needed toiletry items when I spotted the holiday dishes. I picked up a snowman cup and plate for Piper's snack time. Needles to say Piper loved snack time today. She also told me her water was extra delicious.

Getting Ready For Thanksgiving

2011-11-16T20:48:00.001-08:00

Piper and I made a trip to the craft store last weekend and I was shocked by the lack of Thanksgiving craft supplies. There were endless aisles of Christmas stuff but only one little end cap of Thanksgiving supplies. We picked up a few things and have been making turkeys all week. Piper usually thinks they're chickens but what can you expect from a one year old.

She also wanted to make a hat like Spot's, so she and I slapped together a hat after dinner tonight. I think we can do better so maybe we'll try to make another one tomorrow.

Only one week left until Thanksgiving. We'll have to see what other little projects we can make before then.

Michele and Phil - Mankato Engagement

2011-11-16T19:25:00.001-08:00

I was able to take Michele and Phil's engagement photos one of the most comfortable fall days in October. They decided since they are having an outdoor wedding June to stick to the downtown Mankato area to give their engagement photos more of an urban vibe. It was a lot of fun finding little nooks around downtown to take some fun photos. Here are a few of my favorites.

Painting and Posies

2011-11-14T20:18:00.001-08:00

This morning while eating breakfast Piper started talking about painting. Josh had the morning off, I didn't have any plans and there were a couple of Thanksgiving crafts involving paint I wanted to try with Piper.

Things were going great until Piper decided it was more fun to paint herself. She had paint in her hair and all over her pajamas.

Needless to say she went right into the bath tub which of course she loved. Oh well, what do you expect when you paint with a toddler...things are bound to get messy.

I also wanted to share with you a quick video of Piper playing Ring Around the Rosie. My mom taught her how to play it a few weeks ago and then today Elmo was singing it on TV. She's been obsessed all day with it. She played it in her crib at nap time, she played it in the parking lot of a car dealership while Josh and I were looking at cars and she played it in her playroom tonight for a long time. Little things like this really show me how much she's growing up.

Autumn Splendor- I Heart Faces

2011-11-14T19:30:00.001-08:00

A shot of one of the many beautiful days this fall!

Oh yes and that's Piper playing with rocks again.

Just Another Weekend

2011-11-13T19:57:00.001-08:00

We had a nice quiet weekend here in Sioux Falls. Josh was on call all weekend for work so we really couldn't do a whole lot but we managed to squeeze in a few fun things.

We made a trip to Piper's favorite playground. I'm not sure how many days we have left before the snow starts to fly so we better make time for the playground while we still have a chance. As you can see from the photo below Piper has become quite the little dare devil.

Today we took a quick trip to the Old Courthouse Museum. Josh and I wanted to check out the Bicycle exhibit but Piper had other ideas. She wanted to stay at the hot air balloon exhibit and color. We probably could have just stayed at home and colored but what the heck it gave us an excuse to get out of the house for an hour or so.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and for those of you in the mid-west I hope you got outside for a bit. This might have been your last chance at a nice weather weekend!

Maria is Turning 2

2011-11-12T20:33:00.001-08:00

The thing about doing a photo shoot with a almost 2 year old is your never sure what is going to happen. Many times the child just shuts down or runs away. That was not the case with Maria. She had so much fun playing and checking out my camera that I have to say it was a super fun photo shoot.

You may recognize Maria. I did a shoot a year ago with her when she was just about to turn one and I was just trying out this professional photography thing. It's fun to look back at those photos of Maria from a year ago and see how much we have both grown. I've really been struggling lately with trying to improve my photography and it's nice to be able to look back and see progress.

Cabin Fever

2011-11-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

Yep that's right, I already have cabin fever and it's only early November. The weather has been awesome since July and these first temps below 50 degrees are driving me nuts. Not to mention this past weekend was daylight savings time and it's already getting dark at 4pm.

I'm really not transitioning into winter well at all.

Luckily I have a husband who is on the same page as me when it comes to outside time for our children. We both believe that outside time is so important and that we should try to do it no matter what the weather is even if it's for a few minuets. Here's a picture from outside time this afternoon. Yep Josh is wearing shorts, he does not seem to have a problem with the cooler temps.

With the sun going down earlier Piper's playroom has become our go to spot in our house. She's really been into inventing "games". We are not always 100% sure how to play her games but we always give it our best shot. She's invented the nigh-night game, the catch you game, and tonight she invented the mark set game. She and Josh raced back and forth across the basement floor. When Josh got tired she continued to play the mark set game on her own until bath time.

It's going to be an interesting winter this year with a new baby on it's way and an extremely active toddler. It will be interesting to see what kind of boredom busters we come up with to get us through the next few months.

28 Weeks

2011-11-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

Hello Third Trimester!

I can't believe that I'm already in the last leg of this pregnancy. Things are going really well. I passed my glucose test (thank goodness I don't have to take the 3 hour one again) and I also passed my thyroid test.

I know from past experience that the third trimester is not my favorite part of the pregnancy. I'm looking forward to feeling very uncomfortable most of the time, sleepless nights, more heartburn, and anxiety form constantly thinking I'm going into labor. Oh well, I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel and also in less than three months I get to hold my baby boy in my arms!!!

31 Photos from October

2011-11-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

I did it! I managed to take a photo everyday in October. I've had two strong months now and it feels great. There is a mixture of work and family time in this months photos. This month I tried some new things technically, I learned how to work around my expanding belly, and added many things to my list of what I need to work on. I also shot a wedding this month which is always fun, stressful, and humbling. I always learn more from big shoots like that than I do from any other work.

Here's my 31 photos from this month, enjoy!

I've realized this month that I tend to get stuck in my comfort zone when it come to photography and being assertive and trying new things scares me a bit. Going into the next month I'm really going to try to step out of that comfort zone and not be afraid to try new things. I know it may not always be pretty but I think it will be worth it.

Halloween Fun!

2011-11-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

"Halloween Fun!" Those were the words I woke up to hearing this morning.

We took Piper around the neighborhood to trick or treat last night. It was her first real trick or treating experience and I have to say she was a pro.

Oneof the more exciting houses was our neighbors across the street. They had their whole garage set up like a haunted house. Surprisingly Piper was not scared at all but was quite memorized.

I took Piper up and down our street trick or treating while Josh handed out candy. As we got closer to our house she wanted me to start carrying her so I decided I was done trick or treating. When we got back to our house she told Josh she wanted to trick or treat some more. He took her to a couple of housed around the corner. At the second house they went to she plopped down in the middle of their driveway and started eating candy. That was Josh's sign she was done for the night.

Hope you all had a Happy and safe Halloween! I hope to post 31 photos from October later today.

Who's Excited For Halloween?!?!

2011-10-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

We are!

We've carved our Pumpkins.

We attended Zoo Boo.

It was a good practice run for Piper's trick or treating. She's got the trick or treat part done but she says "your welcome" instead of thank you.

She got to ride the Zoo Carousel.

Piper loves her costume I let her keep it on all night tonight.

Yep, we're excited for Halloween.

Highlights from the last week

2011-10-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been a bit MIA from the blog this last week.Piper and I had a very busy trip to Minnesota. Here are a few highlights.

My sister flew in for a visit. We picked her up at the airport and then swept her off to the Mall of America. After Lunch at Tucci Benucch and a little shopping Emily took Piper on the Blues Clues ride at Nickelodeon Universe. Piper loved it so much!

We followed up the ride with a cookie (Piper picked out a pumpkin cookie) and a nice nap on the ride back to Mapleton.

The next day was my cousin Gina's Wedding. I was busy taking wedding photos but I managed to snap a few quick photos of Piper having a fun time. She got to meet and hang out with her cousin Colton.

She also had a blast at the wedding dance.

She also had a signature dance move called the "Oh Fall Down".

The next couple of Days we were able to relax and spend time with my sister and Parents.

It was a very busy trip back to Minnesota but we had such a fun time.

Let Them Be Little - I Heart Faces

2011-10-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

The challenge this week at I Heart Faces is Let Them Be Little and it's all about the little ones. I took this photo a few weeks back a photo shoot I did in Mankato. I'll have more to show from this shoot and many others real soon!

Zoo School

2011-10-18T20:22:00.000-07:00

I took Piper to snake class at the zoo today. We had so much fun!

She was a little confused at first why I was making her sit in a class room instead of taking her to look at the animals. She kept yelling "ZOO! ZOO!" and then they brought in the snake. She was so excited to pet the snake and watch it creep around in the sand. She also loved the little craft projects the had her make.

At the end of class the took the kids into the zoo to see more snakes. They also gave each child a cup of animal food so they could feed the animals in the petting zoo. She got such a kick out of feeding the goats.

Zoo School was a big hit and I plan to take her to another class in December.

I Heart Pink!

2011-10-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

In honor of breast cancer awareness month the theme this week over at I Heart Faces is Tickled Pink.

Make sure to stop by and check out all the other pink photos!

Halloween Party

2011-10-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

Tonight we dressed Piper up in her Halloween costume and headed over to our neighborhood community center for her first ever Halloween Party.

She played games, she danced, she won prizes, she ate pizza and she did not want to leave.

I have to say I'm pretty sure she had a fun time at her first Halloween party.

Jackie - Roosevelt Senior Class of 2012

2011-10-14T19:46:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate to meet up with Jackie 3 different times to do 3 different mini shoots. If I could do every senior shoot this way I would. We were able to meet up in the evenings when the sun was at its best. We were also able to meet up at three different locations which was fun for both of us. Here are a few of my favorites.

Rocks

2011-10-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

I still haven't figured out why Piper has such a fascination with rocks. I do have to say they are our go to activity when we are starting to feel cooped up in the house. I better get a big bucket of rocks to bring into the house before the snow starts to fly.

Paper Pumpkins

2011-10-12T20:52:00.000-07:00

Back a few years ago when I started working at a community center in Portland I was shocked to find out that there was such a thing as toddler art classes. After teaching a few toddler art classes myself I realized how awesome doing arts and craft projects with kids 1- 3 years old can be.

We've recently started doing little art projects with Piper and she loves them. The other night we decided to make some little paper jack-o-lanterns with her. She's been obsessed with the five little pumpkins song pretty much her whole life so this project was right up her alley. Josh and I cut out the pieces for her and helped her glue them on the pumpkins. We also let her paint a little but she really liked the gluing part.

Now we have some more cute little Halloween decorations thanks to Piper.

Recent Reads

2011-10-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

I Heart Hands

2011-10-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

When I saw this weeks I heart faces challenge I thought of this photo right away. This was Piper's first time using sidewalk chalk. It has now become one of her favorite outside activities. I love those little hands and the dimples in her knuckles.

Make sure to check out all the other hand photos at I Heart Faces this week.

Josiah - Maple River Class of 2012

2011-10-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I posted photos of Josiah's cousin Eli. Today It's time to share some of Josiah's senior photos. These guys were such great models and it was such a beautiful day!

A Windy Walk With Piper

2011-10-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

or as Piper puts it "It's Winding!".

I never met someone who loved the wind and much as Piper.

She always needs to take a little rest at the end of our walks.

Eli - Maple River Class of 2012

2011-10-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of getting to go back to my home town to take some senior photos. I'm sharing Eli's photos with you today and hopefully with in the next couple days I'll be able to share his cousin Josiah's photos. Both Eli and his cousin were super easy to work with and such nice guys.

Josh also came along to assist me and I have to say my hubby is the greatest photo assistant! He knows how to scope out the best spots for photos and he holds a reflector better than anyone else I know. I wish he could come with me to every shoot!

18 Month Check Up

2011-10-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

We took Piper to her 18 month appointment today. She is progressing just the way she should and her doctor and all her nurses were impressed with her curly hair.

Josh and I were shocked though when it came time to weigh Piper. She has only gained 4.5oz since her last appointment and has completely fallen of the chart. She's still in the 50 percentile for height and head circumference though.

Our doctor wasn't too concerned. She said since Piper's a good eater, and has never really been super sick we know she's a healthy kid. She also said that she can tell Piper is extremely active and didn't sit still once during the whole check up that she's burning a lot of calories. She wants us to feed Piper a lot of high fat foods and come in in three months to weigh her again and make sure she's gaining and not losing weight. I have to say this is the first time I've ever heard of a doctor telling a patient to eat more butter.

I also thought I'd share a video with you all.Piper can count all the way to 8! I think she only makes it to 7 in this video but I still think that's pretty impressive. The second time around though she goes from 1 to W.

24 Weeks

2011-10-04T15:24:00.000-07:00

Baby boy and I have really been growing so I thought I better post a picture before I become unrecognizable.

I'm feeling pretty good for the most part...heartburn has become a constant battle.

The baby is a big mover. Josh and Piper actually got to see my stomach move today.

I've been having one really strange craving and that is every day at 11:00am I eat a bowl of cottage cheese with potato chips crumbles over the top. It's not as bad as it sounds and I think everyone should try it before they knock it.

The cottage cheese craving has worn off on Piper and she eats a little bowl of it at each meal without the potato chips.

I can't believe baby will be here in less than 4 months!

Indian Summer

2011-10-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

30 Photos from September

2011-10-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

I took a bit of a a blog break this week. Between trying to get Piper down to one nap a day and processing senior photos I didn't have a lot of time for blogging. To make up for not blogging I'm going to share with you the 30 photos from September. Not only did I manage to take a photo everyday I also was able to take a photo of a person everyday. Granted most days that person was my daughter I'm still pretty proud of myself.

This next month is going to be a busy one with lots of photo shoots including one wedding. I decided to give my self a different type of challenge. My hubby has been encouraging me to sit down and read my camera manual for a while now. I'm not much of a manual reader, I prefer to figure it out on my own or ask other photographers for help. I think that I may learn a thing or two by getting back to the basics so this month I'm going to challenge myself to read my manual and take what I learn and put it into the pictures I take.

Hopefully in another month I will have 31 photos to share with you!

18 Months Old

2011-09-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Piper turns 18 months old. Yes it is hard to believe that I have a year and a half year old daughter but I have to say she's certainly acting her age.

She still loves books and her pink bunny blanket.

She goes nuts over trips to the library and the park.

She loves all animals (even creepy ones like snakes and bats) but her favorite animals are cats and horses.

She loves toast, cottage cheese (or ah cheese as she calls it), Qdoba, and any and all fruit.

She loves Sesame Street, Super Why, Blues Clues, and Wonder Pets.

She lets you know she's having fun by saying "Happy now".

She loves riding the mechanical horse at the grocery store but she doesn't freak out when it's out of order, she just says "neigh neigh broken".

She pretends to call Papa on the phone everyday but if he's actually on the phone she will not talk to him.

She knows most letters in the Alphabet but her favorite letter is W.

She loves bath time and play time.

She learns something new everyday.

She's the reason for the smile on my face.

Happy 18 month Birthday Piper!

Craft Night

2011-09-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

Poor little Piper fighting a cold and just isn't herself. We decided to have a craft night tonight to get her mind off things. We are getting a little excited a bout Halloween so we made some bats, a cat, and Josh also made a raven(not in the picture) for our front window.

Piper made some little hand print ghosts. She also finally got to use her white crayon. She tries to draw with it everyday on her white paper and now that we have black paper it finally made a mark.

Craft night was a huge success and it got Piper's mind off of feeling yucky.

Three Photos From The Last Three Days

2011-09-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

Piper got to ride a horse again this weekend at an apple festival south of town. It was cold and busy and all Piper wanted to do was play in the bounce house. After about a half hour of her flailing around in the bounce house I finally had to crawl in and take her out. I guess she did enjoy the animals too but when I ask her about the apple farm she seems to only remember playing.

I took this photo at the park today. It's kind creepy and it reminds me a little bit of The Shining.

It was a beautiful night tonight and Piper was able to get outside and play with the neighbor girls. She loves when they come over and draw with sidewalk chalk. She always seems to end up with more chalk on herself then on the driveway. Oh and yes that is my hubby riding bike in the background.

I Heart a Touch of Sun

2011-09-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

The challenge this week at I Heart Faces is a touch of sun. I've been fortunate to take a lot of sunny shots this past summer but this session was one of my favorites. My little sis needed a nice photo for some reason or another and I of course volunteered to take it. Here's one of my favorites.

Make sure to check out all the other sunny shots this week!

Family Fun on a Dime

2011-09-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Josh has had some time off this week so we've been able to spend lots of time together as a family. Our hot water heater also decided to poop out this week so we have had to find family activities that don't cost a lot and is within a short driving distance. Yesterday we did a few activities that didn't cost much at all.

After lunch we headed over to the Outdoor Campus. They have a great little museum and it's free! Piper loved running around and looking at the fish and the animals.

They also had a great little sunroom full of puzzles and children's activities. We also liked watching all the birds, squirrels and ducks out the window.

Yesterday evening we decided to all try our hand at water color painting. It was a lot of fun and surprisingly relaxing. Piper really loves art projects and it's been fun teaching her the basics. I'm extremely excited to have a future craft partner.

In other news Piper has constantly been saying "sorry". When I ask her why she's sorry she always smiles and says "cause". I sometimes wish I knew where she picked this stuff up.

Well the weekend is here and we have a couple more family things planned.

Hope you all have fun weekend too!

Recent Reads

2011-09-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

2011-09-14T20:18:00.000-07:00

Four years ago today Josh and I packed up and set off on our Portland adventure. Looking back we now refer to it as our 3 year vacation. I'm so happy that we had the opportunity to live in Portland and to meet so many great people.

One year ago today Piper and I hopped on a plane and headed back to Minnesota. Josh followed behind with the moving truck.

Lots has happened in the last year since moving back to the Mid-west. We bought a home and are settled in Sioux Falls, Piper has grown and changed so much, and we are now expecting a baby boy. I do get a twinge of homesickness for Portland everyday but I'm so happy with our life here in Sioux Falls. If I've learned anything in the past 4 years it's that life is full of changes and surprises. There is not much you can do but hang on tight and enjoy the ride.

Palisades State Park

2011-09-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

We were all feeling a little cooped up yesterday and with the knowledge that it may be the last nice warm day for a while we decided to get out of the house and head to Palisades State Park.

We had a fun time exploring and letting Piper run around. Piper wasn't real interested in the hiking trails so Josh and I took turns going off on our own to check out a couple of the trails.

Piper loved trying to find grass hoppers and try to catch them. She also kept talking about something that Josh and I couldn't understand. We thought she was saying pine cone but we later found out she was saying play ground.

When we got home she told us all about the big rock that she and Josh sat on. I know her favorite part of the day was climbing on the playground and going down the slide but it sure felt good to get outside and get some fresh air.

Fort Belmont

2011-09-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

Today Piper and I met up with my mom in dad in Jackson Minnesota at Fort Belmont. I've been driving past Fort Belmont all summer seeing their sign for the Fort Belmont Rendezvous. I've used to go to Rendezvous as a child and I asked my parents if they wanted to meet us there. The sights and smells definitely brought back memories.

The Rendezvous was real small but we still had a great time. Piper loved the horse pulled wagon rides, and getting to go inside all the old buildings.

While my mom, Piper and I were checking out the fort tower and the sod house my dad was busy buying toys for his future grandson. Some how he managed to find him a bow and arrows and a sling shot. I told him these are toys baby boy will have to keep at Grandpa and Grandmas house.

We all had a lot of fun and here are some of my favorite photos from our little adventure.

Cat Mask

2011-09-09T21:14:00.000-07:00

Piper and I took a trip to the craft store today so I could get supplies to make a Halloween picture frame. Piper spotted a cat mask and got a big kick out of putting it up to her face and saying "meow meow". I thought it might be fun to let her paint it. She did an awesome job. Of course the first thing she did with the paint brush was dip it in the yellow paint and stick it up to her lips. Once I explained she should paint the cat she got the hang of it right away.

I added some whiskers while she was taking a nap.

After it was nice and dry she had a great time pretending to be a cat, and seeing how all her stuffed animals looked when she held it up to their faces.

Piper had an electrifying trip to the park tonight.

2011-09-08T20:55:00.001-07:00

Halfway There

2011-09-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

I'm 20 weeks pregnant and that means I'm halfway there. It also means we had my 20 week ultrasound and I know the baby's gender!

We found out today that we are having a little baby boy! We are so excited!

Everything looked great during the ultrasound and he also gave us a little smile.

Only 20 more weeks and I get to meet my little guy.

Evening in the Park

2011-09-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

Since Piper started walking it seems like we go to a park everyday. She's gotten quite brave and climbs allover the place.

Here are a few shots from tonight's trip to the park.

She loves to spin and get dizzy. We're not sure when she learned the word dizzy but she would lay on the ground and say "dizzeeee" every time she would get off this thing.

She also likes to go down the steepest slide. She went down this slide many times tonight and each time she went down my stomach would do flip flops.

To just think she was afraid to go down her little 2 foot slide at the beginning of the summer.

She also thinks she's a big girl and likes to help the big kids do big kid things.

Yep my little girl is growing up.

Gammy and Baba were here!

2011-09-04T21:09:00.000-07:00

We've had a busy last couple of days around here. Josh's parents drove over for a visit and Piper had so much fun. She loved showing off her rock collections, and her favorite parks.

Josh's dad helped him work on our deck ( long story, it seems lately one house DIY project leads to another).

I asked Piper today after they left "What did you do with Gammy and Baba?" and her response was "Play". Here are a few snap shots from their visit.

My Favorite Photo From August.

2011-09-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

I can't help but smile every time I look at it.

31 photos from August

2011-08-31T17:46:00.000-07:00

This month I made an effort to take a photo every day. I have to admit I didn't start out that great, but as the month went on taking a photo became part of my day. I'm hoping to continue taking a photo everyday indefinitely. My plan is to concentrate on taking portraits, working harder to create proper lighting, and work on defining my "style".

I've learned with time the best way to accomplish any photography goal is to take as many photos a possible. Lets hope I can stick to it and in another 30 days I'll have 30 pictures to share.

I Heart the Color White

2011-08-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

This week over at I Heart Faces the Challenge is all about the color white. As I was searching through my my photos for this weeks theme I realized that I do not utilize white space enough in my photos. I love how white space looks and I'm going to try to challenge myself to use it more.

Lucky for me both Shayne and her mom were wearing white the day of Shayne's photo shoot. I snapped this at the end Shayne's photo shoot and as you can see by the look on Shayne's face she was ready to be done. I thought it was such a real and touching moment between mother and daughter.

Make sure to head over to I Heart Faces and check out all the other wonderful photos this week!

Playing with my Nook

2011-08-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

or as Piper calls it pie pad.

This might explain why my battery seems to die so fast.

Falls Park

2011-08-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Josh had some paper work to fill out at the airport so I asked him if he could drop Piper and I off at Falls Park and then come meet up with us when he was done. I was planning on going for a nice walk with Piper but instead she wanted walk and have me follow her.

It was fun watching her walk up and down all the paths. She's getting to be quite independent.

I did somehow manage to drop my lens cap off the top of the tower. Luckily it bounced off the roof of the visitors center so it didn't brake when it hit the pavement below. Josh was also kind enough to go back down and find it for me. I can't believe it's still in one piece. I couldn't even find a chip on it.

Piper is Famous!!

2011-08-25T08:30:00.000-07:00

Guess who is on page 2 of the Argus Leader (Sioux Fall's newspaper) today!?
If you guessed Piper than you are correct.

Man we can't even go to the park with out the paparazzi chasing her.

I heart my kitty

2011-08-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

and so does Piper!

It's pet week over at I Heart Faces and of course I'm using a photo of my (actually my parents) cat Taco. I took this photo when Piper was just starting to stand up next to furniture. I would use Taco as a distraction. Now she's able to climb up onto furniture and Taco is no longer safe.

Practicing Being a Big Sister

2011-08-21T15:58:00.000-07:00

I think she's almost ready.
We just have to teach her not to poke the baby in the eye.

Someone Really Likes Cheetos

2011-08-20T21:28:00.000-07:00

Two posts in the last week of my child eating junk food. Don't worry folks she eats her fruits and veggies!

Baby Brennan

2011-08-17T08:51:00.000-07:00

You may remember baby Brennan and his family from his newborn shoot a few months back. He's getting bigger and is as cute as ever. He gave me the biggest smile when I showed up at their house and it made my whole day. I took all the photos right at Brennan's house and had a great time capturing all his expressions!

17 Weeks!

2011-08-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

I'm already 17 weeks pregnant! Wow this pregnancy is flying by! Honestly I feel bad sometimes because I forget I'm pregnant. During Piper's pregnancy I was so aware of every little ache and strange feeling. With this pregnancy I'll be talking to someone and they will ask me how I'm feeling and it will take me a couple seconds to realize why they are asking me that.

Just so you all know I am feeling great! They baby is already moving a ton and so far we are both doing pretty awesome.
One of the main reasons this pregnancy is going so well is Piper keeps me on my toes and keeps me smiling. Tonight we decided to go for a walk and then we headed over to the DQ for a little treat. For some reason Josh thought it would be a great idea to let Piper hold his Dilly Bar. She thought it was the greatest thing ever.
Needless to say she went right into the bathtub when we got home.

Beautiful Eyes

2011-08-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a I Heart Faces challenge for a while. When I saw this weeks challenge was beautiful eyes I knew I would have a photo to share. I decided to use a photo of Piper that I took last week when we were playing outside. I love my little girls eyes so much!

Piper's First Pony Ride

2011-08-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

Piper has been on a real horse kick lately. They have quickly become her new favorite animal. When I found out the fair was going on this week I immediately wanted to bring her there so she could see a horse.
Well we had a great time at the fair today and not only did she get to see a horse she also got to ride on one.
On the car ride home we asked her if she had fun at the fair and her only reply was "neigh".
I think her life is now forever changed.

Perfect Day

2011-08-09T20:19:00.000-07:00

Today's weather was perfect! It's the type of day you dream of in the middle of January.

If only everyday could be like today.

Piper Can Sing

2011-08-06T20:21:00.000-07:00

Last night Piper's cousins decided to show her Elmo on the computer. Piper decided to show us how she can sing. I think she has a beautiful voice but of course I am a little biased.

Grant and Gina

2011-08-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

My cousin Gina is getting married to an awesome guy named Grant and I get to take their wedding photos!!! We got together back in early July to take some engagement photos. The day was extremely hot but we managed to have a great time. I can't wait until their wedding, I know it's going to be a blast!

Recent Reads

2011-08-04T20:08:00.000-07:00

Business Cards

2011-08-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

I just received my first batch of business cards in the mail. I wanted something real simple and to the point but I also wanted to be able to show off my work. I'm real happy with the outcome and I can't wait to start passing them out to potential clients!
Please let me know if you know someone who might want more info about my business!

Our Wisconsin Adventure

2011-08-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

Josh, Piper and I returned from a trip to Wisconsin earlier this week. I didn't take nearly enough photos but I thought I'd share a few anyway. We spent 2 night in the Wisconsin Dells with Josh's dad's side of the family. After that we headed up to Marshfield so Piper could meet her great grandma and her aunt and uncle. We had a lot of fun, spent a lot of time swimming, and as you can see from the first photo Piper played hard.

Austin's 6 month photos

2011-08-01T20:15:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I was able to capture some photos of a very cute 6 month old. You may remember Austin from his newborn photos back in January. He was just an tiny little guy. He's grown a lot in the past 6 months and he's already the same size as my Piper! To put that into perspective she's 9 months older than him. He's such a sweetie and I was able to get some great photos of him and his family. It was a fun day with some great pictures!

Goodbyes :( and Safety Equipment :)

2011-08-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today we said goodbye to my sister Emily:( She's heading off to school in Atlanta.
We are so excited for her and her new adventures but we are going to miss her so much. It's been so much fun having her around this summer. Piper has learned so many things from Emily this summer like how to do headstands and how to count to the number 2.
Good luck Em! We'll miss you so much!!!

In other news Piper got a bike helmet today. She Loves it!
She wore it all around the house tonight and we finally had to bribe her with a bath to get her to take it off. Hopefully it cools down tomorrow so we can adjust that chin strap and get her outside to try it out.

Trip to Colorado

2011-07-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week Piper and I were able to take a trip with my Parents and Sister to Colorado. The main reason we headed to Colorado was to visit Emily's boyfriend in Fort Collins, but we spent the bulk of our trip in Estes Park. I have to say the highlight of the trip was exploring Rocky Mountain National Park.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the trip taken by my mom and me.

Mary's Mountain Cookies

Outside the Armstrong Hotel in Fort Collins where we stayed our first night

The photo on the left is the Atlantic side of the Continental Divide and the Right is the Pacific side.

Piper Loved the Waffle House

Unfortunately Josh had to work so he wasn't able to come along but we are already planning our trip back!

Guess What!!

2011-07-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

We're having another baby!!!
We're due January 23rd so that means I've survived the first trimester. I'm feeling really good other than my sciatic nerve has been acting up. I'm thinking it's time to invest in a good body pillow so if anyone has any recommendations let me know!

Piper's a little confused by the whole thing. She keeps lifting up my shirt and looking into my bellybutton to see if she can see the baby.

So far the baby and I are both real healthy and doing great. Josh, Piper and I are all so excited to welcome the new little one into our lives!

Shayne

2011-07-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I met up with my cousin at the park down the street so I could take pictures of her little girl before she turned 4. It was so much fun to try to capture all of Shayne's personality. She has a lot of spunk and I think it shows in these photos. I also loved the park...it's one of my new favorite places to take photos.

Also today I finally up dated my web address on my website and I also updated some of the photos. Make sure you check it out!!! www.annieotzenphotography.com

Next on the to do list is business cards...

It's been a busy week

2011-07-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

so I haven't had a lot of time to blog.

I turned 29 this week and had a great time celebrating with Josh, Piper, my mom and sister!

Piper had her 15 month appointment this week and is still a peanut! She only ways 19.1 lbs.

Our biggest concern at our appointment was that Piper still wasn't walking. Well that is no longer a worry. Piper decided to take her first steps today!!! I'm so proud of her!

We also made our first trip to the Sioux Falls Zoo this week. We had so much fun and Piper liked to wave to all the animals.

Piper favorite animals were the monkeys. She spotted them from what seemed like a mile away. As soon as she saw them she started making her monkey noise.

Piper also got to pet a snake, a turtle and a goat. Believe it or not her favorite thing was the snake.

We took the train ride through the Savannah.
Our favorite animal was the ant eater. I don't think either of us had seen an ant eater in person before ant it was very cool!

The zoo was a blast and I'm sure we'll make another trip soon.

I've been very busy taking and editing photos. I'll have a bunch to share in the weeks to come!

Hattie's 6 Month Old Photos

2011-07-10T19:28:00.000-07:00

Baby Hattie is already six months old! I took Hattie's newborn photos back in December and fell in love with her. She is such a sweet little girl with big blue eyes! I love summer time when I'm able to get outdoors and take portraits but then you do have to deal with the heat. Hattie was such a little trooper and and gave us all kinds of smiles! Such a fun shoot with such a fun little baby.

Recent Reads

2011-07-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

A 4th of July Party

2011-07-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July. Josh had the day off so we decided to throw a little backyard party. My parents, aunt, uncle and cousins were all able to stop over. It was a fun and relaxing afternoon.

Piper had a ton of fun and ate more Cheetos then I thought was humanly possible.

Josh used our new grill to make some yummy burgers and brats.
Piper was also a fan of her Grandma's rice crispy bars.
Everyone had a great time and we can't wait to have another little backyard party.

Happy 4th of July Everyone!

2011-07-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

Photo taken July 4, 2008 with my trusty Canon Power Shot in Portland OR.

Calm After the Storm

2011-07-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

The sky always amazes me after a storm rolls through.