Hopefully all of you will receive a postcard in the mail shortly that looks similar to the images above.  If you do not get one and you would like one, please let us know.  We are happy to add you to our mailing list.

As the postcard says, you can get more information about our Beat the Crowd Event on our blog.  So, here is more information…

- The charge for this event is $100 ($106 with tax) which includes one mini-session and 50 cards, plus 25% off portraits purchased from this session*.

- These sessions are abbreviated and will last about 20 minutes.

- All sessions will be indoors and we will have holiday decorations here if you prefer to use them; lights, tree, presents, etc.  It won’t look like your typical holiday photography set, but it will be very fun.

- The cards for this event are 5×7 cards printed on the front and back on standard card stock paper.  You are welcome to upgrade your paper and card style.

- We will have card design choices for you to pick from while you are here.  I will not make a design from scratch, but you will have plenty to choose from.  Modern, traditional, minimal, or tons of embellishments.  There will be something for everyone’s tastes.

- I will send you proofs of your cards for you to approve before they are printed.  You may put as many pictures on the card as you would like.  However, only images from this session will be allowed to go on the card.

- After the session on September 10, your images will be posted online by September 17.

- *You must place your order by September 24 to receive the 25% off of portraits from this session and to guarantee your cards before November 19, 2011.  (Most of my clients like to address their envelopes over Thanksgiving break.  This will ensure you being able to do so.)

- To receive your cards, portraits and gifts before December 25, 2011, all orders must be placed no later than October 15, 2011.  All galleries will be offline at this time and can not be reuploaded until after January 1, 2012.

Thanks so much for reading all of the “rules”.  Please call or e-mail Kara soon to schedule your session.  Her contact info is karamc.sbp@live.com or 864-593-2263.  Can’t wait!!

On the day we found him, H was just so upset.  She kept sitting where we buried him and would cry and cry.  She has a chair that she draws on and one time when she came inside I told her to draw a picture on her chair of Pumpkin to remind her of him.  I went in her room to check on her later and saw her sitting in front of the chair crying.  This is what she had written on her pillow, “Pumpkin died.  We were best friends.  Bye Pumpkin.”  It started with just a picture of her and then when her siblings saw it, they drew in themselves too.  All is well now, but it was a very sad day.

We brought an inner tub to pull around the lake, but it was against the rules. So we found a cove and swam around for a couple of hours or maybe a little less. And when I say “we swam around” I mean that “they swam around.” I am not a fan of swimming. I know, it is lame, but I really could live without it. I know a lot of people that feel like they have basically bathed after being in the swimming pool. Not me. I feel so gross. I immediately have to take a shower. Multiply that by a thousand and that is what I feel about lake water. Totally gross. Add in a few fish, snakes and whatever else lives in lakes and I am not a fan. But we were on a family trip and I thought I would try it out. I had on my bathing suit and the kids were begging me to get in the water. I actually thought I could do it until my feet touched the water and that was almost the beginning of the end. I made it in, but after my slight panic attack I spent my time in the lake water on top of the raft and then back into the boat. That is one of the hard parts for me about being a mom… I want my kids to be so much better than me. I have these crazy deficiencies, dislikes and fears and I don’t mind me having them, but I don’t want my kids to have them. So I really love that they are in the lake water, but I really don’t want to be in there myself. But I worry that if they see me not doing things that they will not try new things too and so I try to do them, but it doesn’t always work out. I digress….

So we were out on the lake and my mom jumped in with the kids. Since they were swimming for a long time and the kids started getting cold, she started doing synchronized swimming with them. They had a blast. (another reason why I am thankful for grandparents – they can do the synchronized swimming and I don’t have to). Then, because we were in a cove without an anchor, we kept gently moving closer and closer to the banks and so every once in a while Joe would pull us out to the middle. While Dad and I were in the boat we looked down and Louie had decided to pull us to the middle. Our little 4 year old pulled this huge pontoon boat all by herself. She was so proud of herself and we were all amazed!! I am so glad we got it on videotape. So, here is a video of Mom and the older two doing synchronized swimming while Louie pulled us out of harms way. Love it!!

Happy Fourth of July!!!

OK, now for the really funny story I was wanting to write about. Here is another way she is like me… non-athletic and really non-competitive. Really non-competitive. I never played sports and I really want my kids to have that experience. If they hate it, they don’t have to. But, I really want them to try. So, Huey decided on her own that she wanted to play baseball. Really I think that she is such a people pleaser that she wanted to do what Daddy and big brother were doing. But, either way we signed her up for Greenville Rec T-ball. Extremely low key. Joe has had her out in the back yard playing baseball for years, so she is by far the “best” on the team. Now granted she is probably the oldest on the team too. She is a head taller than everyone out there. But she is the most focused, follows the directions to the T, completely 100% ready to play T-ball. Until they actually started playing the game. The first time they actually tried to play a game, Huey was assigned to first base. Every time a runner ran to the base, Huey stepped to the side and pointed to the base as to show them where it was. Didn’t try to get the ball, or tag them out. Nope. Wanted to help them get to the base. Then, it was time for the big game. Huey was assigned to be the pitcher. We were so proud. So during the game one of the coaches told her to run to Home to be ready to catch the ball in case anyone ran home and she could tag them out. Well, our little girl took that instruction to heart and after every ball was hit she ran to Home plate. Just stood there looking around as mayhem was happening on the field and then when she finally got the ball she neatly placed it back on the Tee for the next batter. Then one time she got the ball as one player rounded third and started running for home. We all were yelling for her to tag him out and she quietly and calmly walked behind him as he was running to the base, allowed him to touch home plate, and then placed the ball on the Tee. We later told her that it wouldn’t hurt their feelings if she tagged them out. She really didn’t care.

It was one of the funniest things I have seen in a long time. Joe called her the “team administrator”. Next time I am going to bring her lemonade to hand out to the players while they are out on the field!!!

Here she is listening to the coach after the game. Bad angle because you can’t tell how tall she is with the little boy in the back. She is so cute!!!  Oh, and you can see Joe and the other munchkins in the back listening as well.

So, today I had a little conversation with myself. I am going to try to make it through one day at a time. Just try to do today what I can and not worry about if I will continue to do it 50 days from now. Or if I have a good idea today and I do it today, that is great. It was worth it, even if I forget to continue. I am embracing my artistic mind. Trying not to be so hard on myself. So, here is to taking it one day at a time… join me for the ride.