Mudpies and Pigtails

Photography stuff

2010-12-06T07:46:00.001-08:00

I am always on the lookout for photographers that inspire! Skye Hardwick is no exception. I have been following her work for years now. Her images depict the natural beauty in any childhood! She is gorgeous, talented , and ridiculously creative. Check out her work at www.workofheartphotography.com and Photography friends...she's giving away prizes all week and her workshop workbook is amazing! Check out www.soulographer.com!!!!

Little things for December

2010-12-05T17:08:00.000-08:00

The only way for me to dive back into this thing is to post a photo. So I'm going to start NOW. This past week we had one of my bestest friends come visit me all the way from Canada. I was a little nervous about being a hostess since we have no idea where we are going yet or how to get anywhere without using the navigational system or maps on our iphone.

My friend Andrea is one of a kind and she's been loyal , supportive, and would give her right arm if I needed her to. She also happens to be just as nutty about photography as me. In fact, she got her camera first so I should probably credit my obsession to her.

We had a great time visiting lots of places in New York City. Our main goal was to take the kids to Rockefellar Center to ice skate. Unfortunately, we spent the whole day going and going that everyone had the same idea we had. We had bought tickets to see Cirque de Soleil's WINTUK. The kids loved it. At the end of the show, pounds of "snow" fell from the ceiling and the kids in the audience go wild!! I think we will be seeing a lot of shows in the future. I'd love to take Katelyn to see Mary Poppins!

This is why I love my camera. No flash photography? No problem. Took this in the dark.

Since the day I married Josh, our life has been an adventure. We spend a lot of time apart and it's become our "normal" My friend Danielle asked me the other day for her video project to explain to her WHAT LOVE IS...

and I went blank. I was put on the spot and I just couldn't sum up our love in a minute. There are many reasons I love Josh. I just wanted something that could sum us up. I finally came up this fact. Love is ....stronger than time.

We also spent the day in Philadelphia.

The kids loved the Natural Science Museum. It was full of fun facts and it is nice to be able to show Noah all this stuff now that he is school aged.

The liberty bell.

On the weekends we have escaped to Nana & Grandpa's a lot. Now that we live so close to them we feel like we have some normalcy in our lives. It's still an hour away but Nana works at McGuire AFB during the week.

The kids love going to Nana's house! They have a basement full of toys, there's a heated pool in the backyard, and Noah spends most of his day in Grandpa's office working on his flight simulator! He sits here for an hour and just goes to town. Like father, like son.

Well, I'm going to stop here because I feel like this has been a huge step for me! :) I am working on my photography blog : http://www.christina-watkins.com/ which will cover my photos, kids fashion, and vendors that I love! I have a ton of Christmas shopping left and believe me, I've been out there, I'm gonna finish up with on-line shopping!!!! Happy Shopping everybody! -Christina

How long have I been gone?

2010-08-23T23:10:00.000-07:00

Yes...I've been slacking! I know that I have not posted in forever and I actually have had things going on that I could have written some great posts on...but I didn't. Forgive me. I have had pictures to share many a times and my daughter just turned 3 and yet ....no pictures. What is WRONG WITH ME?

Well, we are getting ready for a big move. We are finally moving on to our 2nd assignment. I can finally announce that we will be residing in New Jersey! (keep the fist pumps to a minimum) I am not so sure how I'm gonna handle the cold or the north but we are willing to embrace the changes. I've lived in the south my whole life. It should be....interesting. The good news is that I will be surrounded by Josh's family who are only a stateline away in Pennsylvania and his mom works at the base we are moving to. And yes, I love my mother in law to pieces so this is a good thing.

I have been obsessing over photography in depth. I attended my first photography conference in Vegas which was a huge deal to me. It was everything I hoped it would be and more! I am working on a website of my own and it's been sitting since last December. (much like this blog) I hope to get a move on with that as well keeping updated with this one.

Well...I just wanted to pop in and update this...and let you all know that I am BACK!

much love,

Christina

Saying goodbye!

2009-12-17T15:11:00.000-08:00

We only have a few more days left so our sweet friends have called us to meet & say goodbye! I feel like I keep talking about my farewells here so I apologize. Moving is just a huge yet exciting adventure in the military and you know the day is coming eventually. Anyway, my sweet friend Anna has known me since the days we lived in Columbus, Mississippi. We were pregnant with our firsts at the same time and lived only a house down from me. We pretty much had our seconds at the same time and while Anna went on to have a third, I just never caught onto that wagon and I'm not sure that I'm going to be ever ready for another. It's hard going back. I just got out of diapers and burp cloths...and I feel like I would be a complete disaster at handling three. I don't know how my mother did four and God blessed her with way more patience than he gave me! lol. So back to my original thought....saying goodbye to both Anna & the kids was difficult. Our kids grew up together for 5 years. They play so well together and I wish we had more time to see them become the best of friends!
Clara and Katelyn. Katelyn is in her new pj set that comes with a matching pj for her baby doll. It's a BX special! 9.99! Ha Ha! Beat that American Girl! Look how cute Clara is ! Don't ask about Katelyn's hair..it was obviously missing a few hair barrettes to say the least. :) William admiring Noah's Nintendo skills on his DS. I don't think Noah ever lets him play but William LOVES to watch! At the forefront of the photo, you can see one of the 100 boxes sitting in that room and of course BUSTED....McDonald's cup in the background !!!
Not shown: Julia.

After I said my goodbyes to Anna...I had to rush off to say goodbye to my friend and business partner Jenna and her family. We decided to head out for some sushi which is Josh's new favorite! I'm not as daring as he is with the fish but we have so much fun when we go out for sushi! The kids came too and unfortunately Jenna and I looked at each other and said "Did you bring your camera?" and we both said NO! We realized her and I have no photos together. Sad.
Jenna and I are shooting a wedding in May so it didn't really seem like goodbye forever. I am very excited about our wedding in May!!! Stay tuned! If you ever get a chance to try out a great sushi restaurant in Summerville, I highly recommend Wasabi. If you aren't a huge daredevil with sushi...the Scam roll is yummy! It's one of my favorites! It's branching out from the ever so popular california roll or cucumber roll. I'm trying....

Josh is flying almost everday this week locally. It's making it very difficult to get anything done. I am probably going to have to come back out and do stuff myself or higher a contractor to help me get some of the little things that I can't get done. Fun!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-12T18:38:00.000-08:00

Josh is home! Yay! He got in last night around 7 pm and the kids were ecstatic! Happy Happy House! This just might be our last family photo in our first house!! I look exhausted, which I am, and as usual, the kids are showing no signs of going to bed anytime soon!! Josh was so happy to be home to see his munchkins that we decided to skip the Squadron Christmas party. We were really looking forward to going but it was just as nice to stay at home and get some family time. Afterall, we only have 2 more weeks of family time before he leaves AGAIN! (Enter Patience Here)

Today was a busy day! Noah was invited to 2 birthday parties!!! We ended up just attending one for his sweet friend Neva who lives next door to us. She was turning 8 years old ! Her birthday party was at the Embassy Suites in Charleston. It was an indoor pool party/sleepover and Noah was more than excited! Can you tell?

The theme was Monkey Luau! Everywhere you looked there was something monkey! I couldn't resist breaking out my camera throughout the party so I ended up looking like the party photographer.

Since I am the photographer, it gave me an excuse to not get in a bathing suit and help Katelyn in the pool! Sorry Josh!! My body has no business being in a bathing suit right now! Josh totally enjoyed it anyway! Ha ha! And I'm going to go ahead and warn all that the following photo contains chest hair!

Noah loved swimming in the pool in December! Swimming is definitely his thing! He took some time out from playing to help his baby sister enjoy it as well! Katelyn is SO lucky to have such a sweet soul for her brother!

Katelyn loved putting her swimsuit on as well and they even had a blow up pool just for her to enjoy while Daddy got a break from the big pool! Here she sits with the birthday girl!! I guess Neva hadn't gotten the memo yet that she's 8 years old.

We were so excited to be here for Neva's birthday party! She was barely 3 years old when we met her and now she is 8 years old. I have grown to love this little beauty! It also reminds me that kids grow SO fast! In 5 years we may be having a birthday for Katelyn just like this and that just SCARES us to death! I do not want her growing up so quickly!! We are also not ready to throw her giant parties with boys nor with a million girls!

*Noah and Katelyn not pictured because they thought the whirlpool was too hot. Crazy enough, not all of the kids were in this picture! Did I mention these brave parents were having a sleep over as well?? Yes, they were!!!! I hope they brought some spirits in their overnight case! ;)

My photos

2009-12-10T16:29:00.000-08:00

Well, my photography business ceased with a great finish! I had so much fun this past year working with Jenna and I learned a lot. I definitely think my photos have improved and my goal was to shoot manually, get clear pictures, and be confident while working with clients. Working with Jenna allowed me to make mistakes, learn from them, and grow. I will be forever grateful for that time. Since I basically taught myself how to shoot manually, I know how much hard work, research, and creativity goes into a self proclaimed "photographer". Two years ago, I was throwing myself at anyone that would let me take photos for them for free! And now I am finding myself turning people away because I simply don't have the time to take photos or edit as much as I would like. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would have stumbled upon this passion, however, I tapped into the girl who use to paint murals and design t-shirts in school. I've always loved Art. This is just another form.....and I LOVE IT!

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To see more of my portfolio, you may view my stuff at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8432969@N08

Happy Birthday To Me!!!!

2009-12-09T16:33:00.000-08:00

OMG! It's my BIRTHDAY! I am 22! Okay maybe not really but that's what I tell my kids. Ssh! The day went by super fast! Josh was gone again for the 4th time in 5 years. It seems to be our tradition to be in different zip codes on my birthday! He actually blamed the Air Force because he says he strategically must plan around my birthday to make sure he's home for Christmas. Although it really isn't the Air Force's fault because a couple of times I've choosen to spend my birthday with a friend in a different city. Despite the fact that he was gone, I had a great morning with friends who got together to have lunch with me on my birthday. Most of us had our kids or had to rush off to get them so it was quick but it was so nice of them to come together for the birth of my ugly mug. I refused to say goodbye as my time left here in Charleston is about 10 days. How do you say goodbye to someone who was an important friend who kept you sane everyday and saw the raw images of you when you were trying to come to grips with being a new mom, no make-up, probably no shower, and the constant voice on the other end of the phone when you needed to vent about why your husband wasn't getting home on time AGAIN! There's just an undeniable bond that I will share with these girls as I witnessed them before kids, during their 2nd, and vice versa! The Air Force has a funny way of bringing you together with important friendships that you may not have found on your own....the gift of an extended family!!!

Anyway, Josh sent me some flowers and got me a much needed appointment at the day spa tomorrow that includes a mani, pedi, and massage! It was pretty super thoughtful that he called in advance and made the appointment already! Impressive! Here are some other fun things:

A super fun glass by LOLITA
www.lolitaglasses.com

Yummy cupcakes that I got to bring home!

A gift card to one of my dear friend Jessica's Swanky Boutique called Teal!

A souviner plate with all the famous sights here in Charleston!!!

We ended the night with a little music jam in Katelyns room! Noah brought out the horse! THEE Horse! Too cute!!!!

Mr. Ed is a Target Special that Josh HAD TO BUY the kids!!!!

Break the Ice.

2009-12-08T22:09:00.001-08:00

Here I go again...another blog {hopefully not unfinished} to keep Josh, friends, and family updated with my daily doozies of parenthood and life without Josh. Josh has been gone for 2 months now and he is coming home for Christmas! Yay! Its a small celebration because ya see, he is leaving for 6 months of training in January. I just had to remind myself not to whine. Sigh. My farewells are implemented even though I absolutely hate goodbyes. I am confident that these special friends of mine will not be forgotten and I will see them again! I am going to miss these genuine friendships that have been every part of the last 5 years of Charleston! For those that may not have heard, I am taking off to Virginia and it is truly bitter sweet! I am going "HOME" for the first time in 7 years for more than just a visit! The place where it all started...good ole VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. !!!! I am truly skipping on the inside with excitement! Even my old friends are embracing my return and god knows, Ive left them hanging and burnt those friendships with only short visits because I try to cram my immediate family time in every chance I get home! So my blog will hopefully post photos after photos for all my Noah & Katelyn lovers and I can promise few of me because thats typical and I hope to show you all what life is like as Josh and I take on this next journey! Stay tuned.....It might not be all mudpies and pigtails! ;)