It is Tuesday, the day before my big weekly deadline and a little less than 20 hours before I have a 5-day weekend. And this would typically mean I’m trying to finishing my stories before the morning of production day. Tonight, however, I’m blogging before I get to that because my mom wants an update.

The short version? I’ve been working. And stressing myself out over a freakin’ Meet the Candidates section that eventually figured itself out (before I had to open the vodka, but it was very close). And procrastinating laundry and dishes. Visiting with friends. Stressing over my business. Raising silly little children. Reading. That kind of thing.

The long version?

Work. Trying to practice the “if you don’t have anything nice to say” rule here, but it’s going. And today I learned how to do something new at work (dummying out the layout sheets) and learned about a lot of alleged corruption. It’s been an interesting day. Last week my favorite two co-workers were out of town and things were a little hairy between the hellacious Meet the Candidates section, vacations and deadlines not being met because of the aforementioned factors. It was, quite simply, ridiculous.

A few weeks ago I covered the discovery of a probable Trilophodon (dinosaur) jaw in someone’s backyard (above). Pretty awesome! This discovery may rewrite the history of these animals because of where in the dirt it was found (depth, I mean). The story went global, my people. GLOBAL. (Not my story, but the story in general.) Also? The Pink Palace Museum in Memphis asked for my photos. I haven’t seen them on their site yet, though.

I miss my old gig, where I just wrote stories. Now I have more responsibilities and they’re wearing down my resolve, my patience, me. I am finding I need an outlet for the stress, so I’ve been running and walking a little bit.

Tomatoes. Tonight I sliced some tomatoes for dinner (BLTs) and ate a chunk. Delish! There’s nothing better than fresh-from-the-farm tomatoes, right?

Books, books, books. Over the weekend I stopped into Books-A-Million and bought Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café and To Kill a Mockingbird. Fried Green Tomatoes was AWESOME! I always had some unanswered questions about the movie and the book answered them. Actually, as much as I loved the movie, I love the book even more because the writing is wonderful and hello, the movie left out a lot. Bad, bad 1992 Hollywood! Ruth and Idgie are lesbians, people. (That had to be changed in the movie.)

I finished that book in about 8 hours or so. And BAWLED so much when I finished. You HAVE to read it. And if you do/have, the Dot Weems column? We have those (not Dot, other community correspondents) in our paper every single week. I like them more now after reading Dot Weems. And like Dot, many of our correspondents talk a lot about their better halves.

I started To Kill a Mockingbird yesterday. I wanted to read it again just to do it, but it is also the first pick for our book club (three members: me, Dara, Christa!). I told Darin it was no wonder I just picked up the Cliff’s Notes in high school because, dude, BIG WORDS! And I’m a writer. Also, I had the word taciturn. It’s awkward to pronounce. Can we just say shy? I mean, really, Harper Lee.

I am at the part where Dill is daring Jem to knock on the door or something like that.

The other night Darin and I had a conversation that went like this:

I sit on the bed, with a snack and To Kill a Mockingbird. Darin was watching Monster Fish or something equally boring on TV.

“Wait, you’re reading two books?”

“Um, no,” I say nonchalantly as I flex my muscle (okay, brain), smile and crack open the cover, creasing the binding. “I am not reading two books. I finished Fried Green Tomatoes yesterday. I’m only reading Eat, Pray, Love, the Laura Bush bio and this book, so three books.”

“THREE BOOKS? What? How do you keep them straight?”

Oh, Darin, Darin, Darin. “Just the same way you keep all of your sports straight – I just do.”

And yes, I was being snobby. (So mean, Echo Day! So mean.)

I have to point out how funny it would be if they were confused. Laura Bush traveling to Italy, Indonesia and India to release her true passion, spirituality and have gelato with Georgie Boy as he attempts to lure Boo Radley from his home. Just wonderful.

Anyway.

I’m close to halfway on my goal of reading two dozen books by the end of the year (yay!). You can check out my list here. I am loving the Southern lit (always have) – and these books fit in my 30 Things goals, too (#12 and #17).

I am having a hard time (again!) getting into Eat, Pray, Love. I really want to read it, because of the praise (and now movie), but please tell me it gets better. It does, right?

Visiting. On Friday night we headed to Jackson (Tenn.) to watch our friends’ son and his team play in the state tournament. The Friday night game had a rain delay and wasn’t over until 10 p.m. or so and after we visited with our friends for a bit, we decided to just get a room and stay the night in Jackson, then watch the next day’s games. This, of course, meant a midnight trip to Walmart so I could buy some shirts and toothbrushes and deodorant.

We had a ton of fun and I shot 460-something photos (whew) of the games. The boys, bless their hearts, were eliminated after the most intense game ever. They’d score, then the other team would tie it up, then they’d score again and the other team would tie it up. It was pretty crazy. After 10 innings, the other team put them out, 11-10. Our boys ended up third in the state, though! Pretty fab for 5- and 6-year-olds.

I’ve updated my business site – and I’m still running the giveaway! Hop on over and check those out: www.echodayphotography.com. Oh, and ENTER if you live in West Tennessee!

As for Darin and the children, they’re doing just fine, thank you. We’re going on a mini-vacation this weekend and they’re terribly excited about that. Darin’s been running lately and the kids have enjoyed running on the nature trails near our house. I’ve gone running a few times and have enjoyed it, but sometimes it’s really the last thing I have time for (my waistline is evidence).

Sharing a content I’m running through my business! Please enter if you’re local!

… Baby, just say yes!

Now that I have that song stuck in your head, let me tell you about a fabulous new thing I’m working on: your love story!

It’s a contest! Send me the best snapshot of you and your significant other – your husband, your wife, your boyfriend, your girlfriend – and a brief history of the two of you as a couple. I’ll post the photos and histories here on the blog and the couple with the most votes wins a free session, $50 print credit, 10 web-sized photos for social networking and best of all, a soft-bound photo book containing 10-15 images AND your detailed love story! This is a prize valued at more than $200.

The catch? No catch, really, except you have to live in West Tennessee (from the Tennessee River to the Mississippi River, Newbern down to Memphis) and be willing to be photographed. Easy, peasy!

But I’m not engaged … It doesn’t matter if you’re a new couple or one who’s been married for 40 years, every couple needs a photo! You can make “Facebook Official” look even better, have photos for the newspaper engagement announcement, make up for not having wedding photos, mark an anniversary, announce an impending arrival or just celebrate couple-dom. You don’t need a reason to capture the love you share!

Ready? Set? Go! Send a snapshot of you and your love to echodayphotography@gmail.com – and don’t forget to tell me a little bit about you! Or, you can surprise your favorite couple by nominating them (and who doesn’t love surprises?)!

Contest rules (aw, man!): You must be 18 years or older to submit an entry; one entry per couple. Entries must be made by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, July 31, 2010. Voting will begin on Monday, Aug. 2 and end at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 8. Winners will be announced by Aug. 12. Entrants must live in West Tennessee and must use their session by Oct. 31, 2010. This is also an anti-discriminatory zone; couples of any age, race or sexual orientation are welcomed to enter.

My mom says it’s time for an update, so here we go …

1. Sports are killing me – and I’m just a spectator. Well, kinda. Cheerleading has finally wrapped (whew!) and last week all four children started soccer. We have practices on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday (until games start in a couple of weeks).

At the last minute, Darin was asked to coach in the beginners league, the 3-4 age group, and so he and our friend coach Jenna and Emma’s team. At Saturday’s practice there were a few meltdowns and once one or two start crying, it’s pretty much a wave of tears! Ha ha.

Lucky me, I’m team mom of all three teams. Gulp.

Games start in a few weeks and it looks like we’ll be spending quite a bit of time on the field, thankfully it’s pretty close.

Darin is also playing sports – basketball, softball and soccer. All at the same time. Basketball will end in April, then the men’s softball league starts. I swear he’s keeping me busier than the kids do.

One of these days I hope my family cheers me on like I do for them. That would be awesome.

2. The weather is getting more awesome by the day. The temperatures have dipped here and there, but today it was 71 degrees and beautiful. This makes practices and games more bearable, especially for the children who aren’t practicing/playing because they get to play at the playground (yay!). And that never gets old, apparently.

My allergies haven’t bothered me yet. I’m surprised by this because usually by the end of February I am entirely too miserable. I’ve been advised that taking a teaspoon of local honey (that is, honey produced within 20-30 miles of your home) can help with seasonal and nasal allergies (do you say it in the bee’s voice from the commercial like I do? lol). I’ve tried it. I don’t know if it helps, but I have yet to take my usual Claritin, Mucinex or anything else. I don’t even have any allergy medicine, come to think of it.

3. Not being miserable makes being outside tolerable. And I like tolerable. Because I can do things like playing with my new 50mm lens (used in the flower photos). The above photo was taken after I shot my first wedding of the season – and my first wedding as a pro! That was awesome. I’ve shared some of those photos over on the photog blog.

4. Jaiden is now in the gifted program at school. She’s terribly excited about it and I’m really proud of and for her. Her IQ is 119 according to the testing conducted by the school. She will now attend a special class for two hours every week (one hour per day on Tuesday and Thursday). Last week I had a meeting with her teacher and the special education staff; it was great to hear the teacher say so many great things about Jaiden and give me a little glimpse of the person she is when she is not with me. I kept thinking, “Wow, that is such an awesome person and I gave birth to her!”

5. No DNA test required, these are my children. Maybe. On Sunday it rained and the kids couldn’t play outside, so I sent them upstairs to clean their rooms instead of watching yet another episode of “Big Time Rush” (a horrible show if you ask me). While they were busy, I wasn’t feeling so hot, so I took a nap on the couch. You already know where I’m going with this, don’t you?

They woke me up, telling me that they wanted me to watch their show. This is not unusual – they’re always making up shows. But I sent them upstairs to clean, not choreograph! (My parents and Darin get so frustrated with me because I procrastinate tasks like cleaning my room – I once read the dictionary instead!) These are definitely my children, I thought.

I patiently watched the show and I’m glad I did. Jaylen’s dancing is quite hilarious (especially when you fast forward it!) and Darin and I couldn’t believe how much Jaiden stayed on beat. lol. Lo and behold, when I tucked them in at bedtime, their rooms were clean. So maybe they aren’t my children afterall. And they didn’t get their singing and dancing skills from me, either. lol.

6. All the women who are independent/Throw your hands up at me. All of my girls are struggling with wanting more independence and I’ve been struggling with giving it to them. Jaiden wants to do her own hair and choose her own clothes (she’s not the best at either) and it’s huge for me to just let go and let her do it. HUGE!

I don’t like my kids to look like ragamuffins, so I usually help them chose their clothing and do their hair. I send them back to change if they don’t match or have holes in their clothes, etc. This is natural, right? I care what my children look like when they walk out of this house because they’re a reflection of me – and I want it to be a good, accurate reflection.

Letting go has had some positive results in just a few weeks – Jaiden’s hairstyling is improving and having her friend Emily spend the night and give her a ton of hand-me-downs has helped her make better choices (read that as Emily has encouraged her to match).

Now four, both Emma and Jenna have exerted an increasing need for their own independence. Jenna is more forceful about it than anyone else right now, though. Well, she’s more aggressive than the other three, period. She now wants to do everything on her own, from buckling her own seatbelt (she’s now in a booster seat) to making her own sandwiches or pouring her own juice. I don’t ‘let go’ as much with her as I do with Jaiden simply because a four-year-old has no business pouring juice. lol.

“Nooooo, Jaylen!!!!! I WANT TO DO IT MYSELF!!!!”

This is totally priming us for the teenage years. I think it’s going to be one decade of alcoholism for me.

7. I made a cake wreck that was actually quite tasty. It was our turn to host coffee hour at church this past weekend, so I made a strawberry cake. And used icing instead of frosting. Because it’s made with powdered sugar and butter, icing doesn’t typically hold its shape; it was a mess by the time we got to church. But! It tasted pretty good. The Jewish priest (yes!) that was visiting our church said he wanted to take me home and that I deserved extra blessings! Ha.

It was pretty easy to make, too. I say that even though I had three little ones helping me make it. Check out the recipe over at our food blog, daylicious.

8. Speaking of being daylicious, we’re taking over. Kinda. Last week, Dara accepted the position of head librarian of Munford’s library! I’m so excited for her! Around here, everyone’s related and now I am finally related to someone that a lot of people will know (the rest of my family is pretty low-key). Very cool, right?

Our poor library is still stuck in the dark ages – physical card catalog still in use and the library is not computerized at all. Dara hopes to come in and change that! And the library committee has confidence in her.

Dara Gonzales: Change we can believe in!

(We’ll wait while you finish barfing over that last statement, Dara.)

She finishes her masters in May and will start here in June. She and Isaac are, of course, relocating. It will be great to have them close, but I know they are really going to miss Texas. Beach, barbeque and, most importantly, their friends and family down there. Hell, I miss their friends; they rock.

9. I am rocking this Lent thing. I gave up chocolate. Wednesday (tomorrow) will make 35 days since I’ve had any chocolate whatsoever. No Thin Mints. No brownies. No sweet, heavenly bite-sized Milky Way Midnights. No Twix. And did I mention no Thin Mints? No chocolate ice cream. No chocolate milkshakes. Not one chocolate chip cookie.

It’s been a struggle, no doubt. But it’s getting easier. I just sigh, poke my lip out and continue on my merry way. I can’t cheat on Jesus, dude. He died for me, I can go without chocolate for a few weeks.

I think my dad is torturing me, though. He knows I gave up chocolate. He likes to bring me cakes at work (YES!); sometimes I come back and find he’s left one on my desk. (What can I say? I think he gets bored when my mom’s out of town.) Yesterday I came back after lunch and a horrible accident/breaking story to find the cake carrier sitting on my desk. Inside? A yellow cake! Covered in milk chocolate frosting. Sniff. Darin is enjoying it, though. (Dad makes great cakes.)

Next weekend, though, I will get some chocolate! The end is nigh, my friends. (PS – I’m pretty proud of myself for sticking to it and learning to resist temptation, which is what this is really about.)

I’ve also been fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, eating fish or vegetarian instead of red meat. I go for at least two meals without red meat, but I do sometimes give in and have beef. I’m sorry, Jesus. Please forgive me (and see the previous four paragraphs about my much bigger sacrifice and how GREAT! I’ve been doing at resisting temptation!).

10. Better than crack and totally legal. I recently tried the spinach and artichoke cream cheese and I am IN LOVE. It is delicious! I find excuses to eat toast or bagels. Mmm.

11. It’s just a number. I know I always freak out over turning 30 this year, but my sweet Grannie has quite a few decades on me and I have never heard her complain. Tomorrow (Wednesday) is her birthday!

The number would make you think she’s an old, old lady, but she’s not; she gets around better than some people 20-30 years younger than she. She’s probably older than some of her “old ladies” she took care of when we were kids, but you wouldn’t know it.

Anyway, we all love her like crazy and feel so blessed to have her in our lives!

Grannie, you’re the best grandmother ever! We hope you have a great birthday!

More and more I’m finding it difficult to quiet the voices, the thoughts constantly running through my head. Jaylen has snack on Tuesday, Jenna has to bring a snack on Wednesday; don’t forget to plan something quick and easy for Monday and Thursday, something meatless for Wednesday and Friday; Jenna’s birthday party is on Sunday and invitations haven’t gone out; I need to decide on and design a logo for the photography business, work up more templates, set pricing, add a portfolio to the site; I can’t wait for girl time on Friday; soccer sign-ups end this week; I really want chocolate; I’m behind on xyz; laundry needs to be done, don’t forget to call the washer repairman; don’t forget to send lunch money; get out of bed on time tomorrow; my God, do I need some chocolate.

No matter what I’m doing, where I’m going, the steady stream is there. It’s the freakin’ never-ending to-do list, live and in my brain. Sometimes I wish I could crumple it up and be guilt-free.

November and January were great months for this blog, filled with daily posts and comments from readers. I miss it, but at the same time I’m relieved to not have one more self-imposed obligation.

I’ve been working on my 29-day giving challenge, though admittedly it’s been a half-hearted attempt. I’ve given every day, though I’ve not documented since I was in single digits and have even lost track of what actual day I’m on, though I know I started on Feb. 2. Perhaps later I will be able to focus wholeheartedly on this challenge, but right now I feel like I’m being challenged enough in other areas.

Last month I launched the Etsy shop and, as the next phase in my plan, this week I had a semi-launch of my new website, Echo Day Photography. The blog is really the only thing up and running. Over time I will add galleries and all that jazz, just trying to take it one step at a time, take more photos and not stress myself out over it. I’m very, very excited, though! Once I figure out how I want to do it, I’ll also be featuring my card designs there. During the next few months I’ll be working on birth announcement and party invitation printables and more, including a special item request from Liz of DaMomma.com. Look for that in April (not giving it away!). Don’t forget to hop on over there, subscribe to the blog, follow me on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook! I’d really appreciate it if you did.

Work has been … well, work. I’ve become rather complacent and unmotivated. I’m missing the spark, which happens from time-to-time. This was supposed to be the last week for our other writer, but arrangements have been made and she will be staying on-board, but in a different capacity. This? Is great. When she announced her plans last month, I was initially worried that I’d be alone for a few weeks, writing everything, but I decided to let go and let God and it worked out.

That said, we are in the middle of a huge publication and we’re behind. What else is new?

The husband and children are doing well.

Darin worked on a super secret project for a major corporation, something outside his actual job description, and got a nice bonus because of it. Very proud of him! He and I also worked on his old house, sprucing it up for family members who have plans to move here in a few months.

Don’t we look horrible? I know. But we have matching bandanas. Apparently he’s in the crypts and I’m in the Mossy Oak gang? I just didn’t want paint in my hair, which is what ALWAYS happens. But the paint is brown, so really it wouldn’t have been all that noticeable. That said, we have smiles on our faces. Real smiles, not fake ones. It took a few months to get back to it, but we’re back in our saccharin-sweet newlywed phase. You know it, it’s that one where you look around, sigh, and smile because you are married. To someone who wants to be married to you. And it rocks.

Anyway, our project that day was to paint cabinets. The top cabinets were white, the bottom were a green color; they’re not all brown and look SO MUCH BETTER. You’re welcome, mystery family member with a secret move. Darin said you can pay Day-Day Home Improvements with a barbeque pit. Ha!

Jaiden is wrapping up cheerleading. Next Friday is the jamboree and they have been practicing like crazy. I’ll be a little excited to have my Monday and Thursday nights back, though soccer season will start next month, so there really won’t be too much of a break, especially since all four kids are probably playing. I know Jaiden will be sad when cheerleading is over, though. She has really, really enjoyed it and it’s been a great confidence boost for her; I was really worried about her self-esteem for awhile, but cheerleading has helped. All of the nickel-and-diming, all of the frustration I’ve endured is worth it to see that smile on her face. She has recently made two new friends too, who she says are the best ever, so that is great. There is no drama there like there is with some of the girls in her class. (Yes, we start the drama at a young age, apparently!)

I found out almost two weeks ago that someone had been bullying my son. I was so, so, so angry! And upset. I mean, he’s my baby boy! He’s six, but he’s still my little man. He cried when he told me; we were sitting at a table at IHOP of all places. I was devastated. Poor thing. Thankfully it wasn’t anything too bad and the school administrators have talked with the both of them; things seem to be going okay since. Anyway, he has been reading for several months now and loves going to basketball practice with Darin (who plays on an adult league).

We’ve been having a few issues with Emma lately because of adjustments in other areas of her life. She had night terrors Sunday night; Jaylen had those as a toddler. Poor little thing was SO upset! My heart just broke for her. Emma doesn’t seem to do too well with changes, good or bad. She still has her imagination, though. The other night she woke up about 3:15 a.m. and made several trips downstairs to ask us questions and have us weigh in on certain things, like whether or not Jenna’s Dora flower wall stickers would turn into spiderwebs with real spiders. At 3:30 a.m.! OMG. Blah. Darin enrolled her in private school for Pre-K next year, so over the summer we’ll have to get her uniforms and all that jazz.

Next week, Jenna is turning four! So weird. And so fast. On Sunday we’re having a teacher-themed party for her. It’s perfect, because the girl LOVES to play teacher all day, every day. She told me last week that she didn’t need any presents because she already has too many toys in her room! lol. She has since changed her tune, though, and wants Barbie dolls and Dora toys. We’re having her party at a skating rink and she is super excited over it. She’s also excited about watching Jaiden cheer; she cheers right along with her from the sidelines. I think maybe we’ll have two little girls carrying poms poms next fall. SIGH.

So that’s the basic wrap-up from here. Consider yourself updated! Now you know why I have so much running through my head all the time.

I’m not blogging every single day here this month. I miss it, but I have plenty to keep me busy!

Aside from the norm, I mean.

I’ve started a photography blog to go with my Etsy store. Honestly, I didn’t know what to write about at first. I cross-posted the shop announcement and photography tips I’d originally posted here, then decided to post some tips on photography for snow days. I got a great response to it and I was very excited about that! I think I was more excited that my friends learned something than I was to actually make a sale in the shop (sorry Mark).

And so, well, now I know what to blog about: photography. Tips. Fundamentals. And there is a weekly Photo of the Week feature. Come on over and check it out! I’m also on Twitter and have a Facebook fan page too, if you’re interested. I currently have 82 fans and it’s mind-blowing to me to see people I don’t know at all. Fabulous!

I have to brag: I have a recipe featured on the front of Just a Pinch this week! It’s not the featured recipe, but rather one of the blue ribbon recipes featured. I suppose they think my Smoky Chicken Scoops would make great Super Bowl food. (I’m excited about it, even though JAP is owned by the same company that owns the paper that employs me.) Awesome! PS – My dad thinks I can’t cook. And I bet he’d never eat these because it’s – GASP! – chicken. He hates chicken.

Of course Dara and I are still blogging about food over at Daylicious. My sweet sister-in-law informed me I am doing a poor job of promoting this over here and I don’t even have her on my (ridiculously outdated!) blogroll. Photography not your thing? Come see what’s cookin’ at Daylicious. This weekend I blogged about the cinnamon rolls I made Friday. Mmm.

And if I didn’t have enough to say, I’ve started 29 Gifts, a giving challenge. Each day, I will be giving a gift in an effort to become less selfish. That’s the plan, anyway. Tuesday was Day One. I’d intended to start on Monday, but you’ll have to read the blog entry I submitted to find out why Tuesday was actually Day One. (And mom, I honestly did hand wash dishes. That never happens.)

So that’s what I’ve been up to in February.

Also? We have a MAJOR project at work due this month. And my co-worker, our only other full-time writer, gave her notice. She’ll be leaving at the end of the month. March may find me running myself ragged with my paying job. I guess we’ll see.

I got off early today – 9:45 a.m.! I like that right now, because I got to spend some time alone in Memphis shopping for throw pillows and accent pieces in a certain shade of aqua (of all things!), but at the same time I know I will hate it once payday rolls around again. I’ve grown very used to my big paychecks from work overtime. lol.

Soon I will start my new gig with the paper and those big paychecks? Yeah, not so much. But I will have more time with my children, less miles on my truck, and less stress. There are a lot of pros and cons to my current job, but one thing I’ve been thinking about lately is how I am just not all that great at these posed, conformed photos with rules dictated by someone who has never pressed a shutter release in their life. To me, it’s not real photography. I mean, it IS photography and we DO employ a lot of standard photographic techniques every single day, but the whole sit here on this very mark and do this very thing and yadda, yadda is just not creative enough for me. I need that creative outlet and doing this just doesn’t cut it. I love my coworkers though – God, I’m going to miss them!

Since I’ll have more time – or should have more time, I mean – I am going to look into school and will be beginning to build my [photography] portfolio soon. I would like to mainly do maternity and newborn photography, honestly. There’s not so much fussing and fighting as there is with kids that are a little older – newborns are just there doing what they do and pregnant mothers are there for a beautiful reason. Katie printed the photos I did of her a few weeks ago and she said everyone loves them, so I am wanting to start doing maternity sessions when we come back from Alabama and I get settled in with the new job. There are a few mommies-to-be from the daycare where she works, so I want to advertise there.

I am also going to get my butt in gear and start offering birth announcement templates. I am changing the name of my business and will begin to incorporate both photography and design. I am too busy to do a lot of the running around involved with announcement printing, but I LOVE designing them, so I will switch gears and offer Print-Your-Own only and templates for photographers (or anyone wanting to purchase them). Who knows if anyone will buy them; it seems a lot of people in my life are boycotting me for some reason they all say is just ‘life getting in the way’. lol.

Are your eyes glazing over yet? Yeah, I know. Sorry. No one really cares about my business or my photography. I am still wondering why I have people who read this because I am nowhere near as entertaining as you must think I am. Like, okay, after posting a gazillion pictures yesterday not ONE person said ANYTHING about them. I know I have other photographers reading this – can I get some constructive criticism please? You know I am all about some honesty here. I’m not looking to hear how cute they are (because, GOD, yes they are CUTE! I know!), but can you point out things I missed? lol (I know I am in bad need of some of MB’s Orange Out to even out those skintones, but that’s coming.) (Also? I hate when people whine about not getting comments on something, so I fully admit to being a hypocrite right here.)

Jaylen is seriously holding up naptime today. Can I scream yet? Jenna Grace WAS sleeping when we got home and he has been in and out of her crib playing with her. Makes me wonder why on Earth I picked them up early, except that I was passing the sitter’s town on my way home and didn’t want to have to go out of my way after naptime to get them. I pulled Jaylen out of the crib and Jenna cries louder, like she’s mad that I’m taking her brother away or something.

Anyway. I have work to do, but that’s what’s been on my mind. In case you were wondering.

It’s time, once again, for some shameless self-promotion!

Just do it. http://www.creative-echoes.com