a late night moment to blog!

Wow it has been a while since I've blogged, but I can hardly believe it is March and my quarter is almost over at OC!

I have my math final this Saturday and am working to finish my research paper for my english class. I have actually been REALLY enjoying doing it, because I chose to write it on current challenges and opportunities for midwives.  I have read so many publications in medical journals and different studies, it has been hard to narrow my scope for my paper.  Anyway, I am really looking forward to a break from school over the next few weeks, and then I only have one quarter left before I graduate.  I am just down to electives, so I am taking two sort of fun/easy art and media classes that look interesting.

So much else is going on that I am excited about!

I have my first REAL, paid-for birth photography client!  She was referred to me by an amazing birth and wedding videographer in the area who I really look up to - I felt so honored when she messaged me to see if I was accepting new clients.  It is convenient for me, because she isn't offering photography by itself right now, so it appears that she is sending me clients who are looking for that. I officially bought my business license this week and I have prices up on my website.  I am meeting with my client this week to go over a contract and take payment.  I can't believe I am getting paid to do this!

I also just applied for a position working as a virtual assistant for Evidence Based Birth.  If I am chosen for an interview I am expecting to hear back in the next couple of weeks, so I will keep you updated.  My hopes aren't super high or anything, but it really sounds like such an amazing opportunity (working from home for a cause I really believe in and where I can gain a TON of education for free).

One more sort of crazy thing I did was model for a life-drawing class Jeremy's aunt was teaching last month at the Bainbridge Art Museum.  I had a lot of fun doing it and got to chat with some cool artists in the area.

Also, here is a full pic of my new tattoo.  I loooove it.  It took about 3 hours for Tracy to do (way less time than she thought).  It hurt like crazy at times, but she is fun to talk to, so at least when we were talking I was distracted. Childbirth coping techniques came in handy, ha.

So thats whats up with me!  Shea is starting T-ball in little league in a week or so.  He is really excited about it and I just found out some of my good friends are requesting to be on the same team as us.  Jeremy and I were talking the other day about how crazy it is that Shea is in T-ball now, because we talked about this before he was born.  My kids are getting so old.

After I walked to pick up Shea from school, we decided to go down to the beach since the weather was so nice.  The tide was WAY out and Shea just ran and ran and ran.  I love the freedom he can experience on the beach.  I know he will not go past the boundary of the water's edge and he has so much open space to run and explore and play and I can just let him be independent. I am trying to learn to let go more and more so he can have more freedom, but it is such a fine tension to hold and I make mistakes all the time.  We are trying to teach him that in order to be trusted he needs to show us in small things first, but some times when I decide to let him try, he surprises me with his level of responsibility.  Other times I just hang my head in my hands and wonder where in the world this kid came from!  Anyway.

we are so blessed to call this home!

swinging on the "beach swings" someone made

Hailey found a tide pool and laid down to "be a mermaid" and then found clams and started digging at some random sea creatures she found.

Oh and after Shea's scrape this morning crashing into that parked car, I found out that at Kingdom Kids, he stuck a rock from the playground UP HIS NOSE and my father-in-law had to take him into the bathroom and try to get him to blow it out.  Apparently it was pretty bloody, but in the end Papa pushed his nostril and mouth closed and told Shea to blow as hard as he could and it came out.  He saved it.  It was large.  Shea said he was just trying to be funny.  We are learning lots of lessons these days.  He told Jeremy that the lesson he learned from the car incident was, "Don't sleepwalk in the road".

Here are just a few more shots from this month:

Shea was so sweet sharing this ice cream cone with Hailey

Walking back on the boardwalk in Longbeach after our bike ride