The best husband ever

Ok, this post is long overdue. I just want to say how grateful I am for my husband, Mark. He works so hard all of the time, whether it is at his job, school, around the house, or with Chris and I. There is always so much to do, yet he never hesitates to drop everything to play with Chris or to help me with whatever I need. He has willingly supported me in this new business, even though it has been quite expensive to start up. He is the smartest person that I know. And I can't even begin to say how much it means to me to be married to someone that I know will never leave me. I could keep going! Last weekend when I did the engagement shoot for Adam and Ingrid, Mark came along since he and Adam are friends. And he was a great help! We all had fun teasing him about being my "assistant", but he also carried some of my gear. He also had some great suggestions for shots.. and I even caught him taking some himself with my backup camera... hence the shot of his shoes :)



I love you, Mark! Thanks for making me the luckiest girl ever :)

My buddy

This weekend the three of us went down to Palm City to spend the night with Mark's mom. It was a relaxing trip, and I know Chris loves visiting his Grandmom! This morning we went out for a yummy breakfast - I had the best "banana granola" pancakes ever! We then took Chris to the park, which he absolutely loves. But my favorite moment came when I pulled Chris onto my lap on one of the swings. I do this often, and usually he sits up in my lap. But this time he laid his head on my shoulder and wrapped his chubby little arms around me - and stayed like that! It was seriously one of the sweetest moments of my life. For several minutes we stayed like that, swinging slowly back and forth. It was one of those moments that I wish could have lasted forever.
However, it didn't. We left there and went to another park where they had these fountains that kids could play in. The water would shoot up and then disappear - and Chris had a blast. He loves the water - as long as it doesn't get in his face :) Here's a few shots from the day...

He got a little brave and went to check out the bigger fountains...

But it got a little too high!

Life...

Well, here's a little bit of random Billman life...
I have been hard at work this week fixing up - well, alright, demolishing - my garden in the back yard. Last year I planted a lot of really pretty flowers in it. However, I haven't exactly been very faithful with the upkeep. So some of my plants died, some got really big, and others are somewhere in between. In addition, we had used bark instead of mulch which we have since learned is a major termite delicacy. This is especially true because of the location of the garden: it is a very damp area of our yard. So, we decided we need to take up the plants, put them in pots, replace the bark with rocks, and then arrange the pots on the rocks. Ugghhh - it is a lot of work. And Chris isn't exactly patient...
Today, however, I actually got some work done. About a month ago I spotted a "sand and water table" in a catalog, and I immediately knew Chris would love it. He loves playing outside, especially in the dirt, but he really doesn't have many outside toys. So I finally ordered the table, and it was a hit! One side is for sand, and the other for water. However, after about 5 minutes he had half of the sand in the water side. Of course. But I don't care - he was having fun! (Well, at least for a little while) And the clean-up was a cinch: I just took off his diaper and hosed him down!



In other news, Friday night my sister Melanie gave birth to her second baby, a little boy named Elijah Don. I haven't met him yet, as they live in Alabama, but am hoping to see them in the next month or two. We're excited to have a new addition to the Weidner family!




And last, we're also excited about a new job for Mark. He was recently offered a position at Harris, and as it seems like a good career move he decided to take it. I don't know exactly what he'll be doing (it's all government contract stuff, so I don't get to know too much)... but it involves robots in space. I'm so proud of him! He'll start on June 2.

Adam and Ingrid

Saturday night I went out to the beach for Adam and Ingrid's engagement session. It was a lot of fun, as Adam and Mark have known each other since 9th grade and were even roommates in college - so there were a lot of funny stories! In fact, if it wasn't for Adam then I may never have met Mark.
Adam and Ingrid are a cute couple - I loved watching them hold hands all evening! I can't wait to shoot their wedding in November.

What a week...

Sorry it's been a little while since I've posted. But this week has really been a nightmare. Chris has been driving me NUTS - is it possible that the "terrible twos" are beginning?? Oh, I hope not. I don't think I'll survive it if this is what it is like. Just to give you a hint: yesterday, by 8am he had 3 meltdowns. This morning while I took a shower, he stood in the doorway and threw a tantrum - for the entire time! I am really trying to discipline him for whining and fussing when he doesn't get his way, but so far it is really hard because he doesn't give me any warning - he just melts down into a screaming, writhing mess in a matter of milliseconds. I've tried ignoring it, spanking, and putting him in his crib - and none of it worked a bit. I think part of the problem is that he is just bored. He's tired of his toys and his routine. But, there isn't much I can do about that! Oh, the joys of parenting...
On a good note, he had a check-up at the doctor this week. She said he looks perfect! (Despite the fact that he fell flat on his face on the sidewalk right before we left for the appointment, resulting in his face being pretty messed-up. I'm just thankful she didn't report me for child abuse!) He is in the 90th percentile for height and the 70th for weight. And she wasn't concerned by the fact that he is a little behind in talking. However, just in the past 2 days he is already learning some new words! Yesterday, out of the blue, he started signing "more." He also said "shoe". Today, I asked him if he wanted more snack and he responded with a clear "yes!" Then later on he was looking at a book that points out several parts of the body, and when he got to the page that shows a baby's hair, he pointed to his own. Of course, he won't say anything when we want him to - it's all when he feels like it.


I've had more than enough of this....

Last weekend I took him to this place that just has a whole bunch of toys for kids to play with. His favorite was the black truck. Guess he just wants to be like his daddy!

He also liked the "bounce house" with the inflatable slide. He loved going down head first! He has NO FEAR!

One of Chris's newest words is "shee!", which means "Mommy, I want some Goldfish crackers!" One afternoon I mistakenly left the pantry door open, and he found the box. So he and daddy had a snack together. So cute!
Watching one of his shows, with his favorite monkey

Class of 2008: Meme

The other day I had the opportunity to head out to the beach to do some Senior pictures for Meme. She was such a beautiful model, and she has a great smile. It was fun to work with someone who is up for anything, whether it is laying in the sand, climbing through sand dunes, or "playing" on the playground. Here are some of my favorites from the day:

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation, Meme!

Logo update

Hey everyone!
Thanks so much for all of your comments on my logo concepts. I asked for some revisions, and here they are... let me know what you think!


I love the second one this time!

5 years... and we've still got it!

This past weekend marked a fun milestone: 5 years ago Saturday, I married the best man in the world! I can hardly believe it has been that long - it seems like just yesterday. But I am so thankful for him, and am looking forward to many more "5 years" together. I know for a fact that I am the most blessed girl ever. After all, I have a husband who I know loves me and will never leave me. He supports me, makes many sacrifices for me, is a wonderful father to our little guy, and understands me. I think one of my favorite things about our relationship is how we don't always have to talk - we just know what the other person is thinking.
Just to prove my point about how he is so supportive, we celebrated our anniversary by going to a photography workshop! He was a good sport about it :) It was a Nikon School workshop in Fort Lauderdale, so we actually made it a quick "getaway" trip and stayed Saturday night down there. It was fun to have some time for just the two of us - we even got to have dinner 2 times in peace in a restaurant! Wow!

Mark's parents came up to babysit... Chris loves his Grandmom and Pop!

As for the logo, thank you so much to all of you who responded with comments! I have asked for some revisions, and will let you know as soon as I get them back.

Help please!

Ok everyone, I need your help! I just had Ross over at Flosites send me a couple of concepts for a logo, and I would love your input... I'll post the concepts first and then I'll add some of my thoughts. Please be honest and let me know any thoughts/suggestions!

OK, this one didn't quite post right... if you click on it, you will see it clearly.

Ok... Right now my favorite is the first one. I think I like the font, and I like the "light" feeling of it. The only thing I am not sure about is the big dandelion in the center. It just doesn't look quite right with a dandelion in the center, but little daisy-like flowers blowing away (which I like)... shouldn't they all be the same?
As for the second one, I like the idea of the flowers coming off of the C, but overall I think it looks too heavy... maybe it would be better if the stems were thinner and more "swirly". And there is something about the font that isn't quite right. The shadows on the letters don't quite do it for me...
So what do you think?
And keep checking back... there's more fun stuff ahead!