La Vita E Bella

Congratulations Graduate!

Congratulations on graduating Kyle. Here is to a new home (ours), a new job (Chili's), and a fantastic summer!!! You are awesome, and I am so proud of you and all of your accomplishments.

Catching a Breath...

Who knew a 16 pound baby could consume so maby aspects of a persons life. I'm learning this every day. Time for Lucas comes first, followed by time for Trei, followed by time for school, house, laundry, blogging, and finally myself. That's my excuse for such lengthy time between posting! Oh, and on top of that, I've been practicing my photography and editing skills - which is time consuming as well. I spend atleast 3 hours a day at the computer trying to practice. I took the photo to the left today on the whim - it's not great (especially because of the shadows), but I love it anyway. Lucas just loves his daddy, and it's the sweetest thing to see. Makes me smile. So I'm sharing this with you. Have I mentioned I got that job? Yes, I interviewed Wednesday, hired Thursday and start next week. I'm receiving the pay I requested, and will have flexible hours. I'm still not thrilled with the prospect of working - but sometimes we have to sacrifice our desires in order for God to work his magic. I know that, so I will do this job to the best of my ability and make them so proud of hiring me. I have no doubts about that. God's will is perfect and I have faith in it! In other news, Memorial Day weekend was a blast - BUSY, but a blast. Thursday my mom drove out to Newport, met me for lunch, and took Lucas home with her for 2 days!!! She offered on Wednesday, and I took her up on it. I had Thursday and Friday to get my stuff done - and even sleep in! It was so generous of her,  and a nice break for me. Friday night I watched the Keyes boys, slept over, and Saturday morning headed into the valley with the Keyes family for Kristin's wedding. My mom watched all 3 boys while Gregory, Diana and I headed to the wedding to photograph. Kristin looked gorgeous and the wedding was beautiful. It was so good to see her finally become Mrs. Reeves. Her and Darren were so happy, and witnessing their nuptials was emotional. I am so proud of her. They are going to be very happy for a long, long time. I'm sure she will post pictures soon - for now I've included a few from my camera of her special day. Enjoy looking at them, and know that it was a beautifully executed day for a wonderful couple!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Reeves!!

Kristin, you made a stunning bride. I can't help but feel immense joy for the two of you. I really don't think there are two more compatible people in this world. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of the celebration. I love you and can't wait to watch as your life unfolds as Mrs. Reeves :) ....and they lived happily ever after.

My Little Model

Laughing in black and white
Originally uploaded by Melissa Vossler.

I've recruited Lucas to model for me.....here are some shots from our session. Click on the picture to visit the rest of the set! Enjoy.

to say life is good would be an understatement

Finally have some quiet time. It's 8pm, and Lucas is down for the night. Let me just say, he is an active little boy. Constantly keeping me on my toes. There is rarely a dull moment in our home. I've been blessed with a healthy and energetic son and I am so thankful for that. As I mentioned in his 5 month letter he is so interested in his world. Curious about everything he sets his eyes on. I love watching him learn about his surroudings, but get tired keeping things out of his reach. He is so determined which means he never gives up. Trei and I have been out and about a lot lately. My brother Kyle came to visit this weekend. For those of you who don't know, Trei and I offered to house Kyle for the summer so he could experience "moving out" without all the responsibility of "moving out". He spent most of Saturday on job interviews, and actually went on a 2nd interview on Sunday at Chili's and is hoping to be hired as a server there. He graduates next Thursday and will likely move in that weekend! He will be renting our extra room out and will spend the summer working, playing, and just hanging out. Lucas and his crib will be moved into our room, and the rest of his stuff will remain in the room with Kyle. We are looking forward to this time, and think it will be a great experience for Kyle - plus we love his company!! He's easy going, and will have no problems blending right in. So I'm praying he gets hired (so is he) and can begin his summer in style. Other than that, we're living your average family life.

Letters to Lucas: Month Five

Lucas,

Today you are five months, which is almost half of a year, which really freaks me out. I try and understand where the time has gone, but there is no understanding this. You are getting bigger before my eyes, and I have to learn to look forward to these changes, not dread them. This month were full of changes for you, everyday it seems you know something new, and your daddy and I swear you are so much more advanced than any baby your age and talk about our "little genious" all the time. Ofcourse we are your parents, and so there is a partiality - but I can promise you that you really are so very smart.

 

We have dozens of nicknames for you. But most of the time dad is calling you "Silly McGilly", and I call you "Guy Smiley". These names couldn't be any more appropriate for you. You are happy. All the time. Even when you are screaming mad, we can get a smile out of you. I think smiling is embedded in your DNA. You are also so silly. Your laugh is infectious and you get a kick out of making everyone around you laugh. You make the funniest faces, and elicit pure happiness wherever you go. It's hard not to smile when you are around...I mean look at that picture....who could resist?? Not I. Not your Daddy. Not your Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, or friends. It's impossible. You define every good thing in our lives.

so much to say, so little time to say it

Lucas is sitting up!!
Originally uploaded by Melissa Vossler.

My first Mother's Day was better than I expected. I woke up to my gorgeous little son, and a beautiful card from my husband. My mom watched Lucas so I could sleep in a little, which was an extra perk. Although I felt bad having her watch him, I realize that Lucas is a gift for her....so she doesn't mind taking him in the morning. Michael, Melissa, Katy, and Kyle were all there to celebrate with my parents, Trei, Lucas and I. We went to breakfast that morning and then spent the day at home where we talked, ate a fabulous meal cookied by my dad, and watched some home movies. It was such a relaxing day, and I felt extra thankful to have Lucas as my son, and to be him mommy. We were able to take some "family" pictures outside on the whim. We really haven't done any since he was born, so I jumped at the opportunity of having my dad snap some shots. You can view the Mother's Day photos here. We then spent Monday and this morning at my parents taking advantage of some relaxation and help with Lucas. My parents are so generous, and we are so glad that they are in our lives and so willing to help us with Lucas and provide us with some down time and a little extra sleep in the morning :) They are amazing, and as thankful as I am to be a mommy - I'm equally as thankful to have a wonderful mom like mine. She is truly an amazing woman and I hope to have the same impact on Lucas that she's had on me. Oh, and dad is a great guy too....but I'll save that for Father's Day! Ofcourse, I can't forget that Kristin's bridal shower was on Saturday, and I had a great time celebrating her upcoming marriage. I remember my shower almost like it was yesterday (it will be 3 years ago June 12th!). This is such an exciting time in her life, and I was honored to be able to celebrate with her. She is going to make a stunning bride, and I can't wait to witness her vows and see her become Mrs. Reeves.

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

I have updated my Flickr account with a lot of new pictures! Please click the here to be redirected to the photo page. Visit the "Family Gatherings" collection for pictures from Mother's Day today. Visit the "Our Sweet Lucas" collection for new pictures of Lucas in the 4-6 month set. ALSO, visit the "Phototography" collection for a practice shoot I did with Katy and her friend Christina. If you have time to spare, make your way over and check em' out!

Celebrating Moms

Happy Mother's Day!!

I'm a Bad Blogger!!!

"Gag me with a spoon!"
Originally uploaded by Melissa Vossler.

I laugh everytime I see this picture. It was taken last night while Lucas had his first experience with peas. Lucas has an exciting feeding schedule. He's still breastfed, take s a bottle, eats cereal, and is now being introduced to fruits and veggies. I was fully expecting him to purse his lips and reject the new food. He is still wary of the rice cereal and applesauce, so I thought for sure he'd pass on the peas. To my surprise, he ate, and ate, and ate! Opening his mouth to accept this new green substance and panicking when I'd stop for too long. He wanted the spoon just as much as the food, and made quite a mess of himself. I had him in his bumbo seat, clad only in a diaper sitting on the counter and laughed, and took pictures. He is too funny!! He's not too coordinated with the spoon yet, and gagged himself more than once. I'm just glad I got it on film! To see the rest of the pictures, please click on the photo to be taken to my Flickr account. I uploaded about 10 from our little feeding session. Up next? Carrots, and then Sweet Potatos. Man, who knew smashed veggies could be so fun! Have I mentioned he's also rolling like crazy? Back to front, front to back, side to side. Every which way. In fact, I can look away for just a moment and he's scross the room. It's amazing. He began the rolling over a few weeks ago, but it started as just one roll. Back to tummy. Now he's mobile! My mom called Trei and I Monday afternoon to tell us of his newest accomplishment - and he hasn't stopped since then. First thing in the morning, and after every nap I get surprised with his newest position in the crib. Mostly on his tummy in some crunched up, or spread out position. I'm used to going in and having him in the same position I left him. Not anymore - he's EVERYWHERE. I'll have to take a picture one of these days of his hilarious little poses. He is also becoming more and more talkative. Chatting most of the day. Really, the only time he's quiet is when he's asleep. He loves to tell everyone what he's doing. Usually it's in the firm of some high pitched squeal followed by a jaunt of babbles and laughs. Trei and I go crazy over this. He is so precious, and irresistable - I can hardly stand it!