:issue: anticipation

can't wait: disney.go.com/wonderland/

:issue: i wasn't born with a conjoined twin...

BUT IT SURE FEELS LIKE IT! Her name is Kailynn-James & she's 1! I'm not too sure my OBGYN ever cut the umbilical cord!

This past week was rather rough for me.... I was TRAMPLED with some very disturbing news regarding 2 girls that I consider my own, that I watched grow from babies to a teen and tween... Most of my days last week were spent on the phone trying to console my sisters (their mothers) and help them be strong while being their voice when they were unable to speak as loud as they wanted. Took myself through tons of emotions such as pissed, sad, disappointed (not in them), MAD, protective, nurturing, LIVID and stressed. I am hoping my girls pull through and become stronger, rather than weak as some do when faced with situations such as the one they were forced to go through... I'll continue to help guide them in the right direction. They tell me that I inspire them and I am forever flattered that I am making some sort of impact on their lives :) I <3 you both and will always be here for you!
Over the weekend I completed an advertisement assignment for Kaiya Eve Couture. While shooting some backstage editorial work during a Schwarzkopf hair show, I brought in a little model to complete my assignment for Kaiya Eve. I call this shoot "stage kid"... In my mind I came up with a story of a little girl whose mother is a model and the little girl spends her days backstage during her mothers shows... See photos below:

:issue: this is fast food

Yesterday it hit me... NO MORE FAST FOOD! Everything was rushed yesterday I felt as though I didn't have time to do anything. Woke up late, made breakfast and rushed Boopity to school, photo editing, submissions, Kailynn-James was not feeling well, rush to the bank, rush to pick up Boopity, rush to get them showered and ready to visit Grandmother in law for her b-day, and the list goes on... During all of this rushing, there was no time to fix dinner.... So, on the way home we stopped @ a fast food restaurant.... I started feeling bad because I realized we were eating fast food at least once and sometimes twice a week.

Last night I decided to turn to my favorite parenting mags and websites and get recipe ideas for healthy/fast/fun meals for kids and families and found some great stuff! We'll be trying new things out daily (hopefully!). I'll also be sharing where I found these ideas :) The good thing is that most of the recipes and ideas I found are FAST to whip up! Which is great for a mom who has her own biz or works from home.

Below are Yogurt Dippers! A fast & healthy breakfast idea found on Parent's Magazines website. HERE <~~~~~ Kailynn-James gave it a try and she looooved dipping her fruit in the yogurt! Of course her hands got a little messy, but that's cool, nothing a little paper towel and water couldn't handle. Looking forward to figuring out what I'll be doing for dinner!

:issue: i <3 the sun

90% of the time that I shoot, I chase the sun... my signature? maybe

: issue : strawberry

twins. both had strawberry birthmarks on their foreheads. 1 faded and the other is fading.

Not sure if you know, but I've started my strawberry project. A photo project raising awareness about Hemangioma (strawberry birthmarks) & other vascular birthmarks. I am so happy that I started this project. Both of my children have small "strawberry" birthmarks, so this project is dear to my heart :) Sometimes Hemangioma birthmarks can affect a child badly. For cosmetic reasons, for health reason (if it is too large, etc.) I am hoping to photograph 50 different children with these types of birthmarks. Please contact me @ strawberry@jatawnyvision.com if you or someone you know has a child who has this type of birthmark. In the meantime check out www.birthmark.org for more info about Vascular birthmarks!

:issue: finding it especially difficult to work

Wow, this week has started off kind of tough... Every 3 seconds someone is yelling, screaming, tossing, jumping, crying, whining, hitting, pulling.... the list goes on.

Somehow through it all I managed to work on a few new projects. I can't post more than this shot from this series but I can't wait til I can!

:issue: love rocks

So I just arrived back home from New Jersey (a short trip to pick up a few things) and Sex & The City (the movie) is on. I've never watched one single episode of the show and didn't really have any desire to watch the movie. Somehow, I find myself shedding tons of tears while watching this movie and now I'm hooked! I guess I'm the rebellious type and didn't want to go with the "Sex & The City" trend that I saw going on for so many years... Now that a lot of the hooopla has kind of died down, I think I'll be catching up with the series that I missed for oh so many years!

:issue: beauty speaks louder than words

:issue: letting go

TEMPORARILY!

So, my baby boy went off to school on me! I have to admit when we enrolled him, I was super excited, ECSTATIC to say the least.. This meant I was 1/2 way to temporary freedom! No more "Mommy, mommy.... excuse me mommy" while I'm making important phone calls. No more being pulled in 2 different directions by both babies... Just a little bit more time to get more work done....

AND THEN... the day came...

OK, so what I cried a little when I woke up to get him ready and so what I nearly had a PANIC attack when we let him get on the bus. <~~~ not my fault, we followed the bus and when we arrived to the school my baby was nowhere to be found! *minor glitch in the system* And... OK, I boo hoo'd when I got home and was able to make phone calls without him working on the computer beside me or coloring a worksheet... That's my baby, what do you expect? I missed him :( His little voice, the complaining, the laughing, the talking my head off, the whining, the bickering between the two on them, the fighting to lay on my lap as I work on the laptop.... *wiping my tears as I type!*

Overall, I am excited for my baby boy.. I would love to be selfish and keep him up under me all day to enjoy his witty comments, but now I am able to temporarily unleash him to the world (sort of!) to entertain others :) Soon he'll be teaching the class! And hey, it's only 6 hrs that he's gone! *the drama* Plus, Kailynn-James has a run of the house and plays with every toy of his without getting it snatched away while he is in school.

And oh yeah, his teacher is pretty cool! She has a tongue ring that I know he'll ask her about some day soon!