styleberry BLOG » Modern Portraiture & More | San Antonio, Texas

Metadata: f/2.8, 1/125, ISO 2000

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I cannot even tell you the warm fuzzies I feel when these two love each other.

I’ve been asked a lot how caroline has taken to having a baby brother and my answer is simple…she’s lovingly obsessed.

He’s the first thing she asks about in the morning & the last thing she talks about at night.

It is like a dream.

No one can make him smile like she can.

My heart is so full.

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& Project 52 is off to a very collaborative start! If you’d like to join in–it’s not too late. Here’s everything you need to know about

my 2012 Project 52.

& those of you who are linking up (please let me know if you need to be edited/added!):

Adventures in Mommyhood • Aubrey My Love • Blossoms & Vintage • Bugs & Boo-Boos • Candice Craves • Caynay Photography • Christina’s Project 52 • Chronicles of KT • Claire Jane • The Crain’s Nest • Dana Moran Photography • The Daulton Dabbler • Englexas • Everything Eatherton • Fairy Wings & Dinosaurs • Finding Joy • Firecracker Mama • Freckled Pink • From Stanwood to Seoul • Gin & Juice Boxes • Heather Marie Portraits • Ici & La • It’s a Graham Life • It’s a Strange & Lovely Ride • Kate L Photography • Keeping up with the Carters • Kim Percival Photography • Living for Love • Lizzi Photography • Mahina & Lucas • Mama Bethany • McLain Padilla Photography • Mist Moments • Memories by Mere • Moments & Impressions • The Mommyhood Memos • Moo with Me • Moxie Made • My Tots Travel • Navigating the Mothership • Nicole Dina Photography • Oh the Places We’ll Go • Our Baby Behr • Our Splendid Little Life • Phreckle Face Photography • Quiet Footsteps •Rachel Gray Photography • The Robersons • Shades of Bliss • Shutter Mama Blog • Side of the Table • Simply Us • Snaps of Our Life • Squamish Baby • The Todd’s • We Aren’t Scared of Sugar • We’re Better Together • Wicked Kate • Wokabout • Z as in Zebra

Metadata: f/2.8, 1/320, ISO 1600

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I am often an overcommitt-er. & when I am, I get SUPER cranky. Then my kiddies get cranky. & it’s all downhill from there. I’ve been trying very hard to really pare down my commitments lately. I like free days. I like wiggle room. & I NEED it to stay sane. Part of the reason that I know two is our perfect number of babies is that more babies bring more commitments. Two I can handle. By myself. More than that? I don’t even want to go there. I know I can’t handle it.

I have only involved caroline in one regular activity for the last two years and she LOVES it. Gymnastics is her thing. (That, and our regular trip to the bookstore that happens after class each week.) She is thriving. And I love to watch her self confidence grow as her physical skills continue to develop. She has learned so much from gymnastics–and it has been such a great base for her future athletics. I don’t want her to feel pressure to do everything & be involved in everything. I think kids are often over-scheduled and if she’s anything like her parents, she’s going to need a lot of quiet time too. So how do we balance it all? How do we expose her to enough to let her choose what makes her heart happy? I don’t know yet. But I do know, that this makes her happy. & we aren’t stopping any time soon. :)

•••

& Project 52 is off to a very collaborative start! If you’d like to join in–it’s not too late. Here’s everything you need to know about

my 2012 Project 52.

& those of you who are linking up (please let me know if you need to be edited/added!):

Adventures in Mommyhood • Aubrey My Love • Blossoms & Vintage • Bugs & Boo-Boos • Candice Craves • Caynay Photography • Christina’s Project 52 • Chronicles of KT • Claire Jane • The Crain’s Nest • Dana Moran Photography • The Daulton Dabbler • Englexas • Everything Eatherton • Fairy Wings & Dinosaurs • Finding Joy • Firecracker Mama • Freckled Pink • From Stanwood to Seoul • Gin & Juice Boxes • Heather Marie Portraits • Ici & La • It’s a Graham Life • It’s a Strange & Lovely Ride • Kate L Photography • Keeping up with the Carters • Kim Percival Photography • Living for Love • Lizzi Photography • Mahina & Lucas • Mama Bethany • McLain Padilla Photography • Mist Moments • Memories by Mere • Moments & Impressions • The Mommyhood Memos • Moo with Me • Moxie Made • My Tots Travel • Navigating the Mothership • Nicole Dina Photography • Oh the Places We’ll Go • Our Baby Behr • Our Splendid Little Life • Phreckle Face Photography • Quiet Footsteps •Rachel Gray Photography • The Robersons • Shades of Bliss • Shutter Mama Blog • Side of the Table • Simply Us • Snaps of Our Life • Squamish Baby • The Todd’s • We Aren’t Scared of Sugar • We’re Better Together • Wicked Kate • Wokabout • Z as in Zebra

Metadata: f/3.2, 1/125, ISO 3200

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I have not been very lovely to live with lately. I’ve had a lot on my mind and not a lot of my hubby around and I have been taking my sleep deprivation & struggles with my currently exhausting not-a-second-for-myself schedule out on him. It came to a head this week. & well. I’m glad it’s over.

What I thought was just six years of this brutal residency is going to be longer. One day last fall, I saw it in his eyes. He was in love. He found IT. That thing you love to do that you will do anything to do forever. & I knew this was coming. So I am trying to wrap my head around our future. In the end it’s going to be nine years of this brutal schedule. Most people only see the glitz and glam–like Heather’s amazing life on the RHOC. But there is so much more. So much more struggle to get to that final destination. Thousands of days training. Hundreds of nights at the hospital. Huge, life and death decisions that never, ever get left behind at work. It’s emotionally and physically exhausting work that affects our whole family. And, icing on the cake: this extends our military commitment to 2029.

Deep Breaths.

I can do this.

We can do this.

Hopefully, with grace.

& lots, and lots of lattes.

(p.s. cute crabby card by Penelope’s Press)

•••

& Project 52 is off to a very collaborative start! If you’d like to join in–it’s not too late. Here’s everything you need to know about

my 2012 Project 52.

& those of you who are linking up (please let me know if you need to be edited/added!):

Adventures in Mommyhood • Aubrey My Love • Blossoms & Vintage • Bugs & Boo-Boos • Candice Craves • Caynay Photography • Christina’s Project 52 • Chronicles of KT • Claire Jane • The Crain’s Nest • Dana Moran Photography • The Daulton Dabbler • Englexas • Everything Eatherton • Fairy Wings & Dinosaurs • Finding Joy • Firecracker Mama • Freckled Pink • From Stanwood to Seoul • Gin & Juice Boxes • Heather Marie Portraits • Ici & La • It’s a Graham Life • It’s a Strange & Lovely Ride • Kate L Photography • Keeping up with the Carters • Kim Percival Photography • Living for Love • Lizzi Photography • Mahina & Lucas • Mama Bethany • McLain Padilla Photography • Mist Moments • Memories by Mere • Moments & Impressions • The Mommyhood Memos • Moo with Me • Moxie Made • My Tot Travels • Navigating the Mothership • Nicole Dina Photography • Oh the Places We’ll Go • Our Baby Behr • Our Splendid Little Life • Phreckle Face Photography • Quiet Footsteps •Rachel Gray Photography • The Robersons • Shades of Bliss • Shutter Mama Blog • Side of the Table • Simply Us • Snaps of Our Life • Squamish Baby • The Todd’s • We Aren’t Scared of Sugar • We’re Better Together • Wicked Kate • Wokabout • Z as in Zebra

Metadata: f/2.8, 1/160, ISO 2500

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It’s been a long week. I haven’t seen a lot of my husband. Lots of kids not sleeping. I don’t know about you, but I NEED quiet time in the middle of the day to be a good mommy. When I don’t get at least 20 minutes when they are both sleeping I go crazy. I can’t run from 8am-10pm (which is when the kiddies in this camp seem to turn in for the night) and stay sane without a few minutes to myself. My husband’s been working a 21 day stretch without a day off & I am tired. & seemingly getting nothing done but feeding, entertaining, cooking, cleaning & breathing. All important, but thankless. Mostly.

I’ve turned to technology to distract myself from my day a little too often. Last week I stumbled upon this article, How to Miss a Childhood, & it really hit me. So I, once again, took the reminder to heart and am trying to do better about putting my phone down & just enjoying my littles. It’s not always easy.

But I am trying. :)

•••

& Project 52 is off to a very collaborative start! If you’d like to join in–it’s not too late. Here’s everything you need to know about

my 2012 Project 52.

& those of you who are linking up (please let me know if you need to be edited/added!):

Adventures in Mommyhood • Aubrey My Love • Blossoms & Vintage • Bugs & Boo-Boos • Candice Craves • Caynay Photography • Christina’s Project 52 • Chronicles of KT • Claire Jane • The Crain’s Nest • Dana Moran Photography • The Daulton Dabbler • Englexas • Everything Eatherton • Fairy Wings & Dinosaurs • Finding Joy • Firecracker Mama • Freckled Pink • From Stanwood to Seoul • Gin & Juice Boxes • Heather Marie Portraits • Ici & La • It’s a Graham Life • It’s a Strange & Lovely Ride • Kate L Photography • Keeping up with the Carters • Kim Percival Photography • Living for Love • Lizzi Photography • Mahina & Lucas • Mama Bethany • McLain Padilla Photography • Mist Moments • Memories by Mere • Moments & Impressions • The Mommyhood Memos • Moo with Me • Moxie Made • My Tot Travels • Navigating the Mothership • Nicole Dina Photography • Oh the Places We’ll Go • Our Baby Behr • Our Splendid Little Life • Phreckle Face Photography • Quiet Footsteps •Rachel Gray Photography • The Robersons • Shades of Bliss • Shutter Mama Blog • Side of the Table • Simply Us • Snaps of Our Life • Squamish Baby • The Todd’s • We Aren’t Scared of Sugar • We’re Better Together • Wicked Kate • Wokabout • Z as in Zebra