Change is Good

Some of you may have already put two and two together.  But, just to officially let everyone know...as my photography has been growing, I've decided to make a blog solely for my photography.  Don't worry!  I'm still keeping this one and will be posting pictures and stories regularly that stick closer to what's going on with my family and personal life.

So, if you like what I have to say...stick around.  If you like my photography, you can check it out at chelseaparkphotography.blogspot.com.  And of course, you are more than welcome to visit both!

To stay true to what I just told you...and to show that having a photographer as a mom comes with it's fair amount of torture, I felt obligated to show you how Cecily REALLY felt about her 1 year pictures.

Here's What You Missed

Aaaaaalright....I know I haven't been very consistent about the blog posts lately.  not consistent = not at all...in case that part confused you.  In my defense, it's been a whirlwind of a month!  So, I decided that the best way to catch you up to speed is by taking you through a blog-esque slide show.  So plop your butt down on the squishiest chair and get comfortable...or if you're a mom of little ones, like me, chances are you're sitting on the toilet, with the door closed, getting your five minutes of free internet time on your phone in peace...if your'e lucky!

......so, anyways....

*ahem* ...begin scrolling please.

My dad just moved to Arkansas!  Him and his girlfriend, Tamara, stopped by for a visit during their long drive across the country.

I shot Eric and Renata's wedding reception.  The location was so dreamy!  You can see more photos of the event here.

Our little Cece-Lala turned ONE!  As you can tell, she's not excited about parties in her honor at all.

....daddy managed to traumatize her during the whole cake experience and now she hates cake....no joke.  The next time she was presented cake, she cried again.

I shot pictures for Morgan and Melissa's 5 year anniversary.  You can see the whole shoot here.

We drove to Oregon to visit friends and family, and we threw another party for Cecily while we were at it! ....oh yeah, and I dyed my hair!

After all that partying...we were tired!

Instead of taking the next day off...we hauled our butts over to this cute sunflower farm and took Cecily's 1 year old pics!  (Check in later for more pictures!)  This picture is proof that she is my most difficult client....oh, how she mocks me.

And there you have it, folks!  You've now had a taste of our last few weeks!  We're finally home and now I'm hoping for a few days of peaceful recovery.

Brothers

Let's talk about two of the greatest guys you could ever meet......The studly Park brothers.  Okay, I might be just a LITTLE biased...but seriously, they are the best.  They're the funniest, caring, and most genuine guys out there.  I couldn't have asked for a better husband and brother-in-law.  The best part is that they are not just brothers.  They also have one of those close-brotherly-best-friend-type relationships.  So when we get together with friends, it generally includes Josh and his wife, Emily...which is awesome!  Alright, enough with the mushy stuff!

Back when my husband and I were dating, I found Ben's family picture sitting on his dresser.  I could immediately tell that it had been taken several years ago...at least 7, but probably more like 10 years ago.  So much has changed since that last family picture.  I still love looking at that picture and it still makes me sad that there isn't a more recent one.

Obviously it's no secret that I have a thing for pictures, but family pictures are super important to me because they are one of the few things in life that I truly consider priceless.  I mean come on, if a fire is headed toward your house, what is one of the first things you would try to grab?  Pictures capture memories and memories with loved ones are one of the most valuable things in the world.  Okay, I lied..that was a little mushy...for realsies this time!  I pinky swear I'm done!

Anyways, I really couldn't remember the last time that these brothers had taken a picture together, that wasn't on someone's phone...it was probably at somebody's wedding.  I concluded that that was too long, and took it upon myself to rectify the situation!  Of course, we had to include both of their newest sets of wheels...just for fun!

11 Months

don't even THINK about touching my pudding cup!

 Cecily turned 11 months old yesterday!  She loves to be naked and she loves pudding cups (who doesn't?).  So, what better way to celebrate than eating pudding cups topless in the sunshine?  Of course, a bath was very necessary after all of our chocolate shenanigans...but she had no complaints.

There have been big changes in the Park household this last month.  She took her sweet time, but Cece finally decided to crawl!  So, that means all of our cute little tchotchkes and picture frames on the entertainment center now sit in a heaping pile on top of the entertainment center...for now.  I promise I'll get around to it!  Cece also LOVES to give kisses, which just melts my heart!  All you have to do is ask for one and you'll receive a giant, sloppy kiss...although, you may just as easily receive a palm to the face from Miss Sassy Pants, so proceed with caution!  I can't say that the first true word has leaked out yet, but she does say "mama" and "dada" more frequently, and when you ask her to.  She'll also respond to many questions you ask her, with "ya!", which can be pretty dang hilarious depending on the question you ask!

 One month to go and she'll be ONE...I think I might cry!