Mommy and Me

2012-12-26T13:46:00.000-08:00

WOW....it has been 6 whole months since I've blogged last. whoops.

I promise I'll post some updates (Maddie's 4th birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas), but for now, here's some cute photos of my little munchkin!

Makeup

2012-06-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

Maddie has been interested in makeup a lot lately. Every time I do mine, she wants hers done too. Now, when I do her makeup, you can barely see it. We don't go all Toddlers and Tiaras with it.

I usually let her pick which colors she wants to wear and one day she chose green (not sure why or how I even had that color because I have never worn green). I wanted to do something a little fun with so we put on some brown eyeliner and I did a little design (I am in no way a makeup artist and it definitely shows! lol). I had to take her out for some fun pictures :)

She wanted to go pick some flowers :)

My Maddie Girl

2012-04-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

So, I took some pictures of Maddie at my favorite Orchard the day before Easter. You can check them out here :)

Growing Up....

2012-04-16T18:21:00.000-07:00

My little baby sister turned 17 back on March 26th no longer making her a baby (ok, maybe she wasn't a baby for like the past 12 years, but I just can't believe she's almost considered an ADULT). How crazy is that? My mom is only 45...ahem....I mean 30, and 3 of her 4 children are adults with the last one not far behind. Not to mention the 2 almost 3 grandbabies ;) Sorry mom, you're getting old. Anyways, Allyssa turned 17 and she couldn't be more excited about.....being attractive. Apparently 17 is a very attractive age ;) And you know what? She's right! This girl is GORGEOUS.

My mom made this llama hat!

ha ha and my sister in law made her this beard! Love it, don't you? :)

Her birthday theme was Doctor Who (which I've never seen before nor heard of until she couldn't stop talking about it. Apparently the guy is super hot ;)

After presents and cake, we decided to head outside for some fun and some more pictures! :)

(no, he wasn't really grumpy, the sun was just a little bright! lol)

I swear, this girl is always posing!

Don't worry, no toddler's were hurt in the making of this photo! ha ha

After I got some pictures of Maddie, we got a couple of Allyssa in her dress that she wore to her Junior Prom. Isn't she gorgeous?!

Emma Bemma

2012-03-14T23:20:00.000-07:00

This little thing is the newest member of our family :)

We call her Emma....sometimes Emma Bemma :)

She is so cute and funny and a little fireball! Maddie loves carrying her around even though I assure her Emma is big enough to walk on her own.

Emma is about 10 weeks old and loves going on walks and playing outside. She sleeps about every 20 minutes because she runs around so much and tires herself out!

She eats 3 times a day and is doing really good with dry puppy food. Her favorite toy is her little leopard stuffed animal. We bought it about 3 weeks ago and it already has some holes in it :)

This last photo her really crackse me up! She's so cute and funny!

We love you Emma Bemma!!

New Year

2012-03-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

New Years wasn't very eventful. We usually have a party with just my family and we have lots of food and drinks and play games all day. But we don't all live together anymore and we didn't really have any plans.

Maddie and I ended up going up the street to my sister's apartment and she made us dinner and we watched the Big Bang Theory. We got pictures on our phones, but I have since gotten a new phone and don't have the pictures anymore :/ It was fun even though it wasn't exactly tradition. My mom just stayed home while my brother and sister in law went to a party.

That's one that sucks about being a grown up I guess. I miss all the things we used to do when we were younger. Now that my sister and I moved out, we don't do things together as a family anymore (except major holidays). But, I have Maddie now, so I get to do all the things for her that my mom did for us and we'll get to create our own memories and traditions. :)

What We Did Last Christmas....

2012-03-13T00:33:00.001-07:00

Christmas really is the best time of year. It feels like we have a million family parties and I love each and every one of them!

This past year, we went to go see the Zoo lights (our first time) and got to see Santa and a couple reindeer! I think Maddie was excited although she was a little frozen to show too much expression.

The same weekend we went to Zoo lights was the same weekend of our extended family Christmas party, the Owen Winterfest. Maddie and I stayed up in Heber with my grandparents to help get ready for the party. We had hot chocolate, helped wrap caramels, and Maddie got to help mums make the little penguins :)

When everyone comes up, we usually play out in the snow for a little bit and everyone comes inside for some food and then it's time to play White Elephant. This year, it hardly snowed at all, but luckily there was some snow to play in. Not enough for the snowmobile however.

We then had our family party where we basically get together after Christmas to give our papa and mums presents (and of course they spoil us all with gifts too).

My amazing 16 year old sister sang for us!

I also saw some pretty awesome tutorials on Christmas Tree bokeh and I just HAD to try it! It was a lot of fun! :)

We had a pretty great Christmas and I'm so glad we got to spend it with our family! :)

Long Time, No Post!

2012-03-01T15:52:00.000-08:00

I honestly can't believe how long it's been since I last blogged. I got so busy around the holidays with photos and just spending time with Maddie and my family. Every time I wanted to post something, something else came up!

I didn't even have time to make a New Year's Resolution! ha ha

So I, Amber, promise to update my blog more often! Maddie has grown so much over the past few months and officially looks like a young girl (and she reassures me everyday that she is not a baby). We've even added a new member to our family!

Over the next few days, my goal is to get completely caught up! ;)

In the mean time, check out my AM Photography blog and facebook page to see what I've been up to :)

All I Want for Christmas is.....

2011-11-12T09:22:00.000-08:00

Well, last year I had posted my Christmas list online and I liked how well it worked out. My mom has been asking what I want for awhile now (trying to get Christmas shopping out of the way I guess) and every time someone asks me what I want, I can just refer them to this page without having to dig up some piece of paper or remember off the top of my head.

So, without further ado, this is what I want for Christmas this year:

1. This headband from Sew Whimsey

2. This white balance lens cap from the Photojojo store (52mm ring size)

3. A gift certificate to the Sassy Designs shop

4. A gift card to Adorama

5. This movie. I'm obsessed with chick flicks! :)

6. Seamless paper. I'm torn between this color and this color. Ok, and this one :)

Now, those are all things that I want (wishful thinking, right?) On top of that stuff, here are some things I need for my apartment:

a mop

toaster

casserole dishes

muffin tin

set of knives

Now, for Maddie's Christmas list! Maddie is fairly easy to shop for in the sense that if you buy anything to do with superheroes, barbies, or princesses, you're golden. But here's a few other things she doesn't know she wants until she gets them:

Cars the DVD

Cars 2 the DVD

Megamind the DVD

Baby doll accessories (i.e. carseat, playpen, etc.)

Woozer

2011-11-10T23:38:00.000-08:00

Maddie learned a new word. Woozer. Translation: Loser. She took my hair out of my ponytail and said "Woozer!" I said, "You're a woozer!" (I know, great parenting.) She said, "Ugh! Excuse me?! Did you say woozer?"

Apparently, I am not allowed to call her a woozer.

Warmer Days

2011-11-05T17:08:00.000-07:00

First, I want to thank Rebecka from By Becka for the photo in my new blog header! She is such a great photographer and an even better friend :)

Well, it snowed today. The first snowfall of the season for us. I must say that in Utah, we were definitely spoiled with the warmer weather is year. Although it did rain and snow until the end of June, we had a perfectly sunny October :) Even Halloween was amazing!

Maddie has also been gone for the past 3 days and I won't see her until tomorrow. I really hate not seeing her every day. I talked to her on the phone today and she seems so grown up already! It almost made me cry.

So, in order to make me feel better (about both the weather and the absence of Maddie), I decided to post some photos of a trip we took to the park a couple months ago. Yes, I did take all these photos and completely forgot about them until a week or so ago and they are just too cute not to share! :)

climbing the tree :) such an adventurer

rolling down the hill...silly girl!

she wanted a picture with her baby :)

these ducks live in filth...yuck!

yay for cute summer sandals and dirty feet! :)

this last photo cracks me up! Does she know these kids? Not at all...she's just a people person!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-04T00:20:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great Halloween! Here are some photos from our annual family Halloween Party (which was actually a few weeks ago). I'll share some from Halloween night a little later :)

I just had to share this last one of Erin...every year she does such an AMAZING job on her costume! She really goes all out :)

(2008, 2010, 2011)

Here is my little Tinker Bell! (she was not having it at the party for photos, so I got this on Halloween night!) She looks SO grown up! :(

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween!!

The 'Guy in the Closet'

2011-10-27T01:47:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to have met 'JB' but I only wish I would have known him more. 37 years is not long enough to have lived your life. You will be greatly missed by everyone especially your wife and your 4 children. Say Hi to Grandma for me. ♥

Jay "JB" Boyd Rasmussen

April 24th, 1974 - October 21st, 2011

Looking Up

2011-10-20T01:14:00.000-07:00

Well, first off, I want to apologize for that last post. I sound like a total b*tch. I really am thankful for all those in my life right now. I don't know where I would be if I didn't have all the love and support from my family and friends. They are all SO amazing! THANK YOU! ♥ I am VERY glad to say we still have a roof over our heads :)

I still don't know what I'm going to do as far as a day job goes....who knows, I may just devote more of my life to my photography ;) As for now, I'm enjoying being home and spending a lot more time with Maddie.She is saying so many more things now that just crack me up! She's finally at that stage where she tells stories and some of the things she remembers...oh boy! Her newest favorite? She says "Are you kidding me?" when I ask her to do something! Seriously? Ha ha such a little stinker bum.

I have lots of posts coming up including my latest craft projects, photos of Maddie, and our family's Annual Halloween Party! :) (ps. how amazing has this weather been?! This is the first time I can remember wearing shorts and a tank top in the middle of October! NICE)

Much Needed Vent....

2011-10-08T13:10:00.000-07:00

I have had one hell of a month....for the past two months! It all started when I transferred from the Riverdale Old Navy to the Layton Old Navy. I recieve assistance from the state (ie. food stamps) and I also applied for medical assistance and financial assistance. When someone filled out my transfer paperwork, the Department of Workforce Services thought I was terminated from my job. They canceled all of my benefits stating that I failed to fill out the loss of job report. I had no idea what they were even talking about! It took a lot of running around in circles and waiting before they got everything fixed. Maddie and I went 2 whole weeks with nothing but bread, milk, and butter in the fridge and some ramen noodles in the pantry. Thank God my mom was able to get us that much!

Fast Forward two weeks and I recieve a notice in the mail stating that I am not eligible for financial or medical assistance because I have not been cooperating with ORS. What? I gave them ALL the information I know and they said that's all they needed! And now, I'm not cooperating at all?? That means Maddie can't go to the doctor (which she hasn't been since her 2 year check up!) and of course lately she's been having problems wetting the bed and accidents during the day, so she definitely needs to see a doctor NOW.

Then I lost my day job. Let's face it, with all the expenses that go into my photography business, there's no way I can make a living off of my photography (especially with my prices!). So guess what? I can't pay my rent. But I live in subsidized housing so I went to report my change of income. They tell me they just need to fax something over to my work (ex-work) for them to sign something and they'll recalculate my rent. Apparently they haven't heard from my work yet and I just got an eviction notice yesterday because my rent is past due. What the hell?! And the best part is, it's the weekend so I can't talk to them until Monday....oh and wait! I'm supposed to be out by TUESDAY.

To make things even better, I have $5 in my bank account to last me until...forever. And while doing laundry today, someone stole my sheets and blankets! Now I have nothing to sleep on and no blankets to keep my warm....JUST when it starts to get really cold outside! Thanks assholes! Seriously, who does that?!

Why am I posting this? I just thought that maybe....just MAYBE if I told everyone what was going on, things wouldn't be so bad. I never really talk to anybody about this stuff because I think they have better things to do and who gives a shit about other people's problems? I just needed SOMEONE to talk to and apparently around here, that's a lot to ask for.

I ♥ Crochet!

2011-09-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

I know SO many people who crochet and do beautiful work (including some close friends and my mom)! I use lots of hats for newborns in my photography as well as long for some I find on the internet. But unfortunately, most of these hats come with a heavy price tag.

So, I wanted to learn how to crochet!

I made this hat for my friend Michelle's new baby girl :)

and then I made these for my future sessions!

But this one is by far my favorite!!

Don't you love it?! I can't wait to use it :)

And then I made this hat for Maddie

I love to crochet! It's very calming and you can make some really cute stuff!! :)

Secrets Out....

2011-09-30T15:21:00.000-07:00

Maddie is going to be a cousin....again! My sister is pregnant with her second and is due May 19th.

(big brother Kyler)

A Fairy Kind of Day...

2011-09-29T23:12:00.000-07:00

Maddie is obsessed with her pajamas. She is OB-SESSED. She wears them all the time, even when we leave the house (some days I can convince her to wear regular clothes but of course I have to bribe her with toys and treats).

The other day she surprised me and said she wanted to wear her Tinkerbell outfit because "I a fairy!"

I bought her this dress a month ago from Once Upon a Child. It's an original Tinkerbell dress from Disney World. And I only paid $15 :)

Isn't she cute?! :)

P.S. Did anyone notice the changes to my blog? I figure the leaves are changing so I might as well too :)

My Crafty Side...

2011-09-26T18:32:00.000-07:00

I've had a lot more time on my hands lately and I've gotten a little bored. I don't have money for furniture still, but I though why not liven up my walls a bit?

So, with some inspiration from blogs and pinterest, I came up with this picture holder:

Don't you love it? I think I'm going to make another one to hang right below it :)

Then, as a birthday present to myself, I made a couple of canvas paintings. I got two 16x20 canvases from Hobby Lobby for $7.99 (plus I had a 40% off coupon!) as well as the bird stencil and black paint. Then I bought a can of blue spray paint from Wal-mart. My mom had bought some of those wall decals for her room and let me have two of the birds! :)

Maddie Turns 3!

2011-09-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

Maddison turned 3 years old on August 7th (although I'm told all the time she looks like a 4 year old!) Thanks to her Uncle Christopher, she wanted a superhero themed party, not a strawberry shortcake party like mommy was planning. It turned out VERY cute though :) We put up signs as well as photos of superheroes (mostly Captain America and Superman). We also had some really cool superhero tattoos that Maddie was very psyched about....everyone who came got one! (all the little kids that is...)

Maddie and I were so grateful for everyone who came! It wouldn't have been a party without you!! Uncle Christopher and Aunt Nat made these really cool capes...that no one wanted to wear more than 5 seconds

:( Oh well! They were cute on for those 5 seconds!

(yes, that's my daughter picking her nose....)

Then it was time for PRESENTS! This girl is so spoiled! She got so many cute clothes and fun toys! I'll admit, I was a little jealous at first but then I remembered that I live with her and I get to play too! ;)

Maddie was so luck that Captain America came to visit! She was uber excited :) She even got to try on his mask and he brought her a shield of her own! Lucky Duck ;)

We were trying to get a group shot of the kids and Captain America, but nobody was really cooperating. This is the best we got (and A LOT of kids are missing...)

Thanks again to everyone who came and celebrated with us! Every year goes by so fast and we're so blessed to have family and friends around us :)

Bubbles

2011-09-09T21:24:00.000-07:00

Maddie got a bubbe blower for her birthday (I know, I know, I still haven't blogged her birthday...) and it's in the top 10 of her favorite toys. Thanks Carl & Donna! :)

After all of the bubbles ran out, she decided she wanted to go outside and take a ride on her new bike! Thank you Papa & Mums! :)

(saftey first!)

and then she tried to feed me pine cones :)

Itsy Bitsy Spider...

2011-09-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

I love her :)

Maddie's Ramblings

2011-09-04T00:37:00.000-07:00

Maddie has quite the vocabulary nowadays. Thanks to television, books, and my mom. Especially my mom. Here are her latest phrases:

"I can't! I'm busy."

"You bein a jerk!"

"Idiot..."

(thank you spongebob)

"You stoopid!"

(thank you MOM)

"I not baby, I girl!"

"I not girl, I Maddison!"

and my favorite:

"Don't see my bum!"

(even though she runs around naked about 5 times a day)

30 Day Truth Challenge {Day 9}

2011-09-04T00:24:00.000-07:00

Day 9 Someone you didn't want to let go, but just drifted. Oh how I didn't want this day to come. A couple of years ago, I met this guy. It was so random. I was on a family photo shoot up at Snow Basin and this guy just came out of nowhere and he was so funny and charming and ended up being our 'tour guide' for the day. After the family I was photographing left, we stayed in the parking lot for 2 HOURS just talking. We ended up dating for about 4 months. I can honestly say I've only ever been in love once (like REAL love, not like in junior high when you start dating after he passes you a note in class and then break up after two weeks. And lets face it, you never actually went out on a date with the guy.) But I was in love with this guy. We were both in positions in our lives where things were...well, complicated. We just slowly began drifting apart and we weren't happy anymore (I know...only 4 months..it's kind of depressing). Then one night we got into an argument and I just left. I walked out and that was it. I still regret it to this day because I think "what would life be like now if I stayed and we tried to fix things?" I guess I'll never know.

Oh Maddison...

2011-08-29T23:42:00.000-07:00

I'm SO glad you're home :)