The Kids and Karate

I haven't done a karate post in a while, so here it goes!





<--and of course, I HAD to start with this one....I think the image just speaks for itself!!

This past Saturday the kids graduated to their next belts in karate. A couple months ago, RJ graduated through the ranks on the Ranger side - which is what they call the little kids (generally under 6 or 7) and moved to the Young Adult side of the studio. He loves the new moves he's learning - and the best part? He gets to learn how to use the 'weapons'!! Every two months, they learn how to use the new tool. It's really great watching him progress through the moves.

Maddy is doing really well, too. She loves karate! She has so much energy and really puts it to good use in class. She is one little girl you won't want to mess with!

Here they are getting their belts. First, Maddy-Belle (as she likes to be called!). As she was getting her belt, you can see what RJ was doing! It surprises me how silly they STILL get even though my camera is in their face all the time. They are soooo cute!! Notice the complete lack of front teeth on RJ - he's just starting to get the bottom ones in to replace those that he lost last January.

And here is RJ getting his belt:

Whenever I post about the kids, I like to try to get an even number of images per child, so I don't appear as if I'm favoring. For all the moms out there (including my own!), I'm sure you know what I mean!!! So I include this last one, simply because I think it is cool. And I assure you, both of my children are in it!

Since Ron couldn't come, I asked Maddy to take a picture of RJ with my cell phone so we could send it to him. The blig blur on the right is Maddy's cute piggy tail and RJ is one of the small figures in focus on the phone!

Have a great day, everyone!!!

More from the Swearing In

I promised more images from Ron's swearing in ceremony the other night, and I'm actually going through with that promise! I am still so very proud of Ron and I know he will do a great job. I also want to take this time to thank everyone for all the kind words. We've received so many emails and blog comments from people sending along their congratulations. Without the support of friends and family like you, I'm not sure we could do everything we're trying to do right now.

On to the images! The first one was taken by my father-in-law before we left the house. I'm not loving that angle for me, but it is nice to have a family photo. I think I need to set up a better one someday soon.

This next one was taken by none other than Miss Maddy-Belle. For a 4 (almost 5!) year old, she's pretty good! I take that back, I think she composes better than some adults I know. I think I see a future for her in the business!

Last, but certainly not least, this is Ron taking his oath just after I pinned the badge on him. I love the flag in the background. The man you see is one of the selectmen in the town.

Sergeant Ron!

Tonight I had the wonderful pleasure of pinning a brand new gold badge on Ron to signify his promotion to Sergeant!!!! We are so proud of him!

It's late, I need to get the kiddies to bed and I will post more tomorrow, but for now, here is an image of me pinning the badge on him:

YEAH!!!!!!

Special thanks to Dad Sellon for taking such a great photograph!!

Happy New Year!!!

2007 has been a whirlwind of a year to say the least! I'm sitting here reflecting on everything and I realize how grateful I am for all that I have. I have a great husband and two wonderful kids who fill my life with so much, I just can't imagine who I would be without them. We live in a great house in a nice town and both my husband and I are taking the time to persue our dreams. It is all so very exciting!!!

So as 2008 starts off I want to say thank you to everyone who reads this. You have all helped me in some way, great or small, to continue down this long, winding, exciting path and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Family means a lot to me and I am so very sad that I can't spend more time with a lot of my extended family members. I miss you all lots ("Unc" especially). I hope to find more time next year to visit with those of you I don't see often enough.

As for my resolutions, I am going to try once more to lose a few excess pounds (which seemed to multiply between Thanksgiving and now!). To do so, I'd like to cook more fresh meals and eat better foods (maybe try a few new ones, too!) If anyone has any great recipes they'd like to share, please add them to the comments. I can use all the help I can get!!

I am also going to try to get us as a family of four more organized. I read somewhere that you only use 20% of your "stuff" 80% of the time. Thinking through that - we have ALOT of excess baggage around here, from clothes to junk. Time to clean sweep the house and organize what's left a bit more.

For Jenifer Lyn Photography, I am planning out my year, which will involve changing my prices and Collections to better suit my service model. I'm very excited about this coming year and all the great couples who I have the pleasure of spending the day with. I also want to attend some more training. I feel that I can never (and will never) stop learning and I'm looking forward to planning which seminars to build into my time and money next year.

I think that sums the big ones up. I wish all of you a very Happy New Year and I truly hope 2008 is a great and prosperous one for you.

With Love,
Jen

Busy, busy, busy!

I want to start this post by wishing my favorite boy a very Happy 7th Birthday! It's hard for me to imagine that I actually have a seven year old son, but he's the best little man any mom could ask for.

Since his birthday is only 3 days before Christmas, we try really hard to keep the two celebrations completely separate. So this year we allowed him to choose a few friends and took them to a restaurant with tokens and games....and chaos! He and his friends had a blast, and that's all that matters to me. Plus not having to clean the house after the mess was a HUGE plus!

Christmas Eve had me in the kitchen preparing Wiligia (va-lee-ah) - a Polish Christmas Eve tradition in my mom's family. I made homemade cheese pierogis, keilbasa, kapusta, and other great favorites of mine. Every single food there is one of my comfort foods. Christmas Eve has always been my absolute favorite. We would gather at my Babci & Dziadziu's (grandma and grandpa in Polish) house and just have a blast with our family. Those are the fondest memories I have of my childhood. Family, food, presents and fun - who could ask for more?!

My family has since scattered across the country and I miss each and every one of you terribly. But I take great comfort in sharing the traditions I grew up having with my own children.

Christmas Day was pure chaos as the kiddies ripped open all their gifts. They were so cute!!! We then spent the day at my parent-in-laws house opening yet more gifts and eating still more food! I will have to really make a New Year's resolution to lose weight after this weekend. Speaking of, I've seen a few photographers that I really admire come up with a 101 things to accomplish in 1001 days. I really want to do that.

It's resolution time for me, so I plan on sitting down over the next few days coming up with my goals for the year, but I plan on creating the 101 list and posting it online to help keep track (and maybe get a bit of help/support from all of you to complete the list).

Merry Christmas to you all!!!!

Happy Birthday to my Wonderful Husband

I wanted to take the time to wish my husband a very Happy Birthday!!

We had a great dinner last night and it was really nice to get to spend some time with him. You see, December is without a doubt the most hectic months of the year for our family. His birthday is today, RJ's birthday is the 22nd and then we have Christmas and all the holiday stuff that comes with that. On top of that, Ron is in his 3rd year of law school and is in the midst of finals, so he's really busy with that.

Don't get me wrong - I am not complaining. I love the holidays and all the festivites and time with family and friends. And this has been a time of great reflection for me. I've spent a long time reflecting on the year and planning for next year.

We have put up our tree and decorated the house, so we are very much in the holiday spirit. And to make things even more festive, we got an inch of sticky, beautiful snow last night. It has covered the earth in a beautiful white blanket and looks just great. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I hate the cold. I am legitimately allergic to cold - my hands blow up like balloons if I don't keep them covered. BUT I love the look and feel that a beautiful inch of snow can give. So I brought my camera out and took a few images to share.

Happy Thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Take some time today to ponder what you are truly thankful for and be sure to tell the ones you love how much you love them. We are all truly blessed to know each other. Thanks for reading - now get back to your pumpkin pie!

With love,
Jen