Chuck Taylor's missing

Happy Cinco De Mayo, everybody!

I don't fully understand the whole significance of the holiday but apparently it has something to do with the fact that long ago Mexico defeated the French in an upset battle. It may not be politically correct to say this, but is it really that big of a deal to beat the French in anything? It's kind of like me playing my preschool-aged daughter in basketball and bragging that I held her scoreless. (I did the other day by the way)

This morning I added a photo of my 3 girls' Converse Chuck Taylor high tops to the main page. This photo typifies our family very well. As you may have noticed, there is 1 sneaker missing. When I saw the shoes lying there, I thought that it would make for a nice photograph. I hurriedly looked around for the missing shoe but to no avail. After having searched for an eternity (in reality probably only 10 minutes) I gave up and asked my wife if she knew where it was. She did.

"Honey, the dog ate that shoe about 3 weeks ago."

Well, of course she did. Why would I expect anything different? Why we bothered hanging on to 1 shoe that didn't have a match anymore I don't know. We're just quirky like that I guess. Or maybe my wife was just assuming that our dog would eat the other one eventually too. It's hard to say.

birds & balls

I was feeling a bit ambitious this afternoon and though I'd write a 2nd post regarding a couple incidents that occurred today. First of all, I was having my morning coffee and checking out how some of my investments were doing on the stock exchange...Ok, so I was playing solitaire. Whatever. Anywho, my 6 year old middle child (referred to commonly as "#2) came into the office accompanied by her 4 yr old sister(monikered #3).

"We have a question," the oldest one asked. "Is this a bad word?", she sheepishly asked as she held up her middle finger.

I knew that anything is possible in this house but getting flipped the bird by a kindergartner struck me as a bit unusual.

"Dear, don't ever do that. And besides, who'd you learn that from?" I quipped, still a bit frazzled by the unexpected gesture. She informed me that a neighborhood friend told her that it was a bad thing to do. #3 concurred with the explanation and tried to simulate the obscenity but failed to maneuver her fingers correctly. She ended up giving me the "peace" sign instead. I knew what she meant though.

Sadly, I suppose this is another example of innocence lost for my 6 year old daughter. And in the case of #3, affirmation that her motor skills aren't quite up to par yet to be able to manage the one finger salute. However, she did manage to display some creativity later in the day.

I heard giggling coming from outside my office window that sounded a bit suspicious. I guess being a parent for 9 years now has enabled me to perceive orneriness when I hear it. So I walked outside quickly found the cause of the excessive laughter. #3 had taken 2 tennis balls and strategically placed them inside her shirt. She had instantly become a 3 1/2' tall Dolly Parton. It was a little creepy to say the least.

#2 laughed and encouraged her sister. I was more concerned with the passersby who might wonder what kind of children we were raising. Some days I wonder myself. At the very least, they give me something to write about.

Ali's senior portrait

This past weekend I shot Ali's senior portraits. It was a lot of fun and I think we came away with some good images of her. Here's some samples of what we ended up with...

blog introduction

Welcome to my blog. I hope you find it entertaining, enlightening, and a source of amusement and inspiration. I more so hope it somehow triggers you to inquire about my photography services. I actually do prefer the latter part. (just being honest)

2008 was a year of some serious changes for our family. My wife went back to work after having been a stay-at-home mom for about 7 years. I quit my job managing a small family-owned business and decided to turn my side photography job of 10 years into a full-time gig. In addition to being a photographer, I also am a stay-at-home dad. Our youngest daughter, age 4, is my trusty sidekick while the rest of the fam is in school and at work. She is my Tanto, except for the fact that she speaks better English, and doesn’t have a horse (although she occasionally attempts to ride our dog). We have interesting experiences together. She’s a trip. God definitely gave all of our kids unique personalities. This one in particular is a real piece of work. Sweet Moses is she ever.

Being a stay-at-home dad is pretty much how most people envision it. I do the cleaning, laundry, and usually have dinner ready or at least started when the other 3 return home. I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank the person responsible for coming up with the idea of rotisserie chickens available at most grocery stores. Sir or madam, you are a national treasure in my mind.

In summary, this blog will touch on a variety of issues: family life anecdotes, domesticated issues, random thoughts, of course photography, and whatever else I care to share with the world. As far as a frequency goes, it’s hard to say. Check back periodically for updates and tell your friends as well. And if you don’t have any friends maybe just inform a family member instead.

Jason