sister love

I was an only child until age ten & a half. I was always the center of attention, the entertainment and the life of the party! I loved it! My brother was born Christmas night and I was thrilled to be a big sister/second mother to him! As I grew up I would see my friends that had sisters and think how cool it would be to have a sister. You can share clothes with them, hair stuff, make up and do all sorts of girly things all the time! So needless to say since I was the only girl I was a little envious of my friends with sisters. Then I grew up and got married and I was granted this awesome thing called a sister-in-law, or SIL as I like to call it. How glorious!! She is married to my husband's brother..

Here she is... just gorgeous as can be!

Her name is Erika. She is not my only SIL, I have 3 more but this one holds a special place in my heart! She was blessed with a sister growing up, 2 sisters actually. But what's even better about her situation is 1 of her sisters is her TWIN! Now this is a whole new level of cool to me!

Here is MY SIL with her twin, Ali!

Ya know that precious little baby boy I ALWAYS talk about, Gabriel?! Well my SIL is his mommy! What a great mommy she is! She is also Chloe's mommy too! She and my Brother-in-law make precious babies!

Here's her adorable twin, Ali! She could totally be a model.

I love these two and I am so glad I was able to capture special memories for them. They both deserve some time together to giggle without a worry in the world!

Things I love..

I am thankful for the advice provided by a friend and fellow photographer after my last blog post! I have to realize that I am just a baby in this "business" and I need to learn to crawl before I can run. Which is a difficult task for me since I am always a "go-getter". I like to always find the quickest and easiest way to do something and get it done. Last week at church we learned about this exact topic regarding becoming a Christian and the "steps" that need to be taken, i.e. become a follower of Christ, get baptized, etc. Well thank you God for placing that sermon in my life and for also placing dear Ashley (http://thehousewiferookie.blogspot.com/) in my life as well! She gave me a piece of advice that might not have meant much to her when she said it but it really stuck. Begin by photographing things that you love. That small piece of information has really turned things around for me and my outlook on this situation. So today we had a family get together at my in-laws. I asked my sister in law to bring my niece ready for photos, I wanted to practice photography on something I love. Here are some of the results of that shoot today.
She has so many facial expressions, she has so much personality and character at just 8 months old. I love her sweet face. She and her big brother are so photogenic. I always loved to take photos of Gabriel! He was always smiling and ready for a photo! Chloe is precious, with those chubby cheeks and big brown eyes.

But, she is only 8 months old and sitting on the grass (when you can't eat the leaves)

gets boring and old quick! So she let me know she was not having any more photos!

But even when she is angry, she is precious! Thank you again Ashley for the advice! I can't wait to photograph more things I love and share them with the world!

Discouraged

I have been feeling very discouraged lately in the aspect of the photography business I'm attempting to get off the ground.. I feel like I'm one of those toy helicopters who can only get so far off the ground before a crash. It is frustrating and discouraging to me. I want this to thrive and do well! I know it's been cold and gloomy and no one is wanting their picture to be taken... I'm trying hard to keep my head up!

God is Great!

I have to share some amazing news! This is not going to be a long post but I have to share with you all! Gabriel's birthday was February 26th and our family planned a birthday celebration for him! Erika and Macho came to Freedom Church that morning and the message could not have been more perfect for them. BOTH of them were saved on Gabriel's birthday!! Praise the Lord!!! It was so amazing! Then today they were both baptized!! I am so proud of them for the journey they are on and I am so so glad I am able to witness it! It is such an exhilarating feeling to pray for something specific and have God answer the prayer! God is so great and I am just overflowing with pride, love and excitement for what is still to come! Thank you God for blessing me and my family!

My Sister and Brother in law and their little ladies! Love them!

We wrote messages to Gabriel and attached them to balloons and let them go! While yelling "Happy Birthday Gabriel!!!" :)

Heaven got the BEST angel

As you know my little nephew has been on quite the journey since September of 2010. Friday January 27th, 2012 he took a new journey, a journey to Heaven to be an angel! This past 2 weeks has been intense, emotional and difficult. January 17th my Sister-in-law too Gabriel to Children's Healthcare to get checked out because he was coughing and very fussy. They did a chest x-ray, results were fine. They did a CT scan, results were not fine. The CT came back that sweet Gabe had bleeding on his brain and there was nothing else the doctor's could do for him. They put him on steriods which make Gabe VERY angry, so they stopped that a couple of days later and had Hospice come in to assist. Hospice came to help on Friday with medicine to help calm Gabe down and medicine to eliviate the pain. Both medications made him sleepy and kind of loopy, which he fought so hard to continue to play and sit up. My sister-in-law, her sister and I were laying with him in the bed trying to get him to rest and enjoying spending time with him of course. But he finally gave in and went to sleep around 3:00pm. Sunday the hospice nurse came and said she did not expect him to be with us much longer. Monday night we went over to visit with them and my mother-in-law and I got to hold him while he slept. It was soo good to get to hold him and kiss his sweet little head and tell him how much I loved him. He was truly an angel on earth! Tuesday my mom wanted to go visit, so she and I went and of course she had to bring them a yummy dessert!! :) She's southern, what can you expect! Gabe was struggling more to breath and it was sad to see him. But I am so glad I went and spent the time with him. He continued to decline daily and on Friday morning gave into the fight he had been up against for so long to become an angel. I miss him and I hate that he is not here and will not be able to grow old with us. But I am so glad he is not in pain, is not suffering and is at peace. I am heartbroken for his parents. I feel so helpless and wish there was something I could do. But unfortunatley ther is nothing I can do... Please continue to pray for the Sierra & Soumas families... We all LOVED Gabe!!! He was nothing short of amazing!!!

He's just amazing

THIS is the most amazing little boy I know!


His name is Gabriel, he is my nephew and he has put up a good fight against a horrible and mean thing called cancer. Today he went to the hospital because he seemed to be getting sick & was grabbing at his head a lot. So they did a CT scan and discovered that he has bleeding in his brain. This of course is devastating news for all of us. They are going to call in Hospice later this week and they do not think this precious angel will be with us much longer. So please keep Gabriel's family in your prayers we are definitely going to need them!


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cancer vs cold...

So I am once again sick with some kind of intense cold that is going around! I know no one enjoys being sick but I really really dislike it! I'm such a go go go kind of person, I just don't have time to feel like crap! So I took the day off yesterday and went to the doctor, basically to pay $25 for them to tell me it was just a cold blah! But as I laid on the couch being all sulky, sad and sick I started thinking about Gabriel. He probably feels like crap every day but manages to smile and play and be a precious little angel! He is fighting cancer and still so strong day in and day out, I have a cold and act like it's the end of the world! So I got up and started to clean the kitchen and do other things around the apartment. If that little {almost} 2 year old can fight a very rare brain tumor I think I can fight a stupid cold! I love you Gabriel Micah and I will do whatever I can to be a better person because of you! XOXO
So take a moment when you're feeling down and crappy and think about Gabriel or other little ones that are struggling with life threatening illnesses.. our lives could always be worse. Be thankful for the blessings we have.

2011

As I sit here waiting for Pablo to get ready I am literally reflecting on the past year. 2011 had it's good and bad moments as any year does. It was mine & Pablo first year of marriage, our first married vacation/delayed honeymoon, broken friendships & re-built friendships, our sweet little Nephew's situation turn a turn south, our family was blessed with a new little lady, Chloe, I began my journey of photography.
I feel like most of these events have brought Pablo & I closer to each other. Which is crazy to me because we have been together for almost 10 Years, you would think we would know everything about each other by now! I'm glad we are still learning new things about each other and growing closer. He is my best friend and my soul mate! I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him!
I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year!!

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Merry Christmas

These are a few of my favorite things... from this week

I participated in Secret Santa at work, which is always fun as long as people can keep a secret and not blab about who their person is! My Secret Santa knows me well, she is one of my best friends so she should, BUT she got me nail polish along with other items! But I loved this polish and had to paint my nails that night! I bought an Advent calendar for me and Pablo! My mom always had one of these for me and my brother, and even though the chocolate in them is not very tasty it is still fun to get a treat every day until Christmas! When I was in Kindergarten we learned about Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. I came home from school and told my mom I wanted to BE Hanukkah... not celebrate it, be it! Because I thought it was SUPER cool that you got a present every day, maybe that is why I love this little Holiday treat!

This is our Christmas Tree! Most of the ornaments on it are mine. My mom started a tradition where she would purchase me and my brother a new ornament every year. Some years it was an ornament to represent something important that happened that year, for example I have a martini glass for the year I turned 21, and a bride and groom the year we got married. It is so fun to decorate the tree and get to re-live the memories that are in each ornament. And the angel on top was my great grandmother's angel. This was her most favorite time of year so it is nice to turn my tree on and see the angel blinking at the top!

This is my baby love! I really and truly can not get enough of this sweet, squishy face! I know one day I will have a child and some how love it even more than I love my Lucy-Goosey... but at this point in my life... I'm not sure how I can love anything more than this one.

December!!! Where did you come from?!

I am shocked it is already December! Where did 2011 go?! It's crazy how quickly years, months, weeks and days go by as an adult! When I was a kid I feel like days went on forever, the only time that went by too fast was summer! I really need to decorate our apartment for Christmas, so far I have only been able to hang out stockings and get the tote of lights and ornaments out. No tree yet, it will eventually be put up... maybe this weekend! I have a lot going on right now and as blessed as I am by everything that is happening, it can get a little overwhelming at times. Lacey's is... well Lacey's. It always will be the same, stressful and chaotic but home and a great job. BUT this photography business is coming along well if I do say so! I am impressed with myself after each shoot. Never did I think a birthday present would turn into such a blessing and a potential carreer for me. Don't get me wrong I have always loved photography and have always been crafty and creative and of course LOVED having my own photo taken!! :) But to be behind the camera, as a PROFESSIONAL!? Never did I think this would happen and boy has it been fun! I can't wait to see what the future holds for me and my Nikon! I know it will be GREAT!

Celebration

Tonight we celebrated my brother's birthday! His actual birthday is Christmas Day, which seems like a cool idea until you really think about it and no one will be available to go out and celebrate YOU on that day... it's all about Christmas! So he gets to have birthday parties at other times during the year. He will be FIFTEEN years old this year, woah when did that happen?!

Happy Birthday Jake (in Germany)

My littlest cousin loves my brother and really enjoyed helping him open presents tonight! He would open all the cards first then tell my brother how much he got when there was money in the card! So cute!

Cole and Jake smiling for the camera! Cole is a camera hog like me! I love it!

Every year the day after Thanksgiving, known by many as BLACK FRIDAY!, the ladies of my family go out and shop, shop, shop! It is a great tradition that I LOVE! I make sure to request off months in advance so I am available to enjoy this day! Usually we go to my grandmother's around 3:30 or 4:00, depending on when the first store opens, to meet everyone and my awesome grandfather makes breakfast for us! He really is the best! But this year these stores are all opening at midnight.. really messing up our breakfast plans!! :) I guess we will just go shop right after dinner this year and go for as long as we can! It should be interesting!

Passion

Things have been good... Kind of a whirl-wind going on around me as I try to keep both feet on the ground. As stressful as it is, I do enjoy the busy life I lead. I am loving the photography and realizing more and more that I wish that was my full time job and maybe one day it will be! I just have to continue to put as much into it as I can so I can fullfill that dream! It's nice to know that I can make people happy with photos of themself. I have ALWAYS loved my picture to be taken, it's sickening really, but it is the truth. So my goal for my photography is to make others love for their picture to be taken. Many people dread having their picture taken, dread family photos and never get these special moments and memories captured. Which honestly makes me sad. I want people to have the same love for it as I do, and I know that I am not going to be able to "convert" the world to all love photos of themselves.. BUT I want to make my clients enjoy their time with me while I am capturing special, precious moments in their lives. Even if I don't change their minds forever, maybe I can get them to enjoy it just that once!

aiyaya....

So last night about 9:00pm I suddenly had an overwhelmed, freakout, OMG I can't do any of this moment! I guess I have a lot on my plate, and it's flimsy plate, like one of those cheap paper plates that you have to have like 4 to keep it from falling apart! So I made a list, because I'm crazy & OCD and for some reason instead of attacking the task at hand I must take a moment and organize it all FIRST, then attack! So I made my self a list, separated different task by day to complete and took a deep breath. Feeling a little better, I began working on the list. Beginning with a Psychology test, I made an 88! YAY! I have finished 1/2 of today's task but still feel very overwhelmed... maybe it's just the weather that's making me feel blah!
I blame part of this anxiety I have on my car.
My dear little "Hot Tamale"..... You see I got that little thing my Senior Year, I paid her off and she is alllllll mine! Which is fabulous. She only had like 53 miles on her when we got her! About a week after the purchase, she just cut off on me one day on the way home from NCHS. Her timing belt broke. She was repaired and has been a wonderful little ride ever since. UNTIL last Wednesday.. It was October 5th, my Father.in.law's birthday! We went to dinner at the new BBQ place in Acworth, JD's, after eating and being COMPLETELY stuffed. We left to go home.. about 50 feet from the road JD's is on a loud noise comes from my car then it sounds like we are driving on an old grave road, with LOTS of grave. She cuts herself off and Pablo pulls her in a nearby street. We get out and there is tons of oil coming from under her. A nice fellow JD's goer comes walking up with a piece of metal that he found in the middle of the road. Wonderful, a piece of my car was in the road, yippie! So Pablo's parents come back to assist, then a family friend, who is also a mechanic, comes to help. Pablo, my FIL & the family friend, attach my car to his truck in a not-so-traditional way & tow it to my in-law's house. That was an enjoyable ride, as I watched my car race through the streets of Acworth attached to a truck by a rope. Waiting for that special moment when the engine, which is attached to the rope, flies out and my car zooms the other way! This my friends is what my Mother.in.law & I like to call a "Sierra Family Moment" were going to write a book so stay tuned! We later find out that my little lady "threw a rod", aka something broke & put a hole in my engine. How wonderful! So now I am car-less & feel like a 14 year old having my wonderful family and friend tote me around. Hopefully we will fix H.T. soon or purchase THIS lady a new car! :)
Now I am off to finish the rest of my list and possibly move on to task that are listed under Tuesday. Where has productive Lura gone? I must find her soon!!!

recent discovery

As you all know I got a fancy new camera for my birthday! I wanted to have it to take nice pictures when we went to cool places. Well I took some photos of Lucy that turned out pretty good. Then my good friend wanted me to take some photos of her and her two boys. So I did and it turns out that I'm pretty good at being a photographer. Since my first "photo shoot" I have done a couple of more. Here are some from the shoot I did with my brother and sister in law and their children. They turned out really good. Gabriel is probably the cutest little boy I have ever seen! :) So since I am pretty good at this photography thing, my supportive husband and I are in the works of making this a business for me. I'm very excited and I can't wait to really get it going! Wish me luck!

devastating news...

My precious little nephew has been fighting a hard battle against AT/RT for almost a year now. For the most part things have went well for him during his treatment. Obviously it has been very trying on his little body, he has lost his hair, his beautiful long eye lashes, and has to be poked on a weekly basis. A couple of months back he had an MRI & Lumbar Puncture to check for any tumors or tumor cells in his body. They found some small spots in his brain, but were not sure if it was actually tumors or if it was just inflammation, and no tumor cells from the LP. So he had another MRI and everything was still the same, they were there but they had not grown, so in a way this was good news because we assumed they were not tumors since they were not growing, but it was still a possibility. Well this past Friday he went in for another MRI and a Lumbar Puncture. The results this time were not at all what we had all been hoping and praying for. The spots on his brain have grown, there is a spot on his kidney and tumor cells showed up in his lumbar puncture. The doctor said they should stop the current treatment plan and they will discuss a new plan Tuesday to keep Gabriel comfortable for the remainder of his time with us. This was completely devastating news for all of us. I still do not even know how to handle it. I break down when I think about it, my heart is just crushed! I don't think it is fair that horrible things happen to little children like this. I know that this is God's plan for Gabriel but it's just so hard to accept that. He's just 19 months old (on the 26th of this month)! So I need all of you to just pray for him and for us.

sickness...

I don't have long to post, I'm on my lunch break! But I wanted to get an update in!! This past week was pretty hellacious for me, I started off with what I thought was a cold due to allergies but that turned into sinus infection the PNEUMONIA!!! So I have been doing NOTHING for about a week and a half! Which if you know me has made me completely insane! I am not the kind of person to sit and do nothing! But my wonderful husband bought me a Kindle, a get well present, I think it was so I would sit still! I LOVE it! I immediately downloaded The Help because I have been dying to read it and I couldn't put it down! I Loved every minute of that book! Kathryn Stockett needs to write more books! I was so intrigued the WHOLE time! So now I am on to Water for Elephants, I hope it's good as well! Luckily I am now feeling better, still tired and have that nagging cough but I'm getting there!
I am also still head over heels for my Nikon! Pablo and I went to Kennesaw Mountain yesterday to get some shots of the field of flags for 9-11. It was great and I got some nice photos! Then we went to my cousin's 5th birthday party where Mr. Nikon was present again! :) I love capturing moments! Anyways.. I gotta get back to work! (yuck!) everyone have a great day!!

addicted...

So since I got my amazing Nikon I have not put it down! I love to take pictures of everything! I went on my day off and drove around downtown Acworth stopping when I saw a photo-op and would get out and snap away! I really enjoy taking photos and this camera is so awesome it makes it even better!! My wonderful friend Kristen saw my photos and asked me to take some of her and her two boys. So of course I said YES! So here are some of the photos I took of them this past weekend! It was so fun to capture these memories of her "babies"! I love all 3 of them!!

Happy Birthday to ME! (early)

I love to take pictures and honestly I love for my own picture to be taken about 100x more! I can't help it, I have always been a camera hog!! :) So for a while I have had my eye on a precious little item.. the Nikon D3000! I am sure that for a while I will not use it to it's full potential but after having it for 3 hours I'm already in love! I wish the sun was still up so I could go run around outside and snap away! Here is my new love...

I got the bundle package so I also got a bag to carry it around in, a UV lense screen and an extra lense (55-200mm). The extra lense is huge and pretty intimidating I'm not going to lie!! But I started off slow and made Lucy my first victim! She is not a fan of getting her picture taken so I had to shower her with lots of treats! Here are a few shot I got tonight, I'm pretty happy with them!

This was after I had been shooting for a while.. She was definitely annoyed with me! But the picture is adorable!

Blessed

I have been a fortunate person to have known all of my GREAT grandparents! Most of my family before me had their children at a young age, including my parents. So my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were all "young". Growing up I never really knew how much of a blessing this was but looking back I am so happy I had this opportunity! I could not imagine my life without their influence. Some people never have the chance to even know their grandparents and I had great ones!! Even though I have 3 great-grandmother's still alive, my Granny Champion is the most special to me.
I really started thinking about this blessing today when I went to visit my great-grandmother, Granny. ;) She retired from Lacey's last Friday! She would drive me crazy when she was there wanting me to drop everything to stop and chat, but boy do I miss those interruptions! It was great to see her today, getting to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted to. I was the first great grandchild/grandchild so I was a little really spoiled! ;) As a child I would make her play school and grocery store with me. She would do anything I wanted, just like the rest of my great grandparents! I can see her getting more feeble and her memory is slowly slipping away.. It breaks my heart but I know it's inevitable.. But that doesn't make it any easier. She's my granny and I love her. I couldn't imagine her not being around! I hope I can bless her with a great-great grandchild before she leaves this world! She's the best granny ever!!
RIP: Papa Cox
Maw-Maw
Paw-Paw
I love all of you and miss you so much! Thank you for being the best great grandparents a spoiled little girl could ask for!!


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