FALL FUN WITH KENIDI

Brennen spent the night with his Grandma this past Friday night. He had a ball with his cousins. The three of them really look up to him because he is the oldest and the two girl cousins have been known to claim that they want to "marry" him. Ha ha! It cracks all of us up. They are all such a hoot together. We are so thankful for family who play an intricate and major role in Brennen's life. With that said, Daddy went to pick Brennen up from Grandma's on Saturday and when he did...Kenidi and I took to the streets for a little impromptu fall photo shoot. This child LOVED crunching thru the leaves in her boots. She would stomp just to hear the leaves being demolished underneath her feet. It was hysterical.

The leaves were all dead and dried up so they made for some great crunching noises. She loves textures so she kept grabbing them and feeling them as well. I kept praying that a big ol' worm or spider wasn't going to crawl out from underneath them onto her hands or head for that matter. Ha ha!

The light outside was that warm honey/golden shade again. It was a gorgeous day to say the least.

Her eyelashes kept jumping out at me during the session - like they always do when I'm photographing her. Her and Brennen both were blessed with beautiful eyelashes. We have no idea where they got them from...

I love how her hair has like three different shades or colors running throughout it. I'm guessing it is from being in and out of the sun so much. Women pay good money to have their hair highlighted and colored like that. Ha ha! Kenidi's just comes naturally. Who would have ever guessed that when she used to pull all of her hair out due to frustration while being non-verbal, that she would end up with hair like she has now. God is good! Oh...and there is that golden honey light again...and the eyelashes again too...

I know I've said it here before but I'm going to say it again. I can truly see the world in her eyes. She has so much love to give. She is truly the most affectionate child I've ever known.

I have no doubt that she is touching the lives of many and that she will continue to do so as she grows thru the years. We are so blessed by the fact that she has changed how we view the world. Thru her eyes, the world became a totally new and different place to us. For that we are very thankful. But mainly...I am just so very thankful to be able to call her "mine."

Enjoy your Monday everyone. xoxo, Angie

SNOW DAY

The kids and I are thankful today for 6:30am automated phone calls from the school Superintendent saying, "Stay home...it's a snow day!" Brennen immediately began to ping off the walls and ask "What are we going to do today, Mom, what are we going to do?"

Uh...go back to bed maybe...

Needless to say, that wasn't an option. Mom duties call. I have requests for hot Coco Wheats for breakfast. Ever had them? If you haven't, then run to your nearest grocery store and grab a box to make like right now. My aunt got me hooked on those as a young girl and I'm still obsessed with them all these years later. Now my kids beg for them too. I'm off to start making those as well as plan my attack on that snow outside with Big Papa in hand. I am bound and determine to get pictures of the kids out in this nasty white stuff today. We got 11" overnight last night with more falling as we speak. This is the most snow I remember getting in Indiana in a really long time.

Oh dear parents of ours...Dad, Cathy, Mom, Deb and Ron...you guys ready to pack up and move to Florida with Brent, myself, and the kids yet? The beach is calling...all of us. :) Brent cracked me up last night when he said that the only thing holding him in Indy & keeping him from moving us to the beach at this moment is Kenidi's teacher. We feel like she is such a good fit for our little "Keester" that we'd never want to pull Kenidi away from her or that classroom. Alison, I don't know whether to thank you or be mad at you now. Ha ha - Keeping us from the beach and all. :) Just kidding. Would you consider packing up and moving with us if we ever did? You know?...you, your husband, that new baby to be, etc. We'll make it a fun journey. We promise! :) Ha ha! All in a perfect world, eh?

Thank goodness for snow days to make it all a little easier to stomach. I guarantee you Florida isn't getting a snow day today. I think I'd rather scratch the snow days and live by the beach instead. What do you guys think? xoxoxo, Ang

PS...Due to the kids being home from school today, eBays 2nd round of listings will be put on hold until tomorrow - possibly Friday. I'm going to spend the day with my kiddo's rather than sorting thru clothes, photographing, and then listing them in auctions. More are coming - hang tight.

GOING, GOING, GONE...

Oh today is a bitter sweet day for us here in the Seaman Family. Today is the day that our home on the South side of Indy will officially become someone elses. Yes, our home down south sold and the new family took possession of it today.

I love that house - always have. And if you remember correctly, I never wanted to move from it. However, with the persuasion of Brent wanting to move North because of his drive back and forth to the office each day as well as the events that took place in Kenidi's old school toward the end of last year, (CGES pushing out the special needs class in order to make room for an honors classroom), I finally gave in and let God be God. I had prayed that if it was the right decision, we'd end up North. And we did! Here we are - loving it up on the North side of Indy.

We lived in the old house for a little over 5 years. We put it on the market at the end of June last year. We were told by our realtor to remain patient - that because of the market and the size home it was - we could be sitting on it for a year or so. Then, when the market dropped and housing issues became what they are now...we thought we might just end up sitting on it for a couple of years. Scary - I know. We are praising God today for him bringing the right couple to us after only 6.5 months on the market. Although I won't miss paying double mortgage payments each month now, I will definitely miss the home itself. We have many fond and wonderful memories in that house and it breaks my heart to let it go. Really. It does!

We spent many summers by the pool with friends and family. This backyard held some great parties and some incredible laughs. I have many a photographs of friends goofing off on that slide. I see them in my head as I flash thru these old pictures today.

Brent had the landscaping there at the house in superb condition. If we heard it once, we heard it a thousand times, in regards to people stopping to compliment our yard. We were known in the neighborhood by some as those people with "that yard." Or some called us the "mum" house because they remember our yard one fall when Brent had these HUGE mums planted all over our yard. It was always too funny to hear people go..."Oh you are the ones that live in the Mums house..."

We loved it there. The house was good to us. The neighbors were good to us.

The pool was especially good to us.

I teared up a bit today thinking about the last time we were all in the pool together last summer. I teared up thinking about how last week was the last time I'd ever be in that house again. I teared up thinking about last summer was the last time I'd ever laugh and try to shoot hoops with Brennen in the drive again. I teared up thinking about how we'd probably never get the chance to meet another neighbor like our "smiley face in the yard" neighbor. You remember Wayne? Yeah...the one who mowed a smiley face in our front yard when we were away on vacation just to get Brent's goat because he treasured the grass so much. See the smiley face in the picture below...? Classic. We laughed until our sides ached when we rolled up at home that night from the airport. I never even noticed it but Brent saw it IMMEDIATELY - in the dark mind you.

That's OK...we got them (the neighbors) back by doing a chalk outline of a dead body on their drive way and wrapping their house with yellow caution tape a short while later. Good times~Good times! We'll miss everyone on that street. Our street was really the only street in the neighborhood that had kids all the same age. Young kids anyway. Brennen loved his little neighbor pals and still does.

In the end though...we established that change is GREAT. Not just 'good' anymore but GREAT! The decision to move to the North side of Indy turned out to be one of the best decisions we've ever made in our lives. We are overly happy up here. The schools are incredible. The neighborhoods are fantastic. The ambiance isn't even comparable. The restaurant choices and shopping are out of this world. All in all, it's just a great place to raise a family and we are so glad we made the decision we did. Looking back, as scared as I was to move, I realize once again in life that God had it all planned out. It worked out perfectly - just as he planned it to.

We pray the new homeowners will love our old house. We sure did!

...Ang

WISHIN' WEDNESDAY

Although waking up to this sunrise this morning was way cool - albeit a bit scary as well beings that the sky almost looked as if it were opening up and on fire, I still had to eventually see this (image below) as I looked out off our master bedroom deck into part of our backyard. Once the beautiful and oh so strange sunrise cleared, the weather still is what it is. Cold, dark, and snowy. Yeap, this is Indiana at this moment folks.

So...as I sat dreaming again...I closed my eyes for a few minutes and pretended - and oh so "wished" I could propel myself backwards two weeks and still be here...

On Bonita Beach and in Naples, Florida. Sanibel Island as well. Oh to reverse time by just a few days...

I miss my "Beach B/F/F's." ...the birds...

I am missing my toes being sugared in the sand today...always.

I am missing the feel of the white bubbly ocean rushing up on my toes and the smell of the salt water - the Ocean - God's awesome creation.

I'm missing their (my beach B/F/F/'s) squawkin' and squealin'. Their fighting with one another over the next shell full of food or the next unknowing and innocent little fish that swims their way. I'm missing their sky high dives, their death defying stunts, and their fly by's.

Yeap, those fly by's for little ol' me, remember? Just me. We have an agreement. I told you guys about our story and how we are sticking to it. Remember...B/F/F's in exchange for their photo shoots? Yes...that agreement.
Just missing all of them and all of 'it' today.xoxoxo, Angie

DOWN & GRUNGEY

BEFORE PHOTOSHOP:

AFTER PHOTOSHOP:

Just a little snippet or example of why I love photoshop so much. I spent some time playing with it this weekend after not having logged onto it since before leaving for Christmas vacation. I 'moseyed' around in there and found a new way to enhance an image and give it that "70's surfer feel" as I like to refer to it. Ha ha! It is a great look for all of the beach pictures that I intend to make into canvas wraps for the photo wall in our house.

But then...when you really want to get down and funky - maybe a bit "grungey" as I call it...you can also add this...

So fun. So so fun! Photography is a never ending learning process. There is a 1,000 more things to learn about and be creative with as each new day passes. It is that factor that never allows me to get bored with images or photography in general. Each day is different. Each image can look one million different ways or take on a thousand different looks. Photography...food for the brain. Seriously - it sooooooo is. I'm very ready for my next photography class tomorrow morning as well as more of my photoshop classes. The sponge in me is going crazy and misses the soaking up in the past three weeks. I think it's an addiction. Really, I do. :)

I'm off to run some much needed errands today as well as ship out a couple more orders that are done. We had a very busy weekend filled with basketball games, snow and ice, dinners with friends and family as well as with our builder and his wife, snow and ice, hunkered down veg out time at home, snow and ice. You get the picture at this point right? Snow and ice. Aside from the photos above giving me beach withdraw & sending me into convulsions right now...my sewing employee/great friend, Karen, gave me a 2009 beach desk calendar as part of my awesome gifts for Christmas this year. For every new day, there is a new beach shot. I LOVE IT! However, she WILL get her paybacks for the torture she has thrown at me as I sit here and have to look at that calendar day in and day out. :) Shame on you sista' - shame on you. Your right...next time you just need to go with us to Naples. Maybe then you'll understand the depth of your torturous fun. ;) Wink wink! Love ya 'gur-fren!'

Much love ladies, Angie

REBELS

We touched back down in Indy at 6:20pm last night.

I stepped off the plane in my flip flops. It was a mere 26 degrees.

I rebelled! Flip flops or bust. Let's also mention that Brennen came home in shorts.

He rebelled as well and I allowed it.

Go ahead...call CPS now. We don't care. We are just kind of crazy like that. Crazy kind of family. And gosh knows we love being crazy. (Hence, the song. A great one at that. Turn up your speaker volume and enjoy it while reading this) Craziness!

Back to point...who cared about who was staring and whispering. We were being rebels together. Mother and Son. Love that!

We woke up to snow this morning. Don't love that! Nope...not so much. In fact, I detest that part. I was almost disgusted when I saw it. In fact, not "almost"...I WAS disgusted! How do you go from 83 degrees with sun, sand, and palm trees to 26 degrees, with snow and sleet in a matter of 2 hours? What is wrong with this picture people?

Either way, I got this in my email inbox earlier and had to share. It's from Kenidi's teacher. You know, Alison? The one I speak about on this blog from time to time? Here is what part of her email read:

I’m including a picture from this morning’s SuperTarget field trip. Miss Kenidi has been super tired today and conked out on the way back. (on the bus) I snapped a quick picture to send you…it was too cute to pass up! Hope you’re having a good first day back home. :)

It appears as though our little Miss Kenidi experienced a bit too much R&R over the past 2.5 weeks while we were away. I'm sure she was dreaming of funyons, blues clues, dances with daddy on the beach, musical chairs on the lanai, etc. right at that very moment. Hysterical! Sleeping on the bus...Does it get any better than that? Well, maybe if you were sleeping on the beach. Thanks for taking the time to send this picture to me Alison. Brent and I cracked up. Too funny!

Either way, back to making orders, shipping them, doing a boat load of laundry, putting away suitcases, waiting for 2.5 weeks worth of "held" mail to show up from the mail lady(oh joy! - Not!), and simply missing the noise. The bickering amongst siblings. The mouth of a 9 year old. The scenes on the beach from a 5 year old with special needs. The ringing of my husbands cell phone(constantly). Yeap, just missing it all. Just when your brain tells you that you've had enough and your ready to kick your family to the curb after 2.5 weeks of being together 24/7, your heart kicks in and reminds you otherwise. Brent sent me an email this morning that read nothing but "I miss you already."

Made. me. cry.

Truth is...he has only been gone at the office for 7 hours but I miss him already too. I miss them. The kids. The monsters. The little hellions. I miss them and they've only been gone a few hours. Like I told Brent when I replied back to his email, "the silence without them here is now almost deafening." I find my heart extremely heavy today for the Travolta's as I sit in this silence. Just me, God, and the silence. Praying for their peace. Praying for their unexpected horrific silence. Just praying!

In him always, Angie

ALL GREAT THINGS MUST COME TO AN END

This is what our last day on the beach looked like yesterday. Blue skies, a hot 83 degrees, white sand, kids playing, etc. I took Brennen and we hung out and did some Mommy/son time alone. See little Miss Kenidi doesn't understand that the ocean is too cold to swim in this time of the year. On numerous occasions this trip, she has dove in the water, clothes, shoes, and all in an effort to swim with the fish. Ha ha! Brent has then had to go in after her in his clothes, shoes, and all. Thus, why Kenidi will be coming home without a brown bean tan this trip. She stayed home most afternoons with Daddy, having lunch with him, watching continual episodes of Blue Clues with him and playing musical chairs outside in the lanai around the pool with him. Brennen got in the ocean up to his knees a few times but for the most part, the water was just too cold. So yesterday, Brennen and Mommy spent 4 hours oceanside just playing in the sand, tanning it up, and closing our eyes as we embraced the last few hours of the waves crashing against the shore before we have to return home.

There was hardly anyone around. Just us and our Beach B/F/F's (the birds). Yeap, they made one last appearance in hopes of getting "Paparazzi'ed" before we go. And boy did they ever. Many of them did fly over stunts for us and everything this time. Too fun to watch. It's amazing to me how close they come to my hands and my lens. I think they are so used to people on the beach that they come right up to you like its nothing. We are sticking with the story that they just enjoy strutting their stuff in front of my cameras and that we are all B/F/F's because of the photo ops I give them in exchange. HA! I mean let's face it...they are celebrities here on this ol' blog. Right?

This shot above was a group of pelicans that continued to fly overhead and in formation all afternoon long. They were so beautiful! And below...I captured a seagull coming in for a landing all while almost taking out another one of his own pals.

The image below is of a single pelican flying right above my head, doing what they do best... Looking stunning!

Although this next shot below was caught on the fly and left me unprepared, I still love it. Look at those wings. You guys know how much I have a love affair with all things "wingy." Hee hee! :) He came in for a landing right at my feet and I snapped the shot right before his little legs hit the ground.

And this little dude below kept bringing around things in his mouth. He tried to eat everything in sight. I caught him with this something or another and thought I'd share it here too.

This seagull below isn't really as close as it looks to my head like some of the previous shots. Thank goodness for telephoto zoom lens. I love my glass. They are so good at capturing images like this one that are impossible in a normal situation.

And there he went...flying right past us. Up in the sky with the planes and all. How fun it must be to know that God blessed you with wings. What a view they must have every second of every day...

Then lastly, these are my favorite red long beaked birds. I don't know their technical name but I do love them. I call them "Red" when there.

Here are two of my favorite houses shoreside on Bonita Beach. You should see the front of these bad boys. They are stunning homes. The owner of the white house was out on her top balcony while we were there yesterday. She was yelling down and talking to an older couple that they obviously knew on the beach. I wondered if she knew how blessed she was to wake up to a view like that every morning. Gorgeous!

Here is Brennen doing what he does...hanging out with Mom in the sand.

I thought that I might order canvas wrapped prints done in color or possibly even black and white of these next few prints below. I have a large wall in our great room that is craving some large prints. I plan to make it a photo wall with all of my photography pictures captured of the kids, the beach, and so on during our vacation memories thru the years. Beings that our new home is decorated in a beachy/cottage feel, I thought these close ups of hands and feet in the sand will be great for the photo wall collection.

My toes won't be on the wall though. Of course not...no way jose'! I don't mind putting them here though - in small print. :)

For now, I'm off to finish packing. It's 9am and our flight leaves for home at 3:45pm today. I'm sad and heart sick to return back to Indy's winter weather. However, in the end, it is home. Normally I'm ready to come home by the end of each trip. This time however, I'm not. I really hate leaving this trip and bringing it to an end. I just wish I was a beach shell sometimes...able to stay on the beach 24/7, swim with the dolphins, sun bathe in the rays, etc. Beings that I'm not though, I guess the shells will have to remain there along with our Beach B/F/F's until we return again later this year. They are always lonely without us. I'm sure of it...

Thanks for sharing this vacation with us. I've enjoyed being able to share with you all. As always, please pray for safe travels tonight as we fly home. If all is on time, we will touch back down in Indy at 6:30pm on the dot tonight. I'll update tomorrow from the comforts of home.

Happy Monday...Angie

CATCH UP (PART 2)

Hi all. Just dropping in to say hello on this gorgeous Sunday morning. Before we head back to the beach today, I thought I'd post real quick. Here are a few images from several nights ago back when we walked the beach in Naples that evening. Brent happens to be in these with the kiddo's. He and Kenidi were dancing on the beach together part of that time and I managed to capture a couple of images from the moment. Girlie twirls & spins in the sunset with Daddy...

Maybe a little salsa dancin'...shakin' those hips with Daddy...

This shot below was taken on the beach several nights later over on Sanibel Island. She was showing Daddy her shell that she found. Love her stance and his body language in this one. The princess speaks and her prince (her Daddy) listens intently...

Brent was watching the kids play a few feet from me at one point and was allowing me a few minutes to snap some shots. I got this one of him. Loved it. Don't know why...just do.

And this one I got of Brennen with my telephoto lens. I was way far away and captured him looking for shells along the waters edge, carrying "Razzi" in tow.

Brennen and Daddy...(back in Naples again)

And this shot below is of Kenidi, just laying down in the sand. I caught her doing it and it reminded me of how relaxed I get when at the beach. She was just sugaring herself in the sand and truly in her element. I caught her enjoying life to the fullest at that second. When I snapped the legs of the teenage girls in the background too, I at first started to delete the picture and throw it out. However, the more I thought about and the more I looked at it once back at the house, the more I realized that their legs help to tell a story and describe a place. In the end, I felt that their presence, even though just their legs, added more character to the shot with Kenidi. Ultimately, the legs added "unique-ness" and I opted to keep the image rather than discard it.

And lastly, a facing forward shot of Kenidi chasing the birds. What great memories we have of another trip to South Florida. I don't know if we'll be back here before Summer again or not. Our Spring Break destination is undecided but in the works. No matter when we arrive back here, it'll never be soon enough. It's very hard to stomach the fact that we'll be flying back into Indy tomorrow night. (Monday) We'll be stepping off the plane to cold temps, a crazy busy week regarding the calendar and schedules, a Christmas tree that needs taken down and put away, laundry that will be demanding attention as it overflows out of the suitcases, and so on. I guess we call that "REALITY." Right? Life...praising God for it today and all that it breathes into us as well as takes from us.Happy Sunday,Angie PS...To view the Angie Seaman Photography "photo of the day," click HERE.