First there were FOUR and then there was.....ONE

Yes I have had my babies home with me for the last 11 years, and although it has been wonderful, so is sending them off to school and getting a little break!! Anthonne started middle school, although he was nervous he pulled through and he really seems to enjoy it. Aly was very excited to go back to the same school to start the 3rd grade. She has gone to a different school for every single year she has been in school.....sad I know, but the life of a Navy family. And finally my Mayson.....he really needed to have something of his own, especially with dad being gone, so I put him in part day preschool. He'll go 3 days a week from 9-1, and the best thing is that it's at our church! His first day was yesterday and he LOVED it! So now i'm left with Miss Bella, we are going to have fun hanging out, just the girls. I know that in no time all of my babies will be in school, and then i'll be rethinking this "growing up" thing!

Vacation, visiting friends, and now a hubby gone...

Yea it's been a very busy couple of weeks! We drove 2 days to get to Texas and that was both fun and exhausting. Bella wasn't cool being in the car that long but she did the best you can expect from an 17 month old. So we got to Texas and needless to say we had a blast. My parents were amazing and it was awesome being around family and close friends. I got to visit with good friends and the kids got to go to the San Antonio Zoo and Sea World. It was so hard to leave. After this trip we have made the decision to retire in San Antonio.

So when we got back from Texas our friends Sherry and Marty came from Washington to visit us. We hung out at the waterpark and took a trip to DC. We were really busy but it helped take my mind off the fact that Lamont was recalled off of our vacation to leave for anywhere from 5 weeks up to 3 months.
He left this past Monday and I'm still trying to get used to the idea of it. I miss him already and am praying that he will be home soon. We've had a great summer and don't want it to end!

Texas Bound Baby!!

We are on our way to Tejas...woo hoo!! We are going to San Antonio to visit with my family. It's been almost 2 years since we were there last. This will be Bella's first trip there, and everyone is very excited to meet her. I will make sure to fill you all in with the details of our trip when I get back. Life will be extra chaotic when I get back, so i'm going to enjoy the time away!! Till next time....

Happy Birthday to my first love

11 years ago I went to the hospital to be induced because my stubborn baby didn't want to come out. Lamont was in Mississippi and was unable to come down so i just had my parents by my side. I was scared, frightened and 17 years old. I didn't know how I was going to take care of this baby, but I knew that I had to figure it out. I was about to become someone's mother. I didn't know if the baby I was about to have was a boy or girl. I secretly prayed for a girl, because being alone I thought that I would be able to raise a girl better. What I got was the most unexpected gift I have ever recieved in my life. After over 10 hours of hard labor, the doctor's decided to take the baby out by c-section. I went into the operating room and about 30 minutes later, they pulled my son out of me. When they announced he was a boy, my only thought was....thank you God. I knew that he was what i was supposed to have, he was perfect. When they brought him around the curtain, I was so amazed at how much he looked like Lamont. I cried and cried at what I had just done. I had brought a little person in this world. I was so terrified over the thought of being able to raise him properly. I knew there would be mistakes, but would they be big enough to damage him? Would not having a father there, be something that would define him? I felt sorry for him, sorry that I had decided at such a young age to become a mother. Sorry that he didn't have a more experienced mother to raise him. But all of that slowly went away when after a couple of hours they brought him to my room and I held him. I knew that with the support of my family, I would be able to do a good job. I knew that with how much I loved him, and how much my family loved him, he would be okay. He would grow up knowing that although he wasn't planned he was wanted, I wanted him, I fought to have him and now 11 years later I couldn't imagine a moment in my life without him. Because of him, his father and I are still together.....Happily together. Because of him we went on to have 3 more children. Because of him, I am the happiest mother I could have ever been. Because of him, his father and I are the people we are today. Because of him....I am who I am. He taught us responsibility, he taught us unconditional love, and he taught us that the best things in life are unexpected. I love you Anthonne, Happy Birthday to the first love of my life.

For some reason it's not letting me post pictures with this, so when I can I will post the pictures I took for his birthday....thanks for stopping by

The Funny Bone

One of the things we got to do while Amber was here was to see John Heffron the winner of last years Last Comic Standing performing at The Funny Bone, a comedy club here in Va. Beach. He was pretty funny, but we also enjoyed the act before him, Louis Katz. He was hilarious! Of course his act was a little more "dirty"....lol. Anyway, if you get a chance and they are performing anywhere by you, go check them out! After the show we tried to go meet John and Louis. John was busy with other fans so we sat and chatted with Louis. He made fun of me for not having a myspace page, and we talked till there was no one else left in the club. We never did get to meet John, but we did get out pic taken with Louis! Afterwards we went outside and took some pictures in the "new" downtown Va. Beach....yes the comidians totally made fun of our attempt at a big city...lol.

Amber's visit

My friend Amber came to visit all the way from Washington State. This was to be our girl's hanging out trip, unfortunately the first couple of days started off rocky! She came in the night of the 4th and the next day we were all hit with a stomach bug, and for me strep throat! So once that was over we were able to go out and have fun. There were a few things she wanted to do while she was here and I think we were able to do them all. We went to the Cinema Cafe and saw Click, which I thought was really good. We then had a fun little voyeur experience at a Mexican restaurant.....you know what I mean Amber...wink, wink...lol. We got go have a little photoshoot of eachother which was nice since we both have gotten tired of using our tripods to take pics of ourselves! I got to take her out dancing, which was alot of fun especially since she hadn't been out in over 8 months. We went to a comedy show and had a blast there and we ended her stay with her taking my family's pictures at a beach. So it was a pretty busy week, but I had a great time! I hope you did too Amber!!

My baby's new way to relax.....

Out with the old, in with the new....that's what we decided to do when it came to our living room set. After having 4 kids spill drinks all over it, a new puppy sleep and shed all over it, it was time for new one! So we got a new couch, loveseat and Lamont's favorite..... a new recliner. Doesn't it just fit him right.....lol.

Busy, Busy, Busy......

My life lately has been very chaotic!!! I had three clients last weekend and all of them were a joy to do! It is a very new experience for me to be working from home. I have 4 little ones who need my attention all day long, then I have clients that I am responsible for to provide a good product! It's been about 8 years since I've worked away from home and then I just had 2 kids. It was hard, but I didn't feel as much guilt as I do working when the kids are crying for more milk, or whinning because someone took a toy away from them. But I know it's all worth it in the end because I feel personally fulfilled. I have gone to school to become a teacher but with being a Navy wife I have had to put those plans on the backburner. So now I am able to do something that I love and contribute financially to my family. It is nice to finally be able to say that...

Seniors

It's that season for graduations!! I did my first senior portraits on the beach the other day and this young lady did great! It was her first time having portraits taken of herself and you wouldn't be able to tell because she just seemed so natural. I want to congratulate her on her graduation and for her getting into William and Mary, which she will attending in the fall.

Natural Beauty

Lamont's oldest niece, Malisa, is in the Navy and she is now stationed here in Va. It's been a long time since we have had family around, so it's been nice to have her here. She moved here shortly after I started my photography business and for months we have been trying to schedule a photoshoot. Well we finally did last weekend. The pictures I recently posted of Bella were taken that day. Well it was a very succesful shoot and we got alot of great shots. These are some of my favorite. I feel very grateful to have such beautiful family and friends, not just outwardly beauty, but beauty that comes from within. As you can see, Malisa has natural beauty and it wasn't hard to capture.

My beach boy

I have a photoshoot scheduled for this weekend so I went out to scope new beaches. I found one that I loved and while we were there I took some test shots of Mayson. I loved how they came out and how much fun he had playing in the sand. It will be the perfect spot for my future beach shoots.

My Beach Babe

I did a photoshoot of my neice and since Lamont is gone, I had to bring the kids along. They all had fun playing on the beach, all but Bella. She wasn't digging the sand. I tried to make her happy by taking pictures of her, and at times it worked. So here are the good ones. The picture with her dress over her head was all her...lol! She is such a goof, a very cute goof. Enjoy!

My Red Roses

Before my honey left he bought me a dozen red roses. Just another reason why I love him so much. I was having a bad day and he took the kids to run errands, on his way home he stopped to buy me the roses. But it's what he did once he got home that stole my heart!! Our neice (who is 25 and in the Navy) stays with us on the weekends and he knew she was going to be home. So he took one of the roses before he gave me mine, and he gave it to her. As he handed it to her he said "You are as beautiful as this rose, and you should expect every man who wants to be with you to treat you so." All I saw from her was a big smile!! He's a great Uncle, wonderful father and even better husband. I miss you baby!!

My Hotness

Yes my honey is hotness to me!! He left on Friday for 3 weeks and although it's not as long as he's been gone before, it still breaks my heart that he's not here. I miss the simple things of having him here. I miss sitting here at the computer and looking over my shoulder to see him reading or watching t.v. I miss getting into bed next to him and laying my head on his chest. I miss the way he smells because the man smells good!!! Most of all I miss his company, he really is my best friend. You see any amount of time that he is away is hard to deal with, but you just have to deal with it. That is what they say is a Navy wife's job.....I just don't ever want to get good at it.

Back into time

What do you do when you find out that your favorite R&B groups of the '90s are performing on Mother's day for a reunion concert???? You run out and get your tickets asap!! Lamont and I were too excited to go see After 7, Blackstreet, Guy and Tony, Toni, Tone. We got there a little late (cause that's how we roll...lol) so I missed 3 songs from After 7. I wasn't too happy about that, but I did get to hear my favorite songs from them, Ready or Not. I had goosebumps. It may sound silly but I just love Kevon Edmonds' voice....it is very recognizable.
The rest of the concert was great. When TTT performed "Anniversary" Lamont and I stood up and danced in the little ailse of the stadium. We were about the only people standing, but the song means alot to us. So let me take you back about 9 years ago. It was our second anniversary and we had no money. We had just found out that we were expecting another baby and to me that was all the gift I needed. I didn't expect to get anything nor was I able to get Lamont anything. That morning I remember waking up hearing:
tommorow will come and girl i can't wait it's our anniversary, anniversary
the first thing i'll do is run straight to you it our anniversary, anniversary
It's our anniversary
Ahh....memories....
It was so nice to be there with Lamont and think about our beginnings...it was a perfect ending to a great Mother's day weekend!

Quick ranks 4th out of 22

After having my girly day with Aly I had to find something equally as fun to do with my boys. I searched online until I found something that I knew both my boys would enjoy.....shooting at mom! Yes it is a game that all of us would benefit from, we all get to take our aggressions out on eachother without harming one another....what fun...lol! Once we signed in we had to come up with code names for ourselves. Anthonne choose "Ace", I helped Mayson with "stealth" but when it got to myself I was stumped. Then I thought about the many times my kids have tried to pull the wool over my eyes and how many times I have caught on "quickly" so I came up with the name "Quick". Yea it got a few chuckles from the kids, but I proved my name to be fitting. We all packed on our vests and were armed with our laser guns. We had 30 seconds before we had to run into a 8,000 square ft. warehouse full of fog, mirrors and blacklights. Let me tell you, it didn't take long for me to get into it. I started shooting at everyone I could. Ducking, jumping, running to get away from the lasers of other people. After our game was done we went out to get our score sheet. I was too excited to see that I had scored 4th out of 22 people....yes some being other adults!! All I can say is that i'm hooked and I can't wait to go back for more!

Mommy's Day with my girl

So what did I do for Mother's day????? I spent it with my favorite people in the whole wide world!!!!!!! My weekend was packed full of things to do. On Saturday, Aly and I got all dressed up to have a girly day. We went to the nail salon to try and get our nails did.....but there was alot of people waiting so they told us to come back....bummer #1. Then we drove into downtown Norfolk to a cute little tea house to have us a tea party....well they were booked solid all day. I guess someone forgot to call and make reservations ): bummer #2. So what would a real mom do.....go to plan B. We looked for another place to have lunch. We happend upon an Indian restaraunt called Rajput that smelled sooo good from the outside! We were very happy to see a little buffet when we walked in. We had never been to an Indian restaraunt before so it was nice to sample the cuisine. We both really liked the food, although it was a little spicy. After lunch we were able to go and finally get our nails done. I had fun being girly with my little lady.

Friends and Family

You know what they say, you can't pick your family but you can pick your friends. I've said this before, if you are lucky to find good friends you hold on to them!! This past weekend I was inspired to take some pictures for our friends, The Alvelos'. Pete left today for 5 1/2 months and I wanted to give him something that he could hold on to for that time. I wanted to give him a piece of his family to take along, so we set up a photoshoot. The love in their family shines through their pictures. I was in tears with every click of the shutter. Being a Navy family you deal with separation all the time. Some women just move on as soon as their husbands are gone, but in their case it's hard to just move on. Pete is not just a husband, but a great father and a great friend to Isabel and to us. We will miss you while you are gone, but celebrate when you get back.

A night out with my honey

This past weekend Lamont and I went to a biker's party hosted by the Cut and Burn biker group. We went with a group of our friends and arrived to the Hilton ready to party. Now when we first heard it was a biker's party, we didn't know what to expect. Okay so do you remember that movie "Biker Boyz", well it was like a scene out of that. There were different biker groups representing with leather vests that donned there nicknames on it. It was a sold out event so the place was packed! There was alot of female bikers, that came wearing matching outfits. The most interesting one, was a group of girls that had on tuxedo jackets with the tails, white boustieres , white shorts. and tall white boots. Interesting is the only word I can say about that..... All in all it was a fun party. We danced, we laughed...we laughed at other people dancing.....j/k. Till next time.......

Happy Easter......a little late i know!

Well what can I say, that's how our family rolls. I've been meaning to come and post pictures of our Easter and talk about how much fun we had....but life happens. So here is the run down.

On Saturday we took the kids to our church's Easter Egg hunt. It was Ysabella's first time hunting for eggs, and it was so funny to watch her do so. After a couple of eggs she decided the ones in her basket were more interesting then the ones on the ground.

On Easter day we all put our Sunday best on and went to church. It was a great service, despite the fact that I was in the nursery the whole time. We came home and relaxed for a bit, before we headed off to a friend's house for dinner. The kids had another egg hunt, where the older children dominated. I had to help Bella and Mayson out or they would have ended up with nothing. We had a great time, and even better we were all together as a family. You can't ask for more then that!

A Surprise Worth the Drive

About a month ago my best friend's husband called telling me that he had won a trip to South Carolina with his company. I have been friends with them since '98 when we met in Puerto Rico while both our hubby's were in the Navy. We were both working at the Navy Relief Society and our love for talking turned into a great friendship. She had two girls that were the same ages as Anthonne and Aly and they all became instant friends too. We went everywhere together, the beach, the mall, the clubs. Our families were inseperable. So when it was time to leave PR we decided that Washington would be the best place to go, being that Sherry and Marty are from there. The next 3 1/2 years were wonderful. We felt like we had family there. Unfortunately the good times had to come to an end and we had to move across the country in 2003. It's been 2 years since we've seen them and when Marty made that call there was nothing that was going to stop me from seeing them! Thankfully Lamont was ablt to take leave and I drove 6 1/2 hours to South Carolina and surprised her.

I drove into downtown Charleston where Marty and Sherry were walking around. I parked my car in front of the visitor's center and Marty convinced Sherry to walk over there saying they were meeting some friends for a drink. As I was walking away from my car, Sherry spotted me. She said to Marty, "Hey that girl over there looks just like Lissa," Marty said, "Yea a little, but not really." So they continued to walk away, but I panicked! I hid behind someone elses car until I didn't see them anymore. Marty called my cell phone pretending to call his friends and asked where I was. I told him, "Hiding behind a car!" So he told me to go ahead and meet them in front of the visitor's center. As I approached them, Sherry points and tells Marty, "Look there's that girl I was telling you about that looks just like Lissa." All I heard was my name so I started nodding my head. It took her a few more minutes and then she realized that it was me. She came running towards me and we both hugged and cried! It was a wonderful moment. It didn't even feel like 2 years had gone by.

So for the next two days we just relaxed and enjoyed eachothers company. We lounged by the pool and drank all day on Wednesday and then on Thursday we had to say our goodbyes! I took them to the airport and with sadness said one last goodbye. I know it may sound dramatic, but it was really sad. It had been 2 years since we last saw eachother and now after 2 days we were going our separate ways again. When you have a friend that you can feel completely comfortable with, it's hard to see them walk away. We both live such busy lives that we often don't get the time to reconnect with one another. You have to hold on to those friendships that really mean something to you. Being a military family we see friends come and go, but it's the special ones that you don't let go.

*Kisses*