the mathewes family

One of the benefits of having a photography business is that I get to turn my fancy equipment onto my children, husband, and other loved ones. My most recent addition has been a pocket video camera, the Flip. After a decent amount of eBaying, I found a brand new HD version of the latest camera for a good price. It's great for creating low-budget promotional video and slideshows for weddings, but also for capturing little family moments quickly and easily.

So here I give you the latest installment of vingettes of Ruthie, mostly from our family gathering on Memorial Day, and one from a sudden nap in the living room one day:

This video is archived and available for high-quality download here.

@ June 1, 2009 7:00 AM

Today, Stephen and I have been married for five years.

Where did the time go?

Steve and I met in college, which means I've known him for nine years. Nine years of jokes, road trips, milestones, and various date nights. You'd think I'd know the guy by now, but we still have those weird moments where we look at each other, completely surprised.

Boy, how things change rapidly in the midst of the marital odyssey, too. I've already had two jobs, and am now running my own business. I have 1.5 children (well, technically two, but decimals are fun). We're going to seminary in the fall. It's weird to feel as though the last five years have been packed with more than the eight I spent in high school and college.

Happy Fifth, Sweetheart. May the next five be as beautiful as the last.

@ June 5, 2009 7:00 AM

Ruth is quite the chatterbox. She looks you in the eye, points and gestures, and even laughs at things she thinks are silly or jokes. I can't understand a word she's saying, but she is saying words that resemble other words, like "Hi!" and "baby" and "daddy." Her favorite almost-word is something that resembles "that," only the "th" is more like a "d" and the "t" at the end is more like an "s". "Dhats," is more like it, if I'd have to spell it.

She's also almost jumping... as in, she does occasionally launch herself off the ground. Always a climber, I find her on the kitchen table and ambitiously exploring new territories. I have a feeling that the talking and jumping will come at the same time, and we'll have our hands even more full than they are already.

In Other News

We've decided that Tapeworm (as we've affectionately called him) will be named Lucas. Middle names are up for grabs. Steve has always wanted to name one of his future sons Lucas, and we figured that since you never know what's going to be thrown at you, we might as well name this one Lucas. It's funny how less opinionated I am about naming the second child than I was the first, at least, I feel more at ease letting Steve "get" the name. Perhaps I'll be picky with the third, I don't know! Maybe I have too much else to care about!

I do believe that names are important, but I'm not going to wrench myself over what to name our children. We'll go for nice names that we like, and that's that.

Work Work Work

Remaining before my self-imposed maternity leave: 3 weddings, 2 engagement portraits, 1 family session, and 1 glamor/girly session. It's a lot of work, but I'm grateful to be over the halfway point of my weddings season. I still have a lot of photo editing to do, as well as marketing and planning for next year, but I think that will have to wait until my "leave" starts. The winter will be a good time to get myself together and prep for an amazing 2010 season. Inquiries are up for me now, and I've been asked to quote three different destination weddings (never been asked before!).

And Prayer, Please

We have a lot to do before we move; please cover it in prayer for us.

@ June 13, 2009 8:00 PM

So I've finally posted a gallery of photos from May that were taken on the Lloyds' visit to our place on Memorial Day weekend--just a few vingettes of Ruthie being amazingly cute, and Liana being beautiful, and Nathan being playful.

@ June 15, 2009 6:00 AM