MOVING ON UP!!

The Swanson family blog is on the move. I have purchased our very own domain and set up a new fancy blog that offers a super cool layout and LARGER pictures. I will try to import this blog over there, but no promises.... however change your bookmarks and blogrolls to the new address. www.lifeasweknowitblog.com

Come on over and leave some comments to say hi. And bear with me while the layout changes over the next few days as I get everything set up....

23 Month Pictures

Thought you might like to see Madalyn's 23 month photos.... we took these at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens last week. In these pictures she hardly looks like a baby anymore... just another reminder of how quickly her second birthday is coming.

Vintage Madalyn

One of the coolest things from Lightroom is this antique photo look.... so here is a quick storyboard from these pics.

I Am Officially Counting Down...

Well there are 364 more days until I am 30 years old! I am entering now the last year of my twenties.... and wow what a difference from the first year of my twenties! What a decade it has been! One of these days I will sit down and recap the highs and lows of these last ten years, but for tonight I think I will simply keep it to a February month in review in the Swanson household.

We ended January on a somewhat sad note- we had to take Miss Ava- our German Shepard mix puppy- back to the animal shelter. She had growled at Madalyn one day for climbing on her, which I thought was a fluke, but then she snapped at her again... and I couldnt live with myself if the third time ended in my beautiful daughter getting bit. So we brought Ava back to the shelter, and Madalyn has asked for her a few times here and there and Allie definitely seems to miss her, but it was for the better I think in the end....

Madalyn is quite the chatterbox! From sun up until sun down she talks, talks, talks and you never know what is going to come out of her mouth! I have certainly become fluent in toddlerese that is for sure! Tonight while I was changing her diaper and putting her PJs on for bed (which is no small task these days- her PJs have names and we have to look for the right ones at night!) she asked me for her "cown" which I did not know what it was. Finally she grabbed her red sparkle headband from her shelf and put it on "like ella" (cinderella) She is a princess in training this one. I finally realized she wanted to wear it as a crown, and helped her put it on her head and that headband did not leave her head until she went to sleep. She certainly knows what she wants, this one.... and she is very into fashion, shoes, accessories.... she constantly is asking me to put a bow in her hair ("bow mommy, booooowwwwww....." or to put her shoes on for her.

Madalyn also just started gymnastics, and is the smallest and youngest one in her class but she LOVES it. Every week we go and do stretches and then she goes through an obstacle course that involves swinging from parallel bars and walking across a balance beam,then there is free time and bubble blowing. Of course.... bubble blowing. When I got Madalyn home from the first class I asked if she had fun and her answer was "bubbles!" On the way back the follwing week I told her we were going to gymnastics and she yelled "bubbles!" Hmmmm.... all this money for gymnastics lessons and I could get bubbles from the dollar store?!

We went home to Mom and Dad's so Shawn could lay some tile for them.... that was lots of fun. He worked hard, we shopped hard... and of course Madalyn was completely spoiled rotten! Their house looks amazing and is really coming along... which I am sure they would be glad for it to get put back together.

Other than that life is... well life. The business has kept me busy, and if you want to check out some recent shoots go to www.jlsphotoblog.com. I also launches a new site for my boudoir photography... www.jlsphotographystudio.com/boudoir. That aspect of my business, along with weddings surprisingly!, has kept me very very busy. I had a wedding last weekend (2/22) and a wedding next weekeng (3/7) then 3 in the month of April along with Madalyn's birthday party- which is April 5th so SAVE THE DATE!

Shawn is doing well.... he isnt working on Mondays now so that will become project day...

I guess that was somewhat of an update.... and I will post more of an update later on... but LEAVE ME SOME COMMENTS! I spend most of my time blogging for the business now, which is why I have been slacking majorly over here, but if I know people are reading I will be better about posting.

And with that, I leave you with some quick snaps taken yesterday in our backyard. I am trying to master Adobe Lightroom, which is similar to Photoshop but seemingly WAY more in depth- but my birthday present to myself was a Scott Kelby book on it which I read while editing these... so ignore the DIRTY face but enjoy the photos! And Madalyn picked out that hat by the way.

And Shawn's birthday present to me.... a photoshoot with Madalyn. A REAL photoshoot, like I do for OTHER people... so soon I will have some nice pictures of MY kid- we are heading to Kanapaha Botanical Gardens towards sunset time if I have my way so we will see.

And heading my way this week is a NEW CAMERA! The one I have been drooling over for the last year! I packed up my Rebel Xti and some of my lenses and shipped them to Jenna (am I a nice sister or what!?!) in the anticipation of my new camera coming here. I currently have a Canon 40D which is pretty great itselt, but I have wanted the advantage of having a full frame sensor for a LONG time and had to save some pennies to afford it! I also purchased a 100 mm macro lens, so I will be sharing some macro photography on here as well.... I cant wait!

I blinked... and its the end of January!

Holy moly. Seriously I havent updated in awhile... and there isnt anything very exciting going on here anyways. It's pretty much Sleep. Work. Play with Madalyn. Repeat.

I got moved stations again and I am back at Rescue 3. I hate the area but I have a great partner and a really great crew at the station so things are better in that aspect I guess.

I will be better about updating this I promise, but for now wanted to share some recent pics.

Baking Cookies

During the college football national championship game (GO GATORS!) Savannah came to stay with us while my sister and Brad went to the game. The girls had so much fun together... and the house was filled with giggles for three days!

We made some cookies... and of course there arent any of the finished product (we gave up on the idea of decorating!) Madalyn LOVED playing in the flour.

In Celebration of My OTHER New Lens

In Celebration of My New Lens

My business bought me a late Christmas present this year.... and I am in LOVE. It is a new lens for my new camera and it is AMAZING. I only wish these photos could do it justice, but Madalyn was totally not into posing today. Allie and Ava cooperated a little bit when I took the lens out of the box.... but not for long.

I have Savannah today, tomorrow and Friday so maybe I can do a mini shoot with the girls and play with it then.

Madalyn the Artist

In our house we draw with chalk instead of crayon because it comes off the walls easier! Inevitably Madalyn will get crayon SOMEWHERE she isnt allowed to, and its such a pain to scrub off. Hence the chalk. But it DOES keep her busy for a little while. :)

Christmas Photos

Only a week too late... but wanted to share some of the Christmas photos from our day at Jenna's house. It was really nice to get the family together for the festivites, opening presents and eating Christmas dinner.

Landon was really into the paper, Madalyn opened one gift and was happy to play with the rest (leaving Mommy to open those!) And Savannah LOVED every single princess that she got!
Landon enjoying his first Christmas.



Madalyn and her new best friend forever ELMO LIVE!





The girls bouncing on Savannah's new trampoline.

Jenna and Landon enjoying the 80 degree weather.

Of course Madalyn had to try out Landon's rocking horse.

Madalyn is a present!


Savannah and her princesses. She can name them all!