I know, I know...

It feels like I haven't been here forever. I decided to take the second half of July off from any photography shoots. I wanted to spend as much time as possible just having fun with Jake. I kept him so busy!!  It's been crazy hot here, so I've been creative.

I'm doing whatever it takes...boxes, masking tape, paint, scotch tape, punches...all things I haven't resorted to before.

Jake discovered SpongeBob, too. He will actually sit and watch an entire episode. It's not exactly a great learning experience, but sometimes I need it just to occupy him.

We've also been relying on some awesome babysitters. Shout out to Livi, Walker, and Nicole! You three are awesome! Next time you are here, make sure I take your picture with Jake.

In addition to spending my time off playing with Jake, Kate and I have been working like crazy to clean out about 20 years of useless stuff. This is so long overdue. We've made countless trips to Goodwill, sold tons of stuff on ebay and craigslist, and given stuff to family and friends. What got this ball rolling was an epiphany I had one morning. I decided that my basement guest bedroom is just useless space. Very few people have stayed there, and it's normally piled with toys and junk. My photo studio was taking over our living space in the basement family room. Jake had tons of toys down there and no room to play. So...the guest bedroom will become my new studio, and I'm reclaiming the family room area for family fun. I have a flooring guy coming on Thursday to pull up the carpeting and lay hardwood in the studio. I'm still thinking about the painting. My original plan was 3 neutral walls that I could use as a backdrop and one chalkboard wall. I'm super excited about the chalk wall! Now I'm thinking I may also do one bright white wall. I'm going to keep props out, so I will be able to move lights around easily to utilize all three walls. I've been cleaning out my storage room...with Kate's help...and should have plenty of room for props and chairs.

A lot of work is done, but there is still a lot to do. I haven't taken any pictures of the process, because I'm just working too darn hard!

During this time off, we celebrated Izzy's birthday in a big way. We had lots of fun at an awesome pizza place near Izzy's house and at my sister's local pool. I was so excited to be able to score a few tables at the pizza parlor right by some awesome windows that let in the best light! No flash needed...yay!