I’ve been tagged!

Posted on October 29, 2008

I was tagged by the awesome Staci. She is a wonderful photographer who I really look up to!

Rules:
1. Post the rules on your blog.
2.Write six random things about yourself.
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post.

6 random things about me:

1) My real name is Anna, but few people call me that. I have gone through periods in my life where I chose to use the proper “on my birth certificate name”, usually as a result of being employeed somewhere where there was already an Annie and it was too confusing for customers to have two people with the same name, so I’d fall back on my “real name”, but I really find that it just really doesn’t fit me. I’m Annie, through and through.

2) I am a knuckle cracker. I’m seriously addicted, it feels awesome. I also pop my elbows, neck, ankles, wrists, ugh…I have a big time problem obviously.

I figure some people are addicted to drugs, alcohol, porn, cigarettes, soda pop, shopping…my addiction is popping and I’m not gonna stop.

I’ve been a “serious popper” for many, many years now. My earliest memory was when I was 9 of popping my neck.

3) I DESPISE picky eating. I find it just very self centered. Sure everyone can have their reasonably sized list of foods they don’t like, but when the list of things they don’t like is longer than the list of things they do like it just becomes ridiculous. I’m one of those parents that requires my child to eat at least a few bites of everything and if she doesn’t like it, fine, but she’s still gonna eat a few bites. As she gets older and is able to understand the importance of being grateful and thankful for the food presented to her then I’ll probably make her sit and finish everything on her plate too…and I’m NOT gonna feel bad about it! (And no, I wouldn’t only present her with disgusting food options, I’m not CRUEL…but I won’t raise a picky, ungrateful food brat either!)

4) I hate confrontation with a passion. I’d rather stick a fork in my eye than confront someone about an issue that bothers me. So I just smile and stay pleasant, unless REALLY provoked. THEN the person who gets the pent up anger is sure to be in for a scary ride. As my brother…or my husband. Really the only people I’ve ever REALLY snapped at. My brother when I was 15…and then my husband about 10 years later…so really that’s pretty good right? Only one confrontational outburst every decade.

Sad to say the issues I finally snapped at them about where terribly miniscule. I remember I flipped out on my brother cause I caught him listening in on a phone conversation with my boyfriend and the argument with my husband I seriously don’t even remember, I just remember the look on his face when I snapped and became the SCARY ANNIE! The fact I can’t even remember what I was snapping about proves just hows how SMALL it really was. I should have waited for something BIG! LOL!

5) I hate rudeness. HATE IT! I really work so hard to stay pleasant and kind with others and when I don’t receive the same curtosy it really chaps me. (Of course because of the fear of confrontation no one EVER knows if I’m chapped…I keep it right where it needs to be, all bottled up inside). Which is why my 2 1/2 year old already knows the full definition of the word rude and knows it’s a VERY, VERY naughty thing. I regularly will tell her, “No yelling in the store, that is rude to others ears”. If I cough too loudly in public she’ll remind me of the rude factor as well. LOVE that she’s grasping the concept of being aware of others and the need to be kind and polite.

6) I’m like a cat when it comes to basking in the sun. If I see a big patch coming in through the window and hitting the ground I’ll make a little bed of soft blankets and pillows and just bask in it. LOVE IT! Love it especially after many days of gray Germany weather when the sun comes shining in and I can soak in that glorious Vitamin D.

Now I’m going to tag:

Filed Under My Ramblings | 2 Comments

You know your pregnant when…

Posted on October 27, 2008

Okay, for starters I’m normally a rather unemotional person. Wait…let me re-word that I’m actually very emotional, as in the emotion of ANGER…it flares up pretty often when I hear about anything about children being hurt, anything that is of a political nature that is the opposite of my personal opinions (and yes…my opinions are 100% correct, no one better try and sway me! LOL!), anything that involves someone slamming my Jesus, anyone that cuts down my family (I’m VERY Godfather-ish in my intense love for my family, if anyone slams them or ever does them wrong I will hate them forever!). At any of these instances I will feel my heart begin to race, my nose automatically flares and I get so overcome with emotion my voice will shake and I’ve been told I look SCARY!!!!! Hee-hee. So I suppose a better way of explaining my regular emotional state is – quick to anger, slow to crying. But lately I find tears coming pretty easily, over really odd things. Here are some examples of things I got teary about recently:

1) We went to Trier this weekend and walked around FOREVER…had a wonderful, amazing time as a family and as we were driving back home I was just overcome with love for my little growing family. I was also overcome with pain in my legs & lower back and I realized my 3rd trimester self just really can’t walk forever on uneven cobblestone streets for hours at a time and I wondered to myself how many minutes of this pregnancy my legs & back have hurt (they hurt OFTEN!) and then I had the thought, “Every minute of leg pain, back pain, indigestion, labor pain, recovery pain will be worth it just seeing our new baby girls face for the first moment” and on come the tears. This overwhelming love for this little precious girl who I haven’t even seen yet, but gosh she’s totally adored already!

2) After the Trier trip we came home and got Kate in bed and David could see how much I was hurting from being on my feet all day and I’d joked around saying I needed a back and foot rub…not only did he listen he DID IT! Rubbed my fat pregnant back and my ugly un-painted toenailed feet. Him being so sweet caused more tears. Happy ones though!

3) We went to the base movie theatre to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua (we went for Kate…seriously not something David and I would have chosen!). And at base movie theatre’s they play the national anthem at the beginning of the movie, so we stood up and put our hands over our hearts and I see Kate’s little hand over her heart and couple that sweet moment with the sound of the anthem and on came more tears.

4) One of the previews was for some movie about a little girl who’s father isn’t in her life, but her uncle discovers she has an arm for football. I can’t remember the name of the movie, but seeing the sweet relationship between her and her uncle made me yet again tear up.

These are just examples from THIS WEEKEND alone. This isn’t taking into account all the other random times tears come on cause David or Kate says something sweet to me, when I see photos of newborn precious babies, when I talk to my sweet Mama and she makes me feel special, etc., etc., etc. In a way I almost like being this emotional, it makes me truly cherish EVERYTHING and not take any special moments for granted, but then it also just makes me look like a emotional goofball…but oh well. I *think* when you have a pregnant belly even strangers are a little more understanding. And just so everyone is aware, my true description of teary is just when my eyes get a little wet, I don’t have like full on tears streaming down my face, a big swollen red clown nose and a ugly distorted mouth. So I’m not completely shaming my reputation!

Filed Under My Ramblings | 2 Comments

This is Happiness

Posted on October 22, 2008

Kate is a perfect combination of David and me. She looks exactly like him, but she acts exactly like me, which is sometimes totally fun – she’s animated, full of personality, has hilarious facial expressions, is creative and goofy, but along with all that fun stuff comes the not so fun elements of being full of so much personality – lots of emotional stuff! So it’s not rare for out of nowhere she just melts down. Part of it is being two…but I’m big enough to admit part of it is my genes. Hee-hee. Today she had a crying spell cause of something quite minor (well minor to my adult mind…not minor to her toddler mind) and we struggled and I tried so hard to make it all better, but just like me she needed her own time to get over it and appreciated being left alone to yell at the heavens at her misfortune. So once she calmed down a bit I scooped her up in my arms, dried her tears up and told her how much I love her. She grabbed my neck and pulled me tightly to her and said, “Mommy, you are so cute” well gosh talk about being precious! That priceless comment totally made up for the 15 minutes of shrieking and screaming in itself! Then she teared up a bit more and with a poked out bottom lip said, “Sometimes Kate just has to cry” and wow, isn’t that the truth? I mean how many times do even adult need to grasp that concept?? That sometimes a good cry just needs to happen! So we read some books, enjoyed some quality snugs and then she held my face in her hands and said with the most overjoyed expression, “I’m all happy now!!!” So here is my girls completely happy with the world face. I was swinging her at the park and clicking away…so it’s crooked, but I love it none the less!! Love when my girl is “all happy” Love it!!

Filed Under Child Photoshoot, Kate, My Ramblings, Photography | 4 Comments

Falling for Fall

Posted on October 20, 2008

I am LOVING how gorgeous Autumn is here in Germany! The colors here are just stunning and I want to take my camera out daily to capture all the beautiful colors of the falling leaves! Here are a few photos I captured of Kate at our latest park trip.

Filed Under Child Photoshoot, Kate, Photography | 8 Comments

Capturing Boudoir

Posted on October 19, 2008

Boudoir Photography has quickly become one of my favorite styles of photography. I love the idea that I can play a small part in making a woman feel good about herself! It’s incredibly self esteem building to have beautiful photographs of yourself that capture you as a WOMAN…not just the wife and mother titles that we find ourselves sometimes wrapping ourselves into. It’s important to tap into the YOU side of you, even if it’s just for a couple hours. Please know that these shoots are all about beauty and glamour, not about anything dirty or x-rated. I take your comfort level into consideration and still grant you the upmost amount of privacy and modesty. We’ll take time to chat beforehand and discuss what exact kind of shots you are looking for and your level of comfort will lead the photoshoot. My ultimate goal is that you walk away with photographs that you are proud of, excited to share with your husband and will be a reminder of your endless beauty! If you are interested in presenting your husband with a photo album of your boudoir photos for the holidays, the deadline for photographs is November 16. That will ensure I have plenty of time to edit your photos and if you so wish have them all bound into a book for you. More pricing and style information can be found here. Contact me at annie_pennington@mac.com with any additional questions.

Filed Under Boudoir Photography, Photography, Photoshoot | 2 Comments

Capturing Teenagers/High School Seniors

Posted on October 16, 2008

I have two sisters who are 14 & 16 who I’m very close to, even though we live in different countries we stay in close contact so I like to think I’m pretty cool and hip and “with it”…okay I realize by just using the term “with it” I probably lost any chance I had at any cool credibility. HAAA! In all seriousness I find the high energy and vibrancy of teenagers completely fun! Just realizing what an exciting time it is in their lives, that the choices they make as far as where they decide to go to school, where they work, their career path, all of that is BIG stuff and will be the stepping stone toward adulthood. It’s a special time to capture and I love when I get the opportunity to photograph them!

Click here to see more examples of my Teen/Senior Photography

Click here for more information on my style and pricing.

Contact me at annie_pennington@mac.com with any additional questions.

Filed Under Photography, Photoshoot, Teenage Photoshoot | 1 Comment

Child Photography

Posted on October 14, 2008

Today I’m going to highlight another style of photography I adore, Child Photography. Maybe it’s because I’m a mom, or maybe it’s because I have siblings who are much younger than me so I got to play “mini-mommy” to them from 10 years old on, or maybe it’s because I’m a kid at heart myself, or maybe it’s because I seriously find great wonder and glee in all the little bits and pieces that make up babies, I am the mom that sits and gets filled with warm fuzzies just by looking at the swirl in my daughters hair, or find the way she crinkles her nose when she smiles completely priceless, but no matter WHAT it is, I just LOVE kiddo’s! Gosh how could I NOT love capturing sweet baby faces!?!? Here is a layout showing a few of my favorites. I’m available to photograph fresh & sleepy newborn babies, rambunctious school age children or anything in between!

Click here to see more examples of my Child Photography work

Click here for information my style and pricing.

Contact me at annie_pennington@mac.com with any additional questions.

Filed Under Child Photoshoot, Photography, Photoshoot | 2 Comments

Family Photography

Posted on October 13, 2008

Since I posted my photography advertisement a couple weeks ago with my pricing and a few of my photographs I’ve had some requests for more examples of my work. So I’ve decided to create some layouts that highlight specific styles of the photography I love to capture and over the next few days I’ll post them so you’ll see my style when it comes to various types of photography (family photos, child & infant photos, teenager photos, etc.). First up is Family Photography! I really do love capturing the love between family members, weather it’s the love between parent and child, siblings, mom and dad, or anything in between. Nothing is more pure and beautiful than that love.

Click here to see more examples of my Family Photography work.

Click here for information on my style and pricing.

Contact me at annie_pennington@mac.com with any additional questions.

Filed Under Family Photoshoot, Photography, Photoshoot | Leave a Comment

One Year Cutie

Posted on October 8, 2008

I’ve known Miss Kamryn a long time. I knew her back when she was still growing in her Mama. She’s a precious little one! I have maybe heard her cry a total of 5 times in all the times I’ve been around her during her year of life. She’s a seriously laid back, happy little princess! Just as cute as she is cheery.I was excited when her Mom, Ashlie approached me about one year photos. Here are a selection of my favorites…the full session photo’s will be available soon Ashlie!

Kamryn was very excited about the opportunity to devour a cupcake all by herself!

She’s mastered clapping…so excited I captured these series of photos to prove it!

My personal favorite. (And don’t worry both Mom and Dad were strategically placed to keep her safe and sound up in that tall, tall tree)

Thanks for the opportunity to capture this exciting time in Miss Kamryn’s life!

Filed Under Child Photoshoot, Photography, Photoshoot | 2 Comments

The latest toddler adventures

Posted on October 4, 2008

Our girl is just over 2 1/2 and she’s got a baby sister arriving in a few more months, as well as being quite repulsed by any and all messes, especially the ones she makes herself. So you know what all this means right? It’s time for the big P.T. otherwise known as (ready for it)…Potty Training. Yup, that’s right, Daddy and I finally braved up decided to take the plunge with our girl. I’ve tried a couple times before while David was deployed that all ended up quite horrifically, to sum it up it would end with her sobbing about how she hates to make messes and me running out of bleach to clean the floors with. BUT…this time instead of just taking the challenge on by myself without any real set plan or program I seeked out an expert. We’re doing the 3 Day Potty Training Program by Lora Jensen. I was skeptical at first, seemed almost too good to be true, but my friend Ashlie successfully used this technique with her son as well as hearing a host of other great recommendations from a lot of other online moms, so after discussing the possibility with David while he was deployed we decided after he came home to get serious with this thing! We started yesterday morning out with spelling out the plan with Kate. Throwing away all the diapers (not to worry…I didn’t actually take them out the garbage, I have a friend who’s son is in size of diapers Kate wore and I’ll be giving them to her, I mean I’m serious with potty training, but not stupid enough to throw away perfectly good diapers!!!), showed her the potty chart she gets to put a sticker on each time she goes on the potty, explained how much more comfy panties are than diapers, offered her endless yummy liquids to give LOTS of opportunities for practice and endless hope from two very loving parents. I’m proud to say that after 36 hours our girl is doing AMAZING! She’s got #1 down like a champ…#2 hasn’t happened just yet, but we’re still so very proud. We still have tomorrow (which will be day 3) for HOPEFULLY mastering that element. We’re still so proud of our girl. Proud at how she is able to tell us when she needs to go. Proud that she only wet the bed a TINY bit this morning at 7am…but prior to that slept ALLLL NIGHT LONG DRY! Proud that she’s mastering this big kid thing. Then I’m also really feeling emotional about this whole thing…I look at her little potty chart that’s covered in stickers from all her potty successes and I’m so proud, yet so sad that the LAST piece of babyhood is gone. I know that must sound so silly since NO ONE likes to change diapers, but after weaning her off her paci in July the diapers were the ONLY thing left of her “baby career” and now they are gone too. I’m so proud of her for being such a big girl, but can’t help but just slightly lament the baby she used to be. No more baby stuff for this girl though…even though at first I think she was a bit freaked out by the potty plan. When we first showed her all the cool new panties she cried and begged for diapers, but thankfully very quickly realized that panties are all the rage and ALLLLL the cool kids wear them.

We are so proud of our sweet Kate. Also glad we’re 2/3 over with this program. It’s effective but terribly exhausting. If you are a parent looking to potty train I really do recommend this technique!

Filed Under Kate, My Ramblings | 3 Comments