Painted Ladies | 10 Weeks Pregnant | Funky (in that order)

I know.  We're prettiful. 

Today was (hip hooray) the weekly family day, which meant crazy activities were mandatory.  Face painting, dress up, dancing around the living room to Celtic Women on PBS, and (not so crazy) a wonderful family movie time to see Mr. Peabody and Sherman in theater.  Brian's braved the movies with the kids twice in the past several weeks and they've done amazingly well, so it was (inexpressibly) a super sweet treat to get to have Wilder snuggled up on my lap as I ate all the Dots and Milk Duds and we had a family theater experience.

I loved it.

I loved it.

I loved it.

And the movie was okay. ;)

Wilder got a hair cut -I know, you were ALL DYING TO KNOW.  These are "#latergrams" I pulled off my phone because, really, I wanted to share the belly shot at the bottom and thought -heck- I guess I'll pop a few shots of my kids on here, too.

But the hair cut, it was kind of a big deal. A la Pinocchio, he looks like a real boy now.  Waverley saw his 'do and insisted she get a hair cut, too.  I chopped (read butchered) her bangs, so she got in on the action. (As seen in the first photo, those below are pre-chop chop.)

Pierre.

Hey, she asked me.  I do as I'm told.

(But I loved the result -it was SO hard to take her seriously.  Impossible.)

Alrighty folks, time for all the mommy-to-be-again talk.  10.5 weeks and this thing shows up.

The bump.

I went to pop some tags at Ross's because this here belly is bustin' outta ma pants.  And, really?  Who needs waistlines?  NOT. ME.  I hope to have nothing to do with waistlines for the next 6 months.  Hence my new collection of cotton maxi dresses and spandex leggings.  And oversized tank tops.

I'M KIND OF EXCITED!  No more sucking in.  Flaunt that belly!

And I don't know if it's because of having a 3rd child, or it just being this time in my life, but I'm feeling a lack of zest, passion, pizzaz and oomph about where I am.  And direction.  And I'm mentally exhausted.  Physically, I'm feeling just fine.  No complaints.  But someone could offer me a new job that plays to my strengths and I'd be quite happy working for someone else instead of myself.  I felt this way last year, though, around this time.  So, it may just be a cycle.  I have those.

It's okay to admit you're tired of carrying something.  I'm feeling quite tired of carrying a business, but -sure enough- I'll be shooting weddings every weekend for the next two months and will forget all about being tired in this way and be tired -and happy- in another way.

My acting teacher noted how every day he realizes how lucky he is that he get to be a creative person in his employment.  It hit me, I've got the very same thing to be thankful for.  And I am!  I am so thankful that I get to be my own boss, that I get to work with so many wonderful people on such a personal level, that I get to impact lives with beauty and tell their stories, that I get to be in the love business -in a very positive industry.  It's not like I'm a mortician.  Or a divorce lawyer.  Or a social worker (sorry, social workers, but your job is not enviable.)  I get to be an actress and a photographer.

I'M A LUCKY PERSON.  But it also means I work my ass off (which is why I have none) doing what I do.  Then again, I ain't diggin' ditches, I'm not raising cattle, I'm not making the donuts (though that might be kind of fun.)  

Life is flavorful, and I like it that way.  Right now, I'm ready for a break -which is something only I can give myself.  Even though I'm approaching the busiest season of the year, a mental break and rejuvenation is far more needed than an actual vacation.  What I need is to cleanse my brain, refocus, take stock of all the precious things, opportunities and -most of all- people in my life and I'll be ready to skip forward like those crazy cats in Wizard of Oz as they traversed the Yellow Brick Road.

And now... I'm watching Netflix.