Let’s Get Real

April 8, 2015 ~ Crystle ~ 4 Comments

Welcome to my world! There are lots of dirty (cloth) diapers, sticky hands, and pouting. Everyone in this house pouts, not just the first born photographed here. She still looks pretty cute doing it, though, right?

Pouting Margot - 2 Years Old | Yea Yea Pueblo

Isaac pouts when he’s hungry, and so does Woods. I pout when I’m feeling overworked, and under appreciated, or when Woods cries at the family gym, preventing me from finishing any type of workout. It’s something we’re working on.

We usually bounce back after a snack. Actually, we pretty much always bounce back after a snack. For me it’s Justin’s maple almond butter, for Margot it’s carrots and hummus (she doesn’t eat the carrots, she just licks the hummus off of them, ha!). For Woody it’s bananas, and for Isaac it’s anything. And if I’m forced out of the gym because of my fussy baby then, oh man, too bad, I was sooo into running sprints just now! — guess it’s snack time, instead!

Just a snack or two, and everyone is happy. My family is really easy to please, I can definitely find solace in that.

Margot Collage | Yea Yea Pueblo

I realized this week that I haven’t been taking many personal photos lately. My hard drive is filling with the images of other families, businesses and the women’s ministry. It made me a little sad to see there was nothing new. So I got out my camera during the nap time of one kid or another, and clicked away. I remedied my own pouting with my favorite creative hobby, lifestyle photography!

Sally Hugs | Yea Yea Pueblo

There’s more to it than taking photos, though. When it came time to flip through and edit, write and publish this post, I ignored the incessant cries coming from both kids’ rooms — they refuse to nap at the same time, despite my best efforts. The dog threw up this morning, so I kicked her outside to avoid any further messes or distractions. And in the hopes of finishing this blog post expediently, I threw a few pieces of bread on the table for lunch and made Margot fend for herself. I tossed her some grapes and applesauce for good measure.

That’s what I have to do sometimes, though. When my sessions pile up on me, or I need time to work on my hobbies, I have to power through it like a snow plow. My dishes pile up into berms, the dust bunnies on my floor roll like desert tumble weeds, and my family eats sad, stale lunches. I think they’re used to it. The kids are familiar with playing in the office, but Margot still gets into everything. Sitting still is not a practice she’s willing to adopt.

To keep her occupied while I cook and clean, she has a large collection of art supplies that she gets into, and an art wall to show off her work. She loves to paint and sculpt — well, smear paints around on paper, and smash play dough into the table, I should say.

Toddler Life | Yea Yea Pueblo

Mom Life | Yea Yea Pueblo

When I’m in the office, she colors at my feet as I tap away at my laptop. Once or twice while I was preoccupied, she climbed on and then fell off the side of my spin bike, but it was never a spill that her boo boo buddy ice pack couldn’t fix. That’s just one more tally on my mom fail chart.

I’ve become an avid babywearer, as most of you know. I’m partial to my Sakura Bloom ring slings, because they keep Woods happy and close while I work. When he’s not catching a ride in the sling, he’s flopping around on the floor of my office, or rolling around the family room. The kid won’t crawl. He wiggles, and rolls his way around, finding the most roundabout method of mobility. He is also very into co-sleeping. He doesn’t like to sleep on his own, and we’re the enabling parents who go along with it, much to our chargrin.

It’s only after Isaac comes home from work, and dinner is somehow on the table, that I’m able to appreciate the hurdles thrown at me, and my always-complicated days become worthwhile. The kids are always excited to see Isaac, and when he’s home, it’s play time, story time, then mommy and daddy get TV and wine time (please no judgment, we watch plenty of documentaries to cancel out the mind numbing reality TV, or so we rationalize)!

When Isaac is finally home to share the household duties, I can look back on the day, and pictures like these, and completely forget about all the pouting, tears, dirty diapers, and sticky hands that went into it.

Margot Turns Two

March 17, 2015 ~ Crystle ~ 8 Comments

Margot - Milestone Lifestyle Session via Yea Yea Photography

Since the first time I heard Margot babble, I wondered what was going on in that little head of hers. Now I know. Oh, do I know! Let me give you a sampling of her favorite things to say on this, her second birthday.

Hey mama, watcha doin? — she asks me this about a million times a day

Ha ha, baby funny.

Uh oh, wha happuned? — usually when she sees shadows or light

It’s a [noun] jus lika [same noun]! Example: It’s a dog jus lik a dog!

Play more? — reserved for when she’s required to take a nap or go to bed

More cereal? — a new phrase she has thrown out there after she figured out ‘play more?’ wasn’t working out. Tonight, it worked.

(In a sing-song voice) Uuuuups, come back! — A song sung by adults from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood to remind the kids to chill out when they leave, because “grownups come back”.

She sleeps in a twin size bed every night, only climbing out every night until she tires herself out and falls asleep. Usually an hour or two past her bedtime. That’s fun for us. She learned how to open doors the same week she started sleeping in her own bed, so we have had the cruel task of putting a gate up in her doorway to keep her from wandering the home if she wakes at night, or before us in the mornings. It probably isn’t necessary since she mostly yells from her bed.

Mommy, weh ah yew?! has evolved into Daddy, weh ah yew?! at night and in the mornings when she’s totally done with the sleep scene. It’s my new alarm clock. Just kidding, I never sleep, I have a six month old who forbids it!

She’s polite. She always says thank you, and is even getting the hang of no thank you. She says scuse me Sayee to the dog when she needs to get by, and is fine tuned with others emotions. She is quick to point out anyone who is crying in her princess movies, or on her PBS shows, and she genuinely seems concerned for them.

She loves to nurture her baby brother by bringing him binkies, toys and blankies, giving him hugs and kisses, and trying to entertain him when the adults are busy.

She loves dresses, chap stick, cameras and babies.

She throws her entire body into hugs, and always says mmmm-ah! when she gives kisses.

She is the happiest, most unsinkable human I know. And the cutest.

Happy Birthday, Margot Bryn!

A Day in the Life

March 9, 2015 ~ Crystle ~ 6 Comments

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I’ve been a Cheechako for eighteen months, officially. When you’re new to Alaska the locals call you a Cheechako. It’s only after you’ve been through a full summer and winter cycle that you graduate to ‘Sourdough’. Even though my family is wrapping up our second winter here, we’re part of Fairbanks’ transient population and for that reason I don’t feel seasoned enough to call myself a Sourdough.

Our second winter was easier than the first, mostly because our expectations were born from experience: chronic sub-zero temps, and darkness before and after the winter solstice really dominate the landscape and mood. I gave birth to my second child here, too, permanently solidifying my connection to this land. The cold and isolating Alaskan winters are arduous for this native Southern Californian, but they have their merits, too.

Aurora Borealis, which is said to be ancestors celebrating earthly events, came out in full force the week my baby Woodrow was born, and a few glorious shows in my city neighborhood have occurred in the six months since. It still wasn’t easy being stuck indoors with a newborn (Welcome to the World, Woodrow!) and a bold toddler (Climb down from there, Margot!), all while running my Photography Business, Yea Yea Photography.

My winter days are spent cooped up indoors, trying to find a balance between managing my home, playing with my kids and growing a creative business. My summer days in Alaska are precious. They’re reserved for accumulating outdoor experiences. They’re for wildlife viewing, Denali camping, and farmers market falafel eating! They’re for trail running, berry picking, and hiking. They’re currency and compensation for six long months of winter.

We don’t know where the Army will send us after our time here (a year and a half from now), but it will likely be less dynamic than Alaska. The lessons learned here on seizing the day will never be forgotten, and maybe after I leave I’ll finally feel confident to call myself a Sourdough. 2015-03-09_0010