Farmer's Market

I love knowing where my food comes from and I love to know the farmers who grow the food I eat.  Lately, I have been paying more and more attention to the food that Molly and I eat.  We have been eating more whole foods, less grains, and have eliminated practically all refined sugar and processed foods.  Along with that, I am trying to incorporate more local and seasonal foods into our diets.  

We have a small garden in the backyard and Molly loves to pick the tomatoes and eat them straight from the garden. This has also been a lesson in colors, as she learns to only eat the red ones and not the green ones.  I want to raise her to know that food is not just conjured up on store shelves, but to know that a lot of hard work and dedication goes into growing and producing high quality foods.  Unfortunately, we can only do so much in our little, overly shaded backyard.  

Luckily, we are fortunate enough that our local farmer's market is only five minutes from our house.  We definitely don't go to the market every Saturday, but I am trying to get better about that; better about supporting our local farmers.  

But this weekend, we did go.  We also went to a blueberry farm and I am so glad that we did; it was the last weekend of the season.  Since my other photography love is food photography, next to children and families, I couldn't resist these fresh, summery temptations.

I look forward all year to picking fresh blueberries.  Usually we make jam and jelly at this point but since we are eliminating refined sugars, I need a new recipe.  If anyone knows of a good recipe using honey or maple syrup, please let me know!

These are not the famous Fredricksburg peaches, but they are local and organic, fresh juicy peaches.  We are waiting until the end of the season for the free stone peaches to get some from Fredricksburg.

Between me, my mom, and Molly, we go through almost half a dozen eggs per day.  So having a lot of healthy, nutrient dense eggs around is essential.  I found that I can get them the cheapest at the farmer's market.  Win win.

Now that I have gone through all of my pictures, I am wondering what kind of mother I am for not getting pictures of Molly's first time to pick blueberries!  I can't believe I don't have a single picture...not even on my phone!  I guess there is always next year.  I did happen to hear about a pick your own peach orchard in The Woodlands, so we just might have to check that out!

15 Months

Well, life is busy as usual and never slowing down.  Molly is now 15 months and I needed to stop and blog before I let this month pass me by in a whirlwind too!  This post is going to be kind of random.

I am loving this stage!  She is running around everywhere, understanding way too much, and I am learning more and more about who she is!

She loves dressing up.  She will put on hats, necklaces, sunglasses, and will even bring me shoes to put on her.

She loves playing outside.  A lot of times I will put her in her swimsuit and let her have a homemade fruit popsicle outside.  I have learned that popsicles are way too messy to eat inside!

She still loves to eat tomatoes straight from the garden.  Nana was trying to teach her to only pick the red ones. 

Some friends of ours just got some kittens.  The kittens live outside and Molly loves to stand at the door and look at them.

For Mother's Day, Austin got me this coffee cup that looks like a lens.  I thought I would follow suit for Father's day.

So, I was able to get a little crafty, which I hadn't done in a while and make him a coffee mug inspired by Michael Scott's Word's Best Boss Mug from The Office. 

On the back I drew a Lego because he loves to play legos with Molly.

Molly colored a card for him while I worked on it. He loved both.

Speaking of Austin, he did move down to Tomball and is officially working with Apple.  He is currently in training and I think he is enjoying working from home!  Theo likes having him there too.  One day Austin dressed Theo up in his work gear and showed him off to his training class.  What a cute puppy!  (p.s. you can see his world's best dad much in the back holding his pens!)

At one point this month, Molly started running a fever after a bout with allergies.  I hate it when she doesn't feel good but I do love the cuddling that ensues.  She's not typically a cuddler. 

Apparently, she doesn't like her picture to be taken when she doesn't feel good...I can't blame her.

 For the most part, Molly is still a fantastic eater.  She is still protesting vegetables so I try to sneak them in anywhere I possibly can.  Here, she drinking a Very Berry Spinach Smoothie...she doesn't even know :)

 There are some does that she is a bottomless pit.  She will act as if I never feed her.  There was one day in particular that she was asking for food every 30 minutes.  But she was legitimately hungry and would actually sit and eat and wasn't just snacking and grazing.  I eventually started running out of ideas for healthy snack foods with variety...so I let her eat straight out of the frozen pea bag.  She didn't seem to mind at all!

I just love this bath time picture of her!

I also love these two pictures.  She was playing peek-a-boo with my mom and just randomly ran up and hugged her.  It was so sweet.  She is starting to do things like this more and more and I love it!

Another picture I love :)

Molly is really into getting into the diaper bag, my purse, or in this case the pool bag.  They're just so intriguing to her but it makes such a mess!

Here is where it is going to get really random...

I didn't end up quitting photography like I said that I was going to in my last post.  I had this shoot left to do and was reminded not only of how much I love being a photographer but even more of the reasons why I do it.  So instead of making myself crazy building my business, I am doing things differently, hopefully smarter, working less, and praying that clients will come my way.  That said, a little shameless self promotion here...I am running a Christmas in July special and already starting to book Christmas Mini Sessions!  Check out my photography blog for more details.

Because I have been doing more with photography lately, I have naturally been doing more "shoots" with Molly.  Most are usually impromptu, while others have a little bit more thought put into them.  This 4th of July shoot I did was super last minute.  I literally set it up in 2 minutes, woke her up from her nap (we had to be at a play date soon,) got her dressed and snapped away.  The whole thing took less than 10 minutes!  It was really a recipe for disaster, however, she was in such a good mood and I got some of the best smiles!

If you follow JLMay Photography on facebook you have already seen these pictures.  But I love them so much that I have to post them again for anyone who hasn't seen them!

We had a ton of fun on the 4th of July.  I have never been really into this holiday but I was all about it this year!  Everything was red, white, and blue.  There was just something so perfect about this summer time holiday that I couldn't get enough of.  Maybe having a toddler does that to you.  It makes me want to put a special touch on everything.  She even had a patriotic breakfast!  Here are my instagram pictures from the 4th.

And because I can be crazy nostalgic, here is a side by side comparison from this year and last year.  I can't believe how much can change in a year's time!  If you're feeling really nostalgic too, you can check out the whole post from last year here.

I just can't believe how much can change in a short year.  I am really trying to savor this time with her.  We have been having so much fun this summer and I we still have some big plans.  I have less than two months before I go back to work and she starts preschool.  I have so many mixed feelings about that but I am trying to make the best of what we have now.

I feel like the older she gets busier life gets.  I know that won't ever change but it's not easy.  This summer I am finishing my last semester of college, applying and preparing for graduation, applying for my certification program, running a photography special, going on two vacations to see both the Hairston/Rooks families, and writing two blogs, all while chasing a 15 month old.  Life is full but it is also full of love.

I know I have talked before about writing more often on this blog.  The more and more I thought about it, I realized that it actually makes the most sense.  When I write only once a month, there is a lot to write and a lot of pictures to post.  Writing becomes a chore, I end up dreading it and putting it off.  I actually enjoy writing and writing a blog is something I have always wanted to do.  In addition, actually feel that writing more often would allow me to have a more accurate documentation.  I don't write a baby book, I have always treated this blog as one in a way.   I have discovered that when I only write once a month, a lot goes unwritten and ultimately forgotten, which is exactly what I was trying to avoid in the first place.

So, I think I will at least try to write more often.  No promises on how often, but I have already been writing weekly for my photography blog so why can't I write weekly for this one as well??  They can be short and sweet, but I actually think it is better that way.  Speaking of writing more on that page, I have an entire post on my photography blog about a recent hiking trip we went on.  There are a ton of super cute pictures of Molly because it was her first walk by herself hike!  You can read the whole post here if you are interested.

I actually have some pictures from another photo shoot I did with Molly last this past week.  But I think I am going to hold onto those for now.  I am in love with them and maybe a little too selfish to share right now.  Or maybe it's the fact that it's 1:00am and I'd rather go to bed and save some material for later if I am going to be posting more often!  But I'll leave you with a little teaser...

I just love the tone of these last pictures I took of her!  It is easily one of my favorite shoots of her and any I have done.  She is just beautiful!

Tuesday I will have a new post up on my photography blog.  Make sure you have liked JLMay Photography's facebook page so you get the blog updates every Tuesday and random pictures of Molly!  I promise that I'm not nearly this wordy :)  This week I am posting some recent food photography pictures! Here's a sneak peek of that post...

I hope you have a great week!!

Season of Change

One of my very first posts (if not, the very first) was about change.  Well, change is once again upon us, and in a big exciting way!  But more on change in a minute, first I need to update on Molly's big changes, since I haven't done that in about two months!

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First of all, yes, every one of these pictures is from instagram.  Yes I am obsessed with instagram.  Yes, my camera is annoying to use all of the time.  Yes, I have stopped caring that majority of my family pictures come from my phone.  Yes, I am slowly improving some of my crazy.  Bear with me :)

Little Molly is now 14 months old and very much a toddler.  She is walking, running, dancing, talking, and so much more!  I am absolutely loving this stage as her personality comes out more and more.

She is still t.i.n.y.  Seriously, she is only 19 pounds, but she is tall.  She has always been tall and thin, I hope she is blessed with that her whole life.  Being less than 20lbs does mean that her car seat still faces backwards in the car.  She doesn't seem to mind most of the time.  Give her some music and a toy and a short drive, and she will be mostly happy.

This is probably the best smile you will ever see in your entire life.  Just sayin'.

Messy, messy, messy.

She loves to play outside, especially if there is water.  We have recently started to take swim lessons at FINS and we are loving it!  She is learning all about safety and how to swim back to the wall.  She loves to swim underwater and kick her legs!

In case you can't tell, I am c.r.a.z.y about this child.

She will frequently help herself to a snack from the garden...but she seems to like the green tomatoes better than the ripe red ones.  Strange.

She is starting to like to color on paper.  She did this one with her great-grandma, Nana, while I went shopping...I mean, to study.

She loves to push her stroller around the house.  She now has her own little stroller for her babies that she LOVES.  

She has so many favorite books, but "Where's Spot" is definitely one of them.  I taught her how to tuck her babies into bed and then she reads to them.

The kissy fish face is one of her newest faces that she makes...along with her super grouchy face that I haven't been able to get a picture of yet.

She is still a really good eater for the most part.  She is getting a little pickier, but what she cares to eat changes by the day, so I'm not concerned.  She will always eat fruit though.

We picked these awesome glasses up at Target for $1 on one of our many excursions.  They provided wild entertainment for about an hour!  She loved taking them on and off and checking out her reflection in the oven door.  Crazy cute.  

Every day after her nap, she sits in my lap and has a sippy cup of milk while we watch Barney (thank you DVR).  It has been a great way to transition from nap time to play time.

Oh the little bikini..I swore I would never buy my daughter a bikini.  And then she outgrew this years  one piece suit after only a couple of wears because she is super tall for her age.  So, we moved on to a two piece that is a size too big.  But I have to admit that I am loving her pudgy kissable tummy sticking out! And as an added bonus, it makes swim diaper changes sooooo much easier.  I think she may be in a bikini at least until she is potty trained :)

She is really into sunglasses right now.  Probably because I wear them every time I am outside.  90% of the time she puts them on they are upside down!  Here, we were hanging out on the porch of our new favorite Mexican food restaurant, Ciscos.  Rancho will still always be a family fav though.

Being goofy while we play in her room.  She kept trying to put her headband on her head.

I am in love with every new stage that she moves into.  Each new stage is always my current favorite.  She has a crazy sponge of a brain that soaks up everything she encounters.  Just today she learned to stomp her feet to the song "If You're Happy and You Know It" (she already clapped her hands).  

She is using a lot of sign language and learns a new sign every couple of weeks.  She knows eat, drink, diaper, more, all-done.   Of course, that is on top of all the verbal words she says, which is too many to list here now.  She has been learning her animal sounds too.  She knows puppy sounds, monkey sounds, and birdie sounds and can point them all out in books, along with bunnies.  

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Now let's talk about some awesome changes our family is working on.  First, the most obvious change is the name and design of the blog.  So let's talk about the name: Juniebug Love.

A couple of people have recently asked me about Molly's middle name.  The invitation to Molly's first birthday party said "Molly June."  Her birth certificate says Molly Sophia May Rooks.  So, what's the deal?  The deal is that Austin and I were in a bad place when we had to make the final decision on her name a couple of weeks before her birth.  

Sophie was our first girl name of choice, until I decided before our 20 week ultrasound that it was becoming too common.  We immediately agreed on Molly.  We talked about a couple of middle names including Sophia and June.  June was Austin's stepfather's (Randy) mother's name.  I never knew her but I have heard wonderful stories about her.  Long story short, I settled when naming her because at the time, I insisted on her having my maiden name in her name because I had no idea what was going to happen with Austin and I at the time.  For that matter, I couldn't even promise if he was going to be in our lives at all. And obviously, the name Molly June would't work if my maiden name, May, was in her name.  However, I was afraid that naming her that would always be a reminder of what was going on with our marriage at that time, and it has been exactly that, at least for me.

But, Austin is in our life.  He is an amazing and dedicated father.  He was there for her birth and has driven to see her roughly twice a month.  He loves her more than life itself.  To me, Molly has never been Molly Sophia, she has always been Molly June.  Randy passed away about two months before Molly was born, and it is nice that she has his mother's name in hers.  Austin has been on me to officially change it, and I will.  He wanted it done before her first birthday, but that has not happened.  It needs to soon.

As for the name of the blog, I often call Molly my Junebug or my Juniebug.  I think it is cute and we make a song out of it.  It goes "Molly June, Molly June, Molly Junie Juniebug."  She is my little Molly June.  Molly Juniebug.  My Juniebug Love.  

As for the appearance of the blog.  Well, I think it's way cuter.  More subtle.  More simple. More my style.  But my style changes...often, so I'm sure this will too.  I'm trying to embrace that.  Also, I keep saying that this blog will be more one day.  A place to document family recipes, a place photos to be shared, a place for daily anecdotes and rants, a place for someone to see the crafts that I might actually attempt one day that I keep filing away in my head (read: pinterest).  Maybe one day my blog will be all of that.  Maybe not.    Right now, all I have been able to handle is a post once a month if I'm lucky.  For the record, I did post about Molly's first birthday party and Easter over on my photography blog if you missed those and want to see them...maybe I'll get around to creating posts over here for them.

This also brings me to our second big change:  Austin has not only decided to leave Blizzard and move to the Tomball area, but he already secured a job with Apple as an Apple Care Advisor.  He starts with Apple on June 11th and will be moving to Tomball this week!  He is so excited to be close to Molly and watch her grow up.  He is also excited at the prospect of being a part-time stay-at-home-dad because he will be working from home.  It all depends on his schedule though.  

So to answer the question on everyone's mind.  No, we are not moving back in together.  No, we still don't know if we are going to be staying married or getting divorced.  This move does mean a lot to us though.  It makes us excited and nervous all at once.  Living close to each other does inevitably mean spending more time together.  Regardless of what happens, we realize that something does need to happen.  This move is a big change and a big deal.  We pray that with this change comes the clarity as to which direction we need to head.

Now, that I have that discussion taken care of, let me tell you about a couple of minor changes that I am facing personally.  First off, I have decided to mostly quit photography.  I had a good run.  I stayed busy, I improved my craft, I defined my style, and I learned a lot.  However, it kept me too busy.  I was spending all of the little bit of spare time I had working on either editing or business.  My grades were suffering, I was not being the mother that I want to be, I was disorganized and feeling crazy, I got little sleep, and I was starting to loathe it.  

After a lot of prayer and meditation, I came to the conclusion that this was not the time for it.  I got into photography because of Molly and I wanted it to stay about her.  Probably the absolute biggest realization I had is that above anything else in this world, I want to be a mother.  And I want to give motherhood my absolute everything.  It has been the one thing I knew I wanted to do with my life since I was a little girl.  I will be a mother for the rest of my life, true, but I will only be the mother of Molly as a toddler once.  I am not even promised another child in this lifetime.  One day, she will be in school, one day she will spend more time than I want her to with friends, one day she will move away.  Those will be the seasons of my life that I will need to fill my time with other things, maybe I will do photography then.  Now, I am her Momma.  Every second of every day.  This is what I am meant to do.  This feels good.  This feels right.

I am truly at peace with this decision.  The past couple weeks, I have had time off between classes and I have thoroughly enjoyed not having anything else to do.  Usually when I have time off of school, I spend it doing something with photography.  Not anymore.  Now I can spend it on things that don't make me feel crazy.  Things that make me feel like I have control over my life.  Like, cleaning out my closet...or maybe even reading a book!  It is making me look forward to finishing my degree and to start teaching.  As long as I am teaching I will be promised three amazing months to spend by the pool with Molly and time off at Christmas to bake cookies and look at twinkling lights.  I am getting really excited.

And that brings me to the final change.  Although, it still won't be for another couple of months, I will be finally GRADUATING!!  Two days after Austin starts his new job, I will be starting my final semester of school.  For eight more weeks, I will be taking 9 hours online.  Then in August, I will walk across that stage in Beaumont and receive my degree in Applied Arts and Sciences.  Unfortunately, because of a bunch of details I won't bore you with, I will not be graduating with my teaching certificate.  I will be getting my alternative certificate through Region IV.  Due to the start and end dates, the whole process will take roughly another school year.  However, for most of that year, I will be able to start substituting, which I have already applied to do at Conroe ISD, at least until I start my student teaching.  I should be starting that in September, when Molly starts going to JOY school.  

Okay, that was a lot of information, I know.  Thank you for hanging in this long!  But hopefully I have cleared up some, if not most, of the questions a lot of people have been wondering.  And I guess I just want to say, that I want you to always feel like you can ask me.  Am I an open book?  Not necessarily.  I share what I want to share and what I am comfortable sharing.  Although I share a lot, there is still a lot that is only mine.  But, if you ask, I will share with you what I want, as little or as much as that may be.  I know there is a lot going on in our lives.  I know there is a lot of things that people don't understand.  I don't even understand everything all of the time.  But I'm figuring it out in the best way I know how.  

I so much appreciate the support and understanding that I have received from friends and family and I want you to know that it means the world to me.  I am truly blessed to have so many wonderful and caring people in my life.