HAPPY BIRTHDAY BODEN AND ZOEY!! If you’re new to this blog, Zoey and Boden are my twin niece & nephew. They live up in Oregon and I try to visit as much as I can. I’m not able to spend their 3rd birthday with them, but luckily we were able to spend a week in Maui together just last week.

Where do I begin with these two? Their 3rd year went by so fast! These spunky 3 year olds are running around like crazy and love to color, play in the water, ride bikes, talk talk talk, sing, watch “Cars moomie”, play with their cars/trucks/trains/tracks (Boden) and sniff their blankies (Zoey). As much as they are “twins”, they have their own unique personalities. Both are caring, happy, stubborn, adventurous and love to laugh. Boden LOVES his cars and carries them everywhere. Don’t try to take them away…he will not be happy. He’s also very observant. As I was pushing his stroller on vacation, I said to my sister, “You take over (pushing the stroller) while I go to the store to get a few things.” As I’m walking away, Boden says, “I’m NOT ober!” “What, Boden?” “I’m not ober, I’m BODEN!” His “v’s” are “b’s” and he thought I was saying that HE was “over”. Yes, Boden, you are definitely not ober. So cute. These little ones say the funniest things and, as most toddlers are, are very matter of fact. Zoey and her blankies. She reminds me of me when I was little. She carries at least one of her blankies around most of the time and holds the tiniest corner of it to her nose. The smell must give her comfort because she NEVER wants those blankies to be far from her. She’s also the girly girl and loves to carry “purses” and wear her new jewelry Grammy and Papi gave her. And the two of them together? They just love each other so much (unless one steals a toy from the other).

Boden & Zoey – HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I feel like the luckiest aunt in the world to have you as my niece and nephew. As you get older, it’s hard for me to be so far away from you, but luckily we have fun technology like Skype so I can be “in” the room while you play with your new birthday presents. Even when we’re on the phone, it just melts my heart when you say, “Hi Aunt Megan!”. I can’t wait for all the new adventures and discoveries that you will have this year! I hope you always know that I love you very much and will always be there for you. And you can always count on Aunt Megan to fill up those piggies with quarters when I visit. I hope you have a very Happy Birthday today with lots of cake, frosting, cars, trucks, kitties, pumpkins and more cake!! Love you B&Z!!!

Here are some Instagram pics from year 3!

Last year at their 2nd birthday party and trip to the pumpkin patch…

My favorite pic of the munchkins.

B loves the Beatles shirt that aunt Megan got for him.

Christmas 2011

Funny faces over Skype

Feeding the piggies…

Yummy gelato in Maui!

Yummy POG juice in Maui!

I think it’s been WAY too long since the cutest twins in the world made an appearance on my blog. Can you believe Boden & Zoey are going to be THREE in September??!! Ah!! Time goes by so fast and these little ones are talking up a storm and still as cute as ever. Here’s a glimpse of my latest trip to Bend (via instagram @meganann)…

As every trip to Bend begins when I visit, we “feed” the pigs…

Zoey’s many faces…but mostly hidden behind smelling her beloved blanket.

Boden…stylin’!

These pigtails lasted about two minutes.

Seriously…how cute are these two?

And finally…a pic of me and my sis, the mother of these cutie patuties. Love you sis!

I never know how to begin personal posts, so I’ll just get right to it. Two years ago today I was laid off from my job as a project manager. It was the best and scariest thing that has happened in my career. As you may know, photography had been a growing part time business for me at the time, but I was terrified of quitting and jumping in full time. What I’ve learned over the past two years is something I don’t think I would have experienced if I would have stayed in the corporate world. Maybe I would have at some point, but would I have been forced to? The best way I can describe the process and transformation of becoming self-employed is an emotional roller coaster and, for me, a constant test of faith. From making sure my clients are satisfied and thrilled with their photography experience to the mundane tasks such as taxes (ugh), it’s all MY responsibility. No pressure, right?? Running a business is a tremendous challenge and one that pushes me further each day to see that it evolves and is a reflection of the true ME. I’ve learned so much about myself, how to stay motivated in business and am beginning to learn how to share my voice and it’s message to clients/potential clients. I’m not one to pour my heart out on my blog, but I truly hope you see my words and photos as a reflection of who I am and what I want my business to become. It’s not going to happen overnight, but you will see some subtle changes in the near future and more over the course of the year. I’m passionate about photography, love, family, friends, faith…and Sprinkles Cupcakes, but I’ll save that for another day. 🙂

In keeping with the theme of March 11th, today was also an unforgettable day. For the past four months I’ve been training for a half marathon and today was race day! As I sit here with sore legs and tired feet, I’m extremely thankful for the friends and family around me who support me on days like this. My nerves can sometimes get the best of me, but today was different. I felt excited, prepared and ready. Running a half marathon is no joke. It’s not easy, but that’s what training is all about. It may take four months and many long Saturdays, but it is all worth it when you cross the finish line. Trust me…but you should also try it for yourself too! You won’t regret it. One 2012 challenge complete…bring on the next!

You didn’t think I’d throw in a post without a picture did you?? A little peek from my session with Trishell, Ian and Luke yesterday!

Dear Boden & Zoey,

I can’t believe another year has passed and you are TWO years old! It seems like yesterday when your mom went into labor and I received constant updates via phone from Grammy until you arrived. A little over a week after you were born, I finally got to meet you and instantly fell in love. You were just the tiniest little things who I loved to snuggle with as much as I could. Your first year flew by so fast! I’m sure you don’t remember my visits, but we had some fun times. 🙂 (Here are some pics from your first year)

Year #2 of being your aunt has been an exciting one! As soon as you learned to walk, you both were all over the place! The only times I’ve been able to take photos of you sitting still is in the bathtub (as you can tell by the pics below) and even then you still find a way to squirm away from my camera. 🙂 Before your mom got her new job, she had Fridays off. These became “Friday Skype-day!” Definitely my favorite day of the week. At this point, I *think* you recognize who I am and I LOVE seeing you smile, laugh and discover new words all the time. And my favorite part is giving kisses through the computer screen…whether you’re blowing kisses or leaning into the camera for a kiss, it melts my heart every time. Another favorite of mine are your “strong faces”. You two are hilarious! I love your baby laughs and giggles…just too cute for words. Although most of our time together has been through a computer screen, I’m so thankful for technology that allows us to “see” each other as much as we can so we can get to know each other and be best buds….because you know, I’m the FUN aunt (well, your only aunt at this point but the most fun anyway!). 🙂

The last thing I want to talk to you about is your mom and dad. I know you two little munchkins can drive them crazy *sometimes*, but that’s the fun part of being a kid, right?? 🙂 Since I don’t see you on a daily basis and I’m not a mom myself, I don’t know and can’t comprehend the challenges your mom and dad face everyday as parents. But what I DO know is that they would do anything for you, will always provide for you and love you to the moon and back. Your mom is a constant inspiration to me in how she cares for and loves you both so so so much! I admire her strength, courage, kindness, motivation (she’s running another marathon in a few weeks! Go Mom Go!!) and heart. Your mom and dad are wonderful parents to you both and I can’t wait to see how your relationship grows even more in the many years to come.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but I love you both SO much! I’m so excited to spend your 2nd birthday with you this weekend and give you big hugs and kisses!! I promise I’ll always be there for you, take lots of pictures of you (probably too many) and teach you to everything you need to know about sports since I got the majority of that gene from Papi instead of your mom. 🙂

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BODEN & ZOEY!! SEE YOU SOON!

Love,

Aunt Megan

Photos from year #2 – December 2010

Daddy tickling Boden at Grammy & Papi’s house

May 2011 – “Strong Faces!”

Zoey loves Aunt Megan’s shoes…and Boden’s bed head.

Playing at the park – May 2011

Bath time!! – May 2011

Friday Skype-day – July 2011

There are so many things I love about the Pacific Northwest. So many reasons to call it home. On my most recent trip to Seattle, Salem & Bend, I spent the majority of my time hanging out with family & friends, eating amazing comfort food and snuggling with my niece & nephew as much as possible. Since I didn’t have my “big” camera out very much, here is a sneak peek into my trip through my iPhone. 🙂

I can’t help but love the view when landing in Portland:

One of the reasons for my visit was to attend a wedding in Seattle. The wedding was beautiful and I was excited to attend as a guest! I was also able to visit a few close college friends…and take a tour of the Google offices!

After saying good-bye to Seattle, I headed west to Bend! My niece & nephew are at the perfect age with so much personality, spunk and attitude. I love these little babies (okay, they’re not so little anymore) and they keep getting cuter & cuter every time I see them. The first photos you see are their “strong faces”…so adorable!!!

When I wasn’t following around little babies, I was eating! So much yummy food on this trip and I, of course, had to document it!

Ahhhh, I love Oregon!

And last, but not least, Daisy. She missed me. As much as a cat can “miss” a human. 🙂

It was a fabulous and relaxing trip home!!