The Studio

We close on our house in 1 month..and I can't help but feel sad.  Don't get me wrong, I am glad we sold our house and are moving closer to family, but I feel sad for my studio.  A man has a workroom, man cave, garage, or something along those lines...I have my studio.  A space that Ryan hasn't been able to touch (in fact the only time he did go down there he broke a light)  I took pictures of the studio to have something to remind what it looked like, but then I started to think about what it used to look like and then started to think about when I started this whole crazy idea of a at home business.  Let me take you back on this journey...

I started college in 2002 at Allen School for Nursing  (that lasted a whole semester)  My roommate at the time, convinced me I needed to become an art major, so I transferred to UNI and majored in art...with no clue on what I was going to do with this art degree!  I took a photography class which required me to buy a 35mm camera.  I hated the instructor and but loved taking pictures and the manual photography stuff!  BLah BLah bLah yada YAda yAda 2 years later, I transfer to Hawkeye Community College for professional photography.  I worked at the Picture People in Cedar Rapids, while in school ( I drove back and forth, Ryan was working in Anamosa at the time)  as much as I dislike mall photography, I must give them credit for teaching me how to interact with children.  All the tricks and noises that make babies smile.  July 2007 I decided to quit the picture people and start taking pictures on my own...I think I had only 2 appointments from July-October...not good.  September 2007, we buy our house and I buy a bunch of studio equipment for the future studio in the basement.  After the studio I averaged 1-2 appointments every 2-3 months...still not good.  I tried everything to get people to come, newspaper, business cards, website, fliers, coupons...etc.  Eventually I figured out that word of mouth was my best option.  My first client told her friends, then her friends told their friends...every single one of my clients is connected somehow. I now average 10-12 appointments every month (which is all I can handle, becuz I just work weekends)  The studio has gone from feeling like a basement to looking like a studio. I finally have it the way I want it and now I have to pack it all up! :(  I have had cloth, paper and vinyl backgrounds, I know which ones will withstand a bubble bath and birthday cake.  I know which lights can be knocked over and still work!  But most importantly I know that if you do what you love, you will love what you do.

                sitting area

    all of my props, toys, dress up clothes, display

one side of the studio area, the other side is the white background

Potty Time

We are 20 Months old! 35 pounds and 35.5 inches tall, 4T clothes.

Closer to 2 than 1...YIKES! We have been potty training (kind of) for 2 months now...and ummmm...what can I say. Not going well. So I decided on Thursday (4/22) To do a hardcore 3 day potty training boot camp. For Riley: No pants! No Diapers! For Mom: No phone! No Computer! I had to watch his every move so that we could make it to the potty on time. Day 1: it went OK, we had a few dribbles on the floor, but went in the potty 5 times! But it is a struggle to keep on the potty, he doesn't want to sit there Day 2: I give up! All morning I watched him...as soon as I went to get the mail, he pooped in my closet! I was so mad! I picked up the turd balls and made him scrub the imaginary spot with a paper towel and told him we don't poop on the floor, we poop in the potty. We went and sat on the potty and he cried and cried and the hit me on my leg ( I have no idea where he learned this!) I sat him in the corner and he cried and cried. I re-grouped and then asked him if he wanted to use the potty he said "no" I asked him if he liked using the potty he said "no" I asked him if he loved mommy...he gave me a kiss and ran away. What I gathered from today is: we are taking a break from potty training until this house selling and buying is over with. We are all stressed and we need break from potty training, plus he is working on canines and molars...too much!

I got these undies and according to the package, 3T was the right size for him, I tore open the package and got Riley excited for his BIG BOY UNDIES! I put his legs through the leg holes and wiggle them up his leg, past his knees and uuuhhh...mmmm....ppp­uuullll....sqqqeeezze­ee....no go. They won't go past his thighs. So I take them off and stretch out the legs holes and try again, he wore them for about 2 hours and had sores on his groin from the tightness. So I went back to the store and bought a bigger size. Poor Riley.

The First Post

As I was driving in the car the other day, a song came on the radio, one that I had heard a thousand times, but for some reason this time it made me cry.  The song was Remember When by Alan Jackson.  For the first time in all the times I had heard that song, I related to it.  Ryan and I have lived in Jones County for 4 years, we are comfortable here, but now we have a new job and are selling the only home we have known together as a family.  It's a new beginning...
So in honor of our new beginning, I have decided to join the ban wagon and start a blog.  We have a family site, which lets family see video and photos of Riley, but it is very unpersonable, at least for me it is. I haven't been able to customize the colors or layout...I need to do that stuff!   I look back on the last 2 years, and I have no record of the memories, other than pictures.  I want to be able to Remember When, why, what and how we were feeling, doing and thinking.  Plus over the next couple months I won't be working as much and I need a new hobby during naps besides editing photos.  BLOGGING IT IS!  
In sort-
this blog is dedicated to the memories that have and will be in the Lafrenz Family. I will still post pictures and video on the family site, but will narrate on this blog!