Butterfly Blob

Last night the kiddos and I took a walk and I brought the old trusty dusty iPhone w/ me to shoot some more Hipstamatic photos.

Don't know what Hipstamatic is? Check it out here: http://hipstamatic.com/the_app.html It's a cool iPhone (and Android?) camera app that emulates film. While there are limitations (you can only take 9 high resolution images at a time?!) and some of the filters suck (dots in the frame), it's a fun app to play with. I actually downloaded it in the hospital when I was born. Some friends had gotten me a $50 iTunes gift card so I downloaded every film, lens and feature. The debate between Instagram and Hipsamatic is an intense one, and I've only played with Instagram a little bit ... for now I'll stick to Hips.

As far as the kiddies go, Z decided to wake up before 6:30 this morning and wanted to eat. So ... we've been up since 6:30! Let the early mornings begin again! I, however, did not want to wake up and was so stinkin' cute in our bed. She slept til like 8 o'clock! That's why this blog is coming out in the morning, I'm a cup of coffee down (surprisingly not more).

Stacey mentioned how I and I are very similar, and while writing I might get you confused when I'm talking about I. Am I intentionally messing with you? Or is I just so dang beautiful that I want to call her I? ;)

Have a good weekend! Stacey gets off early today so we're super excited!!

-marc

p.s. click here to check out all the photos from last nights walk.

New Header!

Check out the new header, yeah? Waddya think? I'm lookin' pretty good, huh? Don't mind that gorgeous baby in my lap, look at the lighting, and photoshop work done on that image. True genius. Yeah yeah, her tutu is super cute, but look at the placement of the bottles! I know, I know, her eyes are the prettiest eyes next to her mother's, I know... but look at the saturation and additional grain on the photo - great technique!

Oh yeah, the baby is cute too. ;)

She's sleeping. So I have a second. And yes, adding a new header is blog worthy.

Peace,
-marc

Now Playing: Mr. Mom.

Today starts my adventure as Mr. Mom.  I dropped my wife off at work at 7:45 this morning and came home with my 15 week old baby girl.  We turned on NPR, made some coffee and now as she naps I'm sitting down to post my first blog for 2010.

I thought about making a new blog to chronicle my new life as a stay at home dad ("SAHD"), but wanted to keep my current readers and figured making a new blog was just another thing to worry about.  I will be blogging from here for a lonnnng time.

What's on the agenda for the day?  I'm going to read a web building design book my brother Blake got me for Christmas, work on our 2010 Budget and Business Plan, take the X-Mas tree down and of course play with Zoe.  We'll see how much of that gets done, playing with Zoe might take most of the day.  :) It will be interesting to see how working from home works with an infant.  I'm going to take it slowly, and not try to get too much done this week but ease into being a SAHD, business man, photographer, web designer and blogger. 

If you have a second, stop by my beautiful and hard working wife's blog, facebook, and twitter to tell her how awesome she is for being strong and supportive.  We both never thought we'd be part of the growing statistic of families where the wife works, but we're taking it one day at a time with positive strides.  She's amazing, and I already miss her - but this will be good for us and the family.  We will be stronger and better in the long run. 

Alright - I guess that's it for today.  I want to promise more blogs, I always do - but I can't predict the future.  You'll just have to stay tuned and see what happens next! 

Much love,
-Marc, the new Mr. Mom!

Sittin' in Oklahoma with my baby girl...

It was around Christmas time last year that we made Zoe. Now, I'm sitting in my relatives' home in Oklahoma with my very own baby girl next to my side. I'm married and a dad. A lot changes in a year. Stacey just went out with one of her old best girlfriends and Zoe and I? We're just chilling next to each other. What better time to blog? Oh wait ... I think Zoe might need a diaper change.

Actually I wanted to change the design of the blog, then I figured I should post too. Why not, right? It's always around this time of the year when I think "Hmmm...I should blog more."

Hold on ... diaper change time.

OK ... man I thought of a lot to write about in that couple of minutes. Like, how lucky I am to have a loving wife who loves me and our little girl more than the world. I couldn't have asked for a better woman to be in my life for the rest of my life. She's perfect. Well, except for her tardiness, but I can overlook that. :) I see couples having problems and divorce rates going through the rough, an unhappiness running rampage between parents - but not with us. We're a team, and a damn good one at that.

Hold on ... time to feed the baby!

OK ... now my brain is getting too full for this post. I should blog professionally. I did back in college. Back in Oklahoma, only a few blocks from here I got $5.15 for every blog post I wrote. I could be a part of the mom and dad blogging community. Diaper companies and toy makers, feel free to send me samples of ANYTHING and I'll write about it. Send me samples and $$ and I'll write positively about it. :)

Next year will be crazy. After our trip to Oklahoma Stacey goes back to work at Advertise.com. I will be a full-time dad. That is my job. Photography is taking a backseat, as hard as that is to type, it's important for me to focus on the most important thing right now, and that's little Zoe. I never thought I would be part of the statistic of growing stay at home dads, but here I am, and happy to do so. Life will be a trip, like it always has been, but it will be fun. I'll still shoot on the weekends or after 5, and with RLP growing and becoming more successful I'll be able to create websites from home while watching Zoe! But I might stay in my sweats for weeks at a time... ;)

Having a child has been crazy. I know people do it all the time, but I've never done it before. My favorite part? When she smiles at me ... like she is now. It makes all the financial hardship, late nights, and difficult situations worth it. I've lost friends over Zoe, missed out on "opportunities" for work, and haven't gone to see a movie in 13 weeks - but I wouldn't change a single moment.

So here's to 2010. I want to show my baby girl that even though the world is way messed up, life is alright if you surround yourself with people who love you and who you love. Love is all you need!

Much love,
-marc