Family Jet Photos - Fall 2018

Most families of fighter pilots have yearly photo sessions with the husband's mistress... oh, did I say mistress? I meant jet.

Meet the F-22 Raptor, my husband's mistress. He spends more time with her than with the family, or so it seems.

We tried getting some great family photos to commemorate him joining his first active fighter squadron, no longer in training... but it didn't go so well.

The sun was shining bright. The wind was blowing SO hard. Jets were flying overhead. It was LOUD. The first couple photos are okay. I think they'd be better if the sun wasn't SO bright right on us, but it's not like we could move the jet. The photographer was shooting families all day in 15 minute increments, so this is what we had to work with.

Maybe next year will turn out better. We'll see!

At least the girls are cute, even when one is pouty and mad (she declared, "I all done with pictures!") and the other one won't sit/stand still for a single second. Maybe one day they'll pose for someone other than me so I can be in nice photos with them.

Josephine's Donut Smash Photos

For Josephine's first birthday, we wanted to do something a little different. We had a traditional cake smash for Annabelle when she turned one, but Josephine really likes donuts. How did we know this? Because on Annabelle's third birthday in September, I took her out for donuts. Of course, Josephine was with us because Dan was TDY at SERE at the time. I got up to throw a napkin away, and I watched Annabelle break off a piece of her donut, pass it to Josephine, and whisper, "shhh" at her.

So hilarious. And adorable.

These two girls are the best of friends, and I hope it continues to be that way forever.

Anyway, back to the donut smash. One of my friends, Amber, a fellow Raptor spouse, is a photographer, so naturally, I hired her to take pictures of Josephine since she's known her since she was about six weeks old.

We set up in the backyard, and it was great. Josephine was a little overwhelmed by all the donuts and didn't really know what to think... but she eventually ate a couple of them and smiled for some photos (and cried for some too, ha!)

Anyone else have a hankering for donuts right now?! I know I do!

First Year Comparison: Annabelle & Josephine

So many people these days make fun of parents who choose to document their baby's first year with monthly photos. To that I say... why does anyone care? I am so glad I decided to capture these moments with both of my daughters. It's amazing to see how they compared to each other at each stage and also how incredibly different they are!

Annabelle was born weighing in at 6 pounds 3 ounces, while Josephine weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces at birth... though hospital staff said she probably weighed at least a full pound more than she should have because I was on fluids for so long during labor.

Annabelle weighed 18-ish pounds on her first birthday, while Josephine was 22-ish pounds on hers. They were both breastfed (though Annabelle only took bottles), and it is just so fascinating to me. Annabelle wore 6 month clothes at a year, while Josephine is in 12 month clothing. Clothes fit Josephine better too - her body fills them out, whereas Annabelle was so skinny (still is, really) that pants especially fit her really oddly.

Both of my babies have been tall - 85%+ each in height! I'm 5'8", and Dan is 6'0", so I guess they're just destined to be tall humans.

I can't wait to see how they continue to be alike and different over the years!

If you have more than one kid, are they more similar or different?