Mercy Ruth the Great! (portrait session)

 

Mercy Ruth is a beautiful young lady.  Full of spunk and tons of personality.  She is super sensitive and thoughtful yet so full of life.  What a lovely young woman.  I am excited to see all that God has in store for this bright eyed wonder!

I love you my darling niece!

Aunty Jessica

Portraits anyone? Eugene Oregon photography, Weddings, Children, Family photography

He amazes me yet again! Communication.

I have always journaled as I learn and grow, and think "some day I would love to write a book to help other Mom's not have to learn things the hard way, or those who don't get to learn at all." But then I started thinking I should start now!  Why hold it in until I have learned EVERYTHING, and then share my "great wisdom" (ha ha).

This was a recent incident that really brought freedom and a load off of my back!

So recently, Daniel my oldest had told me that he didn't like when Papa (dad in Russian) joked when Daniel shared something from the heart.  I took it upon myself to explain this to Ruslan and try to get him to recognize that joking isn't always the best way to make someone else feel at ease, even if it's the way that works for you. So he sort of got it.  But next time it happened again, I realized, "wait I dont' have to be the go between, I need to teach them to communicate to each other." So I called Daniel in and asked him to explain to Ruslan what he meant. He did. Ruslan my husband, heard it better from him than from me.  I recognized that Ruslan probably assumed that I was being oversensitive, but when he heard it from his son's own lips, something shifted in his heart (of which is made of gold) and he saw I wasn't just jumping to conclusions.

It felt so wonderful, to know my place as Mom, is to help bring communication, not to BE the communication.

Life in General

Well as usual I am onto a new project! I am the dreamer visionary, and am trying to learn to be the "finisher of one thing well (I know that's not exactly grammatically correct-learn more grammar-another project :))."

ANYWAY:
My latest project is becoming a Eugene Oregon Wedding Photographer-www.jkalashnikovphoto.com I am super excited about this and super nervous. Wow to be in charge of one of the most important days to someone, and to portray their perfect picture of what it should look like to them. I am still listening to Eleanor Roosevelt, "Do something everyday that scares you." So I have been researching and finding out about website traffic, and more photography skills, etc, etc, etc... I am loving it!

I am still pursuing the real estate stuff, but that's the less attractive, MORE scary project that I do AFTER I have done the fun stuff. It's so big and different that I am COMPLETELY uncomfortable with it, but I so want to see it work, I am too stubborn to give up on it, plus my sister and I are in this one together, so I CAN'T give it up!

Also in the midst of all this, learning to just be in the moment, not always trying to get done, to get onto the next thing. For example, I am really enjoying doing dishes more, maybe that's a little too enthusiastic...I am learning not to HATE doing the dishes. It is always such a fulfilling feeling to see a clean surface and sparkly kitchen.