Happenings

In today's blog, I am not adding any photos (sorry). Instead, I'll write about a range of topics that are on the cusp of my mind. For starters, our soon-to-be 4-year-old daughter Kennedy is leaving tomorrow morning with my mom on a 10-day trip to Montana. As awesome as this will be, I'm realizing how much we're going to miss her. She'll have an amazing time meeting my extended family and getting the full experience.

Secondly, on a serious note, our prayers go out to many of you (some who might be reading this) for your difficult weeks, marriages, health issues, job stress, or any other items I have left off of this list. Isn't life difficult at times? We try to live each day to our fullest but we struggle with broken relationships, fatigue, or maybe even apathy. Seriously, we're praying that you can trust in God to meet all of your needs. From Proverbs, "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. Acknowledge Him (God) in all your ways and he will set your path straight."

Third (and I hope like I don't sound like a broken record), but I'm continually grateful for the people in our lives. This past week I keep trying to remind myself that I need to "Love People, Use Things" and not "Love Things, Use People." This seems obvious, but wow we mess this up on a daily basis.

Fourth, photogrphaphy... it's been amazing starting this part-time business. Thanks to those of you who have taught me, allowed me to take your photos, and even bounce my ideas off of you. In fact, the best part of photography (portraits, weddings, etc...) has been the opportunity to spend time with people. Really fun for an extravert like myself. I tell Molly that I'm a closet intravert, but we all know this isn't true.

Fifth, if you made it through this entire blog, you have earned a pat on the back. Remind me about this next time I see you! Cheers and have a great weekend. God bless,

Holiday Park

Again, I'm behind on my blog because of several reasons (i.e. photography blog, work, trying to get my super-slow Dell to function, etc...); my excuses are many. In late April, my brother Kyle (and Becky) introduced us to Holiday Park, which is located at College and 62nd(?). Have you been there? This was one of the first really warm days in a while and was a perfect Sunday to do relax, cook burgers, and run around. Also, I tested out the video feature on my camera for the first time so let's hope it works (see attached video)! Also, check out the special sweaters my mom made for the girls. Cheers everyone, KA

Sisters

In a few short months, we will have a new baby boy (yay) and he will be blessed with two older sisters. They are excited to meet him and even more excited to have a brother (Kennedy claims she knew it the entire time!). It's hard to imagine the fact that God will give us the ability to love another child in the same way that we have loved our two daughters. In fact, I remember holding Ansley over the first couple of days and asking Molly, "Can I love her as much as I love Kennedy?" In remembering myself ask this question, it's hard to believe I ever asked this question... but it's the truth! Time and time again, the miracle of birth and parenthood continues to take place. In saying this, I'm excited to meet our new son and see how he fits into our growing family. The truth is... God is really good and he continues to bring joy in every kind of life situation, through trials, suffering, and anxiety, and he works all things for our good. Sorry to be so lenghty with my post today... but we have been reflecting on a few of these concepts recently and wanted to share our thoughts with you. Most of these points are everydays truths that are easily taken for granted. All in all, it's still a mystery to us. Enjoy these photos of the girls... it's hard to understand how a boy will be added into this mix!

Michigan City, Indiana

Last weekend consisted of spending lots of time with GREAT friends in Michigan City, IN with great friends. Besides the cold weather, it was an amazing time and great to get away from Hamilton County for a few days. We really feel blessed with such amazing friends.

Cousins

Kennedy and Ansley love their cousin Ella... AND their Uncle Pat.

Potty Training Ansley: Attempt #27

In my efforts to: 1) pottytrain Ansley; and 2)emotionally "scar" my daughters when they are old enough to read this blog, I present today's blog post to you.

My new strategy for pottytraining Ansley actually involved bribing Kennedy. I brainstormed this strategy yesterday, and it actually worked! Kennedy pretended she was using the restroom and talked Ansley into using her little toilet. Brilliant. Sorry if this blog is a little too revealing into the Applegate household, but it is what it is. By tomorrow, I will need some new child psychology strategies after Ansley figures out this devious plan. We'll see, maybe it will work, maybe not. I guess it's our main goal to get Ansley out of diapers by the time the new baby arrives in early August.

Last Shameless Photography Plug

Okay, I lied in my last post. THIS is my last plug for my new photography business, Kelly Applegate Photography. Help me people! Do you have any better ideas for Photography business names? To reiterate, I'm looking to do as many photoshoots this summer for every reason under the sun.

Please contact me to take your photos... if you choose to pay me or not, I really don't care! :) I look forward to practicing on my family and friends and sharing these photos with you (I'm also excited for the new camera we are about to purchase... although I'm wondering if maybe I should buy a 90-inch awesome-looking HD TV for the same price... manybe not.)

Again, my contact info: kapplegate44@hotmail.com or 317-773-5686. Check out my new photo blog at: kellyapplegatephotography.blogspot.com.

Cheers! Look forward to pics of my family in the next blog... I promise.

New Photography Business - Applegate Photography?

Hello everyone... In today's blog, I'm sharing the fact that I am starting/building a photography business. Over the next year or so, I hope to continue improving my photography skills, improving my equipment, and do as many "shoots" as possible (portraits, newborn shots, weddings, senior pictures, and so on).

With that being said, my photography fees will be very discounted throughout the rest of this year. My main goal is to take as many photos as possible, especially this spring and summer. So... please feel free to let me take pictures for you and/or family (my contact info is as follows: kapplegate44@hotmail.com or 317-773-5686). I can provide more samples of my photos if anybody is interested in see more of my portfolio. Again, please let me take your photos... I look to forward to practing my photograpy on you all and giving you a DVD with the photos and "edits".

In summary, I hope this blog doesn't come across as a shameless plug! Ultimately, I'm hoping to stay as busy as possible this summer.

P.S.I also would like to thank Matt and Heather for giving me the opportunity to recently take their maternity photos (see below). Again, photography is really, really, really fun... I most love the challenge of capturing "true moments" in the lives of people.

P.S.S. I promise I will dedicate my next blog post to lots of updated pictures of the kiddos.

Ansley's Dalmation Birthday

Only my lovely wife Molly can blend her love of coloring with planning a 2-year-old birthday party (and yes, she really likes to color... I'm little jealous of her coloring skills). Yes, Ansley loves dalmations; in fact, this theme edged out "Dinosaurs" by a very thin margin... both of these themes are a little different from Kennedy's "pink" themed 2-year-old party.

Our little "Ans" is getting bigger and with age it's really fun to watch her and Kennedy develop a close friendship... and rivalry. Ansley is the jokester of our family and is also known for her sweetness and dragging her massive blanket around. She's also well known for saying "I can do it" (of course, what 2-year-old doesn't say this?).

Happy birthday Ans! Start thinking about your theme for next year. I'm sure that Kennedy has her birthday theme planned for the next few years... maybe she can help you brainstorm.

Afternoon Photo Shoot

What do you get when you cross two "cutie pies", a rare moment when the sun is shining in February, and time on your hands? An afternoon photo shoot put on by one Molly Applegate. In my humble opinion, these are GREAT pics... I have to give her tons of credit for taking great pictures; I love sunlit photos with lots of contrast... I can't wait for the sunshine to return on a more permanent basis. Yay Spring.

Happy Birthday Ansley!

Happy birthday Ansley Joanne Applegate. You are two years old today and it just seems like yesterday that you were a little skinny newborn. We love you for so many things... that huge smile, your love for dinosaurs, trucks, dalmations and animals (especially puppies), that "mischieviousness" that reminds me a little of a certain uncle you have named Kyle (or Joe), and all of the other fun and wonderful things you add to our family.

We love you, Mom, Dad, and Kennedy.

The Secret Hideout

That space under the stairs is finally cleared out and my dream of a secret hideout / play area for the girls is a reality (yes, it's awesome). Of course Kennedy has taken the privilege of hanging up several pictures in her new room and adding lots of clutter, so now it's officially a new play area.