It's Like This...

Union Station

Last Saturday was my very first time on the inside of Union Station. One might be surprised that I'm a Los Angeles, CA native. LOL!

 
I was quite excited!

- Ke

Paper Planes

Friday I thought it would be a good idea to introduce my son to origami. I enjoyed that in elementary. He saw a few of the possible creations and wanted to make a pigeon. He wanted to make a pigeon until he watch my lightweight struggle with the crane. LOL! Operation Origami Pigeon became a no-go. One to the planes section of the site. EXCITEMENT! So, we made planes.

One of his flight sequences...

 
 
Maybe next weekend we'll conquer that pigeon.

- Ke

 

Boys Will Be Boys

On the way back tot he car from the wonderful library visit, Malik points out a house across the street. It's decorated for Halloween.

Malik: "Look at that house Addi."

Malik: "See it?" 

Addi: "No! I don't wanna look!" 

Malik: "Just look. It's not scary." Addi: "No Malik!" 

You would almost think that he was actually trying to help her overcome her fear...until you see the look on his face. He was enjoying her being afraid.

 
A closer look. See the way the corner of his mouth curls up? Tisk. Tisk. Tisk.

 
So much for being a good big cousin (in the moment) and genuinely helping rid the fear. But boys... Boys like to gross you out and scare you. I know my brothers did. I believe it's in their genes.

 
He then points the house out to me. As if I hadn't already seen the thing. "Mama, look."

 
This boy. The same boy who had just asked to sleep in my bed after Addi's uncle scared all of the children with a gargoyle mask. "No, Malik. Go to sleep." Maybe he was trying to get a little vengeance. Or, maybe he was just being a boy.

- Ke

Library Trip

A few weeks ago my son's class walked to the local library. He was anxious to visit the library again. My cousin mentioned to me that her daughter would like to go, so we brought her along. It was her first time at the library and I needed to shoot SOMEthing, so I photographed the event. Plus, I figured her mom might enjoy pictures since she wasn't able to make it.

She's a EXCELLENT reader.  She zipped through 5 or 6 books while we were there. One of the books she read (which surprised me because it was scary) was "In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories". Creepy! One of the stories in the book reminded me of the surprising part of the movie "Orphan".

 
 
 
 
After being asked a question about her book...

 
 
... I believe my son was more interested in her book than he was his own for a minute or 2.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

With her last book, Addi she spotted a rug. Sitting on it was a MUST.

 
We'll go back to the library this coming weekend. My wasn't home an hour before he finished reading that Dragonball Z book. It was more like a comic book. He can't wait to go back. Maybe next time I'll get something. LOL! Like I need to add finishing a book to my to-do list.

- Ke

Because He's Such A Good Kid

...he didn't complain when I had him get dressed at about 9:20 p.m. so that I could take pictures of him...OUTSIDE. He did slide in a question that let me know that he was bored (along with his facial expressions). "Go in the house?" LOL! But before I wrapped it up, here are some of the shots I got of him:

 
I was going for something a little different. I LOVE it when guys wear blazers, hoodies (or hooded sweat shirts) and baseball caps. It's casual and flavorful. And SO east coast. :D Now, have I ever been on the east coast? Nope. But I love their style nonetheless.

 
He came across my dog tag with his picture on it and has kinda taken it for his own.  He wanted to wear it for the shots.

 
 
 
He was a good sport for the most part. The grass was cold on my barefeet so I obliged his discreet signals to go inside.  Thanks for cooperating baby! Mommy loves you!!

- Mommy

Must Love Boys

Hot Saturday afternoon. A few minutes in the barber's chair and BAM. Hair is taken care of. I love it!

 

I'm wondering what on earth I'd do with a girl.

- Ke

Forgotten

While trying to come up with something different to add to sessions, I rememeberd this wicker sofa. Pulled it out of the storage bin (with the help of my AWESOME buddy), wiped it down and here it is.

 
Excited about using it for the first time!

- Ke

Be Afraid. Be VERY Afraid!

Tagged along with my buddy Khedra of Khaptures during a session at the park.  At the end of the session, my son was jumping on some benches.  Being a boy.  He said that he wondered if I could.  "I bet I can!" I put down my cam, my key, my shades, my phone and proceeded to jump up on one of the benches.  There were two rows of them.  Jumping from bench to bench in one row wasn't a big deal.  The problem came when it was time for me to jump from one ROW to the other. "Ummm..."  LOL!   He made it look so easy!

 
I couldn't go through with it.  I imagined slipping the second my foot landed on the other side, and BAM! There goes my back!  How could I continue with my photography career if I can't walk??  How can I walk down the isle if I can't walk?!  So, Khedra gives it a try.  First go 'round she understood my fear.  "It looks scary from up there, right?" She agreed.  Low and behold she jumped! Like 3 times! :O  Ms. Tiffany watched.  She thought I was a scardy cat until she got up to jump.  LOL!  My son, being the AWESOME guy that he is decide to offer some encouragement and a pep talk...and threw in a hug.

This was turning into a MUCH bigger deal that I anticipated.  I jumped, but didn't go all the way across. I did that several times as my son went back to jumping.

Khedra offered to jump with me. No good. I couldn't.  Fear had gotten the best of me.  "I should have just done it the first time I tried."  I finally admitted, "I'm afraid." LOL!  We laughed.  Khedra encouraged me to jump across just once.  I repeated, "I'm afraid."  Tiffany watched.  Isaiah was in his own 3-year-old world.  Singing. Dancing. HE couldn't jump because his legs were too short.  I wanted to use that excuse but my baby was jumping.  He's at least a head shorter than I am.  DANG!  I couldn't. I just couldn't. I came to terms with it and just laid down on the bench.  Khedra took this picture.

She called it "Shoes of Shame". ROFL!  I didn't care.  I wasn't going to throw away my career and my chance at WALKing down the isle.  How can my husband find/recognize me if I can't walk? He'd have to be the surgeon that performs the surgery on my back and get to know me and discover how awesome I am during my recovery.  I can't let THAT happen.  True it would mean that my husband would be some brilliant, talented, filthy rich surgeon and we'd have a wonderfully touching story to share during the reception, but no. So, you see, it was best that I didn't jump. Don't you agree?

Before we got too far away I took a picture of those BLASTED benches. One last look.

 

- Ke

Reading to Me

Yesterday, before I napped my son put in some reading time. The light in the room was perfect for a nap and his story was icing on the cake.

My favorite part is when he maed the guinea pig sound. LOL! Thanks for the story Pop!

- Ke 

Restoration

My pastor has been talking about restoration lately.  When God restores you, He makes you BETTER than you were before.  Before knowing anything about Top Flight, I felt that way about the way that God deals with my employment.  Every time I went to another job whether it was by being laid off, quitting or being fire (that only happen once because I couldn't sell 8 cars per month), my next job was ALWAYS better than the previous one. 

Of course God is ALWAYS improving Keana T. Clay, but that's not the focus of my restoration post today.  At least not His restoration of my character.  No, no. Today restoration of something else caused me to arrive at this post.

About a month or so ago my iPod was stolen. From MY CAR. While I was dropping my son off at school.  My key needs a new battery, so it doesn't always lock on the first go 'round.  This particular morning I left my iPod sitting in the front seat. Yeah, I know...NOT the smartest thing in the world to do.  Trust me, I've had to live with that poor decision everyday. I was SICKENED by it. I checked EVERYwhere for it.  Thought, maybe I left it at home.  Maybe it slipped through the hole in the bottom of my purse.  Nope.  Someone opened my unlocked door and TOOK it from the passenger seat. *sigh* MY GOODNESS. I didn't have the money to replace it.  I bought it as a Christmas give for myself in 2008. iPod Touch. 32 gigabytes. And I was JUST getting the hang of taking it everywhere I went. See, a little inside info about me. I LOVE electronics! Like LOVE 'em!  Most girls go for clothes, or shoes, but not me.  Gadgets were my weakness.  Anyway. Today, MUCH to my COMPLETE SURPRISE, my iPod was restored. I was given a new iPod. :O I was trying to settle into the fact that I will one day have an iPhone and having my iPod taken from me wouldn't be so bad. TODAY, I was given THIS -

AND CHECK THIS OUT...

SIXTY-FOUR GIGS!!! Doubles my previous storage!!!

God loves me! He REALLY does. Please don't mistake me for being superficial or materialistic because I'm FAR from that.  I always will be.  But let me tell you something. God SO cares about the smalls things that matter to us.  He loves us. We're His creation.  How could He not be concerned?  He uses people to show us. To my buddy, the BESTEST buddy EVER...saying that I'm glad is a SERIOUSLY SEVERE understatement.  Thank you. I know that you know it's not about the gift (though, OMGoodness it's BANGIN'), it's about the thought behind it. Love ya! And I can't wait for life to be wonderfully nice and random things like this are done ALL the time.

- Ke