personal, Posted on: Jul, 01
For the past 2 weeks my nieces Emily and Abby, who live in South Carolina, have been visiting our family here in Wisconsin. Emily is a senior this coming year and asked if I would do her senior photos while she was up in our neck of the woods. Now Emily wasn’t too thrilled about getting her photos taken. We didn’t do any outfit changes and she didn’t want a ton of photos, but she still did great for her photos. We went out to Devil’s River campground in Denmark for her photos and I swear, I could photograph out there ALL day. It is just beautiful!
Emily, I hope you love your photos even though I know they felt like torture:)
Well, we are back from sunny San Diego! Had a fabulous trip with Pauly and Eddie but missed my little Bobby so, SO much! I am currently drowning in emails and Facebook messages but I hope to have them all answered by day’s end. Thanks for being so patient with me while I got a little R&R with the fam!
I’ll leave you with a few photos from the trip!
I love the beach…even though it didn’t get above 75 degrees while we were gone, it was still lovely.
We went to the fabulous San Diego zoo one day! My little animal lover Eddie loved it!
pacific coast sunsets. love em.
We let Eddie pick a few souvenirs…he picked a football just like the one he had back at home. This football lovin Momma was proud!
Nighttime beach shot
The fam after dinner on our last night there!
personal, Posted on: Jun, 01
So, I have been insanely busy the past couple weeks and haven’t had time to mention that my first born, my Eddie turned THREE years old on May 20th! We had a BUSY couple of weeks with birthdays in our little household. Almost every single man in my life has a birthday in May. Pauly’s is May 8th. Bobby’s is May 10th. Eddie’s is May 20th. And my brother and dad also have May birthdays! It is insanity!
We had a joint birthday party for both of my babies(yes I still refer to Eddie as a baby…I may be in denial that he is three) a couple of weeks ago, but the day Eddie turned three, both Pauly and I had off work and we had a total Eddie day. We went to Chuck E Cheese, out to lunch at Texas Roadhouse (he got to ride the bull and had everyone sing to him), and then we headed up to see my parents and they took him to supper and we had cake and he had kiddie cocktails with TONS of cherries and he strutted around like he was king. It was perfect.
He is such a good hearted little man. I just adore him. A few things about my Ed:
-He is so into dinosaurs right now. Everyday he struts around claiming he is the T-Rex and we are all the plant eating dinosaurs that he is going to eat:)
-He has such an imagination. The other day we were in the grocery store and we turned the corner into an aisle and he stopped in his tracks and yelled, “Hey mom! There is a little baby brown bear!” Then he proceeded to walk over to a very specific spot on the floor, bend down and picked up the imaginary baby bear so I could pet it. It was hysterical.
-He has a big heart. He hates when others are mad or hurting and randomly tells me he loves me about 57 times a day.
-He has a ridiculous memory and is getting to be such a smart little dude. It’s like I can see the wheels turning in that little head, I can just see things clicking and light bulbs going on.
As a mom, it is amazing to see. We always wonder if we are doing everything right, teaching them the right things, disciplining the way we should. Watching him grow into this fabulous little boy really validates to myself that I am doing okay as a Momma. These two boys of mine mean the world to me. They are my everything. Happy 3rd Birthday my Eddie.
personal, Posted on: May, 11
So, one year ago today I was in the hospital staring at my brand new baby boy’s gorgeous little face. Until I had children, I never fully understood just how fast time really does fly. I can’t believe it’s been a year since that perfect little creature entered out lives. We made it through the late LATE nights early on. We made it through the 7 weeks of crying because of tummy issues. We made it through teething. the bumps and bruises. the jealousy issues with Eddie. the first smile. the first giggle. the first cold. We made it through. With flying colors. And I couldn’t love my little family any more.
Happy Birthday Baby Bobby. Momma adores you.
one year ago…
and today. still adorable even with the scuffs on his face from the stairs:)
personal, Posted on: Apr, 21
So, as you can see from all the posts below, things have been going well since I decided to become a full-time photographer! And I am SO thankful for that. When I quit my job a little over 2 months ago, it was sort of a leap of faith. I had NO idea what the next year would bring. Well, so far, so good. When I am not playing with or tending to the boys, I am shooting, editing or blogging a session. And I love it. Giving my friends and clients images they will cherish for years to come. It makes me all warm and fuzzy.
There are going to be some changes coming to the blog, website and just the business in general in the next few months. Most will be in place by June 1st and I will keep you posted when any changes occur. Nothing too drastic, but just a few things to keep me competitive in the business. Can’t wait to share them with you all!
And now for the real reason for this post. My boys. I feel SO blessed to be able to stay home with them now. I feel as if I was missing out on so much of them. Their everyday life. Their changes, their smiles and their amazing little personalities. I can’t tell you how much the last 2 months have meant to me. And if this summer gets crazy and they have to go back to our (totally fabulous) babysitter more often, I will always have these past couple months to look back on with a smile. My whole world really does begin and end with them. They are my everything.
I know I am biased, but he is beautiful.
and I am pretty sure he is the sweetest thing on the planet
and they love each other…usually:)
a rare photo with Momma
I find it ridiculous that these photos were taken on April 10th and it was almost 80 degrees outside and as I type up this post on April 20th, there is 6 inches of snow on the ground. Flippin Wisconsin.
and lastly, so no one thinks it’s all fun all the time here at our house. For the past year I have said that the terrible two’s were a crock . I never experienced any horrible sassiness. Well, I spoke too soon. I think three is going to be…challenging:)
No, I am not pregnant again. Seems as though that is the first conclusion everyone jumps to when you say ‘Big News’ and are of child bearing age. 
Nope, this news is work related. Most of you know that photography was not my only job. I worked 30 hours a week for an insurance company here in Green Bay…and I hated every minute of it. The ONLY reason I worked was for the insurance. Well, I finally decided I had enough. At the beginning of this month I gave my two week notice and last week Thursday was my final day! It feels awesome to not have that horribly stressful job weighing on my mind 24/7. So, I am proud to say that I am now a full time photographer and am free to do what I love ALL of the time!
For the past week I have been doing some behind the scenes work. I created a Facebook Fan Page ( go become a fan!)
Erika Krause Photography Fan Page
I have also been working on new website images and information and I’ll let you know when that is all updated. Until then, if you are in need of photos for any occasion, give me a call! I am so excited to be able to photograph every day of the week now and to not have to deal with my work schedule!
And because I can’t post without a photo, here is baby Bob playing outside in the gorgeous weather we have been having!
So, Christmas has come and gone. I get a bit sad to see the Christmas season come to an end. All the pomp and circumstance is over with and the 4 weeks of preparation are gone so very quickly. Now I am itching to get the Christmas stuff down and put away. I want that chaos gone and some order back in the house. Hopefully this Friday the boys will help me tackle the oodles of decor.
We had a fabulous holiday weekend with friends and family. It was so awesome to see Eddie’s reaction to the season now that he is old enough to understand some of the traditions. We watched Polar Express and Prep and Landing about a bazillion times in the past 3 weeks, but I loved every second of it. I’ve taught him to turn off the lights in the living room while we watch movies at night so the glow of the Christmas tree is the only thing illuminating the room. I have done that ever since I was a little girl and I may have created a monster with Eddie. Now he turns the lights in the living room off all the time. While we are reading, playing with Bob, ALL the time. Stinker pants.
Bob had a good Christmas too, despite having a bit of a cold. He got his first tooth about a week before Christmas and has been fighting the sniffles ever since. He got gifts too, but was more excited about eating the wrapping paper than anything else.
While I haven’t been off work at my full time job, I have been taking a bit of a break from photographing and it has been MUCH needed. I got a little burned out toward then beginning of December and I am looking forward to the slow month of January and getting refueled and refreshed. I am excited to see what 2011 has to bring for both our little family and my growing business!
I still have room on my 2011 calendar for 1 or 2 more weddings, so if you or anyone you know is getting married, give me a call and I’ll be happy to chat with you about the big day!
I’ll leave you with a few photos from our Christmas weekend! Happy New Year to you all!
Here is Eddie looking up in the sky for Santa with his headlamp
The Polar Express. One of our favorites
Me and my boys
Teaching Bob how to open his gifts
I am sure we put one of Pixar’s CEO’s kids through college with how much Toy Story crap we have bought this year:)
Ed got a train table from my parents. He was pretty darn pumped.
And Bob got his first tooth for Christmas!
So, Bobby turned 6 months old on November 10th. Seriously, HOW is that possible? I swear, it seems like I just brought him home from the hospital…these 6 months FLEW by. The fact that I have been insanely busy with both jobs seems to make the days pass in the blink of an eye and when you add the two active little boys, well, it’s insanity. But fabulous insanity.
Bobby is doing great. He is now a sitter. I love this stationary stage. The stage where you can sit them in the middle of a room and they can not yet crawl away. LOVE it. I can set him down, start dinner or run to the bathroom, and when I return, he is right where I left him. I know these days are numbered because he is starting to get up on all four’s and rock back and forth. Crawling isn’t far off so I am enjoying this stage while I can. He still has NO teeth! Eddie had 4 teeth at this time. I was concerned, but the pediatrician told me at his 6 month checkup yesterday that Bobby’s teething is much more typical of an average baby. Eddie was a freak when it came to teething I guess:)
At his 6 mos checkup Bob weighed 18lb 1 oz and is 27.5 inches long. 48% for weight and 75% for height. And 90% for head circumference. Seriously, the kid has a HUGE Charlie Brown head. After finding this out, every time I see him I find myself quoting the movie “So I Married And Axe Murderer”: “It’s like and orange on a toothpick!” Cracks me up.
Eddie is doing great too. He is potty trained!! We worked on it for 6 months, but he caught on pretty quickly at the end there and we couldn’t be more proud of him! He isn’t even 2 and a half! SO so awesome. He is at such a fun age now, talking non stop, asking bazillions of questions, hitting. Yup, he hits when he doesn’t get his way. Not such a fun part of this age, but we are working through it. Lets just say time-outs are common in our house these days:)
On the business side of things, it’s still fairly crazy. I am about 3 weeks out on editing photos. This upcoming week is the first in the past 5 months where I don’t have a weekday shoot. Looking forward to getting the 15 sessions on my computer edited and out the door to my fabulous clients in time for them to get Xmas cards and gifts made. Can you believe that Christmas is a month and a half away!? Again, how the heck did that happen?
My last wedding of the year is a month away (Dec 18th) and by that time I hope to have my computer free of sessions and ready for 2011! I am already starting to get inquiries about sessions in January and February 2011, so if you know you are going to be needing photos in the early months of next year, give me a call!
Okay, enough babbling. Who wants to see some recent pics of my boys?
First a few of Bob’s 6 months portraits….
Our friends Barb and Chad got Bobby this blanket. LOVE it!
The many faces of Baby Bob
The boys in their Halloween costumes. My tough little boxer and my lobster in a pot:)
matching jammies!
laying in a ‘fort’ in the living room:)
Ed likes to use my photo props as chairs
doing puzzles together
Alrighty, that’s all folks! Have a great day!
personal, Posted on: Aug, 24
Just thought I would share some of the 3 month photos I took of little Bobby. I wanted to do them outside, but the rains over the past few weeks didn’t cooperate with when I could do them. So this is what we got:)
I wanted to do a few of them in his baptismal outfit. My mom made it out of her wedding gown! Isn’t that cool? Anyway, he looked so precious!
I love his sad little face here.
sweet little smile!
you can really see the red in his hair here! (or what is left of his hair. He turned into such a little baldy!)
I ADORE his little pout. seriously. cutest thing ever. Eddie never made this face so I just laugh hysterically every time I see Bobby do this. I know, sassy Momma:)
and we are DONE with that outfit
my favorite:)
cheesey little grin!
personal, Posted on: Jul, 13
Well, our little Bobby turned two months old on the 10th of July. The past 2 months have FLOWN by. He is getting SO big and SO gorgeous. For the first month or so newborns sort of resemble old men to me, so I am glad he is finally starting to look like a baby and less like one of the elderly….and more and more like his older brother! He is smiling and cooing and is just a happy little guy most of the time. Eddie is still doing well. He has his sassy ‘terrible two’s’ moments, but most of the time he is such a good little man. He makes us laugh SO very much. He has such a little personality…and he is smart…has a memory like you wouldn’t believe. Every night before bed he tells me “Wove you too Momma” (which is ‘love you too Momma’ for those that don’t speak two-year-old) Melts. My. Heart.
Our lives besides the boys are absolute insanity lately. Pauly has been working 60 hours a week, I have been photographing as well as trying to wrangle the two boys and get some fun things planned with them. You know, I often wonder how my mom managed with four kids in 9 years because I feel like I am losing my mind with the two I have:)
Anyway, I have weddings for the next 3 weekends in a row and countless sessions…so check back for blog updates soon! Also, I am pretty much booked up now for sessions through the end of October. I have been referring people to other photographers I know because I just can’t accept anymore sessions and spend anymore time away from the kiddos. Plus, I go back to work at my insurance job in less than 3 weeks…the insanity continues….
Hope you are all enjoying your summer! And I can’t post without showing off the boys….
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