As you can see and if you have followed this blog over the past year you know, i have joined a circle of incredible women and am forever grateful to be a part of this. these women speak my language. they FEEL every moment of their lives, the good, the bad, the frustrating and the so happy you can’t catch your breath ones. AND THEY SHARE THEM. these letters will move you through a range of emotions and be prepared if you are like me and you cry at songs or commercials you will prob shed a tear to two. As you will see our lives are so very different and so very awesome in our own ways, in fact we are located all over the world..but we all share one simple common thread, we love our baby girls with every ounce of us. and after all i can’t imagine a better thing to share.
TO SEE LAST MONTH’S POST CLICK HERE
please take a moment to follow the circle…this month I’m linking to the most amazing, beautiful wonderful incredible friend, photog and mama ms Emma | Emma Wood Photography
………………………………………………………………..
dear my baby girls…
i am only half of you.
and HE is the other.
your superhero, my babe, the one we all snuggle on when we are freezing, the one who’s arms seem to go on forever and somehow wrap around each of us, all of us, right when we need it. shoot, even when we don’t know we need it…the one you each proclaim you will marry someday, ha, the one who knows how i like my pizza, sandwiches, and margaritas among many other things…he is the one that wipes your tears and mine. he is the one who makes you laugh so hard your belly hurts, he has always done this for me.
your daddy.
i always tell him he was born to raise daughters. he always seems to have the right answers, when i am struggling with the words. he is organized and logical, calm and patient. the peanut butter to my jelly, ha. to me he is the perfect partner, he walks beside me on this journey, dreams my dreams with me, and then lovingly pushes me to chase them for us both.
but to you…
to you two, he is your everything. You request a princess castle birdhouse for your science fair project…no problem, he sketches it out exactly to your liking by asking questions along the way, and lets you “help” him cut the wood, sand the edges and put it all together. You dream of a blueberry bush and bell peppers in our backyard…no problem, he builds you your very own garden box, and spends 30 minutes discussing organic blueberry bush care with the I’m-crazy-for-gardening-guy at the local plant store. he carries you upstairs despite your long legs with such ease, and carefully tucks you in, all because you wanted to snuggle with him on the couch. you want your toenails painted and absolutely can’t wait til mommy gets home in a few hours and he busts out some serious pedicure skills, even those little pedicure ladies would be proud of. HE LEARNED TO FIX GIRL HAIR! ponies, braids, you name it, he can now do it ( i swear he must have watched some how to youtube videos while i was sleeping because two years ago… lets say it was a struggle hahaha)! he will do everything in his power to give each of us anything and everything we want…within reason…most of the time (except when i swore i wouldn’t want the new mkiii for at least a year and then i change my mind a week later hahaha, yeah he got it for me, but most of the time its within reason, hahaha)
he takes care of us YET he teaches us how to stand on our own and be strong.
he rarely calls you by your names, he almost always addresses you as “beautiful” or “gorgeous”, and you can see just how much he means it by simply looking at his eyes when he is watching you. he tells you daily how proud he is of you even if its just for coloring in the lines, he tells you and you believe him. he makes the best darn eggs and toast or grilled steak any girl could ask for and can make a mean DOUBLE grilled cheese sandwich. he is the one that won’t miss a single moment…and i know this because he was so concerned he would miss something that when you were born he woke up with me every single night every 2-4 hours to feed you, not that he could feed you but so he could lay on the edge of the bed and talk to me or tell me stories to keep me awake. You want to play sports, you guessed it he is, has and always will be the head coach. and by the way it doesn’t really matter what sport you choose to play because believe me he will be awesome at teaching you how to be the best at it, because he is the best at everything! For you miss c he is your twin, everywhere we go people comment on “how there is no mistaking he is your daddy”. to you miss a he is your prince charming, the stars in your eyes when he comes home from a long trip or simply surprises you and picks you up from school, crumble my heart.
he has taught you would it means to be loved, he has shown you what it means to be an incredible husband and daddy and while you are his world, there is no doubt HE IS YOUR WORLD, right back
he is our everything…and he loves us more than we will ever know babies.
xoxo
mommy
so probably still one of my all time fav shots when i got my first dslr, don’t make fun of the wonky color of lack of composition it is and always will be one of my favs…


KIDS WERE HERE | MAY 2013 | kids were here - [...] Shalonda Chaddock – Chubby Cheek Photography Facebook Blog [...]
Jackie Tyghem - Shalonda, I loved all of these! Every single one!!! Would love to have that Turquoise chest too.. lol
Debbie Wibowo - Oh Shalondaaa…I love this! All the dolls line up, the flowers in the water hose..just love every single details you documented. I would love, love, love to join if there is still a room. I look forward to see more of the beautiful “mess”.
Ginger Unzueta - Love the life y’all share and I can visualize it so well!!! How often do I ask, where’s the tape !? And glitter glitter everywhere Definitely
love your world sweet friend!
Kate Robinson - okay so the footprints is sheer genius! I LOVE THIS PROJECT… mostly because you can relate to so many… now our waterhose is not a glitter flower, more like a mud pie… but still… what a wonderful way to capture our lives as they are today…. next series… teenagers were here! haha
Claire Bunn - Sholanda…I love these. They are all just wonderful but my favorite one is the light in the bathroom. The color and the shapes are just magical. What a wonderful world you have provided for your children!
Sara Garcia - Holy WOW these are all amazing! My absolute favorite is the nightlight image. SERIOUSLY?! SO awesome!
ali - Yes!! These are amazing Shalonda! The light in the first image is to die for! Great work my friend! xo
summer Murdock - LOVE the stuffed animals looking over the dropoff…and the butterfly wings…and your word..xoxoxox awesomeness here
Jessica Deane - love love love!
Stephanie - that last shot. something about it just grabs me. i love the stories you tell. and umm, that nightlight globe ROCKS!! i must get one…
Robert Austin Fitch - What an absolutely fantastic idea! And fabulous photographs BTW… Cheers, Rob
Melissa Lazuka - What you wrote was lovely and true, and these images are so great–the stuffed animals in the carseats–lol! and the stars?-LOVE! I think my daughter could hang with your girls–she loves glitter glue and tape as well–haha!
Linsey Wilt - These are so fantastic, could comment about them all! Adore “butts up there” and the dandelions in the hose. Yes, we have the same tape problem in our house!!
jude - oh my gosh Shalonda! i’m dying here over the butt shot. lol .. and it is never safe to leave my tape unattended. (; the teddy’s buckled. LOVE. and i WANT that night light!! xx
kids were here … the woodlands tx child photographer | Chubby Cheek Photography Houston, TX Natural Light Photographer - [...] so LAST MONTH was the second month of this new project a group of photographers have all begun together…a year of documenting the everyday details that remind us “kids were here” . i have fallen head over heels in love with this project and the incredible ladies in the the group. it has been such an eye opener for me, ya know, somedays…okay im not gonna lie MOST days, my house is a wreck, shoes here and there, toys EVERY-WHERE, as i am convinced we have more toys than toys r us, crumbs, dirty handprints, more toys and GLITTER…like a glitter trail throughout my house glitter in the lint trap of my dryer and as you will see even glitter outside our home, hahaha! But this project has already shown me, in one short month, to SEE past the mess and see the beauty within. it has taught me to appreciate that this beautiful mess is a true depiction of MY GIRLS, and our moments, our days filled with spilled watercolor paint, wet footprints after a rainstorm in the garage, a playroom THAT BREATHES of hours of barbies and little chefs…from an outsider looking in, its simply a peek into chaos or what a tornado hitting a toy store would look like ha, but to me…to US…ITS OUR MOMENTS echo’ed by laughter and giggles, and LOVE…its a true depiction of MY LIFE. i will have plenty of days ahead to have a clean house but my days of living amongst this “beautiful mess” are numbered. [...]