What a roller coaster of a ride we have had with our precious Lana.  We’re seen alot of doctors and specialist lately that have given Lana a good report!  We had a complete leukemia scare with various aspect of her blood being high and low, all pretty much leading us to believe that leukemia was very possible.  After months of testing they finally viewed her blood under a microscope, which was a huge headache for them to finally do, the test reviled what I truly thought, or hoped was the case. Anemia. This we can handle.  TG!

So thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

As you can imagine, I am WAY, WAY, WAY behind in life and business, so my blog must take a rest for a bit, while I tend to my to-do list and prioritize things in my life.  With my handy dandy multi-colored pen, I’ll tackle it all in no time.  A few days ago I tweeted that I needed one of these pens and the next day Andre brought two home for me.  Ah, Life is Good! 

We’ve had something come up with our little one, Lana, that has taken me away from FickleZeal for a bit… well I hope it’s just for a bit.  Please if you pray, pray for Lana, if you think, keep your thoughts on her, if you meditate, please meditate on Lana’s good health.  Please all of you keep her in your thoughts and/or prayers.  At this time, I don’t  wish to share details as my emotions are ALL whacked out.  I hope by this time tomorrow I will be able to say false alarm, but if not then our faith will remain in tacked while we get our battle gear on and face what we are intended to face.

If you are client of ours and are waiting on anything from us, I beg your forgiveness and will get to it all once I get my feet on the ground again, hopefully Wednesday!!!  If you need something urgently feel free to send an email to me at jenna at ficklezeal.com titled urgent.

A post without a photo would be a shame, so here’s a share of our precious baby girl Lana.

Along, the journey of parenthood we are blessed with many things, but amongst one of the many blessing of being a parent of a child with Down syndrome (Ds) are the deep connections and bonds that we create with other parents of children with Ds.  I’m so fortunate to have made wonderful friends in this community, if you will, that I could not live without.  One being my friend Kristi.  She recently also became the “nanny” of my children for several days a week.  WHAT A BLESSING!!!  Her children are all adorable, but Matty, OH MATTY has stolen way more than a few pieces of my heart.  Seeing him and Lana play together in the mirror or doing wherever, being mischievously CUTE, warms me to the core.

Ok-ok, to the photos!

Meet Matty!  Isn’t he just scrumptious!!! & his buddy, ahem, dad Brian.

His adorably-spunky sister Ashlyn!

Kristi (and Ashlyn), my friend and Nate’s “best-friend”, as he says.

Note: Check back in September for part two of this beautiful family, when their oldest son Damian returns from his summer activities.

Kristi- thank you so much for taking care of my kiddos and loving them as your own.  I am so thankful for all that you do, but most of all I’m thankful for your friendship!

If you know me at all you know that I love, Love, LOVE shooting children with Down syndrome.  Seriously, every time I’m behind my camera and I have a beautiful child who also happens to have Down syndrome there’s a part of my heart that literally melts.  Their unique beauty and being that unfolds in front of me and my camera is so majestic.  Photographing them gives me this “you complete me” feeling.  As if this is one of the things that I was born to do, to capture, explore and translate their story.  Music plays in my head, we begin our conversation in our secret language, and part of my heart just melts!  I never want the shoots to end, but I know when they must, whether it’s 45 minutes into the shoot or 3 hours (my poor Lana, heehee). They are all such a blessing! Not defined by Ds, but enhanced by it.  I’m a major fan of their uniqueness and their ability to steal a peace of my heart.

This weekend I was privileged and honored to have two families scheduled that each had a child with Ds.  One on Saturday and the other on Sunday, neither of which did I not leave a puddle of my heart behind.

Sneak peak:  Matty and Hailey!  You steal my heart!  I adore you!

seriously I thought my kids were going to wig out when I told them what was for lunch.  Not that it was the first time that I’ve made it, but it’s been  A LONG time.

Grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches with their initials carved in them.

Heat+family+pool+fireworks = great times celebrating our Independence!

After having ALL day sickness for several months, it’s so refreshing to be able to breath without wanting to throw-up.  Especially when it comes to cooking.  I usually enjoy making yummy dishes for my family to enjoy and to be nourished by, so these past three in a half months have been torture for me, and I’m sure Andre.  The kids on the other hand have enjoyed the extra pick what you want nights, our tradition for Friday “family movie nights”.

After working a full day behind the computer I couldn’t wait to get in the kitchen and create something that I had been  thinking about all day.  Something that took a little part of each of our favorite family meals.  This meal represents our heritage combined.  Andre’s Peruvian and Caucasian roots and my Puerto Rican and Cuban roots.

Our new Heritage Meal “Frijoles y Mas”

Now, the nausea that hits occasionally ain’t got nothin’ on me.  Thank God for FEELING GREAT!

I just can’t help myself!  I’m sure I’m not the only photographer that saves her families photos for last, so when I do have time to focus on my family I just can’t stop.  Especially since I’m in the nesting stage and printing while I blog.  I’ve had this enormous photo project to work on since last Christmas so the excitement of completing that has me all giddy!  Plus Nate has this photo album that he’s been begging me to fill for a few.. ahem.. months.  He’s super excited to have the prints coming to him soon.  Fun, FUN!