Ech bin ein Liebster

So, I received an incredible award today from Becky at Cinderelladuty.blogspot.com It's the Liebster award. My little brother would be super impressed that I would be honored with a German title I'm sure ;) I'll admit, I feel slightly pressured to update my blog more than ...oh 3 times a month with random rantings of a woman with crazy but cute kids. The idea that her readers, are being encouraged to come read the rantings of my mind are a bit ...humbling and terrifying. So, Hi, um...welcome and please feel free to utter "wow, this chick is nuts" at any time.

Now I am to award my favorite blogs with this awesomeness.
The rules for the Liebster Award are:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Choose 5 up and coming blogs with less than 200 followers who really stand out.
3. Reveal your top five picks (& why you picked them) and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
4. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
5. Have faith that your followers will spread the love too!

*drum roll please*

Understanding Prematurity-Amanda Knickerbocker -We grew up traveling the greater Pittsburgh area at insanely early hours of Sunday mornings with our fathers in order to meet more LDS boys. She grew up to marry my Peter Ford and became a mom to 2 remarkable children. Her daughter was born 23 weeks 6 days into her pregnancy, and this blog began as a way for Amanda to first grieve and process. Now, she uses it to educate, encourage, and inspire other moms. She has a gift for expression and continues to amaze me every day with her courage and ability to do so much.

I'll probably be killed for this, but my next suggestion would be my sister-in-law, Becca Her posts are down to earth and funny. She inspires me to remember to embrace the woman inside, and give the jammies a rest. Also, her son was recently diagnosed with aspergers and she has begun to chronicle their journey through this. He is an amazing boy and I adore him. He and Simon are only 2 months apart, and Ava can't get enough of him when they are together. She has such strength!

and my third choice goes to Photogrpahy by Lee Ann I have no idea if she falls in the "under 200 followers" rule. I'm going to guess "no," but since there's no way to prove it, she is getting the award. I am a lover of photography and pretend now and then that I have a clue about what I'm doing. My favorite thing is that I can tell you what is WRONG about a photo, or its editing. This does not by any means infer that I can do it correctly, but I'll be the first to say "ew overly saturated...too much exposure....they needed a smaller focal length etc." One photographer that I adore every photo she creates is Lee. I met her through a forum of LDS mothers that I was once a part of. She inspires me. She's a sweetheart. Sometimes when I'm sad, I go to her blog and view her recent photo sessions. Unlike a lot of pro photographers, she is editing the night of her sessions and I love that. I can never wait more than an hour to check out our photos and start making something with them, and it's nice to see that excitement doesn't have to die once you're a pro. I hope to get to her level one day.