Pump It Up

Today Nate didn't have to be into work until noon, so we decided to take Avery to Pump It Up. For those that aren't familiar, it's just a bunch of bouncy things. Bouncy slides, bouncy basketball, bouncy house...you get the point. Here are some snapshots of the morning:

Daddy helping Aves dunk

I'm not sure who's having more fun

They must've gone down the slide 50 times

Aves first time by herself...big girl!

This is a little more her speed

Me & the Kiddo

We have a whole lot of friends that are preparing or have recently had children of their own and I have been asked - "What's fatherhood like?" Well, for those of you that know it's like like nothing else - it's worrisome, it's stressful but by far it's the most amazing, rewarding, awe-inspiring, joyful and love-filled experience I have ever had, and it's something new every day.

So I thought that I would take this opportunity to discuss my approach to fatherhood and why I think it works for us. I think that taking every opportunity to be as involved in my daughter's life is important, and I guess that's sort of my philosophy - be as involved as possible. Do whatever I can to spend as much time as possible with my child: take her along with me for runs in the evening, change dirty diapers, put her to bed at night, watch soccer games on weekend mornings.

So what do you get out of doing all these things some might ask. Well, I think that the advantages/benefits of being involved include a lot of the following: I build trust just by being there - which becomes a foundation for other aspects of the parent/child relationship, i.e. discipline, respect; I create an 'individual' relationship with my child, and it gives us the opportunity to discover one another's personality; we can find shared interests; it gives me an opportunity to provide him/her with an example of how they should act; and lastly (but definitely not least - just ask Brittany) it gIves mom some "me" time.

So what does this involvement include? It, really doesn't have to be anything over the top ... just spend time with your kids. What is it that I do that I find rewarding - we go for a run in the afternoon/evenings, watch soccer on weekend mornings, go play on the golf course, I put her to bed, etc ... just spend time together!

I think it is also very important to talk about your role/expectations with your significant other. When you can clearly define what you expect your role to be and what your significant other expects your role to be it makes it a whole lot easier to meet everybody's expectations. It also opens up the dialogue for later.

Every person has their own style of parenting and I'm not here to tell people that they should do this, or do that when it comes to raising your child. I just wanted to take this opportunity to tell people about how we do it and why I think that some of the things we do works. Take it as you will. Hopefully you read this and find something to think about. I'm no expert. I've only been at this for a year and a half - and in the grand scheme of things that's not real long. I understand that. That being said, I've had friends ask me what it's like being a father so I thought I'd pass along what I've learned from my experience.

Big Wheels!

Today is a momentous day because Avery got her first big wheels. It's a pink and Disney princess, which Nate wasn't thrilled about, but she LOVES. Here are some pictures of us outside taking it for a test drive.

Daddy's showing her how it's done

A little help getting started

Big girl

Flying with daddy

I didn't do anything to her eyes, promise!

I would kill for those eyelashes

My handsome husband

New Photography Blog

Hi all! I'm really excited to tell you about my new photography blog. I've been working really hard to get it ready and now it's time for you all to check it out!  www.brittanyrulisphoto.com will be the place to go to see all my recent sessions. 

Fear not, we'll still be using this blog for our family happenings :)

Bo's Sneak Peek

I had the pleasure of spending the day shooting a college friend's family. Bo is 13 months old and definitely gave me a run for my money! He charmed not only me, but Avery too. He is quite the lady's man! Steph, I hope you enjoy your sneak peek:

Walden Twins sneak peek

Today I have the wonderful opportunity to photography C & J, beautiful 4 month old twins. They may be small in stature, but they are BIG in personality! 

In need of some portraits?

As some of you may know, I've been focusing most of my extra time and energy into my photography. I'm at a place where I starting to build my portfolio and that means I need more subjects! If you've been wanting to get family photos done, or just want some recent pictures of your little ones, I'd love to shoot them for you! In exchange for your time and modeling skills, I'll provide you with a CD of the edited images and the full rights to print. Shoot me an email if you have any questions (brittany.m.rulis@gmail.com)!