Yesterday was probably one of the most enjoyable days we’ve ever had as a family. It wasn’t big and extravagant or grandiose in any way, but it was, instead, one of those rare days where you do a few things together as a family and you just feel great about it. You know everyone’s had a great time and just generally feel the love all around.

We started the morning with The Wiggle Bear’s weekly trip to The Little Gym. It was really fun… for about thirty of the forty-five minutes. After that first half-hour, Wiggles was ready to go. It’s becoming the norm for her lately. It’s not that The Little Gym is boring or the teachers aren’t engaging the kids (In fact, Miss Megan is probably one of the best example of this type of teacher. She’s amazing.) but our daughter seems to have a pretty short attention span and when she’s ready to do her thing, she gets pretty adamant about it. She digs those heels in and gets very independent… just like her Mommy.

After The Little Gym, however, the real fun began as we headed over to the Middlesex County Fair for some games, grub, and farm animals. We go every year, but this is probably the first year that we took The Wiggle Bear that she was actually old enough to enjoy herself. She seemed to have a good time the last few years, but she was really too young to get into the games and food. This year, though, she was shot out of a cannon. Her little head whipped left and right checking out all the prizes, rides, and ice cream booths.

So we traipsed around the fair for a few hours, won a few prizes, and had some great eats (well, the wife mostly… she loves her fair food!). The big prizes this year appeared to be The Smurfs. Stuffed Papa Smurf and Smurfette were hanging from nearly every game. How we ended up getting home without one is beyond me. Especially since Denise is usually a ringer at fair and boardwalk games. We came home with a couple cool prizes for Wiggles, but couldn’t manage to snag a Smurf.

The day was so hot and humid that, by the time we headed back to the car, we were all sweaty and tired. The Wiggle Bear had her ice cream cone (most of it ended up all over her little face) and we headed home where we watched Rio before Denise headed out with her friends for dinner and I put Wiggles to bed.

See what I mean? We didn’t do anything crazy or all that adventurous or wild, but it was a really fun day. I felt close to my two favorite girls and felt like they’d had just as good of a time as I had. It’s a day I’ll remember for quite a while. Check out some more of my pictures of the day below. If you want to see more, you can always find them on Facebook or www.scottshoots.com

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the fantastic moms out there!!!

A super special Happy Mother’s Day to my mom, my mother-in-law, and my awesome wife (it’s her very first Mother’s Day!).

Love you ladies!

2) Baby Skylar spit up on me so badly yesterday morning. It was one of those projectile spit-up moments that reminds you of something out of The Exorcist. I was so covered in regurgitated formula that I had to jump right in the shower.

3) Regurgitated formula smells pretty damn bad.

4) I procrastinated most of today, while I should have been doing some of the writing I need to get done. Yeah, I pretty much suck like that.

5) I’m only about 75 followers or so away from 1,500 on Twitter. I’ve got a bunch of cool stuff put aside to give away to my 1,500th follower, so if you don’t already follow me on there now’s a good time to start. I’m here: http://www.twitter.com/scottneumyer

Have a killer Sunday, everybody!

That’s where I’ve been and that’s why it’s been pretty quiet on this blog. On 1/14/09 at 10:51 AM, my beautiful wife gave birth to our very first child! A 7-pound girl named Skylar Maria. Ain’t she just the cutest thing ever?!

Now I’m just trying to figure out how to actually get some sleep. Any advice is certainly welcome!

If you want to see more of my photos of Skylar, head on over to my photography blog (www.scottshoots.com/blog) or www.skylarmaria.com

Back soon!

On the one hand, it’s fantastic because you’re able to do the things that need to be done around the house while you’re working (laundry, errands, post office, etc). On the other hand, it’s rough because you can do the things that need to be done around the house… Get it?

Yeah, so dealing with the work/home dichotomy isn’t always the easiest thing to do, but it’s always a blessing when you’re able to be home to help take care of your seven-months-pregnant wife when she comes down with a sinus infection. I was able to iron out a bunch of insurance issues, take her to the doctor, and get her prescriptions… all while still getting my work done via iPhone and laptop.

It’s a pretty great world, ain’t it?

1) It shows me that the decision I made was the right one. It was a hard one (as, I guess, the “right” ones usually are), but it’s one that will be a positive move. It’s the right move for me, my family, and my sanity. Sometimes you just have to let things go, and now was the right time. Thanks to everyone for reinforcing that.

2) I have the best group of friends that anyone could ever want. The kind words, encouragement, and just general niceties are more appreciated than all of you could ever know. I really do mean that.

So, now that that’s all out of the way, I want to recommend a book that did a lot to help me make that very tough decision.

I’ve been a fan of Seth Godin for a long time. He’s easily one of the most knowledgeable writers around when it comes to marketing, business, and the ability to reach a certain audience. If you’ve never checked out his blog, now’s the time to add it to your RSS reader. It’s a treasure trove of really cool (and useful) information.

One of his latest books, The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (And When to Stick) is a quick read. You could probably even finish it in a few hours. Don’t let the quantity fool you, though, as this tiny book is full of essential information about your business when things just don’t seem to be working. It’s not so much a book to tell you that it’s time to quit, but more a guide to see the warning signs that your idea/business/etc might not be working as well as it should be.

The Dip was an essential part of my coming to grips with my photography situation and really helped me see all the reasons why I should make that “tough decision.” I’d easily recommend it to anyone (even those who aren’t business owners). It’s a smart, little book that can help steer you in the right direction.

Funny thing is… The Dip isn’t even my favorite Seth Godin book. That honor goes to All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World. Such a great book. Especially for PR/Marketing geeks like me.

More positive and fun posts this weekend. I promise!