Showers of Rain Brings Showers of Giggles
Posted on September 21, 2010
This was by far a session that I thought would not take place on this day. All looked fine and weather was sunny and HOT. But, that quickly changed; and when I say quickly- WHOA! It got dark, and darker. The kids were all in the car, car was loaded, DVD on, kids buckled in and Dad in the drivers seat. However, Mom- M, and I were in the house on the computer tracking a serious band of storms. This session had been in the plans for literally almost a year! The rain just couldn’t ruin these plans. So, we sat and watched the band of storms coming right over on the computer screen as well as hearing the thunder in the distance! MUD!!! No pun intended, but this photoshoot just had to go on. We decided to go ahead and make our way to the park where we were going to do the session. It was raining SO hard that it was hard to see right in front of you. I just figured, well, I guess we will do some “singing in the rain” pictures and jumping in puddles pictures. But, as we pulled into the park the sun began to peek out. So, off we went with our loads and loads and loads of stuff, toys, clothes, snacks, drinks, tractors, yes I did say tractors. We were going to play. And boy did we ever!
Man what a BLAST we had! Or I did anyway. This family was AWESOME, and so “wonderfully go with the flow” kinda fam. So many other people would have just called the session off seeing the weather. We had such a fun time, many many giggles, and lots of getting dirty in the wet grass, and mud. What better though? Muddy pictures of little boy’s are GREAT! We actually didn’t get that many muddy pictures, but we did get a bunch of great shots. I think that they captured these precious children’s personality perfectly. They were so fun and great at “just being” and not being so posey. I had a really hard time deciding what pictures to post because they are all so darn cute! I went with the giggle theme! I hope that M and M and their 4 C’s will treasure these memories forever. I know that I will treasure the memories and our playtime and giggles as I was trying to capture the 4 C’s that only mom and dad know so very well!
And the grand finale! SILLINESS!
Their faces just light up!
Fall Specials and nothing mini about it!
Posted on September 10, 2010
I have had several of my “favorite people’s” contact me asking me about fall mini sessions and Christmas cards. So, here are the beans and rice! Listen up, and don’t immediately turn your back when you see I am not doing mini sessions. . . are you still here? Okay, I hoped so.
I am offering “Sessions with a Friend” this means that you schedule a session and invite a friend(preferably your bff, or sisters family, in-laws, your brother, your grandmother, someone you dearly love). I will be doing a double session and about a quarter of the session will be fun, funky, silly pictures. Who else can you act silly with, who else knows your most embarrassing moments that could be exposed! (what a priceless picture, but we wouldn’t want to do that as I would never want to cause a friend spat). Pictures with cousins are awesome, pictures with best friends are priceless, pictures with your families together are great. So, there is always a catch right?
The catch: I only have a few spots available, so if you would like this spot you must start asking your friends, relatives, cousins, in-laws, whoever you would like if you can get it scheduled together? Time’s a wastin’, so hurry up and start calling friends and family and then schedule with me. This is a first come, call, message, email however you choose to contact me basis.
The Rice:
Here are the days: October 16th at 9am-11am and then again at 3:30pm-5:30pm; October 23rd at 4pm; SO, this means that 6 families can get a day, a spot, your own spotlight session.
Now for the beans: Packages-
Budget Baggie: per family- $165 due at time of session: Session, private gallery, 35 custom Christmas Cards w/envelopes, 3 mounted ready to frame 5×7′s and three accordion wallet books(makes wonderful gifts). So, normally this would cost a $75 session fee, 5×7 are roughly $22 each, and Christmas cards run around $2.00 each, and then the accordion wallet books are $65-70 would normally cost about $275-280 so that is a savings of $100! Whoo Hooo!
The Full Stocking: per family- $265: Session, private gallery, 50 custom Christmas Cards w/envelopes, 1-8×10 mounted and ready to frame, 2-5×7′s mounted and ready to frame and a 4×6 of each image. Savings of $145.00+
The Loaded Trunk!(get all your shopping done here): per family- $400: Session, private gallery, 50 custom Christmas Cards w/envelopes, (you choose: 1-11×14 mounted and ready to frame, 2- 8×10′s, and 3- 5×7′s all mounted and ready to frame and 3 accordion wallet books-
OR
3- 4×8 accordion custom brag books, 2- 8×10′s and 2- 5×7′s all mounted and ready to frame, and then 1 4×6 of each image)
a CD of images with a custom case. Savings of too much to even think about, it hurts my brain (FYI a cd of images is normally around $500)
So, I will now wait to hear from you. The race is ON!
Friends that God Sent
Posted on September 8, 2010
This is going to be a long post. I have so much to say. This weekend was just amazing. Wonderful new friends for life, we now have. I had the honor of meeting and photographing the most wonderful family! This was definitely a meeting set up by God. The story of this family is amazing. They have three beautiful children. T is 6 and just like my son Brayden, very spirited, a quiet side, and a teasing and giggly side; and he is so very handsome. Then S is 4, and he is a ham! He loves the camera, is very very loving, and has just the sweetest spirit and the greatest red hair. And then there is baby C. There are no words to describe the miracle that this precious baby is. She has had the fight of her life basically since she was born. A brain tumor was discovered when she was just a few months old. She has most definitely been touched by the hand of God and just glows with peace and sweetness! God led me to this special family through C’s caring page. I read her Mommy’s journal daily, as well as the guest book, and I signed the guest book on occasion as well. I could not imagine having to go through what this family has been through. It is a parents worst nightmare to discover that one of your children has a life threatening illness. I can’t comprehend it. I did live however, vicariously through J while reading her journal, and I feel like I could feel their pain; even though I know it wasn’t even close to the degree of pain that they were feeling. There were many times tears leapt from my eyes while reading and feeling a piece of their pain. I was friends with them before I even met them and before they even knew of me. I knew that this was a special family. I have prayed daily for this sweet family and I know that literally thousands of others have been praying for C and her family as well. I was “emotionally attached” to this family when I started reading baby C’s caring pages. I felt an instant connection. Possibly because my mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2006; which about did me in. It was one of the scariest times of my life. I can’t imagine as a mom having to go through that with your baby. I knew what I needed to do and what my heart wanted to do as well as what God was leading me to do. I wanted to meet our friends that we’d never met. I know that pictures are priceless(and can be expensive) and on top of everything they have been through- I was determined to meet them and capture some special memories and special pictures for them as a family. They had been a somewhat fragmented family while baby C was in the hospital. The boys have a wonderful Aunt and Uncle that took care of them while baby C and their Mommy had to be at the hospital for so many months. Daddy, traveled back and forth between the two places. The boy’s have witnessed way to much loss and tragedy in their little lives that they have since questioned, time and time again. They had friends at the hospital that they came to know and also came to know that sometimes those friends were called home to live with our Heavenly Father; a very hard thing for two little boy’s to wrap their minds around; especially while knowing their new baby sister was also in that hospital fighting her illness. I wanted more than anything to provide this family a fun time, with happy pictures all together as a family. Not, pictures where you sit in a studio with a fake background and bright lights, but a time to just be family and celebrate the fact of being all together again. Finally, all of them together as a family, a baby healed by God, a family whose faith is so very strong and who have also been touched by the hand of God, and a family still healing from the experience with their most difficult and trying walk of faith with Jesus Christ. What a journey with God they have had. Just this past weekend, Labor Day weekend our families were able to meet. It was as if I’d known them forever. Our kids, just jumped right in, they weren’t shy(this is a miracle in itself also), they talked and were instant friends with T and S. Tom and I also were instant friends with A and J. There weren’t any uncomfortable moments of silence, and none of not knowing what to say, as many times there is when meeting someone new, especially two whole families meeting for the first time. Everyone was at home with each other. It was a feeling of “home” when we met. So much in common that we had discovered as well as so very different, in the fact that we’d never been apart as a family, we’d never had the worry, anxiety, and terror of the possibility of losing a child. But, we got to spend two days together, laughing, talking, getting to know each other, the kids played, laughed and got to know each other while also having an occasional “grumpy moment or two.” We explored a park, walked, talked, and I got to love on all of those sweet kids! We went to lunch with them yesterday(Labor Day) to a wonderful peach orchard and we were also able to meet “MeMa and Grandad”, J’s parents. We had a wonderful lunch together, as well as more fun and playtime for the kids. And of course you know I was snapping pictures. I didn’t get as many as I would have liked to of the grandparents, but I will be doing more of them next time, you can count on that. We are going to try and get together again next month to do a corn maze and enjoy the fellowship and love of our new but old friends for life. I am so very thankful for the new friendship, and especially God’s healing hand on this family and their sweet baby girl.
We love you B family and can’t wait to see you again soon!
There are hundreds of pictures and the choice was VERY hard as to which one’s to post. I posted more than I normally do because this family has crept right into our heart! There is a very extra special picture at the end, that to me seems very symbolic of the journey that they have all walked together. They walked in the light of the Lord and kept their eyes on His path, and had constant faith through the dark times, the light times, the happy times, the uncertain curves in the paths and He has led them through. This picture was a one in a million chance of catching this light shining through the trees, almost as if God was saying, yes I am still here walking with you.
Enjoy the pictures, and I will narrate a little bit;
Fun time rough housing with Daddy!
This is Baby C’s new trick she’s learned.
Oh, all the sweet little dirty tootsies! I love ‘em!
A fun game of duck duck goose! C’s turn!
This picture is the one, it brings to mind the song that we sing at church, “Oh how He loves us”
See you soon! We love you B family!
Morning Dew With an Angel
Posted on September 1, 2010
This session, started off great! I was thrilled with the lighting, did you hear me? THRILLED! There could not have been better morning light. I met with this very very sweet Mommy and baby early one morning. It was kind of questionable because this was supposed to be right in the middle of her early morning nap. After the first few takes, she did not want to be put down, and she hated my baskets and blankets. . .all except for one. She loved the ivory doll cart. She also loves her mommy! Baby S became very fussy, which was fine with me. I love the squished up little faces, creased noses, and pouty lips. No, she didn’t squish her face up so I could get a shot, she just didn’t want to be put down. I think that mom, may have been doubting we were getting anything for a little while, and even suggested that we pack it up. I knew that this session wasn’t over. I was just delighted to sit and chat with T and hang out in the nice (for once) weather, and I was throughly enjoying her company. This is when I get the best pictures! It was so relaxing- for me anyway, T would probably argue that one. LOL Baby S even decided to take a little front porch “snap.” That’s what it was just a little itty bitty nap on the porch, it was a “snap.” I LOVE a snap! She woke up so rejuvenated and ready play with her mommy. What FUN pictures! It was a delightful morning!
My oh my at that sunlight! GOD is great, huh!