***I'm leaving this post at the top for a bit now, so if you are here looking for new stuff...scroll on down!***
It's that time of year again!! Details below, but remember fall is CRAZY around here so get on the calendar soon! Saturdays will be extremely limited starting September 11th. August isn't too early, I promise...and the weather is WAY more cooperative anyway! Please let me know if you have any questions.....
This info is also available here along with all the new card designs!
***It is NEVER easy to photograph your own children***
Add in to the mix your 21 month old nephew and that just might spell trouble. Today was the day to get the shot for my parents' holiday card. (The first holiday session of the year...woohoo!) And this is sort of what the day looked like....
For one second everyone is all organized and standing still. By the time I get the camera to my eye, this is what I see...
An escapee followed by his trustee retrievers. But see how obedient my dad is being?
This time he aiming for my kneecaps...look at how the rest of them are just laughing. Thanks a lot!
How's that? You're done having your photo taken? Lest you think only the small one was a challenge, let me reassure you that while the adults were on their best behavior, the other three had to be threatened with the loss of their Kid Valley milkshakes in order to gain some sort of control and still there were many faces made and looking off into the distance shots captured.
In spite of it all, here are a few of my real favorite shots....
Am looking very forward to designing the card...I feel sure there will be some sort of collection of favorite shots from the day on the back!
Sidenote: Yesterday our house was turned into a makeshift tattoo parlor. When you look at the shots see how many tattoos you can count on the kids...those aren't all bruises and scabs on their arms and legs!
And in case you are still with me...a few more that I liked...
These two can barely be parted. Love the tickling!
See, she's not always naughty!
I was complaining the other day that I don't have many great shots of Henry this year, so today I made an effort to force the issue with him. He would much rather make goofy faces but it is so worth the battle for his more serious side and his beautiful smile...
Happy weekend! Fingers crossed for some cooler weather.
Woohoo! Apparently it is time to start thinking about the holidays...what? Someone just told me there are only 158 days til' Christmas...ack! Anyway, all the fall photo sessions tend to fill up quickly, so I thought we could start the madness a little earlier this year and take advantage of the beautiful weather too. Details are below and if you want to see the holiday card samples, run on over to the holiday blog. Notice the deadline for the early scheduling discount...right around the corner! Don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions!
Check back in the next few days...the new website will be live and you will want to see all its gorgeousness as well as some new exciting products and collections, including several with digital files!!
Happy Easter! We made it back from our vacation just in time for our traditional family brunch and Easter egg hunt. What is also a tradition in our family is the bunny ear photo...though sadly I didn't get started soon enough and missed a few of our bunnies, here is what we ended up with...you will notice that Henry is (not surprisingly) missing in action....what? too cool to wear some bunny ears?
What is surprising (to me at least) is that the photos were this guy's idea...
and here is the hilarity of attempting a group shot....
Be sure to check back lots this week as I will be posting one little cutie and a ton of sunny vacation photos (think white sandy beaches!).
(My mom and sister are singing right now...don't feel bad if you don't know this song, you have to be a HUGE singing geek to know it....ok, now don't feel bad if you DO know it...it just means you belong in our family and didn't know it!)
Alright, enough blathering on....I saw all the Valentine's Day stuff getting set up in the stores today and it planted a little seed in my brain....
Valentine's Day mini-sessions anyone? See totally adorable Valentine's Day card option below to be totally inspired (you might want to use your own muchkin, even though mine is uber-cute!). Feel free to let me know if anyone is interested and I can work on some dates and times....(see "e-mail me" link in the sidebar to let me know!)
Big thanks to my friend Sara, whose Christmas card totally inspired this Valentine's one....see more of her fabulousness at Blue Dress Press!
a little holiday spirit. Help! I am severely lacking in the spirit department this year! Not only has my shopping been limited, this week I had a sick kid home the first two days and EVERYBODY home these last three days for snow days. Makes it a smidge difficult to go shopping when you have kids big enough to read and understand with you! I do remember being able to buy Henry's presents right in front of him for quite awhile...no more...darn smart kids! And the snow, while absolutely beautiful, entertaining and peaceful all in one, has hampered my ability to get to a store and is messing with my UPS driver...so anxiety is running high around here that we don't have a repeat of last year's tragedy. (For those of you who don't know, last year ALL of Henry's gifts got stuck in customs on their way here from the Lego factory in Denmark....a mother's worst Christmas nightmare, though amazingly he was fine with the letter he received from Lego explaining the whole situation...what a guy!) Anyway, after baking some cookies and watching a few holiday movies, I decided to try my hand at photographing the Christmas tree and some of my favorite ornaments...now while this might not excite you all greatly, I am really doing this to help me get in the mood! I'm going to sing some Bing Crosby while I finish this post....feel free to sing along because you know "the best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing loud for everyone to hear" (it helps if you sound like Jovie from the movie Elf).
Our poor tree gets wedged into the corner between the couches but I do love the lights reflecting in the window. Also, if you look closely, the bottom of our tree is bare in an effort to dog/baby proof the tree
Each year the kids get to pick an ornament to add to their collection...the bikini flamingo....Annie's choice for the year.
Madelyn's ornament. You won't be seeing Henry's choice this year, as he couldn't find an ornament to suit his fancy....no Gothic cathedral ornaments anywhere! Can you believe it?!
My new ornament from a fun ornament exchange this year.
An early choice of Henry's and a fun one to photograph!
A third grade gift....love it!
A favorite inherited from my mom's collection...lots of history....it came with us all the way from Indonesia!
Another family tradition...my great aunt crocheted these ornaments for years and then some of the women in my family took a class and learned to make them. This one is courtesy of my lovely & talented sister! (I had a newborn when they all took the class, so I missed out.)
This is the one that Madelyn picked out for Annie for her first Christmas. Annie was 2 months old and Madelyn was 2 1/2 years old and in her purple, sparkly phase!
My little angel! Preschool family gift from this year.
Just like this one...no back story...just pretty.
And finally, I shot of me....see the big, black spot? That's my camera! Alright, are you done singing? I think we will be having a white Christmas. I think I will spend today crafting something with the kids and maybe wrapping a few presents! Hope you all are feeling ready and excited for this next week of fun! Merry Christmas!
I will be leaving this post at the top of the blog for the next few weeks, so please scroll on down for all new posts!
Here's one of the reasons this blog has been a bit slow lately....better hurry on over to the JFP Holiday blog and check it all out! And I promise wedding photo sneak peeks SOON...but as no baby has been born yet, I won't promise you those ones! Fingers crossed that s/he decides to make his/her debut sooner than later! Can't wait to hear what you all think of the newest addition to my little blog family....
