Family in Need

Please visit http://cinnamonsticksboutique.blogspot.com/ for details. Canela is opening up her jewelry for bid. Beautiful jewelry for a good cause. Please keep this family in your prayers too!

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Quandary

I am having a dilemma & need some advice from fellow mommies...or daddies.... I try to let the kids choose their own clothes. After all...they're just clothes. M has chosen her "first day of first grade", (am I the only one that keeps hearing 'Billy Joe McGuffery I listen to entirely too much XM Kids), outfit. Chocolate brown, white & pink striped polo shirt with a gray, black & white animal print skirt, white tights & brown cowgirl boots with flowers sewn on. I am having a really hard time with this outfit. It's crazy that I am stressing about it. Part of my brain is saying, "it's her special outfit that she has chosen for her first day of first grade". The other part is saying, "uh, you're not leaving the house in that crazy outfit". I have tried showing her what the outfit looks like with the nice blouse that I bought to go with the skirt. She is not having it. Any suggestions?

I miss them already

My friend, Summer, & her family came to visit! All the way from Utah. They had one heck of a trip. Her version will be much more entertaining than mine. I'm sure that she will post it on her blog in the next few days. http://www.neissfamily.blogspot.com/ I was able to take a few photos while they were here. We were planning on going to the river for their session...but as the curse would have it, (the trip was doomed from the beginning), we ended up in the studio. Most of you know, I try to stay outdoors as much as the weather permits, so I've had the studio packed up for the summer. I got everything out. Put fresh batteries in the strobes. The Neiss' arrive. The strobes won't fire with my camera. They brought "the curse" to me! After tugging at some wires & bashing my battery pack...the strobes start working! The curse has been broken! hehe. Ok, maybe they weren't cursed, but it was looking that way. They started their trip with the flu, it started raining, (we hadn't seen rain in a long while).... Anyhow, here are a couple of favorite photos of the kids. I love the photo of S. She is Little Miss Personality & she rocked the photo session! I have some great photos of her sporting a black pettiskirt with some rockin converse, but those won't be seen until I put up the princess photos. She was a Diva! It won't be moms favorite, but it cracks me up. I should have posted one of C roaring like a lion. It was rather comical.

I love my online friend!

Canela

She really is the coolest person ever. So thoughtful, generous, caring, inspiring.... Go read her latest blog & then grab a cup of coffee & read her entire blog. I came across her blog by visting my favorite photogs blog awhile back, (Amanda Keeys).

OOOH! While I was typing this K took 7 steps! I called E in hysterics & made him to promise to help me video & photograph tonight!

Family Time!

A few weeks ago...
we were able to escape to one of our favorite vacation spots. The Seventh Mountain Resort in Bend. It was a weekend filled with horses, sunshine, water, beautiful wildflowers & FOOD! I really could have used some fill flash in the photos, but I refuse to add the weight of the external flash when I'm taking personal photos...& my carpal tunnel was on a big time flare up during that trip.
The pools are perfect...a kiddie pool w/ the fountain & then two "deep" pools. Mo has graduated to the "deep" pool, so E spent a lot of time with her over there, but the boys & I hung out at the little pool. As you can see, K spent most of his time trying to explore. I love the photo of him peek out the screen. The big kids & I were watching the chipmunk & K wanted to come out too.
The photo of the kids & the "riding instructor". She's kneeling beside them...I was walking behind them taking photos & that horse was ticked that he wasn't getting more attentin & he dumped his water bucket all over me. It was sort of funny that he threw a hissy fit, (E thought so anyway). The lighting down at the stables was awful. I should have been on the other side, but couldn't go over there because I was waiting with K. Oh well. We had fun hanging out together. He was able to crawl all over the lawn while I snapped some photos of the big kids.
We can't wait to go back when there is snow on the ground!

I love feet!

Just a quick photo from a recent session. This little girl was great. She braved the heat (& a really bad heat rash) for this session. She had a great time with dads football gear, (his helmet was as big as her). You will see more of her later when I post all of the entries for the princess/diva contest. :)

K is 1

It's hard to believe that 1 year ago this little man came into our lives. I spent 9 months trying to get used to the idea that we would have another baby. Now, I can't believe that we thought that our family was complete before him. We were so wrong. God truly knew that we needed this little boy in our lives. All three of my babies are amazing little creatures & I love watching them grow & learn. They teach me new things every day. They make my heart swell. I have attached some photos from his little birthday party. We bought him a pedal car while I was pregnant with him. All three of the kiddos love it. They had fun helping dad put it together too. J seems to have a touch of road rage. I love the little tongue thing that K does. Isn't it cute! :)Some of these photos crack me up! He's a poser! M has "didn't get her hair brushed after her bath hair". Check out the cake that my friend, Stephanie, made for K. It is so cute! She did a fabulous job! K loved it! I didn't getting any "good" shots of him playing in the cake...I took video of that & when I got out my camera...he started posing! I've ruined him already! :) K has started saying "mama" & I SWEAR he says, "i love you". He probably doesn't, but it sounds like it. He loves to give "big mouth bird" kisses.

A preview for the Redis'

This couple was SO MUCH FUN! I was a little irked tho...I bugged them all day about going in the river w/ their bridal attire...it was a no go...UNTIL I LEFT! I was bummed when I found out that I missed the entire bridal party jumping in! Jenny was such an awesome bride! Laid back, silly & fun. Jason was a perfect "Captain Morgan". I couldn't resist the sun flare in the photo of Jenny by herself. It seemed 'so her'. "Sunshine & Sass". I have some hysterical photos of the groomsmen, but I don't want to post without their permission. Let me tell ya...they can bust a move! Thank you guys for such a fun day!

Faith

Wow! I think that I might be setting some sort of blog record...how many posts can I post in one day? I am actually working, (waiting for photos to upload to PS), thinking & blogging.... My little sis doesn't realize this, but she has been teaching me a lot about faith & patience. She is 35wks pregnant. She had her genetic testing done awhile back, (whenever it's routine...I can't remember)...the baby tested 1 in 83 chance of having Trisomy 18. Google it if ya haven't heard of it...it's scary. She chose not to have an amnio because of the risk involved & of course, she wouldn't make the choice to abort. I agree with her decision, whole heartedly. I cannot imagine being pregnant & wondering if something is wrong with my baby, something potentially fatal. It would have to be the most helpless feeling ever. There are SO MANY women that get this same diagnosis & the outcome is that the baby is perfectly fine. I still can't imagine having the thought in the back of your mind tho. Her doctors (local & out of town specialist) are optimistic that the baby is ok & healthy because her organs look great. My sis has been going in twice/wk for NST's (non stress test) & has seen a specialist several times & will probably see him once more. Baby D is falling behind in growth & will have to come out early. I admire my baby sis for her faith & knowing that no matter how her baby girl comes out, the Lord has a plan for her little life. The Lord created her perfectly & beautifully. I was able to go to an ultrasound with the specialist last week. It was so amazing to see the hair wisping in the amniotic fluid. Seeing her wiggle on the inside & out (almost) made me miss being pregnant. Feeling that little life growing inside of you is the most precious, liberating feeling ever. God made women to grow these little creatures in their bodies. It's amazing & miraculous. Anyhow, I just wanted to get those thoughts out. Life is so precious. Cherish it!

It's just hair, right?

Well, that was sort of my theory, until today. I have been letting J's hair grow. He liked that it was growing out. I took him to "the boy haircut place" today. I told the guy, "DO NOT BUZZ IT! I just want it cleaned up into a 'big boy' haircut". So, he gets out the clippers & I'm thinking, "am I missing something cuz he's going to cut it all off!". As the first chunk hits the floor, M looks at me, gasps & says, "um, mom...I don't like it". I said, "I don't either, but I can't do anything about it now". M kept saying, "you told him not to cut it all off". We were standing right next to the guy & he didn't seem to care. Poor J doesn't care for it either. It is cute, but it's not what I wanted. We stopped by E's office to show him. I didn't have a chance to say anything & E said, "uh oh". He knew that I was not happy. It's the same shop that E always takes J to, but he failed to tell me that they only know of one hair cut. Anyhow, here is a before of the 'no hairstyle' & the after 'Spiky Mikey' is what the Jackass barber called it, (can you tell that I am bitter?). J kept looking at him like, "hey dumb guy, my name isn't Mikey". hehe.

Christmas Photos!

I know! You're thinking, "already?!". Yep! Already! The holiday season is always crazy, so I have come up with a fabulous plan! I am going to incorporate one of my favorite places with my favorite season! The Norm Lehne Garden & Orchards! The farm is beautiful year round, but it is spectacular in the fall! I can't seem to find some family images on my hard drive...they must be buried in the archives...but, if you haven't seen the Lehne farms, mark your calendars for October 25. I am going to have a day of mini sessions at the farm. A 30 min session for $30. There are still several spots available, so email me if you would like to book a spot! We'll be out in the orchard. Beautiful fall colors, apple cider & hot cocoa. I will treat this 30min session as a regular session. You will get a web gallery with all of your images in color, black & white, & some in vintage. We'll get some family photos, some of just the kids, some individuals & any combination that you would like. I will be at the orchards from 8am-4pm. I am so excited about this! We're going to have so much FUN!

New addition

to my packaging! I saw these charms created by the talented Canela, of Cinnamon Sticks Boutique (see my sidebar for link...blogger is not letting me link) & instantly fell in love. They are EXACTLY what I have been wishing for! I want my photography to capture the essence of childhood. Childhood is to be whimsical & carefree. "wishes" are a part of childhood. Each one of these charms has a unique dandelion wish created on it. The word "wish" is at the top of each charm. I will be including a wish charm with each photo order. I included two in this order because they have two little girls. These wishes are wrapped around my cd box. When you place an order for a cd/dvd, you are not only receiving a disk, you are receiving your disk with an image from your session placed in a leather case which is placed in this cute little box. Perfect for protecting your keepsake.
Canela, you have blessed me with your talent! Thank you!

My beautiful Sis!

& my nephew too! Here are just a few photos of my sis, her belly & my sweet nephew, D. I bribed him into letting me take a few snaps of him too. :) His daddy gave him a mohawk a few weeks ago...it wasn't "done" in this photo. I got to see my sweet, baby niece growing in my sis' belly! She kept sucking her thumb. We got to see her hair wisping in the amniotic fluid too! So precious! It is getting so close to meeting her in person. I can't wait!

My Baby Sister

Is having a baby. This is #2 for her. Her oldest is 3 months younger than M. I had a shower for her today. Little Miss D isn't going to be running around naked! She got a lot of very useful things & TONS of clothes. Who doesn't like to shop for a little girl?! Here are a few snaps that I took in between keeping K out of all of the presents (he was practicing for his upcoming bday). The diaper cake was made by a very creative cousin on my sisters husbands side. I love the photo of Blu snuggling on my sis' belly. We'll do official belly pics some time this week. I'm so excited! I get to go to an U/S appt with her this week. She has NST's done 2x per week & will be making her third (I think) trip up to Eugene (to see a specialist), for another U/S. I can't wait to see the little monkey wiggling around!