Loving life, and taking pictures...

Moving...

2009-09-01T21:13:00.015-05:00

Announcing an end, and also a beginning.

An end: I will no longer be posting here on this blog... it is officially being 'retired.'

But it's a good thing!

A beginning: From now on, you can find me here, and here.

I've got lots of fun things to post, so please follow me to my new spot!

Pretty

2009-08-31T05:00:00.000-05:00

I'm a total sucker for a pretty flower... probably because I can't grow them. This is another one, courtesy of Corey.

Working On...

2009-08-27T22:28:00.010-05:00

Almost Four

2009-08-27T06:30:00.000-05:00

Ever since this girl decided she didn't care to be around auntie's camera, she's shown up on my blog waaaay to infrequently. Happy to share another picture of her now... and I can't believe she's about to have her fourth birthday! She's growing up way too fast!

Winter Weekend

2009-08-26T11:55:00.004-05:00

Just spent an extended weekend at this beautiful cabin in Winter, WI.

Isn't it beautiful? It's on it's own little island in the middle of a lake. I loved it! More pictures soon....

Rainbows

2009-08-18T21:38:00.009-05:00

Hello there...! I haven't been around too much on this blog lately, and I'm sorry! My photo blog has taken a bit of a backseat for the moment while I work on some big changes in my life (all really, really good ones, don't worry!). Will definitely be back soon with some super-good stuff.

Did you guys happen to see this rainbow last Thursday night?

Don't tell, but I was totally driving on Highway 53 going about 72mph when this rainbow (and a faint one behind it) appeared... I reached over, grabbed my camera out of it's bag, got my settings all set, and did a few things I won't say because it probably wasn't too safe and got this photo. What can I say... Rainbows like this just don't happen very often!!

Answer to Blog Challenge #4

2009-08-16T21:27:00.006-05:00

I'm really late in posting the answer to my Blog Challenge #4... sorry! First, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to the few brave souls who gave it a shot. You rock!!

The answers that I think are true are numbers 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 10.

I put the wonderful commenters names in a hat and drew one out... and the winner is Brooke!! Thanks, Brooke, for playing along!! Your fabulous prize will be on it's way to you :)

And I can't post without a photo, so here's a picture from this weekend. This is my sweet niece, Natalie, exercising her camera skills (which of course I just LOVED every second of!!).

July 2009 Top Ten

2009-08-04T19:27:00.010-05:00

July 2009 Top Ten... fun stuff! This marks a full year of Top Tens~ the very first one I ever did was August of 2008, so the next time I do a Top Ten, it will mark the start of the 2nd year of them for me... that's so crazy! I love it! It's such a blessing to be able to share pictures with people.

The usual disclaimer: Here is my "Top 10" list of pictures taken in July of 2009. Again, they aren't in any particular order, and there are lots of different reasons they might have made my list... Some I like because of things I did well technically, some I like because of the subject matter-- some just make me proud when I look at them, as I grow and learn at this whole photography thing.

Baby On The Way...

2009-07-30T20:57:00.050-05:00

Last week I had the absolute pleasure of taking maternity pictures for this wonderful mama-to-be... It was a gorgeous afternoon and just the perfect day for getting some photos! It was pretty sweet, too, that dad-to-be and big brother-to-be were willing to hang out with us, too. They're going to be such a great family!

I had seen the 'heart on the belly'-type pictures before and didn't know that I'd ever want to do one myself, but when we gave it a try I actually loved how it turned out!

We actually did the session at the house of the grandparents-to-be, so this picture is especially neat because the window that you can see is the bedroom where mama-to-be grew up...

This one? Melts my heart, I just think they look so sweet...

This one is fun with the contrasting patterns and colors...

Thank you soooo much, Liz, for such a fun session! I loved having the opportunity to take pictures for you guys and I'm so excited to meet your new little one in a few months!!

The Sweetest Family

2009-07-23T14:14:00.042-05:00

I've been pretty lucky to take pictures for some really great families in the past year... the family I had a session with a couple weeks ago was no exception. In fact, they were just the sweetest family and I can't say enough nice things about them! They're a beautiful family of five, soon to be six... I had so much fun at their session and even though they've very recently moved out of town, I'm hoping they'll be back on my blog after their baby girl arrives!

Blog Challenge #4... {there's actually a prize!}

2009-07-19T18:53:00.052-05:00

Tonight I'm in the mood for another blog challenge! It's been a really long time since I've posted one, so it seems like a fun idea to post one tonight... and it's going to be a good one! And I'm even going to give out a prize!! {So you should totally give it a shot!}

For tonight's challenge, check out this photo I took of my sister a few weeks ago:

So here is the challenge... I am going to write a list of statements. Some I think are true, some are not. Take a look at the list, and try to figure out exactly which of the statements I think are actually true. And there's a prize for this one! I am giving away a brand new, super-cute mini photo book/album... it holds 16 wallet-sized photos, and it's perfect for carrying around in your purse. {I love mine- it stays in my purse and holds some of my favorite pictures of my loved ones.}

The specifics~ Post a comment at the end of this posting with your name and your answer. (Click on the word 'comment' at the bottom of the post, it's really easy!). I will NOT publish any of the answers until the end of this week, so it will look like no one has commented... Don't let that scare you off from commenting! I will post all of the comments at one time, at the end of the week and when the challenge is officially over. If there is more than one person with the correct answer, I will put all the names in a hat or do a random-number generator or something like that to pick the winner of the prize. Cool, huh? {And for the record, I'm doing this because I think it's fun, so be a sport and play along!}

So, which of these statements are true (according to me)? Just list the numbers in your answer...... answer by Thursday night, July 23rd, at midnight!!!!

1) My sister is probably going to flip when she sees that I posted this photo.

2) This photo would be better to me if she was smiling.

3) We were standing in a jungle when I took this photo.

4) I think my sister is beautiful, even without make-up and what she might call a "bad hair day."

5) I think the lighting in this photo is pretty cool.

6) I definitely don't like taking pictures of my beautiful sister.

7) This photo is not really "my style."

8) If I was to describe this photo using only one word, I would say "moody."

9) I totally don't care even if my sister WERE to flip that I posted this photo because I love it and this is MY photo blog. :)

10) I really hope that at least a few of you reading this will give this a try!

*********ETA: I've decided you do not have to get the answer correct to be eligible for my fabulous prize... anyone that leaves a comment with an answer will be eligible... don't be shy, my beloved blog readers! I know you're out there!!

Extreme Doggie

2009-07-15T21:45:00.007-05:00

Having a little fun with my doggie tonight...

{He makes me smile}.

And here's another one, just for my hubby who thought the first one was "too weird."

Addison

2009-07-12T17:30:00.012-05:00

Addison is one of the young ladies that came to The Secret Workshop in May... seriously, she is just sooooo pretty!! Just thought I'd share a few of her pictures!

{And I realize she isn't looking at me in any of the pictures... there were dozens of us all hunched together trying to snap some shots- it was practically impossible to get her attention when 30 other people were all going, "Addison, look over here!", etc... I'm not exactly a quiet person but I sure wasn't going to scream in order to get her to look my direction! Luckily, I like the pictures anyway.}

A Quick Share

2009-07-11T07:20:00.004-05:00

I just have to share a few pictures of these two from a session in May...

... such handsome little men!!

Have a nice weekend!!

Heartbreaker

2009-07-07T21:10:00.007-05:00

Look out 3-year-old girls, this little guy is going to be a definite heartbreaker!

And so are his two brothers... will show them off soon!!

The Twins

2009-07-06T15:36:00.000-05:00

My twin nephews turned a year old on June 11th... I just can't believe it! Time flies!!

Here's Landon...

And here's Peyton...

June 2009 Top Ten

2009-07-05T05:18:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, I'm caught up enough to post my June Top Ten already!

I'm officially declaring myself a head-shot junkie... so funny, all of these pictures (except one) are headshots. It is what it is, I guess!

The usual disclaimer: Here is my "Top 10" list of pictures taken in June of 2009. Again, they aren't in any particular order, and there are lots of different reasons they might have made my list... Some I like because of things I did well technically, some I like because of the subject matter-- some just make me proud when I look at them, as I grow and learn at this whole photography thing.

{My sister will probably flip that I'm posting this next picture, but I don't care, I love it!}

July 3rd

2009-07-03T20:02:00.011-05:00

Just want to show off these gorgeous flowers and wish my brother- and sister-in-law a Happy 5th Wedding Anniversary today! Although I can take credit for the photos (although I didn't really do much), I can't take credit for the gorgeous lilies, which are courtesy of my brother-in-law's green thumb... Just love them!! (Corey, seriously, come to my house and help me out?!?)

And honestly, they really do look just... like... that.

{Check out the sweet blur in the background of the photos... so nummy!}

So Many Good Images

2009-07-03T05:20:00.000-05:00

Okay, so there is a photographer I know of who posts pictures from sessions on his/her blog and always, always, ALWAYS says "There were so many good images, I just couldn't choose which photos to post!!" It has kind of always made me wrinkle my nose because he/she says it EVERY time, and I guess to me it has always come off kind of funny, like "I take so many good pictures, I'm just amazing!" I'm sure he/she means something more along the lines of, "This kiddo was soooo cute, she just looks beautiful in every single picture and I can't decide which ones I like best to post!" But... that isn't how it sounds! I swear! So, I've always promised myself I wouldn't say that on one of my blog posts.

Well... I'm breaking that promise!! {Sort of.}

The little girl from this session is just soooo adorable (and I'm not just saying that because she's the daughter of my husband's cousin)! I'm serious, she just looks so precious in every picture... I was going through and trying to choose which ones to post on my blog (of course choosing mostly, if not all headshots because that's usually what I do!), and I'm serious... THERE WERE SO MANY GOOD IMAGES, I JUST COULDN'T CHOOSE WHICH PHOTOS TO POST!!!

HA! There, I said it. But, I can assure you I do not mean "I take so many good pictures, I'm just amazing!" I just mean, "Wow, this kiddo is soooo cute, she just looks beautiful in every single picture and I can't decide which ones I like best to post!"

So I'm posting a bunch of them :)

Haley & Brandi

2009-07-01T17:23:00.011-05:00

Haley and Brandi... I've seen them once a summer for the last three summers, and it's become a tradition to photograph them each year when we get together. They're seriously cool girls and I'm so glad to know them! When my sister and I were with Haley and Brandi a few weekends ago, we were thinking about what exactly our relationship "title" is with them. {Not to be goofy, but we hadn't really thought about it specifically before...} My dad has been in a relationship with a wonderful lady named Pat for more than 10 years, and Haley and Brandi are her granddaughters. SO, these two cool chickies are basically my "step-nieces." They're so much fun, and I definitely look forward to seeing them again!!

{Haley did this same pose for me last year... }

May 2009 Top Ten

2009-06-29T17:32:00.006-05:00

Here is my May 2009 Top Ten!! {It's almost July, I know... oh well!}

It's actually a little different this month because truthfully, there are quite a few photos that I took at the Secret Workshop in May that would absolutely be considered for this list~ but I'm nowhere near done editing those and so I've decided to do a separate "Secret Workshop Top Ten".... eventually. You'll also probably note that most of the pictures in my May 2009 Top Ten were JUST posted within the past week or so, which is also true... I was quite behind for a while, and a lot of the photos I've posted recently were truly taken in May~ it's just taken me this long to get to all of them! But things are getting a little better now, and life is good.

The usual disclaimer: Here is my "Top 10" list of pictures taken in May of 2009. Again, they aren't in any particular order, and there are lots of different reasons they might have made my list... Some I like because of things I did well technically, some I like because of the subject matter-- some just make me proud when I look at them, as I grow and learn at this whole photography thing.

Lucky Me

2009-06-28T21:01:00.008-05:00

This is one of the sessions I'm working on right now~ another totally adorable little girl...!

Feeling pretty lucky to have such fun projects!

Can't wait to share some more of her pictures...!

So Grown Up

2009-06-28T17:09:00.005-05:00

Haley and Brandi are two young ladies that first appeared on my blog last summer... boy, have they grown up a lot in the past year! Here is a quick post~ one photo of each of them for now... I will try to post a few more soon!

Aren't they just so pretty!?!?

Kikibeans

2009-06-25T09:24:00.015-05:00

Here is little miss Kikibeans!! She is just beautiful, and so much fun...

And here she is with her pretty mama...

Can you believe her eyelashes?!? Oh my goodness...

Okay, so here's a fun fact about photos, "Kristen Olson-style"~ When I take pictures, I find myself taking mostly close-ups... I often have to remind myself mid-shoot to take a few steps back and get more than just head shots (as you'll see very clearly in an upcoming post~ totally just head shots!). I guess face shots are just "my thing"... Even when I was going through Kikibeans pictures to pick which ones to post on the blog~ I picked all head shots (did you notice that?). Those are totally the ones I gravitate towards!! Well, I noticed it and so I spent a little bit of time before I posted this looking through the rest of the pictures and started to pick out a few that were more wide-angle shots just to show a little variety (and something more than just her adorable head and shoulders)... but truthfully? These are my favorite and I guess that's okay with me... I like what I like.

And she has such a pretty little head, doesn't she?!?

Up Next...

2009-06-23T22:11:00.003-05:00

...more photos of this unbelievably adorable little girl...!

Berta & Jason

2009-06-21T19:55:00.010-05:00

As promised, here are a few more pictures of Berta and Jason... they were so sweet to let me snap a few pictures of them~ this was something I asked them to do as a favor to me, since I most often take pictures of adorable little kiddos and don't get to take pictures of adults all that often... It was a refreshing change and I was really excited to take some pictures of the two of them together!

Little T

2009-06-20T08:17:00.021-05:00

I cannot tell you what a pleasure it was to take pictures of this little man!

And truly, it is such a small world sometimes~ there were so many different connections! I work with his grandma, I went to high school with his dad, and his mom went to college with my sister-in-law... Totally random and fun!

Seriously, look at this face~ is it not one of the cutest little faces ever?

He is three months old, and you know what that means!! I had to really work for the smiles~ but again, it was soooooo worth it! Check out this picture!!

Love love love the awesome outfit! Doesn't he look totally adorable in this hat!?!

And I love that I got to take some with mom, too...

And this one? Melts. My. Heart.

So thank you soooo much to mom (and grandma!) for asking me to take pictures of your adorable little guy. What a little honey!! Can't wait to take pictures of him again...

Helloooooo

2009-06-17T18:59:00.004-05:00

A Little Crop...

2009-06-16T21:15:00.010-05:00

... can make a lotta difference in what a picture looks like!

I took this picture at The Secret Workshop... how beeeeautiful is this new momma and her baby? Oh my goodness...

This is actually the same picture, but I cropped it two different ways.

I have a lot of fun playing with different crops when I'm working with pictures... sometimes it's really hard, though, because I can't decide which one I like best! (Which is definitely the case with the two pictures above... Love them both).

Gorgeous Peeps

2009-06-15T21:46:00.014-05:00

A few weeks ago, I took pictures for these two gorgeous people... my sister has been patiently waiting for {at the very least} a preview of the pictures I've got for her, so I'll start with these...

... and I will post more later!

Little Man

2009-06-13T20:47:00.006-05:00

Check out this little man I got to "oooh and aaah" over today!!

Will get more pictures from my session with him on here soon!!

Happy.

2009-06-10T19:55:00.003-05:00

Celebrating 3 wonderful years today as husband and wife...

So happy.

Cheryl

2009-06-04T20:56:00.013-05:00

One month ago today, I was headed home with April from The Secret Workshop.. I was (and still am) just in awe of all the wonderful-ness... I haven't gotten to do a full post yet highlighting my favorite things about the workshop, but it's looking like that will be years from now at the rate I'm going, so I'm going to break it up into manageable parts. This is where I want to start...

Cheryl. This woman is one of the most amazing, uplifting, vivacious, passionate, inspiring, humble, beautiful women on the planet. I got to watch her for two days, and I can't even explain just how moved I was by her and the things she said~ she encourages you to only do things that bring you joy, and not to do things that don't. If you have to do something anyway, find a way to change your perspective about it. She helps you let go a little~ "it's totally fine!" She makes you feel beautiful and special and helps you feel like you are worth MORE than you give yourself credit for. And she shows you that photography is a gift, and that photographs are more valuable than you could ever imagine.

Cheryl lives in Texas. She is a mother and a wife and a photographer~ and a total inspiration. I feel incredibly blessed to have been a part of her workshop, and I know without a doubt that there were moments with her that weekend that only I got to have. Special, unbelievable, unforgettable moments. {I still get chills and tear up}. She gives people this incredible gift when she gives so freely of herself~ and I'm not kidding, I will never, ever forget her and her beautiful spirit. You just don't get to meet people like her everyday...

I spent most of the workshop following her around, just wanting to soak in every tidbit of her and her advice that I could. Here are a few shots of her doing her thing...

{Click here to see a photo of April and I with Cheryl and Amy Smith, another AMAZING woman and Cheryl's best friend}

May Top Ten... To Be or Not To Be?

2009-06-03T21:29:00.017-05:00

It's true, it's time for me to post a 'Top Ten' for May... BUT, I have several issues... {and I'm strictly talking 'Top Ten'-related issues here, hey! Be nice!!}.

First~ I have at least 3 sessions from May in my editing lineup that I haven't even started yet~ and lots of the photos will be good, I promise! Not to mention I still have 300+ photos from the workshop in Dallas that I have yet to touch. Since the workshop was in May, those photos are eligible for my May 'Top Ten' and somehow they'll have to emerge from the bottom of my priority pile in order to be considered (which actually isn't optional, they HAVE to be considered!!).

Second~ again, I have 300+ photos from the workshop in Dallas. No joke. Most of them may not quite make my 'Top Ten' list, but LOTS of them probably will. Waaaay more than 10, I guarantee it. So~ if and when I get to those, I'll end up wanting to choose too many, and then I also have too many photos from my other sessions in May, as well, and somehow I'm supposed to narrow it down to just ten photos, etc....

Does this make any sense?

...See? Issues!!

There really are even more pieces to this crazy puzzle, but even just those two are enough for me to break out in a sweat about May's 'Top Ten'... {but hey, I wear good deodorant, no worries!!} The truth is, I love the 'Top Ten' posts. And I totally want to do a May 'Top Ten'!!! .... I just have to figure out how... and when....

But, for now, I will post this picture I took a few weeks ago of some pretty friendly deer that totally didn't care that I was standing in the field with them taking pictures. {And yes, I know the picture is crooked~ I just can't help myself!!}

Bob Marley

2009-05-31T18:03:00.007-05:00

I am a music lover, but to be honest~ reggae music is really not my thing. A week ago, I don't think I could have even told you the name of ONE Bob Marley song... is that bizarre? But now, thanks to this little sweetheart, I know there is a Bob Marley song that has something to do with "every little thing, gonna be alright..."

This is just a sneak peak of my session with her... there will be LOTS more to come from this session! But, I'm still behind and I have quite a workload right now, so to be honest I just picked a random picture from her session and got that ready for the blog, just so her mom can see something and {hopefully} look forward to seeing the rest of the photos. So, please stay tuned!

Amazing

2009-05-28T23:06:00.003-05:00

My sister... is truly amazing.

Have a nice weekend!!

Totally Worth It

2009-05-26T16:17:00.020-05:00

I'm sure it's not hard to believe that photo sessions with little ones are incredibly unpredictable... my shoot a few weeks ago with Izzy was no exception! When I took pictures of her back in December, she was all smiles... this time, her morning nap had been interrupted and so the sweet smiles were a little harder to come by~ but that's totally fine! I've probably said before that I definitely don't think kids/babies/grown ups need to be smiling in pictures for the picture to be "successful"~ in fact, some of my favorite pictures that I've taken are UN-smiley, and I think they're great.

However, I do believe that when a sweet little kiddo has an adorable smile (as most of them do), you totally have to make an effort to capture a few with the camera. So, fortunately for me, I had a little help with the smiles this time around from Izzy's awesome family, and I mean all of them... mom, dad, and her two big sisters! I couldn't have done it without them!

And isn't she totally cute?!?!?

This one was an "ewwww... you put me on grass, I HATE grass" face!!

This one is a "wait, I'm still on the grass and I told you I totally hate grass" face!!

Love it... totally worth every minute!! Thanks so much, Sara!!

My Current Project?

2009-05-20T21:48:00.004-05:00

Izzy pics.

Can't wait to post more of her photos when I'm done!!

May Flowers

2009-05-18T18:23:00.004-05:00

I got a new camera last week (sooooooo excited!). I was dying to try it out, so I drove to this little place in Chippewa with pretty flowers on a quick lunch break.

A Family Session

2009-05-16T08:50:00.034-05:00

Here are some pictures from a family session I had last week, and when I say a family session, I mean it... literally! This is my cousin and his sweet family.

His adorable daughter is just about to turn two! {Already?!?}

Okay, you know I love dogs... Dude wanted his own picture, too! {Yes, the dog's name really is Dude.}

And I don't recommend trying this next pose at home, unless your poochie is so used to being sat on by 2-year-olds he totally doesn't care...

So sweet... And so much fun! It was a pleasure to take pictures for you guys!

April 2009 Top Ten {VERY Belated!}

2009-05-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Um.... yeah. Just a little overdue for my April Top Ten... yikes!! But hey, I'm busy in an amazing way and I'm not going to complain about having too much photo-stuff to do. So, that being said:

The usual disclaimer: Here is my "Top 10" list of pictures taken in April of 2009. Again, they aren't in any particular order, and there are lots of different reasons they might have made my list... Some I like because of things I did well technically, some I like because of the subject matter-- some just make me proud when I look at them, as I grow and learn at this whole photography thing.

{This one is a picture I took for my Project 365, but I like the quote, so I'm including it here because I want to}...

Love Shows

2009-05-14T22:22:00.005-05:00

Love shows itself everyday, in lots of ways...

What a great thing to be able to capture it in a photo.

Awfully Pretty Little Girls!

2009-05-13T20:32:00.014-05:00

Here are a few more pictures of the pretty little girls I took pictures of a few weeks ago!

The big sister is too sweet with the little sister... it just melted my heart!

And this little honey is 6 months old already! I took pictures of her back in January, too. Time flies!!

And THIS one... man. I can't even tell you how pleasantly surprised I was when I walked in the door and she came running up to me and just started chatting away about her dad doing something with a tractor or four-wheeler or lawn mower (sorry, I was so shocked I can't remember exactly what she said!). Last time I was at her house, she wasn't too interested in me or the camera. This time, she was a photographer's dream come true! Isn't she a beautiful little girl?

They're BOTH beautiful... And totally fun to photograph, even if smiles weren't super easy from the littlest one this time around.

Thanks so much, Ann, for asking me to take pictures of your beautiful girls again!!

The Latest 'Coming Soon'

2009-05-09T18:20:00.004-05:00

I'm not trying to neglect my blog, I promise... as I said in my last post, I'm just behind. REALLY behind, but catching up hopefully very soon!

Here are two pics from the session I'm working on right now, just to let you see the adorable girls I got to photograph a couple of weeks ago.

More from their session coming soon!

Behind.

2009-05-05T21:36:00.009-05:00

There is not one picture on this blog that wasn't taken by me... until now! I'm breaking the rules to post this picture that one of the nice workshop attendees took with my camera of April and I in Dallas this past weekend. I also used it for my Project 365 picture for Sunday... wow, I'm totally breaking all kinds of rules!! I'm such a rebel.

But it's totally fine.

{Smile to workshop attendees who realize I'm channeling my inner Cheryl...}

The weekend in Dallas was... amazing. But, even in reading that it just doesn't sound quite right in my head. It was waaaaaay more than amazing... I definitely can't put it into words, and to be honest~ I doubt I'll even try, other than to say it was amazing, wonderful, overwhelming, completely inspiring, and one of the best memories I will ever have.

There.

I do have a lot of pictures from the weekend in Dallas that I will eventually work on and that I will absolutely post here, but I'm behind on a lot of things (including editing a session of two sweet girls from a couple of weekends ago~ thank you so much, Ann, for being patient with me during this crazy-busy time!). I also plan to post a Top Ten of April pictures sometime soon~ but, again, I'm behind on just about everything in life and there are photos from April that I still haven't edited yet, so that's going to have to wait it's turn as well.

I'm happily overwhelmed with everything, seriously. I live a blessed life and although I knew that before this past weekend, I know it even more wholeheartedly now.

More from me soon...

This Weekend...

2009-04-29T22:24:00.010-05:00

This weekend I am headed to Dallas, Texas, with my friend April to attend The Secret Photography Workshop. It is a two-day workshop put together by some amazing photographers who specialize in children's portrait photography. Words cannot express how unbelievably excited I am to go, and to learn and play and laugh... I just feel so blessed for the opportunity to attend something like this, and of course~ I will post lots and lots of pictures from the workshop when I get back!

So, I wish everyone a very happy and safe weekend! I'll definitely be having fun, and I can't wait to share stories and pictures next week. In the meantime, here is a picture I took this last weekend of Peyton and Landon, two of the sweetest boys in the world.

Rugrats

2009-04-28T05:22:00.000-05:00

Spent this past weekend with three of the cutest rugrats ever...

A Saturday Session

2009-04-26T20:11:00.021-05:00

Last weekend I got to go hang out for a while with this little guy...

It's such a small world~ I went to elementary school with his mom (until we moved in 3rd grade), and then as adults she now works with my hubby...

Photo sessions aren't any fun without a little play time! We let the little man take some time to blow bubbles, which is always a hit with kids (and hey~ adults can love them too! If I hadn't been 'on the job' I would have totally joined in!).

One of the best things about this session was the absolutely awesome location... The family lives near the neatest barn, which is actually set up for weddings and wedding receptions, and makes an awesome spot for photos. I would loooove to go back there again sometime!

And even though the primary goal of the session was to get pictures of just the little guy, his older brother was a total ham for the camera, which I loved! I would love to get to take more of him sometime... what photographer doesn't adore a completely willing and smiley subject!?!?

And here are two plays of the same picture~ I generally prefer color pictures {at least in my own photography}, but once in a while I try to throw in a non-color version. In this case, I actually can't decide which one I prefer! He's adorable, so he looks cute either way...

So, thank you sooooo much to the parents of the little man for asking me to take pictures!! He's a cutie!

Sunday

2009-04-21T20:48:00.023-05:00

Sunday we got together to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday. I definitely love being with everyone, and the kids are just so cute... of course I love to take pictures of them! Here's a little 'picture recap' of our Sunday.

This is a picture of the little girls singing "Happy Birthday to Papa"... it was so cute! It looks like they're frowning in the picture, but they're not~ they were totally happy. I think they were probably right in the middle of the "you" part of "...birthday to you."

The babies played with each other, put lots of toys in their mouths, and crawled all over the place~ it's just a matter of time until they're walking!

Landon has an incredibly sweet disposition {usually!}, and smiles almost all the time.

Peyton is super sweet too, I just don't catch his smiles on camera quite as often lately...

When I went to take this picture of Natalie, I forgot I had my external flash tilted to the side, so it ended up lighting her face from a completely different direction than I had planned, but I kind of like how it ended up! Very dramatic.

And she had on the CUTEST outfit, seriously!

Katie is such a good mom~ it's really amazing. I was glad to capture a little cuddle time on camera...

And I especially love this picture of Katie with both of her boys... they are so loved.

Reruns

2009-04-17T19:10:00.007-05:00

Was looking through some older pictures tonight and thought I'd post some reruns... all of these have been on my blog before, but I don't mind posting them again, just because.

Have a nice weekend!

Bubbles

2009-04-14T20:02:00.009-05:00

On Easter Sunday I got to watch some of the cutest kids {ever} play outside with bubbles... just an FYI~ admittedly these aren't the most amazing pictures I've ever taken. On one hand I love the sun and I'm very thankful for the nice weather, but on the other hand, bright sun is hard for shooting outdoor pictures. Sure, you can do things to try to fight harsh shadows and you can spend a lot of time making adjustments to get the correct exposure when the light conditions change all the time, but that isn't that easy to do with two- and three-year-olds~ you kind of have to fly by the seat of your pants!

So, these "are what they are"... just pictures of two sweet girls playing outside, blowing bubbles on a very sunny Easter Sunday.

The Paw...

2009-04-08T05:31:00.004-05:00

The paw... Okay, when I first noticed it, I thought it was weird. And uncomfortable-looking.

I thought for sure he wouldn't lay like that on purpose! But then I noticed him doing it again!!

So then I thought maybe it was just something he liked to do with that one paw, but then I noticed he does it with the other paw too!!

Strange, I know. But we love him anyway...

Hanging Out with the Twins

2009-04-06T05:25:00.011-05:00

I wanted to post a few more pictures from when the twins were at my house a few weekends ago... They're just so cute!

Landon has this funny way of laying on his side, like he's posing...

And then he says, "What Auntie? More pictures?"

Peyton has the cutest little chompers on the bottom :)

And Andy got some face time with Landon...

If only they could come play ALL the time!

78 & Counting...

2009-04-04T08:32:00.001-05:00

78 Days in to my Project 365 and it's going strong!! I've done it everyday, just like I promised myself I would. It feels good to commit to something and follow through, even if it can sometimes be a challenge to stick with it! (Now, if I could just figure out how to do that with diet & exercise...!!!)

The project is almost always fun, it's sometimes creative, and it just makes me happy. To see more pics from my 365, click on the "My Project 365" button at the top of my blog...

Have a nice weekend!!

March 2009 Top Ten

2009-04-02T20:46:00.015-05:00

March was definitely a more exciting month for photos than February was for me ... I am really excited for the change in weather to bring even more photo time in the months ahead! Still, I had lots of pictures to choose from for my top ten this month, which is a problem I will NEVER complain about!! And just for the record, if I was able to post more of the pictures from the boudoir session I did this last month, they would take up a huge portion of my top ten for March because they are some of my favorite pictures that I have ever taken. But, even though those will not be posted here, there are still lots of good pictures from this month to post!

So here's the usual disclaimer: Here is my "Top 10" list of pictures taken in March of 2009. Again, they aren't in any particular order, and there are lots of different reasons they might have made my list... Some I like because of things I did well technically, some I like because of the subject matter-- some just make me proud when I look at them, as I grow and learn at this whole photography thing.

So, here they are in no particular order (and one is new to my blog):

This one hasn't been posted before of my nephew Landon~

New Horizons

2009-03-31T20:53:00.013-05:00

In the past 6 months, I've had so much fun learning and growing at this photography stuff... I'm so absolutely grateful to all of the wonderful people who have been kind enough to let me take pictures for them! So far, I've been fortunate to take some family pictures and lots and lots and LOTS of pictures of gorgeous little ones!!

As I continue to grow and learn in this photography thing, I hope to expand on the types of sessions I am doing~ although I definitely, DEFINITELY want to keep taking pictures of families and babies, I promise! But besides baby sessions, I have a few new things coming up, including a senior session, an engagement session, and even a wedding... I hope to also someday do a maternity session (definitely something I've always wanted to do!).

And what's REALLY fun is that this month I was lucky enough to get to do another type of session that I've always wanted to do... a "boudoir" session. If you're not crazy into photography you might not know what that means, and I won't go into too much detail because this post is already super-long, but it's basically a shoot that women do~ usually as a surprise for their sweetheart~ that shows them feeling beautiful and sexy and also--- COMPLETELY classy!! Boudoir shoots are tasteful and fun and I had so much fun doing my first one that I would absolutely love to do more!!

****I am going to post a few pictures from the shoot, so I'll use a warning I've seen on boudoir sites: if you are offended by pictures of women in swimsuits, DON'T look any further on this blog!! I really thought a lot about whether to post some photos from the session on my blog~ I definitely don't want to offend people who are easily offended~ but I decided that it's important to me that people know all the different types of photography I am hoping to do, so I'm going to go ahead and post some and I'm really excited to show off my work!

So! Here are two pictures from the session... I completely respect the privacy of the lovely lady in the pictures so I won't show any face shots (even though they were GORGEOUS!!), but she did give me permission to post a few shots.

Sooooo pretty. And again, it was so much fun! If you are at all interested in doing a boudoir session or if you have any questions about them, shoot me an email!!

Triplets {6 Months}... Part Two

2009-03-26T06:44:00.000-05:00

Here are some more pictures of the triplets~

{Baby A}

{Baby B}

{Baby C}

{Baby B}

{Baby A}

{Baby C} ...look! You can see her little chompers coming in!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the parents of the triplets for asking me to take their pictures again. The girls are just beautiful, and they're such a pleasure to photograph!!

Mr. Landon

2009-03-24T20:59:00.018-05:00

Okay, this little guy is SUCH a sweetheart! He just makes my heart melt... {and yes, his brother and sister do, too}. It's amazing how three kids can be so similar and also so different! Landon has a completely unique personality, which is totally obvious~ even at 9 months old. Even my husband comments all the time on the adorable faces he makes, and you know guys~ they don't always notice stuff like that! But it's true, Landon has some awesome faces.

I took these pictures of him last Sunday and I think he's just adorable, so I had to share...

And this last one's pretty great, and literally makes my husband giggle out loud EVERY time he sees it...!! Don't you love it!?!?

Triplets {6 Months}... Part One

2009-03-23T20:35:00.023-05:00

About six months ago, a couple of friends {and friends of friends} were sweet enough to ask me to take pictures of their children. Prior to that, I had only taken pictures of family members, so I was super excited (and also extreeeeeeemely nervous!).

The mom of the triplets was one of those first moms, and I was so thrilled to get to take pictures of her beautiful girls!! That was back in September, and it's so hard to believe the triplets are 6 months old already!! And what's even harder for me to believe is that I've taken pictures of them three times now.

I'm so honored.

{To see their other pictures, click here, and here, and here. }

I've decided to post a bunch of the pictures from their session last weekend, so I'm going to do it in two separate posts, so check back!

The girls are completely and totally adorable. Enjoy!! Also, I tried to label the pictures with Baby A, B, or C, but Baby B and Baby C look sooo much a like, I don't promise I have them right. We changed around babies during the shoot depending on their mood, too, so I couldn't really go in a certain order with the pictures or judge by the color of the bumbo seat, either. So, I labelled them with my best guess...

{Baby C}

{Baby A}

{Baby B}

{Baby C}

{Baby A}

{Baby C}

Still to Come...

2009-03-22T21:56:00.003-05:00

... more pics of this cutie and her two sisters!

The Triplets Are 6 Months Old!

2009-03-19T22:26:00.006-05:00

I took pictures of the triplets on Saturday! I'll post a few more of their pictures tomorrow, but I wanted to post this one tonight because they are so cute! Aren't they getting soooooo big!?!?

Guess Who Was Here?

2009-03-15T19:30:00.007-05:00

The twins were at my house today!!

I will definitely post more pictures of them.... soon!! I have a LONG line of pictures waiting to be processed, so they'll have to wait their turn :)

{And by the way, I will never get sick of super-close close ups!!}

Deer

2009-03-14T12:26:00.001-05:00

Our house is right by the Wissota State Park, and we see deer all the time when we're driving by it or going for walks, etc. Yesterday when I was almost home, I saw a deer cross the road, so I took the opporunity to grab my new zoom lens and I tried to get a picture before the deer ran off. The lens is really heavy and it's hard for me to hold it up and focus without shaking, so it's hard to get a steady, clear picture... I've decided I'm going to start lifting weights and try to get stronger so I can hold it better!

Still a pretty deer, though.

Grandma's Birthday

2009-03-12T20:43:00.012-05:00

A few weeks ago, we got together at Katie's to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday. I took some pictures of the twins, who were of course there to celebrate Grandma's birthday and wow us all with how big they're getting! When these were taken, they were just a week or two shy of being 9 months old.

And Katie posted a few more of the pictures I took on her family blog, too. Click here to check out her blog!

Candy & A Cutie Pie

2009-03-09T20:34:00.016-05:00

Saturday I got to take pictures of this little cutie pie...

She was super sweet, she sang me some adorable/silly songs and we talked a lot about candy, which is totally one of the best things you can talk about!

{PS- Yes, I tried a little bit of a "washed" look on a few of the photos... I like it!}

Thanks so much to her mom for asking me to take photos!

Working On...

2009-03-08T10:06:00.006-05:00

... pictures from a session yesterday with this little sweetheart!!

P.S.

2009-03-04T22:11:00.006-06:00

Just want to share a recent photo of Peyton, one of my favorite people to take pictures of!!

Just Because

2009-03-01T09:15:00.010-06:00

Andy brought home flowers for me on Friday, "just because."

To me, there's no better reason. Love it...! Love him.

February 2009 Top Ten ...{sort of}

2009-02-27T13:52:00.030-06:00

For February's Top Ten I decided to go through and pick 10 of my favorites from previous "Top Ten" lists... So, here they are in no particular order:

Never Blogged {Nieces & Nephews}

2009-02-24T21:08:00.006-06:00

I'm really not taking very many pictures right now, and although I had hoped to avoid a "I don't have much to post" post.... no such luck. I mentioned in my last post that it's a slow time of year for pictures, and for the most part, it really is. Don't worry~ there's some good stuff coming up and I cannot WAIT for the winter to be gone and to start taking pictures in full swing again!

But in the meantime, I grabbed a picture of each of my nieces and nephews that I hadn't ever posted, and I thought I'd post those so that no one thinks I've disappeared!! And... because they're cute (although these were all taken BEFORE I really knew anything about taking pictures...).

Fall Collection, Part Two

2009-02-16T21:18:00.011-06:00

It is the middle of winter, I know... BUT, I never posted the rest of my "Fall Collection" (Remember this post in October?).

So, since it's a pretty slow time of year for pictures~ and sorry, the dirty snow, mud, and cold weather don't really "inspire" me much~ I've decided it's the perfect time to post my "Fall Collection, Part Two."

{and PS- this last one really DOES look just like this, straight out of camera with no post-processing... it was just before dusk and what was left of the sun made everything just.... GLOW!}

Happy Love Day

2009-02-11T21:09:00.010-06:00

I took this back in 2005 with our point and shoot--- we had just gotten it and we were so excited to finally embrace the new digital technology! I knew NOTHING about photography and loved getting a picture of the two of us~ we didn't then (and still don't now) do that often enough!

I figure it can go on my blog, since I took it. (And as I said, we don't often take pictures of the two of us, so I don't have a super-recent one to post... but I might try to fix that).

Happy Valentine's Day!

{For April}

2009-02-06T15:58:00.008-06:00

January 2009 Top Ten

2009-02-05T20:27:00.015-06:00

January was another fun month for my camera! I got to take pictures for two very nice families, and there were also a couple of family days that I am lucky to have caught on film... no wait! Not film... On memory card? Yeah, it sounds weird but I guess that's probably correct!

So here's the usual disclaimer: Here is my "Top 10" list of pictures taken in January of 2009. Again, they aren't in any particular order, and there are lots of different reasons they might have made my list... Some I like because of things I did well technically, some I like because of the subject matter-- some just make me proud when I look at them, as I grow and learn at this whole photography thing.

So, here they are in no particular order (and one is new to my blog):

And this one of Natalie hasn't been posted before now~

Fun in the Sun (And Snow)

2009-02-03T20:08:00.016-06:00

On Saturday, Andy's family met us at the cabin for a day of outside fun with the little kiddos...

They got pulled around on sleds~

And looked cute for Auntie's camera~

And got hung upside down when we went inside for a little break~

And then got to go back outside to build a snowman, which I haven't seen anyone do in a long, long time~

And then hitched a ride back to the cabin~

Such a fun day! And I'm not really an outside person during the winter, and I've DEFINITELY never thought about taking my camera outside during the winter before, either. But, I talked myself into it and I'm so glad I did. And here's my favorite pic from the day:

Miss Natalie~

Happy Winter

2009-02-01T16:32:00.002-06:00

It was sooooo beautiful on Saturday! The first "good" winter day, in my opinion! Hope you got a chance to get out and enjoy it!

Have a Good Weekend!

2009-01-30T14:45:00.007-06:00

I came across this picture of Jayden today when I was looking through some of the files on my external hard drive...

I fixed it up a little but the original file is not so great... I had just started taking pictures on manual and at that time, it was basically a guessing game! (And who am I kidding, sometimes it still is!!). The pictures from this little window of time on that day early last summer are almost all overexposed--- some really, really badly overexposed. It's really.... yucky.

But she's still cute.

Have a nice weekend!!

Sugar and Spice...

2009-01-27T06:18:00.002-06:00

And everything nice! Here are a few more pictures of the sweet 3-month-old baby girl I got to take pictures of two weeks ago...

These next two are especially precious because most of the time, her big sister wasn't really that interested in being in front of the camera.

I love pink and brown together, and the little bow on her head is just perfect!

Just a beautiful little girl...

The Twins Meet Kenai

2009-01-25T13:18:00.031-06:00

Last Sunday we invited Andy's family over to hang out and watch the playoff games at our house. It's really nice to get everyone together and just relax... and Kenai loves it, because there are more people to pet him! He usually makes rounds around the room, going from one body to the next so he is pretty much getting touched constantly. It's so cute (but also irritating at times)...

A few days before this, Corey had slipped on some ice outside our house and banged up his ankle pretty good (which obviously made me feel awful!). But luckily for us he came back to our house anyway and here he is, hanging out with Landon and looking at a book I had made of some of my pictures from 2008~

I was sure to snap some pictures of Andy holding Peyton, too, to keep for evidence that Andy doesn't just love Landon, he loves Peyton too! (At Christmas, every picture I took of Andy was with Landon, except for one where he's holding both of the boys).

And here's a sweet picture of Landon~ he was giving me the absolutely adorable "look" he has! Wide eyed and innocent... such a doll!

But the best part of the day for me was definitely Kenai with the kids... I was a little nervous because even though Kenai is totally sweet and wouldn't hurt a fly, I wasn't sure how it would be with the twins~ would they be scared of him? Would he be too aggressive? etc... Fortunately, he was just amazing and as soon as he came over to give Peyton a quick kiss, Peyton started giggling out loud!

Landon wouldn't giggle at Kenai the way that Peyton did, but he was still just fine with the big fluffy dog running around, and didn't seem to mind as Kenai gave him a quick kiss, too...

Sometimes, though, Kenai would take a break and just lay down in the middle of the room. Even later, when Jayden and Natalie were trying to ride him like a horse, he just stood there calmly and let them play by him or pull on him, etc. Nothing phased him, it was just awesome. Love you, Keenie!!

Another "Coming Soon"...

2009-01-21T21:01:00.006-06:00

Here's a preview of my current project:

I've been unfortunately slow at getting these pictures ready from a session I had a couple of weeks ago. It's so hard to get things done when you're sick! (Seriously, pneumonia is a total bummer!). But I'm feeling better and I hope to have more pictures from this session ready to post by this weekend. Isn't she sweet?

And to answer your question before you ask~ No, I will NEVER get tired of close-up baby faces!!

The Big Brother

2009-01-20T19:53:00.007-06:00

As promised, here are the pics of the big brother from my photo session a few weekends ago...

He's totally adorable, and how is this for a "cheese"!?!?!

Project 365

2009-01-17T19:16:00.005-06:00

Have you ever heard of Project 365?

Project 365 is a fun, creative project that I am doing along with my two closest friends. I created a separate blog for it, so check it out by clicking here.

The Sweet Sister...

2009-01-16T06:20:00.000-06:00

This little girl is just too adorable for words!!

Even though we weren't sure how willing she was going to be to sit for me for a few minutes, she was entertained by her mom ("Who has stinky feet?!?!") and was totally, absolutely perfect in front of the camera.

I would take pictures of her all day long if she'd let me!!

Seriously... she's just beautiful.

Thanks Abby, for being so good and letting me take a few pictures! These are among my favorite pictures I've ever taken.

The Baby Brother & Blog Challenge #3 Answer

2009-01-14T21:02:00.019-06:00

First things first~ the baby brother from my photo session last Sunday. This little guy was so sweet...!!

Can you tell how enamored he is with his mama? She stood behind me making funny faces, and he just loved it...

And I really like this next picture, he just looks like such a peanut!!

And here's one more sweet close up... (you know how much I love those!!)

Isn't he adorable? And I'll post the pictures of his big brother & sister soon, too....

And now, the answer to my blog challenge. First, thanks soooo much to the brave souls that took a guess!! I'm so glad you did! Everyone that guessed had wonderful, very true answers. Yes, I do love the angle of the photo~ very much! Yes, I loooove the look on Tom's face because you can tell how much he loves his grandbabies. It's just awesome.

But, "THE" answer to the challenge is......... I love that you can see my reflection in the mirror! And no, I didn't know I was going to be in the picture, but I think it's neat that I am. And I'm sooooo impressed with how many of you got it right!! You guys rock! Thanks again to everyone that took a guess.

Coming Soon...

2009-01-11T21:44:00.004-06:00

Last Sunday I got to take pictures for three of the sweetest, cutest, most adorable siblings EVER!

This group shot was just an afterthought, but it's still super cute... aren't they sweet? And yes, that's dad's arm in the background, but the little peanut in the middle is not even 6 months old yet and therefore needs assistance with the whole 'sitting up' thing.

I am so excited to post their pictures, but that will have to wait just a little bit, so keep checking back! I'm going to give each kiddo their own individual post because there are sooooo many cute pictures! Wait til you see them!

***AND, I've decided to wait a little bit to post the answer to my blog challenge (see my previous post)... if you haven't commented yet with your guess, please do! I've gotten a few responses but I know there are more of you out there lurking in blogland, so I hope you'll decide to give it a try, too! I promise it won't be painful!

Challenge #3

2009-01-08T06:00:00.001-06:00

It's time for another blog challenge!!

Okay, check out the following picture:

The challenge is to leave me a comment with the answer to the following question: Why do I love this picture?

Okay, I'll give you a little help: there are many possible answers that are probably all very true, but I'm looking for THE answer. One very specific answer... Do you think you know it?

Also, I know there are a number of people that check my blog from time to time, so I want to see some comments coming my way!! I will actually be gone for a few days so I'm not going to post any of the comments that people leave until the end of the weekend. So, if there are no comments and you've left me one, don't worry! I'll post all the comments at the same time at the end of the weekend.

Click on these to see my previous blog challenges: Blog Challenge #1, and Blog Challenge #2.

Good luck!

Christmas Eve 2008

2009-01-07T05:08:00.001-06:00

We were very blessed to be able to spend the night of Christmas Eve with Andy's parents, two sisters and their husbands, and of course all four kids!

These pictures were taken a little bit before Christmas (technically), but here are the girls in their Christmas dresses~

On Christmas Eve, the boys were just as cute as the girls in their Christmas outfits! (Andy was cute, too, even though he didn't have a Santa hat...)

The party officially began when Santa came to visit~

He offered to let the kids sit on his lap, but this year the only two willing kiddos were the twins, and they loved it! Can't you tell?

Then the presents that Santa brought got passed out... I'm not sure if Jayden was trying really hard to be sweet and help pass out the presents or if she was trying to grab some extra ones for herself! (Who can blame her!?!?)

Then, once the girls got their gifts from Santa, they were so excited to color they forgot for a while that Santa was sitting in a chair near them~

But, when Santa said he had to get going, he got a big squeeze from Jayden...

And then he didn't get to leave without playing ring-around-the-rosie with Jayden and Papa...

And then when Santa was out on the porch having a little drink with Papa before heading back to the reindeer, we played more with the kids~

And Jayden admired the nativity, where earlier that night she had helped Grandma and Papa and Natalie put the baby Jesus in the manger...

After all that, we went downstairs to watch the little girls open their gifts, which was really impressive because they took their own turns and didn't have any big issues with sharing toys. (Although they watched each other closely!)

And then it was time for dinner... we were so blessed to have a beautiful spread (thanks, Karen!) and for those who like to drink wine, we had our choice of wine from the bottle shown here (or the other one, which was 'Fat Bastard.')

Luckily for me, I don't drink wine, because that would have been a hard choice! We definitely had a Merry Christmas, and we felt very blessed.

Bowling

2009-01-06T05:54:00.001-06:00

As I mentioned in my December Top Ten post a few days ago, when my sister came back from Hawaii, we left it a total surprise for my dad. Here is the picture a few moments after she surprised him again (because I totally love this picture, can you tell my dad had been teary-eyed?)

And here's a pic from when she first walked downstairs...

She's holding her cell phone (and my dad's holding his in the first picture, too) because that's how we surprised him~ she hid upstairs in one of our bedrooms, and when my dad got to my house we went downstairs to our family room. I told my dad I needed to call Heather when he got there so she could wish him a Merry Christmas, and then I put him on the phone. They were talking and my sister was trying to tell my dad that she wished she could come give him a big hug and then she planned to come downstairs to surprise him, but my dad kept changing the subject! It was so funny. She finally got it out and then said something along the lines of coming downstairs to give him a hug for real and all my dad could say was "WHAT!?!?!?!" I know he was totally shocked, and absolutely thrilled.

Well.... then it was on to the family tradition: lunch and bowling. My husband and I really like to bowl, but we usually do it just this one time per year. However, we still take it VERY seriously!! And we don't usually have much fun... yeah right!

Okay... was it just back in the good old days that bowling balls used to be black?

Welcome, 2009

2009-01-04T20:13:00.003-06:00

For obvious reasons, I never ever have pictures of myself on my blog~ but there's a first time for just about everything, right? I found this picture on my computer today~ I had taken it sometime last summer, just for fun. When you start to look at photography and/or scrapbooking blogs online, you notice a ton of people with self-portraits of themselves and their camera. I thought I'd give that a shot, and although I had never done a thing with the photo, I thought this would be a good time to bring it out.

Welcome, 2009. Looking forward to lots of photo ops, lots of learning, and lots of memories...

December 2008 Top Ten

2009-01-02T14:13:00.012-06:00

December was a really fun month for me and my camera! I took more pictures than I ever have in one month~ which obviously makes me very happy but it also means I spend a lot of time (I mean a LOT of time) on the computer editing photos. So, it's easy to fall behind and just to warn you~ there are still some postings coming up in 2009 of things that happened in 2008. That's okay with me.

I am, however, ready to post my December 2008 Top Ten. I had such a hard time picking just ten pictures! I had debated doing a "2008 Overall Top Ten" to wrap up the year, but I decided against it because there is absolutely no way I could pick just ten pictures for that one.... seriously, not a chance! Which is also very okay with me. It means I took a lot of pictures that I really like. I love that.

The usual disclaimer: Here is my "Top 10" list of pictures taken in December of 2008. Again, they aren't in any particular order, and there are lots of different reasons they might have made my list... Some I like because of things I did well technically, some I like because of the subject matter-- some just make me proud when I look at them, as I grow and learn at this whole photography thing.

So, here they are in no particular order (and two of them haven't been posted before now):

This one will be posted again when I am done getting the pictures from Christmas ready... This is my husband with my nephew, Landon. I just love this picture! Andy and I would love to have children of our own, but it hasn't happened for us yet. So, for now we're just enjoying our beautiful nieces and nephews, and that is why seeing my husband be so sweet with my newphew is especially meaningful to me...

This one will also be posted again soon~ another one from when my sister was here. My dad came to my house for Christmas and it was a total surprise to him that my sister was here from Hawaii. This picture was taken right after she surprised him...

I hope everyone had a happy, healthy, and blessed 2008!! More to come from me and my camera in 2009!!

Girls Day

2008-12-30T21:32:00.008-06:00

When my sister was here, we spent some time with some of our cousins on my dad's side of the family~ a "girl's day". We even went to the mall!! And if you know me, you know I'm not normally a huge shopper (unless it's for camera or scrapbooking stuff, of course).

I don't get to see these girls too often, so it's just awesome to get together! Not everyone is pictured here, unfortunately, but here are two of my cousins with my sister~

You wouldn't believe it, but we're almost always the center of attention! (I know, sooooo hard to believe!!)

I wouldn't normally think a food court would be a good place for photos, but I really loved the funky stuff in the background, and it was filled with bright, fun lights. Here's my sister, entertaining me and my camera~

Such a fun time...

Izzy

2008-12-27T22:43:00.011-06:00

This little cutie is 7 months old!

Izzy is very special to me because she was actually the first little one that I took pictures of that wasn't one of my nieces or nephews... it was totally new territory for me! That was in September, when she was 4 months old. Check out those pictures, too!

She is just as adorable as ever! Smiley and happy... don't you love it?!?!

And how cute is this one~ if you hand a 7-month old baby a "toy" to hold, they're of course just going to put it right in their mouth!

How fun... thanks Sara, for letting me get some pictures for you guys again!

The Twins~ 6 Months Old

2008-12-26T19:11:00.000-06:00

For those of you who have been patiently waiting for a few more pictures of the twins at 6 months old... the wait is over!

First, here is adorable Mr. Peyton~

And here is the precious Mr. Landon~

They have grown so much already~ I can't wait for their personalities to come out even more! They're the sweetest little babies, and me and my camera just adore them both!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T09:14:00.000-06:00

Wishing everyone (all three of my devoted blog readers!) a very safe, peaceful, and happy holiday!!

Berta Was Here

2008-12-22T20:31:00.000-06:00

My sister, Berta, was here visiting from Hawaii.

(Sorry~ she goes by Heather with everyone else).

She came... she entertained... and then she left. But, I've got a few pictures to share~ once I get them off my camera and ready to post.

Will be a while.

Miss you already, Berta.

Another Cutie

2008-12-15T21:38:00.000-06:00

In keeping with my recent theme of posting super-close-up pics of beautiful baby faces, I absolutely have to include Peyton...!!

Just like Landon, he's already changed so much in the six months he's been with us on the planet... check out this old post, and this one too .

See?

Can't Help Being Cute!

2008-12-14T20:57:00.000-06:00

My twin nephews are now officially 6 months old, so we took a few pictures this weekend to celebrate the occasion.

This one of Landon was just a practice one as I was getting my settings all lined up, etc, but how adorable is he?!?! He just can't help it, even just the "junk" shots at the beginning of the shoot are totally cute!

And, just to note~ I took over 600 pictures this weekend, so at least a few of them will for sure make the blog over the next few weeks. Obviously with the holiday coming up, things are crazy busy, so please keep patiently checking back!

Triplets at 3 Months Old

2008-12-13T20:31:00.000-06:00

Here are a few more of the pictures of the triplets, at 3 months old...

I just love this one~

I want to thank the parents of the triplets for once again letting me come take pictures for them... I'm so honored!

Enjoying the Process

2008-12-11T21:44:00.000-06:00

Learning how to take good pictures is such a learning process.

I took this picture early on in the summer (June, I think). I remember this particular day really well because something was honestly different for me~ different than any other day I had taken pictures with my camera.

If I'm not mistaken, this was the first day I used a lens other than the one that came with my camera... this was a big step! It marked a "forward movement" (I'd like to think so anyway) and I haven't looked at taking pictures the same way ever since.

I'll say it again~ taking good pictures is a learning process. I feel like I've learned an awful lot since the day I took this picture of my sweet niece Jayden. I still have tons more to learn- I'm constantly reading and researching and practicing (and spending money, do you have any idea how expensive photography is?!?!).

It's all good, and I love every minute of it. One of the best things about the process? Meeting April ~she's an awesome person, she's awesome with a camera, and in a pretty short time she's become an absolutely awesome friend. (And she didn't even have to pay me to say any of that!).

Love the process... I really do.

I Couldn't Wait...

2008-12-08T20:02:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to talk myself out of posting these all day! I wanted to do a post of a bunch of the pictures of my shoot with the triplets, with all the pictures together at once- not little tidbits at a time... I don't know exactly WHY that is~ "wow factor" perhaps.

However, it will be a while before I am ready to post them, so in the meantime, I'm way too impatient and I just couldn't resist posting these three pics...

I know............ WOW!!! They're so cute!