{I'm Back!}

Yeah, I'm back! We had a blast on our vacation but it's so nice to be home again and sleeping in our own beds and no longer living out of our suitcases. What an adventure! This was one of the best vacations I've had. We got to play with the kids in Mexico and be with my mom and dad. Then we got to have alone time in the Bahamas. What a treat! I took very few pictures on our vacation since I didn't want to have to worry about my camera when we were at the pool, on excursions, and at the beach. Also I brought my old camera that's not full frame so that was really hard to go back to. Note to self: Just bring my good camera on trips - it's worth it. But I did take a few pictures on the first stint of our trip (in Mexico).

We built sand castles on the beach and chilled on the shore.

Some of the pools were dedicated to kids with jungle gyms in the water and wave pools.

Tyler getting ready to jump off the waterfall into the water (horrible shot, but a memory was captured).

We ventured into town to check out the area and buy some yummy Mexican Vanilla (something I never leave Mexico without purchasing - it's the best Pure Vanilla for baking!).

While we were in town, we visited a beautiful Catholic Church

Where Brielle kneeled and prayed (not liking the camera on her but I snuck this shot).

And we played around

Poor Briella, we were looking for bracelets for her and tried on a few at several stores. By the time we left the third shop after taking off the bracelets we tried on her - her patience had run out. She didn't understand why we were letting her put on bracelets and then making her take them off without buying them. She was heartbroken and frustrated which let to a big'ole 2 year old temper tantrum. We couldn't help but laugh at her drama (bad mom and dad...) - she plopped herself in the middle of the sidewalk on a busy street, folder her arms, stuck her lower lip out and began to cry. Here she is in the midst of it all. Daddy shopped quickly to find her a bracelet to fit and soon she was calm and content again. Oh my... is this a sign of things to come?

{On Vacation!}

That's right! I'm leaving in 5 hours headed to the airport with my husband and kids! Woo hoo! We're spending a week in Mexico, Nuevo Vallarta, where we're meeting my parents. Tyler couldn't be more excited. He woke Jeff and I up this morning saying 'Let's chit-chat about Mexico' (he was there 2 years ago and remembers so he can't wait). And he packed his bag unbeknownst to me. I discovered it when I was starting to pack the kids' belongings. Too cute. After our time in Mexico Jeff and I are headed to the Bahamas for 5 days while the kids stay with their other grandparents in Arizona. We'll need a vacation after our vacation - don't you feel that way after traveling? Anyway, I just wanted to let you know so if you didn't see posts for a little bit or if I don't respond to your e-mails right away, this is why? I will be sure to get respond to any inquiries, or e-mails as soon as I return. :)

{Balloons, Giggles, Cupcakes & a Tea Party}

What more could a girl want? It was little Kendall's first birthday and we wanted to capture this special milestone right! I can't believe how happy this little girl was. Kellie, you are blessed to have such a happy, loving, cuddly little girl! Kendall has two older sisters who I'm sure are just as sweet as this little one. Anyway, the weather was great, such a relief after all the cold and rain we had the day before and the weeks leading up to this session. And it wasn’t windy so I could bring balloons that actually stayed put!I love doing one year birthdays because that means I get to bake!! I was up to my ears in cake batter and homemade frosting! My kids were thrilled since they knew this meant there would be extras for them. Anyway, I love baking so this was fun for me. Here are just a few of the images captured at yesterday’s session.

{Bubbles, bubbles...}

I wanted to play today with some indoor shots. My daughter had other things in mind and wasn't feeling very well, tummy ache - so this is all I got. Then I resorted to photographing some antique cameras I've collected. I love these old antique leather & metal cameras!! So many images captured on these cameras before they were considered unusable. Most of them still work - suprisingly. Anyway, it's crazy to think of what images could've been photographed using these classic old cameras. I'll never know...

{Timeless Black & White - Love them!}

I'm on a black & white kick these days {couldn't resist changing my blog banner AGAIN, I know - I'm ridiculously indecisive :) }. Maybe it's the cold weather, mist, fog, bare trees, and all the stillness that comes with the winter season that's drawing me to B&W images... who knows. Anyway, since it was too cold to go outside today, I took a couple photographs of Brielle indoors {I casually asked Tyler if I could get a few of him, but he politely said 'Not today mom'. So I didn't ask again}. But he told me during dinner that I can photograph him tomorrow - woo hoo! And since I've had to post-pone all my recent sessions because it's been so cold, I'm thrilled to be able to experiment, play and photograph my own children. I'm also working on a canvas wall display in our foyer, so I'm hoping to have more images to choose from with these quick moments that my kids are allowing me to snap away with my camera. Anyway, I miss photographing my clients but I'm thankful for these quick snippets of being able to photograph my kids, their life and who they are at this very moment. I'm sure you all will grow tired of seeing my children but there will be more variety to come...I promise!
Thank you for viewing my blog :)

Oh and I wanted to say hi to some photographers and aspiring photographers who've contacted me recently from London {Lone}, Canada {Katrina}, Germany {Niki}, and Ireland {Anne}. Thank you for your great e-mails - I love them!

{My Little Girl...}

I can't believe how grown up she looks (and she's only 2 and a 1/2)! Anyway, I finally have time to sift through the few pics I snapped of Brielle today and I a few more that caught my eye. She's not fond of this cold weather and you can tell by her seriousness. :) Anyway, I wanted to post these two before I went to bed!

{ Post-poned Sessions }

Due to the cold cold weather in the past couple of weeks, I've had to post-pone some sessions :( I hate doing that, but thankfully my clients are very understanding. I was testing the temperature this morning with my daughter, and brrr....it was cold! I should've looked at weather.com before heading out since it's not supposed to get warmer till this weekend. I actually like this change of weather {shrug} - it makes me want to get in my comfy clothes, bake bread (or cookies) and make hot cocoa with marsh mellows. Oh yummy! I promised Tyler we'd go to the library today so maybe after that. Anyway.....stay warm! Thanks for visiting my blog!

{Cyclones & Pop Rocks...}

What could be more fun on a Saturday night?! (Don’t answer that…) Since the kids & Jeff are under the weather we had to forgo our ‘game night ‘with friends and stay in. So we had ‘Science 101’ with the cyclone maker that Santa put in Tyler’s stocking. The kids were in complete awe over our crazy experiment – giggling, jumping up and down and focusing intently on what was going to happen next. We experimented with food coloring, bubbles and even Cheerios in the cyclone –we got crazy! Next we all tried the taboo ‘Pop Rocks’ – carbon dioxide packed candy. The kids were laughing at the popping sounds that crackled from their mouths. I remember eating Pop Rocks as a kid (after they were reintroduced to the market in the mid 1980’s after it was banned due to a false rumor). Remember that urban legend? Eating pop rocks and drinking soda would cause your stomach to explode – crazy! And remember the Mikey Kid from the Life cereal commercial? It was rumored that he was one of the victims - so not true.... last I heard he’s still alive and is shooting commercials (behind the camera) for Skippy Peanut Butter & Jell-0. Anyway, my kids didn’t have any adverse reactions to the Pop Rocks {plus they don’t drink soda, so no worries there}. Wow, how much more exciting can a Saturday night be?! Okay, so our Friday night dance parties {aka RAVES} with the kids come pretty darn close – I know. ;-) Anyway, the kids had a blast – here are some snapshots from our night.

{It's Raining, It's Pouring...}

the kids are having fun exploring... And while they are having fun - they are running in the house every few minutes to warm up. Then it's back outside to stomp in the puddles until their little noses turn red, and their cheeks are flush. I couldn't bring my camera out in the rain (well, I could've- with an umbrella but didn't). Yes, it's cold, shivering, freezing out!! I enjoy this change but it also has forced me to push several sessions out to the Spring and other dates in hopes the weather warms. Soooo, that means that spring is going to be busy but fun! I have some exciting new things planned for 2008 so during these cold days I'll be working on getting those up and running.

{Goose Bumps}

Yesterday's session was a cold one! It didn't look very cold outside, but there was a bitter chill in the air and it seemed to get colder by the minute.

The kids were good sports and little Jack (4 and a half) had me running around as he explored the area. I love this weather, it was a bit on the chilly side for the kiddos - but they hung in there.
Here are just a couple of the images captured during our session. :)