Beautiful family

Okay...so I've been very bad about blogging! It's not that I don't want to, it's just hard finding the time to do it. I'm considering going to block scheduling in order to impose some order on my life and business and hopefully schedule in things like blogging. I love to look at other blogs, and know it must be frustrating that I don't post very often.

So here it is!! My half-year resolution: I will blog more often!! There! I said it and now I can't deny it!

Here are some shots from a recent portrait session in Brentwood. I can't say enough wonderful things about this family. The love they share was so obvious during the time we spent together. They are very close and obviously respect each other a great deal. I was honored to meet them and take their pictures.

I also love the color and vibrance of their traditional attire, but I also felt something deeper coming out of these images and thought it would be best expressed in an antique sort of look. Changing from the vibrant color created a different type of mood which worked well in many of the images I captured. I did prefer the happier full color for the group shots because it better relayed the joyfulness and love in this family

Sweet children

Dennis went to the Predator's game last night, and I was dog tired getting the kids ready for bed alone. After I'd tucked them in bed, I found this sweet note on my bathroom sink. Alex, my 9 1/2 year-old, created it after his shower. If you've ready the Love Languages series, you know that we all express our love in different ways. In all honesty, this is not Alex's love language, but he was speaking mine! I love to get little notes and cards--from family, friends, long-lost acquaintances--and this totally touched my heart.

Nicole and I were scrapbooking 2 nights ago, paging through old photos of my three as babies. I couldn't believe how quickly those memories come flooding back! To see little Nicole with the pin curls all over her head, or Alex with his chubby belly wearing my high heels! Oh! What a bittersweet moment. Treasure those little ones; they are gifts from God.

Baby Eli

Hello, everyone! I really wanted to get these photos posted before I left for Las Vegas, but that just didn't happen! Two of my closest friends, Holly and Tadd, had Eli February 10th, one day before his due date. What a precious little guy! Holding him and listening to his cute little noises took me back to when my own children were born. Birth is such a miracle and a blessing from above.

It was a cloudy day and the light was pretty poor in the hospital room, so I had to photograph them as close to the window as possible. I love their serene expressions and the adoration you can see in their faces. Congratulations Holly and Tadd!

Deborah's fitness photos

My friend Deborah--spin instructor and writer extraordinaire--is working on a fitness book for moms and asked me to shoot some headshots as well as some fitness photos for her. The night before, we thought we might have to cancel since the freezing temps caused the schools to cancel for the following day. She confessed that she'd already invested in a spray tan, and hadn't eaten for two days in preparation for the photo shoot! We decided not to cancel and just let her kids and my kids play together (along with a babysitter Deb brought). So glad we didn't cancel! Deb looked awesome and was a fabulous model. As you can tell from these images, she is very fit and photogenic. Here's a preview.

Behind the scenes: Christmas 2008 shoot

Many of you received our Christmas card this year. What you Don't know is what went on behind the scenes. It was a chilly day, so between their individual shots, the children huddled in the van parked nearby! Gabrielle wouldn't be serious (big surprise!), and then had a meltdown towards the end--hence the photo of her crying while the other two decided to act silly. Finally, they were freaked out due to a hole in the caboose window that could have been made by a bullet (or a rock--I quickly pointed out).

Anyway, enjoy the lighter side!

The Keith Family

What a great time we had taking these pictures! Even Marley the dog got into the action. She was very well behaved for most of our session, but lost her patience toward the end and stole a headband while the family made chase to get it back. These are all going to be part of their Christmas card--I can't wait to get started on it.

My birthday

I celebrated my birthday this weekend with friends and family. It has long been a tradition in my family of origin to drag out birthdays for as many days as possible. I think in the past I have had birthdays lasting upwards of a month!! So, celebrating for a mere 3 days seemed a bit limited.

My kids got me some awesome earrings and a bracelet, and Dennis surprised me with an Iphone!! I am still trying to get used to it, but can already tell it's going to be loads of fun. Now I just have to figure out how to "twitter."

Here are a couple of pics of the gourmet cupcakes the family got me. If gourmet cupcakes have not yet hit your area, beware: they are coming! Get ready to slap down $3 to go with your $4 latte from Starbucks down the street! These came from Ivey Cake (www.iveycake.com).