Thursday, December 11, 2008

New babies never get old
















I think I could photograph a new baby every day and it would never get old. One of my dear friends just had their third baby!! I am so happy to have been able to share this special tiny moment with them. What a blessing just in time for Christmas! Welcome to the world baby Andrew. Big brother and sister are so good with him, what a blessing it must be to be born into such a loving family! Congrats Shannon and Jason

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

CHRISTMAS CARDS ARE COMMING OUT MY EARS!!!
















First I have to say to all my loyal blog followers I am sorry for not updating lately. I learned last night that people look to my blog daily for new images and stories, I guess I just assumed since I didn't do that that no one had time to do that, but I was wrong. Thanks for enlightening me on what I am missing out of!!! I was telling a friend of mine that and she said "oh yeah me too, ! I look at about 5 different ones daily" OK, so it typically takes me a little longer to catch on to things so bare with me!!! My days, nights, weekends, and every spare minute has been designing Christmas cards!! I love doing it. I am so blessed to do what I love to do. I have to post an email I got today. What a nice thing to hear in the morning. This is April George's card, if you need a good nail artist you have to check her out at Signature Hair Salon, thanks April,

Hey Amy! Just thought i would let you know about the response from my Christmas cards. I have had an unbelievable amount of people telling me how awesome they are. I mean, people calling me out of the blue just to tell me how much they love our card. Even guys! It is so funny. I tell them I had nothing to do with it, it was all your creativity. Thank you! Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!April George
The thing she has wrong is that she did have something to do with it, her and many others of you trust me to do my best, you trust me with your children, and you trust that I am going to capture your family and create a story of how in love you are with your family. Thank you all for your trust, your business and your friendship.
So many of you are asking about the family with little Gavin, I heard from his mom as well recently, here are her kind words.

Amy- I just want to Thank you for all of the pictures that you did for us and the DVD that you also did for the funeral. It really means a lot to us and we watch the DVD a lot at nights with Angel. She talks about her little brothers all the time and know she has some really nice pictures with her and Gavin to look. You were so great to our family words can not express how Thankful we were to have you come and do this for us. Thanks again for everything.

OK, off to make another card, and get my little girl off to bed! Thank you again to all of you who care about my work, my clients and my mission to touch lives. With out you it would not be possible. God Bless you all...Amy

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving
















I am just finishing up for the night and wanted to share with you how grateful I am and Thankful I am to have what I have. I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man, he is so thoughtful, romantic and best of all the most amazing honest Christian man, seeing him with our children has made me love him on such a deeper level. I have the best kids a mom could ask for, I see so much of myself in my daughter and wow, that is so fun!!! testing at times, but most of the time like I am watching in a mirror. The love that only a son could give was something moms told me about when I was pregnant with my little Phin man, and now I totally get it. I am so in love with that little man, his snuggles, his open mouth kisses, and best of all, his unconditional love. Then my family, I am so thankful for you all. I couldn't do what I do with out you. I love that I can count on you at all times. I have amazing friends, thank you thank you. Then my clients, I am so blessed to do what I do, and with out you, that wouldn't be possible. Thank you for believing in me, thank you for trusting your children with me, and best of all, thank you for allowing me to be creatively crazy with my off the wall ideas!!! It has been such a fun start to Christmas season, long nights, but hearing the kind words you all say makes it so worth it. I had to share one of the best compliments I have gotten in a long time. After about an hour of a family session the dad, a doctor, said "Your job is harder than surgery" mm mm, I was honored to take that compliment, to me it is as easy as eating pie!! Which I can smell as I type this. Kevin is making 6 pies for Thanksgiving, well actually 8, but we have already donated the first 2, the next 6 we take to our families houses. OK, off to make a couple more ordered before the holidays. Stay safe, tell your loved ones you are thankful for them, and love on your kids one extra time for me!!! Love you all,,,










Oh, pics are some of my recent favorites!!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Touching story, remarkable family, treasured boy






I know that most of my blogs are light hearted, funny and somewhat touching, tonight I have to tell you about a story that will touch your soul to the core. I am involved in a volunteer program called "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep" www.nilmdts.com I and about 6 other photographers in the community get called into the hospital to take pictures of babies that are not expected to live, still born, or on life support with not much chance of making it. I get asked all the time how I do this, but when I am called to do this I feel so honored, and so touched that I would be able to some how make this family's journey of healing a tiny bit more bearable. I was called to photograph this little boy, Gavin, on a Sunday, we were eating Sunday family lunch, my family helped me with my kids, I went home got my camera, and went to the hospital, I didn't know what I would be walking into, I was praying the whole way there that Gavin's last breath would not be while I was photographing him, but if it did happen that way that the Lord would prepare me, and give me the words, and strength to continue to do what they needed me to do. Give them memories that they had been cut short of. I did the session and he was still on the life support when I left, I went home, prayed, called my prayer team,(thanks Donna, Jade, Kelli, and Kristin) and hugged my children a little tighter that night. Then waited. I didn't hear anything, I thought it was one of the cased where they can't bear to see the images, so I wait for them to call. I got another call the following Wednesday from the hospital, I explained I was in a session and I didn't know how long it would be before I could make arrangements to reschedule things and get there, then they told me that the family would wait until I got there to remove the life support. (The picture above is the tubes being removed from little Gavin.) I told them that as soon as I could I would wrap it up, make sure my kids got picked up and headed for another night at the hospital. This time it was a much different story, they wanted me to be there. I started praying the second I got the call, "are you sure Lord you really want me there?" "Are you sure I have the strength to do this" I called back to the hospital, and they said if you can't make it tonight they will wait till the morning. I was able to make it happen. In the grand scheme of things, what really matters is that this family has these images to cherish for ever. We didn't know at this point how long he would stay alive with out the life support. I again was concerned where I would be. The doctors told me it could be minutes or he could pass away in his sleep tonight. This family had a loss of another son last year, they had to do the same thing, I found out later that their other son lived 15 minutes after the removal of the life support. Little Gavin, the fighter, lived for a one more week. That following Wednesday Gavin went home to be with the Lord. How blessed I am to have been able to meet him, touch him, and know his family. His little sister's name is Angel, how fitting. I couldn't help but photographing her showing her little baby brother the bear she had gotten for him to play with. The tender care she gave when she dressed him. I couldn't help but think of my little girl who loves nothing more than to play with her brother. All of this to say... hold your children close tonight, pray a special prayer for the families who are loosing their children as you read this, pray for strength, guidance and above all, unveiling love that will give them comfort when nothing else will.

Thank you so much Brian and Marla for letting me share Gavin's story. I know that he was only here for a short time, but in that time he touched so many lives, and will continue to do so.

Thank you so much for the friends I have that I can count on to get me threw this. Thank you to many of my clients who reschedule your appointments so I can make these sessions, and accept late orders so I can put these orders threw!! God Bless you all.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

OUT of Room


Ok, here is the deal, i am so out of hard drive space I can not finish a Christmas card untill I buy another hard drive, sorry Deanna!!! That means I am so crazy busy, that is a good thing, but also that I have so many images they are taking over. So I will be offering previous sessions to be purchased. I will be sending a letter, but will take requests untill the letter gets out!!! The sessions need to have had a full complete order made on the session and they must be over 6 months old. Will fill you in on more details as they become avaiable. So, I guess this means my Saturday night will not working, it will be spending the night watching movies and eating popcorn with my husband,... he will be so excited. Have I mentioned you should all see the movie "Fireproof" it was amazing. Anyway, Have a great weekend, and expect a slight delay untill I can get more space on my computer. Here are some images from an amazing session recently...

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Family Pictures!






Ok so I really think I have the best looking nieces and nephews!! I told my sister today, that her kids just now how to move!! I guess all those years of me barking orders at them is paying off. Another Christmas card marked off the list!! Actually make that two. I did two sessions today for family and a friend from out of state, and designed two cards. Off to enjoy the extra hour we have today, well, I guess that was this morning but I haven't taken the time to enjoy it yet!!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

more Chicago Fun!!




Chicago Style Fun





For Kevin's 30th birthday I surprised him with a trip to Chicago, and tickets to the Cubs game. He said it was a dream come true!! We had such an amazing time. Then a couple of years later he surprised me with a trip there and he purposed to me on top of the John Hancock building. We had a short engagement, and no engagement pictures. So we recently went back to Chicago went to another Cubs game, the one where they "clinched" it, (I am new to baseball terms) any way a big deal to Cubs fans. While we were there I hired a photographer for an engagment session. But there were some stipulations, it must be at sunset, and it must have the John Hancock building in the back ground at some point of the session, and last but not least, I want to buy all of the copyrights to the session. Yeah!!! So I started saving and planning, and saved some more!! I am right there with you guys, good photography isn't cheap!!!!! Hhahha. Any way we had the time of our life! It was like we were dating again, it was so fun, So I wanted to share some of the images with you. If anyone needs a chicago photographer, let me know, I loved him! We are actually planning to re-new our vows and I already have him semi-booked! That is if we have the wedding in Chicago!! Any how, this is what it looks like when I have fun, and when I am on the other side of the lens!! But don't get me wrong, I was still directing, but from the other side!!!! Enjoy...

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Millie






How cute is that name, just about as cute as this precious little girl. I am so touched to be photographing for this family. I photographed their wedding, and now little Amelia is almost 1 and I am able to capture their family together for her first family session. I haven't went through all the images, but I did happen to pop these ones in just to encourage you moms. The image of little Amelia pulling at her mom's mouth, I think too many times we are in such a hurry, or it will mess up our lipstick, (for those fortunate souls who get to wear lipstick!) and we just don't let them investigate. Thank you Kelly for sharing this moment with your daughter. This is one of the many moments you will be able to remember that you did take the time to just let her look into your eyes, study your face, and have that special moment with you. It reminds me of when we watch our children sleep, such a peaceful time but you have to remind your self to just let them. They are taking it all in, so you should too.!!! Mike you were a trooper as well, thank you for your help, your fake sneezes, and your encouraging in site on all the new products I should be getting!! I love talking shop talk to anyone who can!!! OH by the way guys, and girls, Mike gave Kelly this session in a gift certificate, what an awesome gift, let me know if you need one for the holidays!!!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

My Phin Man







I can not believe that my little Phin man is almost one year old already. I feel like I still haven't caught up from my maternity leave!!! What an amazing day God gave us today, a little windy but we had so much fun as a family. Most importantly we got Phin's 11 month images taken, looked at and decided on and the kids are both sound asleep and it is a little after 7pm, that is what I call a blessed day!! Next on the agenda, continue planning the kid's birthday party, Phin's is going to be Miami Dolphin's themed party, and Mariana's is going to be a Bridal party, cause she wants to have a dance and fancy dresses!! So pictures need to be taken, birthday trees are almost up and decorated. We make them a birthday tree, kind like a Christmas tree, but with fun bright blue for Phin, and bright pink for Mariana lights and decorations. Then I put up 12 wallets from that year along with little un-Christmas like ornaments. Then most importantly their birthday presents go under it with birthday paper, not Christmas paper!!! I have to do this because Mariana's birthday is December 22nd. So I feel like I have to go way out to make sure she has a separate day special for her. And now that Phin is having his first birthday we decided to do the same with him. It's all in a days work for a mom huh. I am off, now that the kids are in bed, Kev and I get to watch our DVR'ed Amazing Race! Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the weekend. opps, BTW the picture of Phin with his mouth open and facing to the left, he is blowing a bubble with his spit, he will sit there and master the bubble blowing for like 5 minutes at a time. My mom is convinced that he is a genius, I tell her it is probably an autistic sign and I don't know about it yet. Let's pray not!!!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

my other little Finley





Guess what, I have another little Finley in my life, this beautiful little girl. I had so much fun today, I was able to play dress up and have fun. Can I just tell you this moms, pictures do not have to be stressful, come when baby has slept, eaten, and come to have fun. If you don't come with a zillion expectations, I really think you will be pleasantly surprised!! Thank you Sara for sharing your beautiful daughter with me.

These other fun little diddies, are a new label I designed, yeah, I took the pictures and they will be on the label of clothing, more info to come when available!!!!


Off to Woman of Faith, I will come back a better mom, wife, and person.....I hope!!!!!!!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

My Man...well, one of them






Boy I guess I should specify when I say that. Have you ever meet someone and when you do, your heart says that they will be there for a while, that you have just become a better person because they came into your life, that their life has officially touched yours. That is Brayden to me. My heart melted the first time we meet, he was only two weeks old, and now I just celebrated his 1st birthday with him. It has been an amazing year.

My advice to you, if you have meet that person, make sure they know, if you haven't meet that person, maybe you have and you have not taken the time to acknowledge the feelings, or you may not have meet that person and you will, just remember, every person you come in contact with has the potential to change your life forever....did you change someones?, you might have and just don't know it, you never know how powerful a smile, kind word or nice gesture can be to someone.

I feel so blessed to be able to have this amazing relationship with so many of my clients, I need to come up with a better word than client, because you are all so much more, you are my friends, you make me want to be a better person and a better photographer. Thank you Dana for sharing your little boy with me, I will always remember him being shy and putting his head in your arms, and his little wave, it is defiantly a famous wave, get ready for a big future!!!

Love you all......