Ashley and Mark

My career suites me so well, going 500 miles an hour in 80 different directions. I just got the van loaded up for a wedding tomorrow. Tonight I photographed their rehearsal dinner and had so much fun, it is fun to see people you weren't expecting to see there. Thank you to all of you loyal Blog fans, I must get a comment every day regarding my blog, sorry it has been a while, I haven't been able to tell if I am coming or going lately!! God bless you all, I will post some of their wedding highlights when time allows,....wow that is a funny statement, ..not sure when that will be!!! Have a great weekend,

My successful day

I had an amazingly successful day today. (By the way, it is fun to learn what it means to others to have a successful day) Write it and tell me what "Your successful is!!"
My successful day started waking next to Phin's elbow crammed in my kinked neck after a restless night of teething. I love the way he snuggles!! I woke up with him around 6am, I thought I would be a nice wife and let my husband sleep in... Mariana woke up at her usual 6:45ish,. and we began our morning. MMM who gets a shower first? Around here who ever is the dirtiest gets it first, then if I am lucky I get one!!! We all got showered, threw in a load of laundry and were almost ready for church.. woke up dad, gave him his orders and we were off, I did my usual make-up in the car and we arrived at the punctual 10:31... went to an awesome church service then we were invited out to my Dad's to PICK veggies out of his garden. Ok, let me remind you all here, I am not the most domestic person to say the least. So picking vegetables out of a garden where I was convinced snakes and mice lived was a little intimidating at first and then I really got into it. Well it was I either got into it or the heat waves made me think I was enjoying it. We picked and picked and picked. I really did have a lot of fun, it was my dad and I and Mariana. I couldn't help but think of my grandparents, how they did all that. Plant a garden grow vegetables, clean them, cook them and still enjoy them. Well I think I have shared with you all I am making all of Phin man's food, so a 3 gallon bucket of beans sounded fun to me. So we picked....and picked...and picked. Came home, made 2 roasts one for us and one for my dad of coarse using all the things we picked, and then froze one bag of veggies for the next time we have roast. Then I pealed 89 thousand potatoes, cleaned a million carrots and about died cleaning onions. And that my friend is what I am claiming as "successful!!" I made Phin his food, the last of it is boiling now. Mariana had so much fun helping. I have the bucket of beans to do tomorrow and 3 pounds of strawberries to clean, but I am having so much fun doing this. Yes a little more time consuming than buying a jar of carrots, but look at the quality time I was able to have standing for 19 hours in my kitchen, while trying to keep my 3 year old from knocking over her brother. Great memories!!!
As I was saying prayers with Mariana she said her favorite part of today was the "pickin' in the garden like the olden days" I wish it could be more common, but for now it works having it at Papa's. Back to the success part. Being with my family, creating memories, and doing things my grandma's did is fun to me. Teaching my kids that making meals together is fun. The last part of the successful day is my husband making dinner, and the kids, yes both in bed AND asleep by 7:30. Mariana by 7:10 and Phin at 7:20. Life is good. But not always, just rare days like today. Believe me bedtime doesn't always happen that way, and dinner isn't always cooked my my wonderful husband. But today stuck out to my that is why I am sharing!!! Thank you all for the emails, I guess this blog thing is becoming a hit. I am hearing from so many to keep the "real life" coming.
Thank you all so much for your love and support. I couldn't do what I do with out everyones encouraging words. Life is good. Well, I better go to bed early while I have the chance!!!

Happy Engagment!

As a wedding photographer I am in the position to see a bride at her best and sometime her worse!! I have learned so much about "the big day" as I try to tell a story with my images. What I haven't been able to do as much as I want is to hear the beginning of the story. Tonight I was touched by one couple's courageous determination to continue to live life to it's fullest after so many set backs. I think sometimes we take for granted that our dad will be there to walk us down the isle, our brother will be our best man, or sister will be our maid of honor. Life is sometimes cut so short, but the desire to continue is such an awesome step of Faith. I will pray for continues strength as you plan this big day with spectators both here and looking down from above. Thank you again for inviting me into your world. You all are so strong, and you are such an inspiration.

Slower Pace... it is possible..look for bugs with a little boy!!!

Another fun little session. Thank you so much Brody for showing me a new way to look at trees, dirt and bugs. Seeing life threw a 2 year olds eyes is a whole new world. It is a huge world...they hear an airplane and it lights up their face, they see a bug fly by and it makes there moment... I love how simplistic their life is, so easy, so enjoyable. Stopping and seeing what rocks a little boys world pushed me to a slower pace, I love the fact that I can slow down. Thank you little Brody for welcoming me into your world. And to you Cayden, you are the BEST big brother ever. I could have never done it with out you. You are the best back pack carrier and the best reflector holder ever!!! Thank you Heidi for sharing your boys with me!

Take time to appreciate the dirt

Can you believe that my little man is becoming a big man?! Little Phin turned 8 months old. So my family got out to some highly infested bug sanctuary to do another session. I am so blessed. While I was trying to keep Mariana out of my light, keep my husband holding the reflector correctly and balance where I was telling him to put Phinley, I learned a little lesson. Well maybe a big lesson. Being a photographer I have been blessed with the capability to produce perfect images, some that have some times been good enough for a billboard. Last night my work road and motherhood road crossed paths.
I was working so hard to get the perfect 8 months shot of Phin-man, Mariana was helping, but defiantly was not dressed for the occasion! Mariana had food slopped down her shirt, hair not brushed and no pretty (bow)....those are must have for pictures right. Nope, I learned that her perfect little face will only be this little today, her little messed up dirty shirt, not matching shoes will only work for today. One day she may insist that she match, have expensive brand name clothes, and refuse to help me with her little brother's pictures. She just wanted to help me, make my picture better, make her brother smile, and all the while I didn't take the time to compliment that. I was more worried about the perfect shot. Pictures are meant to tell a story. So my lesson last night and today is, let them, don't gussy them up to be something they are not. Let the dirty face ones make the cut, let the miss matched shoes make the cut, let the kicking, screaming ones be part of the story you are telling. Little Phin is bowing his head in these, that one is my favorite, he had had enough. Man what it must be like to be a photographer's child huh!!!!! Thank you Lord for always finding a way to help me see life how You want me to see it. Thank you for showing me those little pockets of joy that I miss most of the time because I am too busy to see them, I think from now on my motto will not be, "take time to smell the flowers" but "take time to appreciate the dirt" Well there you go, I am real, I am a mom, and I don't have a lot of extra time on my hands, but what I do have I love to allow my kids to make me a better person.

Sydney Update

The birth I posted a couple of weeks ago of baby Sydney is now updated!! Here she is, a little cleaner, bigger and so sweet. She is loved by big sister and brother...hats off to mom...3 babies under 3!! Thank you Lord for our little blessings, and for patience. My latest prayer has been for endurance, it seems like motherhood is one big race, and needing endurance has been huge to me. Thank you again for giving me the honor or photographing such an amazing time of your babies life. I feel so blessed. Birth announcements are coming!!!

little natalie

Thank you so much little Natalie for another amazing session. Just a couple of fun shots from Natalie's flower patch session. Natalie is one of my clients that I have been photographing since birth. I am so blessed to be able to share these mile stones with so many beautiful children. Thank you so much for your commitment to your children to make sure that they get what the first child gets!! That is a hard commitment to make. Suggestions to all, just schedule ahead, put it in the calender and schedule around it, and make it happen.

I am crazy busy, so thank you all for your patience with call backs and emails that you get at midnight, I know some times those emails that I type that late are a little scketchy. Home front is doing well, little Phin-man is turning into a big Phin man, he got his first tooth yesterday, started crawling 3 days before that, and is just adding so much to our lives. I am takeling home made baby food, and it is going well, any suggestions or good recipes are always welcome.

Happy Birthday to my beautiful sister today...

Happy camping to our family, we will be leaving Sunday on our first camping trip....talk to you all when I return, if I come home in one piece, I will probablly be one big fat mesquito bite, but I am trying it. I think as long as there is good food, fun people and family, it can't be that bad.

Have a good weekend