Why we had to buy a mini van last night...

Never say never, or so I have learned. I learned that this saying is extremely applicable to most all of parenting. Like even right now I am letting my kids watch a portable DVD player with Baby Einstein as they sit strapped in their high chairs - hey, don't judge. I said I would never do that either and here we are :) Well we also never thought we would have twins but they blessings far outweigh the challenges! We also never thought that I would be writing this 10 weeks pregnant with baby number 3! Yes friends, I am expecting our third child on June 1st! It has come as a huge surprise to us to be expecting again while our twins are only 16 months old, but we are embracing God's plan for our family!

So also never say never to the mini van. I SWORE I would never drive one of these things and now it's really the only thing that will make sense for our family of 5. We will have 3 kids under the age of 2 who will all need car seats for some time so this makes the most sense. I felt all my last ounces of "cool" that I might have had left melting away last night as I signed the papers for our "new to us" Toyota Sienna. Hey - if you haven't heard though, it's really called a "Swagger Wagon!" I definitely can't complain though, it's super nice and has all the gadgets a young family could need. We are thankful for God's provision (it was literally an even trade with our Highlander and we walked away with an even smaller payment than previously!). My husband said to me "you aren't cool anymore, you're a mom"....haha thanks honey!

So there you have it, we've had a week of the sickies at our house and along with my prego self it has been good to stay in pajamas and snuggle until we all felt better. I am looking forward to see what it's like to just carry one baby at a time :) And yes, we did see a healthy strong heartbeat last week and confirmed it was only ONE!

Here are some pics, one of our new van and one of our new baby! Happy Friday!

Pebbles & BamBam wish you happy Monday!

Whew, we had a busy weekend which of course means that the kids are coming down with something at the same time! Hopefully it's just a cold with the change of seasons but you know how that goes. I had my last round of fall mini sessions, a halloween party, the ceremony to lay my grandfather's ashes to rest, and Halloween itself all over the weekend. We had a lot of fun as a family this past weekend as well. If you didn't catch this picture yet on facebook, here are M & D in their costumes :)

Mini Sessions aren't just for kiddos!

I know some of you out there might think that mini sessions might just be for kids or families. Not the case at all! Here are some nice examples of how couples (& their pets :) can take advantage of a great mini session as well! These are all personal friends of mine and I know what you are thinking "Emily, you have great looking friends" - I couldn't agree more! :) I also hope you see that I have friends with a great sense of humor, hence the pumpkin photo! 

Happy Saturday night!

confessions

I haven't done confessions in a while & I realize they are normally on friday or Monday but I feel it's time to confess...

1. I ate taco bell for lunch and it hit the spot! I always make fun of my husband for liking it but every once in a while I like it too :)

2. I found the funniest show yesterday on A & E called "billy the exterminator!" No joke! He's a redneck with a mullet from Louisiana but I had a great time watching him catch a rattle snake and try to coral some turkeys. Seriously... 

3. I TRIED to stay away from the real housewives but to no avail. I watched the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills & my jaw hit the floor a few times! I think it secretly does make me feel better that money truly can't buy your happiness or fix your chaos!

4. I have already been Christmas shopping here and there. Do you know it's just shy of 2 months away people?!

5. I have let my kids have their first lolly pops and they love them! 

6. I have been dreading making dinner lately. I am out of ideas & steam as to what to make. I hate grocery shopping with 2 kids also so it makes it even more challenging...I actually need to own food to cook :)

Six is not my usual number but that's all the confessions I have for today!
Happy Wednesday friends!

More Mini Sessions!

You might remember my little friend Christian from a year ago. His Aunt stole him for an afternoon so that we could do a photo session and surprise his mommy at Christmas. It was a great success! This year I got to have the whole family in front of my lens which was a special treat. Christian got a little brother, Chase, in the last year so we definitely needed to get some pictures of him too! I had tons of fun with this family at the Hagley sessions. Enjoy!

Making New Friends

One great part of this season's mini sessions was getting to make new friends. I have great clients that refer me to their friends and because of that, I get great new families in front of my camera! Melanie contacted me about getting some photos of her gorgeous family during the Hagley Museum session. Enjoy these few images from their session! Such a beautiful family!

 

Sweet Katelynne

I got to meet Katelynne when she was brand new and still in the hospital. It's always a compliment when a family becomes a repeat client and I get to watch a baby grow! You might actually remember that I got to do Katelynne's mommy's maternity photos last spring so it really has been a wonderful progression of life to get to see and photograph. Little Katelynne is already 6 months old so her parents decided to celebrate with a mini-session. Here are just a few of this adorable family & their sweet little girl!

My buddy Luke

This is my buddy Luke. He just turned one! He's is one of my kids little pals & he was such a great sport during his session on Saturday. He didn't even have a nap but was giving us smiles left and right. Maybe he smelled the cider donuts and thought he might get one for being a good boy? He's just as sweet as he can be! Enjoy!

Kelsey's Senior Pics

Last week on a gorgeous fall day my cousin Kelsey and I headed to Odessa to do her senior portrait session. I know what you are thinking, "Emily you have a lot of beautiful cousins" and to that I say, "yes I do!" (I had two beautiful girl cousins graduate last year from college and you might remember seeing their sessions last spring) Kelsey is a senior in high school and is actually quite a photographer herself. We had a blast wandering around Odessa, chatting photography, life and everything else while we did her session. Kelsey is as sweet as is she is pretty and I have no doubt she will go very far in life! She's also a twin, she has a brother, so I imagine some day she will have lots of good advice for Macy on how to survive with a twin brother :)  

October Wedding

I love me a fall wedding and a couple weekends ago was no exception! Martha and James had a gorgeous day to say "I do." I am a little behind blogging this but wanted to share a few images from their day! Congrats Martha & James!

2am

I have been having a hard time sleeping. I have laid off the caffeine and everything but it's not really working. My mind is always busy thinking and it's cutting into my zzz's! Tonight is no different except that I have decided to actually get out of bed and see if I can't be productive for a few minutes and see if I can't wear myself out. I am jealous though, even my dog is happily snoring! Mostly I just have thoughts swirling about my family, my business, etc. I was laying there thinking over the mini sessions this weekend, how fun they were but how exhausted I am...haha, I know laying awake at 2 am thinking about my exhaustion...twisted.

You might remember a few weeks ago when I tweeted about being on a photo shoot of my own. Two very talented ladies at Luminosity Photo, Tammy & Stephanie, did a shoot for me to get some updated shots of myself. We had a lot of fun around Middletown, DE one morning. Here are a few shots from the session and I have a feeling you will be seeing some more of them around the website! Check them out over at www.luminosityonline.com  Thanks girls for a great session!

Monday Confessions

 Last week was epically long for lots of reasons but mostly it was because the things that were happening made me lose track of day, time and everything else. So here are some Monday confessions to get back on track!

1. Thanks to those of you who sent kind letters or wrote kinds words to me and my family over the last week. It truly does mean so much.

2. My house was so dirty and there were no groceries in our house last week. We ate at places like papa johns, moes, chick fila, capriottis, and other establishments more than I can admit!

3. It's interesting to watch kids when you are going through something tough..at my kids age they didn't know the difference so they kept on trucking. It almost made it more difficult though, I wanted to say "hey, sit here and be sad with me" but instead they kept on playing. This quality was a good distraction though the rest of the time!

4. To all of you photo clients that were patient with me, I very much appreciate it! I have inundated people with phone calls and emails today trying to catch up!

5. I am super excited about Holiday Mini Sessions this upcoming weekend! If you missed the boat on this, email me because I might have a secret date to share with you. I might be trying to squeeze in one more ;)

6. I was seriously hoping for fall weather but it skipped to winter to something?! It's freezing today..I won't complain or did I just?!

7. I am thankful for modern conveniences like dishwashers, laundry washers and dryers. I would never get anything done without them!

8. There are bugs attacking our house from every angle, stink bugs, spiders, you name it. We have been on the prowl for bugs and I am over it! Go away stink bugs!

9. Matt & I sat eating nacho dip for our dinner in front of the tv last night like a picnic...it was super :)

10. Remember how we needed groceries?! Well we went to Walmart to get some today and Macy decided that she would like to scream and cry about 2/3 of the time we were in there. Yeah, I was that mom with that kid today..oh well, guess it was my turn.

Happy Monday friends! There will be photo related posts this week too, don't you worry!

So this is goodbye

(this is an epic, honest post...just sayin)

You never know when that phone call will come. For me it came last night at 7pm when I was trying to wrestle my kids into the bath tub. Thankfully my husband was home & I literally kissed everyone & ran out the door. My dad told me that "we might have lost Grandpa for good tonight." As I drove to meet the ambulance not knowing what I would find there, I prayed and cried and tried to drive like a sane person. So many emotions rush in... sadness, grief, confusion, anger, love, worry..and the list goes on. You see, I am 28 years old and have been spoiled to have all four of my grandparents my entire life. "So this is what this feels like" I remember thinking. 

If you know me at all, Grandpa has had a long road of health issues. In fact, he's a bit of a bionic man with so many replacements. Just earlier this year he had his knee replaced and had been doing so well these last months. His passing was entirely unexpected and in fact, he was supposed to leave today for his 65th high school reunion in Kansas. He was so excited and it was all he could talk about. Even moments before he passed Grandma was talking to him and something to the effect of "if you aren't feeling well, we might need to cancel this trip" and his reply was "no way, we are going." Then he pretty much just laid down, drew breath and that was it. His 83 long and wonderful years drew to a close. He didn't suffer, his tired heart just literally stopped. 

I could go on and on about how I have seen God's grace to us in the last 24 hours but I won't (at least in this post). I really just want to celebrate what an amazing man I had to say goodbye to last night. He was born in a small town in Kansas...managed to live through things like the Great Depression, World War II and even had such accomplishments as a college degree. I tell you just last week the man was on email and using his digital camera :) His passion for learning never ceased to amaze me. He has not worked for over 20 years so he has filled his retirement days with lots of genealogy research and many other pursuits. He never stopped having a passion for life, even when his health had him sitting in a chair most of the day, he continued to read and learn how to use new technology. I love the idea of the man telling me about wearing cardboard in his shoes as a kid sitting in his big recliner watching his flat screen. He was definitely a story teller & sometimes we would roll our eyes when he would start...now we'd give anything to hear one of those stories again. One of my favs was about he and his brother lighting horse "toots" with a match...sounds dangerous if you ask me :)

My last memory of seeing him alive is very sweet. It was just over a week ago, the twins and I invited ourselves over for lunch to see Grandma and Grandpa. Dean was running all over with Grandpa's cane and generally tearing the house apart but Dean would stop on his way by Granpda's chair to hug Grandpa's leg. We all got to eat lunch together at their dining room table just enjoying each other's company. I cannot even express how thankful I am for that now so sweet and special memory. 

As with many that grieve, a slideshow of memories has been playing through my head over the last 24 hours. All the sweet times together or things that made me laugh or things that made Grandpa well...Grandpa. Due to his retirement, he ALWAYS had time for his grandkids. In no certain order here are some favorites -

• grandpa teaching me to use a knife - he gave me a butter knife and stale pancakes and told me to go at it
• standing under grandpa as he sung in church- I always loved the sound of his church singing voice
• riding in his white pickup truck over to the park with our bikes in the back so we could take a spin
• grandpa patiently teaching me times tables, sitting at the desk in the upstairs office of our family hardware store
• grandpa letting me wash my play tea set in the sink like a real grown up doing dishes
• feeding and watching his birds in his back yard
• grandpa teaching me to fish on the lake at his beach house (& traumatizing me when he told me that the ducks weren't fighting, "dear it's mating season," I was like 8 & that's was too much info) 
• visiting grandpa's garden to see what happened to be growing
• sleepovers at grandma and grandpas
• grandpa "hiring" me to use my good handwriting on his genealogy projects - he knows a lot about who we are related to & kept great records...he knew way back to some relations with Ben Franklin & Betsy Ross
• my first trip to niagra falls
• dancing with grandpa at my wedding
• seeing grandpa hold his great grandchildren, my Macy & Dean, & still being here to celebrate their first birthday this summer

There are so many more memories thankfully...those were just some of the top few that stuck in my head. A lot of them small moments that turned into big memories for me. I know that bits of grandpa will live in all of us. I fear the days ahead when his chair is empty at the head of the dining table and he is not the one to say grace at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am hoping that these memories and his stories always stay with me and bring a smile to my face instead of a tear to my eyes. Right now though, there are still tears. 

Published in Delaware Bride

Hey friends, hope this week was good to you! I personally have a new bit of excitement this evening because the Fall/Winter issue of Delaware Bride was released today and I am officially published. I know it might seem small to some but I definitely am grateful and feel good about the photographic company I am among. The shot is one from Matt & Meghan's wedding in Lewes this past July. You will have to check it out online or in person at the news stand! If you are a bride to be, Delaware Bride is an amazing resource for local vendors and planning.

I also had a great opportunity this week to be mentored by another small business owner here in DE. JoAnne Hewlett of Make a Memory Delaware, wedding and event planning, was so gracious to come meet with me this week. She shared a lot of wisdom and honest to goodness feedback about my business. She also challenged me to take next steps in certain areas. I am so thankful for people who are willing to invest in others' lives & businesses. I certainly benefitted from JoAnne's kindness! If you need a wedding planner or want one of those super fun photo booths for your wedding, contact JoAnne because she will do a great job for you. Have a great weekend everyone!

Website Tweaks

Hey friends! Just wanted to say thanks to those of you who have given some honest, helpful, and insightful feedback on the new website. We will be making some tweaks possibly in days to come in relation to where the blog is located on the site. So just keep an eye out and don't get "scurred" if you don't see it right away - poke around the navigation bar & it just might have moved over. We love tips, even if it's just something to make it more user friendly. We have also heard great feedback on the logo - thanks friends - but we also know that it shows up a lil' too big on some your smaller computers and you can't see the rest of the site, leaving you to think that you should click on the logo. Anywho, thanks for letting us know. We are just thinking through the best business practices & such! If you have feedback, I would love to hear it!

"You're too Expensive"

I have heard this a bit lately and to be honest it can be a bit disheartening at times. If you know me at all, I LOVE a bargain but will also pay a pretty penny for quality things that last, including images of my family. Sometimes when I get turned down for work due to price, it really bugs me. It bugs me because I question myself but also at times it makes me feel like I need to defend or validate my time, talents, and business. I am trying to the best of my abitlity to make wise long-haul business decisions, while also offering my clients excellence. There's nothing like the feeling I get when I make a client happy. Like today for instance, my recent bride texted me this morning "I love them [pictures] so much! You are truly gifted! Thank you so much for capturing our day." What beats that?!

A Portland area Photographer, Courtney Jade , wrote an excellent blog post earlier this year about "the price." Here's an excerpt that I whole heartedly agree with!

"You invest SO MUCH time, money, sweat, tears, and brainpower planning this wedding. One of the most important days of your entire life. You spend MONTHS getting everything ready, planning, deciding, choosing, coordinating…. and your day goes by in what always seems like an instant. Gone too soon. When the make-up has been put on, the hair curled… when the seats have been filled with loving friends and family, and the vowes have been spoken…. when you’ve had your first kiss as ‘husband and wife’, and the crowd is cheering… when the cake has been cut, the bouquet tossed, and the garter retrieved, and the dances are over… when you get into that getaway car and finally have a moment to reflect on the day (maybe)… what will you remember? What about in five years? ten? twenty?

THIS is why your photography is so important. Too often it’s an afterthought for couples. And I’ve heard more times than not “I wish we would have hired a better photographer”, or “I was really unhappy with our photos”, or “I never thought about it that much”. And every time it breaks my heart. This is why I do what I do."  - quoted from Courtney Jade's blog

Thanks Courtney for expressing it perfectly and reminding me of why I do what I do!

Happy Tuesday friends!

Love is in the air, Alan & Nicole

Alan & Nicole have been friends of ours for quite some time now. In fact, I will tell an embarrassing story on myself. It was the first time that Alan & Nicole came over to our house for a game night with a few other friends. We were laughing and playing cranium I believe it was when I saw something scurry across the room. To my horror I realized it was a MOUSE!!! I screamed (I HATE HATE HATE mice) and then we proceeded to go to Acme for mouse traps at about 10pm. I was so embarrassed but it has come to be a funny story in our friendship. So what does this have to do with their wedding?? A whole lot of nothing other than we are the kind of friends who can look past each other's rodents (smile).

You might remember Alan & Nicole from their engagement session on the blog last winter. We had so much fun that day that we anticipated working together on their wedding day. Alan & Nicole had a beautiful outdoor ceremony over Labor Day weekend at Cavaliers Country Club and everything was absolutely beautiful, including the weather (it was the day after Hurricane Earl). Nicole is always a pretty girl but she was absolutely GORGEOUS on her wedding day. My camera couldn't get enough of her! I will let the rest of the pictures speak for themselves! Wishing you all the best Alan & Nicole!

Friday Confessions

1. I ate a huge & delicious pumpkin muffin from Dunkin Donuts yesterday and I have been dreaming all day about eating another one :)
2. I am still plugging through "Eat, Pray, Love" - it's an interesting read, just no time to read this week!
3. I am super excited for the upcoming Fall mini-sessions! (there are still a few spots, hint hint)
4. I am dying to travel somewhere I can't speak the language and the money looks fake! I haven't left the states since my honeymoon...and my passport expires next month. I am going to renew it though, in case one of you fabulous people decide that you NEED me at your destination wedding!
5. I have huge feet - size 10 or even 10.5 sometimes. Thank you Macy & Dean, they grew during pregnancy.
6. I am totally scared of birds & snakes. Have I confessed this before? Don't know - but it's still true!
7. Last week's yard sale finds included an awesome kids chair that I will be bringing to my fall mini-sessions.
8. I have been driving around with a package in my car for over 2 weeks that I need to mail to my best friend. The post office is not a kid friendly place!
9. Yesterday my kids got to each lunch with my grandparents, I love watching them interact. Having 4 generations in a room is amazing!
10. Epic Mom Fail of the day - Macy has been having a rough day. A level 5 meltdown scream fit started during our errands today & lasted over 20 minutes. We were supposed to go to woodside creamery for a picnic with friends and ice cream - about 10 minutes into the drive I couldn't take the screaming and turned for home. I decided that whatever the meltdown was about, I didn't want it to continue there - we gave up our fun Friday plans. To be honest, it really bothered me too but decided to do what was best for the kids. We got home & I took her shoes off, put her in her high chair and started feeding her lunch and she started to calm down. That's when I noticed the slighthly red pinky toe. I touched her toe & sure enough the screaming started again - poor soul's toe was somehow bent when her shoe was on. Level 5 meltdown scream explained...sorry Macy, mommy still loves you!

Today I went undercover

Recently I had this idea to get the experience that most moms get when getting their kids picture taken. I won't give specifics because it's not necessarily about the exact place but mostly about the experience. I went in to one of the "photo studio within a store" places with an idea in my head that I would try to get one good picture of the twins together and use my coupon (yes my coupon :) for the one pose $7.99 special. I have to say that the people were courteous to me and the kids but the whole time I am there I felt like I was just getting a cookie cutter product. They took a handful of snapshots of the kids together and individually before Macy had stage 5 meltdown. After waiting about 10 or 20 minutes we were ushered over to the computer screen where they tried to sell me every cheesy border, photoshop bad color choice, bla bla bla. Of course if you want the $7.99 special you just get to pick the one pose with no enhancements. Enhancements even meaning things like just turining it b & w, that would cost you $20.They wanted to upsell you on anything and everything!

The picture I ended up going with was really just OK, a decent studio snapshot of my two kiddies. I have to admit it was nice to not have the pressure of being the mom and the photographer but I wasn't super happy with the final product. Mostly, this experience just confirmed to me to keep doing what I do. There's a place for it. There's moms out there that leave these places having spent HUNDREDS of dollars not knowing that there are other options. I am not bashing these types of places because they certainly serve a purpose or they wouldn't be in business, I just want people to know that they do have a choice.

"It is clear that custom photography is not in everyone’s budget,  it is something that most families save for to splurge on from time to time to memorialize their children as they really are  (not posed and primped in the cookie cutter studio setting)." www.professionalchildphotographer.com

So yes, I will be the proud owner of the $7.99 special package but I learned a long time ago that you always get what you pay for. Readers, thoughts on this subject? Am I not objective? I would like to hear your input!

Holiday Mini-Session

Sat Oct 9 Location: Milburn Orchard, Elkton, MD

Sun Oct 10 Location: Hagley Museum, Wilmington

Time slots from 2 – 4:30pm both days

Mini Session Fee $75
Includes 30 minute session at location & at least 5 – 10 hi res images on disc 
- Up to 4 people, $10 each additional person 
- This is just a short session to get that family or kids shot for the fall & holidays

**note: admission to Hagley or Milburn will apply & be responsibility of client,
 Check fees here - Hagley or Milburn

Use Contact Page above or email Emily directly to schedule your shoot! emilytroutmanphoto@gmail.com