One of my closest friends had her first baby this morning! She rocked out labor in less than 6 hours (crazy lady) & a beautiful boy was born! Cayden Marcus was born at 7:09am, 7lbs 13 ozs and just gorgeous! I was trying to hold myself back and wait to visit tomorrow but I couldn't wait...went straight there this afternoon with the excuse to get some pictures of him within his first 24 hours! He is already so loved :) COngrats to Jasalyn & Marcus on their gorgeous son!
I have been once again challenged lately that I slack in taking pictures of my own family! I have also caught myself looking at sweet moments in my everyday life that I was like "wish I had my camera," which usually means we are up stairs and my camera is two flights of stairs down in the office area :) I was determined to overcome that this week and take some snapshots of my every day. I mostly have noticed just how much the twins are growing and changing every day, not to mention that in a few short months our family itself will change entirely! I think the key to these types of images is to really just capture moments and not focus too hard on photographic perfection, which I sometimes get caught up in...go figure!
One day I was checking out a blog I visit sometimes, girltalk, and I read about their 52Home project. I might have been emotional that day but this quote brought me to tears...
"Ordinary is where we all live most of the time. And yet our mundane, repetitive days are full of enduring work. Homes are being built. Families are being knit together. Little souls are being shaped for eternity. The tedious is, in fact, momentous—when done for the sake of Christ: “…so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior” (Titus 2:10).
This truth can get lost in piles of laundry and dirty dishes. We need help to see the glory peaking out from behind the ordinary. Our hope is that you’ll see your own ordinary, yet glorious life in these pictures. That you’ll glimpse the faithfulness of God that undergirds his faithful ones. That you’ll see reflections of the eternal in the everyday."
So I challenge myself with these words...yes I feel like I live a lot in the mundane but "little souls are being shaped for eternity" and (crying while writing this) "we need to help see the glory peaking out from behind the ordinary"... just so blessed to have the life that I have.
Disclaimer: I felt brave to photograph anything in the chaos that is usually my bedroom so please disregard any messes, laundry or otherwise...
(Update: passed that glucose test with flying colors! The nurse asked me over the phone "Did you feel like you were going to die when you were leaving though?! Your blood sugar was very low"... well duh :)
1. Today was the dreaded test for a pregnant lady..the glucose test, which involves drinking syrupy orange goop that tastes like a freeze pop gone wrong and then sitting for an hour before getting blood taken. Did I mention that you have to fast before this?! Yes, that might actually be the worst part - a starving pregnant woman.
2. While sitting for an hour in the doc office I was attempting to read a book but I couldn't get into it, instead I listened to the inner office gossip going on and pillaged the waiting room mags for the amazon diaper coupons. Yes, I know I am that serious about good coupons but hey - I left the 15% off baby depot because that would require tearing a page.
3. My husband and his father are contractors, so like most contactors they know the best place in town to get a hot, cheap, fast lunch and in our town..it's Costco. We have started making a weekly date to meet at Costco for lunch with the kids :) Hey 5 of us can eat for less than $10 and they've been there so much now they know my father-in-laws order!
4. I ordered some new sample books and albums last week that I am anxiously awaiting! It will be like Christmas when the FED Ex man arrives!
5. Oh and yes...after said glucose test this morning, I drove directly to Pure Bred Deli and got a hot egg & cheese on a bagel. Nothing like a breakfast sandwich to break the fast :)
6. I confess that I am not a huge matchy matchy person but this was in my inbox from gymboree today & I thought "I would love to photograph a family in these outfits!" Any takers for spring?!
Happy Monday friends!
Snow shoots are elusive like intelligence on an episode of the Real Housewives of Atlanta...they can be hard to achieve! Steph & George are our literal next door neighbors and friends. From the moment they got engaged over Valentines day weekend, Steph had visions of a beautiful engagement shoot in the snow. Just as the rest of us in DE want to kiss that snow goodbye and welcome the sun, she got her wish! When Steph saw the forecast this week, we were hopeful and as fate would have it she got a literal snow day from her job and we were able to work it into my schedule of craziness to make this beautiful shoot happen! As we arrived at the shooting location today, I knew why it snowed (much to the dismay of most of us)...it's because this shoot needed to happen, Stephanie needed these pictures! I am so glad to have been a part of this session, it was a blast! I love it when everything is so pretty and fresh in snow... kind of like fresh love and the excitement of a new engagement! Can't wait to be a part of Steph & George's big day next year! Congrats on your engagement and I REALLY am happy it snowed for you (just not for the rest of us)!
Remember...don't judge me ;)
1. 90210 (the new version) is totally on my DVR and yes I LOOK forward to it!
2. My 19 month old son broke an "unbreakable" nalgene bottle last week on the driveway and I dare say I used the word "pi**ed" when it happened - mostly because i had to go back inside and fill up another sippy cup for before our errands. Evidence... hope the replacement gets sent soon!
3. I am a sucker for convenience, my kids love "uncrustables" for lunch and I am happy to give it to them. Yes I can make PB & J but really, why would do that when all I do is open a package?! Oh and my hubby likes them too!
4. I hit up the sales racks at Kohl's yesterday like a champ - scoring christmas shirts for next year for $1.20.
5. I say "no" so much my son was running around this morning saying "no, no, no, no, no" like a song!
6. DEFINITELY don't think it's cool that we are supposed to get another 3 to 6 inches of snow tonight!
7. Saw the new movie "Just Go With it" on valentines night, laughed so hard my face hurt and this pregnant lady was in danger of wetting herself! Seriously, go see it if you need to laugh really hard. The storyline is a stretch, I mean really - is Jennifer Anniston ever frumpy?! But the laughs are totally worth it!
8. Excited about the potential for some upcoming spring mini - sessions....I am working on the details & spots will be limited. As soon as I can confirm dates and locations, you will all be the first to know!
9. This past week I have sang "Under the Sea" at the top of my lungs while rolling down the windows in order to keep my kids from taking a car nap...it totally works!
10. Finally got my hair highlighted and cut for spring, SO MUCH BETTER! If you need a fantastic stylist, head on over to Trilogy and ask for Jen, she's awesome!
At the end of January I had the privilege of photographing a beautiful winter wedding. The setting was the intimate atrium at Deerfield Golf & Tennis club after a gorgeous snowfall. This wedding was a friend of mine who actually was a boss of mine when I was in college ;) She was always wonderful to work for! I was honored when she contacted me to capture her wedding day. The great thing about the setting at Deerfield is that there is beautiful natural light, no matter the weather - every photographers dream. Once Donna & Keith said their sweet "I Do's," we headed into a cozy room with a fire place where a yummy dinner was served. This dinner was complete with a mashed potato bar! If that sounds crazy to you - YOU HAVE NO IDEA! It was so delish! You could choose between either regular or sweet potatoes and then there were yummy toppings for each. I will definitely keep this in mind for a future event. They also had a beautiful cake from Dana Herbert of Desserts By Dana. If you have never had his lavender cake, you are really missing out!
If you are engaged and considering a smaller size wedding and want it all at the same place, this was the perfect place with a gorgeous setting and everything close to each other. Congrats Donna & Keith, blessings to you!
It's that time again, for the next fabulous issue of Delaware Bride, our local resource for all things wedding related. I am excited to say that another one of my beautiful couples made it into this issue, Alan & Nicole's wedding from Bella Vita and Cavalier Country Club. Here's the image that made it in -
If you are recently engaged, this is a great resource. Delaware Bride is also putting on their 21st Annual Upstate Bridal Show on February 20th at the Executive Banquet & Conference Center in Newark, DE. Come check it out to get all the latest trends and ideas. It's the perfect place to meet the vendors who can help you pull off your perfect day!
Just wanted to take a quick minute to say thanks to ALL of you today who have texted, emailed, facebooked, called or anything else to wish me a happy birthday! It has been so sweet hearing each voice, seeing each message and I have loved looking at them all. Felt bad when I missed my cousin calling from Ireland (she's studying abroad) but it was so sweet for her to call me all the way from there! It's nice to be thought of! So far my kids ran in this morning with my present (Daddy got them out of bed too!) which was a cool Brighton ring. I got to eat lunch with my kids, dad, brother, cousin and Grandma which was a treat. Now I am relaxing for a bit before we get to go out to eat tonight! I think a birthday is God's little reminder that you are special! Thanks everyone!
Now I must say Meghan is one of those people that literally brings the sunshine with her. I mean it, she is 100% a genuine, happy person and has been a friend of mine for a long time now. Your cheeks hurt when you are around her because you can't stop smiling. We even got to work together for a time while I was in college. She got me a gig as a radio station mascot where she worked :) Oh yes people, I rocked a bear suit! J Bear to be exact for WJBR here in Wilmington, DE. Anyhow, I digress but we have had LOTS of fun together over the years.
Meghan was taking classes for her MBA at the fabulous University of Delaware and this guy Eric kept sitting next to her. He would even start talking to her and "bothering" her, as Meghan put it. He finally asked her to coffee but she thought he just wanted to "steal her answers." She took him up on it and these days is rocking a little bling on her finger because of it. We had a blast strolling a bit of campus this past weekend, it was freezing but sunny for our shoot. We thankfully warmed up at the end with a great cup of coffee from Brew Ha Ha, the location of their first date (& also happened to be one of my fav spots on campus during all my time there!). Looking forward to it being warm on their August wedding day!
If you know Meghan, this is such a "Meghan face" - Love it!
UD's famous "kissing arches" definitely had to make it in!
Warming up at Brew Ha Ha, reliving their first date (with the addition of their favorite pregnant photographer friend :) haha)
1. I am tired, it was a packed weekend and my pregnant body felt it.
2. I have had a hard time having patience today with M & D. They honestly are just being toddlers but things like Dean broke the closer on the screen door in the 60 seconds it took me to walk Macy to the car or they used crayons on furniture faster than I could catch them (I was RIGHT there coloring with them for heavens sake).
3. I miss my Grandfather, would've been his birthday today. I always loved sharing my birthday week with him & a cousin of mine, felt like more of a festival with all the birthdays than just a small celebration! He has been gone for just over 4 months now and the loss of his presence can still be a challenge. Through it all, I am still amazed at my Grandmother and her strength! She is one tough cookie and I love her for it!
4. I just read the Whittakers blog and couldn't stop crying - it made me rethink all of my impatience with M & D today. Huge dose of perspective on the brevity of life. Please join me in praying for this family!
5. Really can't believe I turn 29 this week, where has the last decade gone?! Other than the doctor last week, I am not regularly getting mistaken for a 19 year old anymore :) I almost have 3 kids, a minivan and a mortgage - the epitome of a "boring grown up."
6. Fergie definitely does not make a good Axel Rose.... if you don't know what I am talking about then you obviously weren't watching the super bowl.
7. I think I still hate the PS3, my husband was very excited this weekend and he murdered and destroyed in cyber land because it was a "double points weekend" where all that murdering and destroying earned him extra points! I told him I was going to have to make him a "Nerd Core" shirt soon if he keeps it up.
8. I just sat outside for about 15 minutes reading a book on my deck, while listening to all the snow melt & drop below, I was pretending it was spring and good things were around the corner :)
9. What was I reading you ask? Shepherding a Child's Heart - need some wisdom in dealing with the kids, balancing their acceptable toddler behavior with discipline for disobedience. I really often wish that parenting came with an instruction manual and a magic wand :)
10. Thankful for so many friends and family that regularly support me! I really couldn't survive every day without such great people in my life :) really...
Last night was the once monthly Wilmington Art Loop, where artists show in different "galleries" around town. Some galleries are official spaces, like the one a DCAD (Delaware College of Art & Design) or there are the tattoo shops and random third floor warehouse spaces where you aren't sure what is the art work & was were the art supplies. I kid you not on this one, I think I almost tripped over a peice of "work" that I thought was trash. That's the fun of viewing artwork though, some of it you can appreciate and respect, other objects might just make you think. Well enough of my art analysis, I got to show a handful of photographs along with two other lovely photographers in the LOMA coffee shop, one being Libby Foester. My work was the "miracle of love," Libby's was the "miracle of life," and Barbara's was the "miracle of creation."
If you are ever on the lower end of Market St, you MUST check it out! They have yummy food and great drinks, ask me how I know :) I have to say after being full in the middle of mommyhood lately, it was nice to be back in the "art" environment of picking work to be shown, installing it, & then viewing it while hearing what others had to say. You will notice in the pictures below though that we had to use the windows as our backdrops because there wasn't enough wall space. I think our solution worked well although it was not your traditional prints and frames solution.
It's hard not to have fun walking the city at night to view artwork, eat free food, and be among friends. Did I mention that this great event is always FREE?! Gotta' love that! You never know what the night will bring, a friend of mine won the drawing in the Poppycock tattoo shop for a gift certificate.
Here are a couple angles of my work the night we set it up, it was way too packed in there last night to get a clear shot. Thanks to those of you who came out to support & thanks again for my beautiful brides that allowed me to capture their day!
My good friend and I have been talking about her maternity shoot for some time now. She loved the idea of a shoot in the snow & so did I. Unfortunately it seemed like it was never working out between the actual need for snow, her schedule as a nurse and my life with two toddlers. Thankfully though, yesterday God delivered the perfect day! My hubs was off work due to weather so Jay & I snuck out in the afternoon to do this shoot at our local park. It was so much fun just to be together in such a gorgeous setting documenting the last weeks before her baby boy arrives. I really cannot wait to meet him and learn what his name will be (it's a secret :) It's funny how I love to keep the name secret but am not a fan of being on the receiving end! So here's to a precious friend that I love and the ability to capture these life moments for her. Can't wait until baby boy's newborn shoot! And no, we won't put him in the snow :)
I confess that...
1. Having sick babies can take a toll on the whole house, unfortunately my father in law caught some type of bug but it allowed the hubby to have the day off today. I just about went skipping out of the house for an impromptu coffee date with a friend & about a million other errands.
2. Third pair of Uggs is definitely a charm :) Yes, after two exchanges due to size & feel issues - learned that I am not a fan of how the "cardy" Uggs fit or feel. I went with the new black Bailey style and I dare say I am in love!
3. I got to photograph a beautiful wedding on Friday night & I have been working on editing it today. Can't wait to share later this week! If you want a small winter wedding, Deerfield is a gorgeous place to pull it off!
4. Sick baby produces a lot of laundry...I lost count of how much laundry I did last week - feel like going on laundry protest.
5. I don't like how cold it is, it's so cold out it hurts! I need a vacation to a tropical location :)
6. I still hate the PS3
7. Macy and Dean didn't even get out of their pajamas today! They wore them straight til bathtime before exchanging them for a new pair :)
8. I have been dangerous lately with online & in store shopping deals...those little teaser emails need to stop coming to my inbox! (if you need to know this, as of today in stores - old navy had an extra 50% off their clearance and Baby Gap had an extra 40% off anything that was already on sale!)
9. I am really getting curious as to if we are having a girl or a boy. I am thankful though that we don't know, would've been spending too much money on above mentioned sales :) Sorry friends, we will be keeping names to ourselves again this pregnancy. We have to make sure it "fits" - I know the suspense is awful but think how much more exciting it will all be when the baby is born?!
10. Rooting for Dana on the Next Great Baker!! I have gotten to eat from two of his yummy cakes in the last two weeks, what a treat!!
A few girlfriends and I had an impromptu crafting party on Saturday morning (thank you LEAH! She even got a babysitter - she's the best :). It was so great to drink coffee, chat, and craft together! I made a rag wreath while I was there because I still had the Christmas wreath up. I knew I definitely had to do something about that Christmas wreath since it's half way through January. It was super easy, little scrap fabric strips tied around a wreath frame, thanks Leah for the inspiration.
But it didn't stop there! A few of the other girls were creating beautiful valentine inspired crafts that I decided I must try for myself. The ideas and "how tos" on these are on the Idea Room Blog, if have never visited, definitely take a peek. She always has fun and generally easy ways to decorate and celebrate holidays!
I definitely made some rookie mistakes on some of these i am sure, like running out of the same red felt and a WICKED glue gun burn....I know, I know how silly at almost 29 years old to burn yourself with the glue from a glue gun but hey- crafting isn't necessarily for the faint at heart :)
Here is a few of my own interpretations around my house -
In my powder room...
In my dining room...
And also the girls over at eighteen25 blog had up some great subway type posters for Valentines day that I took full advantage of! It's definitely brightening up my house on these cold snow days!
Again the powder room...
And living room...
(Family photos in frame are by the gifted Rae Barnes)
Happy crafting friends, hope you got a little inspiration!
I have been having lots of adventures in parenting lately. Constantly saying things I never imagine I would and then all of a sudden I hear my mother come out of my mouth. It's kind of scary how that happens. I have even been using old sayings like, "hold your horses." There's just something funny about first, expecting an 18 month old to have patience, but even then using coloquilialisms like "hold your horses" to get your point across. I was reminiscing a bit about my poor mom and the crazy things I did as a kid and then a good "I told you so" story sprung to mind.
I was probably about 8 years old, if I had to guess, and we were off on a family day trip to Lancaster County, PA. I used to dread these trips of shopping and such but now I could only wish to get such a day of fun. Anyhow, we stopped off at one of the local places for lunch that had all the amish fare. After looking over the menu, I declared that I would have a Lebanon baloney sandwich for lunch. My mom tried to convince me that it wasn't regular baloney and I probably wouldn't like it. I wouldn't listen (imagine that, me being stubborn). Our family also had a strict "you order it, you eat it" policy so I should've thought this out a bit better but nevertheless, I ordered the Lebanon baloney. Of course when it came I thought it was gross, didn't want to eat it, and tried to get sympathy. There wasn't anything but "I told you so" coming from my parents' mouths and of course my brother was loving it too. Who knows what he ate for lunch but because he cleaned his plate, he was allowed to order dessert. I, of course, did not get to order dessert.
He got a beautiful ice cream sundae and proceeded to pretty much stare at me while eating it slowly licking off each bite from his spoon. It was like torture but apparently my brother was too full to finish the ice cream. As we were done our lunch and started making our way to the door, I told my mom that I forgot my coat at the table (which was true). So I ran back, got my coat and saw the unfinished portion of my brother's ice cream screaming my name. I got the spoon and started eating what was left of the delightful sundae! My mom wondered what was taking me so long and came to find me, as she approached me eating the ice cream the only thing she could do was laugh. To this day I don't remember if the coat "leave behind" was pre-meditated to get the ice cream but my family definitely doesn't let me live this story down. And really the lesson in all of it? You should definitely listen to your mother!
We have been lucky this year to have a few nice snowfalls already, and yes I just said lucky. I love snow, always have! I lived in one of those houses that snow was always reason for celebration. Maybe it's because we had a slew of 4 x 4 vehicles and one even included a plow, so snow never stopped us from fun! My dad was usually big into taking us sledding or 4 wheeling or other snow adventures. Still makes me smile to think about it and definitely want to share that with my kids. Here's one of M & D's first ride on a sled (Mimi & Poppop got it for them for Christmas)!
And definitely don't judge me that Dean isn't wearing gloves, he HAS gloves, we had glove issues with him :) We were only about for 10 minutes so all his fingers are still in tact!
I haven't confessed a lot lately so it's time!
1. I watched the bachelor on Monday night, unclear if I will keep watching or not. Why is it so hard to resist? Maybe it's a lack of other new shows on in January but it's addicting like a bag of m & m's!
2. I got a new Dunkin' Donuts coupon book in the mail today and I was about as excited about that as I was about Christmas cards!
3. My Christmas decorations were starting to drive me insane so they went down in a whirlwind on New Years Day night.
4. I am not a fan of the play station 3 and the effect it has on my husband along with the game " call of duty - black ops" - ladies, you know what I am talking about? I think I could be on fire in the same room and he wouldn't notice if he was playing!
5. My babies are 18 months old already! We have been having so much fun together, I like them a lot better when they are not sick and grumpy day after day!
6. I am ridiculously excited to watch a new Grey's Anatomy tonight.
7. I ate out more than once today, Pizza hut for dinner totally hit the spot but I am sure it cancels out the salad I ate for lunch :)
8. I bought Reese puff cereal this week and considered hiding it from my husband (who also loves it). I tried to tell him he couldn't eat it for breakfast, it was strictly a purchase for late night snacks! That didn't really work considering I caught him eating it this morning - he said the "balanced" part of that breakfast was his bagel on the side!
9. I have been having a field day with holiday gift cards, todays steals and deals included cute stuff for the kids at Old Navy & Babies R Us - both having wicked sales. Dean got new chuck taylors in a super fun green for $5.16 and Macy got her own "boots with the fur" for $6.99 at Old Navy. Also scored some cute gear for them in sizes for next year! These pics are just on an ipod so don't judge quality...And yes they are modeling their new footwear with their pjs!
10. There's a clean basket of laundry I have now ignored & not folded for going on 48 hours now.
11. My phone died today and I had to make a visit to the verizon store, not my favorite place - I swear they make up things and speak another language!
12. My dog went to the groomer today and because was so handsome and clean smelling when he was done, he got to ride home in the front seat (like old times when he was the only "kid").
I promised so I must deliver :) It can be really hard to look through a year's worth of work and pull out a batch of images. So again, I just chose some of the images that I have loved from this year - some happen to be client favorites and others have just become personal favs of mine. Makes me smile to think of how much some of these little ones have already grown since they have been in front of my camera! And if you are looking through this thinking "hey why didn't my beautiful family/child make this list" really it's only because I would run out of space.
I am also looking for feedback on viewing images in the blog, I am trying just a simple watermark on this batch of images verses my custom banner - appreciate feedback. Is the watermark less distracting to the image than the banner? Just always working to make the best viewing experience for you the reader.
I am now booking 2011 sessions if you are interested, contact me, would love to work with you!
HAPPY NEW YEAR friends!
Lets face it, most of us are all wrapped up (pun intended :) getting everything together for Christmas! It's Christmas Eve Eve - not much time left! So take a deep breath and check out some more of my wedding favorites from 2010. Again, these aren't necessarily perfect or even the clients favorites but they are my favorites, they mean something to me as the artist. I myself can even get wrapped up looking at these wedding photos and loving to the new, fresh, untarnished love of newlyweds! We all need to be reminded of that now and then!
I think that this will be my final post this week so MERRY CHRISTMAS! Keep an eye out next week for the family and kids addition of the favorites!
Ashli & Bobby, October 2010
Holly and Tom, Brandywine Country Club, May 2010
(I usually don't include photos of guests but I just love this one.)
Devon & TC, June 2010
Lauren & Adam, July 2010
Ok I feel a lot like Elf, I get giddy when I hear things like "Santa is coming!" Can't help it, my parents did a good job of getting us excited about Christmas when we were younger. Matt & I hope to do the same for our kids. We headed to the mall last night in the frigid air in hopes of getting to see the big man without a screaming fit... SUCCESS! Santa was busy feeding his reigndeer when we got there because it was indeed in the middle of dinnertime. Thankfully M & D made the wait like good little toddlers even with growling tummies :) We didn't get a smiling photo but there was no screaming and they genuinely liked Old St. Nick! They couldn't stop waving to him when we left! Enjoy friends :)
