ten on ten l the june edition

thanks for continuing to follow this fun lifestyle project.  if this is your first time here, please follow this link to read more about the ideas behind it. this month's 10 on 10 evolved after an afternoon of fishing with our three children.   now that the lake is in our backyard the children love spending the late afternoons and early mornings with daddy on the lake.   according to my oldest, mom's casting skills aren't quite up to par.   this particular afternoon, our youngest, who is 2, had her first turn with the fishing pole.  big sissy had received a "real" full size youth rod from daddy that morning, so she passed her "barbie rod" down to baby sissy.

i am thankful to have the details of this fun first of our baby girl.

please follow along with the other talented ladies in my group. first up is Jennifer Kruk Photography.  i am certain she will have some beautiful images to enjoy.

project 52 l week 23 l abandoned

welcome back for this week's project 52 theme.   this week our theme was abandoned.... doesn't the baby of the family always feel like the one "abandoned" or left behind?    i can hear her as i stare at these images yelling...wait for me, wait for me!!

love seeing them so happy and so in their own worlds...

please continue with our blog circle and see what the talented Clara Huynh of Heart Inspired Photography has for us this week.

project 52 l week 22 l innocence

"the moment in between what you once were, and who you are now becoming, is where the dance of life really takes place"

barbara de angelis

this week our theme for project 52 is innocence...

i see her and i still see my firstborn baby fresh in my arms.  the most innocent of beings.   i can feel it like it was yesterday. it is true, eight years have passed. i see her still so innocent even in a world that wants otherwise.  yet, she is in that moment in between what she once was and who she is now becoming...

please continue on with our blog circle and see what the super talented Mary Schannen of Melange Photography has this week...

the simple moments in between...

"is solace anywhere more comforting than in the arms of a sister"  ~Alice Walker

they are sisters.  they are mine.  i am blessed.

a handsome boy turns one

last month i got to spend the morning with the cutest one year old and his super special parents.   i can't really say which was the better time...shooting the photos of this handsome boy or hanging out on the back porch of our house with his parents.  both were lovely.   tammy was a friend from high school who i had not seen in years. i love seeing old friends who are now mothers.   her love for her son really shines through all of these photos.   tammy i hope you love these and i thank you for being so patient as i worked on them.  can't wait to see you again soon.

a cake smash and some sisterly love

it's not usually a good sign when the rain starts coming down on the way to your photo shoot.   i arrived at our location and immediately thought we would be rescheduling.  BUT it is florida and as my brother n law often reminds me, wait five minutes if you don't like the weather, b/c it is likely to change.   we were so thrilled when the rain stopped and we had a little glimpse of sunlight to go on with our shoot.   this family had the most precious little girls.  their oldest was so cooperative and listened so well to my instructions. she was a delight. and oh, boy, i just loved watching their one year old dive into her cake.  she LOVED it.  i hope you enjoy your preview ashley....you have a lovely family!

gorgeous family of four

i was so honored a few months ago when shannon emailed me with an inquiry to do her family photos.  she lives over in tampa and had found my site on facebook.    she also happens to be a photographer.  it was such a pleasure meeting her and her adorable two children and sweet loving husband.    i adored the outfits she had planned for them all which made for wonderful photographs in the settings we picked.    thank you for allowing me to have this opportunity to capture your family. i hope you enjoy this preview of our time together...

project 52 l week 20 l power

this week's theme for project 52 is power.  we were at Walt Disney World last saturday.   i couldn't help but notice how enamored our three children were with the race cars.  they stared at them in awe.   the noise of their engines intrigued them.  this was the first time our youngest (who is 2) was tall enough to join us.  so, we split up into two cars...the girls and the boys.   this meant both my oldest daughter and our son would get to drive.   they were ecstatic.  they would have the power behind the wheel.

and before i go i have to leave you with this one of our sweet baby girl.  she FINALLY got her own mickey mouse ears..and as you can see, she was quite smitten.  love her.

i'd say they are all pretty special to this mama.

please follow our blog circle and see the amazing image mary schannen of melange photography has this week.

counting down

i am very excited to share my sister's maternity shoot with you.   i did a super quick mini shoot with her last month you can see here.   with her due date quickly approaching she is counting down the days until sweet lucy arrives.   katie's a natural in the front of the camera which made my job easy.  in about eight weeks i will have a new baby niece to hold and i am over the moon.  it has been a blessing to be here for katie's pregnancy this time.   it is such a fun phase of life right now to share as our two year old girls have become the best of buddies lately.     after living all of our adult lives apart, it is quite special to have this time..

the evening wait...

it's friday night.  our school week is over.   i am asked over and over--when will daddy be here?   he is on the way, but they are getting hungry, impatient, and restless.  so, we head out the door.  we head down to the lake.  and we enjoy the fresh air, the breeze, and this gorgeous sun (and wait for daddy to arrive)...suddenly there is not a care in the world amongst them.  God is great!  and so this is how most nights go at our house...

project 52 l week 17 l facial features

it's friday, which means we are back for another week of project 52.   this week's theme is facial features. it was time for dance recital pictures...

please continue with our blog circle and see what mary shannen of melange photography has captured this week...

cousins at Easter

over the Easter weekend i had the pleasure of shooting these adorable cousins.   we only had one day to have them all together and i am so glad we got some great memories of each of them.  it was a windy day so that presented us with some challenges but the kids were all so great and patient.  they were full of smiles and cooperated wonderfully.  they were each precious and you could tell they enjoyed being together so much.  i am thankful we got to meet and look forward to seeing this family again...

today you are eight l a birthday letter

dear e, the past eight years have flown by much too quickly.   my  heart changed in unspoken ways the moment i became a mother.

this year seems extra sentimental to me as you enter a new phase of life.  you are not quite a little girl anymore, but not quite a teen-aged girl either.    i certainly see changes in you as you gain more independence and curiosity about the world around you.  when i think of you, i think of the tenderness that fills your heart.  you are so loving and so full of compassion for everyone in your life.

we've shared so much in these short eight years.   in the last few years daddy was deployed quite often and you were my rock.  you were there to make me laugh, to give me snuggles, and to be a help in more ways than you'll ever be aware.   indeed, i missed daddy, but these memories will forever be etched in my heart.   i love the bond we share and i hope we never lose it.

i've enjoyed watching your faith in God and love of Jesus grow over the past year.   you have questions and passion and it makes me so happy.   my prayer for you is to grow closer and closer to Him.  i want you to let Jesus  lead you and trust in Him for everything in your life.  if you do this, you will forever be blessed.

i know the next few years will continue to bring changes as you grow into a young lady.   i pray for wisdom in guiding you,  love and patience in teaching you, and an open heart, to be there for you always.

i love you to the moon and back!

happy eighth birthday!!!

xoxo,

mama

lovely

it is always a treat to get to know the families i photograph.   this family lives down the street from me, but in the short seven months we have lived here, i had not met them.   life gets busy and before you know it months fly by.  i am so glad that our photo date brought us together.  these children were as precious as could be.  one was so full of life and smiles.  another one who seemed so shy, yes had so much beauty and wonder through her eyes.  and finally a little brother who took a while to warm up, but shared some adorable smiles and laughs with me before it was over...

project 52 l week 14 l faceless picture

it's time for another week of project 52. for this week's theme we are to explain a person--anything but their face. i was going to use a picture i got earlier in the year of my youngest with her baby doll, which i do love b/c it tells so much about her at this phase of her life. but this week i was taking a series of pictures for the workshop i am taking -finding the light, and i knew they would be great for this week. for me these simply show my son's love of life. his wonder, amazement and curiousity. the colors make me feel his warmth and love. the "airiness' of them makes me feel his youth and innocence.....

now head on over to the blog of mary schannen of melange photography to see her inspiring work...

sweetness

i am so excited to finally have these photos ready to share with you.   a few weeks ago i had such a wonderful evening capturing the H family.  they are such a special family to us in many ways!   mike (the father) grew up with my husband and they have remained close since their childhood.  we all grew up in the same neighborhood and its so neat to see mike as a dad now.  his wife laura, is a beautiful as she can be on the inside and out...i just wish we got to see them more often than we do.  their boys were such fun to chase around and chat with.  they are full of life and love and i hope you enjoy this glimpse into their sweet world...

project 52 l week 13 l album cover

it's friday, which means we are back with another theme for project 52.   album cover is our theme this week--its sure to be a fun one. in our home we listen to contemporary Christian music most of the time.   we are big K-LOVE fans.   we stream it through our apple tv or phones now that we do not have a local station. it's really an awesome way to keep your day focused on positive and uplifting thoughts.

anyway....for this project though, i used a jack johnson song: Better Together.  whenever i hear this song i think of my amazing husband.   we are apart a lot and as i hear  it,  it always brings back happy thoughts of us together. wonderful memories.  comfort.   (infact as i write this, he is once again away--working in the middle east).

so i had to decide how i would interpret my song through pictures....and my daughter and my niece came to mind. they spent the first seven years of their short lives only seeing each other on Christmas and summer break.  but through these visits they have always been so close, the best of friends.  now that they only live a few houses apart, they love to get together to play when they don't have other activities.  i wanted to capture them being carefree, dreaming, loving life, and just enjoying the NOW.   so here is my album cover:

Jack Johnson: Better Together

(click here if you'd like to read lyrics and play song)

now continue on with our blog circle and see what Clara from Heart Inspired Photography | Adelaide Photographer has for her album cover...

project 52 l week 12 l pastel

welcome back for another week of project 52 with my group of friends from the bloom forum.  this week's theme is pastel. i took some pictures this week of my niece who just turned two.  they fit the theme so well.  we are all very excited that miss E will have a baby sister in a couple of months...and i'd say she is pretty excited as well.   oh, how i love this little girl. i am so thankful to see her all the time now.  she truly is miss sunshine...

please continue with our blog circle and see what Mary Shannen of Melange Photography has shared for pastel...

strawberry picking with the cousins...

today we spent a glorious spring morning at a local strawberry patch with my sisters and all the kids...it was such fun to watch the kids and their excitement and determination to get LOTS of berries...

as we drove home, i pulled over to capture these next few shots.   this is home...the pastures, the cows, the oaks. it's everything i  see and relate with HOME.  it's all the things i missed so much before moving back.

and once we got home the girls counted and cleaned their berries.

we can't wait to go pick blueberries and peaches later this spring...

priceless moments captured

i was very excited when Lindsey emailed me to see if i was available to take family pictures for them.  she told me this as their first time doing this and i couldn't help and think that it would be such a treasured gift.   it really is so important to capture your family as you are at different points in life.  you will love and cherish these for years to come.   i had such a nice time interacting with her boys and they were wonderful for the camera.    you really are a beautiful family and i look forward to getting to know you more.  i hope you enjoy this preview of our afternoon together....