graduation 2013

At my daughter's graduation we heard a poem written by Linda Ellis titled The Dash.  One of the students gave a speech and read this poem at the end.  What a great way to look at your life.  I cannot wait to see how my beautiful girl spends her dash.

The Dash

by Linda Ellis copyright 1996

I read of a man who stood to speak

at the funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on her tombstone,

from the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth

and spoke of the following date with tears,

but he said what mattered most of all

was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time 

that she spent alive on earth. 

And now only those who loved her 

know what that little line is worth. 

For it matters not, how much we own, 

the cars…the house…the cash. 

What matters is how we live and love 

and how we spend our dash. 

So, think about this long and hard. 

Are there things you’d like to change? 

For you never know how much time is left 

that can still be rearranged. 

If we could just slow down enough 

to consider what’s true and real 

and always try to understand 

the way other people feel. 

And be less quick to anger 

and show appreciation more 

and love the people in our lives 

like we’ve never loved before. 

If we treat each other with respect 

and more often wear a smile, 

remembering that this special dash 

might only last a little while. 

So, when your eulogy is being read, 

with your life’s actions to rehash… 

would you be proud of the things they say 

about how you spent YOUR dash?

two going on twenty

A girl should be two things:  classy and fabulous.

~Coco Chanel

This photo shoot was definitely not dull.  

My sweet niece has quite the personality and she really gets going when she has her teen-aged sister and two teen-aged cousins helping her.  She was really working the pageant poses and had us all in stitches!

Easter mini session with the Holen kids

Me oh my there's a lot to buy, there is shopping I must do.

Here's a hat that you must take home.

Here's a lid for milady's dome.

This one's made for the hat parade on the well-known avenue.

Happy Easter to you! ~ Irving Berlin

Another Easter session with some of my favorite kiddos!

Easter mini session with the Shupe brothers

On the avenue, Fifth Avenue.  

The photographer's will snap us and you'll

find that you're in the rotogravure.~ Perry Como

Sweet brothers sharing a little kiss during their photo session.

prom 2013

There are watercolor ponies on my refrigerator door 
in the shape of something I don't really recognize.  

Brushed with careful little fingers and put proudly on display. 

A reminder to us all of how time flies. ~Wayne Watson

This is my oldest daughter's senior year.  Her last prom.  It was a bittersweet event for me and I took advantage of every moment I could to photograph her.

Kayleb & McKennah

If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense.

Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn't.

And contrary wise; what it is it wouldn't be,

and what it wouldn't be, it would.  You see?

~Alice in Wonderland

These poor, neglected children:)  They are numbers 6 & 7 of seven children.  Their mama realized that Kayleb hadn't had his picture taken since he was two and he is now five and that McKennah hadn't had hers done since she was one and is now two.

Yes, they were way past due to have their own photo session.  It was especially fun for me because I got to take them to the park to do the session while their mama stayed at work.  We took pictures, ate cookies and played on the playground.  Truly, these are the best for me because I get to hang with the kiddos.

Nathan~2 months

If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day 

so I never have to live without you.

~A.A. Milne

What a privilege to not only get to watch little ones grow, but to be able to photograph them with each milestone as well.

Nathan is a little over two months because we just couldn't manage to squeeze in his session on time.  I look forward to documenting his first year over these next several months.

Cody

What a sweet baby boy!  Adorable smile, adorable dimple, adorable personality.  I could have spent all day with this little guy and his mama but I don't think he would have been too happy spending the day with me.  Funny how babies let you know when they are done, regardless of what it is they are doing.  I never really have to question when I am done photographing a little one because they call it quits long before I ever will.  Thankfully, he did give me a few smiles and some very sweet, endearing looks before throwing in the towel.  Thanks buddy!

noah

I was born with an enormous need for affection and a terrible need to give it. ~Audrey Hepburn

It was such a joy to photograph this little guy.  He smiled A LOT, though you won't see it in most of his pictures.  I just think there's something about a camera that makes little ones look at you with wonder.  They will give you the moon until that thing goes back up in front of your face.  In spite of the lack of smiles captured on camera, these looks like he is giving below were just priceless.

nelson family

There is no shortage of testosterone in this family!  With four growing boys and another on the way (hopefully a girl), this family is always on the go.  I knew that this photo shoot would be a fun one.  It's been a while since I last did this group as a family.  Their third child was just a baby then.  And it's been a while since the "baby" was last photographed.  I was able to do him when he was just ten days old here.  Time just tends  to get away from us and we have to then play catch-up.  Between my schedule and their schedules, we were finally able to make it work.

simply irresistible at 9 months

Sometimes the best photo shoots are those that are not planned~ unknown

What started out as an hour of baby time for me, quickly turned into a photo session.  I couldn't resist how cute Tydus was being just hanging out on the floor and playing so I grabbed my camera.  We were having so much fun that I think he forgot I was taking his pictures.

the Holen children

Sometimes a photo session comes along where you wonder if you will get any really decent shots. The baby is crying, the kids are fighting, the camera won't focus, etc. This was one of those sessions, not because of the aforementioned reasons, but because the two older ones were having so much fun being silly that it was very difficult to get them in the same spot at the same time. Baby girl, well, she pretty much slept the whole time and was clueless as to what was going on around her.  Somehow it didn't really matter to me much because these little cuties are very close to my heart.  They are like my own.  So much so that sometimes I secretly wish they were my own because I love them so much.  But since their mommy worked hard to have them, I guess I will let her keep them:)

Funny thing about this session.  I have been photographing them since big brother was born, almost four years ago, and this is the very first session with them together.  I'm not sure how their mommy and I missed it.  We'll be on top of it from now on though.

the Fisher family

Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away. ~Unknown

With all babies I am always drawn into another world, but this moment, with this family, took my breath away.  I have several friends who have adopted but I have never been able to capture them as a family when that child was still a newborn.  This little guy is five weeks old and hangs on every movement his mommy and daddy make.  I was giddy as I watched him interact with the people who God chose to be his parents.   His eyes locked with theirs, knowing that he is theirs and they are his.   It consistently amazes me how God knits every family together.  No matter if it's through a mother carrying her own child for nine months or having a child handed to you after a long waiting period, the feelings are the same.  They have each been chosen for the other.

This little guy has been blessed with wonderful, Godly parents and I am excited for what his future holds.  Oh, and he's stinkin' cute to boot!   And those eyes!  Heaven help the little girls he will swoon some day.

Baby N~1 week new

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.  She never existed before.  A  mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh

Maia~6 days new

Isn't there a book out there somewhere that says ALL newborns should sleep throughout the day and be awake at night?  I could have sworn I read that somewhere.  Okay, maybe not.  Miss Maia proved that wrong when I did her photo session.  She was not about to sleep while all of the fun was going on!

Maia Rose

My girls and I were on a weekend getaway but cut it short so that we could get home to see our precious new baby Maia. Dear friends who have become family to us just welcomed their 3rd angel baby into this world yesterday morning. We didn't get to see her as fresh as we would have liked, but 8 hours new isn't too bad either.

stop the clock!

They make me smile, but it makes me sad to know I can't get these moments back. So I'm down on my knees, help me soak it all in; I want all of this life that You will let me live. When time flies by, Lord, remind me to breathe cause my heaven on earth are moments like these.~Selah

You never realize how quickly they grow until you look back at where you've been and where you are now. I knew that my children were all growing.  I know that one day they will all leave me.  But it wasn't until I looked at my boys, my babies, in these pictures that I realized I was in another one of those fleeting moments.  They literally are growing right before my eyes.

the hadley family

I love this family!  These kids are always so full of energy and joy.  It's rare that you see either of the girls without a smile and now baby brother is following suit.  If they aren't being silly, then they are telling some crazy story.  Not long ago, the oldest one was being me at home.  She told her little sister what to do and then pretended to take her picture.  They are always so cooperative even when they aren't intending to be, that's just how photogenic they are!

trick-or-treat

Fortunately, this picture is not a glimpse of what you will see.  The pictures I took of Trick-or-Treat are of several little, adorable kids in costume.  I only wish that the daylight had stuck around for the entire evening so that we could have enjoyed their costumes more.  But that's why they put flash ( which I dislike using very much) on cameras and it came in handy.  I am already looking forward to next year!

the shupe family

This was such a fun session!  I believe that I will be bringing apples with me from now on to every shoot involving small children.  Even if they don't enjoy eating them, they sure are fun to carry around.  I think that the majority of these shots have an apple, half eaten or otherwise, in them.

We ended up having such a beautiful day and we didn't run out of sunlight like I thought we would.  I could do shoots like this every day.