My First Maternity Shoot

I had the great privilege of photo shooting my niece and her husband a couple of weekends ago. They are expecting their first baby in about a month, and I have been so excited to do a little photo shoot with them. It was very encouraging to end up with some of the shots that I ended up with, but also to know that I will just keep getting better and better as I learn more. I was amazed at how much I felt like I learned from just this one photo shoot.

Anyway, here are some of my faves:

I've been tagged

I've officially been "tagged" by one of my blogger buddies: Katie, from "two miracles".

The 6 Quirks Meme

The Rules:
1. Link the person(s) who tagged you
2. Mention the rules on your blog
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
4. Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged

My Quirks: (other wise known as Jonathan's pet-peeves)

1. I have a foot/sock obsession, and I absolutely LOVE to tuck my socks between my toes. I have a whole, little process of stretching my sock out, rolling it up, and sticking it between my first and second toes. I am a little more lax about it these days, but it use to be a serious obsession! If my socks came "un-tucked" through out the day then I would immediately pull my shoes off and "re-tuck" - sometimes this would be multiple times a day. I even sleep with tucked socks! Crazy and weird, I know!

2. When I buy new clothes, I love to take the little-plastic-tag-hangy-thing and chew on it. And chew and chew and chew.

3. I tear my toe nails! I hardly ever use toenail clippers. I sit and play with my toes and tear the nails off if they are too long. (can you see why these are Jonathan's pet peeves?!)

4. Every morning when I get ready, I line my make-up, brush, hairspray, (etc.) up around the edge of my sink. As I finish using each product, I systematically put them away, and then I can tell when I am almost done with my getting ready process!

5. I don't like condiments. No mayo. No mustard. No ketchup. No tartar. No cocktail sauce. No horseradish. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

6. I am notorious for leaving 1/2 full water bottles, coffee cups, and glasses on my night stand by my bed. One time, Jonathan brought 6-7 different containers down to me, and they were all only 1/2 consumed.

I can't believe I just shared all of those quirky things about myself. I'm sure there are more, but thankfully, we were only required to list 6! I might start losing friends if I had kept on listing them out! : )

Now, I am ready to hear your quirks - see if you can top mine! The following blogging buddies are officially "tagged": Mary, Julie, Melissa, Rufus, Cathy, and a very faithful non-blogger, blog reader, Annette! (you can just leave your quirks in my comment section!)

Another Birthday Shout Out

I have three very close friends who all share the same birthday - Today: June 26. Each friend is from a different phase of my life, and they have all become very dear to me. One of them I met in high school (a long, long time ago), the other one I met in Seattle (about 10-11 years ago), and the last one I met here in Spokane (3 years ago). There must be some strong astrological force that draws me to people with this sign and this very birthday, in particular. Isn't that just so weird?

Anyway, I was going to have a post and link each of there pictures to their names, but the day has slipped away, and so I will just settle for wishing them each a wonderful, happy remainder of the day!

Happy, Happy Birthday Tara, Chanda, & Mary! I love each of you dearly, and I am so thankful for my friendship with all of you!

And while I am wishing, I will also include my niece's husband, who also shares this birthday. Happy, Happy Birthday Dustin! (will you pass that message along, Anna?!)

Blowing Kisses

I Don't Want to Forget This....

As I was putting Holland to bed this evening, she gave me a big hug, squeezed me tight, and whispered,

"Mommy, you make my heart feel good."

Defining my Photographic Style

My lesson this week in my photography class is all about defining my photography style. This is really hard to do because I don't think I have quite "come into" my style, yet. I will always love classic photography, and I gravitate towards photojournalistic photography, but lately I have been drawn to the trendy, contemporary, "urban" style of photography. The only problem is that one day it will go out of style, and we are going to look back at this era of photography and wonder what we were thinking! It's always fun to be trendy though so I took Holland on a little bribery photo shoot in an alley in Spokane. It didn't quite turn out how I wanted it to, but it was fun to try and shoot something different and play around with a different style. So, here is my first attempt at stepping into that "urban-y" photography style. Tell me what you think!

Love Thursday

This makes my heart sing!

I love, love, love all the love in this picture!

Check out other inspiring love thursday photos here -

(on the wonderful shutter sisters blog).

Happy Love Thursday!

Father's Day Gift

Here is a picture of Jono's father's day present. I'm kinda proud of it. I think it turned out pretty cool. Let me know what you think!

Happy Father's Day

This is one of my most favorite shots that I have taken recently. I have an emotional response when I see it, and I just love that about photography. My husband and my daughter's relationships mean the world to me, because I grew up without a dad. I don't know my dad at all, and I have only seen him a half a dozen times in my whole life. There were times as a little girl that I longed to have a relationship with him. I remember writing him letters asking him if we could meet a couple of times a year or at least write letters back and forth. There wasn't much of a response (if any) even after I made multiple requests. I think at some point, I became numb and accepted the fact that I wasn't ever going to have that relationship. However, there were many years that I was extremely bitter and mad at the world for having been dealt this fatherless deck of cards, but there came a day when I softened up again and began to melt when I saw daddies and daughters together. So you can only imagine the emotions that I am frequently flooded with when I see my own daughters and their daddy. It is almost too much to handle at times.

I absolutely adore watching my husband with my girls. He is amazing. He is incredibly "present" with them, and will drop whatever it is he is doing to go to them. He is patient. He is kind. He is strong, and he is goofy. He is so much more then I could ever put into words, and I love him for that. I love that I can't put him into a hallmark card and call it good!

I have waited a long time to experience what I am now experiencing with him and my daughters, and it was worth every day, month, and year that I spent longing for something that I am sure would have never been as good as this is. Not even close.

We are so blessed. So very blessed. Happy Father's Day, Jonathan. I love you.

**************************************

Since it is Father's Day, it wouldn't be right for me to not wish my mom a Happy Fathers' Day, too. Once I was old enough to appreciate how hard she worked to raise us three girls on her own, I began to realize that she should be acknowledged on this day, also! She didn't necessarily fill the void of me not having a dad because there really isn't anything like a daddy, but she did the best she could and I admire her for that. I am so spoiled with Jonathan that I will complain when he is out of town for a couple of days or even when he comes home a few hours later than usual. I can't imagine being on my own for all those years with three girls and hardly any support system.

So, thank-you Mom for all that you have done and Happy Father's Day. I love you.

***************************************

Lastly, I need to mention my wonderful father-n-law on this special day. I said earlier that is was worth all those years to wait to see my husband and daughter's relationships, but before they were born, and before I was able to experience Jonathan as a dad, I was able to experience his dad as a dad. That too was worth all those years of waiting. He is an amazing man, and a huge part of our lives, and I am very thankful for that for so many reasons. I love seeing him be a dad to my husband and his sister, and I love the void that he is filling in my own life. I also love seeing him with the girls and his role as grandfather. That's another relationship that I didn't grow up with, so watching my girls with their grandparents is very special, too.

Happy Father's Day, Dad! I love you.

**************************************

Here's to fatherhood. Cheers!

What Am I Thinking?!

Click here to see what I just committed to!

more about it later....

Return From Never Never Land

We're back from our trip and now we need about a week to recover! Why is it that we go on vacation to get some R&R and we run ourselves ragged and come back more fatigued and worn out then when we started? A question I'm sure that has often been pondered but never fully answered. Anyway, we had a wonderful, exhausting, magical time.

I have no recollection of having a favorite princess while growing up. I was more of the tomboy-spit-on-the-sidewalk-in-my-Sunday-dress-type, however I have always had a fairytale mentality when it comes to life and love. I believe in love. I believe in romance. I believe in happy endings, and I believe in my glass being half-full. I believe in having fun, and I believe in dancing and prancing and twirling and swirling. And I especially believe in "happily ever afters". So having said all that, I guess I believe in all that Disneyland stands for! After all, it is the "happiest place on earth" (with the exception of the around the clock tantrums, meltdowns, and parental threats).

Something definitely happens at Disneyland. Somehow, a transformation takes place and you are transported into a enchanted world of wonder and merriment. I know that experiencing Disneyland through the eyes of a four-1/2-year-old who is all things sparkly and all things princessy creates a whole different magical experience, but I also believe that I would find it to be a charming place no matter what. Simply because I BELIEVE.

I can't wait to return to never, never land!

But until then, here are some favorite memories that I happened to capture:

For Grandma

Off to Disneyland

Tiarras.

Princess Costumes.

Wands.

Sparkly jewerly.

Autograph books.

Crowns.

Shiny headbands.

Dazzling rings.

Tinkerbell backpack.

Princess Pajamas.

One pluto necklace.

3 day pass.




And a new pair of Crocs.



Off to Disneyland, we go.

Stacks.

When Holland sits down to do an art project, she doesn't stop at just one picture, one painting, or one festive creation with pipe cleaners. No, she does one right after the other, after the other, after the other. This is a stack that she brought home from school today, and this is just one stack among many, many stacks that are filling up all the surfaces in our home. Stacks. Stacks. And more STACKS.

(It's not as if Jonathan and I really need more stacks..... )

Fleeing the Scene

This is my life these days.

This is exactly what happens when I attempt to have a photo shoot with my ever-so-mobile-but-not-yet-walking one-year-old. It worked out perfectly this week though because my photo assignment for my online class was all about the rule of thirds. I got big compliments from the teacher, and she recommended that I do a whole series of this sort of thing with Dylan's chubby (or not so chubby) little legs, her diaper, etc. all fleeing the scene.

I am LOVING this photography class. It is really forcing me to see things differently, and challenging me to shoot pictures outside my comfort zone, that end up being well inside my love, love, love zone!

A Letter to the Birthday Girl

Dear Dylan,

As the end of your first birthday is drawing to a close, I am reveling in your delightful cheerfulness that lingers on, long after you have fallen asleep.

You let me cuddle with you and rock you to sleep this evening which doesn't happen too often (you much prefer daddy's broad shoulders). I thank you for giving me that special time tonight on such a special day. As I was rocking you and holding you close to my heart, I was flooded with emotion as I pondered how precarious our situation was, and how easily we could have lost you. You are such a blessing and a miracle.

Dylan Grace, you are incredible and you have brought such joy to my life. I had no idea that having a second child could enrich my life to the degree that you have. I knew it would be astounding. Miraculous. Life changing. And it has been. And it continues to be - every minute that I experience you. Every minute that I experience your daddy experiencing you, and especially every minute that I experience Holland experiencing you.

I adore you, Dylan Grace.

Sleep well, my sweet baby girl.

Love,

Mommy

A Birthday Shout Out!

Happy Birthday to you, too!

Look Who's One......

Dylan and her very own birthday cake

She was a little reserved about the whole "own birthday cake" thing. A poke here, a poke there. No handfuls of cake or mouthfuls of icing. She stayed relatively clean!She was most interested in poking her big, single candle into the cake and spreading the icing around on the floor!

Thanks for the beautiful cakes, Alana!