Burrr......Baby it's been COLD outside!

To our Arizona and Florida Aunty and Uncle coming home for Christmas: Bring your warm clothes cause this weather is surely not what you're used too! Can't wait to see you!!!!

Sledding...

...was a no-go this weekend at Alta Lake. Avery and I got back last night. We gave sledding a try for the first time and she did not like it. She really didn't like seeing mommy sled by herself either. Maybe next year. Sorry no pictures to post from the weekend. I didn't pack my camera. Seems like I get Avery packed perfectly for out of town trips, yet I always forget my own things!! Oh well, I must be a mom! Ha ha ha! Anyways... I'm hoping to catch some great holiday shots coming up in the next week. Plus, I've got some exciting news coming as well, so stay tuned......!

Another Beautiful Family

I've been so lucky lately to be holding my first sessions!! I've photographed some beautiful families with in the last month and I'm just loving it! Lifestyle photography has definitely become my newfound passion! Here's a couple from the other day:

Anyways... super-cute family!

I'll be heading out of town tonight. I'm taking Avery over to my parent's house east of the mountains to play in the snow for the weekend. And I'll definitely have my camera!! (Avery doesn't know it yet, but she's going to give sledding a try for the first time!)

One more from the other day:

'C' fell asleep in the car on our way home from picture taking on Thursday. We flat out wore the little guy out... he was in the middle of eating his lunch. Sweet boy fell asleep with his hand in his Happy Meal bag! Tooooo cute!

ALL BOY(s)

Today I was able to get down to my cousin's house to do a little session with her boys. I'm thrilled with the way her pictures turned out. I'm quite happy also because I finally got to take some shots on train tracks! LOVE IT!! I think train tracks are my new favorite place to take pictures! The boys were VERY cooperative... little treats never hurt! Here's a few from today:

Pretty cute, huh?

Avery's 1st Snow!

(I'm speechless...) OK, well it's her second...but she was too little to care about it last year. Around 1:30pm today it started snowing. It's still snowing right now at 9pm! After Avery woke up from her nap I bundled her up as best I could and we went out to play in the snow. All she could say was, "Wow," and "Look!" She walked, crawled, stumbled and sat in the snow while she held it in her mitten covered hands so adoringly! Pretty cute!

Did I capture a shot for our Christmas cards this year???

Well, maybe. She didn't seem to mind too much. I snapped of few of these and although she's ADORABLE, not the type of shot I had in mind for our cards. Then... this started happening:

She began yelling at me, "Geet done, geet done," ('done' with a long O) which is "get down" in Avery's language. And it just went downhill from there. Gee, maybe I should have started working on this earlier, rather than the first day of December?? Ha ha... oh well, what would the holidays be like without any of the hussle~bussle?

I did end up catching this cute little profile shot though. :)

"The stockings were hung, by the chimney with care..."

I had to post these pictures from tonight. Aside from the first picture not being completely straight, I love them. Our mantel is fully decked out and ready for Santa to come bounding down on Christmas Eve night. I am so excited for Christmas this year. Yes, I love everything the Holiday season brings with it: the decorating, the tree cutting, the lights, the music, the baking, the get-togethers etc. All of that is wonderful and I've looked forward to it since I was a little girl. This year I'm extra excited and really into the "Christmas Spirit" because my little girl is taking it all in for the first time! She is completely and utterly amazed and I'm loving every moment of it! Last Christmas she was 6 months old and not really aware of what was going on. This year, it's totally different. When we turn our outdoor lights on, she points and says, "Look, look!" She LOVES seeing houses in our neighborhood lit up with lights and says "more more" as we drive past. I have a lighted village (which I feel special having because it's my mom's) set up on our mantel that she just can't get enough of. Today we hung our stockings and she's equally elated about those too. I love watching her experience all of this for the first time. And of course, I'm having a hard time finishing up her Christmas shopping... ha ha ha!

Something else I'm excited about:

Our stockings! We each have our own stocking now that we'll have forever!! Mark and I have never hung stockings before during Christmas. Mine from when I was young is just so old and fragile that I just keep it packed up. I thought we'd get our stockings after we were married, but I never did it. This year I ordered stockings for the 3 of us and they're adorable! Now we'll always have them and when Avery is old enough, she can have it and hang it on her own mantel with her babies' stockings... someday! :)

Happy Holidays all!

'S' Family Session

I'm so excited to post this sneak peak of another session I was able to do for my dearest friend and her beautiful family! Brace yourselves...these are precious!!

Daddy's girl!

And Mommy's girls...

Ok, ok... I'm getting a little carried away with 4 peaks!! Ha ha... but they're just so sweet! Enjoy!

'W' Family Session

Within the last few days I've had the privilege of shooting a few family sessions. Here's a little sneak peak of one family. I'm just about finished with processing their images and what I'm seeing makes me smile!! :)

And another......

Isn't she a sweetie? I love the expression on her face in this picture. She wasn't quite sure of what to make of myself and my camera and this image definitely tells you what she was thinkin'!!

She's Baaaack!!

Can you say BEAUTIFUL??

My little bug's got her SPARKLE back! Definitely feeling better today. She had a fabulous breakfast of strawberry yogurt and bites of a blueberry muffin! I can't tell you how excited and relieved for her I am. And I'm excited to get my camera back out now that she's happier and I have the time (and the hands)!! :)

Hopefully we'll get to put our pink kitty boots on and play outside after she wakes up! Neither one of us has seen much daylight lately! Enjoy... :)

10 Days...

Avery laying on the bottom step while my mom rubbed her back the other night

...of Avery being sick. My last post I had said I thought she was getting better. NOPE! Now she's getting better. We finally found out she has a viral infection in her mouth. Long story short: by last Friday she was dehydrated so we went back to the Dr., he prescribed Tylenol with Codeine, we got a little relief, added Motrin in between (Dr.'s orders) and slowly but surely she's eating and drinking more each day. But what a rough 10 days! She's finally back to sleeping through the night and taking normal naps and that sure helps! Today was a pretty good day. Avery played while she was awake and ate yogurt, cheese and chocolate pudding!! Definitely making progress!!!

In other exciting news... I've got another photo session lined up for Monday and another the following weekend for my very wonderful friend! I'm very excited and looking forward to getting out of the house too now that Avery is feeling a lot better! Stay tuned... Normal posting will resume as Avery's health improves! And thank you to our friends and family who prayed for Avery during this awful time! Someone must have been listening... :):)

I'm Still Here...

...Just busy lately. My little bug's been sick but I think she's starting to feel better today, thankfully. It just breaks my heart to see my usually happy girl feel so uncomfortable and sick. I'll have some pictures coming soon... Gotta run for now! :)

Favorites

Things are kinda slow around here lately. Weather's been icky, except for yesterday it was abnormally beautiful for this time of year. Anyways... I haven't been taking a lot of pictures but it's all the more reason for me to get some good practice shooting indoors. Yep... working on it. :) Anyways, I haven't posted in a while so I thought I'd show you a few shots of Avery that I LOVE. We have to keep in mind that not every picture we take has to be technically perfect. As a mommy, I never want to miss anything Avery says, does, tries... etc. Part of the reason why I've fallen in love with photography is because it allows me to "document" Avery's life. Not just the cute smiles in a beautiful environment. I want to capture the essence of Avery. Not all of my pictures are what some would see as "frameable", "scrapbookable" or "need -to -show- the -world-able" but they are pictures of Avery's true spirit; exactly what I want to catch while documenting her life. Of course, I'm biased... practically EVERY picture I have of Avery is "frameable", "scrapbookable", and yes, absolutely "need-to-show-the-world-able" but I'm her mother!! Ha ha ha! So here's a few of Avery that I cherish. With one glance of these pictures I know exactly how she was feeling, I can here her giggle or hear the word she was saying, I'm taken back to the moment!

This is one of Avery's favorite things to do!

If you ask her to play 'Peekaboo' this is what you get!

I love this picture because Avery now says, "Idnknoooow" which translates to, "I don't know" and it is so cute to hear her say it. She puts her hands up too. This shot is not perfectly focused, but look at her beautiful blue eyes and her priceless expression with a cheerio in mouth to boot! Ha ha ha!

And this last shot is very close to my heart. This is something Avery's done since she was soooo little. When she's tired or just relaxed, she snuggles her blankey right over or under her nose and just breathes her blankey in. She loves it so much and this soft, fuzzy piece of brown and pink fabric bring so much security and comfort to her. It just melts my heart! When you ask if you can have some blankey too, she puts it right under your nose and rubs it. Just the way she likes it! Such a precious little bugaboo!

That's it for now! Remember, not every shot is going to be perfect (I always have to keep that in mind)! Just know that some of those not-so-perfect shots may turn out to be the ones that really speak to you and mean the world to you.

The Farm

Yesterday we had such a great day! We went to The Farm to pick out our pumpkins. The Farm is in Snohomish and it's a great place to go for pumpkins, corn mazes, hot apple cider and lots of animals to see and pet! We came home with 3 pumpkins for daddy to carve soon!

And get a load of these:

Avery's Grammy got these pink kitty rubber boots for her when she was just a little bitty bug and I'm amazed that they fit now, as they should! But it just blows my mind anyways. I remember thinking when my mom got these for her that it would be forever until she would fit them. And now she does. The time sure flies! Thank goodness they fit too because it was muddy!

Here's a few more shots from yesterday:

Afterwards, we went out for Avery's new favorite... PIZZA! She LOVES pizza... like father, like daughter. Like I said, we had a great day together! I love you Mark and Avery!!! XOXOXO

DIRT!

Everyone's gotta try a little I guess, right? Yes... even my precious, angelic, sweet-smelling little girl. And thank goodness her daddy wasn't around for this. (Ever since Avery was born he's turned into a complete germaphobe...never thought I'd see that happen!)

As difficult as it was to watch, it was also pretty cute! But I'm amazed my everything she does. Ha ha ha! She really didn't think too much of it. When she finished, she just patted off her hands and continued on her way.

In other exciting news, Avery is finally walking. She's been toying around with it for a few weeks, not really doing a lot of it though. Yesterday she was walking everywhere outside. I'm so excited for her especially cause I was a little scared and worried after our last Dr. visit... She's a "late" walker... yeah, yeah WHATEVER! But that's another post... I'm hoping to catch some action walking shots this afternoon. So stay tuned...

I can't help it...

......I have to post a few more "peeks" of the session I did in Florida! Here they are:

This mommy and daughter are just two peas in a pod!

And is this little girl beautiful or what?

I've just finished processing their session and I've ordered their proof book as well! I'm so excited for them to see their pictures... nearly 4o of them! WOW! Thanks so much girls, and I'll have your book to you soon!

I know, I know......

Yes, all! I'm back from Florida. I came home a few days early but first let me just say I had a FABULOUS time hanging out with my sister and her boyfriend!! I know what you're thinking though and you're absolutely right. I missed Avery and her daddy so incredibly much and those words do not even begin to do justice to what I was truly feeling inside! Florida was a LONG way to go for the first time without my bug and I will do it again, I will absolutely go back and visit my sister again. Our sister time, getting to know her boyfriend better and yes, my alone time too, was so very precious to me. It was just a whole new experience... leaving Avery for the first time. Here are some pictures of Katie and Brett. We were on Juno Beach and it was gorgeous. There were surfers out in the water and the smell of coconuts and tanning oil were mesmerizing; especially if you live in WA like me where we're getting a real taste of our fall weather!

Aren't those pictures darling? And I'm proud to say I have the most beautiful sister in the whole, wide world!! She always is super comfortable and photogenic... she doesn't even have to try to look good for a camera... she just is this way all the time! I love her soooo much!

Here's the sisters on our way to wreaking havoc in Florida on my last night in town:

OK, this was super exciting for me. While in Florida, I photographed my sister's boss, Amy, and her five-year-old daughter, Savannah. Guys, this is my first paid shoot and I couldn't be more pleased with how the photos turned out. Here's a small sneak peak for Amy and Savannah...

This picture really captures the true essence of who Amy and Savannah are with each other as mommy and daughter. They were the two easiest girls to photograph. They played and laughed with each other and I just shot away to my heart's content. Thanks so much girls and I can't wait to get your photos out to you!

Cheers to Florida and Katie & Brett and Amy & Savannah... thank your for the trip, I'll never forget it and don't count me out... I will be back!! Ha ha!!

West Palm Beach, Florida

I did it.... or I'm doing it, that is!! I'm in West Palm Beach, FL visiting my sister for a week. This is the first time I've left Avery for more than one night (and I only did that last weekend)!!! Being away from Avery is much harder than I expected it to be. I'm having a great time spending time with my sister and her boyfriend but man, I am one homesick little mama!!!! Tomorrow we're heading to Disney World for the day so that will be fun. I can't wait to find Avery loads of Disney toys and whatever else... she LOVES Mickey Mouse!! I'll be home on Monday and I can't wait to see, smell, kiss and love up on my bug... and my husband too! :)

Yesterday Katie (my sister), Brett and I and Katie's boss and daughter headed out to Juno Beach for a photo session. Amy and Sass (my sister's boss and daughter) were so fun to photograph... so easy. I absolutely LOVE every shot I took. As soon as I get home I'll post a few. We had a blast yesterday! I also took some shots of Katie and Brett that turned out fabulous! I can't wait to get them all home and processed for them to see.

I hope to have some fun pictures from Disney World tomorrow also and I plan on taking more pictures of Katie and Brett with their dog (my nephew... he's soooo cute) Jackson. Well, take care all and I'll be home soon!!

Anatomy of a Mini-Meltdown

Mark and I consider ourselves pretty lucky thus far. Avery has always been a WONDERFUL sleeper (except if she's teething she'll stir around a lot in the middle of the night), she's very even-tempered like her daddy. But within the last couple months she's had a few mini-meltdowns. I don't consider them full-blown temper tantrums yet, but she has just a few moments of real worrisome feelings when something isn't going just right. (She has to be pretty tired for something to really bother her though.) She's still easily distracted out of them, luckily! :) The pictures above are during her little meltdown I caught last night. She says, " Oh no," or "nooooooo," in the saddest little voice that really melts my heart. It seems that what triggers these is something that almost hurts her feelings more so than angers her. They're pretty precious... right now at least. :) And these pictures also really capture my photography philosophy which is capturing "real-life"! These pictures are very real-life for us and I'm sure other parents out there as well! I can look at these pictures and know exactly what Avery is feeling and saying at the moment and I love that! They "speak" to me and that's exactly what I look for in a picture!

In other exciting news, Avery is FINALLY taking her first steps. She can take about 6-8 at a time. We are so happy and excited. She's not to the point where she's walking to get from point A to point B, but she's toying with it more and more. She'll walk to get a toy if she's already standing and it's pretty close to her. Avery and Daddy have a game they play that really gets her walking. He pushes the ottoman far away from the couch and puts her toy piggy bank on it. He puts the coins to the bank on the couch. Avery takes a coin and walks it (about 6-7 steps) to the bank and puts it in. It is soooo cute. After she does it she screeches with delight and you can tell she's sooooo proud of herself! I don't have any shots of this yet... but I'm working on it.

This weekend, Avery and I went to Eastern WA with my mom. A girls weekend! My mom and I got a lot of scrapbooking done which was nice. The weather is cooling off over there, but it's still blue skies and sunny every morning when you wake up. On our way home, we stopped at a fruit stand and they really decorate their grounds beautifully every season. Avery had a great time playing on the pumpkins! I cannot wait to take her to the pumpkin farm in a few weeks!!! Enjoy....

Our Daily Necessities

Ok... so I've been trying to take some different pictures, not just pictures of Avery. It's harder than I thought it would be, but I also want to have her favorite things (of the moment) documented as well as just her! So here are a few. The absolute most important of Avery's ESSENTIAL necessities is her blankey. That one is hard to get a shot of because when I try to take it, just borrow it for a few minutes only, she'd rather not cooperate. So blankey will be coming shortly... hopefully! But first, let me tell you that I was inspired for this first photo by another blog that I stalk daily. It's www.lifescapturedmoments.blogspot.com. There's a photo of a bottle of Tylenol and a binky cause her family's been sick. I love the texture on that photo and I'm going to learn how to do all of that one of these days... Anyways... here's the pics!

These are pretty important right now since she just cut her first molar. I'd prefer to have her blankey in this shot too, but not happening:

Next... I'm so proud of Avery for LOVING these activities... must be the teacher in me or something:

Well, I don't know how I feel about the actual photos yet... definitely need to practice. You'd think shooting objects like the above would be easier. After all, they're not moving all over the place and trying to get away from the camera. Ha ha ha!

Finally....

...with the help of my husband (XOXO) and 2Peas, thank you ladies, I have a header for this blog that I really like! No pictures to post right now, hopefully I'll have some neat ones tomorrowo. Instead of shooting pics. just of my bug, I'm going to concentrate on her favorite things and things that are significant in our daily routines. I hope to play with colors and different textures too. I just purchased some new brushes and frames from 2Peas (LOVE this site) and I need to install them. Kind of procrastinating cause I'm not very good at figuring those types of things out. Wish me luck and stay tuned....

Under Construction

OK, so I finally learned how to customize my header, but it still doesn't look right! Grrrr.... The B&W photo is supposed to be to the far left of the header. Don't know what's going on. Any suggestions on sizing, resizing and getting this silly thing to fit right would be extremely welcomed!!

Sibling Day!

Recently, my mom and her brother and sisters have been trying to get together once a month to spend some quality time together. A few days ago, my mom hosted the get-together at her house and I was asked to come over and take pictures for them. They haven't had this done in a very long time and I think they turned out great! Grandma, if you see this, enjoy!!!

This black and white pictures is one of my favorites because if you don't know these people, this picture gives you a pretty good idea of their personalities. And I'm amazed I got as many normal shots as I did, cause this behavior is the kind I was working with the whole time! Ha ha! But the silly ones like this have turned out to be my favorites!

And last but not least, here's a couple I know my grandma will LOVE!: