Bethany F Photography

Day 22: Photo 366

2012-01-27T23:56:00.000-08:00

I definitely procrastinated today in my posting! I'm sneaking this in minutes before midnight. :) I snapped this today while Selah was playing in her little chipmunk world. :) She was sitting in the hallway sunlight. I love this girl.

{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 70-200mm f/.28L IS II lens, ISO 250, 1/800 sec, f/2.8, focal length: 115mm}

Day 21: Photo 366

2012-01-26T15:07:00.000-08:00

Wait, isn't this a photography blog? Why, yes it is! But it's January, which is the month of the year I usually take off. So instead of photo sessions, I'm meeting with brides for coffee and taking time to recharge, and posting crazy-exciting stuff like this on my blog! ;) But honestly, I do get a little excited over stuff like this!...

My photo for today is the ingredients in the home cleaner we make, that I love! My step-mom Janet, (hate that term because it makes people think of the Cinderella step-mom, which Janet would be the opposite of!) taught me how to make all-purpose cleaner a few years ago, and I've been using this recipe since. It's great!

So, buy yourself a spray bottle (I got mine from the dollar tree and bought a few for different spots in the house). Then this is all you put into it:
1/4 cup vinegar
1-2 drops of liquid dish soap
1 drop pure essential peppermint oil (This is optional. I added it to make mine smell yummy! You could add any scent you love!)
Then fill the bottle to the top with water.
Screw on the sprayer-lid and shake it up a bit to mix all the ingredients and you're done! (One helpful hint is to write the recipe on the spray bottle with permanent marker so that the next time you make it you don't have to go looking for the recipe.)

It makes my counter tops nice and shiny and works great on windows too.

{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 70-200mm f/.28L IS II lens, ISO 1000, 1/60 sec, f/2.8, focal length: 120mm}

Day 20: Photo 366

2012-01-25T16:04:00.000-08:00

I'm actually learning a bit about myself through this daily photo project! Two specific things stand out:
1. When given the option to photograph anything every day, I pretty much always choose people... and my kids are always handy which is why you see them most! :)
2. I like to get close. I noticed that I rarely am snapping a whole space, but then again I'm mostly just shooting around my house since it's winter... so maybe I'm just avoiding photographing a messy room. ;) But I've also noticed that when I only get to post one shot, I want it to tell a bit of a story if it can, hence the tighter framing.

{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 50mm f/1.2L lens, ISO 640, 1/200 sec, f/1.8}

Day 19: Photo 366

2012-01-24T22:32:00.000-08:00

I had a crazy busy day! So I'm posting a shot from the pictures I took of Isaac yesterday. :)

{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 70-200mm f/.28L IS II lens, ISO 200, 1/250 sec, f/2.8, focal length: 90mm}

Day 18: Photo 366

2012-01-23T15:50:00.000-08:00

My friend Sheri's son, Isaac, just celebrated his 4th birthday, and I got to snap a few photos of him today. Isn't he SO cute?! (You may recognize him from my past blog posts.)
I've always liked this photo/info idea, that I got from Pinterest, so I thought it would be a fun way to tell you a little bit about this amazing guy. I love his Superman tatoo! :)

{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 70-200mm f/.28L IS II lens, ISO 1000, 1/320 sec, f/2.8, focal length: 75mm, window to my right.}

Day 17: Photo 366

2012-01-22T19:40:00.000-08:00

Selah loves to draw. Anywhere.

{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 50mm f/1.2L lens, ISO 100, 1/2500 sec, f/2}

Day 16: Photo 366

2012-01-21T20:45:00.000-08:00

Benjamin took his first stroll on the beach today. He's been to the beach a few times, but not since he's been walking. He seemed pretty excited when we first put him down, until he walked down a little slope and took a face dive straight into the sand, and had sand in his teeth. Then he proceeded to eat the sand on his fingers, much to my horror. :)
Here's our happy little guys with a sandy mouth.

{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 50mm f/1.2L lens, ISO 100, 1/1600 sec, f/2}

My Dad snapped this photo of me when I was photographing Benjamin, so I thought I'd include it in today's post just for fun. :)

Day 15: Photo 366

2012-01-20T19:17:00.000-08:00

Jude, our little photographer, took this photo of me yesterday while playing a little Angry Birds.

{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 50mm f/1.2L lens, ISO 800, 1/60 sec, f/2.5}

Day 14: Photo 366

2012-01-19T14:09:00.000-08:00

Shared interest. :)

{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 70-200mm f/2.8L lens, ISO 1250, 1/40 sec, f/2.8, focal length: 75mm}

Day 13: Photo 366

2012-01-18T22:35:00.000-08:00

Earlier this evening as it was getting dark I saw the shadows of a tree's branches on our door's window panes (created by the back lighting of a street light). I thought it was really pretty, but as I photographed it I liked the look of it blurred better than in focus.

{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 70-200mm f/2.8L lens, ISO 1600, 1/60 sec, f/2.8, focal length: 200mm}

Day 12: Photo 366

2012-01-17T22:39:00.000-08:00

I got to spend lots of one-on-one time with Jude today. A quick shot of us goofing off before heading out the door to an appointment. :) Love this boy.

{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 50mm f/1.2L lens, ISO 1000, 1/50 sec, f/2.2, a little fill flash bounced off the ceiling.}

Day 11: Photo 366

2012-01-16T22:13:00.000-08:00

I had a great weekend, meeting with couples in love to talk about wedding photography! If you know anyone newly engaged or who is looking for a wedding photographer, please pass my name along. I'd love to meet your friends and family!

{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 50mm f/1.2L lens, ISO 500, 1/60 sec, f/1.2, a little fill flash bounced off the ceiling.}

Day 10: Photo 366

2012-01-15T12:26:00.000-08:00

We had snow for about 2 minutes today. It looked really pretty coming down. I snapped a quick shot of Selah trying really hard to catch a snowflake on her tongue. :) I love kids.
{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 50mm f/1.2L lens, ISO 100, 1/60 sec, f/1.8}

Day 9: Photo 366

2012-01-14T20:15:00.000-08:00

I'm really enjoying the Blurb Books I ordered. I have another one on the way, to complete our time-line and have us caught up through 2011. I ordered the proline paper, and it looks great. It's fun to have our family related blog posts all in one place, like being able to read a book about our family life. I think our kids will really enjoy them when they're older. :)

{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 50mm f/1.2L lens, ISO 100, 1/20 sec, f/1.8, and a little bit of flash bounced off chair on my left, because I forgot to shoot these while there was daylight. Speaking of... I feel like I'm kind of a bad Photo 366'er because I often forget to take a picture before there's any daylight left!}

Day 8: Photo 366

2012-01-13T21:06:00.000-08:00

Life changes quickly! I've been lost in the world of Blurb Books right now (thanks to my friend Amber!), making books from all of my personal/family blog posts dating back to 2006-ish, and I've been coming across old photos of the kids on external hard drives. Boy do these sweet photos bring up a lot of good emotions/memories! I just came across this little snap shot of Selah playing in our blueberry pot from 2009 and it melted my heart. She's changed SO much. I'll post a shot tomorrow of my first Blurb book that came in the mail.

Day 7: Photo 366

2012-01-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

Thoughtful.

That's how I'd describe my husband Josh. Every so often he will surprise me with something thoughtful when I'm not expecting it. Whether it's picking me up a bag of my favorite popcorn, or cleaning the kitchen after I've fallen asleep on the couch... :) I love being thought of. It makes me feel loved! And it goes both ways doesn't it? Our husbands want to be thought of too! They need to know we think the world of them! Go love on your husband today - surprise him with some thoughtfulness!

Recently Josh gave me this sweet little necklace. (Your first thought may be, "put a bird on it". :) But I've been thinking about a verse I love a lot lately... it could be translated down to a child's simple song lyrics: "God cares and He's always there, He's got his eye upon the sparrow..."

Something so simple and sweet makes me feel thought of, loved and cared for. I love my husband.

{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 50mm f/1.2L lens, ISO 100, 1/125 sec, f/1.8}

Day 6: Photo 366

2012-01-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

This morning there was a patch of sunlight on the floor and I decided to sit there. It was warm. :) It totally reminded me of being a kid. Did you ever do that? Find those warm spots of sun in your home and just hang out there until it moved? Ah, it always feels so nice. Especially in January in Oregon! :)
Look closely enough and you can see a little steam coming from my tea.
{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 50mm f/1.2L lens, ISO 100, 1/2500 sec, f/2. Used timer.}

Day 5: Photo 366

2012-01-10T14:11:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of good memories associated with apples.
They make me think of late summer/early fall in my grandparent's orchard.
They take me back to a hot summer when we worked one day on a little cabin my parents owned and us kids were sitting outside on a log, eating slices of apple.
They make me think of school. In 5th grade we made mobiles of our favorite things and what did I put in my mobile? An apple of course.
I ate a ton of them growing up. My dad would pick up a bag of granny smiths from the grocery store and about 2 days later would say, "Hey, where did all the apples go? I just bought a big bag!"
Our son Jude's favorite thing to eat is an apple.
A photographer friend of mine sent me a gift card to Potterybarn last summer and as I wandered in there one day I saw this cute clay pot full of apples. It had my name on it. :)

I was originally only going to post the photo on the right, but when I was taking this photo today Benjamin came over and took great interest in what I was doing and the lighting was so pretty, so I cheated. ;)
{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 50mm f/1.2L lens, ISO 200, 1/160 sec, f/1.4. Light source: entry way window.}

Day 4: Photo 366

2012-01-09T14:23:00.000-08:00

{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 50mm f/1.2L lens, ISO 200, 1/100 sec, f/1.8, window to my left, used a tiny bit of flash bounced off the white mantel above the chair.}

Day 3: Photo 366

2012-01-08T19:00:00.000-08:00

Benjamin has this hammer toy that he just loves. He lines up the balls and slams them all down. It's pretty funny to watch in action! I originally posted a smiling photo of him but changed my mind and wanted to post this serious shot instead, just because it's so different and it kind of cracks me up. {Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 50mm f/1.2L lens, ISO 320, 1/200 sec, f/1.8, with a tiny bit of flash bounced off the chair on my left.}

Day 2: Photo 366

2012-01-07T14:35:00.000-08:00

I showed Selah the photo I posted yesterday on my blog and Jude said, "Hey, where's the picture of me, Mom?" So today's post is for my Jude bug!{Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 50mm f/1.2L lens, ISO 200, 1/100 sec, f/2, with a tiny bit of flash bounced off the ceiling.}p.s. My friend Marisa informed me that this is a leap year! I'll have to make sure that Feb. 29th's photo is 4x cooler than any other photo I take! :)

Day 1: Photo 365

2012-01-06T21:56:00.000-08:00

Not gonna lie... today I thought to myself mid-day, "what have I done?! I have 3 kids, why did I think I could take a picture and post it every day?" But tonight I snapped some pics at bath time and realized I'll be thankful ~~when this is over~~ to have these photos! And I'm going to use this to also practice shooting in areas I'd like growth in. So this will be fun! ...I have a feeling you're going to be seeing a lot more of my kids than usual here on this blog! I love this girl! :){Shot with Canon 5D MarkII, 50mm f/1.2L lens, ISO 800, 1/160 sec, f/2, with a tiny bit of flash bounced off the wall to my right.}

Photo 360..

2012-01-05T15:31:00.000-08:00

Well, I think I'm going to do it! I've always wanted to do a Photo 365 (meaning posting one photo a day for a year) but I've never had the guts to commit to it! It really is a commitment! But I think I'm going to take the plunge this year! I'll officially start it tomorrow, which will technically make it a Photo 360 to finish it at the end of 2012. But until then, I'll post one shot from today that doesn't technically count toward it... its from a post over on our family's blog today. I know, I know, I've been holding out on you. I do have a personal, family blog. I've always wanted to keep everything here on this blog for simiplicity sake, but I keep hearing about these cool books that you can have made from your blog! And my kids are growing up quickly, and I thought it would be a neat thing to do, to write and post photos about our daily life, to share with family and then to be able to have it all made into a book! So, if you come here for the pictures, then just keep coming here. But if you want to read my crazy ramblings of other stuff, you're welcome to visit {here} too. :) This below is from my post over at our family blog today:

Selah's been making me laugh lately. She says things that I think she must've only heard once somewhere. Today she was saying loudly in the kitchen, and with great enthusiasm, "Release the power of technology!" Where did that come from?! Haha! She just loves to talk, talk, talk! I've been taking some videos of her in the morning time lately, when she's the most chatty. :) I'll have to share one soon.

Today the sun is shining and it's blue skies and I LOVE it!! It's still very cold, but it's sunny, and the sound of lawn mowers running this morning got me really excited for summer!

Selah and Jude wanted to go outside and play hopscotch and dig in the dirt. So they put on their coats and grabbed the bag of chalk. I didn't want Selah's coat to get all dirty so I grabbed a long sleeve shirt of mine and put it over her. She thought it was pretty funny and she thought it looked like a dress, so she grabbed some shoes to match. :)

Happy Thursday!

Thankful...

2011-12-23T20:50:00.000-08:00

This has been such a fun week and I just love Christmastime!

A few months ago I got to join in on a photography group. We met at Powell's Bookstore downtown, had coffee and talked about all things photography. It was great! The group decided to do a fun assignment - take 24 shots in 24 hours and post them. Well, I've been really bad about it! I keep trying and keep failing!

As I read Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts I was inspired to snap little photos throughout my day of things I was thankful for. I thought it would be fun to do my "24 shots in 24 hours" and post those things I snapped throughout my day. Well, I managed to snap 10 in 24 hours. :) Then I felt I needed to start over the next day to not break rules... ahhh, my self-imposed anxiety over the rules was turning this fun activity into something I couldn't ever complete! So tonight I decided I'd just post my 10 shots... but I'll still try again after Christmas and get those 24 in 24! :) Is anyone else out there this crazy? Please say yes.

So here are 10 little things I spotted one day, a couple weeks ago, that I was thankful for...

And I'm thankful for all of you too!!
Have a wonderful Christmas with your families!!
xo,
Bethany

Benjamin's 1st Birthday

2011-12-22T01:40:00.000-08:00

Benjamin's 1st Birthday was on Tuesday! Josh took the day off and we had a great day celebrating as a family. We had cupcakes after a yummy dinner and went to zoo lights. I also wanted to take a few shots of Benjamin throughout the day.

This first shot is how I always find Benjamin when he's just woken up from his nap... mouth on crib railing. :) And I have some photos over the year of him sitting in this chair with his little buddy.

The kids and I made gfcf cupcakes and decorated them. Yummy!

Oh Benji, I just love your smile!! xoxo

We were really excited to give Benjamin this little gift... Selah has a little pet kitty toy that wags it's tail and meows and Benjamin loves it. He even has a little voice he talks in whenever he picks up an animal toy, that sounds exactly like he's mimicking Selah's little kitty. So we got him a little puppy with spots that wags it's tail and moves it's head. He was SO excited - it was seriously just the sweetest little thing to watch him love his little puppy. :)

Benjamin noticed his shadow as he was toddling by. :)

This is how I roll sometimes... it always makes me laugh when I see a photo of myself with two kids in the stroller and one in the ergo. But I love it! :) We had a great time at zoo lights. Insanely long line for the train! The kids REALLY wanted to ride it, so we braved the line in the chilly weather and it was worth it. We had a great time and Josh and I loved their joy when seeing all of the lights.

A fun family day with great memories. Happy 1st Birthday joyful Benjamin Gabriel!! You are such a gift to us and we love you like crazy little man! <3

Darling Langley

2011-12-15T18:44:00.000-08:00

I met Alicia & Colton two years ago when they welcomed their precious little boy Harlen into the world. (...For whatever reason my blog wouldn't allow me to make a link, so here's the link to Harlen from '09: http://bethanyfphotography.blogspot.com/2009/11/baby-harlen.html) I loved photographing him and was so excited when Alicia contacted me and told me they were going to have a little girl!

I'm so glad I got to finish out my 2011 shooting season photographing precious Langley! :)

I always forget just how itty-bitty newborns are... there's nothing like those first weeks/months of just cuddling your sweet sleeping baby for hours on end!

We also did a few Christmas photos and I just loved Langley's little hat and outfit!

Harlen is such a sweet big brother!

Congratulations Alicia & Colton! Your family is beautiful.

Ben & Rachelle

2011-12-13T20:43:00.000-08:00

Josh and I have known Ben & Rachelle since our college days. Josh and Ben were roommates and have remained close friends.

We're so excited for these two because they are embarking on a new adventure this year! Ben is starting a new career as a chaplain (officer) in the Navy and will be stationed on a Greek island. Not bad, eh?! :) I can't wait to see photos of all the places they will go and travel!

We took these photos in Lake Oswego, and happened upon some really beautiful light. :)

May God richly bless you two in all of your adventures ahead!

Little Rachel

2011-12-09T17:31:00.000-08:00

Ed & Diana's wedding was one of my absolute favorites to photograph! It was down in Yosemite National Park and just amazing.

I was so excited when they booked a shoot up here for their baby girl, Rachel!

Rachel stole my heart! She's the happiest little thing with the sweetest disposition!! Which doesn't surprise me, because her parents are so easy going and kind. :)

She loves to show off her mad tongue skills! :) Oh Rachel, you kill me with cuteness!

Ed & Diana, I always love seeing you two, and I'm so glad I got to meet your darling Miss Rachel!

Lisa's Beautiful Family

2011-12-02T13:53:00.001-08:00

Lisa set up a shoot for her whole family (her family, sister's family, and parents) out at Hawks View Cellars, a beautiful vineyard in Sherwood. I just loved everything about the setting! It was lovely, even on this very overcast day! We worked quickly, since the rain was coming and going throughout the shoot.

The trickiest part of being a photographer in Oregon is the weather. It can be gloriously sunny and beautiful one fall day, and icky-rainy-gray the next. Or even swing from one spectrum to the other in the same day. Oh, Oregon, sometimes I just want to have a word with you! :) But the weather didn't phase them. They were all such great sports and so flexible.

I adore Lisa's family and loved every moment photographing them all!

Lisa, sister Jenni, and their super sweet parents...

Jenni's darling family...

Where it all began... :)

Friends

2011-11-27T01:54:00.000-08:00

When Josh and I were first married we had so much fun living by our friends Matt & Jana. We played cards, dehydrated apples, Jana taught me how to give Josh a hair cut :)... just fun times being young marrieds and laughing a lot.

Over the years we've gone on vacations together, all centered around card playing, we've had kids at the same time (usually within weeks of each other), and now we're all gluten-free/dairy-free together. Haha, that last one I don't think any of us would've chosen, but it's been good for us all in it's own way!

I got to do an official photo shoot of their family for the first time this year and it was a lot of fun. We took these down on OSU's campus in Corvallis.

Matt & Jana, thank you for being such dear friends. Your friendship is a gift. {Hugs}

Brown Eyed Girl

2011-11-17T22:50:00.000-08:00

Thank you to those of you who were so kind to leave me a comment on my last post! I loved meeting so many of you I'd never met before! And hearing from those of you I know already and adore! :) It's really fun to see who all is out there and I actually feel more connected with you guys after that last post! I left comments in reply to your comments, by the way!

I've loved photographing Ashley, Diana & Robert the last couple of years! I still remember the first time I photographed Ashley I came home and told Josh about her gorgeous big brown eyes! You can see their family's past shoots by clicking here and here. How fast children grow.

I love the feel of this shot, as well as the creamy light. And I love when couples are still in love and it shows!

Diana & Robert, it's always so fun to see you and photograph your beautiful family!

Hi, I'm Bethany!

2011-11-16T14:36:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone! Today I wanted to do something different! In a sense I want to say, "Hi, I'm Bethany, it's nice to meet you!"

I'd love to meet all of you who stop by here regularly or just pop in once in a while!

Being a blog follower myself (I have a handful of blogs I love to follow each day), I sometimes feel funny having this ability to pop in on someone else's world, that I totally begin to feel like I'm a part of!, but I rarely ever connect with the blogger. Sometimes I find myself telling Josh about these wonderful, or insanely talented, people I'm following, and they have no idea I'm taking notes over here on the other side of the world. :) The weirdest thing I find myself doing when blog reading, is sometimes I'll type out a comment and then change my mind about actually publishing it. I chicken out! I'm such a dork. Does anyone else ever do that?! :)

I remember a day, a couple years ago, when I was grocery shopping and pushing my kids down the isle with our cart, and I passed another mom with her kids. We looked at each other for a few seconds longer than the normal polite glance and she asked, "Are you Bethany?" And I asked, "Are you Lisa?"... we knew of each other from our blogs but didn't know we knew each other! So funny! It was wonderful to meet her in person! :)

Anyway, if you've been following along here for a while or just pop in once in a while, I'd love to meet you! Please make my day and say hi!

Baby Steps...

2011-11-14T14:15:00.001-08:00

My baby took his first steps today!

I can't believe Benjamin will be ONE next month.

I'm soaking in each moment!

Playful & Fun

2011-11-11T23:28:00.000-08:00

When Cathy contacted me about family photos I was excited because her kids are so similar in age to mine, although her baby is about 6 months younger than mine. Cathy you look great for having just had a baby!

Most family shoots I do with little kids I try and get any "sitting still" shots right up front because after about 15-30 mins, most kids just want to be active, and my novelty has worn off by then. I love the second half of a shoot, when the kids are running and climbing because I like capturing their joy and energy! Their movement gives life to the photos, and they're often some of my favorites!

Cathy & Matt, it was a treat meeting you and your precious family! I had such a wonderful time photographing you all!

Do they not have the cutest children?!

Darling Girls...

2011-11-09T14:22:00.000-08:00

I've loved watching these girls grow, photographing them each year. They are just beautiful!

This shot of the girls looking through the window has become a special tradition! You can see past shoots here and here. :)

Wendy & Trent, I always love seeing your family!

My first run in with corrupted files...

2011-11-08T23:43:00.001-08:00

Well, after many years of shooting digital, I had my first run in with a card that became corrupted. Oh dear. I have no idea how these things even happen, but I couldn't get the images off the card, or my camera to even view them! I got some software that took care of the problem, but for whatever reason there are still 5 shots it won't let me view... those 5 pictures how no idea what they're up against... I'm determined! :)

For now, here's a pic from the session of this family that I just love getting to photograph! More pictures from their session coming in my next post!

Heather & David: Lake Oswego Wedding

2011-11-07T21:29:00.001-08:00

Oh people, where to start! I feel like I could write a book here about Heather & David's wedding, or make it short and sweet. :) I'll just type and see where it takes me!

Heather and I met for coffee several months ago (as I do with all of my brides) and her eyes sparkled as she told me about how she had gone over to Uganda to do some philanthropy work and had met a handsome guy there. A man who was selfless and gentle... and they fell in love! (David, I found out during their wedding ceremony, was taken away by Heather's incredibly amazing eyes and her huge heart for others.) When you see Heather & David together, you see two pieces of a puzzle that God put together.

At that same coffee date Heather pulled out two photos of her beautiful mother, taken on her wedding day. Heather asked if we could take those same two photos on her wedding day. So we did! I'm not going to post those exact shots, just because I'd rather Heather get to see those special ones first, but I'll post some that are in the same setting. Heather stretched me... I've never done any studio type work because I'm a natural light photographer, but I took a step outside of my box and really loved the outcome!

My talented friend Jamie Zanotti shot this wedding with me (we've always wanted to shoot a wedding together and I'm already looking forward to shooting together again!), along with the wonderful Allie Rae! I love both of these girls to pieces and am so glad I got to spend a whole day working with them.

Here's Heather & David's big day:

Jamie whipped out her macro and got these lovely details! Heather had these beautiful fabrics on the table, as well as these pretty bowls that were favors.

Nothing gets me more than the Father's toast... every time!

A slideshow played when Heather took the dance floor with her dad... that got me too.

I LOVED watching all of the dancing - it was so alive and fun!! David and his groomsmen made it amazing - "the best dancing in all of the world!" :) If you were there, you know what I mean! (Best MC ever!)

Congratulations Heather & David! I know your adventures ahead will be blessed.

P.s. I just have to add this... Heather cracks me up. I love that she's absolutely NOT reserved in front of the camera! It's wonderful! Anyway, this was her sitting, waiting for her flowers to arrive so that we could start our portraits and she was making me laugh...

Pendrey: High School Senior

2011-11-04T22:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry Pendrey, I'm going to use your high school senior pictures blog post to take a stroll down memory lane for a second. ;)

So, hands down my favorite teacher of all time is Mrs. Ford. She was my preschool teacher and then later on was one of my teachers in Jr. High. I just love her to pieces! Her daughter, Jocelyn, babysat me when I was little and she's one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. Jocelyn's daughter is Pendrey, and I remember when Pendrey was little... she was seriously the cutest thing on earth with soooo much personality and talked like she was a grown up... and now here she is grown and gorgeous and an amazing woman, just like the other two women in her family.

We took her pictures at George Roger's Park in Lake Oswego on an overcast fall day and had a great time!

It was wonderful spending an afternoon with you Pendrey and Jocelyn!

Pendrey: High School Senior

2011-11-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

Beautiful, beautiful Pendrey! I'm excited to share a bunch of photos from her senior shoot in my next post, but for now here's one...

I hit an editing traffic jam when we had a bunch of rain at the beginning of October... I had to reschedule so many shoots for later dates that it has caused me have a pile up of shooting/editing!

I'm excited to share a bunch of pictures with you soon! :)

Fun Times...

2011-11-01T09:37:00.001-07:00

We had a lot of fun with our kids last night. Josh and I kept looking at each other as we were walking around a neighborhood, giving each other that unspoken look of "this is a priceless age!" and then we'd smile at each other. :)

Josh took all of our photos this year and it was so fun getting to walk the kids to each door.

Due to Jude's gluten and dairy allergies we told the kids they could trade their candy in for toys when we got back home and they loved the idea!

Memories...

2011-10-31T09:26:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favorite pictures from my childhood. It's a picture of my older brother Matt and me, I'm pretty sure it's from 1983. I would've been 3 1/2 & Matt would've been almost 5. Isn't he the cutest boy?! I have a lot of memories from this early part of my life, actually. And Halloween always makes me think of a couple of good ones!

1. Around this time one year, when we were living in this little neighborhood, there was a big rain storm. It was surprisingly still warm outside, and all of us neighbor kids ran out into the rain and played in the street. It was so much fun to get totally soaked and not be freezing cold. I remember coming into the house after playing and there was a warm fire burning in the fireplace, and my mom was curled up on the couch by the large front window. I'm sure she'd been watching us play right there in front of the house. It was that wonderful, cozy fall feeling, and the joy of being a kid all wrapped in one! (It's crazy to think I'm the age my mom was now!)

2. The other memory I always think of around Halloween is going to my Grandma Gayle & Granddad's house after mid-week evening church. Their walkway up to their house was always speckled with slugs (just like my front step is on fall evenings today!) and when we'd approach their warmly lit home, I'd often see them in their living room with the lamp on, reading. That time of year for Halloween Grandma Gayle would always give us dried bananas, and dried pears & apples from her orchard. She always had a bowl of these on her dining table too.

I feel so blessed to have had such a special childhood, rich in family and friends, and I hope my kids have the same!

Thank you Dad & Janet for emailing this photo to me! :)

My Little Cowboy, Princess Fairy, & Pea Pod

2011-10-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

Josh's office is having their annual Halloween Party today, so the kids were excited to put on their costumes to go! My Grandma gave the kids all sorts of adorable dress up clothes last year for Christmas, so I told them they could pick a favorite to wear for Halloween this year. Jude wanted to be a cowboy, and Selah a princess fairy. She technically is wearing lady buy wings from last year, but when I told her that she informed me they were princess fairy wings. So yes they are! :) She's such a sweet thing. I love how her little mind works! And Jude reminds me of my brother Matt at this age... I believe he was a cowboy for Halloween about this same age... hmmm, I'll try to find that photo of Matt and me from this same age and post it on Monday.

I bought this Pea in the Pod costume for Jude when he was a tiny baby but never used it... so five years later I'm so excited to finally get to use it! Benjamin, you are so cute I could eat you, my plump little pea. :)

Happy Friday!

Yum...

2011-10-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite fall/winter snacks is frozen blueberries with chocolate chips! (We pick an insane amount of blueberries every year and freeze them, so I think when the cold weather hits I feel a little bit of blueberry pressure every time I open the freezer and see all of those gallon bags staring at me! Gotta make sure they get eaten before summer comes! Oh the stress! Ok, not really stressful. More like, oh the blueberry-chocolate bliss!) :)

I'm usually not much of a chocolate person, but I love fruit! And there's something about the frozen berries that makes the chocolate cold and "crunchy" and it's a winning combo! Yuh-um.

A fabulous fall day...

2011-10-26T17:13:00.000-07:00

Brooke and Geoff have a beautiful piece of property and I always enjoy getting to shoot out at their place and spend a little time with them and their adorable family!

Their girls are so cute! Molly just celebrated her first birthday! And look how much Lauren has grown since this shoot... {Click Here}!

Brooke & Geoff, it's always a treat to photograph your beautiful family!

Next Spring...

2011-10-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

...they will become a family of four!! I'm so excited for them!!

I always love getting to photograph Sophia. You can pretty much just say, "princess smile!" and bam, she whips out her melt-your-heart smile. :)

She will be a great big sister and mama's helper!

I loved the setting that Shannon chose for their pictures. Ah, fall!

Congratulations Shannon and Matt! I love photographing your sweet family and can only imagine how precious this next little one will be! :)

THE Allie Rae

2011-10-24T23:52:00.000-07:00

This summer and fall have been extra fun because for the first time ever, I've had an intern. And not just any old intern, but the fabulous, makes me laugh so hard I want to pee my pants, Allie! :)

She's been shooting sessions and weddings with me, we've been editing together when we can and meeting for tea, and she's growing her business beautifully! I'm so proud of her and her amazing talent.

I get sad when I think of her not palling around with me one day, because we just have too much fun shooting and working together! I think I would put her in my pocket and keep her forever if I could. :)

Go check out THE amazing Allie Rae and leave her some love (in the form of a comment) on her blog!

http://www.allieraephotography.blogspot.com/

And Allie, here's to:

Me getting lost when driving us to... anywhere

"Allie's Field"

Our pathetic lap top bags

"Nice!"

"Perfect!"

Nathaniel: 6 Months

2011-10-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

I love when clients become friends. Josh and I, and our kids, just adore the Coleman family! They are just the sweetest family. And Josh and I find that we end up laughing a ton when we're with Drew & Marisa. I'm thankful for their new friendship.

As promised here are 6 month photos of their precious Nathaniel.

I love these family pics...

Nathaniel: 3 Months

2011-10-23T21:27:00.000-07:00

You may remember handsome Nathaniel from his newborn shoot. Well, Nathaniel is 6 months old now! BUT I totally forgot to post his 3 month pictures! Can you even believe I did that?! So it will end up being a fun treat for you to see his 6 month photos in the next post, because you'll get to see him grow and change overnight! I meant to do that...right? :)

Posing for the camera can be down right tiring!

And I thought I'd end with another little time travel. This shot is of Nathaniel as a newborn...

...and here he is at 3 months.

He is such a cutie!! Ok, his 6 month shoot will be up next. :)

Life should be fun!

2011-10-10T23:19:00.000-07:00

Matt & Jess work hard and play hard. They know how to have fun! I love that every time I photograph them, it's more like photographing their family playing together! It makes for such sweet, active photos. My favorites... :)

I love Tyler's laugh and cute face!

Gavin is just sooo sweet!

I was shooting a few last photos at the playground, right before we were finished, and I was shooting at 6400 ISO and wide open... I like the late evening feel of this photo.

And lastly, I just loved this final photo. I think Jessica's laughter is beautiful. And doesn't this photo just totally capture this season of life with little kids? It's such a sweet season, but also can be an exhausting one. But if you and your spouse can keep moving forward, united hand in hand, leading and carrying your little ones along the way, and allowing joy & laughter to be a part of your lives... you're golden! :) {The joy of the Lord is my strength.}

I had so much fun getting to play and shoot pictures with you guys! Thank you for such a fun evening!

Scott & Libby: Bainbridge Island Engagement Shoot

2011-10-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

Scott & Libby are as fun, joyful and personable in real life as they are in these photos! I just loved spending the afternoon on Bainbridge Island with them! What a beautiful place! Scott grew up there and he chauffeured us around from the Bloedel Reserve to the beach and docks along the water for their engagement shoot. I enjoyed hearing about their lives, how they grew up, and their thoughts on their future. You can clearly see how in love they are!

Congratulations Scott & Libby!

Here are a bunch of my favorites. :) Libby, your beautiful eyes shine!

I had a couple minutes when I was hanging out alone in the beautiful home on the Bloedel Reserve during an outfit change, and I kept busy...

Thank you again Scott & Libby for such a memorable, fun time! I'm so excited to shoot your wedding next summer!

Poppin' in on Pinterest...

2011-09-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've hit a wall today! Benjamin had a rough night of teething, poor little man, so I'm functioning on little sleep today. But Pinterest just cracked me up, and gave me a mini-boost of energy. There are some random funny things on there! Maybe everything is funnier because I'm sleep deprived? Someone else reassure me that I'm not laughing alone here! :)

This for instance... what IS THIS? I guess the Snuggie has been trumped!

Then I saw this and went, "ahhhh" and took a nice deep breath. So beautiful! I love God's creation!

Ok, then I got sucked in... cute little girl fall shoes, huh?

Ok, back to work with me! Happy Wednesday!

Bainbridge Island

2011-09-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

Our family just got back from a wonderful long weekend on Bainbridge Island. It was the first road trip I think we've taken since Jude was a baby. I wasn't sure how everyone would do in the car for a 4 hour trip, but they did well! Our 4 hour trip turned into a 6 hour trip with bathroom breaks for the kids though, haha! But as Josh reminded me, "it's the journey, not the destination." I don't know, my lead foot really wanted to get to the destination! :) But we made each stop fun, even sat outside at a little coffee place until we got chased off by aggressive bees, but even that is a sweet memory in my mind. :)

We were spoiled with gorgeous weather up there, and I got to do an engagement shoot at the Bloedel Reserve with the sweetest couple on Saturday. Fun, fun!

We stayed in this really cute cottage right by Fay Bainbridge Park. It was a wonderful place to stay, complete with a relaxing garden in the backyard, that the kids picked zucchini and blackberries from. I'd love to stay there again sometime!

(Selah unaware of the shark sneaking up on her.)

The kids did puzzles, played go fish, made up games with scrabble pieces, and we got outdoors to play a bunch too.

Selah LOVED this sea glass! (And this is the face Benjamin makes when I'm comin' for him and saying, "I'm gonna get you!") :)

Saturday morning we went down to the beach and spent time throwing rocks into the water and collecting shells. The kids played on a great little playground down there too.

That afternoon I photographed Scott & Libby in some beautiful places! Can't wait to share their photos later this week.

And thank you Scott & Libby for sharing a piece of your beautiful world with us! We loved Bainbridge!

That evening after dinner we drove into town to get sorbet at Mora Ice Cream. Such a cute spot. It was warm enough to sit outside and eat ice cream! Selah dropped her ice cream right off her cone as she was running for the table and burst into tears. Josh, being the most selfless person I know, didn't skip a beat in handing her his, and taking her empty cone. I love that man. xo

The next day we woke up to rain so we drove around exploring the island a bit, and then the dark clouds blew out in a jiffy and it was blue skies! I was so excited! So we went to the Bainbridge Harvest Fair. It definitely ushered in fall for me. I had kind of been dragging my feet about fall, because summer was just too short this year, wasn't it?! But everything changed when we arrived at this little farm and walked through the orchard looking at little booths, watching people make cider, and watching the kids go down the giant tin slide... hello fall!

Jude, our little photographer, took this picture of us. :)

We thought it would be fun to take the ferry over to Seattle before driving home. The kids loved it!

I thought this was so funny, us trying to get a photo with the city in the background. Just a tiny. bit. windy.

Seattle is beautiful on a blue-sky day!

I'm so glad we got to spend a long weekend exploring such a beautiful place!

Heather & David: Engagement

2011-09-24T00:37:00.000-07:00

I'm excited for Heather & David to be tying the knot next month! I've know Heather for about 9 years (Heather, has it seriously been that long?!) and she's one of the sweetest people I've ever known. David is one blessed man! I love these photos of them together.

Heather, you're beautiful in and out!

A Happy Bunch!

2011-09-22T01:09:00.000-07:00

I love seeing Christy and her beautiful family. They're always so happy, fun, and full of life! I enjoy each of her kids and their sweet personalities. And she and Jeff are such a unified team - you can tell they're fantastic parents!

Here are a few of my favorites...

Bereket... sweet Bereket, I could eat you up! :)

Can you tell who the ham is? :)

Christy, it's always a treat to see you and your family!

Benjamin Gabriel, 9 month old

2011-09-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

Our little man is 9 months old today!! How fast it has gone! I feel like my tiny baby has turned into a chunky monkey and will be a toddler in no time. I'm clinging to these baby days! :)

Benjamin is such a happy boy. He has added another layer of joyfulness to our world! I love being greeted by his smiles in the morning, and throughout the day. :)

Here are a few 9 month things he loves to do:

clap and wave,
say "da-da", "ba-ba",
grab his feet while in his highchair
climb the bottom stairs
cruise furniture
eat soft table food (avocado, banana, cooked broccoli, quinoa, etc.)
stand instead of sit
watch Jude and Selah play & will clap and laugh when they do crazy things :)
play with Jude and Selah and climb on top of them
destroy paper
loves to put everything tiny thing he finds in his mouth much to his mother's dismay
dislikes being dressed or having diaper changed

Benjamin, I love you more than you could ever know! Thanks for being my Benji-boo. :) xoxo

Kristin: Woodrow Wilson High School Senior

2011-09-19T00:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Kristin is a high school senior already! I've known this beautiful, joyful girl for a number of years now. Her sister Erica (I got to do her senior pics too, a couple years ago) came along and I loved spending time with them both! What mature, well-rounded girls. Here are a few of my favorites of Kristin... you're gorgeous Kristin!

I love how she doesn't take herself too seriously!

Kristin is also an incredibly talented violinist!

Happy Senior Year Girly!

A Hungry Child Can't Wait: Ask 5 for 5

2011-09-19T00:20:00.001-07:00

Today I have a special guest blogger, Sarah, with Ask5for5! I love what she's doing and wanted to help spread this message. I can't even imagine what those in the Horn of Africa are going through. I look at my little Benjamin, Selah & Jude, and then think of those hungry babies and worried mothers in Africa, and my heart just breaks. Please read below, and please join with us and Ask5for5!

Guest Blogger: Sarah Lenssen from #Ask5for5

Family photos by Mike Fiechtner Photography

Thank you Bethany F Photography and nearly 150 other bloggers from around the world for allowing me to share a story with you today, during Social Media Week.

A hungry child in East Africa can't wait. Her hunger consumes her while we decide if we'll respond and save her life. In Somalia, children are stumbling along for days, even weeks, on dangerous roads and with empty stomachs in search of food and water. Their crops failed for the third year in a row. All their animals died. They lost everything. Thousands are dying along the road before they find help in refugee camps.

At my house, when my three children are hungry, they wait minutes for food, maybe an hour if dinner is approaching. Children affected by the food crisis in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia aren't so lucky. Did you know that the worst drought in 60 years is ravaging whole countries right now, as you read this? Famine, a term not used lightly, has been declared in Somalia. This is the world's first famine in 20 years.12.4 million people are in need of emergency assistance and over 29,000 children have died in the last three months alone. A child is dying every 5 minutes. It it estimated that 750,000 people could die before this famine is over. Take a moment and let that settle in.

The media plays a major role in disasters. They have the power to draw the attention of society to respond--or not. Unfortunately, this horrific disaster has become merely a footnote in most national media outlets. News of the U.S. national debt squabble and the latest celebrity's baby bump dominate headlines. That is why I am thrilled that nearly 150 bloggers from all over the world are joining together today to use the power of social media to make their own headlines; to share the urgent need of the almost forgotten with their blog readers. Humans have the capacity to care deeply for those who are suffering, but in a situation like this when the numbers are too huge to grasp and the people so far away, we often feel like the little we can do will be a drop in the ocean, and don't do anything at all.

When news of the famine first hit the news in late July, I selfishly avoided it. I didn't want to read about it or hear about it because I knew I would feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable. I wanted to protect myself. I knew I would need to do something if I knew what was really happening. You see, this food crisis is personal. I have a 4-year-old son and a 1 yr-old daughter who were adopted from Ethiopia and born in regions now affected by the drought. If my children still lived in their home villages, they would be two of the 12.4 million. My children: extremely hungry and malnourished? Gulp. I think any one of us would do anything we could for our hungry child. But would you do something for another mother's hungry child?

My friend and World Vision staffer, Jon Warren, was recently in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya--the largest refugee camp in the world with over 400,000 people. He told me the story of Isnino Siyat, 22, a mother who walked for 10 days and nights with her husband, 1 yr-old-baby, Suleiman, and 4 yr.-old son Adan Hussein, fleeing the drought in Somalia. When she arrived at Dadaab, she built the family a shelter with borrowed materials while carrying her baby on her back. Even her dress is borrowed. As she sat in the shelter on her second night in camp she told Jon, "I left because of hunger. It is a very horrible drought which finished both our livestock and our farm." The family lost their 5 cows and 10 goats one by one over 3 months, as grazing lands dried up. "We don't have enough food now...our food is finished. I am really worried about the future of my children and myself if the situation continues."

Will you help a child like Baby Suleiman? Ask5for5 is a dream built upon the belief that you will.

That something I knew I would need to do became a campaign called #Ask5for5 to raise awareness and funds for famine and drought victims. The concept is simple, give $5 and ask five of your friends to give $5, and then they each ask five of their friends to give $5 and so on--in nine generations of 5x5x5...we could raise $2.4 Million! In one month, over 750 people have donated over $25,000! I set up a fundraiser at See Your Impact and 100% of the funds will go to World Vision, an organization that has been fighting hunger in the Horn of Africa for decades and will continue long after this famine has ended. Donations can multiply up to 5 times in impact by government grants to
help provide emergency food, clean water, agricultural support,
healthcare, and other vital assistance to children and families suffering in the Horn.

I need you to help me save lives. It's so so simple; here's what you need to do:

Donate $5 or more on this page (http://seeyourimpact.org/members/ask5for5)

Send an email to your friends and ask them to join us.

Share #Ask5for5 on Facebook and Twitter!

I'm looking for another 100 bloggers to share this post on their blogs throughout Social Media Week. Email me at ask5for5@gmail.com if you're interested in participating this week.

A hungry child doesn't wait. She doesn't wait for us to finish the other things on our to-do list, or get to it next month when we might have a little more money to give. She doesn't wait for us to decide if she's important enough to deserve a response. She will only wait as long as her weakened little body will hold on...please respond now and help save her life. Ask 5 for 5.

Thank you on behalf of all of those who will be helped--you are saving lives and changing history.

p.s. Please don't move on to the next website before you donate and email your friends right now. It only takes 5 minutes and just $5, and if you're life is busy like mine, you probably won't get back to it later. Let's not be a generation that ignores hundreds of thousands of starving people, instead let's leave a legacy of compassion. You have the opportunity to save a life today!

Lindsay & Joe: Corvallis Wedding

2011-09-18T06:11:00.000-07:00

Lindsay and Joe got married at this beautiful old, historic farm house out in the Corvallis country. It was a gorgeous summer day, and it was clear that every family and guest in attendance adored these two.

Congratulations you two!

Nikki: Lake Oswego HS Senior

2011-09-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

Too many pictures to choose from! ...so I just posted about 20. :) Haha. Nikki was a piece of cake to photograph. We shot these downtown Portland on the east side. Isn't she beautiful? Happy Senior Year Nikki!

Lovely Summer Evening

2011-09-14T00:57:00.000-07:00

Ah, there's nothing like beautiful summer light. I can't believe it's starting to get dark earlier already, and today there was that tiny crisp feel in the air! I LOVE fall, but I'm wanting to hold onto summer just a little bit longer! I'm not quite ready to transition yet! I hope we get a few more hot days.

I loved meeting Trisha and Travis and their beautiful girls! What a sweet family!! Very united. Love that!

Here are a few of my favorites from their shoot...

A warm, windy evening...

2011-09-10T21:25:00.000-07:00

This family has been sooo patient, waiting for some pics to pop up on my blog! They should probably get some kind of reward. I'm terribly behind in my blogging, because I'm out shooting a lot more on these beautiful evenings, and then editing each night after my sweet kids go to bed. August & September get me every year!

I loved meeting LaDessa's family! Aren't they a beautiful family? We took their pictures at the Pittock Mansion on a warm, windy evening. They were all so much fun to hang out with, and easy to photograph! I think I could've asked the kids to do summersaults and they would've with a smile. :)

I had a great time doing individual shots of the kids. What cuties!

LaDessa, you're an all-star! Thanks for waiting so patiently, and thanks for asking me to capture your beautiful family. I loved every minute of it!

Happy Labor Day!

2011-09-05T15:55:00.000-07:00

I hope you're all enjoying this long beautiful weekend!

I wish I had a video of our family trying to take this photo - too funny! It was just us in a little field near a park that the kids like to play at. We sat on a blanket and told the kids to smile at the red blinking light on my camera (I'd set the timer and run to get in the photo). I think we took close to a dozen pictures and in the end I ended up using this one, the first shot we took, haha. Jude's frozen-forced smile, makes me smile! :) Happy Labor Day!

Sweet Camden - 1 yr old

2011-08-25T19:36:00.001-07:00

I got to photograph Elissa's sweet family at George Roger's Park a couple weeks ago. Little Camden just stole my heart! She's one smart little cookie, loves to smile and play and she's also resilient! I think she could literally roll down a hill and she'd just pop right up on her two feet with a smile of determination on her face! I loved photographing her!

An Evening on Bald Hill...

2011-08-22T03:34:00.000-07:00

(I'm really behind in my blogging, and have a lot of sessions to post, so if you're waiting to see pics from your session, they will be up soon!)

I was in Corvallis Saturday shooting a wedding and got to finish out my weekend down there photographing Janine's beautiful family on Bald Hill. I love Corvallis and loved growing up there, and I always love getting to shoot there.

I've known Janine since I was in Jr. High and we went to school together. She was a grade ahead of me, and like any younger student, you always look up to those in the grades ahead. :) In high school we ran on the same track team and basketball team.

These days I love to follow her blogs and see pics of her sweet family. Janine's an inspiring person with such a beautiful heart. She's a fantastic mom, wife, and athlete.

As I was walking the Bald Hill path with her, J.J. and their 3 handsome boys to shoot photos this evening she told me that J.J. proposed to her there on Bald Hill ten years ago! I loved that! Here are a bunch of my favorites. :)

Um... I think Simeon may be the cutest thing on earth! :)

Today...

2011-08-11T00:13:00.001-07:00

Today was a much needed day. This is the busiest time of the year for me with shooting and editing, and many late nights up in a row. I tend to just withdraw from a lot of my normal routines in order to power through this stretch. :) In order to recharge today, the kids and I headed out to Smith Berry Barn to pick some berries and see the animals. It felt great to soak up some sunshine and hear their sweet little voices deep within the berry vines, shouting things like, "I found one!" Then I'd say, "Good job!" And they'd say, "Thanks!" This little exchange happened more times than I could count. :) Yeah, we were a little past the raspberry season, but we found a full bucket full of raspberries. Then we strolled over to the blackberries and picked a bucket of those too, so we could make cobbler for tonight's dessert. It sounds funny saying we only picked a bucket, because if you know me, I have trouble keeping my berry picking to a minimum of 40 lbs. at a time... so I guess this just shows how nice and relaxing today was for me. :)

Then tonight, after Josh got home and we had dinner, we went for a family walk. Jude and Selah were already in their pj's when we went, and we left the blackberry cobbler on the counter to cool. The sun was going down on our walk which made for such beautiful light. Jude rode his bike while the rest of us walked. I love these kinds of evenings, when you feel grateful for so much. Contentment is a beautiful thing. I'm so blessed by my family. Lord, you've given me so much. Thank you.

Here are a few pics from our evening walk...

And here are some pics from our day in the berry fields...

Sarah & Charlie: Zenith Vineyard Wedding

2011-08-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

Sarah & Charlie's wedding on Saturday was amazing! The setting, their passion and joyfulness, their wonderful families and friends... here is just a sneak peek!

Their bridal party was so much fun!

I will share more photos from their wedding soon! Happy Monday! :)

Blair & Micah

2011-07-24T01:46:00.000-07:00

It was such a beautiful day today! (I'm up so late I guess it's now Sunday...) :)

Blair & Micah were married at Peninsula Park Rose Gardens in North Portland and the strong scent of roses due to the hot sun was amazing and memorable. Blair looked simply beautiful. When Micah saw her for the first time he got a little choked up. He adores his bride to no end.

I'm sooo happy for them both and it was a treat to capture their special day. I haven't downloaded all of the photos yet, but here are a few sweet ones to share...
Congratulations you two!

And I'll end with one of my favorites from the day... :)

Beautiful Baby Adalyn

2011-07-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

I had such a great time at this newborn session! Allie (my fantastic summer intern) & I drove over to Bryan & Laura's lovely Portland home and got to meet beautiful baby Adalyn. All 8+ lbs of her perfect 3 week early-ness. She did such a great job being the center of activity. At first she didn't want to fall asleep... what, you wouldn't fall asleep if we stripped you down and laid you in front of a big window? :) But Daddy gave her some cuddles and mama fed her and she was out.

I loved shooting in Bryan & Laura's home. It's gorgeous. And I loved getting to know them as we waited for Adalyn to fall into a deep sleep. What a precious family. Congrats you three! :)

Grandma made this special blanket for this special girl...

Laura, you look fantastic!

Happy, Happy!

2011-07-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

I just love these boys. They belong to our good friends Dustin & Sheri. :) Every time I photograph them and sit and edit their pics I end up smiling, because their cute little faces just say, "Happy!"

My favorite shot...

Oh Pinterest...

2011-07-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

I'm so in love with Pinterest (www.pinterest.com). It's genius. I love being able to collect ideas in one place like that, and I love how many creative things I've learned from it!

My grandma taught me how to sew when I was a little girl and then Josh's mom taught me how to quilt when I was a young adult, but I haven't sewn a whole lot as an adult. I really enjoy it, but I rarely feel like there's anything to sew. Well, Pinterest has changed that, and has inspired me to pull out my dusty sewing machine so much more lately and whip up some fun little projects! :) There are a million ideas on there and I now have a growing list of things I'd love to make! Because I see all of these creative things people do on Pinterest, I'm finding myself looking at everything differently. A friend gave me a couple of tank tops earlier this week that she was done with and just last night as I was putting them away in the closet I had the idea to turn one into a summer dress for Selah. (Thank you friend for the tank top!!) I pulled out some scissors and went to town on that tank top, turning it into a dress. :) And of course stayed up way too late... which I didn't notice at the time because I was having too much fun sewing away in the quiet of the night, with Rita Springer softly playing.

First I laid a current Selah dress on top of the tank top to be my "size template" and cut off the excess from the bottom and one side. I set aside the bottom fabric to make straps. Then I hemmed the bottom of the dress and sewed a matching strip of ribbon across the mid section of the dress to look like a large ruffle. I turned the dress inside out and sewed up the one side again, then flipped it right side out. Next I attached the straps (again using her other dress as a size guide for how long/short the straps should be, since Selah was sleeping). Lastly, I made a fabric flower out of some fabric I had already, and hand-sewed it on. I paired it with some brown leggings and a hair clip I made a few months ago for Selah. She put it on this morning and it fit perfectly!

Here's the adult tank top on the left, and my sweet little model in her new cozy summer dress on the right.

I love her sweet smile. :)

If you're wondering what's on her arm, it's a Lighting Speed McQueen bandaid. :)

Great seeing them again...

2011-07-02T03:04:00.000-07:00

I was excited to see Dana & Mike and their beautiful girls today. They live in Texas and are up visiting family in Oregon, so we met up for some photos. I had the pleasure of photographing their sweet family two summers ago, when they were vacationing in Oregon.

Their girls have grown so much since then, and are as cute as can be. Just look at all of their personality! It makes for easy photographing. :)

Dana & Mike, it was wonderful seeing you all again! Have a great 4th of July, and enjoy your time seeing family!

Hollering, Headbands & Hugs

2011-06-27T01:08:00.000-07:00

A fellow photographer friend recently posted about the crazy experience of trying to get all three of her kids to look and smile at the camera, and boy could I relate. I had experienced the same situation when I took these. For whatever reason, I find it more challenging to photograph my own children, than other people's children. Most likely it's because other people's kids don't know me, so I'm new and mysterious, whereas my own are on to me and my photography tricks. :) To get a decent shot of all three of them together I find myself hollering out their names repeatedly, singing, jumping, and playing "Simon Says", just to get them to look in my direction! And without fail, one or two will look and laugh, but one will not. Baaahhhh!!!! (That's what I feel inside in those moments!) Haha... but persistence pays off. And so does having Josh behind me to sing and dance as well. ;) Dads make photos way more fun.

I've been working on some fun new little craft projects (I'll blog them next week), and one thing I had done was make Selah a new headband. I love how it turned out! I got the idea from a headband I saw on Pinterest. I made two flowers out of fabric and one out of felt and glued them on. I think it's so cute on her.
Selah was really excited to wear it right after I made it, but then not even 5 minutes later she was done wearing it. When I asked her why, she said it made her ears "scratchy". (I love how kids describe things). I could understand, because when I was little I didn't care for headbands either. They hurt my head. So this one may not get much use afterall, but that's ok.

I love this shot. {heart}

And lastly, Jude gives the best hugs! Happy Monday!

Benjamin Gabriel

2011-06-20T17:14:00.001-07:00

Someone is half a year old already!! I can't believe how quickly our little man is growing up. He's sitting up now, will start solids this week, and loves to roll around the floor seeing what he can reach.

If there's one thing about Benjamin that stands out the most, it's how joyful he is! He wakes up with a smile on his face, looking for snuggles, and family to interact with. Each morning as I attack him with kisses, I tell him how much I love him.

Oh my goodness, I'm so blessed by this boy!

We love you bug!!

Fabulous Find

2011-06-17T18:47:00.002-07:00

When Selah switched to a big girl bed (after her toddler bed) we bought her a new mattress and just put it on the floor, since she has a tendency to roll off the bed. We figured it was the safest option for her at the time. :) In the meantime I've been watching and waiting for just the right bed. I've looked online, peeked in a few stores, and have watched Craigslist for several months. I had a specific style of bed in mind, and planned on painting it a fun robin egg blue once I found it... or possibly a very light lavender-gray. I could picture then end product/look in my mind. :)

I was thrilled this week when I came across this beautiful antique bed on Craigslist, that's completely unfinished. Just beautiful wood, and it totally appears to be hand carved! The sweet gal I bought it from said that her mom bought it at an antique store 25 years ago... it came in a pair and her mom stained/finished the other one and never used this one. But now that I've got it home and all wiped down I'm kind of in love with it's raw, unfinished look and feel a little guilty at the thought of painting it. So I'm going to have Josh set up her bed, put on her bedding, and see how it looks. What do you think? Paint it a fun color that matches her bedding?

I love this job

2011-06-16T01:13:00.000-07:00

I had a blast tonight photographing Amber & Tony's beautiful family. The lighting was perfect, their company so fun, and their kids were so sweet (they reminded me of Jude & Selah two years ago... oh what a precious stage!)

Here are a bunch of my favorites. :)

Miss Nia stole my heart! What a darling girl - so happy , and am I'm pretty sure she thinks she's three like her big brother. :) She's fearless and feminine, smiling wherever she goes.

Isn't Jacoby about as cute as they come?! I love his smile! He's such a fun little guy, so adventurous and independent. Three is a great age!

Amber and Tony, it was wonderful seeing you guys again! Thanks for allowing me to capture this sweet season in your lives!

Gettin' Crafty...

2011-06-13T22:44:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago we were at the Farmer's Market and I bought four "re-usable ziplock bags" that a mom was selling. I really liked them and we found ourselves using them a lot. So I googled a tutorial on how to make them and pinned it to my pinterest page. Then a week later went and found my fabrics, utility fabric lining for the inside, and velcro. I had a lot of fun making these new "zip lock bags" and the kids had fun helping me too. They've essentially become our new snack bags. I've run them through the wash, or sometimes will rinse them by hand and set them out to dry.

This gray one I made for my dad for his birthday and put two Throwback glass bottle Pepsi's in it. A couple days later we headed off to spend a week at the beach so I packed a lot of our foods into these bags too (like rice, pasta, etc). We've bought a handful more of fun fabrics since then.

Selah's my great little helper. :)

Mr. Benjamin gives the BEST smiles!

And just for fun, the kids wanted pics with daddy this evening...

Happy Monday!

Familiar Faces

2011-06-07T00:25:00.000-07:00

I love getting to see clients year after year. It's fun getting to watch their children grow up and change. I was looking forward to seeing Karen and Brian, and their son Garratt again. They're always so easy to be around and enjoyable to photograph. Garratt is going into the 3rd grade this year and was so much more grown up to me in just the one year since I saw him last. He's such a sweet kid!
Aren't they a beautiful family?

oh so sweet...

Allie, a very talented photographer and friend of mine is starting her own photography business. I'm so excited for her! She's interning with me this summer, so you'll see her pop up on my blog from time to time, and if you have a session with me, then you'll most likely see her there too! Here's a shot of her in action at this last session. :)

A Few More...

2011-06-03T20:10:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are a few more from this great family shoot! :)

Let's Go Fly A Kite...

2011-05-31T23:28:00.000-07:00

Tuesday we spent several hours out on the beach. The kids just loved it and had a great time shoveling, building sandcastles, and flying kites. The weather started out overcast, with some sprinkling, and then burned off to be quite a hot afternoon, ending with a gorgeous sunset! We took a bunch of pictures (of course!). Sadly, not one of the amazing sunset, but many of our amazing kids. :)

I'm so in love with this incredible man! (Happy 9 yr. Anniversary Joshua!) xo

Inspiring...

2011-05-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

I absolutely loved photographing this family. So united. So in love. So much fun. And clearly, an amazing example was set by these two! I'll share more from their session when I'm finished editing them soon!

Summer is coming!!

2011-05-14T00:21:00.000-07:00

I know we have a bunch of rainy days coming, here in Oregon, but I just came across these photos that I took last summer as the sun was going down one evening, and they got me all excited for summer! It is coming! :)

Allie & Aussie, I could photograph you two all day long.

I love this picture!

2011-05-13T22:20:00.000-07:00

Every time I see this photo, I laugh. Probably because I've known Miss Everly since she was born (on my birthday - yay!), and I'm pretty sure I've only heard her cry twice. This brief contrast of her voicing her opinion just cracks me up!

Oh Everly, you're too cute!

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T15:54:00.000-07:00

I hope all of you moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day! My mom is in Cabo lying on white sandy beaches, soaking up some sun... I think that sounds like an okay way to spend Mother's Day, especially when you're an Oregonian. :)

We've been out of town a lot lately, and Josh ended up traveling 3 weeks in the month of April for work, fitting it around celebrating the kids' birthdays, plus all five of us had doctor check-ups in the past 3 weeks, so I asked if we could just lay low this weekend. It was just what I needed! I'm so glad to be getting back to our regular weekly routine now.

So, if you know my husband, he likes, no loves, to bake. This hobby has really come to life over the past year. I've never been much of a cookie, cake, or chocolate person, though. (I love fruity things!) But I think Josh has slowly been wooing me to the dark side. :) Since our family went gluten-free, dairy-free over a year ago, Josh has been quite impressively making desserts that I love. He takes a regular recipe and tweaks it with g-free ingredients like almonds and oats and cashew milk, etc. and makes these great desserts that taste completely normal. (I don't care for g-free products that use ingredients like garbanzo bean flour, tapioca, or xanthan gum. They just taste too strange to me.) So this weekend Josh took a regular cake recipe and created a really moist, incredible g-free, dairy-free, chocolate-cheesecake-brownie-cake! I was amazed. Really amazed. Thank you, Love!

He and the kids also got me peonies, my favorite flower, and made me a card that was so sweet.

(that's a picture of me from when I was a little girl on the front)

This weekend I also made a few more hair clippies for Selah. :) I wanted to try making these little felt flowers, which turned out to be super easy to make... thank you youtube. (If you want to make them just google "felt flower headband")

I found myself crying in Josh's arms last night. I'm soooo thankful for my amazing husband. He listens so compassionately and is always supportive and helps me process through the things I'm thinking. I was crying over wanting to be a better mom. I know that might sound silly, or if you are like me then it makes sense. :) I sometimes agonize over the job, because I really want to do my absolute best. I want to be the best example to my kids. I want the fruits of the Spirit to really be the foundation of my parenting. I want to be a great teacher, even though "teaching things" isn't necessarily one of my greatest strengths.

Raising kids isn't easy. When you're tired, your fuse is shorter. When the house is messy then one more mess makes you think you're going to pull out your hair. :) But God's grace and God's Word, I can cling to. He is strong. One day recently, as I was reading through the book of Daniel, I had to laugh at this verse, because I felt like it completely fit my life that day... Daniel 4:34, "I... raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored." :)

I read encouraging words from other (blogs) moms this weekend about this subject too that made me realize I'm not alone in my thinking, but just like every other mom out there. We love our children deeply, and want to do our best! One mom shared this sweet verse:

… he gently leads those that have young… Isaiah 40:11

I'm so glad He does! I love you Jude, Selah & Benjamin and I'm so blessed to be your mom!

Growing Up...

2011-04-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

It's hard for me to sum up my kids in a paragraph, because I think it would turn more into a chapter or book. :) But I will list off some of my favorite things that come to mind, that I will want to remember later from this fun stage.

Jude:
"Mom, Benjamin likes my jokes!"
His desire to be a great helper.
His love for learning facts.
His endless energy, even at bed time.
His love for being outdoors.
How excited he is when he accomplishes something he didn't think he could do.
His smile when he's teasing and asking to be tickled.
His first words after racing to the door when dad comes home, "Can I have a piggy back ride? Oh please, oh please, oh please?"
"Mom, will you hold my hand?", he often asks as he's closing his eyes to drift off to sleep.

Selah:
"That would be silly!"
The sparkle that's always in her eye.
Her love for life and joyfulness about everything.
Her desire to be right up there doing anything Jude can do.
Her amazing mind and vocabulary.
Her attentiveness to Benjamin - a great mommy in the making.
The start of many of her sentences when hanging out with Benjamin, "When I was a baby..."
Her generous heart.

I absolutely love this season of life with you two! Thank you for making Mommy and Daddy's lives richer. We love you so, so, so, so much!

Jude & Selah's Birthdays...

2011-04-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend we celebrated Jude's 5th & Selah's 3rd birthday with friends and family and had so much fun! I'll share their friend party snapshots first. We are so blessed by our friends and their dear friendships.
So what did we do?
The kids did a little cake walk...

...and fished for treasure.

They pinned the princess crown on the princess paper... Jude was impressively accurate when "blindfolded". ;) Hee, hee.

The kids opened presents...

...and had cupcakes. Yum! (Here's the recipe I used: .Chocolate Cupcakes. ) Jude & Selah decorated their own individual cupcakes.

(We put a table cloth on the floor so we could just pick up all crumbs and plates in one full swoop. Easy kid clean up!)

Josh snapped a photo of all of us moms. I've known these amazing women for a long time and cherish their friendships! I've known Hayley since grade school, Mauria since Jude was a newborn, Val since early married days, and Sheri since high school. And Josh and I have known their husbands for nearly as long too!

We had fun with these silly (creepy?) glasses... :)

(Selah, Me, Ivan & Josh)

... and oogled over cute babies!...

...Oh, the cuteness! Liam, Lilly, & Everly. (Mr. Benjamin was napping then)

I loved these creative cards Sheri made for Jude and Selah.

And lastly, a picture with sweet friends!

Happy Birthday Jude & Selah. God made you so special and your mommy and daddy love you more than you could ever know!
Thank you friends and family for making their weekend so memorable!
(I'll share family pics in my next post)

Welcome to the world Nathaniel!

2011-04-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to get to meet little Nathaniel! It's been really neat getting to know Drew & Marisa and their precious family over the years, and an honor to photograph this special season of their lives.

Nathaniel's just as darling as can be, and was such a great sleeper for his session! This first shot of him is a great peek into how he was curled up in his mama's tummy. :)

We pulled out the famous owl hat and he rocked it.

There's something about those little curled up legs that I just LOVE.

I love his little angelic face here on the right...

Congratulations Drew & Marisa! You make such cute kids! :)

Crafty...

2011-04-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

I haven't done anything "crafty" in a long time and I had so much fun making hair clips for Selah last night! Once I got going I just couldn't stop. :) I have 8 more blank clips and will probably find myself making 8 more tonight. Here are some quick snapshots of the ones I've made so far...
(p.s. It's Jude's 5th birthday today and we've had such a special day! I'll blog about it soon. I can't believe my precious baby boy is already five!)

He's almost outgrown the hat...

2011-03-25T20:56:00.001-07:00

I took Benjamin's 6 week photos in this cute owl hat, and being 3 months now I figured I'd better get a few last shots of him in it before he outgrows it! The kids and I were all hanging out by Jude's bed, doing laundry this afternoon, and the sunshine was pouring into the room, so I decided to embrace the moment and snap some photos of Benjamin in his cute hat. :)

Of course our sweet boy ended up peeing on Jude's bed right at this moment (sorry Jude!), so I had an extra load of laundry to then do, but it was worth it! :)

Life: 3 months with 3 kids...

2011-03-22T17:13:00.000-07:00

Well world, I thought I'd check in and say hi. :) Since having Benjamin I know I haven't blogged much. It always takes me a few months to get my feet on the ground after having a baby. Plus, I just survived two weeks with that really bad virus that went around. Oh, it was awful. I'm not sure I've ever been that sick. I'm SO thankful to be well again! And so thankful Josh and the kids didn't get it. I hope you avoided it too!

Benjamin turned 3 months on Monday! Our cheeky-monkey is such a joyful boy. At his two month appt. he weighed 12 lbs. and was in the 50% for height and weight. He's been rolling over for awhile. Crazy, I know. He even rolled over for the doctor at his 2 month appt! He has a really strong neck and loves to strain it back and stare at the ceiling, so I think that contributed to early rolling from tummy to back.

Benjamin loves to coo, "talk" and smile. He's only just begun to giggle in the past couple days. He's sleeping well and I'm really thankful for that. Now that he's awake much more and not just a sleeping newborn, having 3 kids feels a little more crazy. I feel like we're a party wherever we go... or a bunch of noise, depending on how you want to look at it. :)

This time of year, every year, I dream of going on vacation. Any other Oregonians finding themselves looking at last minute vacation deals online? :) If only March through June could be 72 degree sunny weather! But I guess our springs are what makes our state so green and beautiful. So I shouldn't complain. Having some happy flowers on my table does wonders for me this time of year. I just had purple tulips, and now these. Ahhh, God's creation is beautiful!

And so is this sweet creation. :) I love this girl.

I'm looking forward to Easter coming up, and Jude & Selah's birthdays, then Josh and my wedding anniversary, then our birthdays, then 4th of July... and then sunshine/summer in Oregon!! Can I get an "Amen"?! :)

Featured Vendor on Double-Checked Weddings Website

2011-03-08T08:50:00.000-08:00

It's taken me a week to post this due to a busy week and a baby spitting up on my laptop. :) So I'm excited to finally get to share!

The talented ladies at Double-Checked Weddings were so kind to feature Bethany F Photography and ask me some questions about my wedding photography. To read my interview, and their humbling words, click on the photo below or the link below that.

Their BLOG

Their WEBSITE

If you are looking for a wedding coordinator, I highly recommend Marisa & Hannah. They are such sharp, personable women! And believe me, having a wedding coordinator will make your wedding day so much easier. So please, shoot them an email through their website (or through Facebook, or call them...) and set up a time to chat with them about your wedding day!

Snap Shots & Scheduling...

2011-02-28T01:44:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends!

So, as many of you know I'm booking less sessions this year because I have a newborn and I want to really soak up this time with my kids. I've gotten a lot of emails this month for booking sessions and I'm currently booked through the end of October already! I'm still open to booking 1 or 2 more weddings, so if you know of anyone looking for a wedding photographer, please feel free to pass my name along.

If I have any cancellations for photo sessions throughout the year I'll immediately post that open spot on my blog so that anyone interested can email me.

I feel just awful having to turn anyone away, and as my sweet husband knows I agonize over telling a past client, that I'd just LOVE to get to see again, that I'm already booked. :( It's the worst! So, I will definitely miss those of you I might not get to see again this year, but please do email me for next year!

And because I love my kids so much...
Here's a snap shot of our little Benjamin Gabriel at 2 months old (time is flying!)

And one of him with sister Selah... although not quite in the mood for a photo. But Selah was soaking up her moment with him.

And a picture of Jude from recently... he hasn't been too interested in having his picture taken lately, so I take anything I can get with him!

This is a crazy story, but Benjamin actually spit up (monsoon spit up) on my laptop last night, and it actually ruined my keyboard!! I cleaned it up right away, and even used compressed air, blow dryer, etc. and my keyboard is just toast. :( Anyone out there have any other tricks? Sadly, my laptop is only a couple months old. I guess I'll be investing in another new one or finding someone to fix it asap, since I'm using my desktop in the meantime. Note to self: don't hold baby while checking email. :)

Marisa Maternity Shoot

2011-02-16T00:32:00.000-08:00

Marisa looks fabulous! I had such a fun time getting to capture her, and her beautiful baby bump this past weekend! I'm so excited for her and Drew to be welcoming their 3rd baby soon.

This was such a cute moment. I was photographing an upclose photo of Sydney's sweet face lying on mommy's tummy when the baby moved! This was Sydney's reaction...

Soon to be a family of 5!

I love this sweet shot...

Marisa, you're gorgeous!
Congrats you two!

6 weeks old - Benjamin Gabriel

2011-01-31T14:36:00.001-08:00

Our little man is 6 weeks old today. He's been having more awake times, is just beginning to plump up, and he's given me a few really sweet (awake) smiles in the last few days.

Benjamin is such a cuddler and loves nothing more than to be snuggled up in my arms. I love his cuddles.

My friend Mauria stopped by today with a gift for Benjamin and it was this adorable owl hat! I just love it! Because Benjamin is 6 weeks old it's harder to get curled up sleeping shots of him, so I worked quickly to just get a few pictures. At first he kept moving his head and the owl face would shift and not be centered, so I turned it around for the last few pictures and got a few more with the solid blue side. Thank you Mauria for the darling hat! You are so thoughtful.

We love you Benji-boo! Happy 6 weeks.

Today...

2011-01-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

Today was one of "those days". :) I got Jude to preschool late, Benjamin wet through a diaper and his clothes while out running errands, Selah dumped a bag of nuts on the kitchen floor, I stood out in the rain trying to get an attachment on my stroller to work and never could... and my house, let's just say has seen cleaner days. You've all had those days too... right?! :)

I'm not complaining, though. I've had sooo many moments lately where I just have to stop and say, "Wow. Thank you Lord. You are so good. We are so blessed." Life adjustment with three kids has been going better than I expected! I think I braced for the worst and instead it's been going realy well. Benjamin is a really easy baby and I just can't put him down. I love to snuggle him and hold him and kiss his big cheeks... he comes by those honestly. ;)

Jude and Selah have been playing well together and welcomed Benjamin into our family without hesitation. They are so loving toward him and interested. Josh has been an all-star husband helping to keep me sane by making dinner many nights, letting me nap when I can, and he took me on a date last week which was wonderful (thanks Mom for watching the kids)!

So yes, my life these days is a bit crazy, and I'm getting less sleep than usual, and I seem to always have someone 3 feet tall asking something of me. :) But I'm savoring this sweet season of life with this little princess, this silly boy, and this snuggly baby and wouldn't trade these days for anything!

(Grandma got the kids cameras for Christmas and we've been surprised at how quickly they've figured out how to use them!)

(There's nothing like those cute skinny newborn legs complete with wrinkles! Or baby's breath. Or that soft head of hair. Or those tiny finger nails... so in love!)

Weddings 2011!

2011-01-06T22:46:00.000-08:00

I'm already looking forward to this year's wedding season! I've begun booking weddings and I'm excited to get to know brides and grooms better this spring during engagement sessions. Fun times ahead! :)

If any of your friends or family recently got engaged or are planning a wedding for this summer, please pass my name along! I'd love the opportunity to meet them!

Here are just a few weddings from last summer...

Benjamin Gabriel

2010-12-30T22:52:00.000-08:00

Our precious boy arrived on December 20th, weighing 6 lbs. 12 oz. and measuring 19.5" long. He was born at 38 weeks and it was a wonderful delivery.

I've been soaking up every sweet moment of his newness! I can hardly put him down. I just love to snuggle him, kiss him, watch him sleep, stare at his tiny features... he's just as darling as can be! Ahhh... so in love. :) We're all in love with him.

When Josh and I first saw him it only took a couple of seconds for me to spot dimples! I was SO surprised. I hadn't even expected them or even thought of them as a possibility. Josh and I both have dimples and we always assumed our kids would have them. But when neither Jude or Selah were born with them I just quit thinking about them. So I love seeing Benjamin smile in his sleep because those cute little dimples show up. :)

I tried a few days in a row to snap some newborn photos of him, but it wasn't really working out. On Tuesday I gave it another try, but I ran out of good daylight rather quickly, and had kids playing all around me, so it was a little adventurous. :) But we got a couple of these quick shots. I'm going to try to take some more pictures of him this weekend when Josh is home.

Thank you everyone for your sweet Facebook comments! They've been so fun to read. :)

Selah loves to help take care of Benjamin. I just love that she's my little helper. She brings me diapers, helps lotion his skin, loves to hold him, and today helped give him a bath. Jude likes to help too, and is such a loving big brother, giving Benjamin lots of hugs and kisses. :)

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!!

Beautiful Babes

2010-12-18T16:32:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to snap some photos once I was off bed rest! What beautiful little subjects these three are! And dear to my heart, and my kid's hearts too, being close friends.

My friend Mauria and I had fun "singing & dancing" to get her kids, all under the age of 5, to look and smile at the camera. It was pretty hilarious. As soon as Everly would smile at us, the boys would look away, or as soon as the boys would look and smile Everly would give us a blank stare. Then the sun would come and go every 2 minutes. It was fast and furious, and I loved every second of it! :)

I love all of these sweet smiles. :)

Keep on the look out this next week... a newborn photo may pop up on my blog. No, I haven't had this baby boy yet, but soon! :)

I hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas season!

Off the couch...and greeted with Kankles! :)

2010-12-06T01:33:00.000-08:00

Today is a big day. Today I'm 36 weeks along and I get to go off bed rest! (I have to take it easy still until next week, but then I'll be considered full term.) I've been on bed rest since Oct 22nd and I'm really excited to start moving around again and using my muscles. I actually threw caution to the wind a day early and was up and about and noticed that my ankles disappeared. Hmmm.... lovely. :)

The past several weeks have turned out to be quite a blessing in disguise and a neat season of life for me. It was challenging and humbling to sit on my fanny and let others do everything for me, but also amazing to see the love of others and their gifts of serving, and I found myself seeing life from a different perspective. I've referred to many things lately as "my view from the couch". I watched family and friends enter my house on a daily basis and love on my kids, do my dishes, make food, sweep floors, fold our laundry, bring me tea, clean my closet (oh horrors!), take Jude to preschool and pick him up... and bless our family to no end! Very humbling, and also so inspiring. To have such a servant's heart really says a lot about a person. And there are many people in my life that I want to be more like. {heart}

I haven't been very present in the cyber world since I went on bed rest. Why? Mostly because I felt consumed by all that's been going on here, and my main focus has been to keep this baby boy from arriving early. So forgive my serious lack of blogging, emailing, etc. I definitely needed to just withdraw for a bit. :) It was kind of my way of coping too.

I took a lot of camera phone photos from my spot on the couch over the last several weeks. Terrible quality, but sweet memories.... like my little couch buddy, Everly, hanging out with me while my friend Mauria zoomed around my house cleaning things, Grandma Janet taking the kids outside to run off lots of energy (I wish I had a photo of that), Granddad playing the game memory with Jude, Grandma Jill baking with the kids & re-organizing their toy closet every single week (thank you!), Grandma Chris reading them stories, Jessica making the kids laugh at the lunch table, etc... it wasn't until about Thanksgiving that I switched to having my regular camera handy. haha. Much better!

Speaking of Thanksgiving, we had a great time! Food, card games, watching funny videos, dessert, & laughter. My dad and step-mom Janet, siblings and step-brothers came up and we had a lot of fun together. Janet and Dad made an incredible gluten free dinner that was just amazing! Thank you for making the day so special and for doing SO much to bring it all here!! Love you guys!

As soon as Thanksgiving was over I switched into Christmas mode. I was so excited to have a beautiful tree to look at each day and for the kids to get into the Christmas season!

They made ornaments and set up our little nativity scene.

And we got a tree... from Lamb's Thriftway down the street. :)

And Jude & Selah did a great job decorating it!

Here's the ornament Jude painted (on the left below)...

Why am I wearing shoes in this picture? Because I snuck out to ride along to pick out our tree. It was just down the street. It doesn't count. :)

Last week when my friend Mauria was here, her daughter Everly was looking extra cute and I had to snap a photo of her. She and I share the same birthday and she's been my couch buddy for weeks. Selah just adores her, and loves to be near her. Jude does too. They both refer to most babies they see as "Baby Everly" and she's gotten them even more excited to meet baby brother.

Lastly I have some photo shoots that I haven't blogged, from back in October! I just love the families and clients I get to photograph. And I love developing friendships over the years with them! I LOVE what I do!

I adore this family and always look forward to seeing them!

Our good friends Aaron & Val & this is their new baby girl, Lily! Isn't she sweet?!

Phew! Now, I'm caught up on my blogging. :) I hope you're all having an amazing Christmas season!

Thankful...

2010-10-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

So... last weekend was eventful. Last Thursday night (a little over a week ago) I was having some intersting contractions and low back pain at just 29 weeks along. I tend to always have contractions when I'm pregnant, so I often just ignore them, but when things were getting a little intense by 2am I googled "pre-term labor" just to see if the internet confirmed what I was pretty positive at that point was going on! Sure enough, I perfectly fit the description and drove myself to the hospital to check in. Josh stayed here with our sleeping babies and I hoped I would get to the hospital and everything would stop and I'd be sent home. Unfortunately the opposite happened. Labor progressed positively and things started to get a little scary to me. I called Josh crying by 5am asking if he could have someone come to the house to watch the kids so that he could come join me at the hospital. And our parents were on the road in no time flat to take care of the kids, and my sweet friend Mauria showed up at my bedside until Josh could get there.

They put me on Magnesium Sulfate right away at the hospital (a drug I had to have when I went into pre-term labor with Jude and hated), and I stayed on it for 2 days as they gave me sterioids to help further develope baby's lungs in case he were to still come early. Unfortunately the next night, while still on Mag Sulf labor contractions started up again. I cried. :( I was so scared our little guy was going to end up coming early. I got a booster dose of Magnesium Sulfate. If you've never had the priveledge of experiencing the nasty stuff lets just say your teeth feel like they are on fire, your 55 degree hospital room is still too hot, and you aren't allowed to drink water even though your mouth is soooo dry you think you won't be able to swallow (you can have occasional ice chips, though). It does turn you into a limp noodle so that you won't have contractions, though... unfortunely it also relaxes your eye muscles so well that it's tricky to see.

By the next day everything had calmed down, thank you Lord, and Monday afternoon I got to go home on bed rest. My bed never felt so good! :) Since being home things have gone really well and contractions are occasional. We've been SO blessed by family and friend's help with kids, house work and cooking. It's been really fun to have those I love around so much to chat with. It's a little weird watching other people do what you normally do all day, but it makes me all the more grateful for the love of other's, shown through caring for us this way.

I do have to say too, that bed rest makes me kind of crazy. I tend to be such an active/busy person that it kills me to not be getting so many things done every day. My mental list of things I wanted to do in the month of November has been pitched. My weekly routines of grocery shopping and cooking, etc. aren't happening. I've hardly been on the computer this past week because it's kind of exhausting to use a laptop for very long when laying on your side. But bed rest this time around (I was on strict bed rest for 10 1/2 weeks when pregnant with Jude) has also been totally different with little kids. So far it has actually really been a blessing in disguise! There are no distractions or tasks that keep me from saying, "just a minute sweetheart" or "hang on" to my kids. Instead, I feel like there is soooo much eye contact going on with them and so much more communication happening and I just love it! I'm able to lay here and talk about things with them, and teach them new things as we color or read, etc. Selah frequently uses her little phrase, "Yeah Mama!" as she swipes her bangs from her face and looks at me with a smile. And Jude has been loving to tell me so many facts he knows, as well as joking with me. It's really turning into a sweet, taskless season of time that I'm so grateful for, even if it's all happening while laying on my side. :) I know I will look back on this with precious memories!

I pray our little man stays put until he's full term. I'm 31 weeks on Monday, which is great as far as his development is concerned, so I only have about 5 more weeks of bed rest.

Thank you all for your prayers, sweet emails, facebook comments and words of encouragement! You all are so kind and really lifted my spirit! Thank you! :)

Thank you Jamie!!

2010-10-20T16:49:00.000-07:00

I know, I haven't blogged forever! I can give an update on that later! :) But for now I'm so happy to get to share some maternity photos that my sweet and talented friend Jamie from Eugene, JAZ Photography, took of me.

Thank you so much for this priceless gift Jamie, capturing this precious season of life for me, Josh, Jude, Selah, & baby boy! You are amazing and made this whole experience SO much fun!!

So, when Jamie first offered to do maternity photos for me I was really excited! I don't think I've had professional photos done by another photographer since I got married 8 1/2 years ago. I couldn't get over how sweet and generous of an offer it was! As the date of our shoot got closer I began to get really nervous. I began having thoughts like, "How will I do on the OTHER side of the camera? What if I hate every one of my silly facial expressions or something? Or what if I look ridiculous trying to "act natural"? Well, I put those fears to the back of my mind as I was finishing up my shooting season before taking time off for "baby rest", and one evening Josh took a picture of me and Selah at the park. I was thinking I was looking all cute and pregnant that particular day and when I saw the photo of myself after we got home I gasped. I looked TIRED. Not like, "Oh, 8 hrs. will take care of that." More like, "a pregnant mom of two toddlers who works late into the wee hours every night" tired. :) So at that moment I decided I was going to email Kim King and ask her if she'd do my make up for my maternity shoot. I knew her through Facebook because she does professional make up for a ton of weddings and hs seniors, etc. She was awesome. So nice! She made me look like I'd gotten a good night's sleep so that I wouldn't have to fear the camera. :)

We did this photo shoot down in the Corvallis area at my mom's place. My mom has 17 acres of rural property and I thought it would make a really neat setting for natural maternity pics. Jamie took a few family photos of us first and then Josh, Jamie and I trecked around shooting pics until the sun went down. The three of us had a blast together and laughed practically the whole time. Jamie made us feel SO at ease and took all my worries away. I cannot say enough nice things about her! If you ever get the chance to meet her or hire her for photos, you will love just being around her. To view Jamie's blog and two posts of our shoot, click here.

Josh, Jude, Selah and I are SO excited to meet this little man come New Year's. His nursery is coming together and he is so very loved already!

Thank you again Jamie for blessing us with your talents. Hugs to you friend! :)