Family photos {an afternoon in pictures}

I treasure photos over any other possession.

After the moment is over a photo is all that I have.

I love how a particular photo can bring me back to that a special moment.

The birth of a child, our wedding day, vacations, feeding babies, and our every day ordinary moments.

I love them all the same.  

I love to look back and on all of these moments that I have captured in time.

I hold my photographs very close to my heart.

Once a year we have professional photographs done.

We have used the same photographer, Julie Cerise Photography, the past 2 years.

Julie is amazing.

Not only does she take wonderful pictures, but she also has a way with my boys.

She has the ability to win them over first which makes for true smiles for the camera.

{Roman made her work for her pay on this particular day}

Here is our afternoon in pictures...

Thanks to Julie for these amazing shots!

I must admit the kids are pretty cute too.

Looking forward to working with Julie again in the near future.

February photo a day challenge

I've always wanted to do some sort of photo challenge.  Many that I have run across last an entire year.  A year is a bit more than I can take one at this point.  By chance I ran across a fun photo a day challenge that only was one month.  I found a few friends who also wanted to join in on the fun.

I take pictures just about every day.  I loved this photo challenge because it helped me to think outside of my everyday box.  I am always wrapped up in being a mom, wife, maid, chef (not my strong suit), nurse, sales rep, and friend that I don't always feel as creative as I once did.  I had a lot of fun following the daily goals set by the challenge.  Who knows at some point later in the year I may try out another month of pictures!

Lessons learned along the way...

About a week ago Jessica VanDerMark Photography announced that she would be hosting a contest to give away a photo shoot with her along with prints and the works. It was truly an AWESOME prize package. Needless to say once I saw the announcement my wheels started turning. I WANTED TO WIN this package for my family.....BAD.

I decided on a picture of the boys and submitted it into the contest. Voting opened on Monday. Once that happened I was on a mission. A very serious mission. Winning was the only option. Armed with my faithful co-captain, MiMi Kat, we got to work. We worked a very strategic plan and that was to get as many votes as possible. Okay not exactly strategic, but a plan non the less!

On more than one occasion I was a tad afraid of myself. I had visions of myself a few years down the road decked out head to toe in my boys "sport of the day" uniform waving my pom-poms like a mad woman and cheering like no one has EVER witnessed. Yes, I am fairly certain, make that POSITIVE, that I am "that" mom. We were about 100 votes ahead of the other candidates and were still working it. I was afraid that another contestant would pull a sneak attack at any second so my focus did wane. I was also afraid that by weeks end I would not have any friends left due me harassing them!

I received a message from Jessica today in the middle of my "working lunch." In other words I was working on votes while enjoying a salad. She informed me that the contest would be coming to end. Something with facebook rules and regulations. Oh yeah, and WE WON!! After a quick prayer of thanks and a sigh of relief I was able to remove my shoulders from my ears for the first time in THREE days. Yes, I had it bad.

Here are 3 important lessons that I gathered this week.

1. The apple does not fall from the tree.

• I remember my parents doing things like this for my brother and I. They were at every game watching me cheer and my brother play. I also VIVIDLY remember some sort of school contest involving them buying 60 fruit cakes in order for us to win the trophy and a music box. Sorry to all of our friends and family member who were the unlucky recipient of Christmas gifts for the next few years...

2. I witnessed myself working toward a goal with fury and passion.

• Yes, I really wanted to win the photo session for my family. I worked really hard in order to make this happen. By no means is it a "whatever it takes" to win attitude. It is more honestly working hard towards a goal. I hope that my boys inherit this passion for life. I hope that they find something that they are passionate about and give it everything that they have plus a little more. I look forward to supporting them in whatever positive areas that they choose to focus: school, music, sports, etc.

3. I was amazed by the kindness of others and the willingness to help.

• In the hectic times that we live I am touched that so many people took a second out of their busy day to help us out. Wow..... I am truly touched by this.

I would like to send a heartfelt "thank you" to everyone who gave us a second of their time. I would also like to send a sincere "thank you" to Jessica for being so generous with her time and talent. Can't wait to claim our prize!!

Now I present to you..... the winning photograph.

Fuzzi Bunz

Last Friday Kristy, my dear friend and awesome photographer, had a brilliant idea. Let's get together all of our kids in their Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers and do a photo shoot. I thought she was INSANE and signed up Roman with both hands!

We had a great day taking pictures, playing with the kids, and making memories! In all honesty it was beautiful chaos and I have the video to prove it. Can you imagine trying to get the "perfect" photograph with this many moving parts? Needless to say Kristy is my hero! She worked her magic and managed to get some adorable pictures of our little Fuzzy Bunz!

A few important things to note.

~ Roman, my little chicken, cried the entire time

~Emma was the only adorable little lady of the bunch. Miss Thang walking around in her leg warmers and pearls melted.my.heart. (and also made me realize that I could not afford a little girl!)

~he (or she) who has the best bribes gets the best shots! The lollipops, M&Ms and balls worked like a charm ;)

~If in doubt sing "If you're happy and you know it..." It was comical to watch the mommas acting crazy, singing and dancing in hopes of a smile from our kiddos. The proof is the last photo that I have posted. It was the best shot of the day! All of the kids are looking at us like we had lost our minds. For the love of our kids AND that perfect shot... Cheese!

Thanks to Kristy of Jeansonne Photography for putting this "just for fun" photo shoot together! She has a way with the kids, is very patient, and has great talent!

http://web.mac.com/jeansonnephotography/Jeansonne_Photography/%28home%29.html

Christmas card photo session

Yes, it is that time of year again. Time to get that "perfect" photo of your child for the annual Christmas cards. Anyone who has a child or two knows how stressful that this ordeal can actually be. To top it off I decided to try to capture the moment MYSELF with not ONE, but TWO moving targets. I have been planning this for quite some time in my head. Putting together outfits, locations, props, and bribes is A LOT of work! I was nervous because it is really hard to photograph my boys together. I would say that the experience rivals herding cats. I talked it over with several people. A friend gave me the brilliant idea to just go casual in Christmas jammies and let them play in my bed. That is how the idea was born! Honestly, I didn't think that I would actually be able to pull it off. I expected to just settle on a "good enough" picture and put the cards in the mail. I must say that I am pleasantly surprised. I know that I am a bit biased, but I really LOVE several of the pictures that I was able to get. Here are some of my favorite individual pictures of the boys. These are not the actual pictures that made the final cut for the card. That you will just have to wait to see...

I would like to send a special thank you to MiMi Kat. She was an awesome "assistant" in helping out with the boys. By the end we were both sweating and exhausted but it was so worth it!