Christmas Kids

Yup, they're all mine.  We had a fabulous Christmas this year.  The kids were SO excited and couldn't wait for "santa" to get to their house!

December 25

It's hard to believe that it's that time of year already!  Christmas really snuck up on me this year.  Last year I had all my shopping done by the 1st of November and had all my decorations out the day after Thanksgiving.  This year you'll have to squint to see any form of a Christmas decoration and I just got finished with my gift shopping this past Saturday.  Presents just got wrapped and put under the tree last night.  I do have to say I am pretty proud that my husband braved the depths of our storage unit to drag out our tree. Thankfully the lights were already on the branches and they were all working!  I didn't dare ask him to find the tub of ornaments or other holiday spirit.  

I get a lot of flack about our Christmas tree each year that I put it up.  Being type "A" personality I like things clean, crisp and in order.  I love my tree.  It may be skinny and not very tall but I think that gives it it's wonderful character.  Things are a little abnormal this year as I see it has a little lean to it and it isn't in the "perfect" spot, but instead put against any old wall right next to the other random things shoved in the corner.  If I had it my way there wouldn't be colored lights either.  Colored lights are by my husbands request and I decided I could give in to that as long as I get to keep my beloved tree.  

Remembering that it isn't about what's under the tree but that the season is all about this...

Luke 2:1-20

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." 

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Merry Christmas, I hope your season is filled with love and joy! 

Second Time A Charm

Mama came back today just to see if we could get this little babe to sleep for me.

She did...

but it didn't last long.

Enjoy!  :)

Miracle Man

Tonight I met up with an incredible family with an incredible boy.  Meet this miracle boy Daniel.  When his mom, Beth went in for her routine ultrasound the doctors found heart problems with their little buddy.  At 2 days old Daniel had heart surgery but today - a little over a year later he is in my studio happy and healthy.  

My absolute favorite of the evening.  I think this captures him perfectly now - with a healthy beautiful heart that works.  You can even see a faint scar in this picture right in the middle of his breastbone.

Those eyes... beautiful (in a manly way). 

How funny when I opened the door to meet the family for the evening I recognized the dad immediately.  Upon talking it was discovered that he was the one who was contracted out to insulate our house that is currently being built.  What a small world!  If you are in need of a fabulous insulator, give me a shout and I'll hook you up with him.  

The dad and mom of this beautiful and amazing little boy have a wonderful and touching story. You can read all about their journey by reading their blog.  They are currently expecting baby #2 due next Spring.  Since Daniel was born with heart problems they are going to be closely monitoring this new little babe.  They are nervously awaiting their ultrasound that is the 23rd of December so add them to your prayer list praying that this baby will be without any health issues.  

Thanks SO much for taking the trip over to see me tonight.  I hope you enjoyed your tiny sneak peek!  

Well Hello Beautiful

Meet this little beauty.  Good friends of ours had this little peanut last week on Thanksgiving! It was so good to see them again and to check her our for ourselves.   Here she is, 9 days old and WIDE awake the whole time!!    

Faker... she's really not sleeping! :)

Look at those crinkly toes - so tiny!

Adorable big sister!

Thanks for coming over this morning!  It was such a pleasure meeting the newest addition to your family.  She's beautiful!

Sparkle

My sister came over today for a mini shoot to get Christmas pictures with her kids.  Kind of crazy with kids everywhere but we had a fabulous time and we got the job done!  

Doesn't she have the most contagious sparkle?  This is my niece who is just as cute as ever!

My beautiful sister.

Little Lady

I had such a fun afternoon hanging out with this little sweetheart.  Her dad and mom brought her over today to capture her 6 month milestone and to have her Christmas pictures taken.  Love the combination of her outfit and the backdrop!

Her hair is just starting to grow in... how cute! 

Look at those legs!  Ooh baby!!

They also brought along this little fella - he wasn't as sure of the camera as his sister was!

It was such a pleasure to meet you guys and to capture this precious time in your daughters life. Hope you've enjoyed your sneak peek!  

Breathe. Keep Breathing.

Is what I had to remind myself when the neurosurgeon first stepped into the room. This appointment has been in the making for around a month and a half but to my husband and I it seemed like forever.

Trey was making great progress during his therapy sessions at Mary Free Bed. Great progress in all areas but in the crawling position. The therapists were noticing that he wasn't lifting his head up and they weren't sure whether it was due to weakness or if something was possibly wrong. A referral was made to see a specialist who reviewed the x-ray's only to give us news that there is a possibility of a couple medical conditions. Google was not my friend that night.

After seeing that specialist, it was suggested that we should have Trey undergo an MRI and a CT scan to take a closer look at the area in question. Last week we had an early appointment at Spectrum for his scans, thankfully we were the first scheduled so they moved along quickly. How traumatic it was I'm sure for Trey seeing all those doctors surround him. For me, traumatic doesn't even come close to what I felt seeing them put him under sedation.

We had the big appointment with the neurosurgeon early this week. The appointment that we have so anxiously awaited to learn what was going on with our little buddy. After reading up on the possibilities of what they were looking for I was scared stiff. If what they were looking for was found, we were facing surgery. Spinal cord/brain surgery. Just breathe...

He was a very nice guy. He sat down on his little swivel doctors chair, looked us in the eye and said, "It's not what they were looking for." I about fell to the floor. Praise the Lord! Then the "however" came out of his mouth. At that moment we learned that Trey has a condition which results in excess fluid to collect around his brain - Trey is Hydrocephalic. Thankfully Trey has a mild form of it and it is expected that his body will be able to absorb the extra fluid therefore not needing a shunt. They are expecting that by the age of 2 he will be developmentally caught up with the help of more physical therapy. That is our hope and our prayer.

We have another MRI scheduled in mid-December to look into a different area of concern with Trey but we are again praying for good results.

Thanksgiving could not have come at a better time. Being it's the day of giving thanks, I thought I would share what I am thankful for. Today I am thankful for life and for health. Life, because it is so precious. Health, because it can be gone so quickly. I am thankful I have 3 beautiful children that we love more than they could ever imagine. What are you thankful for today?

In light of all that has been going on and that continues to happen, I am taking a much needed break. Images of Essence will be closed December 6 - January 31. In January my husband and I are taking a much needed and well deserved vacation. December is for me to re-energize, to get re-inspired, to rest, and most importantly to be with my family. Please feel free to contact me during my vacation by phone or by email to set up future appointments. No worries my faithful readers/blog stalkers, I still have a couple sessions that got in by the skin of their teeth so keep checking back. I will show their faces so we can throw stones at them later. JUST KIDDING (seriously, do not throw stones at them... seriously) I love them.

Happy Thanksgiving - we all have a lot to be thankful for!

Try This...

In his preschool class this year the teachers interviewed all the kids and asked them how they would prepare a turkey for Thanksgiving.  I thought I would share Gibson's recipe, it sounds tasty!

"How To Cook A Turkey"  by Gibson Siereveld

Get a turkey from the fair.  Shoot it with a gun and bring the turkey home by putting it in a basket.  Have your dad do something to it.  He'll put it on the grill.  While it's grilling put four pieces of salt on it.  When the grill is done cooking put the turkey on a plate.  Take it inside and eat it.  Serve it with some salt and apples.  For dessert have some apple pie.  

Mmm.... sounds delish.  This is a must try for this Thanksgiving!  There's a new idea for you all you turkey hunters, just buy one from the fair and take it out back!  

Roomies

After much anticipation, the story of the squirrel poo.  

This has been happening for a good 3 months now.  Joe and I moved into an apartment with our kids because we are currently building our new house.  About a week or so after we moved in we met a new friend.  He lived with us for a while... in our ceiling.  

Really he was my friend. When I was lonely I'd hear him lovingly scratch at the vent to remind me that he was there, or when I was bored he'd slide down the cathedral ceiling like a slide and make me laugh.  The best is when I couldn't sleep at night I'd hear him on our baby monitor chewing on the drywall right above my boys' room - keeping them safe.  

He may be my friend, but he was starting to gross me out.  Maintenance came the night of the fork.  The gentleman went up in the attic access to hunt the mammal down.  Hunt he did, he not only scared the family of squirrels out, he covered the hole where they were getting in.  I knew when I went by the access how much my squirrel friend loved me.  He left me LOTS of little turds on the floor of my boys' closet.  Almost as gross as dealing with my husband foot. 

Fierceness

Yup...

She's got it.

Smitten

Maybe it's his eyes, his smile, or possibly his hair, whatever it is this child has me smitten. What a honey this little guy is with such a great personality!   Good friends of Joe and I came to hang out and get some Christmas pictures and 6 month pictures of this little buddy.   Hope you guys like them - thanks for the fun night!

What a smile!

This little guy is already showing signs of wanting to crawl and walk!  Busy times are ahead for the parents!  :)

Another request for the tie picture - LOVE IT!

All the hunters out there might appreciate this one.

Look at those bunners!

SALE!

From now until December 31st I am having a sale on all canvas prints!!  Whoot, whoot - who doesn't like a sale?  All sizes are included so shop 'till your little heart is content! 

15% off all canvas prints - just in time for the holiday!

Contact me for pricing.

ENERGY!

Boy do these two have a lot of energy!  It was the youngest boy's birthday so we were combining family photos with birthday photos!  

 

Brothers... they look so sweet and innocent here.  Trust me, this was during a quick break from the wrestling and the monster truck racing.  These boys were full of energy!

5 is such a good age!

Here is the birthday boy - he turned 3 yesterday!  Happy birthday!

The mom brought out some goodies that totally "fit" who her 3 year old was.  He loves to work with his tools!

This is how we ended the session, with this scary creature.  Anyone know what in the world this is - my guess, Power Ranger?  Whatever it was, it made for a cute picture!

I had a fantastic morning with this family.  Thanks for inviting me to take your pictures!  Hope you've enjoyed your sneak peek!  

Don't call me if...

you are bleeding, have a broken bone, or something is oozing from a place it shouldn't be.  I don't do well with that kind of grossness.  Last night I was vacuuming up squirrel poo from my son's closet (I'll save this story for another day), when my oldest comes running in almost in tears.  He says he's so sorry for leaving toys on the stairs and that daddy fell with Trey.  I just told him to go apologize when I hear Joe yelling for help.  Great... 

I get to the bottom of the stairs where I see Trey laying on the floor, Joe crumpled in pain, and a really bloody sock.  Grimace, shudder, close my eyes, I am in a happy place.   Reality hits again and I make sure that Trey is ok - he is, then I turn to Joe and his bloody foot.  Eww.  We both scan the steps to see what could have caused this tragedy, a block - probably not, plastic piggy bank - unlikely, a fork - the culprit.  I go to grab Joe some gauze, tape and new socks.  Then like any normal person would do I start cleaning, frantically cleaning.  I am a worthless wife when I see blood.  Scrapes are ok, blood from deep inside, not.  I gather my thoughts and finally I get the courage to go by my wounded husband again.   

We had a fabulous dinner that night, pizza calzones (a delicious recipe that I will share eventually).  When I asked Joe to get Trey from his nap, Rylee decided to follow with fork in hand but left it conveniently on the steps.  

A trip to the urgent care, a diagnosis of a fork to the foot, 4 stitches and a 1" deep puncture wound later we were all home.   

I leave you with this pleasant photograph.  Much better than looking at a bloody foot. 

Ooooh Baby!

What a little buddy this guy was!  When he wasn't chewing on his shoe, chewing on my basket, or eating his hands and feet, he wanted to crawl!!! This little guy was full of life and just wanted to experience it all!  I had so much fun meeting him and his mom tonight.  Thanks so much for taking him in to have his 6 month pictures taken!   

Isn't his blond hair ADORABLE?  The mom told me he's already had multiple haircuts... so cute!

Check out those eyes!  LOVE this one!

More to come in your gallery! 

Serious With Style

Yesterday afternoon was SO much fun. This girl could work it!  Let me tell you, she's only 13 but you'd never guess.  Serious she was, but I have to say she is a natural behind the camera.  Thanks for choosing me to take some birthday photographs, I had a great afternoon!

She really enjoys riding dirt bikes.  I think this one captures who she is perfectly!

A favorite from the session... if my daughter looks like this when she's 13, she's going to be locked up from all those boys chasing her!

Hope you've enjoyed your preview!