on a journey

well, here we are in december and i didn't post a thing in november. i have been keeping busy with shoots, editing, kids and of course the puppy. it's all part of this journey we call life. i have learned a lot lately about what is consuming my time and my money and where God really wants me to be in all of this. that is a little deep to dive into at this hour so we'll save that for next time (before january, i promise). i usually like to share some of my fav pics from recent shoots (i found some new spots this year), however, many of you have asked to see pictures of our sweet "little" puppy, Daphne! she is almost 11 months old...and still VERY MUCH A PUPPY! we were told that she is a boxer/hound mix, but have heard many times that she resembles a great dane! so here is my journey with as the proud owner of a (not so new) puppy.

the first photo says it all! she is a CLOWN! always into something.....and looks so innocent at the same time. she was about 3 months old in this photo.

in the next picture she is 4-5 months old. notice the sock hanging out of her mouth. she always brings something from the yard to the door after her hours of exploring and destruction! she loves being outside....so much that i find it difficult to get her back in when i need to leave....or go to bed at 2 am! look at her sweet, innocent eyes.

here she is just checking things out. she appears to be protecting us by using her scare tactic growling at a noise she must have heard outside. don't let her fool you.....she is really watching to see when someone may be back inside to discover the first of two eaten phones. she did leave the wires and battery in tact.

she had a playmate in october. my grandma came to visit with her 10 month old yorkie, zoey. she was very attentive to her and always intersted in what she was doing. it was helpful to distract her from her troublemaking tendencies. i think this pic was taken a few hours after we found her exploring under our screened in porch. she dug a hole and found her way in....and of course had a bit of trouble getting out! unfortunately, that hasn't stopped her from taking another chance.

this is the look i see way too often...what?!?! you want me to come in?!?! yeah, right!! do you see all that i have to play with out here?!?! she likes to turn our mulch for us, climb the ramp to the kid's clubhouse, take the lid off the sandbox and dispurse the toys all over the yard, attempt to find loose slats in the fence (she has succeeded a few times), socialize with the neighboring pups....the list goes on. notice the green gutter extension laying against the fence behind her.

ok, she looks so cute, right? we went in to a local pet store and shared some of our fun stories about daphne's outside adventures. and look what we came home with.....a cow bone. one that cannot be destroyed. this should keep her busy and out of trouble, right? ummmm, yeah, for ONE day. it is now in two pieces....somewhere in the yard with all of the other items she has shredded for us.

look at that face! she looks so sweet. she is actually in "time out" here. i had my back to her for 60 seconds (a suggestion to try to control some nipping behavior). seems to work and also allowed a few cute photos ops. when i turned around, this is the sweet face i saw. i just happened to have my camera in the same room so i could capture her "pout". i really need to keep a camera in hand. i have missed some great shots! one day i caught her walking on the railing of the deck and another running through the yard with the tongs and maridnade!

honestly, i am laughing as i type this! she really is sweet....just not so innocent! we do accept a bit of the responsibility. she really needs training beyond the puppy class and a walk every day would probably help too. our schedules the last two months have been extremely busy with little time for our puppy! she's great at the basics....she sits and waits and is really well mannered when we have visitors. she isn't a barker (except when she is in the midst of her back yard adventures). she sleeps well at night and doesn't fight us to go in her crate. we focus on the positives and try to laugh off the negatives...sometimes that is easier than others.

there is never a dull moment here! keeping busy and trying to have fun in the midst of the chaos! i try to take time each day to appreciate the little things and remember how much God has blessed me. and to realize that the kids are growing up right before my eyes! i don't want to overlook their special qualities that make them who they are. there is so much joy in that.

zach makes some hilarious comments that keeps us laughing. my recent favorites....it was few days before halloween and i had just found out that my neighbor was pregnant. so i told zachary that hailey was going to be a big sister. he looked at me and his response...."for Halloween?" the other classic.....trying to keep things picked up is always a challenge (especially this time of year)so i said "we need to get the miscellaneous stuff off the trunk in the kitchen"....he looked at me a little puzzled and said..."who is miss lena?"

raegan on the other hand is creative, artistic, imaginative and inventive. she loves to write stories and design things on the computer. she is quite impressive. she is 16 in an eight year old body. she is a night owl just like me, however she likes to sleep in in the morning (which makes getting to the bus a bit of a challenge for us). she always has big ideas she is trying to execute and is so detailed in the planning. she definitely has a dramatic element...not sure where she gets that, but it truly makes her who she is.

one last thing to share with you....a quote a friend shared with me today...."BE YOURSELF, EVERYONE ELSE IS TAKEN". i just LOVE that. it seems so simple, yet is so complex. i want to be the kind of mom that encourages that kind of confidence in my kids! i guess that is why God gave us friends. i thank Him every day for surrounding me with family and friends that love me and encourage me in this journey. we need each other....and remember (another quote i heard) "in perfection, we create competition, but in imperfection we build community!"

until next time.......

FAQs?!?!?!

Is it really October already? Time sure flies when you're having fun! Both kids bdays were a couple of weeks ago so we have had friends and family in town the last two weekends enjoying the festivities with us. We had so much fun, but I am trying to get back to the real world and get "caught up" (if there is such a thing!).

i'll share some bday pics soon, but for now i'll leave you with a few of my favorites from recent shoots!


great smiles for their mom...just being who they are!

a flower for little sister....so sweet!


a "hug" for big brother......

oreos anyone?!?!?! ....my favorite!

splashing in a puddle with daddy.....

hugs for a new puppy.....

and last but not least, a few shots from a shoot that help me answer some of my most frequently asked questions....to combine these questions into one.....what makes a shoot successful? well as i say, a picture is worth a thousand words so approach it as if you are going to tell your story!!

the ideal setting for a shoot.....just exploring at a park, your home or another favorite spot for your family (i have suggestions if needed).

what should you wear??? solid colors are best, but allow your little ones to be involved in the decision a bit! pick something coordinating for the "together" shots, ie...mommy chooses this outfit (see the galleries on my site for ideas), then allow them to express their creativity for some of the individual shots! don't be shy....and think outside the box! rain boots are great even on the sunniest day! and those bright pink cowboy boots and a tutu are always fun for a picture!

how do you get your child to smile??? are you ready for this??? RELAX!! it most often happens naturally! just take a step back and let your little ones settle in to the environment. i'll chat with them a bit and usually during our conversation, i'll start to see their most natural smile. sometimes we say funny words to help them relax and forget about trying too hard, but i never say "smile"!

i love when i can see the true personality of my subject "shine"! and something else that i truly enjoy....seeing a little one all decked out in a fancy dress.....enjoying nature....mud and all!!

so that's what it is about....capturing kids just being kids! don't get me wrong....the smiles are great, but behind every smile is something very special just waiting to be shared with the world...their sweet little spirits!!!

more soon.....

a few more hours (or should i say weekends this fall)!

i was emailing with "s" today (mom of the divas in the first picture below) and i mentioned that i need just a few more hours in the day to accomplish my "to do" list. it doesn't seem to matter how prepared i am for the day, there are always surprises that prohibit me from being as productive as i would like!

that reminded me that my fall schedule is filling up fast ....especially saturdays. i reserve sundays to spend with my family. this is our time to reconnect after a busy week. if you are interested in a session this fall, check my online calendar for available dates! if a date is shaded, you may contact me as there may be an am or pm slot open. currently i am booking out 2-3 weeks for weekday shoots and into november for weekends.

so this post may be a prime exaample of my production problem! distraction! think of the book "if you take a mouse to school". i sometimes feel like that is my thought process throughout the day. i'm doing something which reminds me to do something else, which reminds me to....you get the picture! anyway, i promised "s" that i would post some shots today from their session last weekend......so here are a few of my favorites. many more to see! i hope to have the proofs posted later this week!

look "s", no tears! there are quite a few of "s" showing off her sweet smile! and "r" is just a natural!

look at those curls! i love it! and the guy on daddy's shoulders is quite handsome with his reserved smile!

this is a shot of the two boys just before they plunged face first into the water!

they recovered enough to make into this last shot, but little "s" was done! it is always fun to capture not only their smiles, but their complete personalities!

keep in mind that the session fee increases each month as we get closer to Christmas. november 26 is my deadline for holiday photos. i am willing to do newborn sessions and milestones after this date, however there will be no guarantees of receiving your proofs/prints before the holiday.

more soon.........

coming soon....

this sweet family has been waiting so patiently to get a sneak peak at their pictures. they were so much fun to photograph! the kids were full of smiles and happy to share hugs and kisses. only one thing stopped them in their tracks....ths spiders! here are a few of my favorites to get you through the next few days. i hope to have your gallery posted by the end of the week!

boys will be boys.....

blake and raegan went to the ohio state game today so z and i stayed around home and just hung out. i had a shoot this morning so he went to mamoo and papa's for a bit. when i picked him up he came running to the car with a large zip lock bag. it had something in it that i couldn't figure out. i thought it may be a praying mantis with some leaves because yesterday he had a tragic episode with one. he was so proud when he found it on our screened porch and carefully persuaded it into his little bug house. if you look closely at this first picture, you can see it in the circle on the left.

this is him imitating the praying mantis.....

this is him after he realized that daphne (our six month old puppy) had taken off with the bug house. we still don't know what happened to the praying mantis!

so back to the ziplock bag.....it was a TOAD!! YUCK!! and boy was he proud. he insisted on bringing it home so we put it in a tall trashcan for the transport. he thought our window well would be a perfect home since that is where he found it. so here he is crawling down into the window well and releasing him into his new home.

and climbing out after a job well done!



so for those of you who know me well or know me at all...this was very much out of my comfort zone. i certainly wasn't excited about the transport or about him handling the toad, but i had to let go of my phobias for a few minutes to let him be a boy! and in the process i was rewarded with a few very cute pictures. some of my favorites in a long time. in fact, one of them may end up on a canvas!

one more thing.....your just dying to see some pictures from raegan's first ohio state game, right? me too! they didn't take a camera!!!!

it's not about the game!

we went to the indiana marsh invitational tonight with some of our neighbors. hse was playing at the new lucas oil stadium! as you browse through the pictures it may begin to appear that some of us weren't there to see the game at all. don't get me wrong, i love football...however....it was the first time i stepped foot in the new stadium. so for me...it was about the PICTURES!!!

for some of the kids...it was about......you guessed it...the treats!

and for others....it was about using their outside voices...

even though we were inside!

we had a really good time, enjoyed some yummy treats (especially the cotton candy) and watched a bit of the game, but my favorite part was capturing the kids having fun and being silly. i learned recently not to leave home without my camera. i really feel a bit lost without it. honestly, i look at life through the lens of a camera and constantly imagine what each moment would like in a picture! the seemingly ordinary moments truly are full extraordinary expression! having my camera in hand allows me to share those moments with you! so if you remember one thing from this post......remember to take your camera with you! as i always say...a picture is worth a thousand words!!