New Blog

After posting on both this blog and my new blog for a week, I've decided it's time to let go of this one. So from now on, I will be posting on my new blog here: http://www.areavoices.com/blessings/

Be sure to update your bookmarks and subscriptions! You can subscribe to my new blog by entering your email in the form on the right side of the page.

See you there!

Happy Birthday Baby!

Wow, where has the time gone? Today B. turns 2 years old. She's acting more and more grown up every day, follows in her big sisters footsteps with every move she makes. Loves princesses, Curious George, and Elmo. And melts my heart when she sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Here are a few images I took of her a few days ago- her offical 2 year session.



When I pulled this last one up, it immediately reminded me of this one I took of her in the tutu from when she was 4 months old. It's still one of my favorites of her, I love that pouty little lip.

In only a year

I photographed these 2 cuties last year at about this time, and then again today. I love this part of my job, being able to watch as all these kids grow up right before my eyes!

A couple from today:




And one from last year:

Booked

Well, it's official- the remainder of 2006 is booked up for Blessings Photography. However, if you have a baby under 2 weeks old that you'd like to get in for a newborn session OR if you have contacted me previously expressing your interest in a session for November or early December- please call or email me and I will see if I can do anything to fit you into my schedule.

Thank you to everyone who has scheduled sessions during this very busy time of year, I look forward to working with each and every one of you!

Two

(Have you ever looked at a very common word and it looks so odd to you? I wrote the word "two" up in my title and then it looked so weird I actually had to use spell checker on it, cause I couldn't figure out how those letters could possibly be pronounced that way. Oy- does that mean it's going to be one of those days?!?)

Anyway, back on to the subject. This little guy gave his Mom, Grandma, and me quite a workout. He wasn't thrilled about getting his picture taken at first, but as usual- by the end of the session he was having fun. He even decided it would be ok to hop up and ride the rocking horse that his Grandpa made for him.

Tiny and Fresh

This little guy came in this afternoon for his first portrait session, at 2 weeks old. He was one of the most content newborns I've seen, and even gave a couple smiles!

Remembering Our Babies

Very few of you know this, but I was pregnant with our 3rd child earlier this year, and then had a missed miscarriage at 10 weeks in July. Everything seemed to be going fine, I was able to see the hearbeat on ultrasound at 7 weeks. But then at my 10 week appointment, there was no longer a heartbeat. We were of course saddened by the news, but at the same time took comfort in knowing that our baby was in heaven and some day we will meet him or her.

While going through this experience- talking with others and doing some research, and also through my work with the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep organization, I found out that unfortunately miscarriages and even stillbirths are a lot more common than many people realize. It's not often talked about, which is one reason I wanted to write about it here.

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, which is on Oct. 15th of every year. This day is to promote Support, Education and Awareness for grieving parents nationwide (and worldwide).

Beauty

This adorable 4 year old came in for portraits this afternoon. She was so sweet- shy at first, but was having a lot of fun by the time we were done. I was excited when her mom requested to do some black on black shots. It's not often I get a chance to do those with kids over the age of 6 months, so it was a nice change up.

Slideshow

Just thought I'd share the slideshow of images that I put together for my MOPS group presentation! You can download it here. Warning, it's a large file and may take a while to download, especially if you have a slow connection. If you're patient enough to view it, enjoy!

Busy Busy Tuesday

Today is one of those lovely jam-packed days that seem to have something planned for every minute. I started off this morning as the "guest" speaker at my MOPS group. Technically I really wasn't a guest, since I do attend every meeting. :) I spoke about photography tips and how to take better pictures of our kids. It went very well, and I actually had fun doing it!
Now the rest of the day is filled with various kids activities, work, errands, taking B.'s 2 year pictures, and then if it works out this evening- we will be going to look at a house that has the floorplan that we plan on building for ourselves when that time comes. Fun stuff!

I will leave you with a couple pictures of K. modeling some tutus!

Fun and games!

I thought it would be a good time for a little Monday morning fun! Let's do an internet scavenger hunt! I'm looking for the following things:

Link to the website of a pumpkin patch in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Link to a picture of a baby in a pea pod costume.

When and where was Christopher Columbus born? (Please post answer and link to info.)

The first person to post a comment here with all three links will win a $10 iTunes gift card! Good Luck!

Edited at 6:14pm... We have a winner! Mari posted a comment with all the answers, so she will receive the $10 iTunes gift card. Thanks for playing!

Weekend

Here's a couple quick images from sessions over the weekend.
I got a kick out of how this little girl laid down and posed exactly like her big brother!


And these two sisters were great in front of the camera! Never missed a shot- always looking and smiling!

Growing

I had the pleasure of watching this sweet little girl grow up over the past year, as she was a member of the Baby Steps plan. Yesterday was her 18 month session!

Little Posers

Here's a small sample of the many pictures we took over the past few days modeling outfits for several designers. As you can see, we had to get into the Christmas spirit a little early for some of these. K. likes coming up with her own poses!

One and Two

Here are a couple images from yesterday's session. My little B. used to sit with her legs crossed like this all the time when she was this age, and I can't recall ever seeing another baby who likes to sit like that until this little guy!




And this little cutie came in for a session with her family, including her big sister. They are the same ages as my girls, and remind me a lot of them!

Reminder

Just wanted to make a note that the September Photo Contest is up and running. Feel free to go place your vote!

Busy Weekend

I had a very full and tiring weekend! In addition to a few sessions, and receiving 2 large boxes of clothes for the girls to model, I went out on my first Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep call late Friday night. As you can imagine, that in itself was very emotionally and physically draining. I'm just glad I was able to capture some images that the family will be able to treasure forever.

Here are a couple images from weekend sessions. I will post some of the modeling pictures later!