Caught Up!

Those are two words I didn't think I would ever utter.  Especially heading into my busiest season.  But it is true.  I am caught up (on editing at least, not in real life mind you).  I have edited all of the pictures that I have taken (except a few from second shooting a wedding, but those don't count).  I even did my own pictures (and the retakes)!   I even input my expenses from the last 4 months.  I am feeling good.  It helps that I have been subbing the last 2 days and that while the lovely students at D'Evelyn have been furiously working, I have been working hard too!  I love having a laptop and being able to bring my photography work to my teaching work.  Win-win!

And now for the reveal.  Every year my sister and I (okay mostly me, I have to drag her kicking and screaming because like most normal people she feels like photo shoots are a form of ancient Chinese torture) take all 6 kids and try to get some pictures of them for my mom for Mother's day.  It always hits at the busiest time of year (okay let's be honest....every time of year is the busiest when you have kids) and we always have to scramble to get it done.

This year I had grand illusions of using a neighbors fun old  truck for the picture.  So on Mother's day, we ventured out to try to get pictures.  6 kids, 4 parents, 2 grandparents and neighbor and an old orange truck.  Too many people.  It was rough.  The kids did NOT want to be there and one of mine was sick.  But we pushed through.  *note.  As a photographer, taking pictures of your own kids is the HARDEST thing you will ever do.  They get surly and bored and give lots of fake smiles.  ARGGGHHHHH!

When I got home and looked at the pictures, I was upset.  My camera was having issues with back focusing and it was super sunny and I was shooting into the sun......yada yada yada.  All combined to make for a not happy photographer.  Hence the reason why no one has seen these pictures.

So......we have been trying to schedule a redo.  Not easy when sister (see above note) really didn't want to do it again.  But pushy little sister got her way and when we were up at the cabin for Labor Day weekend, we drug the kids out and tried again.  This time was a little bit better.  The weather was sketchy and we had to wait out the rain and then jump out of the car, take as many pictures as possible and then run back to the car.  So, I took pictures for about 10 minutes (and a different kid was sick this time) and it was pretty chilly outside.  Then the skies opened and it poured!  End of pictures.  But, at least I got a few that I was somewhat happy with.  Again, hardest job ever!

So here are the highlights of our "Nana" shoot.  4 months in the making.

Take One:

Take 2 (It was a little dark and dreary so most of them looked better in black and white...which I happen to love).

Here's to being caught up for at least one day!

Sneak Peek: St. Romain Family

Do you ever have time when things slip through the cracks?  Perhaps you don't, but I sure do!  I did newborn pictures for this adorable little family a few weeks ago and in my rush to get the pictures to them, I forgot to do a sneak peek.

Fortunately, I got a second chance.  This family owns their own property management company and wanted head shots and some additional family shots outdoors.  I was happy to oblige.  They are the nicest family and their boys are so dreamy, especially their four year old Dillion (I think he gets it from his incredibly beautiful mommy who doesn't even look like she has had a baby!).  He is such a happy little man and he loves to smile for the camera.

So here is a little sneak peek from both of our sessions together.

And now....for Josh.  He needs some head shots for his website and business cards. Which one do you like the best?

Head on over to their website to check out Saint Property Management for all of your Real Estate needs.

And contact me for all of your photography needs.  Including pictures for newborns, families, seniors, maternity, weddings, engagements, head shots and more!

Sneak Peek- Matteson Family

I know I am a broken record here, but I love this family.  I always have so much fun with them and they are very photogenic (especially the beautiful Cora Rose)!  I also love that their family cabin is just a few miles away from our family cabin up in Fairplay.  That means that we get to do some of our sessions up in the beautiful Rocky Mountains.  I don't get to shoot in the mountains as often as I like so it is always a treat when I do!

This particular session was in old South Park City in downtown (Hee Hee) Fairplay.  Yep, the show "South Park" was based on this sleepy little town.  It is a fun old town with all sorts of shops, business and even an old train and tracks.  Kids love it there and it provides a great backdrop for pictures.

Little Cecilia just turned 3 months old and Grant is a wild and crazy 2 1/2 year old (be on the look out for his eyelashes....lady killer).  The weather held out for us and the kids cooperated (for the most part, although Cecilia didn't love having her picture taken that day-so not as many smiley pictures of her).

For more pictures of this family (and others) visit my website or Facebook page.

Sneak Peek- Andrew 6 months

Oh my sweet Andrew!  He is such a cute little porker and I mean that in the nicest of ways.  He is so cute and has the little rubber bands around the wrists just throw me over the edge.  Couple that with an awesome mommy, and this family has a special place in my heart.  I always love getting together with Julie because she is just like me.  She keeps it real and we totally relate.  I love it when clients become friends!

I had such a blast following this little guy around.  Enjoy the cuteness factor!

For more pictures of Andrew, check out my Facebook page.  You will get a little peek into his cute nursery!

Evergreen Lake House Wedding: Kyle and Lindsey

This is a big deal for me.  I have always been a little scared of shooting weddings.  They are a lot of pressure.  If you miss "the moment", there are no redos.  And in weddings....there are a lot of "moments".  I have been a second shooter and an assistant on a fair amount of weddings.  I always said I didn't really want to ever do them on my own.

I did two last fall and it was a stretch for me.  Luckily they were both small, intimate, weddings so there wasn't AS much pressure.  However, in the spring a good friend of mine wanted me to do her sister's wedding.  I debated and then decided...it was now or never.  It was time to move forward with my career and embrace the scary and unknown.  So I took the plunge and did my first BIG solo wedding a few weeks ago!  And guess what....I. LOVED. IT!  (Confession: I didn't sleep well for two nights before the big day and the night of-serious jitters).

I loved being able to use my creativity and watch my imagination come to life!  It was so exciting.  The other wonderful part was having an assistant.  Since my husband and I are friends with the bride and groom and their families, they invited him to the wedding.  So I dragged him along as my assistant.  He was amazing!  It is so nice to have someone who knows what you need and just does it.  He knew when to stay by my side and when to give me some space.  He isn't typically a very good photographer (his words, not mine), but I set up my backup camera and set him loose.  I was pleasantly surprised that he captured some amazing photographs!  Now he can no longer avoid taking pictures by saying he isn't good at it.  Probably shouldn't have let the cat out of the bag Chris, now I will use you more often.

The Colorado weather toyed with us a bit, but in the end....it was a magnificent day!

The other benefit to being friends with the bride and groom is being able to let loose a little bit and really have some fun at the reception!  Thanks for having us Kyle and Lindsey.  It was a pleasure to capture your day and hang out with you and your family!

The other benefit to being friends with the bride and groom is being able to let loose a little bit and really have some fun at the reception!  Thanks for having us Kyle and Lindsey.  It was a pleasure to capture your day and hang out with you and your family!

Cheers!

I am looking forward to doing more weddings in the future.  For more information or to see more pictures, visit my Website or Facebook page.

P.S.  I am getting all fancy and added a link to Pinterest on my pictures.  Feel free to pin away (remembering copyright of course) using the P button on the top right corner of the picture.  If you want to make the pictures larger, just click on the middle of them!

Anniversaries

Today is my Blogaversary!  I started this blog 2 years ago.  I can't believe it has gone by so quickly!  I have really enjoyed sharing my thoughts, business, photography and life with y'all.

Today marks another anniversary.  Not a good one.  6 years ago today, we lost a member of our family.  Chris' dad passed away in a freak accident while in Lake Powell with his best friends.  There are so many things about that day and the days following that I remember with freakish clarity.  I remember where I was when I heard the news.  I remember meeting with the mortuary and saying "I never thought this is what I would be doing today".  I remember having to tell my husband that his dad was dead.  Worst moment of my life.

Time heals.  But not completely.  We still miss him, still wish he could have met his youngest grandchild (he will someday) and we still wonder exactly what happened that day.

But you know what?  It doesn't matter.  We have a hope and a future.  We have a God who works all things together for the good of those who love Him.

We don't have to know why or how.  We just have to trust that God is in control and that He will take care of us.

Happy 6th Anniversary in Heaven John!

Big Sisters

When you are growing up...big sisters can be a pain.  They boss you around.  They scare you.  They threaten to kill themselves by sticking their finger in a light socket if they don't get their way.....oh wait, maybe that was just my sister.  She sure knew how to manipulate me and she was always better at everything!

Then you move into high school and they take you under their wings and show you the ropes.  You sing fun songs together and play the electronic keyboard on the dashboard together.  You stay up late sleeping in the same bed and on Christmas eve you whisper and play games late into the night.

They go to college and you miss them like crazy and start to resent the boy who is stealing her time from you.

Then you stand up at their wedding and fall in love with one of the groomsmen....oops, maybe just me again.

Then you become moms and they are the first phone call you make when you are wondering what is wrong with your kid, or how get them to stuff fussing.

Then you grow even deeper.  You are there for each other at the deepest levels.  You finish each other sentences and laugh (or cry) over late night text messages.  Your run over to their house late at night when their husband is out of town and they think they heard a strange noise.  You come over to their house and borrow a can of beans without asking and forget to replace it.  You manipulate them into making you warm chocolate chip cookies (the padawan has become the Jedi master).

I don't know what I would do without her and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I love ya big sis.  Happy Birthday!

Ruth 1:16-17 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

Sneak Peek: The Richie Family

I love it when my worlds collide.  In this case, my baseball world has collided with my LiLo world.  It was so fun to get together with this family a few weeks ago and see them in something other than uniforms and baseball hats.  

Good thing we got these pictures out of the way before Casey broke his arm a few days ago.  Hope he is feeling better!

We got some good pictures considering they have three active boys.  It was a little tough to get them to stay still long enough to look at the camera and smile, but I managed to catch a few!  

I am thankful for this family, especially Amy, as it nice to have another mom in the trenches of life with me.   For more pictures of this awesome family head over to my Facebook page or my website.

Pinterest Challenge: Days 28-30 and Wrap Up

Did you think I fell of the face of the earth?  It felt like I did!  I am enjoying a relaxing weekend up in the beautiful Rocky Mountains and getting caught up on life.  It is wonderful and refreshing.  I know that sounds weird that work can be refreshing, but there have been so many things hanging over my head, that to have time to just get caught on up things is refreshing to me.  The kids are playing out in the woods and getting REALLY dirty and I wouldn't have it any other way.  It is wonderfully quiet and I am getting a lot done.

I actually did finish my Pinterest Challenge in 30 days.  I just never got around to publishing them on the blog.  So here is the wrap up.

Day 27: (From my The Chanchos Board)


I thought this looked really fun and was right up my boys' alley.  The best part about it.....FREE.  We had red Solo cups, guns and Lego guys.  However, when I actually went to go do this, I thought I would make it more "Summer" friendly.  Give the boys a reason to get outside.  So I adapted it and made it with water guns.  We also didn't use Lego guys.  We just put the cups into a pyramid and let them squirt it down.

They had a good time with it, but I think I will try this again someday indoors and use the Lego Guys.  Or maybe let them use their new Airsoft guns for target practice.  I think they would like the challenge of having to knock the guy down without knocking down the cups.

However, for littler kids, using the water guns and stacking the cups is genius.  Just be prepared to help set up cups A.LOT.

We will totally do this one again.  No $ or special tools required.  Love it!

Day 28: (From my Party Ideas Board)


Makai and Josiah decided they wanted a joint camping birthday party this year.  Summer time always seems to be a little nuts and I never have enough time (especially with all three kids at home 24/7).  So I was looking for an easy, but fun invitation idea.  Enter Pinterest.  I found this one and thought it was genius.  My mother in law happened to be up at the cabin and I asked her to bring home a log that I (um, Chris) could cut.  She brought it home that day and Chris cut them into slivers for me that night.  All I (Makai) did was write the information on them.  Easy Peasy.  I would have done an evite (genius Julie) but I like to have an invitation for their birthday scrapbook (the only scrapbooks I can seem to manage to keep updated).

This was fun and easy!  My sister in law (in all her craftyness) took this one step further when my niece decided she wanted a camping party too.  She printed out the information on red, yellow and orange paper, cut it into flames and stapled them to the wood so it looked like a campfire.  Dang it!  Why didn't I think of that.  Nice work (sorry I didn't take a picture of your genius Stacey)!

Day 29: (From my Cabin Fever Board)



I thought this looked like a great idea and would be a great way to reuse/recycle.  I collected these for awhile and then when it came time for Makai (and Josiah's) camping party, I thought it would be a perfect time to put them to use.  I ran down to the trash by the laundry and pulled out a bunch of dryer lint to stuff inside the cardboard rolls.

These were not hugely successful and the lint didn't burn nearly as fast as I thought it would.  They worked okay, but I think if you were looking for something in a pinch, they would be good.  Newspaper and tiny sticks are the best kindling, but these would be okay.  Let's just say that I am not going to be digging through my laundry trash can for lint anytime soon.

Day 30:  (From my Summa Time Board)



I am always looking for fun, easy and cheap things to do with the kids over the summer.  I saw this recipe and thought it would be a fun one.  So I thought I would try this one out.  The best part is that they are ingredients that you probably have around the house, and all of my allergy kids can have it!

It was pretty easy to do and I whipped it up late one night after the kids went to bed.  The next day when the "I'm bored" comments started flowing, I pulled these out.  Of course, I had to make 3 batches (one for each kid with their favorite color/flavor).

The kids ate them and seemed to enjoy it, but they were definitely not over the moon about it.  I might make them again, but probably just a single batch.  I threw about half of each dish away.  It also had a strange texture, almost rubbery on the top.  I just scraped that part off.

Wrap up:

Favorite Pin for the kids: The Fan Fort and the Ice Blocks.

Least Favorite Pin: The Microwave Mac and Cheese

My Favorite New Recipe: The Quinoa Salad

My kids LOVED this project.  Each day they were excited to see what we were going to do.  You know the thing I love the most about it?  It made me engage with the kids more.  It forced me to be purposeful and to plan fun things to do with the kids (in advance, which is something I am not usually good at).  I am excited to do this again with the kids.  Perhaps I won't do 30 in 30 days, but I might try to pick 8-10 and do one per week over the summer.  I will keep you updated!

There are so many good ideas on Pinterest.  It was nice to actually put into action what I was pinning!  I tried to pick fun, easy things that didn't cost a lot of money and I felt like I was pretty successful.

Sorry it took me so long to get this up on the Blog.  I am sure you will be happy to know that I have continued to pin and I have put more pins into action.  Perhaps I will get those up on here one of these days.  One day at a time!

Happy Pinning everyone and if you want to follow my boards, I am under Lisa Coombs Lord!

Sneak Peek: Tyler

This young man is a senior at Columbine.  He has made my job a little tough, only because there were so many good ones it has taken me a long time to edit them all.  It is a good problem to have!  He is such a nice boy, great older brother and is handsome!  A great combination and what I hope my boys are like in a few years.

For more pictures of this guy and others, visit my website or my Facebook page.