Reflecting...

I think anyone who is a parent, grandparent, brother or sister is grieving  today over the tragedy that happened on December 14th at Sandy Hook Elementary School. As a parent you automatically think that could have been my child. A life so full of energy and promise snuffed out too soon. 20 Children that will not go on to experience first loves, college or have kids of their own.
Last night I came home from an emotionally exhausting day and I got hug my children. I got to hold them tight and be thankful for everything they are.  The tantrums and petty things we normally would argue over seemed so unimportant in the wake of such events. Yesterday was a cruel reminder that everyday could be our last.We need to live it to the fullest, be thankful for the blessings we do have and pray to over come what we do not.

Say a prayer for those families who lost someone yesterday. May God ease their pain in some way during this difficult time in their lives. Take a moment to thank God for the ones that you do have in your life and make sure they know how much you love them. 

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!

I wanted to do something really fun with this year with our family Christmas Card picture.  I had a couple of ideas I tossed around in my head but this one is the one that stuck. I was driving into work one day and thought, how awesome would it be if I could pull of A Christmas Story picture.  After the idea came to me I was on a mission to put together our "scene" so to speak.  I got most of the clothing either on Ebay or on Amazon for a decent price.  Gabe's bunny costume was probably the most expensive thing I purchased and then there is the official Red Rider BB gun as well.  I made the leg lamp for about $35 by using a mannequin leg I found on Amazon, a cheap pair of fishnets from Halloween, a $10 lamp shade I got at Walmart and glued some fringe to.  It may not light up but it works for what I needed. 
The kids really got into it and my 6 year old, always the ham, took very little coaxing to get into the pink bunny costume.  I may have had to promise a batch of cookies to get him to hold still long enough to get his picture though. 
Overall I'm happy with how they turned out and I'm sure we'll bring more than a few laughs to our friends and family this holiday season.

It's a ........

GIRL!!!!

Congrats!

Back to School....

Back to School! Gabe is off to Kindergarten...

Hard to believe that in about a week my oldest will officially enter the realm of public school. Where does all the time go?!?! Seriously! It feel like it was just yesterday when we were excited to see him take his first steps and now he's off to kindergarten.  

I decided to do a little session with my favorite model to commemorate the occasion. The lighting was perfect so I had to to do very little editing to these images. I really love how each and every one turned out. 

Enjoying the small things...

In the middle of a blistering heat wave, what more could you ask for in life than cooling off with a sip ofwater from your slip in slide with your brother .  I just love this


 .

Robin Hood Fairy Tale Session

Ok I've been waiting to do this for a while and finally got my 5 year old to agree.  I love how they turned out.