My first twin session!!!

I feel complete!!  I did my first ever twin session with two little beautiful 7 month old girls!!  They did so great!!  And they were pretty happy for the most part!!  I loved the opportunity to see a set of twin baby's and hold them!!  They were so sweet!!  Here is a few shots from their session!!

"I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed."-Booker T Washington

A friend from school | Maternity

I remember being pregnant with all 3 of my kiddos and thinking how much I couldn't wait to hold them and see who they looked more like-me or their daddy!! 
Pregnancy is such an amazing feeling, and I love photographing pregnant mommies!!

I did a session with a beautiful lady whom I've known since middle school.  She is expecting her second little girl in about 2 weeks!!  She looks so amazing for being so close to delivery date!!  She has a beautiful family and her newest addition will fit right in perfectly!  Here are a few shots from our session!!

We also did some hand painting on mommy's belly!!

I cant wait to meet baby girl when she arrives!!! 

Miss "M"s second Senior Session!

 

About 2 weeks ago I had taken pictures of Miss "M" who is a senior this year!  We did her photos at a park near my home and also at the railroad tracks which are also close by my home. Today I was invited to tag along and follow them to three locations!  One was at a house with a beautiful lake and dock and also a pretty fantastic barn.  We then went to another location with a really old Ford truck.  I wish I knew what kind of Ford truck it was but sadly I don't know much about cars :(  Either way the truck was beautiful, she was stunning standing there next to something that was such a classic!!  The last location was a 100 year old cabin. The owner buys and I believe he fixes them up!  He had about 6 on his gorgeous property!  I wish I could have stayed there forever, and claimed that property as my own!!  "M" is so beautiful both inside and out and she has a lot of potential to go places and do whatever she desires in life!!  Her mom, I might add, is the best!!  She is so kind and such a sweet heart!!  I cant wait to photograph the whole family soon!! 

I had such a fun evening with them!  Here are some shots from her session!!!
This one...I just couldn't pick a favorite so I put them all together to show how stunning she is no matter what color effects are added to the picture!!

On my way I captured an amazing sunset!  I just love how golden the sun looks behind the trees!!  Sunsets are beautiful anywhere...and I'm thankful that I can capture the beauty of them!!

Its Back to school time!!!

I think back to the time when I was in middle school and the bell rings and the teacher walks in and instantly the class calms and quiets and you take a deep breath and smell the smell of new back packs, new shoes, new binders, new books, class mates perfumes and colognes and you feel nervous and excited and your heart is racing....and you realize that its another year of the beginning of school!!  I guess for everyone the feeling of the first day is different, but for me it was nerve racking!!  I was always the shy quiet girl around a group of unfamiliar.  Once I started making friends and had my own safety zone, I was not shy!  I actually miss going to school!! 

As a photographer being shy is not an option!  You have to have personality and good listening skills as well as communication skills.  I love that doing photography has made me a better me!! 

So because its almost time for my oldest to start 1st grade I took him and his little brother out for a fun school themed photo session!!  It was hard when he went to kindergarten, and it seems even harder this year now that he's in the first grade!  Ahhh...I just want to hold him and squeeze him like he's a baby forever!!!  Here are some shots from today!!

I also took some of my sweet little freckled face love!!  And yes, he has lipstick kisses on his face from me...on purpose of course!!  I must say he loved them :)

Here is a picture of both boys being so amazingly adorable!! 

To end tonight's blog I will just leave with this quote.
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present." oogway (kung fu panda)

Yummy!!!

Sometimes its not always about pictures or being a momma!!  Tonight its about a delish recipe that I found and I am going to attempt possibly this weekend so make sure you stay tuned!! 

Ingredients

• 1 pound small shell pasta
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream
• 3 large cloves garlic
• 1/2 small to medium yellow onion
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed Italian tomatoes, any brand
• 1/2 cup, 10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup store bought basil pesto sauce
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls
• 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt the water. Add small shell pasta and cook the pasta to al dente doneness which means that the pasta will still have a bite to it or be a little chewy. The pasta will soak up more juice and keep on cooking after we drain it, so we need it to be a little under cooked. The shells will probably cook about 9 or 10 minutes.

Preheat a deep, big skillet or a medium sauce pot over medium heat.

Place garlic on the cutting board and place the flat of your knife on top of each clove. Carefully give the garlic a whack with the palm of your hand to separate the cloves from the skins. Throw out the skins and chop up the garlic. Remember to keep your fingers curled under and the edge of your sharp, chef's knife tilted slightly away from your body.

Add extra-virgin olive oil to the pan by pouring a slow stream of it twice-around-the-pan. This will be about 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Do not let the oil pour out too fast. You are looking for a slow, steady stream. Add the garlic to the oil. To chop the onion, cut the ends off and cut the whole onion down the center. Wrap half and save it. Cut the other half into thin slices then twist the slices a quarter turn and chop them again. Hold the tip of knife on the cutting board and lift the back of the knife up and down over the onion to make the pieces really small. Add the chopped up onion to the garlic and oil. Cook, stirring a lot, 5 minutes until the onions are mushy and look cooked.

Add the tomatoes to the onions and stir. When the tomatoes come to a bubble, reduce the heat under the sauce to low. Stir in basil pieces to wilt them. Season the sauce with salt and peppe, to your taste.

Preheat your broiler to high and place a rack in the center of the oven.

Drain pasta shells. Add them to a casserole dish. Add pesto sauce, 1 cup of ricotta cheese and a handful of grated Parmigiano, too. Stir carefully and coat the hot pasta with the pesto and cheeses. Pour the hot tomato and basil sauce over the pasta, as much as you like. You can always serve a little extra at the table, to pass around. Shred up some mozzarella cheese with a grater and scatter it over the pasta. Add a final sprinkle of Parmigiano to the mozzarella as well. Place the casserole under the broiler in the middle of oven, 10 to 12 inches from the heat. Let the cheese melt and bubble on top, 3 to 5 minutes.

picture for the night is my delish snack that was shared by my sweet little girl!!  We enjoyed a plain bagel with Cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top!!



Today with my loves

We spent the better part of the afternoon at a local water park called Sunlight pool!  My kids had such a blast and we are all now exhausted.  So tonight's blog will be short!! 

On my evening walk with my daughter the lake in our neighborhood had such a beautiful glow from the golden sunset and I just adore the way it was hitting the water!!



Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. ~lao tzu

My children make me proud

 

Today it was just beautiful outside!!  The temperature was nice and we had a fantastic breeze.  The kids love playing at the park so that's what we did this afternoon!!  My middle son ^_^ loves to be creative, and imaginative.  So there he sat and made some kind of something for me he told me.  After he was finished he jumped up and told me to check out what he made.  I asked him if he wanted me to take a picture of it so that I could have it forever and you would have though I asked him if he wanted a million dollars!!  After he seen the picture he was thrilled and wanted me to take more photos of him, so I did.

This one he says "Mom, I'm not ready to have my pictures yet."  He is so funny all the time!!  He appreciates the littlest things.  For example a couple of evenings ago I was fixing dinner and he noticed the plates I had pulled out.  A batman one and an Iron man one.  He asked me what plate was his and I told him the batman plate.  He jumped up and down and was repeatedly screeching about how he is getting the batman one!!  He always has the greatest stories to tell anyone about.  He's just a joy to be around.

Shes my little mini me!!  She is tiny but mighty!!  I caught her playing with her earrings which shes always trying to pull out.  She has successfully lost about $100.00 in gold earrings.  So I decided to put one last pair in her ears and buy new backs and so far, they have stayed in place for a little over 2 months!!!  YAY!!!  I guess it wouldn't be so bad not having earrings, but for some reason or another I make children that are bald until the age of 3 or 4 :(  She's beautiful anyway!!!

Now this one is my oldest and he definitely is my thinker!!  He's logical in every way.  Some of his funniest "smarts" have been things he says.  An evening spent with family members for a birthday celebration is never dull when something like "okay, everyone come fix your plates-granny" gets said.  And what follows is where the best part comes in "do we need to fix our plates because they are broken?-Oldest^"  He was probably only 2 1/2 when he said that.  Another one of his funnies was when I said look how full the moon looks tonight.  Oldest replies back with " Its full because it ate to much?"  He must have been about 3 when he said that.  His latest funny was when I told him the other night that he was not able to do something unless it was under my super vision.  His reply was "Mom, you have super vision?  I didn't know that!!"  He is awesome!!  I cant believe how fast he's grown!!

My children really do mean the most in the world to me and I love them with all of my heart!! 

Now here's my first photo for my "Photo everyday for a year" project.  Created for myself, as a challenge, for inspiration, and creativity.

I was out with the kids today and while laying with them in the shade under a big tree, I noticed the lovely little sun flares peeking through the leaves...so I photographed it!!  The reason for the quote on the photo is because its such a true and powerful statement and I wanted to share it!!

Please say a prayer for a friend of mine who had twin boys 24weeks.  She lost one and the other who's name is Elijah is struggling for life right now. 

And just a little side note I'm still trying to figure out the perfect size to display my photos at, so sorry for the small-ness of them. 

What makes you continue YOUR DREAMS???

As a stay at home mother, I've been told what I do is less significant than say a mom who works the typical mon-fri 9-5 job.  I've been told being a stay at home mommy is not a REAL job.  I've been told that I have no identity.  I've been told that I am less enjoyable because I always have a child with me.  Back many years ago this is all women knew.  Stay at home and cook, clean, do the laundry, teach the children, bath them, cloth them, feed them, play with them.  These women were quite possibly your grandmothers or great-grandmothers.  Would you walk up to them and tell them that what they did was not good enough in your eyes?  I love that I can stay home with my children, and I also feel as though its a blessing that I've been blessed to be able to do!!  I have hobby's and other interest that I do well in.  My best profession is being a mommy first.  I think its a shame that people in society still today always try to look down upon the lesser man (or women.)  When will people let go of their own negative outlook on life and learn to love their own?  The ups the downs, the goods the bad's, the dark and lonely, the happy and healthy!!  Nothing in life can ever go as you {plan} for.  If you plan for everything you set yourself up for disappointment when things don't go as you plan. 

Being a stay at home mommy has allowed me to learn that there are so many area's of life that I just ADORE!!  Photography is one for me that has taken off and is blossoming into a business!!  I have had a lot of negative hits while trying to start up my business.  I have been told that being a photographer is not a REAL job.  I have been told my portfolios are less than par.  I have been told my photos are not creative enough.  I have been accused of "stealing" ideas!  If everyone in life let one comment or another bring them down and make them want to quit than their dream wasn't really a dream at all!!  I have fought so hard to be where I am at in life.  Will I ever say that it happened over night or that it was easy...NO WAY!!!  Doors open and slam several times over the duration of life, staying positive is the only way to get through them! 

I guess some would ask why I would even blog about the negativity that has been thrown my way, but my only answer is that, its real life, and its what happens to people who are trying to accomplish a dream.  Staying positive about who I am and what makes me |me| is why I will continue with my dreams.  People will always knock you down, its |you| who decides whether to get back up or not!!!

So with that being stated and said as my introduction to my blog, I will tell you that I plan to use this blog as my journey as a photographer and mommy!!  I will be doing a picture a day along with my blog.  I hope that I am able to experience enough inspiration in everyday so that I may share that inspiration daily!!

My first |picture a day| will begin tomorrow!!!

I haven't been able to figure out how to post songs to my blog yet so I'll post a video!!  I love this song!!  And its great when your feeling down or bullied!!