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Another half birthday for my Sweet Pea! |
I know every parent will probably agree with me when I say that the life of my daughter seems to have both FLOWN by me and to be an eternity. I am so engrossed in being a mommy to Claire that I BARELY remember what life was like before her (though I do remember Saturdays being MUCH lazier). But, I also can't believe she has so quickly approached her second half birthday... and soon... her second birthday will be here before I blink! She is changing and growing so much. Her vocabulary seems to double weekly, and she is OBSESSED with books and running and Sesame Street and dogs and pickles... and the list goes on. She LOVES everything (or HATES everything) all the way. I love her. And, I know I keep saying THIS is the most fun age, but I really mean it this time. ;-) Happy viewing, friends!
we went to Chanticleer Gardens to play and take a few pics. They have VERY strict "no portrait photography" rules, so I was a little nervous to do this... but I came as just a mom taking pictures of her daughter... i just happen to have professional equipment. ;-) But, sorry, clients, this place is not available for you. :-( |
| these Chucks were hand-me-downs from Sophie (my favorite subject to photograph pre-Claire). we love these shoes and are so sad that they are probably too small for Claire now. |
| oh, the many faces of Claire. I see these multiple times a day, especially when she is running! |
| Claire USUALLY runs away from me, though... here she is running off with our map of the gardens (her "book" she kept calling it) |
| Claire is just barely on the charts for her weight. She literally just grew out of her infant carrier rear-facing car seat and into a big girl forward facing seat (she LOVES it!)... a whopping 20 pounds 10 ounces! |
| Claire loves books. I can't get enough of them for her. |
| "Claire, what sound does an elephant make?" |
| Claire is pretty girly. I don't know if it is genetically passed on from me or if she learned it, but she LOVES this new dress! |
| she also loves to hear herself talk. We took her to the Art Museum the day before, and every new room, she would test out if she echoed. Here, I am pretty sure, she is yelling to let everyone know she is here! |
| i failed to mention it was almost 100 with about 85% humidity this day... we were all DRIPPING with sweat. I think Claire is done. haha! |
| there are MANY more on my Facebook personal page, of course. ;-) Happy Half Birthday, Sweet Pea! |
F or those of you that don't follow me on twitter or keep up with my personal life (like I would expect any of you to do that!)... Almost two weeks ago, my step grandfather passed away at the age of 89 ( click here to read his obituary). It was not a surprise to any of us, as he had just not been well for some time, but nevertheless, it still stung when I heard the news. Just earlier that week, I had attended a friend's father's funeral, so it seemed to hit me even harder than maybe if it had come at a time of his own. It was a tough few weeks, and my productivity did suffer due to the grieving and the impromptu trip down to North Carolina to be with family during this time and to attend his funeral in Asheville. My future sister-in-law graciously took care of Claire during the service, as I much needed that time for prayer and thanksgiving. Nelson was an amazing man. His zest for life was unmatched. He was tenacious and sweet. He climbed mountains late into his life and loved travel and photography. He will be deeply missed by all of us, and I feel as though I had to share this with all of you. And, because a photography blog can't have a post without pictures... here are a few images from MY wedding day (almost 5 years ago!)... Happy viewing, friends!
this first image is mostly of my step-dad, Don, and me during our little attempt at something like Texas swing dancing. The joy in this image is Nelson blurred in the background, watching and WAITING for his turn with the bride! |
| he got his turn, even though the band wasn't prepared with much more music for him... it was a pleasant and welcomed surprise! |
| what joy you brought to my life, Nelson! I thank God for you, and I rest easy knowing you are with Your Savior now. |
| all images were captured by Scott Hubener. He was called Scott Lessing Photography in Asheville, NC (and we were a sample wedding on his site for a solid 3 years), but his site is gone... and it looks like he no longer photographs weddings. |
T wo personal posts in a row. I know for many of you faithful readers, this doesn't bore you, but for the newbies, hang on... some fun things are coming real soon! I never thought the blog would be slow at all in late June, but so it goes moving to a new market. I will have crazy amounts of posts every few weeks and then a little lull. We are rebuilding here in an over-saturated market, so bear with me, friends. :-) Anyway, this past weekend, we had a little getaway planned with my three brothers, my sister-in-law, future sister-in-law and niece... we chose a spot we thought was right in the middle of all of us... Luray, VA. What we didn't know when we picked the house was that it was about ten miles up a dirt road and that just about all of us would get lost and add a significant amount of time to our drives. But, we learned a valuable lesson in this trip... go where you know. Anyway... now that there are two babies in the family, we have decided we need to have a mini vacation together every summer so that the cousins get to know each other. So, this was the First Annual Getaway. And, of course, I had to take some pictures for everyone, including (mostly) the grandparents. In fact, mom, dad, grandma, etc. you won't see a single print until Christmas. We are going to torture you that way. ;-) Happy viewing, friends!
My oldest brother David with his wife Katy and daughter Eloise... remember them? |
| this is hands down my favorite of the three of them. they are such good parents! |
| i could just chomp on those cheeks! but check out the sweet drool on David's arm... two streams of it, actually. |
| Eloise LOVES the camera! Good thing. Every time she sees me, I will have it, pretty much! She is 4 months old, by the way... so... I am thinking... I did her newborn... did some 4 months... will see her around 8 months... and then, I will just have to see her around her first birthday to give the baby first year! |
| Eloise LOVES Claire. She was mesmerized by her most of the time, but this time, she is cracking up at Claire trying to put on sunglasses. |
| Eloise just tried to nurse on Claire's arm (note the drool there)... Claire wasn't too excited about that. |
| Here is my middle brother (2 of 3) Hank... |
| so, one of the things we talked about while we were together was how our dad tried SOOO hard to get a good pic of us 4 together every year (for the Christmas card, I assume), and it barely and rarely ever came out ok. Some things never change... the goof on the left is my youngest brother Daniel (more pics of him and his bride Angie soon). |
| David & Katy are pretty much the opposite of me when it comes to taking pictures. I have seen a total of maybe 3 pictures of Eloise since she was born (after my own, of course). So, I took a few random ones of her to fill the void. Like bathtime! |
| Next up... in a couple days... Daniel & Angie's engagement portraits! |
Summertime with Claire & Grace |
J ust two days ago, I realized that I had not posted a personal album on Facebook (other than my niece's newborn pics) since Claire's 11 month portraits. I didn't post her Christmas pics, her first birthday pics or party, not any personal pics of us moving (uhh, there aren't any)... anyway... it hit me today that I am pretty sure my parents and grandparents JOINED Facebook just for those monthly album peeks at Claire, and I have failed miserably. So, do I become one of THOSE people that makes an album called "lately" and throw in 6 months of our crazy life in it? Probably... well, no, actually... doubtful. I don't know... we'll see how I feel after I catch up from all of the shoots in the Adirondacks from this last trip AND catch up on some album designs... then, I will let you know about those Facebook albums. Anyway, I promise I take pictures of my daughter (though not often enough these crazy days). So, for those of you who don't mind a little personal post about my (ALMOST 18 month old) daughter and her BFF Grace, happy viewing, friends!
it is dang hot in Philly. i wasn't prepared. but fortunately, Claire's aunt and grandmom bought her a pool! |
| she's either thinking about drinking from the frisbee or just did. |
| yes, friends, the water she was standing in was the FREEZING (even for me) water from the hose. she loved it! and loved the hose.... |
| Ginger thought the pool was a giant drinking bowl. Claire was not amused. |
| how did I not realize she's teething again?! yes, friends, those lovely INCISORS are coming (she already has 12 teeth). |
| Where Claire is serious and pensive, Grace is silly and playful. Having them hang out a bunch helps me balance life. :-) |
| i think Grace might be teething, too. Catch that drool! |
| This is how they play most of the time. Claire wanders off, and Grace calls her (yes, she can say Claire's name- though it sounds like CLAUR more than CLAIRE). |
| okay, this pic could have a hilarious caption... Grace eyeing Claire's bikini... but, I know what was happening here. Grace was licking the water off her hand (she deliberately would dip her hand in the pool just to suck it off her hand)... and, she's thinking her friend is crazy for going in the cold water. |
later that day....
how cute is this?! i have to hold myself back from kissing her to bits while she drinks from this cup. |
| Claire is learning to put her bows and headbands back on. Still in process... |
| this last one is for my grandma. She wanted to know if Claire had any hair and what color it is. Here you go! (also, everyone enjoy the ruffles on the butt!) |
Y esterday, I had a fabulous bridal portrait session with Kristin yesterday, and I can't WAIT to share. But, out of respect of the bride, there are no peeks until her wedding day (June 12). So... something else for the blog... Claire and I have been back here in Saranac Lake since last Thursday. My mom came up on Monday to help watch her while I am away at these shoots and doing other work-related things. So, it is just us girls here at our old house (that is STILL for sale, for anyone interested in a 3bd/1ba house in town). I wasn't counting on the heat. Usually, May is pretty chilly and warmish in the day, but yesterday, it was in the mid-to-upper 80s... and today... 90! I don't remember, in the 5 years we lived here, it ever being NINETY!!! What-the-what?! Well, our little non-air-conditioned house stays pretty pleasant with all the cross-breeze, but at these temps, girls have to find other ways to stay cool (sugar melts, after all!). ;-) Anyhow... I improvised since I don't have much here, and I grabbed a large bowl and filled it with water. Claire had a ball. Happy viewing, friends! |
| (she was DRENCHED after this, by the way) |
| Claire is an intense little girl... VERY observant and studious. Content and calm in her pensive state. Watch our next child be a tornado. haha! |
| one of Claire's favorite things... peas! |
| sweet girl... i love you! |
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