Holding Daddy's Hand

Canon 5D Mark ll, 100 2.8 macro, 3.2 aperture, 1/125 shutter, 640 ISO

Two weeks ago today, I was driving to the hospital at 5:30 in the morning in the rain, hoping I would make it in time to see sweet Isabella Sarai come shining into our world. I was not disappointed. It was just two days before I was to leave for England and so I am just now able to post a few pictures of that glorious morning. Her name aptly means “beautiful princess”, and that she is. But I knew she would be. I wrote about her a couple months ago when I photographed her mommy Cynthia.

This princess will command a court consisting of two brothers, a daddy who is already wrapped around her perfect fingers, and her lovely mommy. I am so honored that I was able to be there when she took her first breaths, had her first bath and her many first kisses from her mommy and daddy, her grandma and her aunt. This is the second time I have been with Cynthia and Mike during the delivery of one of their children. I also got to see sweet their son Hayden be born, and capture his first moments in the arms of his parents. How I love this sweet family. They are very special to me.

Blessings, Kelly family. Welcome, Isabella Sarai. Beautiful Princess.

Psalm 127:3-5 ~” Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!”

Perfect

Mommy Kisses

Daddy's Here

Getting Weighed

First Bath

Daddy's Girl

Holding Grandma's Hand

Being Born is Exhausting

Smiles for Daddy

Five Generations of Beautiful

Canon 5D Mark ll 24-70 2.8L, 3.5 aperture, 1/100 shutter, 200 ISO

I had the honor and privilege of photographing five beautiful women today. Five generations of amazing women. Christy Martin, who is a fabulous photographer, asked me to do this shoot for her. Christy has quite a remarkable story. She grew up on the same street her whole life. The same street on which her great grandfather built a church. The same street on which her great grandmother, her grandmother and her mom all still reside. I felt like I was walking on sacred ground just getting out of my car and stepping onto the driveway. What a heritage she has to pass down to her daughter, Rayna. This is family of gorgeous women!

I had the joy of capturing Granny, Grandma Annette, Christy’s mother Connie, Christy , and of course little Rayna. They are all so genuine and kind. I wanted to stay on the front porch and chat into the evening with them.

I discovered that if I wanted to get Granny smiling and talking, all I needed to do was ask her about her family. She has raised four children and nine grandchildren. I lost count of the great grandchildren. She teared up telling me how much she deeply loves them. I wanted to put down my camera and listen for awhile. She is a remarkable woman, with much love in her heart. I hope to see her again sometime soon.

Here are just a few I captured of them. I hope I did them justice.

Psalm 112:1,2 ~ “Blessed are those who fear the LORD, who find great delight in his commands. Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.”

Surrounding Rayna

Holding Onto Time

Two of a Kind

So Much Love

Heritage

Funny Faces

Gorgeous Girls

Beautiful Christy

Giggling Together

Walking in the Light

Inhaling Eternity

Canon 5D Mark ll, 24-70 2.8L, 3.2 aperture, 1/60 shutter, 160 ISO

She is fresh from Heaven. If you lean in close enough you can smell eternity lingering on her skin. She is perfect, her little head covered in deep black hair. Her name is Catherine Raine Stahl, the third treasure bestowed on the blessed Stahl family. They huddle around her, touching, kissing, inhaling her sweetness. Everyone is captivated by her sounds, her toes, her pinkness. Sigh.

Her older brother Christian, who is three, storms in the room  every now and again to make sure she is still there. He already feels very protective over her, but doesn’t want to show it. He eyes me suspiciously, perhaps wondering if I might put her in my camera bag when I leave. I don’t think I could get away with that one. Her older sister, Callie, is torn between snuggling with her new sister and putting on her sparkly shoes. We girls understand that dilemma. Fortunately, she chose Catherine, or baby Cate as they call her, long enough for me to get some pictures of them together.

Here are a few photos, (okay several) of my time with this amazing family. They are near and dear to my heart.

Sister Snuggle

Princess Catherine

Mommy and Daddy Love

Thumb Sucking Time

Precious

Free Spirit

Sisters

Sweetness

Together

Psalm 126: 1-3 ~ “When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations,  ’The LORD has done great things for them.’ The LORD has done great things for us and we are filled with joy.”

Day's End Glory

Canon 5D Mark ll, 70-200 2.8L, 200 focal length, 13.0 aperture, 1/40 shutter, ISO 250

It was a wonderful but difficult day.Wonderful, because our family was together, which is becoming more and more of a rarity with them all being over the age of 18 now. The difficulty came in the nature of our activity. We went to a park that required us to go down 1,062 steps to get to the river. This was strenuous enough, as the signs warned, but we also had to climb those same 1,062 steps back up to get to our car. Needless to say, I was concerned.

Upon our descent down the stairs, a drenched hiker coming up from the bottom came around the corner, the whites of his eyes flashing like warning flags. ” Good luck” he whispered hoarsely. While I took in his words, (and his appearance) with gravity, my kids laughed him off as someone who shouldn’t be on this trail. “Neither should I”, my mind raced. Seeing my hesitation, they encouraged me. ” You got this”, they told me one by one. It was decided. I would go. I would do this.

Assessing the Journey

Halfway down, my legs started to shake, no quake. I worried they might resign their very important positions at any moment. In the distance I saw three figures blurring down the steps. Annie, Johnny and Chris ( yes, Chris) were way out ahead. Katie stayed with me, her compassionate nature kicking in. We finally made it down, my legs now in full spasm and I was grateful to rest for a bit. Scenes like the one below were worth it.

Rest Here

Then came the trek back up. We had to be out of the park by sunset. Fortunately, I had a team of encouragers cheering me on.

Favorite Faces

I will have to admit, there were many times during this seemingly eternal ascent that I felt like I was just not going to make it. I am not in the worst shape of my life, but pretty close. Not to mention it was 98 degrees today. But this time, Annie stayed with me, peppering the atmosphere with kind and encouraging words.” Don’t be so hard on yourself”, she offered. ” This is hard for everyone.” I appreciated that. Chris also waited for me at every turn to sit with me. ” This is the stuff of life” he said as he gently kissed the end of my sweaty nose. I rested in those peaceful blue eyes and lingered there until I got my breath and my willingness to continue.

You know that phrase, “take it one step at a time”? I get it now. That is how I did this today. One step at a time, with the love and help of those I cherish. I just took the next step in front of me until I reached the top. That was a great feeling.

Winning

I can easily apply this to my 365 Project, or anything else that just seems too difficult to press through. If I can just take the next step in front of me, just that one, than I am winning. Everyday, winning. One step at a time, most often with the gracious support of others and their kind words when I just want to quit.

So back to the first picture of the blog. That is the prize, the blazing glory that comes from perseverance in the face of hardship. The grace that God pours out over us as we continue to take the next step, and run the race. The gift at the end of a long and wonderful journey.

Hebrews 12:1 ~ “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”.

You got this. Come on, let’s go.

I love this little family. They are near and dear to my heart. Cynthia is a dancer on my dance team at 12 Stone Church, but more importantly a very good friend. Mike and Cynthia  are both wonderful people and parents to their boys, Michael and Hayden. I was able to be present at Hayden’s birth last year, so he will always have a special place in my heart. I remember seeing his sweet little face, fresh on this side of eternity, quickly covered in kisses by his adoring parents, grandmother, aunts and uncles. Now he is throwing a baseball and riding a pony with his big brother.

Family life is so sweet. I am so grateful to be invited into the lives of the wonderful families I get to photograph. May the Lord bless you, Kelly family, this year and every year after. Love you!

I love looking through my archives for favorite photos. Each set brings back a world of memories and experiences not only with my family, but my clients as well.

This one of the Shogren Family is very special to me. I love this family!  They are so warm and encouraging to be around. Karen mentors young women and is on the prayer team at our church, and you can always find Dan smiling and working with the parking  lot team. I always feel loved when I am around them.

I adore this picture of them  as they are being encircled with their now mostly grown children. All of them are also wonderful, each of them in their own way. This image just says “family” to me.  We need more of this! May the heritage they have created continue for generations to come.

We had a wonderful day photographing Eli and his mom and dad last Saturday. We had baby sheep to play with as well as some sweet chicks on loan to me from my friend Kelly. I think Eli thought he was at the zoo or the park. I am not sure who had more fun, but I am pretty sure it was me. Eli is the apple of his mom and dad’s eyes, as you can see from these photos. Photographing children is so much fun as they are in a world of their own, and not worried about how to smile or behave. We just let him play and the magic came through.

Enjoy the photos of sweet Eli. ~

We had so much fun shooting the Riley Family last week when the Sugar Maples were at their glorious peak in the season. Looks like fairy princesses were at their peak as well, as we stumbled upon a beautiful one with a lolliop as twilight began to settle in. What a beautiful day for a family shoot. I think they will have some wonderful memories from this season in their lives together as a family when they look at these photos.

Thanks for trusting me with your magical memories, Riley Family. Much Love!