The Wright Family Pics

New website, new blog, new look

2011-01-16T21:44:00.000-08:00

It's officially up and running after a whole lot of late nights and help from my husband. Hooray! Please change your RSS feeds and bookmarks to this new site address:

leahnaomi.com

You'll be able to view my photography galleries, see my design work AND keep up with my family, all in one place. Along with this change, Pelouse Design is changing to Leah Naomi Design & Photography. My previous email address and this blog will be closing down soon, so please change any info you have to this new site.

Come on over!

Sissies and Cousins

2011-01-13T14:03:00.000-08:00

My house has been overflowing with cousins and I love it because it doesn't happen very often. Spending some time with my sisters was the cherry on top. Next time we'll have to make sure Sara can be here too!

Mila, 6 months old and red-headed. We have no idea where that came from. She and Sage are my sister Emily's daughters.

My sister Laura and her baby Isla, 4 months.

All the cousins in attendance. Isaac is a little outnumbered.

Isaac insisted on a "funny face" picture.

The two babies. Two months apart and pretty much the same size and soooo dang cute.

The sisters, minus our oldest sister Sara. Emily, Laura and me.

Time heals

2011-01-10T11:35:00.000-08:00

Most of you who follow this blog will remember the tragedy that happened that last year in August. We hadn't taken Isaac back to the Burn Unit for some time, so we went this past Saturday. They were pleased with the healing, though they said that Isaac is prone to scarring (I guess it's a hereditary thing) and that the worst of the burn is still pretty thick and hard. He will continue to wear his burn compression garment 24/7 and they are adding built-in silicone padding to put extra pressure over the worst of the scarring in hopes that it will soften. It's amazing to me to see how our bodies are able to heal themselves. This burn was about from his hip to his knee. As you can see, the top part of his thigh is almost entirely normal looking, though lighter in color.

Geoff and I continue to feel so blessed that this was the extent of the accident and that it wasn't worse than it was, though honestly, at the time it felt as though it was just about as bad as it could get. His leg was completely raw, he was in extreme pain for at least a month, during which we had to carry him around most of the time. They originally thought that it would restrict him from carrying on a normal active life in the way of running and playing, but miraculously it has not affected him in the least. We are so grateful for all the prayers that were given on his behalf and for the miracle that is our bodies.

Siblings

2011-01-03T15:09:00.001-08:00

Pretend with me that it is warm and sunny outside. That my kids and I are still tan and blond. That I didn't get the worst flu/cold over the holidays and stay in bed for a full three days. That I don't feel massive, hideous and that I wear something other than comfy pants everyday. Ahh, I feel better.

the Sherry family sealing

2010-12-29T13:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a very special day for my brother and his family. They were able to seal their family together in the Salt Lake City LDS temple. After their court finalization where Lizzie became an "official" member of the Sherry family, going to the temple together was next on the list. Geoff and I were so happy to be there and witness such a beautiful thing, and take pictures of them afterwards. It was bitterly cold, so we made it short and sweet. Good thing Lizzie Jane has some chub on her because she was perfectly content the whole time.

I'm so glad that I know families are truly forever!

the Christmas festivities

2010-12-29T07:42:00.001-08:00

Since we ended up sticking around here for Christmas this year, we hosted Christmas Eve night at our house. Tradition in the Wright family is a big smorgasbord where everyone brings their favorites and we gorge ourselves, and then we have a Christmas program which includes games, the Nativity reenactment, and time to share our feelings about our Savior. It was a perfect evening, ended by Christmas Eve jammies and then we headed over to Geoff's parents' house to spend the night.

The smorgasbord. I make homemade egg rolls every year.

Dennis (Geoff's dad), was given a BYU Snuggie. We were rolling.

All the girls in our aprons made by Geoff's 92 year old grandma.

The boys and their new toys. Isaac is out skiing with Geoff as I type this. The snow is coming down right now, so it should be a good day.

Isaac with his gift from Lucy, dart guns. He's very serious about them as you can tell.

Lucy sporting one of her new princess dresses and accessories.

A visit to see Santa

2010-12-23T14:55:00.000-08:00

This year marks our first year with no tears in quite a while. My kids are getting so old, they aren't afraid of sitting on a bearded man's lap...a milestone to be sure.

I love this picture. I'm not sure what Isaac is telling her, but they look cute. They gave Santa notes telling them to come to their grandma and grandpa's house this year and a list of two things they want for Christmas.

Santa and I comparing our "bowls full of jelly." Mine is 33 weeks full, and so is my face. Not sure about his.

There will be no dreaming of a white Christmas

2010-12-21T08:47:00.000-08:00

Because we're definitely having one! It's 9:30am and it doesn't appear that the snow will be letting up anytime soon. So happy that Geoff is home and likes to shovel because this 8 month prego lady is already having enough Braxton Hicks contractions as it is!

Our very own winter wonderland.

The monkeys.

This is the front entry to our house. You can't really see it, but the snow is piled up about 3 feet on the sides.

the Harris girls

2010-12-15T21:08:00.000-08:00

Jodee wanted pictures of her girls doing what they do best, drinking a bottle, being a superhero, dancing and playing together. I was happy to obliged and grateful that Justin Hackworth let me use his studio again so we could have them comfortable and warm. These two kept me on my toes and even rolling around on my stomach. I believe Jodee even referred to me as an "agile pregnant woman." You never know what you're going to get with a teething one year old and active three year old, but sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

Graphic Design

2010-12-13T15:28:00.000-08:00

I know most of you following this blog think I only do photography. Well, that's my fault. I actually do a whole lot of graphic design, more so than photography. I haven't posted my design projects here for some reason. That's going to change. I have some big changes coming that will be revealed after the holidays. It might involve me not having a banner that is two years outdated. My blog will still have my family and photography, but it will also include my graphic design projects as well, will be easier to navigate, have galleries, and actually be professional looking!

In the meantime, if you live in Provo, Utah you're probably familiar with this restaurant. I've been designing for them off and on for five years (anything done in Papyrus was NOT my work), and it was time for a menu redesign. Their food is delicious (do not leave without trying their sweet potato fries), they're hip and eclectic and certainly a breath of fresh air in downtown P-town.

Isaac

2010-12-13T10:02:00.000-08:00

Just when I think things are starting to get fairly normal around here, I come upstairs to go to bed and find this:

Now does this look like it would be more comfortable then sleeping in a bed?

Despite my dislike of this sport, Geoff talked me into letting Isaac do wrestling this season. He's actually quite good, so it makes watching it not quite as painful. He had a tournament on Saturday and here are a couple pictures from his last match. He's the one not wearing the singlet. I have to draw the line somewhere.

His first bloody nose.

Holding his medal.

the Haddock family

2010-12-07T20:02:00.000-08:00

I was so pleased when Kiera, my good friend and fellow photographer asked me to take some pictures of her family with their newest addition, Asher Leo. I'm not posting very many family pictures in case she's using one for a Christmas card, but here are some others from my time with them. Seeing her with her sweet newborn made me so excited. It's magical seeing brothers and sisters love a new one and to see how instantly a family is made complete by a soul that wasn't even there thirteen days ago.

Decking our Halls

2010-12-05T16:35:00.000-08:00

Geoff and I started a tradition when we got married that we would try and get an ornament and/or creche from wherever our travels took both, or just one of us. Because of Geoff's traveling for conferences, we have quite the international collection going on and it was so fun to show them all to the kids this year.

And if you're wondering, yes, my kids are rarely in normal clothes at home. Isaac is a "Scout" (thanks to his new obsession with the movie Follow Me Boys), and Lucy...need I explain.

Little girls, little girls

2010-11-29T12:02:00.001-08:00

There's lots of them in my family. I'm happy to add another one. While I'm already gushing about my nieces, here's another one who got to stay with us and her parents this weekend. My little sister Laura and her family are moving to Nevada in January and I'm sick about it. I LOVE my visits with them and I'm sad to miss some of Isla's growing up. I guess we'll be doing a whole lot of Skyping in the near future!

Family time

2010-11-28T16:05:00.000-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving, all my family members who are in Utah came over to our house. We made gingerbread houses with the kids, cooked lunch together, played with the kids and just hung out. I love my family and wish all of use were in closer proximity!

And if you haven't had the pleasure of seeing recent pictures of my niece yet, here she is. She is the chubbiest ball of happiness I've ever met, aside from her big sister at that age. Darling!

Thanksgiving Day

2010-11-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

We had just a perfect Thanksgiving day. It started out by the kids letting Geoff and I sleep in a bit which was heavenly. Then I enlisted their help peeling and cutting potatoes while I worked on the rolls. Who knew that could be such a fun family activity?

We had music on, Disney movie tunes of course since the kids love them and we play a game of "Name that movie". Lucy put on about four different outfits and I came across this lovely scene.

Then we attempted to take a family Christmas picture, which is nearly impossible for this crew. This was probably the best one, so you might see it on a card in your mailbox soon.

Me with my blackberry pie on our way out the door to Geoff's parent's house. I'd like to tell you how delicious it was, but I can't since my doctor single handedly may have ruined the rest of my pregnancy by telling me that I have to cut back on sugar. We're in a fight.

At the dinner table, holding up the placemats that Geoff and the kids drew for everyone.

I love this time of year to reflect on all that I am thankful for. There's too many blessings to count!

Happy Thanksgiving Day weekend

2010-11-24T14:34:00.000-08:00

We'll be having a casual holiday here with Geoff's parents and grandma and then partying it up with the Utah-Sherry side tomorrow. Can't wait!

I'm in charge of mashed potatoes, rolls and a berry pie for the festivities, so I'm in the process of baking right now. If you love pies, you MUST use this pie crust recipe. I make pies a lot and this is hands down the best recipe I've come across, especially since butter, baking and I have a kindred connection.

Allie

2010-11-18T18:40:00.000-08:00

Allie is thinking about giving modeling a try and needed some shots for her portfolio. I think it's safe to say she's headed in the right direction. Nearly every single shot I got of her was downright stunning. And she's 14. I'm pretty sure, actually I'm positive, that I was unclear as to whether mascara was a makeup or a type of dance when I was fourteen.

*Special thanks to my friend and amazing photographer, Justin Hackworth for letting me use his studio for the first part of our shoot.

7 months

2010-11-17T12:38:00.001-08:00

Maybe next time I wont have my 5 year old take the picture. Maybe next time I will do my hair, or makeup. And maybe next time there wont be a next time, so better this than nothing!

Peters family

2010-11-16T14:11:00.000-08:00

Burr it's getting cold out there! Thank you to the Peters family for enduring some chilly temperatures to get their family photos done. We had a short and sweet session, with some equally short and sweet little ones. Have I mentioned how much I love the photography part of my job? Well I do!

The boy who taught me how to be a mom

2010-11-13T18:00:00.000-08:00

And still is.

Katie

2010-11-08T20:09:00.000-08:00

It's hard for me to accept the fact that this girl is graduating from college. College! It seems like just yesterday she was tagging along with Amy (her older sister) and I. I'm so proud of her and excited for her upcoming graduation from BYU Idaho. This just proves the fact that ANYTIME is a good time for some pictures. Especially when you're this gorgeous.

Hands down, my new favorite shot.

No Photoshop work done here folks. Just some experimenting with my lens.

We laughed pretty much the entire time if you hadn't already guessed that from the pictures.

Trafalga

2010-11-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

On one of those beautifully warm days that seem so long ago, we took the kids and met Amy and her kids at Trafalga for a fun-filled evening.

Amy and I were near peeing our pants watching the kids on this. They were terrified, but loving it at the same time. Please look at Livi's' face.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T09:03:00.000-07:00

From our little super heros to yours. My grand plans for a full on shoot of these two in costume was reduced to a five minute one before we headed off for trunk-or-treating at our church...in the pouring rain.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-31T08:53:00.000-07:00

After a somewhat unfortunate hair cut for Isaac, I decided to finally take the kids to a pumpkin patch to choose their own pumpkins. I'd been meaning to for some time, but I'm glad I waited because the weather was just perfect, and also maybe because the pumpkins were cheaper...

Lucy and the pumpkin she chose.

Isaac and his pumpkin.

This one cracks me up. I told Isaac to try and lift it for the picture. Clearly it was a little heavy for him.

On the hay maze.

This photo makes me laugh for two reasons. #1, Geoff's smile. #2, what happened right after. Isaac is fairly sensitive to smells and such so he wanted no part removing the insides of the pumpkin. Geoff started doing it for him and then said "stick out your tongue", which Isaac did. Geoff barely touched the pumpkin insides to Isaac's tongue and Isaac started gagging for about 2 minutes. We rolled...and then said sorry.

Lucy however, had no problem getting her hands in there!

We let the kids draw the faces they wanted and then we cut them out.

The finished product.

This afternoon

2010-10-27T15:00:00.001-07:00

Isaac asked me why they were having a "Free Drug" day at school. Priceless.

the Grimmer Family

2010-10-27T11:29:00.001-07:00

Please let me introduce you to the most laid back family I've met thus far. I'll explain. We had our shoot scheduled for last Saturday. If you live here in Utah, you might remember this is the day when Fall decided to show up in full force. We talked about rescheduling, but after a break in the rain, decided to go through with the shoot. When I arrived at our predetermined location, it started to drizzle, then rain, and then POUR. They weren't phased and said "Let's go to an underpass". I'm all for that, so we headed over while I prayed the whole time that the rain would let up. They hopped out of the car with all four kids in tow, including George who still had orange hair from Crazy Hair day which they couldn't get out--love it. I was pretty sure we were going to have some extras in their family shoot as we weren't the only people trying to get out of the rain...Not only was it pouring, but it was really dark. As a photographer, these are less then ideal conditions, actually they are the worst, but we worked it out and even found an empty boxcar to jump in, making for some really cool, and dry pictures. Thank you Grimmers for being up for anything!

Vacation in Florida with my best friend

2010-10-24T20:02:00.000-07:00

I find a trip without kids to be something very necessary for me, not only to remind me why I love being a mom, but why I love my husband. Geoff had a conference in Orlando where he presented four papers, and since I didn't end up getting to accompany him to the Dominican Republic earlier this summer due to pregnancy, I jumped at the opportunity to make this my consolation vacation. And it was just that, a vacation! Nothing to clean, nothing to cook, no routines. Despite the fact that Geoff was presenting, we were able to spend the majority of our days together which was heavenly. We both finished off two books, spent a lot of time relaxing at the pool, ate delicious food, had a hugely successful trip to H&M, and enjoyed each others company. I am so lucky, nine years later, to still be madly in love with my husband. Geoff told me at some point during our time there how great it is to be married to his best friend. What a huge compliment. Our kids were well taken care of by generous family members which makes any vacation just that much more enjoyable and worry-free. We're happy to be reunited again and I'm so grateful for the much needed rejuvenation!

On our way to the pool.

Swoon.

We took an Airboat tour through a lake there and it was really fun. It was an absolutely gorgeous day!

We saw two alligators, a couple alligator babies, a water snake (which I could have done without), and a turtle.

At one point we got stuck for about fifteen minutes on some swampy grass. I was a little nervous when the captain had us all get out on the front of the boat to shift the weight after having just told us that a mamma alligator was watching us since we were right by her nest.

Here's a picture of Geoff while off the side of the boat for all you weird people who think he doesn't smile.

They guaranteed us a picture with a gator, so at the end of our tour they pulled this little baby out of a garbage bag, in a hot car, with electrical tape around it's mouth. Um, really?

We spent a day at Hollywood Studios which was really fun. There are some really amazing shows there. We also went to "Arabian Nights" one of the nights which was the worst part of our trip. Really expensive, fairly lame show and gross food. We were totally suckered.

And there's the six month belly for my sisters who keep asking. I'll have to take a more belly-focused one in the near future. I'm feeling great, getting bigger (though mostly in my face, what is with that???), and loving feeling this little lady moving around.

the Dover family

2010-10-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

This family might look familiar to you if you've been following my blog for a while. Meet the Dovers, my very best friend's family. Amy and I have been "kindred spirits" (as her grandma puts it) for almost 14 years now. I think it's safe to say that we've been through just about everything together, including a long struggle to get our third babies here. Amy and I are due three weeks from each other. We both experienced miscarriages and a year (almost two for Amy) of discouragement month after month. This only brought us closer as you might imagine and I'd like to think our little ones are up in heaven playing together already in preparation for their time together as best buddies on Earth. I love this family like my own.

Lucy and her caterpillar

2010-10-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

She may have gotten her big eyes from me, but certainly not her love of bugs.

the Colvin Family

2010-10-13T17:59:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful fall day and another equally beautifully family. I love getting to know families and watch them interact, even if it's only for a couple hours. We laughed, we chased and chased their little boy, and we ate apples. What a fun shoot!

the Petrini Family

2010-10-09T21:19:00.000-07:00

With all this rainy weather we've been having lately, I was nervous that we would have to reschedule this shoot, but thankfully it warmed up a bit and the sun came out just enough to make it a beautiful day for family pictures. Despite the fact that their darling little girl was immune to all my tricks for getting smiles, I was able to get her to actually look at the camera, which was a small victory. A beautiful family on a beautiful fall day.

Soccer and a visit

2010-10-06T14:55:00.000-07:00

Soccer and I have a special relationship. I love it and wish I could be better at it. If my doctor would let me do anything that involved some sweat, I'd be playing now. But for now, I will have to live my love through my son. Geoff is coaching his soccer team and it's been such a fun thing to watch both of them out there. Isaac is dang good if I do say so myself. Must get it from his mommy...

And this is what happens when he's off the field. Tackling his buddy Brooke, who is really, really good. I see big things in the future for this girl.

We had a wonderful visit last weekend from my sister Sara and her daughter, Alysee. The tradition in their family is to take their child to General Conference when they turn eight. On Friday, I noticed they were cutting down the alfalfa field across from our house. I grabbed the girls and got some quick shots of Alysee, all while the tractor was going back and forth, I'm sure they were wondering what the devil we were doing.

Sara and I rounded off a lovely visit by having a girl night out at the Provo Rooftop Concert of Lower Lights. I can safely say that I am OBSESSED, which is a weird thing to be of a hymn revival, but I'm telling you people, they are amazing and it was one of the funnest concerts I've been to in a while. I may also have acquired the nickname "Shimmy Girl" on that fateful night. I've still got it.

The Scott family

2010-10-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

You may recognize the cute girls in this family because I've had the opportunity to do individual sessions with each one of them over the last couple months. This time I had the pleasure of photographing the whole family up in Provo Canyon. Fall is upon us, and though I despise the cold, I can't deny that it is a really pretty time of year. I'm pretty sure this mom is stoked to have her Christmas pictures out of the way!

*Spots are limited for Holiday shoots. Please email me, leah{at}pelousedesign{dot}com to book a session.

Thumbs up for girls!

2010-09-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

The boys are soon to be outnumbered.

They clean up real nice

2010-09-28T14:27:00.000-07:00

Geoff came home from a weekend bike trip with the start of a beard going on. We both can't stand facial hair, so on Sunday he got out the shaving cream and a razor as opposed to his electric shaver. Isaac was mesmerized. I told him about how my dad would shave and my brother Seth would sit next to him on the sink with a bladeless razor and pretend to shave. Of course you know what Isaac wanted to do after that story.

Justin + Alaina — Bountiful, UT

2010-09-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

I've done three wedding total over the last couple months since I added weddings to my photography repertoire. I always come away feeling so honored to be a part of such a special day in the lives of two people and their families. When Justin and Alaina asked me to photograph them after their temple wedding in the Bountiful Utah temple, I eagerly said yes. Young love, yes please.

Yuba Lake

2010-09-26T20:43:00.001-07:00

My parents came to stay with us after visiting my sister Laura and her new baby. We had a wonderful time as always. We took a trip down to Yuba Lake with Geoff's parents to enjoy the last days of summer. It was super windy and the water was beyond freezing, but it was still warm outside so we broke out the tube for some rides.

Geoff and my dad who I might add, canned 10 jars of peaches for me while he was here.

I was laughing so hard that I'm happy that this is even in focus. My mom looked like she was about to have a heart attack every time they neared the wake.

Geoff getting some air.

She's even cute while on a tube in freezing water.

Enjoying a picnic and hot dog roast after our crazy tube rides.

I of course took advantage of my mother's extreme sewing abilities and and had her sew a cover for a cushion in my front entry way. She's amazingly talented. Maybe this will help motivate me to actually finish decorating my house?

the Bills Family

2010-09-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

Hanging out with this bunch of goofballs is a treat. One I truly miss as they lived across the street from us in our old house. We had a wonderful evening together, laughing, praying for the sun to go behind some elusive clouds, and bribing a bunch of teenagers who didn't want their picture taken. I even busted out my "Hi, my name is Chubby" act, which I generally save for the younger crowd. The Bills family are a truly wonderful and kind group who have now welcomed a third child from Liberia into their family via adoption. Instantly loved, instantly family.

Gartee, the newest member of their family.

Isla Ann Watts

2010-09-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

Introducing my newest niece, Isla. She is perfect, just like her mother.

My most favorite.

True love.

Lucy's first day

2010-09-10T11:46:00.000-07:00

She gave me a kiss and marched right up the stairs. What a big girl she is!

I refuse to let summer die

2010-09-08T20:02:00.000-07:00

Now I'm not saying I don't enjoy some of the cooler temperatures, but by cooler, I mean 75 degrees and nothing below it. I loath the winter. Give me two weeks of snow around Christmas and I'm good. Utah winters have been so ridiculously long lately that I'm mortified when it drops below 80. Can I get an amen Kristina?

So tonight we held on to summer a little longer by going as a family to a U-Pick raspberry and blackberry farm just down the road, McBride Farms. The older couple that run it are just about as darling as it gets. Lucy was calling them Grandma and Grandpa by the end of our time there. It was an absolutely perfect evening. Slightly cooler temperatures, happy children and therefore happy parents. The kids picked an entire two hours without a complaint. They were enthralled, and it was, dare I say, therapeutic for me. And the berries! Oh the berries! We'll (and by we'll I mean me) be making loads of freezer jam tomorrow, and maybe a couple pies.

Have I mentioned how much I love Mapleton? Just look at that view.

Lucy was surprisingly an excellent berry picker.

They offered Isaac a job in a couple years as they hire neighborhood kids to help with orders. I'm all over that!

A successful and delicious evening for all.

Lucy B.

2010-09-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

I had a delightful time with her little sister back in June, and just as much fun with her. It was a beautiful time of day in the orchard which was near swarming with deer and reddening apples. Her mom came armed with clothes and props galore and we all enjoyed some books and a tea party together in the grass. Can't wait to photograph their whole family in a month.

Kindergarten

2010-08-31T08:42:00.001-07:00

This morning I dropped Isaac off at his first day of Kindergarten. He was so excited. It was pretty much the cutest thing ever to see him walk in there, put his backpack away and sit at his table. Lucy will be starting preschool in a couple weeks at the same time and I must say, two hours of me time is looking pretty good these days. I'm excited for all these new changes and to see my children growing up and experiencing life.

The Couch family

2010-08-30T07:54:00.000-07:00

I love sessions that make me want to run home and grab my kids and tell them how much I love them. This was one of them. This little family is full of love and it shows.

Happy Anniversary

2010-08-25T16:06:00.001-07:00

to my husband who has been making me smile 9 years and counting!

Sherry Family Reunion 2010

2010-08-24T18:27:00.000-07:00

For our very first time ever, my entire family including all spouses and children (30 people!) got together for a week of fun in the sun. We met at Bear Lake where we spent half of the time, and finished it off in Mapleton at our house. What a blessing it is to have such wonderful family members, whom I honestly love to pieces! I hope we'll be able to make this a tradition.

The whole Sherry clan.

Proud grandparents!

Our cousin Dean flew in from Seattle to join us and we loved having him here.

Here is is with all the kids except for Sofia, Lizzie Jane and Sage.

At the lake

2010-08-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

Most all of our days were spent out on the beach and on the boat. Sadly, I have no pictures of it, but Isaac skied for his first time! We were so proud of him. Thanks to my brother Matt, I do have a picture of Geoff throwing a flip on the wakeboard.

My little sister Laura's husband Jared brought these four wheelers to the beach. The boys had a great time skimboarding/surfing behind them, and the younger boys were in heaven riding them around on the sand. This is Geoff having a great ride.

My brother Seth showing off his mad skills.

Isaac and Tyler going for a ride.

My little sister Laura and her husband. How cute is she just a week away from giving birth!

My niece Chloe enjoying a peach in the nude.

My grandparents came up for the day to bring our cousin Dean who was in town for the festivities. Lucy sure loves her Great Grandma Gina!

Lucy and Sofia.

Isaac and his cousin Alysee. They were inseparable the entire reunion.

My nephew Tommy. That child is so cute I forgave him for squeezing lip gloss all over my couch and flooding my bathroom. Which means he is very, very cute.

What do you do when the boat is out? Make Poppy (my dad) give you a ride!

This is where the kids could be found most of the time.

We played Minute to Win It one night and I nearly peed my pants while watching several family members move an Oreo from their forehead to their mouths using only facial muscles.

Sara was sure all her Tahitian dancing in college would pay off, but surprisingly, my mom won this one twice in a row!

Removing all the tissues from a box in under 30 seconds.

Reunion Part II at our house

2010-08-24T18:03:00.000-07:00

After our time at Bear Lake, everyone came back to our house to stay for the remainder of the reunion. It was a little crazy with 30+ people at our house at times, but we had such a great time laughing and playing together. The cousins all get along amazingly well for which I am so grateful for. We had a day at Seven Peaks, a trip to the Provo temple, movie night for the boys, pedicures and Red Mango night for the girls and a whole lot of delicious food.

Have you ever heard of an Eskimo Blanket? It's like a hand-held trampoline and they are so much fun! We gave all the kids, and even a couple adults a round on it. No children were harmed in this event though these pictures make it look as though they could have been.

I'm certain Red Rover is the worst game ever invented. Someone always gets hurt.

A couple of Ami (my mom) with Lucy and Thomas.

Climbing in Rock Canyon

2010-08-24T17:51:00.000-07:00

I love that we're only a 10 minute drive from superb climbing and gorgeous mountains. Utah is awesome. Geoff and I used to go climbing a fair amount together, but hadn't been in quite some time, so we were excited when Seth and Caroline suggested it. We'd never taken the kids before either and they loved it! We loved our time with my brother's family and are grateful they chose to stay a couple extra days so we could have some extended time with them.

My feeble attempts at climbing.

Geoff at a particularly difficult crack.

Caroline makes it to the top!!

I don't know whether it's due to the climbing wall we have at our house, but Isaac was on fire! He LOVED climbing and seriously was amazing to watch. He kept begging us to let him go up again.

While we were climbing, Tommy and Lucy were a few feet away getting absolutely filthy and loving it. They are so cute together.

My younger brother and his family.

Not sure why I didn't get in on this picture, but it was a lovely site to see at the end of the day.

Sisters and a little somethin' somethin'...

2010-08-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

The best part about our family reunion (millions of pictures to come), was getting to be with all my family for the first time in a VERY long time. This was our first reunion ever where all were in attendance. Getting to be with all my sisters is a rare and lovely treat. Everyone used to ask us if we were quadruplets, though there are a lot of years in between us. One thing I love about having sisters is sharing in the joys and struggles of being a mother.

Meet the girls:
Sara (oldest girl and mother of six), Laura (youngest girl and one week away from having her first baby), Emily (second oldest girl and mother of two, the youngest being 7 weeks old), and me (second youngest girl, mother of 2 and....ONE ON THE WAY!!)

I am 15 weeks along and due on Valentines Day. This baby has been a long time in the making. After a miscarriage and a D&C back in January, I must admit that with each appointment I go in expecting the worst. Through this process I've learned so much about myself, and being sensitive to others, and most importantly, about turning my will over to the Lord. We're so grateful for the miracle of life and the opportunity to be a part of it again.

Mila Naomi

2010-08-21T14:42:00.000-07:00

I might be partial because she happens to be named after me, but isn't my niece just a doll? I've had the pleasure of playing with my ENTIRE family this whole week at Bear Lake, and now my house. And meeting my newest niece for the first time? Icing on the cake. Who ever thought we'd have a red head in the family!

Fishing

2010-08-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

We took a quick trip to Geoff's grandma's house in Idaho this last weekend. We always enjoy spending time with her, and fishing of course. I've loved fishing since I was a little girl and am so happy to see my kids enjoy it as well. It started off rocky as Geoff realized that all his fishing gear was not in fact at his grandma's house, but at his parent's. We managed to fix up his grandpa's old pole and took along some plastic bags instead of our much more practical fishing bags. The place where we fish is so fun because it's not deep in most areas so you can just walk in the water with sturdy shoes. The fish seemed abnormally large this year (and that's no fish tale), and we caught our limit. I love trout!

The kids surveying the stream.

Isaac caught his first fish entirely by himself this trip. He has caught lots before with some assistance, but this time he did it all on his own. He told me later "Mom, at first I thought I wasn't going to be a good fisherman, but now I know I'm a REALLY good fisherman actually."

Isaac and I went off on our own for a while and it was so fun just spending time with him. It had been too long. He talked and talked and we even caught some fish too. I decided not to bring the camera along while we were fishing though. Lucy and Geoff had a great time too and when we met up, Lucy was soaked. She had fallen in. It was quite warm out, but she was kind of cold, so we decided to stop for lunch and look what we found, a mini hot pot!! Lucy stripped down before I even knew what was going on and hopped in. She thought she'd died and gone to heaven and stayed in there a good half hour. It was pretty dang cute.

And here's some proof that I was there.

Idaho

2010-08-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

We're back from a short and sweet trip to Idaho to see Grandma Lola and take the kids fishing. I have some more pictures to post, but this one has me rolling. I mean really. You'd think a photographer's family would have this down by now. Instead they just get extremely awkward and pull faces I never seen in day-to-day life. Wow.

the Andertons

2010-08-04T10:49:00.000-07:00

My best friend Amy's brother and family were in town a while ago and asked me to take some pictures of their growing family. I took pictures of the twins soon after they were born and I was so excited to see them again. All those kiddos you see below are miracle babies and each one couldn't be loved more. What a handsome family. I've decided that large dimples don't hurt either. Can I place an order for those the next time around?

Behind the scenes of the above photo. Sometimes you have to be creative when a baby is more interested in eating the rocks on the ground then looking up. Thank you to my lovely assistant, their aunt, for sacrificing her lovely hairdo.

This picture is so them. Laurel giggling and Mark pulling a funny face to get us all the laugh. I love it.

When daddy is away...

2010-08-01T19:42:00.000-07:00

We go to the pool. Geoff was in the Dominican Republic for two weeks with several of his students, teaching at a high school there. He managed to escape Dengue fever thank goodness, though some of the students and two of the other professors who were there before him did not. Thankfully, they are all doing better and I can't tell you how grateful I am that Geoff escaped it. It was definitely an eye opening experience for him, being in a third-world country and not in the resort part of it. It was way too long of a separation for all of us, that's for sure. We managed to survive by going to Jen's pool for several of the days. Isaac is now swimming without a life jacket and is so proud. My little sister Laura was so nice and came and saved me for the last couple of days before Geoff returned, entertaining the kids, helping around the house, and letting me have an adult conversation. We are SO happy to be back together as a family.

Isaac seems to think the 3d glasses from the theater can double as sunglasses.

Toot

2010-07-27T18:24:00.001-07:00

On my own horn that is. This 24th of July, I ran another 5k race with my sister-in-law Kim. And I beat my high school time, so rah for this 30 year old.

Thanks to Kim's husband for getting these shots. I'm pretty sure he had to have it on sports mode.

the Turner family

2010-07-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

This family drove all the way from Idaho to come see me. What an honor! They just added their newest addition two weeks prior and wanted some pictures of him while he was still ittybitty. Of course it ended up being the brightest morning known to mankind, so we had to bring it inside and get creative. While I'm defiantly not the studio type, I think we still got some great shots of the baby and family inside, all with natural lighting of course!

KGrace

2010-07-23T16:37:00.000-07:00

In November I had the pleasure of shooting one of my very best friends' new line of clothing in New York. Kamilah Cole is an incredibly talented woman who graduated from Parsons and is now releasing her Spring/Summer 2010 collection. I am beaming with pride as I've seen her set a goal and now attain it. She is truly an example of hard work and dedication.

All of KGrace's clothing is made from eco-friendly, or sustainable fabrics like modal, silk hemp, and cotton hemp blends. Kamilah describes seeing so much waste produced by the fashion industry and the drive that created in her to make a change. "By choosing to use sustainable fabrics, I hope to be able to do my little part in helping to keep the earth a little bit cleaner and to leave it for future generations."

KGrace has extended a 15% off deal to all my readers which will be good until August 8th. Use the code LAUNCH15 at checkout.

If you're interested in learning more about this line of clothing, check out the video here, and of course, go order something on the website!

The Reynolds family

2010-07-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

There's not much more beautiful then seeing two parents absolutely smitten with their baby. That was certainly the case with this shoot. I discovered a new talent we coined "the spider" which had baby and parents rolling and got some really great smiles. She was done after our first location though and no amount of spidering could get those infectious smiles again. Thankfully it's hard to tell babies are crying when they're held up in the air. Thank you Reynolds family for making the trip to see my camera and I.

I'll never look at grass the same way again

2010-07-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

Pardon me while I gush for a minute about grass and the fact that I now have it. Thanks to my husband, who could never in his life be accused of not being a hard worker, we have a lawn!! He was outside from 6am till about 11pm every night for a week digging, installing, hitting phone lines (that's another story), and just being amazing all around while he got our sprinkler system installed. He got it all done in time to put in our sod, on the hottest day of the summer no less (100 degrees people). Thanks to friends and family, they were able to do it in a day. What a rewarding effort it was and I can't tell you the grins we have on our faces when we look at our house now. I never realized before all that was involved in the creation of a lawn, nor how much it is vital to keeping the dust, dirt, and all around sanity of a mother who enjoys a clean house.

Hallelujah!!!

8:30am the work begins.

Geoff's sister was such a hard worker!

The finished product.

Lizzie Jane

2010-07-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

Meet my newest niece, Lizzie. She is the miniest doll I've ever laid eyes on. I'm so happy I was able to finally meet her and had my camera!

Fourth of July weekend and an update

2010-07-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

We started out the festivities on Saturday with a fun filled day at Geoff's sister's house: pool party, games, lots of delicious food, and fireworks. Our forefathers would have been proud.

On Monday, we ran a 5k race in Provo. It was so much fun, I don't know why I haven't done this one before! Geoff placed third in his age division and Geoff's youngest sister Kim and I, well we ran a good race. It was a great way to start the day. We then met up with the kids at the Provo parade which was a lot of fun. I decided to tote around a camera with a dead battery so these photos are courtesy of Kim.

The rest of our summer has been occupied with boating, swim lessons, t-ball and a whole lot of hard manual labor on Geoff's part getting our yard ready for grass.

Though Isaac was playing t-ball, he requested the coach pitch to him every time since that's how we do it at home. He did such a great job!

A visit to cousin Sofia's gorgeous new house.

Isaac knee boarding while Lucy tubes.

Geoff showing off a lovely rooster tail.

Me looking like I'm doing next to nothing wakeboarding. Geoff must have missed my sweet jump.

In computer related news, she's in surgery, hopefully back home on Wednesday. It's been rough to say the least. Thank goodness I back everything up!

M.I.A

2010-07-01T09:25:00.001-07:00

Things have been crazy over here, hence the lack of blogging:

1. My computer is on the fritz which is a HUGE problem that will hopefully be remedied soon.
2. I was a single mother all week while Geoff was off in Toronto presenting three papers. We missed him!
3. I became and auntie again not once, but TWICE this last week. Welcome to the world Lizzie Jane, and Mila Naomi.
4. I have some major design projects that I'm working on. Please refer to #1 to ascertain my stress level.
5. And last, but certainly not least, we have family in town!

I'll be back soon, have no fear.

Cary Family

2010-06-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

I'm so lucky to get to take pictures of this incredibly handsome family yet again. I love repeat clients! This time was even more special because I got to meet their miracle baby, Jane. Jane contracted bacterial meningitis just days after her birth. Months later, multiple surgeries later, just look at this beautiful baby girl and the joy she brings her family. I am daily amazed with the miracles I've been blessed to witness.

Laurie and Ryan - American Fork, UT

2010-06-21T13:11:00.001-07:00

I'm officially photographing weddings now, woohoo! It was so fun to be a part of Laurie and Ryan's special day and see the love between them and the merging of two families.

Please contact me for pricing if you are interested in having me photograph your wedding.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

...to my own father who taught me through his actions how important it would be to choose a husband that would be a good daddy to our kids. And to my husband who makes that dream a reality with our children every single day.

1002nd post

2010-06-17T12:39:00.000-07:00

Today I rekindled my love for my 50mm. I also noticed that I've been blogging since June 7th of 2005. I may quite possibly be one of the OBs. Original Blogger that is.

Sometimes being a girl sucks

2010-06-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

Like when you really have to pee while outside and you realize that you can't do it like your best friend or your big brother.

John

2010-06-10T16:49:00.000-07:00

Camping

2010-06-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

We decided last minute to go with the Dovers up to Payson Lake for some camping. We've never gone with both of the kids, though Isaac and Geoff have gone many times. After packing up most of our house it seemed, we got there and set up camp and made a delicious dutch oven dinner, followed by Reese's Smores (this may have been one of the driving factors in me going). We then tried our hand at fishing, which wasn't successful, but the views were well worth it. The kids finally fell asleep at about 10:30pm which began the night I have since tried to erase from my memory. It involved Lucy waking up telling me she had to pee, then refusing to go. Then me tossing and turning because I was freezing and sure that Lucy was going to pee in her sleeping bag, followed by Lucy telling me she was cold and ending up in my mummy bag with me. As far as I'm concerned, mummy bags were made for half of a person as it is. I spent the remainder of the night on my side which fell asleep (the only part of me that actually did) and with Lucy's face about 2cm from mine.

The next day was beautiful though, and really hot. Amy's "omlettes in a bag" helped erase some of my ill feelings of the night. We played the rest of the day at the lake fishing, eating lunch and exploring. We returned home exhausted, filthy and happy. Now if I could only find a way to not dread the nights and the putting away of everything on the return home, I'd be a real camping lover.

Livi's feet in the morning. So gross.

Hum, perhaps not real camping, but it worked while we were cleaning up breakfast.

Lucy and Ethan are like an old couple already. Lucy would say, "Ethan, can you throw my line out?" Ethan would set down his rod, throw hers out for her and then pick his back up. It was really cute.

Livi and Lucy trying their hand at fishing the first night. They were not informed that they were not actually fishing with a hook.

Ethan's cast was a thing of beauty. They've definitely got a fisherman on their hands.

All the kids.

Amy took some pictures of us all together, but I'm guessing since she just blogged about Spring Break '09, that I won't be getting them for a couple years.

the Party

2010-06-06T19:32:00.001-07:00

This year was our family party year. Truth be told, I don't throw the best party anyways, but on the non-friends year, at least I don't feel quite as much pressure. I do like making a fancy cupcake though, and that got ruined. I forgot that we actually have air conditioning in our new home and it was hotter than Hades and melted the frosting, upsetting the perfect swirls that were there originally. I will say that my Martha Stewart macaroni and cheese was a hit (and how could it not be with that much delicious cheese), and my knock-off version of Cafe Fresh's quesadillas were dang scrumptious as well. Lucy was in heaven running around with all six of her girl cousins, grandparents and aunts and uncles. We love living by family!

Lucy started out the day with the breakfast of her choice: Lucky Charms and powdered doughnuts. Sick, but live it up girl.

Followed by lunch at home and a special treat to the Sno-Shack. Am I a rad mom or what?

A shot of some of those in attendance. She had lots of helpers opening her presents!

Isaac picked out this for Lucy. He definitely knows her well. Oh Ariel! (please note this is outfit change #4 in a 10 minute span)

Sporting some new sunglasses.

Blowing her melted cupcake. Thankfully melted cream cheese, sugar and butter still tastes fantastic.

Happy Birthday

2010-06-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

Three years ago today, to the minute, Lucy came into our lives. It's safe to say we've been smitten since day one. She's a beautiful girl, inside and out who makes us laugh daily. She's the dirtiest eater we know, the girliest girl, and the sweetest sister. She loves everything pink, changing her clothes at least five times a day, driving me crazy, taking naps with her arms wrapped around mine, fruit snacks, pizza, and her friends.

Happy Birthday baby girl, we love you more than words can say!

Memorial Day

2010-06-02T15:01:00.001-07:00

This was the best Monday I've had in a very long time. Geoff's brother Steve and his wife Megan came down to hang out for the day. Kim and husband Nick also joined us for a boat ride out on Utah Lake. It wasn't super sunny, but it was nice and warm, though the water was not. That didn't stop the kids or the boys though!

We ended the day with a good old fashioned brat roast, corn on the cob, and fruit. Summer is finally here!

I'm officially converted to smores with Reese's Peanut butter cups. I will NEVER return to the basic ones. They are so delicious, they are pretty much all I think about.

Good Golly Miss Molly

2010-06-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

Molly just turned one and her mommy is smart and booked a separate session for her, in addition to big sister's and a family shoot. She wanted to make sure we got lots of shots of each of the girls and they weren't too overwhelmed on the day of the family shoot.

Molly is afraid of the grass. DEATHLY afraid! We found that singing her song, "Good Golly Miss Molly" got her to stand for a couple minutes before she realized where she was. Thankfully they brought some chairs along just in case. She was a doll. Just look at those eyes and pouty lips!

the Fitch family

2010-06-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

We've been trying to meet up for quite some time now so I was thrilled when the Fitch's booked a Candyman mini session. Though the weather gave us a run for our money and caused some rescheduling, we were able to raise $950 for the Ashby family. Thank you so much to each family who participated.

The Fitch family booked this session specifically to get a family photo to include in their adoption papers. Even from our short half hour together, I could tell they are great parents and will be to another baby hopefully soon.

the Barnes family

2010-06-01T20:28:00.000-07:00

Three cute girls, each with darling names. Thank you so much for participating!

Miles

2010-05-27T11:59:00.000-07:00

I can't even get over this little guy. He's a doll, in a very manly way. Kristina was over for a play date and we thought we'd get a couple of their newest addition. Turns out they make boys just as well as they do girls. Congratulations!

Hot date

2010-05-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

Geoff's brother does the advertising for the E Center in SLC, which means sometimes we get free tickets to the events there. This Friday we went and saw Alegria, a Cirque de Soleil performance. It was amazing! We sat on the floor, 3 rows back so it was especially incredible. I love hot dates with my husband!

Taken with our iPhone since cameras weren't allowed inside. Bummer.

Things we like to do when the weather cooperates

2010-05-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

Feed the horses with our friends. Princess dresses are optional, but always appreciated.

Go out on the boat with Grandma and Grandpa. This was the maiden voyage of their new boat, the Maple Star, named after the Wright family's Canadian and USA ties.

Go on walks after church up to Whiting Campgrounds wearing sweet outfit combinations.

Sandbox and climbing wall

2010-05-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

If you know anything about my husband, you know that he loves his kids more than anything. You'll also know that part of that is because he's a total kid at heart. When we moved here, the big draw was the land. We both grew up with a lot of land and really wanted out children to have that. With the nicer weather we've been having, the kids have been enjoying all the fun things their daddy has put up in the back yard. He put in a climbing wall, built a sandbox, a trampoline in the ground, a BMX track (yes, you read that right) and soon a zipline and swingset made out of telephone poles. We're so lucky to have a resourceful handiman like Geoff!

Thanks to my dad who was in town for the help with the trampoline and climbing wall installation.

Livi suggested for this picture that they all sit next to who they were going to marry...

Melting

2010-05-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I look at this little girl and just can't believe that we helped create her. She's perfection to me. Lest you think that I don't love my son as much, rest assured that he's also perfection to me in boy form, but I'm trying to not push the camera on him lately since he doesn't love it as much as the little lady below.

Tortured Artists

2010-05-16T21:25:00.001-07:00

I'd love to post more pictures of things that have been going on around these parts, but I'm scared that you'll forget about signing up for the Candyman Sessions. We're almost full, but not quite yet, so sign up today!

That being said, here's some more pictures of my kids, because well, they're cute. Despite Lucy's expression, she was having a fabulous time as is evident by all the paint on her arms, and not on the frame she was suppose to be painting.

2010-05-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

When my son Isaac was burned badly last year, a neighborhood friend paid special attention to him. This friend would come over and check in on Isaac regularly. He'd stop by just to say "hi." And, most notably to my children, each time he would come he had loads and loads of candy. Isaac started calling him the Candyman.

Just weeks ago, Kerry Ashby, "The Candyman," went ATVing with two of his three sons—one son was a week from leaving for the Army, the other son was a week from leaving to serve a full time mission for the LDS church, and his third son was already gone from home serving an LDS mission. While on this trip, Kerry's ATV rolled off of a cliff, leaving him paralyzed from his chest down. After four hours of waiting with his sons, he was life-flighted to a hospital in Colorado. He is now at the University of Utah Hospital recovering and will soon be starting physical therapy. Kerry is a husband and father of one daughter and three sons. Because he built cabinetry for a living before the accident, his times are and will be hard for them. His family is in desperate need of financial help to pay for medical bills, to fund renovation costs to make his home wheelchair accessible, and to assist with basic living expenses.

I will be joining forces with the lovely and talented Kiera Haddock for a day of mini sessions to help raise money for the Ashby family. 100% of the proceeds from these sessions will be donated to the Ashby family.

Details:
30min session
1 10 session available, please email me to secure your spot: leah{at}pelousedesign{dot}com
Children, couples, individuals, or families of 6 or less
5-10 high resolution images on cd

When: Saturday, May 29th ~~Saturday, May 22nd~~ changed due to impending rain | 5pm-7pm, 30min sessions
Where: The orchards at the top of Center Street in Provo (next to Seven Peaks Ice Arena)
Session fee: $100

If you'd like to contribute something and can't do a session, please still go here and donate what you can.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

Having my own mother here over the past week has been wonderful and only makes this day more meaningful to me. I'm happy to say that my mom has become more than just someone who raised me, she is my friend. She is selfless, so talented, funny, and beautiful. She'd literally give you the shirt off her back if you needed it (and I know that from experience when I got a bloody nose on the way to Haley's wedding!). I love her with all my heart and hope my children will look up to me the way I do to her.

Teaching my 2 year old how to use a knife like any good grandma should.

She did spend a lot of time with Isaac too, I just didn't get many pictures of it. Here she is walking to Isaac's tree fort with both of the kids wearing capes she has made them.

Classic Lucy face

2010-05-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

Erica's Senior Pictures

2010-05-04T22:07:00.001-07:00

Meet this beautiful, soon to be high school graduate, Erica. Her and her mom are my new Mapleton friends. I can already tell were going to be friends for a long time. Erica is spunky, smart as can be (can you say scholarship to BYU!), gorgeous and talented. Oh, and did I mention and she doesn't take a bad picture?

Thank you blue dumpster for being on the premises.

Whose face looks this pretty when they are jumping? Certainly not mine.

Happy Birthday to me

2010-05-04T09:54:00.001-07:00

This year was the big one...my entry into a third decade (and no I will not write the number). I'm still in shock, but I can't deny that I'm pleased with what I've accomplished, done and seen over my life thus far. It was a wonderful day, spent with my sister Sara, my mom, Geoff and the kids. The day started with a my favorite breakfast - Geoff's homemade blueberry muffins and a smoothy. Then, my sister pampered me with a facial. After that I had a bday lunch at Slab with Geoff and kids. Geoff then watched the kids while I did some shopping sans kids. The evening was spent having dinner with Geoff at my favorite restaurant: Bombay House, finished off with a pie celebration with Geoff's family at our place. I'm so lucky to live close to lots of family, and to have had my sister and mom in town, and to have a wonderful husband and kids to celebrate this milestone with. Thank you for all your well wishes. Here's to another wonderful three decades!

Three pies for each 10 years.

My big surprise from Geoff was this desk. I'd been lovingly coveting it on KSL for sometime now and he drove up to Ogden, did some finagling and bought it for my furniture-less office. Isn't it awesome! He's so thoughtful.

the soon to be Critchfields

2010-04-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love seeing others in love? I do. We had a lovely time traipsing through daffodil fields, bathrooms, and orchards. I'm so excited for these two and their upcoming June wedding. It will be just perfect.

We caught the daffodils just in time, they're already on their way out!

Daffodil Hill

2010-04-23T07:44:00.001-07:00

I meant to post this yesterday in honor of Earth Day, which is near and dear to my heart being an Oregonian and all. At this time of year especially, I feel so incredibly blessed to live here on this amazing Earth and be surrounded by all the beauties that God has created.

And then our children were teenagers...Seriously, this picture almost makes me cry every time I see it. There's something about the way that Isaac looks here that fast forwards me into the future, and I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet.

Welcome to my backyard

2010-04-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

Well the pretty part that is beyond the bare dirt. I can't tell you how excited I am to get in some grass to cover the dirt. My kids are FILTHY 24/7, which is fun for a minute, until I end up vacuuming twice a day and putting my kids in the tub multiple times (see next post). So over it. This green plant is alfalfa and I'm in love with it. I try to look at it only, and not the dirt. It's the most beautiful, vibrant green!

On this night, Geoff managed to teach Isaac how to fly a kite without wind. It involved a whole lot of running, but he got it up and flying.

A Dover/Wright tub experience

2010-04-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

I know you're thinking at this point, "Get over your tub lady", but let me share with you a little secret. The tub is a great place to get pictures of your kids. They're happy, they're clean, and most importantly, they are contained. So, after a day playing outside in the dirt, it was into the bathtub for a rinse. I can't really even talk about the rim of dirt that emerged when I drained the water. So sick.

I got sunscreen in Ethan's eye by an accident and he made me pay dearly by refusing to sit down in the tub, or stop crying for a picture. Apparently he is immune to my secret tub trick.

Twinner swimsuits.

Livi is the perfect friend for my kids. She loves to play swords and get dirty with Isaac, and then go play Princesses with Lucy. I love that little girl!

The rest of our trip to California

2010-04-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

Isaac on Newport Pier after going swimming.

Visiting with the Wilson's and their cute kids in Aliso Viejo. Right after this picture, Lucy and Kate jumped in with their clothes on.

This picture cracks me up because you can just tell from Isaac's posture how ticked he was that he had to put his arm around a girl!

While Geoff was registering for the conference in San Diego (the real reason we went to CA), I drove around trying to find something fun for the kids to do for a while. Someone told us there was a "park" just around the corner. It was actually a spot dedicated to cancer survivors, which was cool, but it didn't have single recreational item for a child except this box. Isaac told me after, that it was the worst park he'd ever been to.

The next day, again while Geoff was at the conference, I found this AWESOME park (trying to remedy my poor park choose skills from the day before). It was huge and had tons of stuff to do. The weather perked up that day which made it even more fun. My brother Seth, Caroline and their boy Thomas, drove from Yuma and met up with us here which reconfirmed to me how much we love and miss them incredibly! (and how cool they are for driving out to see us!)

Sadly, the only picture of my brother from the trip is of a) his back side, and b) him impaling my son with the toy he choose from Disneyland.

Lucy on Mission Beach looking darling as usual. She found lots of "Ariel shells" which she strategically placed on herself. I neglected to get a picture of that, but believe me, it was funny.

Isaac showing off his mad skills.

Nothing better than a cousin piggy back ride. We love Tommy!

And one of my very favorite pictures from the trip. How cute are these kids! Caroline and I took the kids around Old Town San Diego while the boys were off working again.

All in all, it was a great trip, made even better by seeing friends and family, and of course, seeing the kids enjoy all the new sites and beauties that California provides. Geoff and I were very close to considering someday moving back...that is until we hit traffic. Yep, Mapleton it is for us!

This morning

2010-04-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

For some reason, things were very productive around our house this morning. The house was cleaned, laundry folded, a buzz cut for Isaac, and baths for all. Love mornings like that.

Before and After

2010-04-08T22:02:00.000-07:00

Because I've had so many people interested in what I did to the Luxury Cart photos (see post below), I thought I'd post a Before and After so you can see exactly what I did. These were shot with my wide angle lens.

Did you know I take pictures of cars?

2010-04-07T18:51:00.000-07:00

Neither did I, until yesterday. I have to say, despite the fact that these were taken in the field across from my house which was covered in snow an hour earlier, no artificial lighting, and absolutely no experience in photographing cars, I'm pretty dang proud of myself for how these turned out. It was fun to bust out the Photoshop witchcraft again. And how cute are these mini versions of the Rolls Royce and Bentley!

Disneyland

2010-04-05T20:23:00.001-07:00

I hear Disneyland is the "Happiest Place on Earth." I think this applies to all months BUT March, when everyone and their dog is out for spring break. Despite the horrid lines, we did have a great time and the kids really, really loved it.

I didn't realize until I went through these pictures that my hairdo for the day oddly resembled Cinderella's. So embarrassing.

Isaac waiting patiently in line.

Lucy and I separated from the boys for a bit so they could go on the "Big Boy rides", which explains why I have a more pictures of her than him. It could also be because she looked so dang cute. At least I thought so until a lady said "Oh, she dressed her self, that's so cute." Also embarrassing.

One of my favorite memories from Disneyland was on this carousel ride. Geoff took the strap that is suppose to go around your child's waist and taught Isaac to hit the horse's bum with it. A lady over the loud speaker said "Please do not spank your horse with the lap belt sir." Classic.

Her face pretty much the entire time.

That is until we waited in line for an entire hour to see the princesses and she froze up. Thankfully, she made an exception for her favorite princess and let Ariel hold her hand.

I had high hopes of getting all of us in this shot, but I nearly lost my camera over the side after this one, so I put it away. How classic is Lucy's face...and Geoff's for that matter. She LOVED this ride, despite how her face looks on this first turn of the Toon Town rollercoaster.

Planning our next visits. Isaac was fearless and loved every single ride, even Space Mountain which I nearly puked on. He informed me after Thunder Mountain that I made him pee his pants a little because I was screaming so much.

Nothing like a crappy family photo to remind myself that no, it's not just the camera. This is zoomed in a TON and sharpened a bunch to make it somewhat presentable.

Lucy was hamming it up for the crowd before the Parade.

Giving Stitch a high-five.

Home again, home again

2010-04-03T19:43:00.000-07:00

We're back from a fantastic trip to California. Here's one of my very favorite captures from the trip. Our kids were in HEAVEN!! And so were Geoff and I seeing them like that. Just don't ask me to sit in a car again for a very long time.

Senior Pictures

2010-03-27T20:35:00.001-07:00

This girl is my very favorite I must admit. She's been our babysitter for forever, our neighbor, and my dear friend for six years now. I was so excited when she asked me to take some senior pictures for her! Watch out Snow College, this one is beautiful inside AND out.

Do you have a child graduating? Email me to schedule a session.

California here we come!

2010-03-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

We are going to California and Disneyland soon. The kids couldn't be more excited. We've been showing them YouTube videos of the rides and things to do around Disneyland for a month now and they've been collecting marbles by doing things to help around the house to earn some play money at Disneyland (best idea EVER by the way). My first time to Disneyland I was a child of 22...my kids are spoiled. Any suggestions of things to do with the kids in the Anaheim-San Diego area?

This little girl is SOOO excited to see the princesses, although she has informed me that she is too shy to hug them. This ought to be interesting.