Archive for December, 2009

when the dog bites, when the bee stings, when i am feeling sad
i simply remember my favorite things, and then i don’t feel so bad.

the sound of music was (is) one of my all time favorite movies growing up. it came on tv once a year and my brothers and sisters and i made sure we were glued in our spots. we even put on the sound of music plays for my parents. i was louisa and had to sing the part the part about flitting and floating, and the only thing worse than my gracefulness while trying to be light on my feet was my singing. it still hasn’t come around; the one thing john didn’t want jack to get from me was my singing. so far so good! however, i am now known for my dance moves. i even have a dance named after me. it’s called the shoulder dance. my family loves it! i mean i think that’s why they are always pointing at me and laughing at weddings.

anyhow, to get back on track, with 2009 coming to a close i thought it would be fun to round up a list of my favorite things of 2009. of course, john and jack (and a bunch others) would come in first, but i don’t consider them things!

1. canon 5d markii

i loved my classic 5d, but the lack of noise on the markii even at a super high iso, makes this come in at number 1.

2.  i-phone

i do wish at&t’s 3g network was better, but i love the i phone!

3. wacom pen tablet

i was super hesitant when john surprised me with this for my birthday. however, i love it and cannot edit a single picture without it now. it’s awesome!

4. hanai mori perfume

smell this perfume and you won’t wonder why it made my top 10 list. i got a small bottle for my birthday and a loved it so much that i asked for another from john for christmas.

5. alien bee 800

i finally caved this fall and decided to purchase studio lights and am so happy i did. no more struggling to find decent light inside with these dreary michigan winters!

6. chi hair straightener

this one was another gift from my husband. before this i had a cheap revlon straightener that my hair was always getting stuck in. this one heats up super fast and doesn’t smell like it is burning my hair!

7. peppermint tootsie roll pops

these are one of my favorite things about christmas. target was the only place i could find them this year, which leads me to my nest favorite thing.

8. target

i always have said that if i could only pick one place to shop for the rest of my life it would be target! i go through withdrawals from target after one week. it is also where i get archer farm’s a handful of everything trail mix. we fight over it in our house. try it, it’s awesome! do yourself a favor and get the big tub!

9. trader joe’s three buck chuck

this one probably would have came in higher if i hadn’t gotten pregnant in september. right now it is only a fond memory!

10. etsy

i love etsy. i get so many of my props from there including knit hats, tutus, newborn cocoons and wraps. i also have gotten cute shirts for jack and other stuff for my business.

11. nation ltd gym tee crew neck

if you met me more than once or twice you have probably seen me in this t-shirt. i am on my second one now. it’s my favorite!

12. keihl’s ultimate strength hand lotion

13. my crumper camera bag

i actually have two of these, one big, one small!

14. kitchenaid artisan stand mixer

i just got this one from my mother-in-law for christmas! ( awesome gift, huh! ) i love to cook and bake, so i already know we are going to have a great relationship!

15. flaming hot cheetos

is it bad that even my two year old loves these? they don’t last long in our house. i only allow myself to get them once in a while. they are very addicting and not so healthy or good for pregnancy heart burn!

i think i will end on the flaming hot cheetos note. i mean if you have flaming hot cheetos, what else do you need?!

2009 was a great year and i can’t wait to see the new things that are coming our way in 2010! see you next year!

a little snow didn’t stop us from shooting hayden’s senior pictures this week. actually, he was hoping for it and so was i. i love a wintery backdrop! plus, how different is it from what you see most of the time for senior pictures!?!

thanks hayden! i’m so glad you braved the cold with me!

merry christmas!

isn’t it the most perfect tree! maybe a little too perfect. there’s nothing like driving through a snow storm on slippery roads, with a christmas tree falling off of your car. this was us last year and my husband vowed that next year we were getting a fake tree, and so we did. we got the best, most-real looking fake tree we could find at lowes. i think my mother-in-law gasped when we told her. it’s just not christmas without a real tree dropping pine needles all over your house. this was always john’s attitude, until last year. then he switched over to my lazy family’s way of thinking. well, besides for my sister katie and her husband jeremy. they win the award for the most “imperfect” tree this year (if she takes a picture i will share with my blog readers! ;) everybody say, please katie!)

so excited to have two little ones to put beneath the tree next year for pictures!

i hope everybody is having a fantastic christmas filled with family, love, and laughter!

my mom, the unbiased grandma that she is, always insists that she has THE cutest grandchildren.  i tend to agree!

blaize just turned 1 and so we had to a birthday themed picture.

pretty big sister, gracie!

i promised a while back to share more of jackers from his two year session we did back in november.  i can’t believe how big he is getting. he amazes us every single day. he decided this morning that he now likes orange juice. he always wants a sip when he sees me drinking it (it looks so tasty), but usually he makes the sour face and says yucky (which is one of his favorite words).  well, this morning, as usual he wants a sip and i give him one and he says, “yum” which is quickly followed by, “more”. i gave him some in his sippy cup only to discover that the pulp plugs it up. i took the lid off and let him drink it with no lid and he didn’t spill a drop. see, he is getting big!

so big, as a matter of fact, that he is going to be a big brother in june! if you ask him about this he will tell you, “ball”. because he has decided he is going to play ball with the new baby. he may be a little sad to discover that playing ball will not come for a little while.  he also will probably have a bit of an adjustment to make because every time john or i hold our niece, janie, jack becomes ultra clingy and huggy. as soon as we put her down he wants nothing to do with us. he does really love babies, just as long as mom and dad are not the ones holding them!

as you can see he is still very drooly, (i”m not sure how long that is supposed to last for), but super cute, nevertheless!

this handsome two year old was all decked out in his christmas pjs. then he spotted the gingerbread cookies put out for santa!

he made his attack!

the poor cookie didn’t stand a chance!

yum! they are good!

so handsome!

thanks guys! i hope you love the sneak peak!

i love me a chubby baby! this little guy was born a month early and still weighed over 8lbs. don’t you wanna just pinch his cheeks?

this onesie was a gift and mom really wanted a picture of him wearing it. he is a little angel!

i love this family picture. you can tell how proud big sister is! little sister is maybe a little too much in love, and mom and dad are both just relaxed and going with the flow. :)

i love maternity sessions! it’s great getting to know the parents before their little one arrives and while they are so filled with anticipation and excitement. this mom-to-be has the most perfect bump and really is glowing.

my new year’s resolution is going to be to do smaller sneak peaks! i have such a hard time narrowing down what i want to show, especially when i love them all!

congratulations “s” and “t”. you are going to make wonderful parents!

another one of my newborns is now 6 months old. after their newborn session i always think they can’t possibly get any cuter, and then they do!