quick visits stink …

… but we’re always happy to get to see this family, whether it be for a week, a weekend, or just a few hours! safe trip home and love you guys!

anxiously awaiting

i had the extreme pleasure of meeting this beautiful mom-to-be for the first time at our session. she is absolutely glowing and i’m so excited for her and her family, including big-brother-to-be who unfortunately, couldn’t be there.

here’s your sneak peek and thank you, k, for a wonderful session. i can’t wait to meet the little miss or mister soon!

memorial day weekend

the weekend went by in a flash! we were so busy preparing for our open house sunday that it seems the weekend came and went. but sunday afternoon, we enjoyed a barbq in hyde park and monday was an awesome day with no computers, no cell phones … just us and the kiddies and cocktails outdoors with the neighbors later in the day. unfortunately, back to school and work today but the weather is still beautiful here!

brendan and pete put up our new flag yesterday, after a long explanation of why there were “kid’s flags next to all the statues in that park.” of course, brendan was asking about the cemetary. at first i kept things light but after many, many questions, i wanted him to know and understand more about the day and what it meant to families and our country. he got it! and he was so proud to have our new flag waving in honor of those who have fought for our country and our freedom yesterday.

this is about all i can catch of kyra lately:

and brendan is just too cool at age 5 to have his picture taken anymore *sigh*:

so it’s always so fun to photograph other people’s kids! like the lovely miss maggie:

and miss sally:

and, of course, after all the work i’ve done on the gardens preparing for the open house, i had to capture a bunch of these (but i’ll only show a couple so not to bore you!)

stay tuned … in the editing queue, i’ve got a maternity session with a beautiful mama-to-be, one of the cutest newborns ever, preschool graduation, lots of pics coming of the kids since school will be out in a couple weeks, and i’m still plugging away at my new blog which i hope to reveal in early june!

happy unofficial start of summer everyone!

happy mother’s day!

there wasn’t much surprise this morning since brendan was so excited yesterday that he gave me the lo-down in detail of what was going to happen today, including exactly what the card looked like that he picked out for me! but that was ok … i get a kick out of how much the kids enjoy doing special things on these days. i especially love all the handmade gifts. i remember coming up with new projects every year to tell mom how much i loved her when i was a kid and it excites me to no end every time i see my kids get creative!

this year, brendan’s school had a mother’s day picnic. they sang songs, baked muffins, and made lots of goodies. these kids (and teachers) really worked hard! and it didn’t go unnoticed by us moms.

most exciting for the kids i think was that the butterflies they’ve been watching hatch the last few weeks in class were ready to be set free the same day. what perfect timing!

on a personal note, mother’s day is bittersweet for me. i am so happy to have these amazing children to love, care for, and enjoy every single day. they truly are my biggest blessings. but at the same time, i know i would never be a mom without two very special women who i am forever grateful to in ways i couldn’t possibly find the words for here. the day wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging them and i wish them both every happiness.

hope you all are having a wonderful day as well!

more from logan’s session … finally!

i really can’t decide whether i like all of these better in color or black and white … all i know is that this was one of the funnest sessions i’ve done to date. i couldn’t possibly show all my favs in one post but here are some of the ones i didn’t post earlier. enjoy your special day logan! i hope to have the pleasure of photographing you again soon …

i can’t wait until my new blog is ready!

getting ready

opening day is tomorrow so this little leaguer (t-ball) will be walking in his first parade to the field where they’ll celebrate the beginning of the season. the coach dropped off his uniform tonight. we knew all the teams had professional team caps and had heard the yankees were already taken. we were relieved when we found out tonight that his cap didn’t have a red “B” on it. we also think uncle daniel will appreciate this one!

go astros!

first communion beauty peek

ok, so once again, i find myself behind on the blogging front. i try to make it a weekly priority, but as i’m taking on more sessions and still home each day with the 2 little ones, it’s often a pipe dream. i’m not going to sweat it because i know in time, it’ll happen. for now, i’m just enjoying meeting so many new people and loving every minute of sessions with beautiful models like logan who is a natural … an absolute natural!

i knew we’d be shooting outside at some point and i was thrilled when logan chose these awesome black, leather boots to wear outside the church. what a little fashionista! more on the boots later.

this is just a small peek as i’m limited in time. full entry to come so check back later!

happy easter!

we’ve enjoyed a full and fun holiday this year with egg hunts, visiting with friends and family, and eating lots of junk food. here’s a look at our day. hope yours was wonderfully blessed!

an egg-celent idea!

i was trying to figure out how we would go about coloring easter eggs today and not having color splotches on everything, how we could avoid the frustrated screams from a toddler who wants to drink the colored vinegar water, and still involve both kids. well, brendan was so anxious to color eggs that he suggested we go ahead and do it before kyra woke up from her nap. you know, my boy is smart! yeah, i had a little guilt … but i got over it.

now we’re just waiting for the easter bunny!

spring break ‘09

brendan’s off from school this week so the kids and i headed up north to visit the folks for a few days. pete took the train to meet us and we spent the last few days at the six flags great escape lodge in lake george. we went last year and brendan had a blast but kyra couldn’t walk yet. this year, she got to enjoy it as well as the rest of us!

old friends…

granny brought the kids milk and cookies one night, and tweety stopped in for a visit the other. brendan had no idea who granny was, but still enjoyed it. kyra’s scared of all the characters and hides. lol!

a typical photo of me and the kids … brendan posing and kyra trying to wriggle away.

i love all the details at the lodge … from the main common area to the rooms. this little guy is engraved in the fireplace:

there’s beautiful wood everywhere…

everyone was a little let down when we got home today. but spirits picked up when we had a surprise visit from ang who is visiting his folks for easter from florida! it wasn’t a long visit but he’ll be back in a few weeks for his niece’s first communion.

tomorrow we’ll color easter eggs … stay tuned!

Pinwheels for Prevention

It seems each year I bug you to donate time, money, or good thoughts to a different cause. This year is no different. I’m proud to be participating in the Pinwheels for Prevention movement, an effort to bring the belief in the prevention of child abuse to life in a number of ways in communities around the state. The movement is based on the belief that we must do more than simply respond to cases of abuse through prosecution and intervention—we need to provide programs and policies that focus on the child development process, engage communities and create conditions that allow parents to be the kinds of parents they want to be. These programs, such as Dutchess County Healthy Families a local non-for-profit agency include the following strategies; home visiting, parent education, mutual self-help support, mental health services and substance abuse treatment.

Pinwheels for Prevention is the grassroots signature campaign for Prevent Child Abuse America and its 43 chapters nationwide. The pinwheel has come to symbolize a person’s commitment to truly preventative measures, such as home visitation services, parent education and the overall re-prioritization of our policies, programs and resources to ensure that every child in the United States is provided with a healthy, safe and nurturing home and an involved, supportive and caring community.

Throughout April, children’s organizations from the far reaches across the United States will be planting pinwheel gardens and spreading the message of prevention. I will be helping Dutchess County Healthy Families with their campaign. They will also be using the drive as a fundraiser to financially recoup from the drastic cuts in the current and future NYS fiscal budget by selling the pinwheels.

City of Poughkeepsie Mayor John Tkazyik has agreed to kick off the campaign by presenting a proclamation and declaring April Prevent Child Abuse Month for the City of Poughkeepsie at the pinwheel garden site in front of City Hall on April 1, 2009. Pinwheels will be sold throughout the month.

How It Works:
If you’d like to help, you may purchase pinwheels through me for $1.00 a piece. You don’t actually receive the pinwheels. There is a donation form and a laminated tag with your name that will be attached to each pinwheel you purchase. The pinwheels will then be planted in the garden in front of City Hall.

Please contact me if you are interested in helping with this significant cause, or if you have any questions.

Thank you once again, everyone, for your continued support!

rebecca’s baptism

i am so honored to have been asked by rebecca’s family to be part of her special day. at times, i had to keep reminding myself i was there to perform a job as i was easily lost in the joy exuding from every single family member present in the church. rebecca isn’t likely to remember much from her special day, but with all the love and support from this amazing family, there’s no doubt she will always be feelin’ the love.

that said, this very small peek is well overdue. sorry for the wait mom and grandma … i hope you like what you see so far!

hope for spring

lots of happenings around here … brendan lost his first tooth, spring is getting ready to arrive, we’ve got an offer on the house (though nowhere to go yet), pete’s taking on lots of jobs, and i’m already booked for the next 2 months! can’t complain but we are busy, busy, busy …

i can’t get enough …

… of this face! this was one of the funnest sessions i’ve ever done. this little model has a big day coming up and mom and grandma wanted to capture some details and miss r in all her 6 month glory. here’s a little peek ladies … can’t wait for you to see the rest!

enjoy your special day, baby girl!

happy valentine’s day!

from our family to yours

sweetness

ok, so even with the sticky face, i don’t think it gets much sweeter than this! this was a mini session i did and figured i better get them up before the big day (valentine’s). here’s a short peek for mom:

and really, who could resist …

thanks for being so accomodating mom!

feels like spring

what a beautiful day today! if it weren’t for the tough transition kyra’s having with daycare (doesn’t she look happy with me???), it would have been a perfect day …

this one’s livin’ la vida loca being able to go outside with no jacket on!

spring can’t be too far behind!

naturey crap

so as i’m working on my site and new blog (coming soon), i’ve been sending bits and pieces out to friends and colleagues to get some feedback. in doing so, i’ve noticed an interest in the images i’ve created more for myself than anything else … i lovingly call it “naturey crap”.

it started as an attempt to pay closer attention to the details of the world around me (you know, a much needed stop and smell the roses kinda thing). but it’s since become an obsession … a project to capture the everyday through a completely different perspective, how i see it through my lens. it’s always been something personal and i never thought anyone else would be interested but i am considering making it a gallery on my site and the images will also be available for wall prints, notecards, and lots of other goodies. if you follow me on flickr, you’ve seen some of these already. if not, here’s a small sampling:

this one’s actually been published, but there are no rights limiting it from being used elsewhere:

thanks for checking them out! now off to my son’s birthday party.
have a great weekend everyone!