I had the AMAZING privilege back in October to spend a few days with some incredible people.  All of them peers in this photography industry all of them absolutely wonderful people.  I don’t just say that.  For a group of photographers to come together and “hang out” and when I say “hang out” I mean…learn, teach, share, laugh, absorb and “hang out” too, that isn’t all that common.  Don’t get me wrong not that it doesn’t happen, but to come together with the intent to share what we have learned…”secrets” so to speak…places we have shot…and have no fear, but only excitement about doing just that…seriously AMAZING!!  Anyway…I mostly absorbed all that I could learn from each of these wonderful people and surprisingly for most of you that know me personally, didn’t talk all that much.  There was too much to take in!!  Anyway, we spent some time taking pictures too!!  This all so sweet couple put on their wedding attire and let us put them here there and everywhere!!  I wanted to share some of the images with you…I just first had to dust them off and edit them…it only took five months!!

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Thanks to all the other photographers and to those who put everything together!!  AMAZING!!  I learned so much!!

Blessings!

Janelle

Do you remember this little guy?  This is the fourth time I have photographed him & his family…the first time while he was still cozy in his Mama’s belly!  I can hardly believe that he is already one years old and on the move.  I met Holden and his parents up at the park not far from my house to get some shots of him in this “don’t want to miss a moment” stage!!  He is definitely on the move any way he can get there and he is giving Mom and Dad a run for their money!  Can you even resist those sweet eyes??  He has an easy out when he gets in trouble, just flash those babies with that too cute grin of his!!  Thank you so much K Family for spending some of your afternoon with me…it was so great to see you!!  Here is a few of your little man!!!

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Hugs, K Family!!

Blessings!

Janelle

Sharyn Melting: Thanks so much for sharing the pics of Holden's first Birthday! I just got off the phone with his grandma and she told me all about his fun Birthday Party at the park! Then I come to turn off my computer and find these cute pics!! He is a honey and can't wait to see him again when we come next Sunday....so sorry about the mix up in dates, but we will be there next Sunday and hope to see everyone again! Love, A. Sharyn

Lynn: Heidi, Your family is so beautiful! Yes, it only gets better and better each day. Love Lynn

I hope you don’t mind, but today my post is very personal.  One thing that I love about this blog is that it gives me a vehicle to share.  Share my photography with you, but also my life.

Today is a day that is forever imprinted on my heart, on the heart of my whole family, especially my oldest brother and his wife.  You see, today is one year that they delivered their little girl who’s life had already been taken up to heaven.  My heart grieved a loss that was only partially mine, my niece.  Sometimes God just doesn’t make sense, but without God where would we ever find hope?  Are there questions…yes, many.  Here is what I know to be true, God is always good.  He never changes.  He is always faithful.  There is no gray here…you either believe those things or you don’t.  Yet, if God is good, how could He allow the pain of such a tragic loss…well, I don’t think I know the answer, but I only have one puzzle piece and God has all of them.  We live in a fallen world and it is full of sadness and pain, of anger and hate…but through Jesus we have joy…we have hope…we have faith… and we have His undeserving grace

So, today this is a story of my older brother, Jason and his wife, Melinda’s children…a story of joy, hope, faith & grace.  God does restore hope and brings back joy…through our faith in Him and His beautiful grace

Meet Ava Joy…she is my oldest niece (actually her Mommy & Daddy have produced all my beautiful nieces).  Her middle name fits her perfectly…she is full of joy and full of life.  She has a smile that lights up a room and the bluest of eyes that dance when she is excited.  She is a wonderful mix of both of her parents in personality and in her looks.  She is a joy

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For those of you that walked with Jason and Melinda, really our entire family, through the devastating news about their unborn child last year, you never got to meet her.  As a family we were all their to see her, to hold her, to sway her back and forth…to say “we love you”…to know this little baby was already in the presence of Jesus.  With permission, I would like you to meet her as well…Sweet Mya Hope…quite fitting a name because she does give us hope for what it to come…we will one day see her again.

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We never know God’s plan for our lives.  Neither did they…God allowed a very real, tragic loss in my brother and sister-in-law’s lives.  One that shook them to their core and allowed them to question things they never questioned before…for one their future…What would God have for them, for their family?  Could they ever endure to “try” to have another child?  Actually, they weren’t really in a place to even ask that question, when God answered it before it was spoken.  He said…no you won’t “try” to have another child.  I have a plan for your family.  So, He made the decision for them and despite the shock of His plan initially, it was even more evident that it was His plan.  And wouldn’t you know that God blessed them beyond they could ever imagine…TWINS.  I still remember Melinda telling us, “they saw TWO” after her first appointment and she was still shaking after the 30 minute car ride…so many emotions.  Yet, God is good…He is faithful.  Exactly 11 months after they delivered Mya Hope, they were given two amazing gifts…not to put Mya in the shadows she will always be a part of their family and all our lives, but to only more clearly give us a glimpse of what hope is…

So, here are the two newest members of their family…Christa Faith and Jada Grace

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This is Christa Faith

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This is Jada Grace…

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So, today is a day that has some sadness, but mostly hope…a renewed hope of God’s plan and His gift of joy.  We don’t know His plan, but He does.

Thank you for letting me share from the heart today.

Blessings,

Janelle

Jason: Thank you sis. Love you!

Gina Weeks: Janelle - I am speechless. . . and so very blessed to be able to read this post about your nieces and this special tribute to Mya and her footprints that have left their imprint on our lives. . . . I never had the chance to meet her, but in loving your family I also love her and remember her today. Praising God anew that He has made everything beautiful in his time. It is no accident that the twins were born exactly one month ago - May HE be praised for his precious gifts. They are the result of so many prayers of so many people. Precious Ava - I also thank God for your sweet spirit and lovely personality! Celebrating the love of God today with your family. Blessings upon you today - and always.

Sandy Struss: Thanks for sharing the journey of your family. Thanks for including us in the journey. Love you all!!

Erin McFarland: So I cried. This is really beautiful. J&M... I think Janelle said it perfectly... we've seen God's joy, hope, grace and faith through your children! Love all you guys! E xoxo

Laura Wright: Just beautiful...I am speechless.

Laura: Janelle, you said it perfectly - we only have one piece of the puzzle. We can't begin to understand the complete workings of the Lord. Trusting in His plan isn't always easy... but knowing He is in control and has such great plans for each of us gives me hope. Thank you for sharing these touching pictures and J&M's story.

Genea: Amazing and heartfelt! You have said it- God is faithful and is very good. Thank you for sharing such a personal family experience with us. Love all of you. G

Marcia Caswell: Thank you for allowing us to share in your joy, hope, grace and faith. Words cannot express how thankful I am that God has allowed me to know you and your precious family. Much love to all of you.

Jacque Mosher: What a beautiful message Janelle and what beautiful nieces!

Jacque Mosher: What a beautiful message Janelle and such beautiful nieces!

Kevin Stull: Janelle ... thanks for sharing .. this is a lovely tribute (to Mya and the goodness of God). Jason and Melinda .. thanks for your steadfast witness ... though you were hard pressed on every side, you were not crushed. Though perplexed you did not dispair for you have placed your hope in the rock of Jesus and His love never fails. Blessings upon you all.

Paula & Gary: Janelle, what a lovely tribute. Thank you for sharing such personal, sad, and precious family memories. We love the entire Lehman family. Paula and Gary

Doni: Today I was sitting with Daniel at Chic Fil A and I asked about Jason and he told me today was Mya's birthday. Never forgotten...

becca: Thanks for allowing us to share in these heartfelt celebrations. We will never know why things happens this side of Heaven, but your family has persevered through it with His strength. It's a blessing to call M&J friends!

Al Kurz: Thank you Janelle for sharing the beautiful story of a beautiful young family. May the Lord richly bless these special girls,

Wanda Wentz: What a beautiful way to tell this story. The whole blog, text and pictures, needs to be published in a memory book for the girls to read when they get older so they can see the depth and scope of their parents' loss, hope, joy, grace and faith, and to see and understand their own stories. I know Melinda,Jason and Ava through my son and his wife, and have marveled at the grace with which they handled Mya's loss - it was the grace of God. Love to all of you.

Sveta & John Fox: Thank you Janelle for sharing this very personal story in a very beautiful way. I cried too. May Lord bless this family. Love to all of you.

Rich Maris (Melinda's cousin): Matthew 10:27 - "What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight...." God surely spoke in the darkness of sweet Mya's death so that Jason and Melinda could proclaim their Faith and God's Grace. Oswald Chambers wrote, "If our hopes are being disappointed just now, it means that they are being purified. There is nothing noble the human mind has ever hoped for or dreamed of that will not be fulfilled." I can't imagine a more vibrant picture to illustrate this statement than what is expressed in the beautiful story and lives of this dear family.

Amanda: I've been waiting for your post on the twins. I knew you would do a great job on capturing them in your images. What I wasn't prepared for was the touching story that was to come with this post. God really spoke to many of us through your words. I know I cried and I can only imagine that many more did too. This story could not have been written any better. Thank you for reminding us that God is good, He's in control, He always has a plan and that He loves us. Jason, Melinda and Ava congratulations on the beautiful additions to your family and thank you for allowing Janelle to share your story with all of us.

This sweet little face, Emery, has the most wonderful Mommy.  She is one of my dearest friends and I treasure her like a precious jewel.  That is not an understatement…she is one of God’s many blessings in friendships to me.  She meets me right where I am, tells it to me straight, but full of grace and compassion.  She encourages me and she loves me just for being me.  Can you tell why she is like a precious jewel to me?  I love you, K!

Well Miss Emery joins five beautiful sisters.  That’s right this family has been blessed with now SIX precious girls.  They are all unique in their own special way and of course beautiful inside and out!!  Once Emery is a little bigger I am sure there will be some photos to post of all these girls!!  But for now…let’s welcome just Emery.

She is just the cutest little peanut, although now she is almost two months old already (yes, still catching up on my blog…and yes I still have more to catch up on!)!  I got to get a few pictures of her while hanging out with her Mommy for a couple of hours…best of both worlds if you ask me!!  :)

Also, tomorrow I will be blogging something very close to my heart, so I hope that you will pop on over again tomorrow!!  :)

So, here are a few favorite pictures of Miss Emery…

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Love all of you guys!!!

Blessings!

Janelle

Erin McFarland: These are beautiful as always! I love her name too! Such a blessing to have true blue friends! :)

I have said it before, but this part of town is so fun!  I really hope that it continues to get business and stay afloat!  In the fall it just has beautiful green grass and fun color all around!  This beautiful family met me down there back before Christmas for their family photos.  We walked around and took pictures here and there.  How exciting too that M is pregnant with #2.  I have to share a super cute story too.  They had gone in for their mid point ultra sound the week that we took photos and they asked their tech to “peek” and see the gender of the baby, but to not tell.  She put it in an envelope for them and took it to their baker.  They asked the baker to make a cake with pink and blue flowers on the outside, but on the inside whatever the gender of the baby to make the cake (either blue or pink).  So, we took pictures the week of Thanksgiving and they were going to do the big reveal on Thanksgiving!!  Well, I just recently found out that they cut into the cake together to find PINK inside!!  So, excited for your family!!  Mr. J is going to be a wonderful big brother to his baby sister who is coming next month!!  :)  So, here are some images from our time together that I loved…

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Thank you, again F Family!!  I can’t wait to hear about your precious new bundle of joy!!

Blessings,

Janelle

It Ain’t Easy…

March 5, 2010

Have you figured out that life isn’t easy??  Sure sometimes the road seems smoother with less bumps and other times you need a serious off-road vehicle to navigate.  I am always reminded whether the road smooth or very bumpy that I am not in control.  I have no way of seeing beyond this moment to know what my road may look like ahead.  Sometimes that is a blessing and sometimes a curse.  However, I have a God who knows my road…every bump, every crack, every curve…whew, to me that is a huge load off my shoulders and a reminder that I can only live one moment at a time.  I hope that you have not been overwhelmed this week with life…with worry…with stress…I pray that you too can live each moment to it’s fullest and sit strapped into the passenger seat securely knowing that God is in control and that He is driving.

So, I have to share an epiphany!!  Like I said, life just isn’t easy sometimes.  As a mom of three little ones, one being in kindergarten, our mornings can sometimes get a little hectic.  Let me first say that if there had not been the invention of coffee I probably wouldn’t even be awake at noon.  I am not a morning person.  Ask my parents…they yanked me gently awoke me each morning over and over again until I quite literately rolled out bed.  I spent most of my high school years in my pajamas, ask my husband I didn’t even bother to get dressed for school!  Sometimes genetics are a funny thing in what your children will inherit.  My son got the please leave me alone in the morning gene too, uh-oh!!  So, the morning is somewhat of a whirlwind for me because my two more than cheery girls wake up bright and early and my son and I lay lifeless in our beds until the clock tells me that if I don’t get up right now I will be in big trouble.  Then it’s change a diaper, maybe get dressed, pour the coffee, do something quick for breakfast, brush our teeth Gage’s teeth, now hurry everyone in the car…last one in is a rotten egg, right?  And seriously, if you leave one minute late you will be punished by a loooooonnnnnggggg line of parents in vehicles all waiting patiently & cheerfully, to drop off their kids.  Did you notice in my haste to get out the door I forgot something?  How about my son’s lunch!!!?????  Ok, so I have to admit this has happened on more than one occasion.  Soooo, this brings me to my epiphany…sorry it takes me awhile to blurt things out sometimes!  Why not make life in the morning a little less hectic and a little less embarrassing for my son who’s mother can’t seem to pull it together to make him lunch…so this is what I did this morning…

I bought two loaves of bread and decided to premake peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and freeze them!  I know they make these in the freezer section of Fry’s however this was a lot cheaper to do it yourself!!

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So, I started spreading the peanut better on jelly on almost twenty slices of bread!

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Then I used my cut-n-seal from Pampered Chef.  Do you own one of these??  This has to be one of the best inventions ever!!  It’s only $9 and it makes the best little sandwiches because it does just what it claims…cuts & seals!!

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Aren’t they cute??  I popped each one in a ziplock bag and threw all 16 of them in the fridge!!  Of course wouldn’t this have been a smarter project on Sunday instead of Friday, but now we will be prepared for Monday morning at the Zeller House!

If you have any time savers for getting your kids out the door…post a comment and let me know!  I can use all the help I can get!!  :)

I’ll be posting a family session from back in November that was taken in downtown Glendale in the morning…so check back!!  I hope you have a wonderful start to your weekend!!

Blessings!

Janelle

Amanda: I couldn't help but laugh because that will be my exact problem come fall when my little guy starts kindergarten. Thanks for the tip, I love the cut-n-seal idea. I'm going to have to get one of those!

Genea: Too Funny Nell, you tell it like I'm in the kitchen watching your morning come together! You should also try fun shapes (cookie cutters). He would definately have the coolest pj sandwiches going! :) BTW, you are an amazing mommy, even if you forget his lunch and not out the door on time every morning! love you!

On the Horizon…

March 2, 2010

Oh my there are so many things on the horizon right now, both personally and professionally.  I can’t wait to share some of them with you.  At the present moment I am overwhelmed with things to do that are never ending!!  Do you ever feel like there is so much you don’t know where to start?  I have sat down at the computer on several different occasions to “work” and I find myself staring blankly at the screen because I don’t know quite where to start.  Which is why I haven’t posted to my blog lately, bad I know!!  Seriously, my Google reader is about to explode when I open it because I haven’t looked at so many of my favorite blogs, again where do I start when the number a the top of the reader says over 100 new posts!!

Lately, my pregnancy brain has been getting the best of me (at least that is what I blame it on!! - haha!!) and I have been forgetting my train of thought as soon as it comes into my head.  Perhaps that is why I am overwhelmed…I can’t even remember my own thoughts!!  Yikes!!  However, I want to share with you some of my thoughts (if I can remember them) and what is coming soon.  Then I want to share a photo my girlfriend took…many of you have seen, but I wanted to share it here!

So, my random thoughts.  One is where have I been with this whole Twilight series??  My friend, Erin bought me the first book for Christmas and I left it on the nightstand for the last few months.  So, one night I decided to just pick it up and see what the hype is all about.  Two days later I am reserving the remaining three books from the library.  I have finished book #2, but am now pausing a moment as I have a few priorities (like talking to my family, making dinner and sleeping) that went lacking while I became a bookworm and couldn’t tear myself away.  I feel like a love struck teenager as I read through these silly books, but although I must say that even though I do realize that my husband is not a vampire I am seeing him through the eyes of a love sick girl looking at her soul mate more and more…haha!!  See these books do benefit him after all.  So, I am sure that I will give in and book #3 will become an obsession before the week has ended.

Things that are on the horizon…well there are many.  Personally there are a few that immediately come to mind or what is left of it.  One is that I am more than halfway through this pregnancy, which is hard to believe.  We had our midpoint ultra sound a few weeks ago and everything looked beautiful and this little one was VERY active.  In fact, I was surprised that there were any pictures from the ultra sound since the tech could hardly get this baby not doing somersaults.  However, the baby did pause as we got a perfect toilet between the legs and I believe that there was no mistaking that this is a little boy!!  So, that makes us even at the Zeller house…2 and 2!  We are all thrilled to meet this little man.  As for names, well we are still in negotiations and I think the reveal will be after we get to meet this guy!!  Other things on the horizon…we will be moving sometime in about three months.  Only about a mile away, but there is nothing quite like moving with kids or how about moving right when you are supposed to be nesting!!  Haha!!  Hopefully, this little man stays put until we can at least get somewhat settled, but only God knows and it will all work out.  We are excited about the move and what it brings for our family as we simplify life a little bit, if there is such a thing.  The last thing that I will share personally is a huge step for our family and that is we have decided to enroll two of our kids at a Christian School in the fall.  It’s huge because it is a huge commitment for us in the financial department.  We have come to know that our money is not our own, it’s Gods.  It’s nice that he loans it to us while we are here.  Knowing that it isn’t ours has made this decision a little easier, but as humans we still get nervous on the hows.  However, if God presses something on our hearts (which He did for both my husband and me) and we continue to pray and ask his guidance, how can I then not be obedient to Him because of a fear that is nothing for God.  All I hear in my ear is…Trust me, I will provide. I do.  I still have a twinge of fear that likes to creep in now and again, but then I hear it again, Trust me, I will provide. So, wow I love that God is always faithful and I do know He will provide.  We just have to make the steps to be obedient and I am always excited to see what God does with that.  It is rarely what I expect.

Whew…so now to business!!!  There are so many things to share, but I will keep it a little short since I just got way long winded back there!!!  Haha, I am a preacher’s daughter - it comes with the territory!!  :)  So, I can’t wait to reveal my new logo that is currently under way!!  It will be completed soon and I can’t tell you just how thrilled I am!!  One of my wonderful brothers did my first logo, which I loved, but I have known for a little while that it was time for a change.  I needed something that was 100% me!  The concepts that sweet Aleta has come up with have been just that and we are finishing up the last touches…oh I can’t wait!!  So, more to come on that!!  Other things that are coming…I am changing my structure a little bit and the way I do my pricing.  I want to better meet the needs of my clients and make things as easy as possible for them.  So, as all of that comes together I will be sharing more soon!!  A lot of things I have been dragging my feet a little bit because I want to use my new logo, so it is coming soon!!  I am so excited for some up and coming weddings these next couple of months.  Two of them out of Phoenix!!  I have always loved weddings…being a preacher’s daughter I have been to my share of them (over 50 at least), so it is fun to be able to be more than a bystander and to share in the joy of two people joining together in front of God, family and friends AND to get to capture that with my camera so, that those precious memories from the day are forever remembered, it’s just amazing!!

One last thing, although most of you have probably given up on all my ramblings at this point!!  Those of you that are still hanging onto every word I type…haha!!  Since summer will bring a move and a baby upon our family I will be taking the months of June, July and August off.  If you are wanting to book a session before then please contact me soon.  I have many of my clients with little ones turning a year in May that will be taking up many of my weekends…I can’t wait to see how big these cuties have gotten, so if you haven’t officially booked please contact me soon so, that I can get you in before June!!  Thanks for letting me ramble and share with you.  I love that I can do that on here.  It’s almost like my own version of  a journal, which by the way would love to start doing again in my spare time, however I haven’t found any of that lately!!  :)  Here is the photo of my family that I promised…by far one of my favorites.  If this doesn’t show the personality of my kiddos right now I don’t know what does!!

Blessings!

Janelle

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Keri Doolittle Photography: LOVE this pic of all of you, so cute!

Erin McFarland: You are beautiful inside and out my friend! Love getting to enjoy this journey of family, faith and photography with you!! Can't wait for you to launch the new logo! ;)

Aleta: I love this photo of your beautiful family! Looks like a lot is changing these days for you guys... very exciting! I'm also excited to see how the new logo turns out! ;o)

Julie Read: Janelle, congrats on all of the amazing things that God is doing in your family's life. I'm so excited for you!

Doni: PERFECT! :)

So, remember my last post about LOVING color!!  Well, this particular week of shooting included a few families at this same location in Glendale.  So, I thought I would show all the fun colors this time!!  The C Family was such a ball!!  D & R are just fantastic people…you just feel good when you are around them!!  Mr. Kai is the cutest guy ever!!  Can you believe those beautiful locks???  Not only is he just so stinkin’ cute, but has the sweetest little personality!!  Music is a big deal in the C Family’s house and I LOVED that they busted out the drum set, harmonica, and the guitar!!  We had so much fun playing around and I really enjoyed my time with this amazing family.  This job has so many blessings and this family was definitely one of them!!  So, here is Mr. Kai & his number one fans!!  :)

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Thanks C Family!!  I had so much fun with you guys!!

Blessings!!

Janelle

Erin McFarland: That kid has got some gorgeous hair! Love how your captured their sweet interactions! :)

Laura Wright: Gorgeous as always!!

I love color…I enjoy shooting in places that have all sorts of it!!  However, for this post I wanted to show you how awesome black and white is too!!  This family requested all of their images not only in color, but also in black & white.  I love it when families love both options!!  The M Family was beyond fabulous and made my job so easy.  They were laid back just enjoying their family the whole time and letting their kids just be kids; running through the corn fields, climbing on the tractors & just being kids!!  We had so much fun together!!  So, the only bummer about doing the whole black and white deal is you miss out on the bluest eyes ever of their little girl!!  Trust me you can almost see the gorgeous color in the black and whites…is that possible??  Just a beautiful family!!!

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Thank you M Family for a fantastic time with you!!

Blessings!

Janelle

Glenda: You totally rock!! Where did you shoot this???

I absolutely love Old Town Glendale.  The last few years it seems though that a lot of the shops have been closing due to lack of business.  I suppose with all big shops in town it makes these personal boutiques and unique shops more of a dying breed, but still so sad.  I love the feel of this part of town.  The Old Spicery was built in 1895 and was such a cornerstone of Old Town.  Unfortunately, it has closed and although it has been on the market for someone to buy it still sits vacant.  I love looking inside and seeing the old wallpapers still up…there were fun teas, bridal showers, etc. in this fun little place.  I think that once The Spicery went under so, did a lot of the local shops that relied on their customers.  There is still a little bit of life left however, with some unique corner restaurants with that mom & pop feel.  If you have never been down for Glendale Glitters it is beautiful and fun.  The City of Glendale is one of the only cities that still holds an annual Fire Prevention Day & Parade.  All that to say if you haven’t been down there, go!

The area is full of old houses, some are boutiques with lots of color & character.  Walking the streets I feel like I am in Pleasantville.  I decided to do a few of my mini sessions for Christmas down in this beautiful area.  I did five families down there and wanted to post an image from each of their session…here they are…

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Thanks to all of these wonderful families for letting me capture some images for the holiday memories!!

Blessings!

Janelle