Let me be honest and say that when the season for Christmas pictures comes I go into a cave!  An editing cave that is and it starts in October and I just now am starting to see the light once again!!  :)  I have been so blessed by this business and the full schedule that it brings this time of year.  The funny thing is that in my mind every year I say I am really going to limit my sessions this season and believe it or not I did, but it didn’t change too much of the busyness!  Between four little ones, a husband with a crazy schedule (now a new schedule that we are getting used to), a business of my own and the busyness of the season my poor BLOG has suffered!!  Hmmm…two months MIA, I know that’s horrible!!  Sometimes this time of year I also hesitate to post too many family photos in fear that they will be using it for their Christmas card and I don’t want to spoil it!!  Well, since some of the Christmas cards are already in the mail I thought I might give you some of the highlights of the last few months and the wonderful families I have had the privilege of working with!!  So, here a few of them in no particular order…

Now back to editing because there are still lots more to finish before I can say the year is over!!  I’ll have to do one more highlight before the end of the year with some more amazing families!!

Blessings!

Janelle

Well, the truth is, Josh & Noelle aren’t actually engaged anymore…they’re MARRIED!!  :)  AND I am just finishing up with the editing from their wedding a few short weeks ago and as I was pulling out the photos to blog I realized that I never posted they’re engagement session.  This session was too cute to not blog and apparently I was in a fog in February when we shot these and just completely spaced.  Just love this sweet couple and the first thing we did for the engagement session is get coffee…I knew it was a match made in heaven!!  Can’t wait to post their wedding day this week, but in the meantime here is some favorites from their engagement session…

Beautiful Noelle.

This VW bus was parked out back where we were shooting so, it made for a sweet prop!

Love love love this wall…color and texture {heart}

It looked cool black & white too

This sweet pick-up truck was parked across the street from a spot we were shooting at & was the perfect match to the balloons that Noelle had brought along…YES!!

Josh bought Noelle this super cute beach cruiser that they brought along…we ended up making Josh the designated driver, he did good cruising Noelle in the parking lot with zero crashes!! 

Handsome Josh.

I loved every thought that went into the engagement session…wait till you see the beautiful details of the wedding, I was blown away, Noelle has an eye for the details.

Stay tuned for Noelle & Josh’s amazing wedding day!!  I’ll be posting it this week!!

Blessings!

Janelle

From our family to yours…Have a Sweet Valentine’s Day.

XOXO

1 Corinthians 13:4–8a (NIV)
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails …

Blessings,

Janelle (& family)

Another decade down…good-bye 2010, welcome 2011.  I think that all of us at some point yesterday, today, or sometime soon will take a moment to reflect on the year(s) passed and look to the future.  Some of us have a lot of excitement and change on the horizon (like my sister-in-law, Becca, who is ready to deliver twins ANYDAY - how about 1-1-11 birthday for my niece & nephew??) and some a little unsure of what this next year will hold.  My hubby had to work last night and today, which makes us do our reflections in a day or two, but my only real resolution is to live with intention…to let go of the everyday mundane and to live with purpose.  My dad always says that if you are still taking in air then God has a reason for you to be here…a purpose.  That is my mantra going in to 2011.  So, here is my family wishing you a Happy New Year!!  May God be present in your life, may you rest in the knowledge that although we don’t know what this 2011 holds, He does and He loves you more than we can understand.

Thank you, Erin for capturing this one of my family and hubby & me!!

Those of you that know my Grace know how perfect this picture is! 

Gage lost his bottom two teeth this last month!!  He looks way too grown up here, but I love his smile…it’s contagious.

My sweet Sadie-Lady who has a tender heart for others and her family.

My firecracker, Gracie, she keeps me on my toes and has a precious soft side that I love.

Little Gunnar, who just passed SIX months…I can hardly believe it, but he is a delight to all of us.

My husband and I will celebrate ELEVEN years married in a week.  We have learned to enjoy the “everyday” moments, especially when you have little ones around and to cherish the quiet times when it is just the two of us.  Although if you know me this might be hard to believe (ha!), but I am not always the best communicator when it comes to my feelings…sometimes I write it better.  I am thankful everyday for Jason, he works hard at his job and provides for our family, he protects us, he loves to be with us and he can’t wait to come home after his shift, he loves me unconditionally (even when I am a pain - which is practically never ), he loves our children without reservation, He chooses to be a man of his word, He chooses to put his relationship with Jesus first, he LEADS our family, and trust me the list could go on.  God knew just what I needed and I am thankful.  I love you, Babe.

Happy New Year, Friends!!

Blessings!

Janelle

Well, I am finally back to blogging for those of you that missed me.  When life gets busy the blog definitely gets put on the back burner.  One of my goals for 2011, work on streamlining blog stuff so that I can get it posted with ease and regularly!!  :)  I have a New Year’s Post on the brink, but because I have to post this one to say that I did one more before 2011.  I’ll get to it.

This is my sister-in-law, Michelle and her family…we did a two for one and some of these images are used for marketing for her salon DollyRockers.  Which if you haven’t been there you are missing out, all the girls are AMAZING!  Our shoot was cut short because the cops showed up and thought we were involved in a bank robbery that had just happened down the street…seriously no joke!  However, happy to say that was cleared up!  :)  Now, to the images…

Blessings!

Janelle

The day after Tiffani & Jake’s wedding I had the privilege of photographing a couple that was part of their special day.  Leoni & Jeremy live in a town called Bonny Lake.  Doesn’t that just sound like the cutest town ever??  Well, it seriously was so gorgeous…just green green green!!  AND although Jeremy has a strong dislike towards them, dandelions everywhere!!  I loved it!!!  I met them at their house and they drove me back into the mountains to a beautiful forest (remember me saying that I thought Edward might jump out!!)!!  Then we stopped at a fun little park on the way back to their house for some shots and then of course we had to get some pictures of their super cute pups!!  I LOVED that they wanted to do some fun pictures as a couple before they start expanding their family with some little munchkins!!  Couples should have great photos together beyond their wedding day!!  They have been super patient with me finishing their images with the move and everything, so I am thrilled to be posting these to the blog because that means their CD is headed to them tomorrow morning!!!  Here were a few of my faves from our afternoon!!

How amazing is this forest!!??

If I had sum up these two in an image I felt like this one was it…so perfect and fun!!

Get after it girl…

I love this image on the train tracks…something about embarking on a new adventure!! 

These next two are my FAVORITES!!!!

Love those Dandelions!!! 

Thanks you two!!  Once you start that family of yours…I’ll have to make a special trip up to photograph your growing family!!!

Blessings!

Janelle

Wow…the last few weeks have been a whirlwind!!  The next few will definitely be as well (we’re moving and I’m less than 10 weeks from baby #4…yikes!).  Just so you know that I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth I wanted to share a few things that I have been working on.  I just got back from Washington where I had the privilege of photographing one of my best friends’ little sister’s wedding!  I took a teensy-weensy time out with my hubby to hang in Seattle and enjoy a Starbucks (or two or three or…I lost count, seriously!).  I’ll post some pictures of our little adventure in the next week or so.  On another note…I was so proud of my man who has helped capture the last two weddings with me and is educating himself as much as possible with both literature, practice, etc. to shoot more and more with me!!  So, much fun to have a built in date while you are working AND just so you know that I am not exaggerating, my next wedding post will include some of his pictures as well!! 

Well, I have lots and lots of work to be working on so, I will keep this short!!  Here are some pics of things in the works (more to come very soon!!)

Jordyn & Jamie (gorgeous Sedona wedding!!)

Carlton & Ronda…headed for Senior Year at Boulder Creek

Tiffani & Jake’s “First Look”…this seriously was the sweetest moment of the day…thank you Washington for giving us intermittent sunshine!!  Totally love that mom, sister & niece were all watching this moment from afar!! 

Leoni & Jeremy…L & J were both in Jake & Tiffany’s wedding  & wanted to do some fun pictures just the two of them the day after the wedding…they took me to this amazing forest and seriously I thought that Edward was going to jump out at us…hee hee!!  But FOR REAL we were only 3 hours from Forks, WA (for those non-Twilight fans - that is where the books take place!)!!!

Ok, now here is a test, did you notice anything different about these images??  How about my NEW logo!!  What’s up??!!  :)  So, excited that the fantastic Aleta worked me up a way fabulous logo!!!  Here is the final version…Seriously, couldn’t be happier!!  Check her out if you are looking to revamp your own look!! 

This is about the time when I hear that little voice saying, “get back to work!” and so, I must!!  Can’t wait to do some fun blog posts on more images from the sessions/weddings I just did sneak peeks of!!  Hope you are having a fantastic week!!  BTW…Happy Birthday to my BIG BOY today…I can’t believe that I am a Mommy to a SIX year old now!!  Love you, Buddy!!

Blessings!

Janelle

I am going to date myself here, but almost 11 years ago I had an amazing thing happen…my best friend and love of my life asked me to be his wife.  One of the happiest moments in my life!!  I remember it like it was yesterday…I’ll have to blog about that story another day because this post is about someone else that had one of the happiest moments in her life just happen…That’s right…Jaimie is getting MARRIED!!  I have had the pleasure of knowing Jaimie for a quite a while now.  She is a fabulous stylist at DollyRockers…which my hubby’s family owns.  She is absolutely gorgeous, but don’t hate, because Jaimie is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet.  A genuine heart and just a delight in so many way…hmmm I wonder why Mike is smitten with her?  I met Mike for the first time at our engagement shoot and what a sweetheart he is (oh and he isn’t so bad to look at either).

Ok, total sidebar right now…when I processed these images I noticed that Mike has the most gorgeous amber colored eyes…I think Jaimie might have found herself a hot vampire…LOL!!

I loved watching him and Jaimie laugh, smile, and get lost in each other!  I couldn’t be happier for both of them!!  Some of these images are my favorites ever…and seriously wanted to just pretend I was Jaimie and put the picture up on my FB, yes she is that beautiful!  Well, I’ll stop blabbing, because I know most of you have skipped over my rantings and gone straight to the images…Congrats guys!!!  Seriously, can’t wait till next year…Jaimie you are going to be one fabulous bride!!

Thank again, you two love birds!!  {HUGS}

Blessings!

Janelle

Yeah…I finally got my sample album!!  I just posted Dave & Amy’s Engagement Session on my blog and I thought they would be the perfect for my sample album to show clients!!  They are the cutest couple and we had some amazing images from our session!!  This particular album is a 10″ leather flush mount album with 20 front and back pages.  I love it!!  Here are a few sample pictures so, you can see too!!

PS…my NEW logo is completed!!  I can’t wait to share it with you…very soon!! 

Hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday!!

Blessings!

Janelle

I have had the pleasure of knowing Dave for just over seven years now.  He came on to the Glendale Fire Department at the same time that my hubby did and they were in the Academy together.  Well…Dave met a girl.  After a few years of being on the department Dave became a mentor for the new recruits at the academy.  Well, Amy worked in the Fire Science office  at GCC.  What started out as merely friends for six months…Dave finally asked her on a real date.  The rest so they say is history, but more than that they have been each others’ support through the last five years of ups and downs, school, promotions, graduations…they are the best of friends.  Dave’s proposal was sweet & perfect at a cabin overlooking Lake Arrowhead in the mountains of California.  He got down on one knee with their dog Brewer by his side and asked…She said…“yes” (and probably…“it’s about time” haha - I had to add that, Amy!)  They are a perfect compliment to each other and I can’t wait to be a part of their BIG day this September when they say…“I do”. Their wedding is at The Windmill Winery in Florence, AZ and I think I am just as excited as they are because the picturesque scenery is to die for!!  We are going to have so much fun!!  Speaking of fun…we had a ball doing their engagement session!!  It was actually back in December, but I am FINALLY posting it.  We started out at the beautiful Boojum Tree, then headed to Historic Downtown Glendale, and lastly ended up at Station 157.  So, without further babble from me…here are their pics (and yes there is more than normal…we had WAY too many fabulous ones!!)

Thanks so much you two!!  I can’t wait for your wedding in September!!  It is going to be all sorts of fabulous!!

Blessings,

Janelle