Archive for the ‘Random Stuff’ Category

Guilt seems to come with the territory of motherhood.  Thankfully, I don’t tend to harbor much as living each day as it comes seems to have little room for it.  However, I often get a question or statement from my clients that does give me a tinge of it.  It goes something like…”Your family is so lucky you are a photographer, you must have the most beautiful images of your children.”  Insert guilt here.  I’ll be honest and say that sometimes I “forget” that I am a photographer when I am home hanging with my family.  My “work” equipment aka camera is safely put away in my office and out of harms way of little sticky fingers.  True confession…at times I am almost a little jealous of my clients sessions and what they have hanging on their walls, not because I am tooting my own horn, but because I haven’t done it with my own family/kids!!  Oops!!

So, I am challenging myself to take the camera out of it’s safe spot and photographing my own kids.  It’s a BIG challenge, at least for me!!  So, I am hoping to really show you more of my life and family this next year as I venture out and actually snap some of my kids on my “work” camera and not my handy iphone camera (but seriously without that I would have no pictures of my kids – ha!!)

In keeping with my challenge to myself.  The other day I was out walk-running (mostly walking since after I ran the Spartan my body has been a little angry at me not to mention bruised and it gave me a cold to boot) I eyed a little spot not far from my house that I wanted to take one of my kiddos too for a few pictures.  My most willing one was my newly FIVE year old Gracie-girl, she already had an outfit picked out not more than two minutes after I mentioned pictures and just her & mommy.  These shots were taken in about 10 minutes time and I have to tell you they are absolute treasures to me.  Gracie tends to be my fiery and possibly more stubborn girl (wonder where that came from), so these tender moments with her make my heart happy as I can see her beauty inside & out.  When you have two people that are very alike sometimes your vision is slightly clouded.  I have perfect clarity of the blessing God has given me.

Gracie is just starting to put words together as she “tries” to read, but she LOVES to look at the pictures and make up her own story about what is happening.  Her newest en-devour seems to be writing plays.  She puts lines and lines of letters (none that really make sense to me) and then she has her brother and sister act out the play as she reads it.  They go on & on and we love listening (and watching) her stories unfold.

Stay tuned for another kiddo coming soon…this next one just turned SEVEN…why do they have to grow up so quickly??

I love this time of year.  In Phoenix it’s warming up outside…the flowers are starting to bloom AND you say over and over again…This Is Why I Live Here.  (Give it a a month and the tune will be a little different…like WHY DO WE LIVE HERE IT’S SOOO HOT!!)  Another reason I love it is because up north it is still chilly and it makes for a nice get away!!  Well, what a surprise that this spring break a major storm would hit and the snow in Flagstaff would be the BEST it was all year!!!  Woohoo!!  So, we invited ourselves to spend a few days with some very dear friends up in Flagstaff and had the best time.  I love this family to the moon & back.  Kari is an amazing wife, mother and friend and I cherished every moment we got to spend together.  Although a few more miles separate us it feel like our friendship has none between it.  Our kids had such a fun time together and we can’t wait to spend lots more time with them this summer!!

Jason & Gage got to take advantage of two amazing snowboarding days at Snowbowl, but all of us got lots of snow time and some fun sledding right down the side of our friends’ house!!  This first picture was Monday taken in the backyard looking up at the house, check out the snow coming down.

Look at all these kiddos…LOVE!!!!!

Headed out to enjoy this amazing weather today…love living here!!!

Blessings!

Janelle

When we were on our summer road trip I sneaked (is that a word?) in a couple of impromptu pictures of my four little blessings.  These were taken right around the corner from my best friend’s house in Oregon.  Yes, I am jealous of the Northwest and their gorgeous scenery, so I was happy to take advantage while I was there.

I love me some yummy warm light.

This last one just makes me laugh…so classic of my four kiddos!!  It’s one of my favorites!!

I am super excited about a BIG revamp coming at the end of the month!!  Can’t wait to show you!!  Have a GREAT weekend!

Blessings,

Janelle