Trick or Treat....

We actually had trick-or-treat last Saturday, a week before Halloween. It was really cold and windy, but we braved the weather and went trick or treating anyhow. The Chiles' met us at our house for our annual Halloween photo and then we all went trick-or -treating around our neighborhood. 4 more neighbor kids also joined us, so we had a big group this year. Sadly, this may have been Jacob's last year trick or treating. Right now he says he is not going next year because he will be too old. YIKES!!! When did 6th grade become old??



My little cheerleader and skate boarder . . .

Jacob had so much fun picking out his outfit (compliments of Target). He especially loved his shoes - blue converse tennis shoes - which you can't really see in the photo.

Jacob, Jenna, Cade, Gage, and Dane (aka The Chipmunks -Simon, Alvin, and Theodore) . . .

Trick or treating at our neighbor's house...Getting treats from the firetruck . . .

The spooky house. . . the kids weren't too sure they wanted to actually go up to this house, but they finally got brave . . .

Our turn....

Two weeks ago it was my turn to be on the other side of the camera. Nicole and I had arranged a family photo swap, so she came to take our family photos. As much as I don't like having my picture taken, I loved being able to sit back and watch Nicole in action to see how she handles a photo session, posing, getting clients to cooperate, etc. Other than a little plotting between Chris and Jacob (you'll see in the photos below), everyone was really cooperative (even Chris...the poor guy had to go way outside of his comfort zone!) and put up with Nicole and I and our photo obsession! On Friday, I got the CD of our images and I love them! Here are my favorites.

We started out in one of my favorite alleys:

Proof of Chris and Jacob's plotting (take a close look at their hands - silly boys!)...

This photo just about pushed Chris over the edge, but he was a good sport. I had seen a similar photo and wanted to try it with our family. I love how it turned out!

Then we went in search of some fall color. . .



My main purpose in having our photos taken was to get a great family photo to enlarge BIG and hang above the fireplace in our newly remodeled living room. Now I just have to narrow it down and pick one. It's not going to be easy! Any suggestions?? Right now I'm leaning towards one of the first two.

THANKS Nicole for capturing such great photos of our family. I love them!!!

A senior and his family....

One of the main reasons my cousin Deb and her daughter Abbie tagged along during Alex's senior photo session was so I could take a few family photos of them as well. These 3 have been through their share of rough times during the past year or so, and I'm so glad that things are finally starting to turn around and look a little brighter. They have such a close bond...and are all just as photogenic as Alex.

Alex {Class of '09}

Two weeks ago I went to Bluffton to take senior pictures of my cousin Deb's son, Alex. This session really made me feel old.....I can remember going to Deb's baby shower when she was pregnant with Alex...and now I'm taking his senior photos! He made the whole thing really too easy for me. He was extremely cooperative and didn't seem bothered by the fact that his mom, sister, Grandma, and great aunt (my mom) tagged along for the whole session. He was so fun to photograph - the boy does NOT take a bad photo!

I managed to narrow his photos down to a little over 40 of my favorites. You can see all of them here.....but here is a sneak peek of my favorites.

Tuesday Night ...

For the past two weeks I have gone to Cheryl's house on Tuesday night to hang out with her. I think we may have started a new Tuesday night routine.

• visit with Cheryl
• cuddle with London
• order yummy pizza
• take lots of new photos of London
• watch Gossip Girl
• chat and catch up

Here are some of my photos from this past Tuesday with Cheryl and London....

Pumpkin patch....

Two weekends ago the kids and I went to a pumpkin patch near our house. I think we have visited this same place almost every fall. The kids love playing around on all the fun things, like the giant hay pile. We also took a hay ride back into the pumpkin patch so they could pick their own pumpkins. Jenna wanted to find a "cute little baby pumpkin" and Jacob was on the hunt for the strangest pumpkin he could find (I had to say no to the HUGE pumpkin he first spotted). We also got a few pumpkins to decorate around the house...and of course took lots of fun pictures!


Photo by Jacob:

Photo by Jenna (I was a little nervous handing over my camera to her...but she did a good job!):

Still trying to catch up....

I'm still trying to catch up. In the meantime, here's a little of what we have been up to....

• We spent the weekend visiting my parents. As usual, Jacob didn't want to leave (he hasn't wanted to leave since he was teeny tiny and would cry because he didn't want to leave Grandpa's house and the trains!).
• Mom and I spent Saturday morning at Mega Stamp Camp. We made 10 different cards/projects and I got lots of fun ideas. I also managed to spend a little money on some new stamp sets and a fun new punch. I can't wait to get my new supplies and play!!
• I also did 2 photo sessions while we were visiting. I had a great time and the kids I photographed were so fun!
• We also managed to squeeze in a little shopping while we were there. I always need to do some shopping when we visit. I miss the huge variety of stores and the convenience of shopping close to home! I found a few fall decorations, a new winter coat for Jacob, candy for trick-or-treat, and a few other goodies.
• Jacob's Halloween costume is finalized and we got all the main items this weekend. He is going to be a skateboarder. Any ideas of what I need to be sure to include with his costume?
• I had a good week health-wise last week. Some days are good, some are bad...but most of last week was good. I still can't manage to stay up past about 9:00 or 9:30 each night, but at least I wasn't quite as achey. I have learned that I really need to take it easy the day after a photo shoot. I am really achey then from all my moving around.
• Soccer is over for Jacob ....and basketball practices have officially begun. Chris has also started basketball conditioning. It's that time of year.....
• I'm planning to go visit Cheryl and London this week and try to take photos of him again. Hopefully he's in a little better mood this time.
• Speaking of photos, I have a ton of photos to edit - Alex's senior photos from last weekend, 2 family sessions from this weekend, plus a mini-session I did with my own kids last week. I also have a couple sessions coming up. I love being busy with photography and getting lots of practice!
• Last Sunday, Nicole took our family photos. I love how they turned out. I promised her I wouldn't post any on my blog until she had a chance to edit them.

HAVE A GOOD WEEK....and be sure to check back for photos. I have lots to share as soon as I squeeze a little time into my schedule.

Jenna's turn....

On Tuesday, Jenna and I went to visit Cheryl and London after school. I had shared my photos of London with Jenna, but she was so excited to see him in person. She sat and held him for a long time....and was in heaven!! Our plan was to visit for a little while and then take some new photos of baby London, but he had another plan in mind....so the pictures will have to wait for another day. Instead we ordered pizza and watched Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill while Jenna alternated between holding London and playing on the computer. I have a feeling that it will be very hard for me to sneak off to Cheryl's by myself any more....Jenna is definitely going to want to tag along for some baby London time.

Fall.....

One of my favorite things about living in Ohio is fall. I would love to live in a warmer state, but I really think I would miss the change from summer to fall. Other than football (yuck!), I really love fall things - leaves changing, decorating with pumpkins and mums, colder weather, wearing jeans and long sleeves again, candy corn-m&ms -peanuts mixed together, starting to drink hot drinks again, caramel apples. Just a few fall photos I've shot over the past couple weeks...