Amy Covey Photography

Gause Family | Celina, OH Family Photography

2012-01-29T20:56:00.006-05:00

I love when one of my photo clients recommends me to another family, which is what happened with the Gause family - Mike, Kim, Graham, and Emma. I went to their house in Celina on a beautiful fall day for photos. Kim was so prepared and had coordinated outfits, photo spots, and ideas all ready for me!

We started with some photos on their front porch and then moved around their yard. We even used the neighbor's yard for some of the photos.

Their dogs - 2 more very important members of their family - also joined us for photos!

Miss Emma with one of the dogs.....

I love these photos of the kids in the backyard. Apparently this swing was a huge selling point when they bought their house. :)

Kim's parents came over to have some OSU photos taken.

Kim asked me to take this photo. They had a similar one taken at their wedding and she wanted another one taken. Later in the afternoon I learned that Kim is a cancer survivor and these were the first photos they had taken since her treatment.

Graham with one of the dogs....

And I just couldn't resist snapping this photo when the dog looked right at me and posed!!

Maxton | Van Wert Children's Photography

2012-01-29T12:01:00.007-05:00

I met up with Maxton and his mom on a gorgeous (but chilly!) fall day to shoot his 2 year photos. He was completely unsure of me at first. I, however, fell in love with his curls and his big blue eyes! Thank goodness I had taken my little assistant, Jenna, with me....he warmed up to her right away. As with most 2 year olds, he was on the move 99% of the time....but we still managed to get some great photos that showed off his cute little personality.

Giving thanks.....

2011-11-20T19:45:00.002-05:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Charlie & Meghan | engagement

2011-11-13T16:29:00.004-05:00

Charlie and Meghan met me in Delphos on a beautiful fall weekend to do their engagement photos. Meghan had some ideas for locations and I was excited because I hadn't shot at either of them. Charlie and Meghan were so sweet together and I loved getting to know them better. I can't wait to photograph their wedding next fall!!

Wilson Family

2011-11-13T14:04:00.006-05:00

I love photographing families...and I was extra excited to photograph the Wilson family and their 1 year old twin boys. We were able to squeeze in a photo session during their recent visit to Van Wert. The boys weren't so sure about me at first, but quickly warmed up so we could get some fun photos of them!

Austin & Rachel | Wedding Photography

2011-11-13T13:51:00.006-05:00

Rachel & Austin are one of the sweetest couples I have ever photographed. They are so genuine and so in love! I had such a fun time photographing their wedding and getting to know all the friends and family in their wedding party. Their wedding took place in Toledo and we were so lucky to have beautiful fall weather for photos at the Toledo Botanical Gardens following their ceremony. THANK YOU so much for allowing me to take your wedding photos....and BEST WISHES as you begin your life together.

Lily

2011-11-13T12:17:00.005-05:00

Miss Lily is one of my favorite little girls to photograph. She is full of energy and always so much fun. She recently turned four, so we met at a local orchard to take some photos of her.

Gunderman Family

2011-11-13T12:10:00.004-05:00

I met up with the Gunderman family near their home in Montezuma on a perfect fall afternoon. We went to a nearby bike path for pictures, which was the perfect location with lots of fall color. Brittney's parents joined us for a few family pictures and some photos with their adorable grandson, Jackson.

Kaleb | Lincolnview Senior

2011-11-13T10:31:00.004-05:00

Usually boys aren't into their senior photo session as much as girls are, but Kaleb was awesome! He had some great ideas and also had picked out some awesome locations for me. I love when clients suggest locations that are meaningful to them....especially when they are locations that are new to me. THANKS for the fun session Kaleb. Good luck with your senior year!

Matt | Crestview Senior

2011-11-13T10:23:00.004-05:00

Matt is a senior at Crestview this year. He loves football, but also plays basketball and baseball. He was so fun to work with....and was a trooper for putting up with his mom and I fussing over his clothes, hair and poses the whole time! THANKS Matt....and have an awesome senior year!!

Long Family | Van Wert Family Photography

2011-11-13T10:15:00.004-05:00

I have taught with Kathy for several years and she was Jacob's language arts teacher for the past 2 years. I was so excited when she contacted me to do some photos of her family, including her mother and sweet granddaughter!

Troy | Senior

2011-11-13T10:00:00.005-05:00

Troy is a senior at Cory Rawson HS this year. Before his session, we did some photos of his family. It was fun to meet his family and interact with them a bit before starting Troy's pictures - they are such a sweet family! Troy was so easy going and went along with whatever his mom and I came up with. He even waited the rain at the end of his session so we could photograph in one last location!

Good luck with your senior year Troy!!

Charley

2011-11-12T22:49:00.001-05:00

I first photographed Charley when he was 6 months old and then took his photos again last year when he turned one. I was so excited when his mom contacted me to take his 2 year photos. Charley is always so fun to photograph...and I his parents always have some great ideas for his session. This time we started out at their house and then moved on to a park near their home. Charley is going to become a big brother any day now! I can't wait to meet his new baby sister or brother!

Mike & Kristin | Ft Wayne Wedding Photography

2011-11-12T22:34:00.006-05:00

Mike and Kristin's wedding took place on a gorgeous September afternoon at the Lakeside Rose Gardens in Ft Wayne. They could not have asked for a more perfect day. The setting was absolutely gorgeous ...and their ceremony was just perfect. Congratulations Mike & Kristin!!

Yes, that is a real butterfly. They released butterflies at the end of the ceremony .

First dance moments will always be one of my favorite parts of the wedding day!
Sweet mother/daughter moment

Totally Awesome Photo Session

2011-09-09T19:07:00.007-05:00

For the past several years, I have done a themed photo session with Jenna and her cousin Carsyn. It started when Carsyn was 1 and Jenna was 3. We bought them matching dresses and took them to a local photographer to take photos of them together. After that first session, I became the photographer and we seem to have taken photos of them in matching outfits of some type almost each summer since. This summer while they were visiting Ohio we started brainstorming what type of session we could do this time. We came up with a lot of fun ideas, but decided to go all out and did an 80s photo session. We had so much fun shopping for 80s accessories (who knew neon accessories, net gloves, and even banana clips would be so easy to find) and quickly came up with their outfits. By the time their hair was crimped and they were dressed, they seemed to have embraced the "Valley Girl" attitude and were ready for their photo moment! I love how the photos turned out......and love that they will have such fun photos as memories of their cousin time together this summer!!

Simper Family | Van Wert Family Photography

2011-09-05T11:09:00.005-05:00

I have taught with Jen for the past 2 years and have heard lots of stories about her family and her three sweet kids, so I was excited when she contacted me and asked me to do some family photos for them. I loved their bright blue and yellow.....fun colors for a summer family photo session.

Brooke | Parkway Senior Photography

2011-09-04T20:10:00.007-05:00

Brooke was my first senior of the season. She is a student at Parkway....and one of the sweetest girls I have ever met. She was pretty nervous at the beginning of our session, but by the end we were chatting and laughing like old friends. We took all her photos on the farm where she lives. It's her family farm and had some amazing spots for photos!

THANKS Brooke for letting me take your senior pictures. I hope you have an amazing senior year....I just know you are going to do great!!!!

Suzuki Kids

2011-09-04T16:09:00.009-05:00

I have photographed the Suzuki kids many times. They are some of my favorite kids to photograph!! This time we combined both Suzuki families to do a cousins session. It was honestly one of the hottest days of the summer.....almost 100 degrees and a heat advisory....but we went ahead with the session anyhow. The kids did an awesome job, despite the heat. We met at their grandma's house.....who had been taking extra special care of her gorgeous flower beds so we could use them as a backdrop!

The kids were promised some time on the slip and slide if they cooperated during pictures. It was the perfect way to end a photo session on a hot, hot day!!

Dan & Kayla | Van Wert Wedding Photography

2011-08-20T15:44:00.009-05:00

After photographing Ella and Jeremy's wedding in April, I couldn't wait to photograph Ella's sister Kayla's wedding! Ella and Kayla are two of the sweetest, most genuine girls you will ever meet.....and they know how to plan perfect wedding ceremonies!! Kayla and Dan's wedding day was perfect in every way....and they were truly glowing with happiness! Congratulations Kayla and Dan!!! Enjoy starting your life together as Mr and Mrs in Chicago!!!!

Dan is a golfer....so we had to get some photos on the golf course!

Alex Giessler at NEXT did Kayla's hair and makeup. I had so much fun hanging out with the girls at the salon and just getting to know the wedding party a little better.

One of my favorite photos from the wedding day!

See what I mean? Could they look any happier???

Their wedding party was so much fun! They had me laughing the whole time!!!

Did you know????

2011-07-21T17:51:00.002-05:00

That you can follow Amy Covey Photography on Facebook??? Just go to my photography page on Facebook HERE and click "LIKE" at the top. You'll be first to see sneak peeks of recent sessions and hear about any new information regarding my business!! I am always amazed at the amount of "hits" I have on my blog.....even though most of you don't comment and remain anonymous. You don't have to stay anonymous....leave me a blog comment here or better yet, jump over to Facebook and become a fan. Come on......you know you want to like me. :)

It's not too late to book your senior session if you are a 2012 senior! I still have a few openings and would love to take your senior photos!!

I am also booking sessions for fall. Don't wait too late to start thinking about those Christmas card photos......my calendar will fill up quickly!!!

David & Kelly | Engaged!!

2011-07-20T19:07:00.007-05:00

Within a weeks time, two of my cousins got engaged. Kyle was the ringbearer in our wedding and he got engaged to Emily (see post below). Kelly was the flower girl in our wedding and she got engaged to David. It was so fun to get the news from both of them.....and I was really excited when they both asked me to do engagement photos for them. Even more fun is that their weddings are going to be a day apart - June 22 and June 23, 2012!!! It will be a wedding filled weekend!!!

I met Kelly and Dave in Ottawa last week for some engagement photos. We started off in my Uncle's backyard, then headed to Dave's house, and then started our tour of Putnam County....stopping at all the awesome places Kelly had picked out!!

CONGRATULATIONS Kelly & Dave! I can't wait to photograph your wedding!! And Dave....you can ask to look at the photos I shoot at your wedding anytime. I don't mind. :)

My favorite photo.....it doesn't get much better than hay bales, cowboy boots, and sunflare!

Lola - Kelly's dog - even made a few appearances in photos. It's hard to see, but she even had on a matching Detroit Tigers jersey!

LOVE this one! I would want it printed HUGE for my house!! Kelly has had this particular spot picked out for photos for a long, long time!

My Uncle Tony even got into picking out photo spots - He told us we had to use this awesome tree on the golf course.

Kyle & Emily | Engaged!!

2011-07-19T08:52:00.007-05:00

My cousin Kyle (who happened to be the ring bearer in our wedding!) recently got engaged to Emily. I had the honor of taking some engagement photos of them in Huron, where his parents live. Emily had scoped out some photo spots the day before and I loved what she had found - especially the old factory!! I'm so excited for the two of them (even though it does make me feel very old to have my youngest cousin engaged) and know they are going to be very happy together!!

CONGRATULATIONS Kyle & Emily!!!

Abbigail | 5 weeks old

2011-07-13T09:39:00.006-05:00

Abbigail's Grandma is a friend of my sister. Brenda arranged a photo session for some newborn photos of 5 week old baby Abbigail while I was in Texas. She was so sweet and we had so much fun dressing her up and taking photos of her.

Texas Adventures - part 1

2011-07-05T13:41:00.010-05:00

I love our Texas visits! Jenna and I rode to Texas with my Mom and Dad and stayed for almost 2 weeks. Chris and Jacob flew down half way through our visit for 5 days. We had lots of fun visiting, letting the kids play, shopping, and eating yummy food. I have lots of fun photos to share - including a photo session with the whole Davis family!!

Jill's friend lives on a ranch and invited us to come bottle feed baby goats. It's the same ranch we visited last summer where Jenna got to ride a horse and fell in love with the cutest little dog!

This calf greeted us on our way to the ranch. Believe it or not, this is their "driveway". Gorgous!!!
She only had 2 bottles so the kids had to take turns. The goats were so tiny and friendly - the kids loved them!!

The tiniest one.....the girls just loved this baby goat!!

The cousins (minus Jacob and Marcus) posing at the ranch.....

Ten!!

2011-07-02T13:24:00.003-05:00

Happy 10th Birthday Jenna!!

A few updates.....

2011-06-16T17:28:00.003-05:00

I am excited to announce that after some time off to recover from my broken leg, I will be taking appointments for sessions starting July 1st! Call or email me to schedule your session.
Seniors.....my August calendar is getting full! Schedule your senior session soon!!!

Have you become a fan of Amy Covey Photography on Facebook yet?? Go here and click the "like" button at the top of the page. Be sure to tell your friends, too!!

THANK YOU for being so patient during my recovery!! I can't wait to meet with you and start shooting photos again!!!

-Amy

Aiden | 1 year old

2011-06-13T13:30:00.006-05:00

Aiden is ONE!!!! Aiden is my cousin's little boy and I was so excited when she contacted me to do his one year photos. I can't believe he is already one! He has sure changed a lot since I took their family photos in October. Aiden looks so much like his mom did when she was little....and I am in love with his big blue eyes!!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY AIDEN!!!

Seriously....look at those eyes! They are even amazing in black and white!!

Aiden & Abbie.....

Alex, Aiden, and Abbie......

I was so excited to try a cake smash session with Aiden. At first he was pretty excited, but you can tell by the photo collage below that he quickly changed his mind and wasn't too sure about the cake.

Abram | 3 months

2011-06-13T13:24:00.004-05:00

Abram is 3 months old....and just too cute! His mom and her twin sister brought him to our house a couple weeks ago for his 3 month photos. He has such a fun personality, huge sparkly eyes, and the best hair!

Facebook friends....

2011-06-09T09:54:00.004-05:00

Did you know I have a Facebook page for my photography? I use the Facebook page to share sneak peeks of recent sessions as well as information about my photography. I'd love for you to check it out! If you have a facebook account click here and then click "like" at the top of the page to become a friend of my photography page and see all my latest sneak peek favorites!!! Or search for Amy Covey Photography on facebook!

See you on Facebook!!!

It's here......

2011-06-07T10:11:00.002-05:00

It's the last day of school......bring on Summer Vacation!!!!!
We have lots of places to go, people to see, and things to do....hopefully I won't be spending the whole summer in my knee brace.

photo taken on Memorial Day from my phone while relaxing at our neighbor's pool

PS So thankful for awesome neighbors who share their beautiful pool with us!!!

Cork & Amanda | second shooter

2011-06-01T13:47:00.004-05:00

I am so fortunate to have some amazing photographer friends and occasionally they ask me to be a second shooter with them for a wedding. One of my favorite photographer friends to second shoot with is Nicole. We always have so much fun and I love getting the opportunity to watch her shoot and do her thing. She is truly an amazing wedding photographer.

These photos are from Cork and Amanda's wedding in Churubusco, IN in April. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't very cooperative for their big day and it rained most of the day. I spent a lot of time helping Nicole with umbrellas and plastic so she could still work her magic. You can see her photos from Cork and Amanda's wedding here. Below are a few of the images I captured throughout the day.

Beautiful moment - the bride dancing with her father

The groom and his mother

Sisters

2011-05-26T09:44:00.006-05:00

I love this series of photos I shot of Ella and her sister Kayla and Ella's wedding. I have known these two girls since they were younger and they have always been the very best of friends. These photos just make me smile.....and make me miss my sisters!

And....I get to work with Ella and Kayla again when I photograph Dan & Kayla's wedding in July!!! Can't wait!!!

Jeremy & Ella

2011-05-23T12:52:00.007-05:00

On April 30th, I had the privilege of shooting Jeremy & Ella's wedding. I knew this wedding was going to be amazing....Jeremy and Ella are two of the sweetest people I have ever met and you only have to be around them for a few minutes to see how completely in love with each other they are. I have known Ella since she was in elementary school - she attended the school I teach at as well as the church we attended. She has grown up to be a beaufiul young woman with the most amazing attitude and personality!

My very favorite photo of the day!

We started off at Next so I could take pictures of Ella getting ready. She was absolutely giddy and was so excited about every detail of her day!

Jeremy and the guys......so fun to work with ! They had some fun ideas of their own.....and even treated some of us to an impromptu performance of acapella singing of hymns before photos!

This photo was 100% their idea....and I love it....especially the expression on Jeremy's face!

Ella getting ready......she was absolutely glowing!

The service......this church was just made for weddings! Jeremy and Ella had the most beautiful wedding ceremony I have ever been to. They had thought through every single detail to make their wedding ceremony a Christ-centered celebration of their relationship.

Mr and Mrs Stoller!!

The wedding party.....such a fun group to work with!!

Ella and her girls......these girls had me in tears as the prayed with Ella before the ceremony...

Some of the beautiful details from the day.....

First dance.....Loved that Jeremy sang to Ella the whole time they were dancing!!

CONGRATULATIONS Jeremy and Ella! I can't wait to see what the future holds for both of you!

Temporarily on hold....

2011-05-16T09:55:00.002-05:00

A week ago I injured my knee and broke my tibia. As a result, I am in a knee brace and not allowed to put any weight on my leg for the next 6 weeks. I will not be able to schedule any new photo sessions until mid-June. Thank you for being patient!! I can't wait to be mobile again and start taking pictures!

Campbell

2011-05-03T20:06:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I got to go with my friend Deb to take newborn photos of her great niece, Campbell. Miss Campbell was just too sweet and was the center of attention for our visit and photo session. Her mama had such cute little outfits (and of course girlie hair accessories) picked out for her and we had so much fun dressing her up so I could take pictures. She really was perfect....I could have taken photos of her all day!

THANKS Deb for taking me along to take pictures of Campbell....and CONGRATULATIONS Berner family on the addition of your sweet baby girl!!!

Oh my goodness....this little tutu was just precious!!

Nothing melts my heart more than a sweet little baby yawn.

Campbell with her big brothers Carter and Cason.....LOVE their red, red, hair!!

Campbell

Campbell's nursery was so cute. Erika had picked out the sweetest decor and accents for her baby girl's room!

Getting some love from big brother Carter!

Jeremy & Ella | Engagement

2011-04-28T18:54:00.005-05:00

Earlier this month I spent a sunny Sunday afternoon taking engagement pictures of Jeremy and Ella. These two have the sweetest relationship! It was so fun to spend the afternoon with them and be able to capture a photos of them together. I can't wait until their wedding this weekend!!!

Back at it....

2011-04-25T19:46:00.003-05:00

Most of you know that Jacob broke his ankle pretty severely right before Christmas. It has been a long, slow, frustrating healing process for him with a few setbacks. During Spring Break he was finally cleared for activity....right in time for baseball season. Baseball has always been Jacob's favorite sport and it has become my favorite sport to watch him play. This year he is playing on the Van Wert 7th grade club baseball team and will move on to Pony League this summer. I'm not a huge fan of the cold, windy, rainy spring baseball weather we have in Ohio....but I love being able to watch Jacob finally get back at it and play sports again!

Jacob usually plays 2nd base...

Attempting a diving catch....he almost had it! (It will take me a while before I stop gasping when he does something like this....I'm still so worried about that ankle!!)

Dance

2011-04-09T14:06:00.006-05:00

This is Jenna's 7th year of dance and her 2nd year being a competition dancer. She is taking 3 classes this year, 2 of them are competition dances. Jazz - this is such a cute dance! They dance to "Wake Me Up" and she dances on the bed several times. I am helping out as a team mom this year, so I spend a lot of my time backstage. All of these pictures were taken back stage during their competition in Van Wert last weekend She's the first one to pop up out of bed....

Tap - This year her tap class dresses like little old men/women for their dance. It is such a fun dance! Jenna happens to be a little old man - too cute! They have won judges awards for "most entertaining" at both dance competitions.

She is also taking Contemporary dance this year. This isn't a competition dance, but she got to show off her costume (which happens to be her favorite) this week for dance photos.

2011-04-07T05:49:00.000-05:00

NYC - Soho, China Town, Little Italy, Financial District

2011-03-26T11:51:00.008-05:00

Friday was our last day in the big city. After a quick lunch, we took the subway to Soho. We walked down Spring Street, but didn't take much time to stop at any of the fun boutiques we passed. There were 7 high school girls who had one thing on their mind....finding the DASH store. (DASH is the Kardashian's store and is featured on their latest reality show).

There was a line to get into the store (it's really small), so the girls hopped in line. I ended up going into the store with them just to check it out. The girls were really hoping one of the Kardashian's would be in the store, but no luck.

In the meantime, Chris made friends with the security guy outside the store.

We took some time to browse a few more boutiques and then walked three blocks to ChinaTown. I loved the area between Soho and Chinatown - such neat buildings, a brick paved street, and of course fun fire escapes!

This building was my favorite! I loved all the columns!

A new favorite picture....just not sure if I like it better in color or b&w!

LOVE - brick street, fire escpes, cute street lamps, and fun architecture!

Hmmm....doesn't everyone knit a sweater for their bike???

Chinatown! I was excited to visit ChinaTown again....not just for the knock-off purses, but also to see the culture since I've been tutoring Chinese -English speaking students for the past year and a half.

The purse bartering was totally different this time. Apparently the police cracked down, so we didn't get to visit any hidden rooms or basement hide aways this time. We had to walk a couple blocks off Canal Street and then we found women who had photos of the purses to show us. They would send someone to get the purse while we waited. Unfortunately, most of my waiting was spent right in front of this fresh seafood market. Yuck! The fish was still flopping around on the ice!

Later we waited in front of this market....whole, featherless chickens. Yum!

After all the bartering and bargaining was done, we walked to Little Italy for dinner. I loved this little cannoli stand.

We ate Sofia's and it was amazing! Delicious italian food!!

Our group (minus Chris)..... The view down Mulberry St (Little Italy) with the Empire State Building in the background...

After dinner we walked "about 6 blocks" (as the police man told us....actually it was more like 26 blocks!) to Ground Zero .

The Woolworth Building....

Ground Zero changes so much each time we visit NYC. On my first visit (2002), it was still pretty much a disaster site and they were still clearing away debris piece by piece. Several of the buildings near by still had broken windows and extensive damage. There were still numerous memorials and people paying their respects. Each time it looks less and less like a disaster site and more and more like new construction. For me, it's hard to believe it has almost been 10 years since 9/11. The students with us were only in 1st or 2nd grade when 9/11 happened!

They have started construction on the first tower, which will be the tallest building in the US when it is completed. The 9/11 memorial is set to open in September 2011. Four more towers are also being built. You can see more here.

The new WTC tower 1....

This building was right across the street - I love that they had the huge flag displayed and still pay respects to 9/11....

Tired, but happy shoppers waiting for the subway back to the hotel....

Had to shoot this photo....Chris looked like a homeless man carrying my black bag of ChinaTown purchases and waiting for the subway....

Walking back to the hotel we noticed how big and bright the moon was. One of the chaperones reminded us of the song "When you get caught between the moon and New York City....."

NYC - Nate Berkus Show & a Friday Morning Walk

2011-03-25T10:03:00.007-05:00

Before we went to NYC, I got online and requested tickets to a taping of the Nate Berkus Show. I have always been a fan of his from his Oprah appearances and thought it would be fun to go see a live show taping. The other 2 chaperones and I headed to the CBS studio on Wednesday morning for the show. We started off in a tiny room where they had us sign a release form so we could appear on TV and eventually were lead downstairs to the set. It was much smaller than I thought it would be. We ended up getting seated in the middle section. For the first 30 minutes or so they explained how everything would work and then had us tape various audience "reactions" - a quiet golf clap, a loud enthusiastic clap, our surprised look, our "oh...what a great idea" look, our "I see where you're coming from" look, and lastly an extra excited, tons of clapping, standing ovation. So fun! Nate was a cutie-patootie and seemed so down to earth. We watched approximately 8 segments of the show being taped. We saw a family room makeover, a cheesecake bake off , a cooking segment, a segment with tips from Nate, and a segment of him interviewing the editor of Architectural Digest. During the cheesecake bake off Buddy Valastro - the "Cake Boss" came out as a surprise guest and judged the cheesecakes. He then stayed for a second segment and made his grandmother's lasagna. So fun to see him in person...and we got a Cake Boss DVD and book!! The whole experience was too fun and it was so neat to see a taping of a TV show. Unfortunately, the Nate Berkus show isn't on Ft Wayne or Lima TV stations. My parents get the show on a Cleveland station, so my Mom is going to try to DVR it for us. Our episode isn't set to air for another week or so....I'll be sure to post a message when it's going to air. In the meantime, if you want to check and see where you can watch the Nate Berkus Show check here.

Before the show we were able to snap a few pictures. Unfortunately, we weren't able to take any photos during the show - so no photos of Nate or Buddy. So bumed!! Here is a picture of the set before the show. The section to the left (where the 2 men are standing and talking) was changed for each segment - it was a mock up of a family room, a kitchen, and later a comfy seating area where he did an interview.

One more shot of the set - I loved how all the "off camera" spots were decorated.
On Friday morning I did something I have never done while in NYC....I took a couple hours and walked around the area near our hotel by myself. I did some shopping for the kids (a Jimmy Fallon t-shirt at the NBC store for Jacob and American Girl doll clothes for Jenna). Later I walked back to a restaurant (totally want one in VW!) where Chris and I had eaten a light supper the night before and got another one of their yummy cream sodas (seriously - the best cream soda I've ever had) and then walked around just taking my time and snapping photos.

The view as I stepped outside our hotel. Friday was a gorgeous day - sunny, blue skies, and 70 degrees!

Rockefeller Center....

Photos snapped as I walked down 52nd St.

After I got home and started looking through my pictures, I realized how many fire escape photos I took. In my fantasy life I want to live in NYC in a building with a fire escape.

Chris and I saw this sign the night before when it was all lit up, glowing red...very intimidating. LOL

One of the streets in Hell's Kitchen....tons of different ethnic restaurants. We even saw an Amish Market. When we went in it was all middle eastern people working and they sold alcohol- too funny!

53rd Street ....and more fire escapes!

Loved this random little church in the middle of 5 story buildings on 53rd St. It totally reminded me of a church you'd see in San Antonio, Tx.... View down 8th Ave. ....

I love all the water towers on top of buildings....Graffiti....

NYC - Top of the Rock, St Patricks Day, Statue of Liberty

2011-03-23T14:21:00.007-05:00

On our second night in NYC we went to dinner at one of our favorite places and then took the group to Rockefeller Center so we could go to the Top of the Rock. Chris and 2 of the girls decided not to go up, but the rest of us ventured to the top. It was so clear out and the views were amazing!!

Radio City Music Hall...
View of the Empire State Building from the Top of the Rock....

The bright glowing lights at the bottom of the picture are the lights from Times Square...

The Chrysler Building (hidden by the Met Life building) is gorgeous when it is all lit up...

The view towards Central Park and the Upper East Side...

Another view of the Empire State Building...

Thursday was St. Patrick's Day and NYC celebrates St Patricks Day BIG!!! The other two chaperones and I decided to check out the St Patrick's Day parade on 5th Ave. before getting on the subway to meet everyone at Columbia.

No trip to NYC is complete without seeing a Statue of Liberty impersonator...

St Patrick's Cathedral....

We couldn't see much of the parade - the crowd was HUGE and everyone was in full-celebration mode. I did manage to snap a few quick pics of the parade as it went down 5th Ave. in front of St Patrick's Cathedral....

With the parade going on (it lasts from 11am-5pm) just a street away from our hotel, we decided to spend the day at the lower end of Manhattan. We ate lunch near Columbia and then headed to Battery Park to board the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. The tickets for pedestal and crown access were sold out (THANK goodness! I could never have climbed over 200 stairs on the narrow spiral staircase all the way to the crown. YIKES!), but we were still able to go to the island and walk around. It was a gorgeous day - perfect for taking photos!!

View of lower Manhattan from the island...

NYC - Central Park & Times Square

2011-03-22T21:50:00.005-05:00

Last week Chris and I spent 5 days in NYC with students from his HS journalism class. The students spend half of the day going to seminars at Columbia University and the other half of the day site seeing in NYC. This was my 7th trip to NYC since first visiting there 8 years ago. I am definitely hooked!

The view out my window on the plane...

I could spend a whole day just taking photos of all the different signs in NYC...

We visited Central Park on Wednesday. It is definitely one of my favorite places to visit. Someday I will see the rest of the park (I think I've seen a little over half of it)...

Crocuses blooming in Central Park....

Bethesda Fountain Tunnel (previously home of Thoth and Pink Angel's prayformance. Sadly, they have moved on to LA, so we didn't see them this time.)....

One of my favorite things about NYC is all the randomness you see. This was a Michael Jackson impersonator performing at the entrance of a theater on 42ndStreet.

Times Squre - love the lights, all the chaos, and the energy!!

Speaking of randomness....this is the Naked Cowboy who performs in Times Square. I think I have seen him on every visit to NYC.
Jumbo-tron in Times Squre. If you look right below the yellow arrow (to the right of the "2") you can see Chris. He has a red coat on and has his hands up in the air. We are all standing in a group right below him.

William | 5 months old

2011-03-04T12:45:00.005-05:00

William is the brother of one of my ESL students. You may remember that we were invited to celebrate his one month birthday with his family and friends back in October. I visit with their family each week as I drop Amy off from after school tutoring and recently his mom asked if I would take some more photos of him so she can send them to China.

I am amazed by what a good baby William is. He rarely cries and is content to just lay in his crib and watch everything around him. While typical Americans spend lots of money on all the baby "must haves" - toys, mobiles, bouncy seats, baby gyms, swings, exersaucers, bumbo seats, etc, William is content with what he has - a few hand me downs and some garage sale finds. His family is much more simple than the typical American family - including mine - but they are so content. It's definitely a humbling experience each time I step into their small 4 room apartment. I am also amazed how William's mom can swaddle him in blankets and lie him down in his pack-n-play without a peep from William. I've also walked up to his crib to find him lying there bright eyed and awake without making a sound. I definitely needed some lessons from his mom when I was learning to let my babies "cry it out" each night. UGH! I have also seen Williams mom trying to potty train him already. I know...I was shocked....but after reading some things online found out that it is very, very common for them to be potty trained before they are a year old. It's been so interesting learning about the Chinese culture from this family, and this is just another part of that.

William is usually so smiley, but on the day I took his photos he was too interested in my camera to give me many smiles. I still think he is about the cutest thing I've ever seen. Just look at those big dark eyes, those cheeks, and that sweet little mouth.

If you look back at the pictures from his one month celebration, he is wearing this same hat. The Chinese writing says "Good Boy"

No...this was not a prop. That is one of the few "toys" William owns.

His grandmother in China knit this hat for him and Mom wanted to be sure to include it in the pictures!

Dance Competition Season....

2011-02-27T17:15:00.005-05:00

Saturday was Jenna's first dance competition for this season. She has been so excited for competitions to start up again! This year she is only competing in tap and jazz. She also is dancing in contemporary, but it's a non- competition class. She decided to do less dance classes this year and give gymnastics team a try...but she is finding that she really misses the dance classes she took a break from this year!

Her dance makeup....

For jazz they perform to "Wake Me Up" and their costume is the cutest pj's! Her tap routine is really fun too, but they can't perform tap at this competition since they dance on a gym floor.

Warming up in the hall before competition time....

Waiting for their turn to dance....

Jenna is the first one to "wake up"....so cute!! Later she comes back to the bed and dances on it.

All finished performing and ready to go watch the other dancers. She did an awesome job. She has improved even more this year and is so fun to watch. Dancing is definitely her thing!!

Grandpa with the trains....

2011-02-16T20:05:00.003-05:00

My dad has been a fan of trains since he was a little boy. I don't know the whole story of how it started, but I know he had a train set when he was little. For as long as I can remember there has been a train layout in my parents' basement. This isn't just any train layout....it's double decker with buildings, lights, tunnels, mountains, billboards, and little people. No one ever runs the trains except my dad....and it is the entertainment for family when they come over - especially the little kids.

When Jacob was little he was obsessed with Grandpa's trains. When my Mom was staying with us after Jacob was born, my Dad went and bought a new "It's a Boy!" train car to add to his train set (and for each grandchild that followed). I have pictures of my Dad showing Jacob the train set going around their Christmas tree when Jacob was only 6 months old. When I mentioned we were going to Grandma and Grandpa's house, Jacob would always say " Which Grandpa? Grandpa with the trains or the other Grandpa?" Jacob would stand at the basement door crying for the trains when it was time to leave after a visit to my parents. Grandpa (and Grandma) came with us when we took Jacob to ride Thomas the Train and the Polar Express. And Jacob got to ride along on a train engine with Grandpa when my sisters and I got him "engineer for an hour" lessons for his retirement gift. Of course Grandpa bought Jacob a train set of his own too!

I know my sisters and I didn't always appreciate the trains when we were growing up (that's what happens when you have 3 girls and no boys). I honestly didn't even know anyone else who had a huge train layout in their basement. But, I have such great memories of the trains ....and now so do my kids!

photos taken in October as my Dad was running the trains for my cousins' kids at my Grandma's birthday party

Beam my valentine....

2011-02-14T11:52:00.004-05:00

On Saturday Jenna competed in the "Beam My Valentine" gymnastics meet in Huber Heights. This was her best meet yet. She really needed a good meet to help boost her confidence and get her excited about gymnastics again - she's been really struggling with it.

We rode with Jenna's BFF Savannah and her mom, Nikki. Nikki surprised the girls with Flip Tuck flip flops (say that 3x fast!) and matching hair ribbons. Too cute!!
Jenna and Savannah....

Jenna and some of the level 5 girls hanging out before the meet....

Getting instructions from Coach Monica....

The Flip Tuck Level 3 and 5 girls (Level 4 competed earlier that day)....

Jenna did really well on beam on Saturday. She got her first "9" - a 9.05 on beam! She was so excited!!

Warming up on beam....

Last minute advice from Coach Monica. ....

Showing off her ribbons and medals! She ended up getting 3rd on vault and floor, 4th on beam, 5th on bars and 4th all around for level 3 in her age group. She had some really good gymnasts in her group and did a great job!

When life gives you snow....take lots of pictures!

2011-02-12T12:32:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday we got an unexpected day of snow. It literally snowed all day from 8am until about 4pm. It was so pretty - big, fluffy white flakes falling from the sky all day. I was a little disappointed that it caused me to cancel my trip to Ft Wayne, but I decided that when life gives you snow...you should just take lots of pictures!

Announcements...

2011-02-07T20:47:00.007-05:00

I have a new website! My website has samples of my photography, information about me and my sessions, contact information , and pricing. Be sure to check it out.....and pass the link on to your family and friends!! www.amycoveyphotography.com

*Please note I will still be updating this blog with photo session sneak peeks and information!

THINK SPRING! It's time to look at your calendars and book your spring photo session. Spring is (hopefully) just around the corner and my calendar will be filling up quickly!

Class of 2012..... It is not too early to be thinking about your senior photos!! Contact me for more information or to book your session!

Beauty in the snow....

2011-02-03T19:51:00.003-05:00

Just a couple snow pictures taken after last week's snowstorm.
I love how the sun setting on the snow covered, wind blown fields looked like the sun setting over the ocean. Ahhhh....wishful thinking!!

We got 6 more inches of snow yesterday....which means more snow pictures to share in another post!!

Snow days!!

2011-02-02T18:49:00.009-05:00

We've been home for the past two days due to a snow storm. It's been cold, windy, and snowy (with a little sleet mixed in) so we haven't gone anywhere. Just lots of family time together and trying to keep warm!

Jenna went outside to play between "round 1" (Monday night) and "round 2" (Tuesday afternoon/evening) of the storm while Chris worked to clear the driveway.

Look Brenda and Jill.....no more Cowboys coat and camoflauge pants. He has graduated to coveralls now (and our neighbor's snowblower b/c ours decided not to work - ugh!).

Jenna wanted Chris to "make it snow" on her with the snow blower....

Warming up inside and making chocolate chip cookies (THANKS to our neighbors for a cookie mix in a jar Christmas gift!!)....

Family game time after a comfort-food dinner (beef and noodles and mashed potatoes - YUM!)

More snow and wind this morning.....

Neighborhood snow-blowers meeting......

By this afternoon Jacob was going a little stir crazy indoors.....so I improvised and created a "boot protector" so he could go out in the snow for a little while.

94

2011-01-30T17:08:00.003-05:00

I'm a little (okay...a lot) late blogging these, but I wanted to be sure I shared them! My Grandma D. turned 94 in October and our family (minus a a few who couldn't be there) got together at my parents' house to help her celebrate.

LOVE these photos of her with her cake!!

Leslie | Senior

2011-01-22T11:53:00.005-05:00

Leslie already had one session of her senior pictures done this fall, but she asked me to do some photos to showcase her sports and her love of Superman! We met up during Christmas break at a photographer friend's studio and then later went to a funky location I recently discovered to do a few more pictures.

Studio photography is not something I usually offer. I am an on-location, natural light photographer. But occasionally I have someone ask for studio photos and am very fortunate to have great photographer friends who let me rent their studio for the session!

And a little different feel in a fun new location!

I really am so excited I found this spot!! It's on the third floor of one of the buildings in town and has some really great details - brick walls, old fixtures, great windows with lots of light, and peeling paint on the walls. I really would love to do anotherphoto session here with kind of a funky, urban feel to it. Any volunteers???

Lauren | Senior

2011-01-22T11:46:00.004-05:00

If you follow my blog, you may have already know that when Chris' cousin Lauren asked me to do her senior pictures she wanted summer, fall, and winter photos. With two of those sessions already done, we finished up and did a quick winter session on Christmas Day. This year we had Christmas at Chris' aunt and uncle's house. Their house and property is a great photo spot - especially with a little snow added in!!

I'm not sure how many photos I actually took of Lauren over these three sessions, but this one is up there for one of my favorites!!!!

Josh & Ashley {12.11.10}

2011-01-19T14:24:00.006-05:00

I have found that one of the dangers of wedding photography for me is that I end up getting too attached to the couple and just don't want the wedding to end. That was definitely true for Josh and Ashley. I had so much fun doing their engagement photos in September and just new their wedding was going to be so much fun.

Ashley had to make a quick little stop on the morning of her wedding....in between getting her hair and make up done, she had to run to the BMV to renew her license since her birthday was the following week. Love it Ashley - definitely one of my favorite photos of the day!

Love the look on Josh's face, as well as his brother and her brother. They are all so happy!

One of my favorite moments of the day - so sweet!

Mr. and Mrs. Warren!!

Ready to board the "party bus" before the reception...

The girls....all gorgeous and wearing some amazing shoes...

The guys...who were definitely the most easy to work with group of guys I have ever photographed at a wedding!....

My absolute favorite photo of the whole day - I love first dances at weddings. Totally loved their song, too!

Just a few details from the day....

I ♥ Ashley and Josh, too! (This fabulous bridesmaid happens to be my cousin Kelly. THANKS so much for recommending my photography to Ashley and Josh!)
CONGRATULATIONS Josh & Ashley!!! THANKS so much for letting me capture photos of your special day!!

Christmas Morning 2010

2011-01-17T13:16:00.005-05:00

Christmas for us was very laid back this year. We were not able to get together with all of my family at once. My parents came to visit before Christmas on their way to Texas. Unfortunatley, I have no pictures of that - probably because we opened gifts at 10:30 at night and were all a little bit tired! Christmas Eve was a little different for us this year. We began going to a new church this past year and absolutely love it. They do not have the traditional Christmas Eve service though. We decided to come up with our own little tradition though - dinner together, followed by some devotion/scripture time as a family, and then movie time together. It was so nice to just spend time together as a family.

Christmas morning was spent with just the four of us - unwrapping gifts from Santa and each other.

Apparently Ernie had an accident similar to Jacob's....we found him with a cast on and his leg propped on a pillow a few days before Christmas. :)

Traditional Christmas morning picture...

Jenna's biggest request from Santa this year was a pink digital camera....

Jenna knitted all of us scarves for Christmas (with a little help from Grandma C.).... Jacob's biggest request this year were Xbox games and an airsoft gun...

Since we didn't have to be anywhere until early afternoon, we were able to spend lots of time relaxing and playing with our gifts!

Jenna got this book from Scott, Brenda, Marcus, Carsyna and Payton and absolutely LOVES it!

Family photo....not sure why I had us pose in front of the tree....you can't even see it! HA!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-17T12:57:00.006-05:00

We spent Christmas day at Bob and Celesta's house celebrating Christmas with Chris' family. It was the perfect day - family, lots of good food, gifts, and visiting.

Jenna and Lauren - the zebra girls.... Megan and Chris' mom...

Jenna with her new camera!

Jacob and Becca....

Uncle Bob got creative while signing Jacob's cast!

The gifts....LOTS of them!! Chris...

Lauren and Megan...

Jacob....

Someone is awfully excited about her present....

That's because it was an iPad from all of us!!

Chris' parents.... Megan and Jenna....

Ryan playing with Becca's new "toy"...

Julie and Lauren.... Jenna and Rylee (Bob and Celesta's dog)....

Rylee...

Trying out Lauren's bright pink high heels....

Some updates from our house....

2011-01-12T20:50:00.002-05:00

As you can tell from the previous posts, I had a rush of photography sessions in November and December. I loved being busy taking photos and editting! I am almost caught up on posting peeks of each of those sessions here on my blog. I still have a few more to go - 2 senior sessions and a wedding - and then I will be caught up with photography sessions.
It has been forever since I posted any personal photos. I have lots of Christmas photos to share, too. So keep checking back here!
Jacob is slowly recovering from his broken ankle. Today he went back to the orthopedic dr for another appointment. He got his cast off again, got xrays taken again, and got another cast put on (this is cast #4 counting the temporary one the ER put on). The good news is that this one is a walking cast! Starting today he can slowly start to put some pressure on his cast and start walking on it with the help of crutches. YAY! Next week he goes back to have that cast taken off, more xrays taken, and hopefully get a boot instead of another cast. He still has a long way to go....but the healing has started!
Our Christmas was great! We didn't have to travel far this year, which meant we got lots of time at home to just relax. I promise....pictures are coming!
It's always so hard to get back into a routine again after Christmas break. There was lots of laying around (using my new snuggie. LOVE it), sleeping in, staying up late, and basically having no schedule. Hopefully a few 2 hour delays for snow here and there will help pass the time until Spring Break.
Since going back to school, our schedule has been full of basektball practices and games, dance classes, and gymnastics. It's no wonder I'm always ready to go to bed so early each night!
My new favorite spot for the cold nights is wrapped in my zebra print snuggie sitting in front of the fireplace. Heaven!! In fact....I'm headed there right now!!

Abigail | 2 months old

2011-01-05T21:13:00.005-05:00

This session had to be rescheduled several times due to bad weather, sickness, and Jacob's broken ankle....but we were finally able to get together so I could photograph this sweet baby girl. She was wide awake when we started, but she was completely asleep by the time we finished. She really was just too sweet....even if she didn't give me any of those smiles her mom was hoping for!

Cade, Gage, & Dane

2011-01-05T21:09:00.004-05:00

These three boys happen to be some of my absolute favorite kids. I have known them since the day they were born and we have spent lots of family time together with their family. In early December we headed out in the cold (are you seeing a pattern here???) for a quick Christmas card photo session.

Foster Family

2011-01-05T21:02:00.006-05:00

This was another session on a cold, cold December day....but the Foster family braved the cold for some family photos with me. We started at Central to take some Christmas photos and then headed out into the cold for some less formal pictures.

I've shot in this location way too many times....but I love the look the snow gave it!

Royer Family

2011-01-05T20:25:00.004-05:00

Sara is one of my closest friends. We also teach together. I was excited when she asked me to take family pictures for her.....especially when she suggested an awesome location. Unfortunately we picked one of the coldest days in December - especially for outdoor photos! Brrr!!

Definitely my favorite!!!

After we did some family photos, we headed to Sara's parents' house to take their annual "cousins" photo for Christmas.

There was a perfect light snow falling, so we headed back outside for a quick Christmasy feeling photo. Love the snowflakes!!

THANKS for such a fun day!! I always miss my family at Christmas and it meant a lot that you let us be a part of your family for a few hours.

Aadi | 18 months

2011-01-05T19:56:00.005-05:00

Miss Aadi is another return baby. ....I took her 1 year photos in the summer and recently took photos when she turned 18 months old. Being an "on location" photographer without a studio can be tricky during the cold months, so I was beyond excited when Aadi's Mom suggested a location and contacted them to get the "ok". She picked the library because of Aadi's love of books !

Charley | 1 year old

2011-01-05T19:39:00.005-05:00

I first photographed Charley when he was 6 months old and I was so excited when his Mom asked me to take his 1 year photos. I love being asked to photograph babies again as they grow older and to document the milestones in their lives. Charley was so fun to be around and I fell in love with his big brown eyes!!

Season Ender....

2010-12-18T21:22:00.003-05:00

Jacob's goal all year has been to make the 7th grade basketball team....and he was so excited when he found out that he made it. He knew that his playing time would be limited, but he was so excited to be a part of the team and was looking forward to the opportunity to improve. Unfortunately, his basketball season ended on Wednesday night. During a drill during practice, another player came down on his ankle, resulting in breaks in 2 different spots on his right ankle.
He got a temporary splint at the ER on Wednesday, and the following day had a hard cast put on at his orthopedic doctor appointment. He has been in a lot of pain and has been pretty down about not being able to play basketball. The last few days have been pretty rough and I'm hoping his pain level starts to improve soon. It's not easy to watch your child suffer and not be able to do anything about it.

Please keep Jacob in your thoughts and prayers. He has another ortho appointment on Wednesday to get more x-rays. At that point we will find out if he has to have surgery or not. He is trying to deal with the pain as well as low energy and the "why me" questions. He knows this is going to be a slow recovery process and I'm hoping he can remain patient and try to keep a positive attitude.

Showing off his "get well gifts" - a new VW basketball sweatshirt from Coach Froelich and Coach Bagley and a bell (to call me when he needs me) from Grandpa Covey. I'm a fan of the sweatshirt....not so sure about the bell though!

Showing off signatures from his 7th grade basketball team and other family and friends...

Suzuki Family

2010-12-13T18:23:00.003-05:00

The Suzuki family is one of my favorite families to photograph (and yes...they are related to the family in the previous post. Ty and Matt are brothers). I have been taking photos of Meah since she was teeny-tiny and then started taking photos of her baby brother, Cohen when he was born last fall. I always have so much fun taking pictures of them...and this time was no different. Tami suggested we take photos at the farm where her dad grew up. I instantly fell in love with the location and all the fun spots we could use. The temperature was a little colder than we would have liked...but after rescheduling twice (once for a tornado warning!!), we toughed it out and got some great photos!!

I love taking photos of Meah. She has the best little personality and is always dressed too cute! She talks a mile a minute and always has lots to share with me!

Cohen has grown so much since our session last spring. He did a great job considering how cold it was!

This photo reminds me of one I took of Meah when she was about this age.

This "pose" was all Meah's idea....and I LOVE how it turned out!

Suzuki Family

2010-12-13T18:01:00.006-05:00

I have photographed the Suzuki kids a couple times, but this time I got to take photos of the whole family. Cindy asked if I would be willing to meet at their home in Rockford and then drive to a covered bridge in Indiana. Of course I said yes!! I love when clients suggest locations - especially awesome ones like this covered bridge. We had to reschedule due to nasty weather and a tornado warning - but we finally got a beautiful fall evening for our session!

They have 3 kids - Taylor, Ian and Kade. They were so much fun ....which made my job pretty easy!

Pittner Family | Family Photography

2010-11-29T21:35:00.004-05:00

I love when I can combine a trip home to visit my parents with a photo session....especially when it's with the Pittner family. I have photographed them several times before, and I think the boys just get cuter and cuter each time. Last time I took photos of them, Benjamin was just a little baby - but this time he was toddling around and ready to go!

THANKS Pittner family for taking time out of your busy Saturday to meet me for photos. It's always so fun to take pictures of your family and see your cute boys again!

Fleming Family | Van Wert Photography

2010-11-29T21:18:00.004-05:00

OH - IO!!
In October I met the Fleming family - all decked out in scarlet and grey - for family photos. I couldn't have asked for better weather....or a better family to photograph. THANKS Fleming family for asking me to photograph your family!!

I loved the kids take on the OHIO pose - perfect!!

Metzger Family

2010-11-20T20:56:00.005-05:00

On Halloween weekend I photographed the Metzger family. They live in Cincinnati, and we had scheduled a photo session for that weekend with hopes of a sunny, fall day. Unfortunately, the weather was not real cooperative and we ended up with a cold, windy morning for a photo session. It took a little while for Adelyn and Renee to get comfortable with me....but once they did they were all smiles and bright eyes! I know they had some cute outfits on under their coats, hats, and mittens that I never got to see...but I really loved the how the photos of them all bundled up turned out!

THANKS Metzger family for coming to Van Wert and braving the weather for your photos. Next time we'll have to schedule a summer session!!

Bolton Family

2010-11-18T19:25:00.006-05:00

Meet the Bolton Family! I took photos of Shay and Riley last year on a very cold and dreary day. This year was much warmer and sunnier when we met up for family photos. We started with a few photos of the four of them together, and then focused on the kids. Riley wasn't too sure he wanted his photo taken...but he ended up doing a great job. Shay is truly a photographer's dream. She is all about pictures and posing and is so easy to work with.

Full Moon Celebration

2010-11-15T19:57:00.006-05:00

For the past year I have worked with three ESL (english as a second language) students at my school. Two are Chinese and the other is Hispanic. I love working with them and as a result have become very close to them, especially the 2 Chinese students - Andy and Amy. Over the past year I have also gotten to know their families very well through the process of tutoring and helping with homework (I also tutor an older cousin of one of the students). I have helped their families by teaching them English and helping them translate mail, etc. , but I think the part I love the most is everything they have taught me. While I still do not know much Chinese, I have learned so much about their culture and traditions.

In September, Dan Jin (Amy's mother) had a baby boy. I was able to take Amy and her sister to the hospital for the first time to see their baby brother and make sure I peek at him each time I bring Amy home from tutoring. At the end of October, they invited my family to join them for the "full moon celebration" for their baby boy, William.

I learned that the first month after childbirth, the mother is not to leave her home. Many of the things I read even said she is not supposed to leave her room (each time I visited, Dan Jin was in her room). In addition, she has certain foods she is supposed to eat. She also is not supposed to touch water during this month. Amy told me that her mom can not drink water, wash her hair, brush her teeth, or take a bath. You can read more about the post-childbirth tradition here.

When the baby turns one month old, the family has a "full moon celebration", which is essentially a "coming out" party for both the baby and the mother (they believe baby showers before the baby is born are bad luck). Amy's family held this celebration at the restaurant. Jacob, Jenna and I all went and soaked up the culture of our friends. The amount of food they prepared and served was at least double what a traditional Thanksgiving meal is for my family. I went to the party ready to try new foods, but quickly changed my mind! The menu consisted of:

quail, pork/potates, soup w/dumplings and boiled eggs, scallops, crab & lobster (neither one prepared as we would), whole fish, beef stomach, tofu, sweet sticky rice, another soup with noodles - mushrooms - crab claws - and balls of fish meat, and coconut milk to drink. Later for dessert we had a sweet milk mixture with some type of berries (it tasted similar to warm tapioca pudding). They quickly gave the American guest forks instead of chopsticks and water instead of coconut milk. I tried the quail, pork/potatoes, noodles, soup, sticky rice and the dessert.

Baby William - one month old :

The table we sat at during the party. I tried to label each of the foods (more food was brought to the table after I took this photo):

Jenna trying to use the chopsticks to eat noodles from the soup (she wouldn't touch the soup - only the noodles!):

Amy eating the "dessert"

Jenna and Amy....

I am so thankful to be working with these families and to learn more about their culture. It has been an amazing experience for both me and my family!!

Kuhlman Family

2010-11-08T20:18:00.005-05:00

The Kuhlman family met me on a gorgeous fall day in Pandora to take photos of their family. They were such a fun family and so easy to work with. Melissa has been best friends with my cousin for as long as I can remember and it was fun to see her again and meet her family.

THANKS Kuhlman family!!

Lauren | Senior

2010-10-31T20:08:00.003-05:00

Lauren is Chris' cousin...and I can't believe she is a senior in high school! I took round 1 of her senior pictures in Van Wert in August and travelled to North Manchester, Indiana in October to take round 2. We are hoping for a white Christmas so we can take one more round of pictures in the snow!

Like our first session, Lauren had the spots all planned out for us. I loved being in a different city and getting to shoot in some new locations! We started at the park across the street from her house and later went to a covered bridge in town.

Jayden | 1 Year Old

2010-10-26T18:54:00.002-05:00

Last year I got to photograph Jayden was he was only 2 weeks old. I was so excited when Sarah asked me to take his 1 year photos. I love being able to see how much those tiny babies have changed from just a few weeks old to a walking, talking little one year old. HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY JAYDEN!!!

LOVE this photo - it brings back so many memories of my kids learning to walk!

We also took some family photos while I was there. Sarah had the idea to go to a school with a more traditional playground - I love the photos we got while we were there!

Ava | 3 years old

2010-10-16T14:14:00.004-05:00

Little Miss Ava recently turned 3 and is just too cute! She told me story after story during the time I spent with her and loved having her picture taken! Don't you just love her curls and her cute little smile??

Howie & Deb | Family Pictures

2010-10-11T19:34:00.004-05:00

My cousin Deb asked me to take family photos for her again this fall. This time we decided to take photos in Columbus in a few locations they had scouted out ahead of time. The family has 2 new additions - Abbie's baby boy Aiden and her boyfriend Alex. We started off near Howie's house. Even Zorro got to be in the family photo!

Abbie, Alex, and baby Aiden

Ava, Alex, Abbie, Aiden, and Alex (quite a confusing photo shoot with all those A names...especially when you threw in "Amy" the photographer!)....

Deb, Alex, Abbie, and Aiden...

Then we went to Alum Creek State Park and later to a nature preserve. I loved shooting in spots I had never been to before!

Howie and Deb....

Howie and Miss Ava...

Alex, Abbie, and Aiden....

A new favorite....

2010-10-07T18:56:00.002-05:00

A new favorite photo taken at the apple orchard ....made even more perfect with a vintage action and some texture.

HAPPY FALL!

Josh & Ashley

2010-09-22T19:21:00.006-05:00

Josh and Ashley are such a cute couple! I took their engagement photos over Labor Day weekend and had so much fun with them. I seriously don't think there was a bad photo in the whole bunch!! I can't wait to photograph their wedding in Decemeber!!

Cross Country

2010-09-19T10:16:00.004-05:00

Jacob is on the 7th grade Cross Country team this year. He originally decided to participate in Cross Country to stay in shape for basketball this winter. His team has done really well and has finished first in all but one meet so far this year.

His first meet was at Wayne Trace, where is was way too hot - but he did his best, kept running and finished the race!

The second meet was in Columbus Grove and was so much cooler! He improved his time by almost a minute from the first to the second meet!

Crestview was their fourth meet (Tiffin was their third - and he improved his time by another 40+ seconds!). He continued to run at about the same pace, and although he didn't improve his time, he only added a couple seconds.

His goal is to be under 17 minutes, which means he will have improved from his first meet time by 2 minutes. This weekend he ran in Ottawa (no pictures this week) and looked really good. Chris ran all over the course encouraging him and Jenna and I were near the finish line cheering him on. He was so close and ended up with an official time of 17:09 (although we think the time is off by a couple seconds - his coach even thought it was a little lower). He's so close to his goal and we are so proud of how hard he has worked!

Scheduling....

2010-09-15T19:23:00.003-05:00

If you are thinking about contacting me for a photo session for your children or family, please contact me soon! My calendar for the rest of September is full and October is quickly filling up!! I am thankful for all the photo sessions I've had lately and can't wait for more!!

Bragg Family

2010-09-15T18:48:00.006-05:00

One of the things I like the most about taking pictures is meeting new families. The Bragg family contacted me to take family photos as well as some photos of the kids. We took pictures at their home, which was the perfect location for pictures. Large group photos aren't always the easiest, especially when little kids are a part of the mix...but the Bragg family was so laid back and fun to work with...which made my job really easy!

Addison just started kindergarten. She was an absolute sweetheart and loved getting her picture taken.

Love this Daddy/Addison moment....Dad actually requested this photo because they have a similar photo from when Addison was younger.

Miss Jayden is three and full of energy. I had to snap pictures fast with her!

Jayden's baby brother Sheperd is 3 months old. He was just too cute, but wasn't too excited about having his picture taken....especially outside when it was so hot!

THANKS Bragg family for asking me to capture photos of your family!!

Lilly | 3 years old

2010-09-11T07:29:00.003-05:00

Lilly is back....and this year she is THREE! She was full of energy and so much fun to photograph. I just love her big blue eyes and those curls...and of course all the fun facial expressions and poses she gave me.

Landyn {3 years old}

2010-09-08T11:36:00.004-05:00

I knew as soon as Landyn stepped out of the car with his Aerosmith t-shirt on and his huge brown eyes that this was going to be a fun photo session. Landyn just turned 3....and he was full of smiles and energy. He was the perfect little model, which made my job way too easy!!

His mom wanted a few of the two of them....he was so cute cuddling up with her!

Lauren | Senior

2010-09-04T16:13:00.003-05:00

I was a little in shock when I was asked to take Lauren's senior pictures. Not because she asked me....but because she shouldn't be old enough to have senior pictures done! Lauren is Chris' cousin and we have watched her grow up from a tag along little toddler to a beautiful young woman. She decided to come to Van Wert for round 1 of her senior pictures (be sure to watch for round 2 this fall!).

Emily | Van Wert Senior

2010-09-01T19:45:00.004-05:00

Emily is a senior at Van Wert. Emily's senior photo session was so laid back - she is such a sweet girl and I loved getting to know her! She was a great model and truly didn't take a bad picture! We started at her aunt & uncle's farm and took pictures with "her" tractor, then went to two other locations including another aunt & uncle's house. THANKS so much for asking me to take your senior photos Emily. Good luck....and enjoy your senior year!!

Jamaica

2010-08-29T12:22:00.006-05:00

Just a few of my favorite photos from our Jamaica trip (I'll save the other 175 photos for another time!). The trip was amazing and so relaxing. I would go again in a heartbeat!

We stayed at Couples Tower Isle in Ocho Rios. This photo shows Tower Isle. We never visited the island though...it's an "au natural" island and you can only go if you are going to fully participate.

Happy vacationers!!!
View of the resort from the glass bottom boat tour.

View of the Caribbean Sea taken during our horseback riding excursion

The view from our balcony. I loved waking up to this view every morning!

Still here...

2010-08-25T17:37:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I have updated. I'm still here....just playing catch up!

-Jamaica was amazing. Seriously - I was spoiled for a week. I have lots of photos to share someday.
-The week after our trip should have been spent getting ready for school. I managed to squeeze in a few hours to get my classroom ready, but most of our week was spent enjoying the sun at our neighbor's pool.
-I had FIVE photo sessions last week - 2 senior sessions, 2 different 3 year olds, and a family shoot. I loved every minute of it and wish I could be that busy with photo sessions all the time!
-Four out of the five sessions are editted....one more to go. Not bad - less than a week turn around time!
-School started today. I can't believe my kids are in 7th and 3rd grade. I wish they would stop growing up!!! (photos coming soon!)
-I came home and took an hour long nap. Guess I haven't adjusted to getting up early yet.
-Check out Cartwheels today - I have 3 different things being featured there today ( a photo of the day, a project, and an organization article). It kind of makes me feel like a mini-celebrity.

I'm off to do my homework - lots of school forms to fill out for Jacob and Jenna!