Zoom Lens For Sale!

Sold!

I'm selling my Tamron (for Canon) 28-75mm 2.8 zoom lens. It is a fabulous, fabulous lens that is tack sharp and in perfect condition. It comes in the original box with a UV filter. I've had it for about a year and a half. It retails at about $400 and I'm asking $300 shipped (if necessary). You can email me at gross.marie@gmail.com if you're interested.

Oh, and if you'd like to see pictures I've taken with this lens, you can find them here.

Hope you all are having a happy weekend!

The Sweet on Crazy

Magnolia is nearly 10 months old, so I thought I better get her nine month pictures up. She's the most delightful thing, and I could stay here in babyland for a lot longer than she is going to allow. She's crawling everywhere and is so anxious to walk. Every milestone is a big deal around here.

"Mom! Magnolia can pick her nose all by herself!"

Fantastic, I know.

Today was one of those crazy days. I got the crew all buckled in to take Maggie to dance class. We were even running early. I don't think we've ever arrived on time, so I was excited. But I couldn't start the car...because of a dead battery...because of little ones who like to play with the lights. I was ready to give up and unpack everyone, but Maggie starts bawling really, really sad tears because she loves her dance class. It's one of the highlights of her week, so I mustered up some courage and asked the neighbor (again) to give us a jump start. At least I had my own jumper cables this time!

We arrived way late to dance, and when we do get there, I discover Magson is sporting just his socks. I'm embarrassed that this happens all the time. Shoes, kid! You need shoes!

I ended my day by locking us all out of the house...with the straps of my purse stuck in the door...

But looking at these pictures tonight has definitely put the sweet on crazy.

Cole and Annabelle

I got to meet my brand new niece and nephew last week. They are so beautiful and sweet! I kept wondering what they thought of their Aunt Marie who kept getting close with her big black contraption that made loud clicking noises. They didn't seem to mind, which is a good thing because there are countless photoshoots in their future. :)

Emma Grace

Ten Things About this Gorgeous Baby Girl:

1. She is the youngest of five with two brothers and two sisters. You can see them here.

2. Her nursery is pink and brown.

3. Her mom is a really good friend of mine, who I just love! She has difficult pregnancies and suffers a lot of discomfort and pain during them, but here she is with her fifth beauty. You are amazing, Court!

4. Her dad was so happy to kiss on and snuggle her. I love it when men are comfortable loving on their babies in front of the camera.

5. She has tons of hair just like her oldest sister did, and they think she's got Chloe's cute nose.

6. Grace is after her Grandmother.

7. She's proving to be a good sleeper already!

8. Her mom made her all the cute purple accessories. I loved the variety!

9. She has amazing hair! Not only does she have hair, but it's this rich and beautiful brown, a shade that I personally have never seen on a newborn baby.

10. I loved every minute with her!

Pixie Dust

Over Christmas Lissie and I decided we wanted to write a song together about my kids--I'd write the lyrics and she'd head up the music. So, I finally finished putting together lyrics this week and then in like two days she came back with THIS:

Isn't she incredible? I've cried now three times over this song...



I stand back and sigh at the torrent of toys
That keep cluttering our living room floor,
Scoot it aside, plop down in the middle of the mess.
My kids' make believe-play is the background noise.

I flip through the pages of a magazine,
Inside its cover, I see picture perfect things--
Everything put together and pretty.
I imagine myself in one of those scenes.

But he says: “I wanna hold you” as his arms reach up to me
She says my baby girl “is the cutest piece of pixie dust in the whole world”
And I say “I wanna story book my babies' childhoods,
So that someday, it'll all come back to me”

Legs crossed, chin in hand, I look over at them,
I smile as she mimics me on her fancy phone,
He claps a hand to his ear and answers big sis,
Both unconscious of their flawless beauty.

My baby's dimpled hands crawl to me,
I lift her high, see her bright eyes so happy,
She squeals with laughter as I gobble her chin,
And my life lights up with love, pure love.

Cuz he says: “I wanna hold you” as his arms reach up to me,
She says my baby girl “is the cutest piece of pixie dust in the whole world”
And I say “I wanna storybook my babies' childhoods,
So that someday, it'll all come back to me.”

Fingerprints on the walls,
Crumbs all over the floor,
Laundry pile so tall,
I think I might fall over.
Way too often am I,
Overwhelmed by this life,
Yes, their scribbles have made it
Into these pages.

But oh so soon, I'll ache for little hands,
I'll miss reading bedtime stories and watching them sleep,
I'll miss the patter of their little steps,
Or the feeling of them tugging on my jeans.

Love how he says: “I wanna hold you” as his arms reach up to me,
She says my baby girl “is the cutest piece of pixie dust in the whole world”
And I say “I wanna storybook my babies' childhoods,
So that someday, it'll all come back to me.”

I want it all to come back to me.

And I'll secretly stash
Some of their pixie dust
And I'll fly myself back,
To when I loved everything.

{Post edit: My brother Christian did a quite professional recording of Lissie singing Pixie Dust, which can be found HERE.}

The Day After Christmas

Here's a little peek for the lovely Merrill family! We were so blessed to have a break in the rain so that we could go outside for these. Before long Jared will be off on a mission and the family will be more spread out, so although December isn't the ideal month for photos in rainy Washington, we got together the day after Christmas to capture this sweet family while they were all home for the holidays!

And don't these two look way too young to be grandparents? But grandparents they are, and fabulous ones at that.

My Favorite

Lissie has a thing for favorites.

"I'm your favorite baby sister, right Marie?"

"I'm your favorite 16-year-old daughter, right Mom and Dad?"

Last month she had a birthday party themed after all her favorite things: cowboys, Taylor Swift, hot air balloons, dancing...









So, Lissie. Did you know that you're my favorite 16-year-old sister to photograph? :) Because you really, truly are.

Sunday Snaps: Auf Deutschland

Guten Tag! Below are some random snaps from Germany.

This first one of Magnet and me was taken at a German restaurant my parents took us to. I wanted to post this picture because I'm rarely in pictures and we're rarely, rarely in pictures. Plus I've been feeling especially grateful for my handsome man. I don't gush about him too much on here because I don't want to embarrass him. But seriously, I couldn't ask for more. He is my number one fan and support. He'll stop anything to listen to me and help me make decisions. And that's often. I can be so indecisive! He's always taking me on dates, and the kids on individual daddy/daughter/son adventures. He reads to our kids every night. He does the dishes more than I do. He works hard. He's ambitious. He is so good and so generous. Tonight I just have to tell the world how much I love him.

Speaking of dates, he took Magnolia and me to Gino's, my favorite little gyro place downtown Heidelberg.

Baby Magnolia was a pretty happy camper. I think she likes coming along.

Next up, I got my landscape photography on. I didn't think I had any interest in landscape photography, but take me to Europe and I'm all over it. Here is the beautiful old bridge in Heidelberg:

Castle ruins:

Another portion of the Heidelberg Castle:

A shot I took from the castle overlooking the city and beautiful Neckar River:

Switching gears a bit, here is my uber cool dad and brother jammin' out in the band room. The room was too small for me to get a shot of everyone, but you can bet Christian and Lissie were rocking out with their guitars and vocals. And you can imagine us less talented peeps crowded around the door listening in.

Next up is Turtle, Bryant's cat. My kids loved her! If you know me, you know I'm not an animal person. But I like Turtle. I like her so much that for the last few weeks I've been feeding a stray cat that comes around our house. We've named her Turtle Two.

We went on several day trips to nearby villages. Cute Magson sat so nicely for me in front of an old door I found in the adorable downtown of Ladenberg:

Here is the rest of the gang strolling the cobblestone streets. I will never forget the photography shop we found in this town. Displayed in the windows was a lot of unimpressive studio photography...poor lighting, etc. It killed me! Don't get me wrong, I appreciate indoor studio photography, but if I were in Europe with the endless scenic backdrops, the last place I would be is inside taking pictures. I don't think those photographers know what they have right outside their doorstep... sigh.

And last but not least, here is Malschenberg, the little town I grew up in:

There's no place like home!