The Book Thief Gets an A+...

But my ballerina bun gets an F.



Read the review over at Notes She Wrote!

Sunshine

This family is one that has been on my mind so much lately. I honestly don't really know what to say other than that I am absolutely smitten with Michelle and how radiant she is. Beautiful, beautiful. Her husband passed away last year in an accident and here she is with her sunny smile and personality, raising her little ones with such faith and optimism. I feel like every single one of these pictures is evidence of what an amazing job she is doing as a mother. I got teary quite a few times while editing these, picturing myself in her shoes. I know I can't begin to understand what it's like to have your best friend die so suddenly like that, but I do know that if that were ever to happen to me, I hope that I would have as much faith and love to carry on.

I looooved--loved every breath of this session!

Sweet Childhood Friend

The beautiful mother in these pictures is one of my oldest friends...seriously, I think I met her and her twin sister when I was about eight years old! We would often go on day trips to visit castles and beautiful parks together when both of our families lived in Germany. Oh, and I remember our moms would trade; her mom would teach me and my brother piano lessons, and my mom would teach the twins how to sew once a week--pretty awesome stuff, and such great memories.

Anyway, I was delighted when they made the trip up from UT to WA to visit their family up here and also have me photograph them. The only bummer of the evening was their photoshoot went by way too fast. We didn't get to hang out long enough! Such is life. :( There is never enough time!

But without further ado, I hope you guys love these pictures as much as I do:
















And PS. I can't believe so many photogenic people could be bundled up in one family. You are one good-lookin' bunch!

Bye Bye Bubblegum

Today over at Notes She Wrote, I tell about my latest painting project gone wrong. Sigh.

Cherished

It was 2pm before we were all finally ready to go for the promised walk to both the little park and the big park in our neighborhood yesterday. Well, everyone was ready but me. I still hadn't showered! A few steps in, it began to rain. I thought, no big deal, it's just a drizzle.

But then I hollered to the kids to hang on a minute.

"I need to run in and get a jacket for Magnolia. Wait right there," I told them.

After getting her into warmer clothing, we set off again, but now it was more than sprinkling. I wanted to turn around. I tried to coax the kids into coming home and going to the park later. But they just kept pedaling on their bikes, and I quickly gave up.

And so on we went for a mile in the rain. I was in flip flops. Magson was in shorts. Maggie in a dress. We came home looking like we'd jumped into a pool with our clothes on. We definitely weren't fully prepared for that rain, but I have to say we made the most of that adventure and came home smiling. And even I was glad we went.

Aside from our walk in the rain, nothing spectacular happened yesterday, but I loved it with everything in me. I think it's because over and over again in the last few weeks and months, I've been reminded of just how fragile our lives are. I've gathered so much strength and inspiration from people who bounce back from huge trials and adversities with faith and love. Hearing about two tragic stories just the other night helped me cherish the moments of my life a little more and a little better yesterday.

The sun came out again as soon as we were home. I thought that was kind of funny and ironic. The sun always does shine again--even when it's pouring out.

Four Weeks New

This beautiful baby boy arrived earlier than we expected, and so I wasn't able to take his picture until he was about a month old. But no matter; he still let me photograph him sleeping, and what a sweet little sleeper he was! And when awake, he always seemed to know when his big brother entered the room. The strong bond between the brothers was so fun to watch! I think it's so adorable how newborn babies come to earth already knowing and loving the voices of their family.

Many thanks to this lovely family for bringing such a sweet baby into my home! It was truly a pleasure getting to know you all! Here's a little peek: