THERE'S A DR. IN THE HOUSE!!!!

My fabulously talented and brilliant husband just defended his dissertation! That means he officially has a double PhD!!! Watch out world. I am so proud of him I can't even stand it! Congratulations sweetie!

Welcome to the fun house!

Tangled up in you

This has been a habit for a good 3 years now. And I can't tell you how many people I talk to everyday that say, "Oh, I was a thumb sucker too!" followed by "Yeah, until I was 10 or so." I cringe a little thinking of the dental issues but as a mother I am so enamored by it. She started it at about 3 months and it is her last link to baby hood. The twirling is a bit of a problem because she gets gnarly knots but, again, I sort of love it. She's my baby!

Caleb makes up for yesterday

Once again I pulled my poor neglected camera out tonight to shoot Isaac and Liv swimming and got a little brother instead. But tonight, as he was standing at my knee, I took the first shot, he looked to see what I was doing and then HE POSED! Now I'm going to have to deal with THREE posers! Notice the lovely halo of bruises forming on his poor little forehead-a result of new found pulling up on everything in sight.

The chaos that is motherhood

Yeah, the picture says it all. I really wanted to get some shots of the kids playing an exciting game of BINGO today and I got this instead. Because he is crawling- he can find me. Because he can pull up-he can pull up on me. I wasn't going to post today but I decided that this would be a good time to study the use of the wide angle zoom. I also liked the bright colors that help show off the absolute chaos of the moment. Notice that my children in the background are completely unphased by their screaming brother. How's that for compassion! This is a peek at my life. Sometimes, well-usually, crazy but bright and vivid and full of life.

Out and about in B-town

We needed to get out and run a little today and I was looking for good backgrounds and textures. Isaac really wanted to look cool and Livi kept being the ultimate cheeseball. On the plus side-I found some great places!
P.S. Make sure you click on the last photo for the full effect!

A mama and her boy

I had the opportunity to take some pictures of a friend and her son today-( you'll recognize him as he frequents this blog!). Both are just gorgeous. Thanks guys I had a lot of fun today and hope to do it again soon!

Welcome home!

My dear other half is home! After picking him at the airport we decided to treat the kids to Chuck E. Cheese. We have only been once or twice before and they had a blast! It is nice to have Anthony back home. We really did miss him!

He was greeted by lots of melting ice in Bloomington. It was sort of funny to watch us all try and skate up the driveway. The ice is melting fast though and I'm hoping that spring is just around the corner.

Bowling

I wish I had a fantastic image for today. I don't. We went bowling with Isaac's friend and his family. Ant is out of town and I simply didn't have enough hands. I'll do better tomorrow!

My first newborn session

Just a little secret

The pregnant belly in my earlier shots is no longer preggo! This little guy is SO SWEET! I can't wait to shoot him some more. I always wonder if they dream and if so about what. Doesn't he look like he wants to tell me in the last shot?

Into the dark once more

From generation to generation

They say babies are a great judge of character. Caleb definitely is-it only took him a moment to decide that Grandpa is a good guy. I love the way that they are looking at each other in these photos.

Almost 37 years and counting

My in-laws are here today and I adore them. They stand together in a time when many marriages fall apart. They married at 18 and have been inseparable since. I have to wonder what those hands have been through together- heading off to Italy as young newlyweds, holding 3 different tiny babies, comforting through the loss of a parent, and I'm sure so much more. I have so much to learn about love and they are one of the examples that I look to. I admire the way they've raised their children. I mean, my husband is practically perfect! (Actually, I love the way that both my husband and I were raised. Thanks moms and dads!) I hope that 29 years from now Ant and I will still hold hands.

Saturday morning candy

Just playing dress-up with the kids. We were supposed to have a shoot with a gal in town today but she wasn't feeling well so we postponed it. BUT my kids were ready to be in front of the camera and I took advantage of it!

P.S. Check out that CRAZY hair from the rag rollers! A couple fell out last night so she had a few straight spots but we got A TON of WILD CURLS!

Curly Girly

Yesterday Livi wanted curls in her hair for Valentine's Day. Her hair is crazy fine and completely unpredictable. We put curlers in and the cute curls lasted all of about 10 minutes. Tomorrow we have a special shoot with a photographer in town and Livi wants curls again so I decided to go back to what my mama did when I was little-rag curlers. I cut up an old t-shirt and went to work. We'll see how it looks in the morning! I went in to check on her after she'd fallen asleep and couldn't resist snapping a quick shot. I wonder if the thumb in the mouth will still look so sweet when she is 10! On a side note to anyone who reads Becker's blog- the shot below is straight out of the camera with my picture style switched to monochrome. Really cool tip and really easy!

We also had our preschool Valentine's party today. We had a blast! Our day included going to a florist and picking out some special flowers. They each really liked the carnations! Maybe there is something to them after all.

Love Struck

On Valentine's Day I must just say how in love with my family I am. I shot all of them today but those shots are just for me. Instead, I leave you with the shot from WonderLab today which captures my mood entirely.

Anthony, my dearest. Thank you for unwaivering support in whatever I endeavor. You push me to develop the craft and learn the technical side that doesn't always come easy for me. In the middle of one of the most stressful times of our lives you stop, and focus just on me. You are the most amazing father I have ever met and watching you with our children reminds me why I fell in love with you in the first place. It floors me to see little pieces of you in each of our children because I can fall in love with that little piece all over again. I can honestly say that I love you more today than yesterday, and 5 years ago, and 10 years ago. It's like fine wine- it just gets better with age. I've grown up with you and I can't wait to grow old with you. I can't wait to see the adventure that awaits us!

Isaac, my tenderheart. You are growing up so fast. Watching you today at your school party reminded me of what an incredible little person you are. Your brain is ALWAYS working! You are kind and respectful and just darn sweet. I see the way those little girls already look at you and it breaks my heart! You are MY little man! At swimming tonight I almost had a panic attack as you were left on your own in REALLY deep water to sink or swim. I wanted to rescue you. But you saved yourself. Your determination is astonishing. It is with very mixed feelings that I look at your future. I can't wait to see what you do with this world but I also want you to stay my little man forever. I love you boo.

Olivia, my free spirited firefly. You light this world ablaze! There is absolutely nothing quiet about you! You make us all laugh and have already figured out your place in this family. You are the only girl. It is a special spot and one you claim with pride. You look up to Isaac and try and get him in as much trouble as he will let you! And you are just such a perfect little mommy to Caleb. He adores you. You do everything with 110% of yourself. As much as I want you to stop sucking that thumb it does remind me that you are still my baby girl and I LOVE that you still want ME to carry you to bed and tuck you in every night. I love you princess.

Caleb, my tiniest. We weren't sure what kind of combination you would be. It turns out that you are just perfect! We are pretty attached these days and, as tired as my arms are, I love having you in them. You are my last. I'm treasuring every part of this infancy that you are crawling out of so fast! You are easily amused by the people you love and would spend all day watching daddy, Isaac, or Livi make faces at you. You have a stubborn streak that is funny and SO easily passified. You are the perfect addition to this family. Now, we are truly complete. I love you my little sugar bean.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all and may you all know true love in one form or another.

FEED ME

Isaac had a 2 hour delay today and our day was just busy from start to finish. My poor camera sat unloved most of the day. I felt like all I did today was feed kids- so I thought these shots appropriate for the day. Man, he just eats. And eats. And eats. I'm off to do last minute gifts for my little loves and finish their valentine's.
Isaac did most of the work-mommy just added the finishing touches.

And in with the new

Not even the ice could dampen my mood today because. . . I'M SHOOTING IT WITH MY 5D!!!!

Dear John

Oh my wonderful XT you have been with me through so much! You have caught many moments with beautiful precision and fabulous clarity. But, the day has come. I don't know how to say this . . . I'm moving on. Your cropped frame sensor just didn't cut it for me. I hope we can still be friends and from time to time we can still hang out. It's not that I didn't love you, because I did. I'm just not sure what else to say. I'm sure there is someone else ready to hold you and comfort you as much as you deserve. Let's not say good-bye but until later. . .

He felt left out. . .

Yesterday I didn't shoot him too much and today he was practically crawling right to the camera asking for it. So here he is!

And yes, he is crawling full time. Watch out world! I'm off to finish baby proofing. It would be so much easier if my kids weren't into tiny toys like Lego's and tiny horses and dolls. They just look so edible! Well, he is a 3rd. What 3rd child hasn't eaten at least 1 Lego?

A family kind of day

It was another beautiful day here in Bloomington. We spent the day being lazy as a family. We visited the IU Art Museum and hit the park. I'm going to miss this town. I have really come to love it here! Who knows what wonders await us at our next destination!

And then there was sun!

I celebrated Chinese New Year today with my preschool class. We decorated, went to a fancy Chinese restaurant, made special dragons and even went on a loud parade. The sun was shining. That is the best sentence I've written in a LONG time. We even played at the park a little bit. May the sun be shining where you are! Winter will be over soon.

My husband is also enjoying the photography bug. He is excited to get my camera when I get my 5D! Here is a shot he took at the restaurant today.

Just a glance

This gorgeous little cherub was sitting beside me tonight as I watched my older 2 at swim lessons. I love how he is watching his momma with so much love. My youngest still looks at me that way- like I'm the best thing that the world has to offer. Somewhere along the way the look fades and they get more interested in everything around them than your face. Now it is just me looking at my marvelous little creations knowing with absolute certainty that they are the best thing that the world has to offer.

Out of the box

Today was busy. I took 2 of my preschoolers plus my own 3 to a children's museum in Columbus, Indiana. We had a blast! Our activities even included sliding down a giant toilet! But, alas, my hands were just too full for my camera and my kids needed a mom more than a photographer. I sat down at my computer tonight with no photos in hand. I couldn't do it. I put back on my coat and headed to the University to try my hand at night shots. There is a great light exhibit outside of the art museum here that I've been wanting to see at night so I headed there first. Here are the shots I snapped before my fingers froze!

I headed into the Art Building to warm up and was greeted with this lovely sculpture.
And a lovely reminder about the position we are in right now in life. Dear Lord, let one of those jobs be for us!

I braved the cold once more and found the lone student running to get to the library and out of the wind and the lone clock reminding me that time passes all too quickly. All in all, a good end to a fabulous day.

WPPI

WPPI- Wedding and Portrait Photographers International is running a fantastic ad campaign for their convention. When I post this video promoting it I supposedly get tickets for next year's show. Hopefully by next year I will actually be closer to running a business and, therefore, would LOVE to go to the show! A lot of the big guns in the business attend and I would love to meet/take classes with the pros. It is healthy to dream, right?!

Rain, rain go away. . .

Yup, still raining. I learned today that through the eyes of a child even a rainstorm in February holds magic. Sometimes I take the little things for granted. The rain really is pretty sweet when falling on the delighted head of a 3 year old. Puddles- even deep muddy ones, or rather, especially deep muddy ones are actually a lot of fun. We have to stop the rush rush rush and just enjoy the falling rain.

Just another manic Monday

This photo a day business is harder than I thought. Not actually taking the picture but remembering to pick up my camera in the first place. You see, unlike a full time photographer, right now I am also a full time mom and preschool teacher. Life is a little crazy sometimes. All the more reason to capture life when I can I suppose! I'm so ready to jump into warmer weather and start taking pictures outside again! I wanted to get out today but, alas, rain prevented me. It wasn't a nice welcoming spring rain either but a "let's be dull and gray" wintry rain. Yuck. Better luck tomorrow!

In honor of the Super Bowl

Not the greatest pics but the best I could do for about 3 minutes of shooting time! We had some guys over for the Super Bowl so the day was busy with cooking and cleaning. I was never a football fan before we moved to Indiana but the Colts got me really excited about the game. And I must say, with as much love as I have for the Colts I have disdain for the Patriots. Why? Well, I know that they are a good team but I think that they are very bad sportsmen. That goes along way with me! So I was rooting for whoever played against them. I was excited that Peyton's little bother got the job done. We had 3 native New Yorkers here last night and needless to say it was VERY loud! Congrats to the GIANTS!

Tiny love

And so starts a new chapter in life! My dear friend welcomed her little one into the world today. I was awed at this itty bitty being. So tiny, so helpless, so. . .new. What an awesome adventure awaits them all. Here is my favorite shot from today. My first newborn toes! He will too soon be walking, then running-so enjoy them still and soft and in the palm of your hand.

If you didn't believe at love at first sight, you soon will.

Imitation is the best form of flattery

Today at the doctor's office for Caleb's check-up I saw a photo taken by Diane Hasler, who has a business here in Bloomington, that I absolutely loved. I wanted to take a few shots of Caleb in honor of turning 9 months and I decided to imitate her shot.

This puppy was given to Caleb by his brother and sister when he was born and I try and take pictures of him with it to show how big he is getting. After I did my "imitation" shot I just kept shooting. Caleb is about 2 minutes from crawling and spent most of the time trying to crawl right out of the shot.

I laughed as he literally crawled right over the poor little puppy.

Here are a few "puppy shots" taken over the last nine months.
My how time flies. Cherish the moments. Catch them if you can. Hold on to them forever.