6 month old beauty | nappanee children's photographer

this little girl hardly knows me without the black box in front of my face.
she's the newest of my 14 nieces & nephews and the most regularly photographed by me, to date.
and that's ok because mommy & i both love photos.

and babies aren't babies for long, so there's no such thing as too many photos, right?!

i love baby hands and feet, and baby roundness....

what a precious face....

when i think of her, this is the face i see...

and lest anyone think she's a boy, we added a flowery headband...☺

thank you sweet baby, for tolerating your aunt with the camera, once again!

xoxo

aunt apryl

long hair, revisited | nappanee photographer

i take a lot of photos. (understatement)
right now i'm trying to get organized, sorting, deleting, editing. repeat.

it's time consuming and not my idea of a good time.

what i do appreciate, though, is what i find.
images i've totally overlooked or forgotten or been too busy to stop & savor.

recently i did some serious hair cutting around here.
this boy really had some long curly locks!

while sorting through photos, i found some gems.

like this one... i like the subject.
i like that his hair wasn't in his eyes at the time.
i really like the rim light... it's icing on the cake.

this i just love. then end.

mmmm.... i'm a catchlight junkie...


and i'm equal-opportunity as far as hair's concerned.
i like it short just as well as i like it long!

love a clear path to those wonderful eyes☺
-a

she makes me smile | nappanee children's photographer

seeing this little one just makes my day!
she has a wonderful disposition & she's a doll.
so luvvy & sweet right now.

i truly miss this age with my boys.

and...
i have always been in love with this angle of view.

i have a similar shot of my oldest when he was little.
i called it his "alfred hitchcock" pose. the mostly bald head & the huge, droopy cheeks.

oh, how i love that!

i love the eyelashes.
i love the exaggeration of the cheeks & the pouty lips.


but i love this one just as much!

love you pretty girl!

xoxo
aunt apryl

hitting the spot | nappanee photographer

lately, this has been a weekly necessity at our house...

i'll let you in on a secret: normally on sunday, i cheat like crazy.
i make sure i have frozen pizza in the freezer.

quick & easy.
no work for me.

but i got this idea to try homemade pizza, once again. i've tried it many times over the years. when i was a kid, the only pizza we had was homemade. homemade from the box kits you used to be able to get at the store.

can you still get those?

in the past, i can't say i thought homemade pizza was the best; but right now, my family seems to think this is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

it's our new sunday thing.

want the recipe for my pizza dough?
it's super-easy & fast. no rising. no kneading.

you will like it, i promise☺

homemade pizza dough

1 pkg. active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp. yeast)
1 c. warm water 110 degrees
2 Tbs. olive oil
3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 heaping tsp. sugar

mix yeast in warm water until dissolved. add olive oil.
mix 2 c. flour with salt & sugar. add all at once to liquid ingredients.
with mixer & dough hook attached, blend on speed 2 (low) till about 1/2 way mixed.
add remaining 1 c. flour & continue blending on low for about 2 minutes until dough is well blended, clings to hook & cleans sides of the bowl.

spread out on pizza pans, add toppings, bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 mins. till done.

*this makes enough dough for 2 pizzas, i make mine on 12 1/2" round stones. if you try & make 1 pizza with this amount it will be super-thick. so if you like it super-thick, go for it!

happy today | etna green children's photographer

these are making me happy today...

baby fingers & toes....


and adorable profiles with soft, kissable cheeks...

yummm...♥

j&k | goshen couples photographer

several weeks ago it was a special treat for me to photograph this young married couple.

i still remember the first time i met k.
she was about 9 mths old when troy & i started hanging out with her parents.
they were a young married couple & new parents, while we were just dating/engaged.

{kind of makes a girl feel her age when someone she met as a baby gets married}

boy, how time flies!

and because i'm in the mood, i'm gonna do a little play by play...

i tell people that they don't have to smile to be pretty... this is proof right here... ☺

♥ this...

i'm liking a little sun...

i said "talk to him k!" and she said (laughing) "i can't talk to him!"...

i love to get in there tight...

because i always love the results!

this was so much fun... hope you guys enjoy your photos!

-apryl

too fast | nappanee children's photographer

my guys are growing up so quickly.
school has started & i have an 8th grader & 5th grader.

whoa.
i ask myself, "where has the time gone? they're growing up too fast!"

all you mama's with little ones out there, let me reassure you:
it will be gone... all too fast.

so i savor these moments today.

secretly, my oldest son blows my mind.

he chews gum. all. the. time.
he's into ac/dc. his father is so proud☺
he's officially taller than me - over 5' 11".
his new bike is the big deal in his life right now.
he plays "gaga ball". it's an actual physical game, not a video game. bonus.
he bought a $15 computer from his cousin. you'd think it was state of the art.
he is a quite the piano player, which makes me really proud!
he's a super speller & loves all things science.


my youngest keeps me sharp. he makes me work for every last bit.

he's imaginative & creative.
he likes all things egyptian.
he is the most thoughtful kid i know.
he loves history, which makes his father proud.
he's a self-professed author. he's always writing & that impresses me!
he loves to play gaga ball, even though his brother normally pounds him.
he wants a pet desperately. even if it's just a mouse, he needs one.
he got 5 milk duds for helping me work on my backlit shots. i love the results.

i love these boys so much.

god knows what he's doing when he grants you the desires of your heart; that he surely does. ♥

on their way out | nappanee photographer

this year was crazy hard on the gardens.
i suppose it didn't help that i didn't water the flowers once this year.

bad gardener... baaaad.

i like to think that by planting all perennials, the garden's on auto-pilot.

you throw a kid who's in trouble out there once in awhile to pull the weeds, and let those babies go.

that's my idea of flower gardening.... lazy style☺


they're on their way out now but these were some of my favorites...








love me a little flower bokeh!
mmmmm.....


so long, my pretties☺

little f is growing up | etna green children's photographer

ever since i took her pictures in the beginning, i've been wanting to spend some time taking more.

mommy says that as soon as the camera comes out, she'll have nothing to do with me.

i started out in front of her and she dodged me left...


i went to her left & she dodged me right...


i popped right back in front & she looked over my shoulder like i wasn't even there!

she's one smooth little operator, this one!

just you wait little girl... i'll be back to getcha☺

xo
aunt apryl

a discussion with a 4 yr old | nappanee children's photographer

a couple of weeks ago we stopped by my nephew's on his 4th birthday. as per usual, i took my camera along in case the opportunity arose to snap a few shots of anyone cute.

this boy was doing his thing.
playing in the dirt because apparently dirt is more fun than the sandbox for some such reason or another.
and playing in the dirt is one of the things that boys do best, so we have to let them do that, especially on their birthday.

so i planted myself there next to him and started chatting & snapping in between.

mr. c was seriously working on setting up a barn with some cows & pigs.

i guess that dirt doubles for bedding, food, saw dust... whatever you happen to need at that moment.

at some point, mr. c looked up and said something like

mr. c: "why are you takin' pictures of me?"

to which i replied something like

me: "cause it's your birthday & i thought that might be kind of nice for your mom to have pictures of you on your birthday. is that ok???"


mr c.: "no."


i guess serious business should not be interrupted by the sound of the shutter clattering.
ropin' up your cows and all, that's very serious stuff.

so i'm thinking, "great. he's really gonna make me work for this!"

these 4 yr olds, what can we do with them?

we can bribe them, that's what we can do with them☺

me: "so, maybe if i can get some nice pictures of you, i just might have a birthday present for you..."

wow... magical... look at that face!

me: "seriously, is that the best you got?"
(i see no reason to beat around the bush with these people - 4 yr old people, that is)


me: "oh yeah... that's what i'm talkin' about!"

mr. c: "so about that birthday present... "

me: "just exactly how many birthday presents could you possibly need???"

me: "ahhh... that many. well i suppose 1 more won't hurt you!"

☺

so, thanks little buddy, for the pictures.

hope this 4 thing turns out to be just great!

love,

aunt apryl

xo

ps. mom, that's chocolate cake around his mouth there. if you want me to, i can get rid of it, course i thought it was sort of cute! boys with clean faces... do those exist?

little miss s | bourbon children's photographer

a couple of weeks ago i had the delightful privilege of photographing this little girl.
technically, i've photographed her once before, but that just wasn't quite the same!

i've decided that "S" stands for "sweetie", cause that's her.












i love the time i spend with children in front of my camera!
can't wait till i get another chance to capture miss s & her smiles again☺

rocking my kitchen today

some of you know that tacos, quesadillas & burritos are a mainstay at our house. we like us some mexican food!

lately i found myself buying packet after packet of taco seasoning.
each time i'd buy it, something nagged at me, telling me i should probably just make some myself.

sometimes, i hate it when that happens...


so here's the recipe i found & tweaked to my liking.
hopefully someone can use it as much as i can!

if you're like me, you already have all or most of these ingredients in your cupboard.

taco seasoning
6 tsp. chili powder
5 tsp. paprika
5 tsp. cumin
3 tsp. onion powder
3 tsp. garlic powder
3 tsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. seasoned salt

shake it up.
store in jar with tight fitting lid.
7 tsp. = 1 packet of seasoning
add to 1 lb. browned ground beef & 3/4-1 c. water.
simmer a couple minutes, shouldn't be runny.


tortillas.
we eat a lot of them & it always bugs me that the regular, made with your all-american bleached flour ones are pretty unhealthy for you & still have transfats in them.

even the recipes for homemade ones are made with either lard or shortening. i just don't like those options.

so i found theses...

now i'll be straight with ya... these aren't the healthiest of the possibilities on the market, but they're much better than the non-whole wheat alternative. i've looked, i've tried at least 2 other brands that offered a whole wheat option. but looking at all around consitency, feel, taste, etc. i like these the best.

and they fit my requirements, so i'm happy. they're also really affordable, get them on sale for $1.59 a pack of 8, 8" tortillas. that's not bad at all.

the piece de resistance:

i found these meijer brand chips on sale a couple weeks ago. as a rule, i don't buy a lot of chips, because lets face it, we do not need chips. but i needed chips & they looked good.

and they are good. bonus!☺

so have i got your wheels turning?
i hope so - this stuff is great!