bitting, party of eight | nappanee family photographer

this summer i did a very quick (30 minutes or less) photography session with my brother's family. my sister-in-law needed a few photos for a local magazine article she was writing, and here are some of the shots that we got.

we didn't have much time, but i love the idea of "poses" that bring out the personalities, and even with eight people in one photo, i think this one comes pretty close...

although she didn't get to use her headshot for the article, i have to post it because, as my youngest once said while he watched me editing her photos...

"she has such a cute face!"... and a beautiful smile and heart to go with it.

thanks guys - it's always a pleasure♥

my garden boys | nappanee photographer

how has your summer gone so far?

it's been kind of different for me.
i would really like to chat about why, but that will be a near-future post.

a normal summer break starts something like this:

clothes on the lines - check.
basketball camp for the over 6' crowd - check.
swim lessons - no more. (in the books as of last year)
summer camp - check.
mowing, and more mowing - check.
garden - check... err, kind of.

my flower garden is a disaster.
take-over of an ivy kind literally strangled out several of my perennials.
in my old age, i'm giving this up as "lesson learned".

our vegetable garden is mostly per the usual, except that my participation has been next to nill.

i went along to purchase seeds & plants as is the tradition, but i've done very little else.

post gardening rest...

did you know that a hoe can double as a light-saber or some other sort of weapon...?

although i had good intentions, the new strawberry patch was planted by the big guy alone.
i'm wondering about those new plants... i never really discussed the "proper way to plant strawberry starts" with him.
somehow i just don't have it in me to verify these facts.

so, i've been busy inside and my guys are doing all the gardening themselves.

*oh, hey... i did spread hair around the jalepeno plants, and well... that's a whole nother ball of wax.

nothing like a good book | nappanee photographer

one thing that i am a strong believer in is kids & books.

we started reading to ours when they were babies & we have never looked back.
my boys both loved being read to & became big readers as soon as they could read for themselves.

so, we appreciate a book lover here at our house & could just eat this one up when she pulls out the books....

completely enthralled.... absolutely precious.

love her ♥

i ♥ faces "from a distance" | nappanee photographer

this week's theme at i ♥ faces is "from a distance".

if you read my last post, you know i love the close-up, so distance shots are not exactly my forte. normally this type of shot doesn't stick out in my memory.

buuuut.... it just so happens that i'm still in the midst of the world's longest archiving event over here, so i actually had a few shots to choose from!

i decided on this one because it's from a beloved vacation.... awhile ago.

can't wait till we get to go again, but with temps like the 99 degrees here today, i'd rather imagine this vacation in the fall☺

good times | nappanee photographer

have i told you that i'm diving into the archives and sorting, organizing, and - gasp! deleting (oh, how i love deleting!) many of my photo files?

it's a task that begs doing... especially since the hard drive and the external hard drive are nearing the red line, so to speak.

tonight i found this moment below.
instantly, i remember exactly what was going on here.

people are uncooperative.
mother is getting irritated.

the neighbors are wondering just how is it that this woman can possibly take other people's photos when her own family doesn't listen to a word she says.

while i'm pleading for just one decent photo of the three of them, the father of my children is giving out these instructions...

"on the count of three... we'll all turn around and moon her!"



real nice... very mature dad! ☺

makes for a good story though, doesn't it?

i am thankful

in all of my inability to deal with the holidays closing in on me, it has occurred to me that i need to focus on what the holidays are about, whether i'm really ready or not.

i've always got a lot to be thankful for. i could make a big long list of all the "things" i'm thankful for, but i'm going to focus on what's dearest to me.

this man & our marriage. he's the center of my world & i'm blessed by how much he loves me. we've been married 17 years & this spring will mark 20 years together. yee-OWza...☺

this boy...the firstborn...the apple of my eye. we have entered a new dimension with a teenager in our home & lucky for both of us, i'm liking it☺

and last but not least, this one...the baby...the spice in our lives. he keeps it lively around here and we love that about him.

right here are the greatest blessings in my life. i'm so thankful for them. god granted my heart's desire with these 3 and somehow, i could not ask for more☺

the wells family : nappanee family photographer

a few weeks back i had the chance to photograph friends from church, a family of all adults - wow! that was something totally new to me! this group was a fun one...they really know how to laugh together!




thank you wells family - you guys were a joy to capture!

can't get enought of the boys : nappanee children's photographer

just some fun shots of another one of my nephews, another "bub"...

i don't think i've posted any of this guy here yet (except for the shot of him crawling behind mom & dad on their wedding day), he's got a little brother i posted a couple of weeks ago in my friday favorite and i thought i should give him equal time!

this first one's an old one, he was just a beeb then, but i'm always going through my "extensive backlog" (ie: the thousands of photos that need to be printed someday) and i came across this one.

i like it ☺


and these are more recent, the boys came out with mom & dad to pick strawberries & spend some time on the big swingset. this guy was more interested in making sure little brother didn't get his new buzz lightyear than he was in having his picture taken ☺