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♥

musical men part 1 : the guitarist | nappanee photographer

my house is full of musical men... uh... boys.

both of the guys are in their 4th year of piano lessons & this winter we got the big boy a guitar for christmas.

now, he didn't particularly want a guitar for christmas, but sometimes mom has a vision and children need a little fire lit beneath them.

the guitar is totally new territory for me.

i can safely say i know nothing about guitar.

so i called up uncle brad (who's been playing "for forty years") and asked if he could help get the boy going.

i had no idea how different guitar would be from other musical instruments (my experience being with the piano & clarinet).

i had no idea that pain & calluses were involved!

but i think it's safe to say that the boy is enjoying his lessons & getting to know a lot about his uncle brad all at the same time ☺

so now we have a guitarist in the house & i can't wait to see where he goes with it!

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. ♥

summer hiatus is over...

if you haven't noticed, i took a little break this summer.
and by break, i mean break from blogging.
i didn't plan on it... it just worked out that way.

and seriously, i don't think it was that big of a deal, seeing as how my husband & 10 yr old were the only ones who noticed!

this summer has been typical of the last year and a half or so... very weird, lots of ups & downs... mostly i've dwelt on the downs. i truly haven't been "me", but i'm pulling myself back up there and getting back into the normal routine of things.

it feels like i've accomplished little, but actually i've achieved a lot.

often i've felt as if there isn't much to show for it with the disappearance of my camera for an extended period in july (depressing... emphasis on the depressing)

but i have survived☺

my youngest & i survived his time in casts. i'm so glad that experience is over with. i can't imagine this hot summer with casts on... lord help us!



my oldest turned 14 in july. i look at him (almost looking up at him, actually) and cannot believe i have a 14 yr old man-child. nope. just can't.


i have tried new recipes. many. maybe too many. i spent a crazy amount of time copying recipes from library books in a quest to find new salads, new summer dishes, new things to get me out of the hum-drum that is cooking.

i have to tell you, i had many strike-outs. most of our summer has been just me & my boys at dinner time & i think my husband has spoiled me. he happily eats anything that he's served and doesn't find a need to tell me that it's not really great, even if he feels that way. my boys... that's another story. my youngest would eat his first helping and be done. that was clue #1 that it's not too good. my oldest would flat out critique the dish as if he were an expert chef. a simple "i didn't really care for it" would suffice for me.

so... we're pretty much back where we began but i did find a few things that we liked & made their way into my recipe binders.

there seemed to be no problem devouring this peach berry cobbler, pretty much in one sitting.


yes... i caved to peer pressure & had mine with a little ice cream... i'll admit that it was pretty good.

so don't give up on me... my mind's just flowing with ideas for my next post☺

excitement | part 2

as you know, i have piano players at my house. this is something that really thrills me as a mom and as a music lover. i played piano (and not especially well) most of my childhood & into the teen years. as my youngest showed interest in the piano, we searched for something we could afford & since bringing a piano into our home, i have renewed my love of the instrument and for learning with it.

both of my boys are finishing their 3rd year in lessons and they both have done very well. this past sunday was their spring recital.

a bit of a wrench was thrown into the whole situation this year because of "the broken arms". as luck would have it, the 2-casted boy broke his arms 5 days before recital. weeks of practice & hard work and he wasn't going to be able to play. this was truly a bummer, probably more for me than for my boy. it was so nice of their teacher, mrs. stichter, to play his songs on his behalf during the recital. it was really a special moment & i was proud, even though he wasn't able to play.

as for the big boy, for the first time since he's started playing he was really nervous about performing. as a kid, i hated recitals. a deathly-type of hate, i tell you. put me almost anywhere, but don't ask me to perform in front of people. i hated to have him feel this way and really want him to be confident. plus, he can really perform his work well & i didn't want that to be diminished by nerves.

so i had to hope & pray for my big boy. hope that he would do well & pray for his nerves to calm down. i have always been so proud of how well both boys have done performing... always.

at the recital he had 2 songs to perform and i could hear his nerves in the first piece, but the second song went smoothly. i was very proud of him!

little did i know, the really proud moment was yet to come.

each year at recital, mrs. stichter gives out 3 awards for different "bests" in her studio. when she started to describe the recipient of her "best technique" award, i listened intently. as she went on, she talked about how much improvement she saw in this student's technique, how diligent he was in working hard to do everything that she asked of him & how prepared he was every week. she described this student as being a lot of fun to work with and as growing up & getting so tall, and having to grow into his "man-sized hands".

my heart almost pounded out of my chest as i knew this had to be my son! (there aren't too many big boys in the piano studio)

when she said his name, i was brimming over with pride & so excited that my boy was being recognized for the work he's done at the piano. i'm sure most parents think so, but i truly believe he works hard (with a few nudges here & there from me) and is capable of going as far as he's willing at the piano.

if you know me, you know i'm not a gusher. but right now, i'm gushing!

i love ya dude & i'm so proud!

you can really work that piano if you want to☺

keep up the good work!

xo

mom

i ♥ faces week 13 "dramatic b&w" photo challenge | nappanee photographer

this week's theme at i ♥ faces is "dramatic b&w" photos. "b&w photos that are dramatic, sensational and/or moody in the way they are presented".

wow, that's intimidating! i don't normally look at my own work & say 'whoa... that's sensational!'

personally, capturing a good photo of my 13 yr old, in itself these days, is sensational!
so i'm going for it ☺

it's not like i'm going to win or anything... but the guest judge this week is none other than my very favorite photog out there, the fabulous tara whitney. her work is one of the reasons i constantly strive to get better at this picture-taking thing!

and this kid... he is so darn handsome.
any reason to post another photo of him *sigh*

so here's hoping that my entry's not deemed as just "a typical portrait photo that has been converted to b&w".

i'd love to have it passed along to be judged by one of my greatest inspirations in photography. ♥

this guy

i'm completely psyched out of my mind about...

this 13 year old, 5' 10 1/4" tall, spore crazy, always hungry, mythbusters loving, piano playing, star wars fanatic.

yep, that's him. he's the lucky one.
the one his mother is always after... always honing this one she is.

it's all because i love ya boy.
l.o.v.e. love.
don't forget it ♥

xo
mom

holiday photos

this year i learned one thing... that before the holidays next year, i'm going to work a bit more on my technique with the christmas photos.

but for now, i thought i'd post a few of my favorites this year....

i like this star...


and this silly kid....


yep...it's a klingon ship...☺


the bigger silly kid....

it's glowy under the tree....


ahhh.... the bokeh.....

and a new christmas ornament this year....


all in all, we had a wonderful christmas & i'm happy to say i'm looking forward to a great new year!

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☺

this dreary week...

life is feeling dreary around here. i'm finding myself yawning at every turn.

nothing spectactular going on here, but i'll tell ya what IS happening....

this past weekend we celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary. we lived it up with some mighty good seafood at red lobster & started watching season 3 of dexter. man, i love that show☺

i baked a cheesecake for us. it was yum-may! my poor boys are so sheltered that neither of them knew what a real baked cheesecake was. i think i should have kept them in the dark even longer, seeing as they both reeeally liked it. it's one of those things i'll have to hide if i want my share.

we've had 2 trips to the dentist & one to the orthodontist this week. isn't that exciting?

and last night i got to spend 2 hours watching my youngest painfully do his best to stay upright on rollerskates. when i say "painfully" i really do mean painfully.

otherwise, i'm spending every spare minute sock knitting, which i absolutely l o v e! and since i already have a thing for socks, this is the perfect addiciton. i'm almost finished with a new pair & i'll be posting pictures as soon as i'm done. they're scrump-dilly-icious☺

and because no post is a good post without photos, here are the people who keep me going whether i like it or not, 24/7/365...



so thanks for reading the blog & be sure to check back soon for more titillating details of my life & those around me ☺

sisters : etna green children's photographer

i have 13 nieces & nephews from my own siblings. with my 2 boys, there are 15 grandchildren (plus 1 on the way) from the 5 of us kids. out of the 15, there are 6 girls.

these are the big girls. or maybe i should say the older girls... that's how i catagorize the kids in my head. we have the big kids & the little kids... the teens & the munchkins. something like that☺

this is what happens when your aunt stops by unexpectedly & says "hey girls, let's take some pictures!" mom's in a panic because they're not exactly in perfect picture mode, but i just wanted to capture them right then - no big deal.

these are their "we can be beautiful without smiling" faces...

but then we're back to laughing because it's hard to be so serious when you're trying not to smile☺

don't they look as if they like each other?

this one below i look at and i think... LOVE....

this one is a personal favorite... so sweet...

and last but not least, we got one with her dog. now, i'm not a dog photographer, but that's a pretty good tongue shot, right?!


thanks girls, let me know what you think!

xo
apryl

friday favorite | nappanee portrait photographer

this is my pick today because...

• my big, growing, always hungry, giant hands & feet, teenage boy
• this is one of the signature looks when i say "hey, i want to take some pictures!"...i like to think of this as the "why?" look
• i've learned that i like that "dusky" light, right about when you can no longer take photos unless you want l o t s of noise in there
• i love his eyes, and they are truely this blue
• makes me want to go up & smooch his face right now - and he still let's me☺

*this image was shot @ f2.8, 1/125, iso 400 with a 50mm 1.4 lens

blue eyes | nappanee children's photographer

this one has my eyes.
and i've noticed that the better the light, the better the blue....me likes it☺

this one reads "hunky, pouty teenage boy..."

now, so long as we never share the mustache, mom will be happy☺

that teenage boy : nappanee teen photographer

i like...no i LOVE having a teenage son.

from day one of bringing this boy home from the hospital, i have never been ready for what comes next.

not for those vaccines you have to get when they're still so tiny and new.
not for kindergarden.
not for the birds & the bees.
and not for having him stand over 5' 7" tall.

but these things happen whether i'm ready or not, and so the teenage years have begun.

in recent past, photographing this one has been more of a chore for both of us, but every now & then, an opportunity arises where we can both be satisfied.

xoxo,
love you boy!
mom

friday favorite : nappanee photographer

i am coming back. i swear.
well, i don't usually swear, but you know what i mean. i promise.

i am digging myself out from under the beans, the corn and tomatoes and i will conquer them all, just in time to take a breath & stare apples in the face.

but i have been working on so many things over the past few exhausting weeks, i have lots of great pictures to sort through & great things to share with anyone who will look or listen!

i've found some great new recipes too, yummy yummy ways to use some of the fresh produce i've been handling. oh, i can't wait to show you!

so hang in there with me, you 3 people who follow my blog.☺
i completely plan to get back into the regular swing of things.

for now, a recent fave....

this is my pick today because...

• if you're like me, you're taking a LOT of photos. and if you're my kids, you're S I C K of it. so there are times when kids aren't cooperating & mom might actually be yelling at them while trying to get some nice shots. and that's not good ...trust me!
  
• sometimes, you gotta go with the flow and just capture things as they unfold.
  
• recently, these people are just plain dirty dog mean to each other, so anything even remotely nice that i can get of them together is a pretty good thing.
  
• what they're doin here, i don't know. and i actually got some nice and thoughtful, brotherly, close images out of them, but this one just kind of sticks out to me. fun. them. right down to the food in the big boy's braces & the food on the little boy's shirt. totally my 2 boys ...unplugged.

*this image was shot @ f5.6, 1/80, iso 200 at 44mm with a 24-70mm 2.8 lens.

favorite friday image : nappanee teen photographer

this is my pick today because:

• it is completely official today at 3:48 pm, i will be the mother of a teenager! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my big boy!
• after i took this photo, i instantly saw what a completely handsome devil he is becoming... and this worries me...☺
• i just can't say enough about this guy...dude, you're still my sunshine & i totally love you!
• this photo has put me on the journey to properly expose for skin tones while not blowing the white clothing. why do i think it's going to be a long journey?

*this image was shot @ f4.2, 1/160, iso 200 with a 18-135mm 3.5-5.6 lens at 32mm

favorite friday image : nappanee teen photographer

this is my pick today because:

• this is my bff's daughter, the photo was taken at the lake recently while we were camping, she's sitting at the end of a pier
• it's at the lake people, what's not good about that?☺
• i love hair blowing in the wind, as long as it's blowing in a good way
• i've been wanting to take her pictures for a while but her mom said she wasn't too crazy about the idea. come to find out she's just not crazy about having her pic taken with her mom! oops - we'll work on that next...

*this image was shot @ f2.8, 1/1600, iso 200 with a 50mm 1.4 lens