Bryan Family

Met up with the Bryan Family on a cold black Friday. While everyone else was inside getting great deals, we were outside trying to get some great Family photos.
This is my favorite. Who says everyone has to look at the camera and smile? Not me.

Wish Miss Noel wasn't out of the frame, but I love all the boys and smiles.

Faith Comes Softly: Signing Our Way Through the Old Testament

I think it's important that my children know the Story of God. I want them to know how God has interacted with humanity from the beginning. Veggietales and Sunday School have helped them learn portions of the story; Daniel in the lion's den, David and Goliath, Jonah and the Whale, etc. These stories are smaller portions of a bigger story, the story of Isreal. Israel was the people group that God choose to make Himself famous. God was faithful, Israel... not so much. I wanted my kids to understand how these smaller stories wove into the history of Israel.
Shortly after Stephen and I were married, my sister and I went to a seminar called Walking thru the Old Testament. In a day, we learned signs that told the story of the Old Testament. I kept my little workbook for the day when I could share these signs with my children. I changed them up a bit, and even created a curriculum pairing the signs with stories from this Children's Bible which I highly recommend especially for children four and older. I used the curriculum at my church in San Antonio, and my friend Joy helped me put the signs on video. FYI, Joy Crampton rocks and I miss seeing her.
So we've been working on these signs since May. My kids are thrilled about what's next in the story...Christ. We've finished just in time to begin Advent.

Book Recommendation: Toot & Puddle

I rescued this book from my mother's christmas garage sale. She was going to sell this little treasure for $.50! Every year, I set a box out full of Christmas books, DVDs, and Advent supplies. The kids can pull out items throughout the month as they prepare to celebrate. All our belongings are still packed away in my in-laws garage so this may not happen this year. Thanks to my mom's garage sale, though, the kids will have one fantastic Christmas book to look at, Toot & Puddle's I'll be home for Christmas.
Toot & Puddle are a sweet little pair of pigs that live in some hippie dippie place called Woodcock Pocket. Their home is quaint and cozy and full of love. I love their character and relationship, but what I absolutely LOVE about this book is the pictures. I love them because they are LOVELY. Holly Hobbie, the auther and illustrator, is also an artist. If her paintings look anything like her picture books, I would totally hang them on my walls.
Is it possible to love the books you read to your kids? It is.

Ideas for Anyday

In 2009, I did a series called "Tips for Tuesdays". Well, it's not a Tuesday and I don't want to come across that I have this mommy thing down to a science. I don't. I do have some good ideas, though, that might help another mommy out there. I was in our church's nursery tonight. Schroeder bumped his head. I did what I always do when my kids get hurt. I said, "Do you need a hug?" Schroeder was already at my legs ready for one. We gave each other a squeeze and he left to play some more.

My friend, Abby, and I began to discuss what one says when they have a child who has tripped, bumped their head, been bitten by their sibling, etc, etc, etc. I greatly dislike the "Oh, your fine." Sure, maybe in the long run they'll be fine, but at that moment maybe their head is really hurting or maybe they just feel overwhelmed with life. Being a kid can be hard.

I think parents say the "Oh, you're fine" because they don't want to encourage being a wimp or being over dramatic. I get that, but it's ok to want to be comforted sometimes.

The "Are you ok?" response isn't horrible, but I find that my kids will say that they are fine while still having tears in their eyes. I guess they have some perspective that, no, they don't need to go to the hospital so, yes, they are "fine". That doesn't mean, though, that the bump or bite didn't hurt.

My response is always, "Do you need a hug?" I think this is the response that I look for from Stephen when I'm having a hard moment. I need just a brief moment of comfort. A hug conveys that the person understands life is tough and that they love you. Being understood and loved helps you to move on with life. Nothing drys tears up on a child faster than a hug. The child no longer needs to be dramatic because whether it was big or small they can still get a hug.

Many times I follow the hug up with, "I'm sorry that happened to you." Because I am.

I make my kids practice this on each other, and I hope that one day, I will see them doing this with their friends, their spouses, and their own kids.

Baby Jack

I'm so glad to be back in Indiana so I could be around to attend Kelsey's baby shower, to bring her a meal after Jack was born, and to photograph this new little one. Kelsey is one of five girls. Her older sister has two daughters. Kelsey has two daughters. There were probably plenty of comments about whether a boy would ever be born in this family. Then came Jack. He may be a boy, but he's still beautiful!

This one is my favorite! He's showing his muscles and his amazing eyes and hair. Oh, and this giraffe fabric is one that Kelsey picked out for his nursery. She has great taste!

Big sisters Emily and Ava love their new brother.

He slept in this basket while we ate lunch and caught up.

A family of five.

Here is Jon enjoying his coffee, his newspaper, and his son.

Renshaw Family

Hana is a friend from MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). We were concerned that the weather wouldn't cooperate for our session. In a way, it didn't. She had planned to wear sweaters. Instead, she had to pull out short sleeves! Gavin cooperated, though. He smiled. He played. He even sat still for a few. Kudos to Gavin.

Derek & Amanda are engaged!

Derek & Amanda were my first session in Novemeber, but more importantly they are the first subjects for mY NEW CAMERAAAAAA!!!!! So thrilled to have my Canon 5D Mark II which is a full-frame machine of POWER and SHARPNESS. Alright, you can be the judge of that. You might get distracted, though, by the sweetness of this couple. Take a look.



Sweet lips, Sweet ring!


I like this one. She looks like she likes him.

I love these. He looks like he loves her.