Family Rocks

I just love hanging out with my family! My niece is so precious, I simply adore her! She is so fun and alert for a three month old. Last night I had a little girls night with my sister Holli and a couple of her friends from high school. One of the girls has had a really rough and abusively controling upbringing and is now going through a divorce. This girl has no family to speak of the help her through this. I don't know both sides of the story of course but it seems like the poor girl doesn't know anything but how to alienate people. I am so grateful for my awesome family.

These pics are of my gorgeous niece Swayzi. She is a fabulous little baby and has such a little attitude. Enjoy!

Look at these lovely littles!

K- I am a lucky ducky. I get to take pictures of some of the funnest kids ever! Swayzi my darling you still win ( I've got a setup in mind that involves your bumbo, some pink balloons, an orchard and a white and pink polka dot romper!) But these little ones are awfully fantastic too! I am trying to get a father's day picture to give to their dad- the guy has EVERYTHING. But these are what I have so far. I may take more when Braden isn't so tired and grumpy.

Song today is by one of my favorite little actresses, AnnaSophia Robb. I just loved this song and how it relates to childhood and remembering to keep that inner child alive.

Recent work

Yeah busy, so much for weekly posts. . .

Anyway, I have had a few really fun photo sessions lately that I want to put up here.

The maternity ones turned out to be a really neat and intimate experience, thanks Ashley!

These urbany ones with the family in white shirts are my Uncle Ralph and his Family, how much more gorgeous could these people be?!

The baby is my beautiful precious niece, Swayzi

The beautiful redhead is my friend Callie who just graduated High School, GO CALLIE!!

The dark haired beauty is my sister's sister in law, does that make her my sister in law too? I dunno.

It seems like I'm missing a session or two, but I can't remember.

Enjoy and please leave comments.

Heavenly Father is the Coolest Ever Foo!

K- I mean absolutely no disrespect whatsoever. I really do think that Heavenly Father is the coolest!

So I'm having to go on a trip with my bosses for ten days and I leave early Saturday morning with the kids (The parents are already in Dallas so I'll essentially be on duty for almost 3 weeks!). And wouldn't ya know it falls during high school graduation season. So I have several senior pictures that I've shot during the last 2 weeks and I REALLY need to get them out to before I go. Last night I go to make the CDs to mail out and my computer keeps popping up with hardware not recognized. AAARGH! NO! What am I going to do?! This morning I tried to do it again (maybe my computer needed to sleep?) and the same message. SHoot! So I'm downstairs packing with two adorable, but noisy and demanding, toddlers and trying to think of what I can do. I came up with a few thoughts but they were all either expensive or time consuming. Then the thought came to my mind: "Did you think to pray?" So I did and tried to have the most perfect faith I could and WOO HOO! It worked, 25 minutes later all my seniors are done and ready to be sent out! I am amazed, so in honor of my personal miracle I'm posting my favorite pics that I was able to copy onto CDs to be sent out today I'm also putting a new song on here. I'm Amazed. Technically it's a love song but I still find that appropriate.

Full

I am feeling very full right now. Not in the sense that I just ate a Thanksgiving worthy meal but in the "my cup is full" kind of sense.

I recently spoke to a girl that I knew when I was fourteen (man that was a while ago) and wow was that an eye opener. It's like some people just get stuck in a pattern when it comes to relationships with others. I think a little back story is in order here. This girl was, and still is really, just beautiful and boy did she know it! She was to put it nicely full of herself and anyone who didn't stack up to her wasn't worth a dime. Unfortunately for her we were in the same church group so we were often thrown together for campouts and service projects. She would taunt me with little pokes like "Man those pants are really tight on you aren't they?" and "I'm so glad I inherited my mom's beautiful blue eyes, I'd hate to have poo colored brown" I have deep brown eyes and they are absolutely stunning thank you very much.

Anyway so I run into her and I say hi! She was a brat but even back then I knew she wasn't as happy as she tried to act. She stares at me for a minute and I see the different emotions flash on her face: recognition, embarassment, and then defiance. This is her reply: "Heather? Wow you look totally different, I didn't recognize you, what have you done to yourself?" Um. Done to myself? I didn't know what she meant so I just chuckled and said "I grew up." She glances at my ringless left hand and then asks what I have been up to. I told her I was currently working as a nanny, and I have been going to school to be a teacher, and that I had a little photography side business, and traveling the world along the way. She then launches into a very self rightous monolog on how she followed the prophet's promptings to get married and have children. I told her that was great and that I hadn't found the person I want to be with for eternity yet. She then decides to tell me that it doesn't matter who I marry as long as they are temple worthy we can make it work. Um?! NO! That may be true but why make something that should be so fun and full of love and happiness harder than it needs to be. I know that marriage and children is not all sunshine and daisies but really? At this point I'm fuming a little bit unable to think of anything witty to come back with (Why did my sister Holli get all the clever comeback genes?) and she sighs and said "Well it was so nice to run into you, good luck with getting your life in order." Can you believe that? As if someone could be that tactless and crazy! Well I fumed and paced a little while longer than went to my car. I drove and fumed for a bit more and then I felt an inner calm and peace. I am happy. I know who I am and what I want. I am not going to settle and nor should I need to. I am working toward being a happy whole person all on my own. I still have a lot of insecurities and ways I'd like to better myself but I don't feel like I need to take little stabs at others to siphon off a little frustration and malcontent.

So here we have a rugged little flower to remind us to grow and blossom to our fullest no matter what others may say or think.

La di dah dah dah. . . Not feelin too many great words of wisdom tonight. So I'm just gonna ramble for a bit! Today was really fun. The kids had their Earth Day program today. How stinkin cute was that!? First of all you gotta love the message. Some elementary aged school children end up on a rafting trip on their own after their teacher falls overboard and magically visit every (almost, the boy playing the kangaroo got lumped into Europe) continent where they learn how to keep an open mind, respect all peoples and cultures and most of all respect the earth. So fun! I especially love how they incorporated the toddler program by pinning cardboard fish to their shirts and have them walk/swim across the stage with their teachers between scenes while Don't Rock the Boat plays overhead. My little guy was of course the cutest toddler. At first he walked close to the edge of the stage to try and find us in the audience, after a couple passes across the stage though he wandered over to inspect the props at the back of the stage. And little girl love we could hear just singing her guts out! Seriously the child is four and she drowned out like a hundred other kids. Of course it was a flat monotone but it was still absolutely adorable.

As for the picture today, well mostly I just like it no truly deep message for it. I have had this song in my head pretty much all day. It's called Sunny Road and it's basically, from what I can tell anyway, about a girl who burned a lot of bridges and is now asking her truest past love to come and meet her on the sunny road to try and make a real and stable life for herself. Personally I think it's rather selfish and I like to think that I'm not like that. Really I haven't crossed enough bridges to even kind of relate this song to myself so to speak but I like it anyway. So- Anyone have some bridges that need crossing?

Long time no write I know. I could say that I've been busy, which I have been but really not so busy that I couldn't have jumped on here to post. Anyway, lot's of fun stuff has been going on. I am now officially an Aunt! I have been called "Aunt" by my God Daughters but now I am a real true blood related Aunt! I am so excited, she is the most adorable thing you ever saw! It's crazy cause like a year or so ago I was helping my mom organize her pictures and she had a bunch of Holli's baby pictures in there and now I see Holli's daughter and it's like looking at a baby picture of Holli come to life.

I also got to do my first real maternity photo shoot which was just amazing! I have taken pictures of friends and family while they were pregnant but never a full on belly (and other bits) baring photo shoot. It was such a neat experience, there is little as beautiful as an expectant mother to me. Thank you so much Ashley for letting me do that! I will post a few of my favorites on here when I get them done.

So in honor of new life, today's picture is a flower that was just totally rain drenched but looked so fresh and clean. Taken at Big Sky Resort in Montana