Jenna...

Would you just look at this beautiful hunk of love! Those piggie tails just killed me!  Jenna is a precious blessing. She's got energy and spunk and so much personality. I was so excited when her mom contacted me about pictures. Donna and I have been friends for a very long time.   When I was taking these shots, my mind was going back through all that we've been through together.  It made me smile and made me teary. Thanks for asking me to take Jenna's 2 year shots, Donna. I felt honored.

Miranda

Miranda saw some pictures I took and contacted me about a photo shoot. She wanted pictures to give as gifts for her grandparents. She has lots of gorgeous shots to choose from. Her grandmas will be very happy!! 

I used the adult shoot opportunity to work with my new camera. I wasn't ready to try it with kids. Asking for a reshoot when kids are involved is not cool! I'm happy to say that a reshoot with Miranda won't be necessary. I'm thrilled with the performance of the d700. It really cuts down on my editing time because I'm so thrilled with what comes out of the camera.

Ahhh...a few minutes of peace.

Jake actually played upstairs in his room today and gave me a few minutes to catch up. He played with this:

Oh..and..by the way...this was his main Christmas gift!! I had it hidden in the locked guest bedroom. I was upstairs and heard him yell, "I want to play with this!"  I knew immediately what he was talking about. Somehow he managed to break into the locked bedroom.  There were no signs of forced entry. He's good.

I had to give it to him. It's not like he's going to forget by the time Christmas comes. So...now he's playing...and I've been scrambling to find a new big gift.  I was really going to stick to one big item and a few small things. This was the biggie. He's been asking for a garage. He only had the Little People garage, and the ramp was broken. He even mentioned asking Santa for a new one. I'm so bummed. I really wanted to see his Christmas morning reaction to this.

We've had a busy few days with family. My mom's birthday was Thursday, so I had my family over for pizza, salad, and a Dairy Queen cake (mom's favorite).  My dad forgot his video camera, so I let him use the d90 to record this:

Here are a few shots from the party.

Kate surprised me by pulling into the driveway about an hour before the party.

We spent yesterday at my aunt and uncle's ranch in the country for their annual Harvest Moon Festival. We look forward to this day all fall. There's lots of great food, games, and family fun. It was a cold one this year especially once the sun started to set. Uncle Joe, the fireman, said the bonfire was just too dangerous this year. It's been such a dry summer and fall. Instead we huddled around the firepit. No one minds the cold when we are all together and having such fun.

Last year I took hundreds of pictures while we were there. I didn't go quite as crazy this year, but I have some really cute favorites to share.

 Uncle Paul filled a galvanized pool with corn. The kids had a blast playing in it. Every time I couldn't find Jake, I just checked the pool. He was always there!

 Jake wasn't sure about the hayride, but we convinced him. He sat on the floor right between Uncle Paul's legs, and Uncle Paul said he never moved throughout the entire ride.

 I'm the dessert girl for the festival. For the second year in a row I brought cupcakes, cookies, and pumpkin bars. Next year I'm making two batches of pumpkin bars. They are a huge hit!

Uncle Paul was pretty excited about his new tractor!

Aunt Janie gave out little flashlights to the kids. This was the way Jake drove home...sound asleep but never letting go of his flashlights.

I bought another light for my home studio. I struggled with it for nearly one hour and still knew that something just wasn't right.

Well...after about 10 minutes online, I figured out that I had the light put on backwards. It's stuff like this that makes me wonder where my head is!!!   I got it fixed and convinced Jake to help me test it.

Jake. Jake. Jake.  He tells me nothing...then today tells me that there is a time out chair at school. I asked him if he has ever had to sit in it. He said no over and over again...so adamant. Then I asked him which kids have had time out. He said the name of one other friend, and then he said, "Me."  Dan and I tried not to laugh...really we did. Tonight I saw his teacher at a school event. I asked her if there was a time out chair in the room. There isn't.  Oh, Jake. What are you trying to do to your old mommy?

Studio Play with Jocelyn and Jordan

As you can see, the studio is ready. I actually have one more light due to arrive by the end of the week. I am hoping that by adding it, I won't have to move a light around during the shoot...which is what I'm doing now. I also caught myself asking Jocelyn to face certain ways. The new light should eliminate that need. Once I have it, it's time to focus on a few more props. If you have anything that you think I might like...chairs, rugs, stools, big baskets, buckets...the stuff can be old or new...beat up...whatever...let me know. I would appreciate it so much.

When I presented mom, Natalie, with these pictures, she was overwhelmed. She could not believe that we got so many great shots. I wasn't surprised! ;)  Here are my favorites.

He did it!

He posed!

He LOVED trick-or-treating...no great surprise. He came home loaded.